by S. E. Smith
Turning right at the stoplight, she headed for one of the pubs that was popular with the locals. Five minutes later, she was pulling into the parking lot of the Underground Pub. It didn’t look like much on the outside, but it had great food, cold beer, live music, and a nice ambiance.
Grabbing her purse and jacket from the passenger seat, she opened the door and slid out. The smell of the ocean mixed with the fragrant aroma of food made her stomach growl again in anticipation.
Jenny shut and locked the car door. Seagulls squawked as they landed on the docks in the hope of finding a meal from the fishermen cleaning their daily catch or from a generous patron willing to share a leftover French fry or two. A brisk breeze swirled around her, and she quickly pulled her jacket on when it sent a chill through her. Shouldering her handbag, she crossed the uneven gravel of the parking lot to the entrance of the pub.
Jenny pulled the door open and stepped into the dim interior. She paused as her eyes adjusted. Glancing around, she saw the band equipment set up along one wall. Wooden tables laden with condiments and scarred but sturdy chairs filled the interior to the point that Jenny was amazed the waitress could squeeze between them.
It was still early in the evening, and close to half of the tables were already filled with patrons. Jenny nodded to the waitress when she called out for her to sit wherever she wanted. Squeezing between two tables, Jenny made her way toward one in the back near the large set of double doors leading outside to the patio seating.
She slid into an empty seat with her back to the dark hallway leading to the bathrooms. From this vantage point, she could see the docks outside but was still far enough away from the band to keep from going deaf when they started playing. She glanced at her phone—almost eight o’clock. The band started at nine. If she were lucky, she would be out of here before then. Otherwise, her head would be hurting a lot more than it was at the moment.
“My name’s Dorothy. What can I get you to drink, darling?” Dorothy asked with a friendly smile.
“Beer, whatever local beer you have on tap is fine. I don’t need a menu. I’ll take the fish basket with fries and coleslaw,” Jenny said.
Dorothy tucked the menu she was about to hold out back under her arm and grinned. “The two piece or three piece, sugar?” Dorothy asked.
“Two is fine,” Jenny replied.
“I’ll bring you some chips and salsa,” Dorothy replied with another smile.
“Thank you,” Jenny responded.
She watched Dorothy take another drink order on her way back to the kitchen. Turning her head, Jenny stared out of the glass doors, lost in thought. She absently watched three older men as they stood around chatting. She smiled when she saw several pelicans and seagulls vying for a spot near the cleaning table.
“Here you go, sweetie,” Dorothy said, placing the frosted glass of beer and the plate with the salsa and chips down in front of her.
“Thank you,” Jenny replied with a grateful smile.
Dorothy stood and placed her hands on her hips. “Haven’t I seen you here before?” she asked with a frown.
Jenny paused as she reached for the glass of beer. “Yes,” she replied, not really wanting to talk.
Dorothy nodded and smiled. “I thought so. Your food will be right out. We have a great band tonight, so be sure to stick around,” she said before moving to a new group of people who came in.
Sure enough, Dorothy stopped by a few minutes later with her fish platter. Jenny picked at the food, eating more because she knew she needed to than because she was hungry. After the first few bites, her stomach stopped rumbling, and she lost interest in the delicious meal.
A wave of weariness suddenly washed through her and she decided she’d done enough damage to the food in front of her. She was wiping her hands clean with a paper towel when the chair across the table from her was pulled out and a man wearing a dark brown leather jacket, white T-shirt, and faded jeans sat down. Jenny glanced up, the sharp retort on her lips faded when she recognized the grim-faced man. Straightening, she placed the paper towel down next to her plate and scowled at him.
“I didn’t invite you to sit at my table,” she said in a sharp tone.
Ross Galloway lifted the bottle of beer in his hand and took a long swig, not responding to her blunt statement. Jenny could feel her temper starting to rise. If Ross wasn’t careful, he’d be wearing that bottle upside his head. Her eyes narrowed when he lowered his hand and put the bottle back on the table.
“I didn’t have anything to do with Carly’s disappearance,” he said.
Jenny shrugged and sat back in her chair. “I heard you had an alibi,” she replied.
“I liked her. She was a bit too dangerous to be around, but I liked her,” Ross said, leaning forward and resting his arms on the table.
Jenny returned his steady gaze with one of her own. He didn’t glance away, his expression compassionate and intense. Ross might be a jerk, but he’d never struck her as being dangerous.
“She could be hazardous at times,” Jenny reluctantly agreed.
Ross nodded and relaxed, leaning back in his chair. “Have you heard if the authorities have found anything more?” he asked.
“No, they haven’t,” Jenny replied.
They both sat in silence for several minutes, each lost in their own thoughts. Jenny watched Ross. He absently played with his bottle of beer. A slight frown creased his brow, and he looked like he was trying to decide if he should say something else.
“Do you….”
“I guess….”
They both spoke at the same time. Ross released a long sigh and motioned for her to continue. Jenny twisted her lip in sardonic amusement.
“I was going to say, I guess I should be going. It’s been a long day, and I’d like to do another search tomorrow,” Jenny said.
“Yeah, well, I was going to ask if you wanted any help. I know that the cops have searched. It’s been so long now, I doubt there is anything left out there. Carly’s bones would either be scattered to hell and back or gone if she fell into the sea,” Ross muttered.
“She’s not dead,” Jenny retorted as a flash of anger and grief rose inside her.
Pushing her chair back, she stood up. She pulled some money from her pocket and counted out enough for her bill. She placed it on the rectangular plastic tray that Dorothy left with her meal.
“Aw hell, Jenny. I didn’t mean to upset you,” Ross said, standing up.
“She’s not dead. I would know,” Jenny stubbornly insisted, lifting a hand to brush her hair back from her face.
“It’s been a long time since she’s been seen,” Ross pointed out.
“I know, Ross,” Jenny replied in a soft voice. “Thanks for your offer, but I’m good.”
Jenny stepped around the table and started to pass by Ross. She paused when he reached out a hand and touched her arm. Looking up, she could see the flash of regret in his eyes.
“Be careful,” he finally said.
“Always,” Jenny replied, pulling away.
She could feel Ross’ gaze on her as she mumbled a thank you to Dorothy before pushing open the door and stepping out of the bar. Drawing in a deep breath of the salty air, she shoved her hands into her pockets.
The docks were empty now. The last of the fishermen were either visiting the pub or home with their families. Jenny wasn’t ready to go back to the house where she and Carly used to live. The original owner had sold the house shortly after she’d moved out. The small cottage-style home was now available as a vacation rental. Renting that particular house might be a little morbid, but the new owners had completely remodeled the interior and exterior, and it felt like just a house instead of the home that she and Carly had created together.
Walking along the dimly lit dock, Jenny listened to the fading cries of a seagull and the occasional splash of a fish. The soothing sound of the water lapping against the dock and boats and the chill of the breeze drew the tension from her body.
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nbsp; She walked to the end of the dock and stopped. Pulling her hands out of her pockets, she gripped the railing and stared out at the fading light. Restless energy and grief made her feel on edge and uneasy.
“I have to move on with my life, Carly. Staying in Oregon isn’t helping me do that. I thought moving away would, but I still feel like something is missing,” Jenny murmured to the wind. She brushed the hair from her cheek and tucked it behind her ear. “Do you remember when we said we would go on a great adventure? You’d search the castles of Europe for dragons while I sailed the seven seas before we’d meet up to share our stories with each other.” Jenny stood silently staring out at the horizon, lost in her memories of their childhood hopes and dreams. “After this week, I think it is time I took off for a while—maybe find a position overseas or on a cruise ship. There isn’t anything here for me anymore. I miss you. Wherever you are, I hope we get to meet again one day.”
Tears burned Jenny’s eyes, but she blinked them away. She’d shed enough tears. Now it was time to embrace her belief that somehow, someway, Carly was safe and happy.
Jenny stepped back and pushed her hands into the pockets of her jacket. Her fingers closed around a small shell she had picked up along the trail earlier in the day. She tossed it over the railing, turned, and walked away. As she walked down the dock toward her car, she couldn’t help but think that Carly was like the shell she had just tossed back into the ocean—a small, fragile treasure lost in a huge abyss.
Chapter Three
Late the next afternoon, Jenny dejectedly walked down the trail back toward the parking lot. She reached the section where the path forked. The path ahead of her would lead her back to her car, the other went down to the beach.
Jenny bit her lip in indecision. She had always focused on the longest foot-trail. Carly had never been as enthusiastic about the water as Jenny had. Carly complained it was too cold, too rough, and contained things that liked to eat people. The memory of Carly’s adamant refusal to go in the water during their high school years drew a soft chuckle from her.
Deciding the sound of the waves would help the depression she was feeling, she turned left and followed the uneven path through the thick woods and along the rocky cliff down to the beach. She paused near the edge of the rocks and looked out over the water. Once again, she’d discovered absolutely nothing on her trek today, but that wasn’t a huge surprise. She would have been shocked if she had discovered something. Besides, she reasoned, not finding anything continued to give her hope that Carly was out there somewhere—alive and well.
Jenny thrust her hands into the back pockets of her jeans. Gazing out at the waves breaking against the rocky sand, she thought about her original plans to stay the entire week in Yachats. She’d planned to search for clues every day, but she was seriously considering calling it quits and driving back home later tonight.
After talking to Ross last night and her fruitless search today, she was thinking maybe it would be more productive to start researching her next move. If anything, the last two days had shown her that she was deluding herself into thinking she would find anything new. Ross was right; any evidence would have been destroyed over the past two years.
Jenny thought about her life. She didn’t have anything to rush back to except an empty apartment. She was officially on summer break from the elementary school where she worked, and she had completed all the scheduled workshops. Now was the perfect time to start applying for positions elsewhere.
“It’s hard to believe today marks exactly two years since you disappeared, Carly. I swear I don’t know where time flies,” Jenny said with a shake of her head.
She pulled her hands free from her pockets and reached up to unzip her jacket. She kicked at a few loose pebbles before stepping onto the loose sand. Walking toward the water, she breathed in the salty air.
The sound of the waves was already working its magic on her. She could feel the tension melting away. Her mind wandered as she glanced around. Instead of shelving the memories of Carly, she focused on the beautiful, cheerful girl who she had known since kindergarten. Flashes of their life together made her chuckle. Even though they weren’t related by blood, they’d been as close as twins when it came to their silly pranks while growing up.
Jenny tucked her hands into her jacket pockets and scowled for a moment. If she ever found out who had hurt Carly, she would dice them into tiny cubes, pour soy sauce on the chopped up pieces, and stir fry their asses, then feed them to the fish. Yes, it sounded gross, but Jenny didn’t care. Anyone who could hurt someone as awesome as Carly deserved that and more.
She drew in a deep breath and focused on the small outcropping of rocks that rose out of the Pacific Northwest’s cold ocean waters. Even with the unexpected sun streaming down, the air still held a distinct chill to it. A sad and reluctant smile curved Jenny’s lips.
“You would totally hate this, Carly. You’d be ready to pack it in and head back home, call for a pizza delivery, and debate whether you should watch Dragonheart for the millionth time. God, I miss you and the way we could laugh together,” Jenny murmured, staring out at the rocks.
A sense of peace washed through Jenny. In her own way, she’d said goodbye last night, and it was just sinking in now. It might not be closure, but it was as close to it as she could get. Releasing a deep breath, she turned to the left and started walking again down the beach when a brilliant sparkle brought her attention to the water’s edge. Bending, she picked up an unusual stone half buried in the sand and seaweed. She straightened and gazed down at the colorful swirls embedded in the surface. Jenny rolled the smooth, cold stone in her hand, studying the vibrant lines running through it. Her fingers slowly tightened around the sea-polished gem that looked more like a priceless jewel than an unusual shell or piece of colorful sea glass. She turned her gaze back out toward the ocean.
Jenny closed her eyes and muttered a silent wish as she listened to the sounds of the waves, the birds, and the wind. She really did love the ocean; it was the one thing she missed the most besides Carly since her move to the suburbs of Portland.
She had spent just about every weekend coming here to swim, surf, hunt for shells and sea glass, or just to enjoy the sounds. Carly had thought she was nuts and suggested they move to some place like Florida or Hawaii, where at least the water was warmer, but Jenny didn’t mind the cold. A dry suit and vigorous exercise were enough to keep her warm, even on a chilly day like today.
Jenny drew in a deep breath, enjoying the smell of the moist, chilly air as it coursed down into her lungs. A frown furrowed her brow when a child’s laugh rose above the natural cadence of the waves and drew her out of her reverie.
Opening her eyes, she turned in time to see a shirtless young boy, around seven or eight, running toward the water not more than a dozen feet from where she was standing. She frowned when he didn’t stop at the edge of it, but plowed forward into the rolling waves, heedless of the cold. She started forward in concern, scanning the beach for his parents or another adult, but the area was empty.
“Hey! Stop!” Jenny yelled. She shoved the rock she’d found in her front pants pocket before she took a step forward and held her hand out in warning. “Hey, you! Boy! Kid! Stop!”
The boy paused and glanced at her with wide, mischievous eyes before he grinned and dove under the next wave. Her summers as a lifeguard kicked in, and she kept her eyes glued on the tousled, white-blond head as she shrugged out of her jacket.
She let it fall to the ground behind her as she started running. Her tennis shoes would be a problem. She could kick them off once she hit the water. A part of her was concerned that her shirt and jeans would hinder her, but she didn’t have time to strip out of them. The boy wasn’t staying in the shallows, he was swimming straight out towards the horizon.
Her adrenaline spiked as she hit the freezing water. At the same time as the water closed around her thighs, she saw a flash of bright hair further ahead. The boy turned to look at her, amusemen
t and an intense emotion she couldn’t quite get a read on shining from his eyes. He smiled at her one more time before he slipped beneath the surface.
Jenny dove beneath the wave as it rolled over her. Kicking out with powerful strokes, she swept her arms out and cupped her hands to propel herself forward. She caught a glimpse of green when the sun broke through a cloud to shine down on the water. The boy had been wearing green pants. Hope built inside her as she swam harder than she ever had before. She ignored the burning in her lungs as long as she could, afraid that if she surfaced for air she would lose sight of the boy.
Frustration rose in her when the boy remained just out of reach. Unable to continue, Jenny rose to the surface and drew in a deep breath, the chilly air stinging her wet face. Panic began to sweep through her when she realized that the boy had not come up for air. She dove down, and swam in the direction where she had last seen him.
The water was deeper here, and Jenny could already feel the cold threatening to pull her down into the inky darkness. If not for the adrenaline and fear for the boy, she would have given up and returned to shore. Ignoring the stiffness in her limbs, she propelled herself downward. Her burning eyes caught sight of the boy a short distance in front of her. A sense of renewed determination filled her. She would NOT let him drown!
Just a little more, Jenny whispered to herself as she frantically kicked her legs. You can do it.
Jenny reached out, trying to grab the boy’s foot. She didn’t know how the kid could hold his breath so long or swim so fast. Her fingers skimmed the tips of his toes, startling him. She jerked her hand back when he suddenly turned and looked at her. Blinking, she paused when he pointed at a dark recess in a rocky formation. Her gaze involuntarily followed his arm in the direction he was pointing before darting back to him. A small stream of bubbles escaped past her lips when he motioned for her to follow him.