Panic Pond

by Cole Baxter

  Sighing, Amber went back to her character study. As for family, Carrie's mother, Brittany, and Bryn Forsythe were sisters and her parents still resided in California.

  If anyone asked about Josh, her standard answer would be that he was too painful to talk about. If anyone pressed for more information, she caught Josh cheating on her with her former best friend, Lara. Generally, after that, people tended to back off.

  Amber picked up the phone and called her friend Kim. She had a couple more trivial details to take care of, and one of them was getting a different car for the next few weeks.

  "Enterprise, we pick you up. This is Kim, how may I help you?"

  "Hi, Kim, it's Amber. I need a car for the next few weeks. Something suitable for a wealthy college student."

  "Hey, Amber, let me see what we've got. Just a sec." Amber could hear her typing on the computer. "Okay, SUV, coupe, or sedan?"

  "Anything, I guess. Nothing too flashy though."

  "I've got a silver Mercedes S550, a silver Tesla Model S, and also a black Range Rover Sport. What do you think?"

  "Let's go Range Rover. You have my card on file, right?"

  "Yep. When do you want it?"

  "Can you pick me up from my house tomorrow morning, say ten?"

  "Sure, got you in. Hey, I heard about the robbery at Kelley's. Do you know who did it yet?"

  "Nope. Working on it though."

  "I heard it might be Matt Cook . . ."

  "Who told you that?" Amber frowned at the phone in her hand.

  "Just a rumor. You know how it is around here."

  Amber huffed. "There is no evidence that it was Matt."

  "Oh. Glad to hear it. Just, you know . . . he's got the reputation, so I guess that's why people are speculating it might be him."

  "Yeah, yeah. He got into trouble a lot when he was a kid, but come on, you and I both know he'd never do something like this. People around here just don't like him because he doesn't fit in with the snobs."

  "You mean the prejudiced assholes from Lyre's Prep and Lyre's Academy," Kim hissed into the phone.

  "Yeah, them," Amber agreed.

  "Sometimes, I hate living on this island. Some of these people . . ."

  Amber could hear the frustration in her voice. "Yeah, I know. Anyway, thanks for the car. I'll see you tomorrow. Gotta get back to work for now."

  "Okay, see you tomorrow. ’Bye."

  Amber hung up the phone and then picked it up again and dialed her parents’ house. "Hey, Mom."

  "Hi, sweetie, what's up?"

  "I'm going to come by later. I need a different wardrobe." Her house was small, just a two-bedroom, one-bath with minimal closet space, so she stored a lot of her things at her parents’ house.

  "All right, will you be here for dinner?"

  Amber looked at the clock. "Sure, what are you fixing?"

  "Spaghetti. I'm so glad you're coming. You can tell me all about the case you're working on. Your father has already heard an earful from a couple of buddies down at the station."

  Amber groaned. "Of course, he has. I'll see you for dinner. Thanks, Mom."

  "’Bye, sweetie."

  Amber sighed. Ever since her parents had retired, they had taken a distinct interest in the cases Amber was involved in. This one probably held even more interest for her dad, considering it would have been his case had he still been on the force.

  Going over her notes, what Kim said about Matt really bothered her. Several of the neighborhood residents near Kelley's Gas Station had been quick to accuse Matt too, and that just pissed her off. Matt was a good guy. As she'd told Chief Lee, he'd turned his life around. Her gut told her he wasn't involved.

  She decided to set those worries aside and work on getting into character. She wanted to make sure she could fool Ray and the rest of his employees, and that would mean practicing her accent and having it down pat.

  Chapter Five

  “Hey, Smith, I've got another of those backgrounds done. Do you want it?"

  Amber glanced up from her notes to Mahoney. "Anything interesting pop up?"

  "Not really. Nick Deakin moved here six years ago after a nasty divorce. He's an epileptic and doesn't drive. Lives in the neighborhood we canvassed. His finances are okay, his pay is on automatic deposit, and it doesn't look like he's got much else coming in. He pays his bills on time and has minimal savings."

  "Hey, Smith, you're lead on the Kelley's robbery, right?" Detective Mike Low interrupted.

  Amber glanced over at him. "Yeah, why?"

  "Got a couple of odd call-in tips."

  "Oh?" Amber perked up. "What did they say?"

  "Several of them mentioned a Matt Cook as a person of interest."

  Amber wanted to growl and throw something. Matt was a good guy. She knew he didn't do this. But it seemed that people weren't going to let him alone. "Okay, thanks. I'll check him out."

  Mahoney stood and walked over to her desk. "You don't really think it's Matt, do you?" His voice was quiet but concerned.

  Amber shook her head. "No, but I'm going to find him and talk to him. Keep working on those backgrounds."

  "Sure." He handed her the one on Nick Deakin. "Did you get the undercover set up?"

  Amber tapped the folder on her desk. "Yeah. I'll call Ray on my way and set up a mock interview for tomorrow for him to 'hire' me."

  He nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

  Grabbing her keys and purse, Amber headed out of the police department and over to City Hall where the offices of Parks and Recreation were. Matt wouldn't be there, but she'd be able to find out where on the island he was supposed to be.

  "Hi, Gayle, can you tell me where I might find Matt?" Amber smiled at the receptionist. She really hoped that Leah wasn't there to hear her asking, or if she was there, that she'd stay in her office.

  "Oh, sure. He's out at the campground. He got a call about some mess some campers left behind over the weekend. Leah was right pissed off. She's tracking down their information right now. She plans to fine them for it. Anyway, Matt told her he'd go take care of cleaning it all up so it's ready when those corporate people show up from Seattle."

  "Okay, thanks," Amber replied. It was more information than she'd needed, but it told her that Leah was busy and wouldn't see her there. Normally, Amber would stay and chat for a bit, but she was about to go and question Leah's little brother about a robbery and she knew Leah would be pissed at her, so she didn't want to chance Leah finishing her task and coming out to the reception area.

  She headed back out to the parking lot, jumped in her car, and made the drive to Lyre's Memorial Campground, which was in an area called North End. It was a really rural part of the island. It was a heavily forested area that was home to a lot of wildlife. There were a couple of caves in the area too that the city had been touting as explorable and drew a great many cave enthusiasts.

  Back in the late 1800s, the campground area was where Augustus Lyre had built his mansion. Unfortunately for him, it had burned to the ground in 1900 under rather suspicious circumstances. Now, the area where the house had stood was a large clearing where area campers either brought in RVs or pitched tents. They made use of the caves, the land for hunting, and the ponds for fishing. All with a permit, of course. And the cave tours had to be led by a member of Parks and Recreation, seeing as safety equipment was needed for a lot of them. It was a big money maker for the island.

  Amber passed by several farms, then Cosgrove Farm to Table, a massive store and packaging facility that was supplied by the local farmers. Ten minutes later, she turned onto the gravel road that led back to the campground area and parked next to Matt's truck. He had a garbage bag in his hand and was picking up trash. It looked as though someone had used it as a dump site. There was so much waste.

  "Hey, Matt!" she called.

  Matt looked up, his hand shading his eyes, and he smiled. "Oh, hey, Amber. What brings you out here?"

  "Can we talk a minute?"

  "Sure." He set the ba
g aside and walked over to her. "What's up?"

  "So . . ." Amber fought the blush that wanted to rise on her cheeks, not wanting to actually ask him about the robbery. "You heard about Kelley's, right?"

  "The theft? Oh, yeah. I can't believe someone would do that."

  "Yeah, the thing is . . . look, I hate asking, and I'm sure you didn't do it, but I have to ask . . . you know?"

  Matt's smile dropped and his soft brown face paled. "I didn't do this, Amber."

  "I know, but I have to rule you out. People are speculating that it was you."

  "I was home all night Friday."

  Amber nodded. "Was Vicki home? Can she give you an alibi?"

  Matt shook his head. "No, she took Lily to her mom's in Seattle on Friday night. I was supposed to go with, but I had to work Saturday morning. She and Lily got back around lunch and we went to Kelley's for ice cream that afternoon. But I was on my own Friday night." He ran a hand through his dark hair. "You know I didn't do this," he said softly. "I wouldn't do this."

  Amber reached a hand out and gripped his arm. "I know. It doesn't help that you don't have an alibi, but I'm working on solving it. I'll figure it out. Damn it. I really wish you had an alibi."

  "Me too. Didn't know I'd need one."

  "People around here just have long memories, Matt. You know that."

  "I was never a thief, and I turned my life around, Amber. You'd think they'd see that."

  "Yeah. I'm sorry."

  "I gotta get back to work."

  Amber nodded. "Okay. Thanks for talking to me."

  "Sure." He nodded, and with his shoulders slumped, he went back to picking up the garbage.

  Amber slowly headed to her car. It was nearly five, so instead of heading back to the police department, she went to her parents’ house. She felt like shit for questioning him, but she knew it had to be done. It still didn't make her feel any better about it. While driving, she put in a call to Ray. "Hey, Ray, it's Amber."

  "Hey, sugar, have you found something out?"

  "No, not yet. I was calling to set up an interview with you for me to go undercover."

  "Oh, right." He hesitated but then said, "Sure. How about we meet for lunch at Fired Up tomorrow?"

  "Perfect. I'll be going by the name Carrie Blake. Twelve thirty work for you?"

  "Sounds good. I'll see you then."

  "’Bye." Amber hung up the phone and pulled into her parents' driveway. She hurried up to the house and let herself in. "Hey, Mom," she said, entering the kitchen.

  "Hi, sweetie, how was your day?" her mom said over her shoulder. "You look like someone ran over your puppy."

  Amber sank down on one of the barstools. "Yeah. Just had to talk to Matt Cook about the robbery. Wanted to rule him out."

  "Did you?" her mom asked as she drained the noodles for the spaghetti.

  "No, unfortunately. He didn't have an alibi. Vicki was in Seattle overnight."

  "Oh, dear. You don't actually think he did it, do you?"

  Amber shook her head. "No, but I can't rule him out either."

  Her mother patted her arm and said, "Well, you'll get it all figured out soon if I know you."

  Nodding, Amber got up. "I'm going to go wash up, then I'll come back and set the table."

  "Thank you."

  Amber went down the hall to her old bedroom and pulled the bag of clothes she used for her Carrie Blake persona from the closet. She kept different sets of clothes and wigs in clothing bags just for these occasions. After setting the bag and shoeboxes marked 'Carrie' aside, she went into the bathroom and washed up.

  Later that night, when she was back at home and going through the bag of clothing, her phone rang with a familiar ringtone. With dread in her stomach, she answered it.

  "Hey, Leah, what's up?"

  "Did you seriously question my little brother about the robbery at Kelley's?" she growled across the line.

  "I had to, Leah. It's my job to check out every possible—"

  "He's my little brother and you know he didn't do this! I can't believe you!"

  "Leah, it's part of the job—"

  "I don't care! You're supposed to be my best friend! You don't question my brother for nonsense like that! Not when he's turned his life around! He's got a good fucking job, for fuck's sake! You know what? I don't even want to talk to you right now! Not for a good fucking while!"

  "Leah—" Amber started but then sighed as the dial tone sounded. "Damn it."

  Chapter Six

  Amber stood watching for Kim, waiting for her to pick her up. She was already dressed as Carrie in a pair of designer jeans, a soft gray cashmere sweater, and knee-high black Louboutin boots she'd gotten for a major discount online. She was also wearing a curly auburn wig that fell to her middle back and green contacts behind her glasses. Ten minutes later, Kim pulled into the drive and Amber went out to meet her.

  "Hi," she said, climbing into the passenger seat.

  "Hey, you look . . . different."

  Amber laughed. "Hi, nice to meet you. I'm Carrie Blake."

  "So weird. I mean trippy weird," Kim replied. "Take it this is your gig for a while?"

  Amber nodded. "Yep. So no telling." She winked at her.

  Kim raised her hand, zipped her lips, and mimicked throwing away a key. "Sealed."

  "Good, I appreciate it."

  "How long are you going to be Carrie?"

  "Not sure, really. Chief Lee has given me three weeks. I'm hoping it's enough."

  "Well, good luck." She smiled as she pulled into the car lot of Enterprise.

  Amber went in and signed the paperwork and then took the keys and drove over to the Forsythe estate. She pushed the button at the gate and waited for William to answer.

  "May I help you?"

  "It's Amber."

  "Welcome, come in."

  The iron gate opened, and Amber drove in, pulling up in front of the house. She climbed out and went to the door, which opened before she could knock. A cute little teacup black poodle galloped toward her.

  "Annabelle!" she called and squatted down to pick up the little dog.

  Annabelle barked and licked her face.

  "I missed you too." Amber grinned and then looked up at William. "She seems happy."

  "I think she misses having someone other than me to talk to." He grinned.

  "I still don't understand why Bryn leaves her here. She's more yours than hers."

  William chuckled. "Yes, well, Ms. Bryn likes to be fashionable. Her friends on the island all have designer dogs, so she had to as well, and those who didn't have one now have Annabelle's offspring. Ms. Bryn likes the idea of owning a cute little pup. She just doesn't want the responsibility that goes along with her day to day care. You know she is grateful that you found her and returned her as she does care for Annabelle in her own way."

  "I'm just glad she doesn't mind my pretending to be her niece when necessary."

  "As I said, she's grateful that you went to such lengths to get Annabelle back."

  Amber smiled. "I don't have a lot of time today. I'm working on a case and have to meet someone at twelve thirty, but I can take her out back and play with her for about thirty minutes, unless you had something else planned?"

  "No, that is fine. I will have her lunch ready by then."

  "Great. Come on, Annabelle," Amber said, patting her leg as she walked toward the back room, a great room with a sliding glass door that led outside to a huge deck and a large back yard that was meticulously groomed and watched over by cameras so another incident wouldn’t occur.

  She spent thirty minutes playing fetch with her and running with her through the doggie obstacle course that Bryn had built for her after the puppy-napping. Afterward, she took Annabelle back inside. William set her lunch down for her, and Amber said goodbye, giving Annabelle a good ear rub.

  "I'll try and come by again later this week."

  "We'll look forward to it," William replied, walking with her to the door.

  She go
t in the SUV, checked her makeup, reapplied her lipstick, and then headed for Fired Up. She parked and locked the vehicle and headed inside. She made a quick stop in the restroom to wash her hands and fluff the auburn wig, making sure it looked and seemed natural. She left the restroom, adopting the longer stride of her Carrie persona as she headed toward the dining room. She saw Ray sitting at a table and headed over.

  "Hi, Mr. Kelley? I'm so glad you were able to accommodate me. I've seriously had the worst month you can imagine."

  Ray looked up and his jaw dropped. "Amber?" he questioned softly.

  Amber grinned and held out her hand. "Oh, sorry, Carrie Blake. We spoke on the phone?"

  Ray nodded. "Sure, have . . . have a seat."

  "Thank you so much." She pulled the chair out and dropped her purse on the back of the chair, then took a seat. "Oh, I nearly forgot, you'll be needing my ID, won't you?" She reached back and pulled open her purse, withdrawing Carrie's driver's license and then her other papers. "These will do for your reference checks, right?"

  Ray took them and took pictures of them to put in her file. "Sure, these are fine. Here's the application. You'll need to fill it out."

  "I am so glad you were looking for extra help. I’ve been so bored out at my aunt's place with just Annabelle and William to keep me company, you know?" She smiled as she filled out the paperwork.

  Ray just stared at her like he was enthralled and couldn't quite wrap his head around her change in behavior and looks. He nodded.

  "So, what can you tell me about the job? I know you said it would be for the night shift, but what would I be doing?"

  "Right, the job. Um, cashiering mostly, some stocking and cleaning up, that sort of thing. I won't be there. My nephew Vince takes care of the night manager duties, so you'll be working with him."

  "Sure, that's cool. Will I get to meet him?"

  Ray nodded. "Yep, I'll just ask him to come on over and meet you. Then I can take you over to the station and show you the register and where we keep everything."

  "Great." Amber nodded.