Death on Shorewatch Bay

by Mark Stone

  “And you,” the guard said, sneering at me. “Cameron James is an American treasure. I hope they throw the book at you.”

  I gave the man a long look, sizing him up. I could have laid him flat on his ass in a half a second flat. That would have only caused me to be thrown back into that jail cell, and I doubted Jules could afford another bond.

  “If it makes you feel any better, they probably will,” I groaned, walking past him and toward the door.

  “Wait a second. I’ve got to give you your stuff,” the guard said.

  “Keep it,” I murmured, not breaking stride as I walked out the door.

  The Florida air was even crisper than it had been earlier in the night as it blew through my hair, tickling my face and sending shivers up and down my spine. I hated when Florida was cold, though even when it got cold, it was only ‘cold for down here’. Florida was the kind of place where people shivered at sixty-five degrees and snow was more of an old wives’ tale than anything anyone had actually ever seen. Still, there was something about a bite in the air down here that made me feel alone, that made me feel like this place, like my home, had turned on me.

  I was being stupid, though. I knew that just like every other time this happened, it would only be temporary. Cold never lasted in Florida. By the time the sun came up, my home would be mine again, warm, inviting, and familiar.

  “I didn’t say thank you,” I said, turning back and watching Jules jog toward me. She had my belongings in her hands, pressed against her chest like they were gold and not just a mix of papers, wrinkled dollar bills, and an old rosary.

  “I didn’t need you to,” Jules said. “And actually—”

  “Thank you. Really,” I said, stopping in my tracks and taking a deep breath. “Seeing Cameron really riled something up in me. It brought a lot of stuff up, and I acted in a way that I honestly shouldn’t have. I appreciate your being on my side, and I am going to pay you back. So thank—”

  “Just wait on that for a second,” Jules said, pushing my stuff into my open arms. “I haven’t told you everything.”

  There was a hesitation in her voice again, and I knew that she had done something I wouldn’t be happy about.

  Jules’s eyes moved to the left, and I followed them, tracing her gaze to a car revving in the parking lot. There, sitting in the driver’s seat with the window down, was her brother, Nate.

  “You’ve got to be joking!” I said, the anger that had barely been contained in me back in the jail cell bubbling back over. “You brought your brother here?”

  “He was worried about you,” Jules said. “He wanted to make sure that you were all right—”

  “It’s worse!” I shouted, cutting her off. “You know what Cameron did to me. You know what he cost me and how much it changed my entire life. What your brother did to me was worse.” I looked at him again, catching his eyes and spitting in his direction. “Nevermind. I’ll walk.”

  “Danny, just wait,” Jules said, pleading in her voice.

  “It’s okay, Jules. It’s not the first time I’ve done it,” I said. “Ask your brother.”

  I shook my head as I started walking down the road. Taking deep breaths, I tried to calm myself down. Even with work and saving Gina aside, this had been a busy and dramatic day. I just needed it to be over. I needed to be back out on that sand, back looking out over that water and the people in it. It was where I felt at home. It was where I was at peace.

  As I walked down the road, letting the lights of the police station fade out and give way to the darkness ahead, I stilled my mind, listening not to the voice inside my head but to the rhythmic nature of my feet plopping down against the pebbles lining the side of the road.

  Riley’s nice shoes had certainly seen better days than this, and after I was done with them, my friend might very well want to throw them in a garbage can.

  As this thought moved through my head, I winced at the sight of a pair of headlights coming toward me. They were bright, but then again, anything would be bright when pressed against the complete black of my surroundings.

  The car slowed to a stop, and squinting, I looked over at it.

  “I’m all right. I’m just taking a walk. I only live about half a mile from here. Thanks anyway,” I said, waving at the car.

  “You sure about that, Mr. Chase?” a female voice asked from inside the car.

  With my curiosity as to who this woman was and how she knew my name piqued, I walked forward, letting my eyes adjust to the light and peering into the vehicle.

  Gina Russell sat in the driver’s seat, grinning and looking at me like she was a cat and I was a giant bowl of cream.

  “I mean, I could let you walk,” she said, leaning across the front seat, grabbing the passenger side handle, and pushing the door open. “But I’ve been looking for a way to thank you, and letting this opportunity go to waste seems legitimately sinful.” She patted the seat where I was meant to sit. “So, come on, Danny Chase. What do you say?”

  7

  Climbing into the passenger side of what I now recognized to be a really nice car, I thanked Gina for picking me up, told her my address, and gave her a once-over. She had changed from the outfit she had been wearing while dancing around a bonfire at the party. As opposed to that, Gina now wore a low-cut tank top and a pair of denim cutoff shorts that laughed in the face of the current temperature. Her face was painted with both makeup and a look that told me she wasn’t nearly finished with the night just yet.

  “Do I even wanna ask what you’re doing out so late or where your police escort is?” I asked, closing the door and slinging a seatbelt over myself. Gina wasn’t wearing one herself, but then again, I was starting to think that there was probably a lot of stuff Gina did that I would consider pretty foolish.

  “One question answers the other, Danny,” she chimed. “I can call you Danny, right?” Before I could even answer that question, she continued. “I’m out this late at night because I’m ditching my police escort.” She pursed her lips at me. “They always saddle me with people who never want to have any fun. It’s not fair. Just once, couldn’t they give me someone who can keep up with me?”

  “Is that why you always shake them?” I asked as she went squealing down the road. “You want to prove they can’t keep up with you?”

  “Maybe,” she admitted, giggling like a schoolgirl who had just been caught cheating on a test.

  “And is that why you asked for me, Gina? Are you under the impression that I could keep up with you?” I asked.

  “Honestly?” she asked, shrugging and looking over at me for far too long, considering the fact that she was driving. “I had a lot of water in my eyes, but I’m pretty sure you looked hot without your shirt on. If I’m going to be forced to have a police escort, I wouldn’t mind the option of making out with him.”

  I felt the tug of a smile at the edges of my lips, but I fought it. This girl was spoiled. She was a brat who wasn’t used to not getting what she wanted. Now normally, that would be fine with me. What the mayor’s daughter’s life looked like was none of my business. She was in danger, though. Someone was actively trying to kill her, and not taking that seriously was just as dangerous as poison in this situation. I couldn’t let that stand.

  “That’s not gonna happen,” I assured her, pointing in an effort to get her to look back at the road.

  “You into dudes or something?” she asked, chomping on her chewing gum.

  “What? No. I like women, but I like grown women,” I said.

  “I’m twenty-six years old,” she replied.

  “Then act like it,” I argued. “You almost died today, and it wasn’t an accident. You know someone drugged you on the beach, right?”

  “You’re starting to sound like my father,” Gina said, rolling her eyes.

  “Yeah. Well, while your father might not be my favorite person in the world right now, he’s not wrong. Someone wants you dead, and they want it bad enough to try to kill you. This running away fr
om the cops nonsense is getting in the way of keeping you safe.”

  “Are you serious right now?” Gina asked, scoffing so loudly that I was pretty sure she hurt her throat. “You think the morons on this city’s police force can do anything? I had a police escort when I was drugged. I had a police escort when someone tried to shoot at me on the way into my hairdresser last month. I have had a police escort every damn time something bad happens. All they ever do is fill out papers and pretend they care.”

  I stayed silent for a moment, letting everything she said sink in, but it was for just a moment. Gina might have gone through a lot lately, but that didn’t make her right about this. She needed to shape up if she wanted to stay alive, and I was going to make sure she knew that.

  “Who cares if they care?” I asked, shaking my head. “They’re willing to throw themselves in front of a bullet to keep you safe. No, they probably don’t do it out of love or some great affection or admiration for you. They do it because it’s their job and they have a sense of duty to perform it to the best of their abilities.” I looked out the window and continued. “That’s worth something. Your life is worth something too. So try to take it seriously.”

  “No offense, Danny, but you don’t have any idea how seriously I take anything,” she replied. “There are more ways to be concerned about something than biting your nails and fretting all the time. Yeah, you saved me today, and I appreciate that. But who do you think saved me all those other times? Who do you think made sure I didn’t die? I can tell you it wasn’t those idiots with badges following me around. I did it myself because I know how much I’m worth, because I’ll be damned if I’m going to let my life get cut short because of jealousy or hate or whatever the reason might be. I’m just not going to do that.”

  “Any idea why someone might want to hurt you?” I asked, pulling at the first question they always ask on those Law and Order reruns that I grew up on.

  “I honestly have no idea,” she answered, sighing loudly. “My father’s a really popular mayor, and I’m kind of an afterthought, if I’m being truthful with myself. I haven’t really done anything of note. So I can’t imagine why anyone would care enough to want to see me dead.”

  I blinked at the woman. “Don’t be hard on yourself. There are a lot of ways to live an extraordinary life. Not all of them are loud and flashy.”

  “You don’t have to work so hard at seducing me. You’re already halfway there,” she said.

  “That’s . . . that’s not what I’m doing,” I replied.

  “I bet it’s not,” she said. “I bet you’re actually being honest with me. That’s cute.” She sighed again. “It would have been really nice for you to have had my back during all of this.” She frowned. “Why’d you have to go and ruin it by putting your fist in that tall dude’s face?”

  “We have a complicated history,” I said. “But I do apologize. I shouldn’t have acted that way. I shouldn’t have ruined your party.”

  “If you think that was my party, then you’re even greener than I thought.” Gina laughed. “That might have been the tagline. My dad might have said that this was in response to my being saved from drowning, but the truth is he just wanted to play kissy face with his constituents. His reelection bid isn’t too far down the road, and he wants to set up all the funding he needs now. That’s why I didn’t spend any time inside.”

  “That’s right,” I said. “You spent it dancing around a bonfire with another woman.”

  “You saw me?” Gina asked, looking over at me with a returned hint of trouble in her eyes.

  “I kept my eyes open,” I said. “The woman you were with, who is she?” Of course, I knew her name, and I knew what Abby told me about her, but I wanted to hear from the horse’s mouth. I wanted to know what it was about this woman that had a detective thinking she was responsible for all of this.

  Before she answered, though, Gina took a right turn, something that took her off the path to my house.

  “You’re going the wrong way,” I said. “My street is—”

  “I know, but like I told you, I wanted to say thank you, and I figured the best way to do that is with a drink.” She made another right, and I saw that we were in the parking lot of a watering hole.

  “Gina, I don’t know if—”

  “I’m going to do it anyway,” she said. “I can drop you off at home and come back here, or you can come inside and have a drink with me. The choice is yours. Keep in mind that my police escort has no idea where I am.”

  A devious smile crossed her lips as she put the car in park. She knew she had me.

  “We have to be quick. I have an early morning,” I said.

  “The absolute quickest,” she said, opening her door and getting out. I followed suit, stepping out myself, but by the time I did, Gina was halfway across the parking lot.

  Suddenly, I saw a pair of headlights rushing toward her. It made sense, given that this was a parking lot, but there was something off about the way this truck moved. It was coming fast, and it seemed to be pointed directly at Gina.

  “Gina!” I screamed, running toward her. I slammed into her, knocking her out of the way an instant before the truck would have crushed her like a bug.

  Lying on top of her, with her back pressed against the pavement, I asked, “Are you okay?”

  She was shaking as she answered, “I–I don’t know.”

  “Come on,” I said. “We can get you to—” Before I could finish, the world illuminated again. Turning quickly, I saw the headlights of the truck. It was pointed at us again, and it was coming fast, ready to kill us where we lay.

  8

  “Damn,” I muttered, my heart racing and my muscles tensing as they sprang into action. While my arms were already around Gina, I tightened my grip and jerked her to the side, sending us both rolling out of the way of the truck as it sped over the piece of ground where we had been lying just seconds earlier. I could feel the heat coming off the engine and the wind of the truck as it passed, screeching against the pavement.

  “You okay?” I asked, but I jumped to my feet, pulling her with me before she had a chance to answer. The truth was that it didn’t really matter if she was okay or not, not at this exact moment, anyway. Taking a second, even one to recover, might mean that whoever was driving this stupid truck would have the time to turn around and finish the job he started.

  Now on my feet, I took a look at the truck. I didn’t know a hell of a lot about trucks. I wasn’t big into vehicles, and even the ones I did know about were muscle cars and the like. Still, I could tell that this was a red Ford and that it was a model from the last five or so years. Also, before the truck spun back toward us, I took a look at the license plate. Though I didn’t have a chance to read the number, I did recognize the state. Virginia. Somebody was a long way from home, and that same somebody wanted Gina dead.

  “I’m okay,” she muttered breathlessly, her hand shaking as I grabbed it.

  “Good. Move your ass,” I said, tugging her as I ran. The headlights of the truck shone on us again. It was ready to make its move.

  Looking, I saw that we were an equal distance away from both Gina’s car and the bar we were trying to enter. Both of these would grant us a bit of shelter from this maniac, but we’d never make it to either before the truck plowed us down.

  Luckily, I spotted another car closer to us. It was a sporty little black number, the sleek kind that men only buy when they're either too rich or too old to give a damn about what anyone thinks. I leapt behind it, taking Gina with me as the truck rumbled toward us, its engine roaring like the ocean, ready to pull us under.

  The truck slammed hard against the black car, shaking the thing and causing Gina to yelp in surprise. It did another thing, though. It gave us the time we’d need to reach Gina’s car.

  “Try to keep up with me,” I said, breathless myself as I pulled Gina across the lot toward her car. As I ran, I looked over at the red truck. It was backing up, pulling itself from the wrec
kage that was the black sports car. My goal, of course, was to see a face. I wanted to know who was doing this, who was trying to kill some poor innocent girl. I couldn’t see any face, though. The lights were too bright. So, instead of coming away with a way to ID who was behind this, I came away with spots in my vision.

  Of course, that wasn’t even close to the worst thing that happened in that instant. Though the lights were bright and my eyes were squinting and hazy, I saw a hand reach out of the driver’s side window. In that hand was what looked to be a gun.

  “Oh, no,” I muttered. Stopping short, I pulled Gina forcefully back down to the ground of the parking lot. My palm scraped hard against the pavement, and I looked back at the woman as loud pops filled the air, indicating not only that I was right, but that the man with the gun was now shooting at us. The only thing we had in our favor was the fact that we were a few steps away from Gina’s car, steps we would now have to crawl.

  “Oh God, oh God,” Gina murmured over and over again. The look on her face and the way her body now twisted with fear told me she was going to be more of a hindrance than anything right now. I needed to calm her down as much as I could. Otherwise, getting her into this car and away from this danger would prove impossible.

  “Look at me!” I said in a furious whisper. “You came to me for a reason. This might not be a beach, but I still consider you my responsibility. I saved you before and I will do it again. You just have to work with me. You have to calm down and let me do my job.”

  “You’re a lifeguard. Your job is to be hot and watch people swim around,” she said, her voice shaking every bit as much as her body.

  “Yeah. It’s not that kind of beach, Gina,” I said, pulling her forward. Sliding across the parking lot on all fours, I settled behind the front driver’s side tire as bullets continued to fill the air. “Give me your key,” I said, setting her in front of me on the off chance that whoever was driving that truck would get out and try shooting at us from another angle. Best to be as covered as possible.