by Nora Kane
“I can see the fear in your eyes,” Captain Monahan continued.
“I’m not the only one with fear in their eyes,” Jade countered, looking the Captain dead in the eyes.
A little unnerved, Captain Monahan turned away. Jade gave a small smirk. She could get into his head. That was good. If she could distract him, maybe she’d find a way out of this mess. The first thing to do was to get him talking.
“I don’t get it, why kill Mr. Yates?” Jade asked.
“That’s right. You haven’t seen the papers. You don’t have the missing link. Why don’t you get comfortable, and I’ll inform you of the whole dirty deed?”
The Captain waved his gun, motioning for Jade to take a seat on the benches. She followed his instructions and sat on the cold, metal bench.
“So, tell me, Captain Monahan. Why did you kill Mr. Yates? For fun? For money?” Jade enquired, trying to draw this out as long as possible.
“It’s not that simple. Do you know who Mr. Yates worked for?” the Captain asked.
“Wilder Corp., he was in charge of business affairs,” Jade replied.
“More than that. He was sent out to check on new sites to build, see what was there, and survey the land. A backup man, just to be sure that everything was okay to go ahead for drilling.”
“So, he went on your ferry to survey the land?” Jade asked.
“No, he went on the ferry to survey the sea. And he found the perfect spot for drilling too.”
“I still don’t understand what this has to do with you killing him,” Jade said.
“We’re getting there. Be patient,” the Captain growled. He was getting angrier with every word.
“I’m just saying, I’d like to know why you killed him before the police come and get you. I probably won’t get to talk to you after they arrest you,” Jade reasoned.
“You assume that I’ll be getting arrested,” Monahan sneered.
“Killing a man, taking a hostage, and robbing a hotel? I’m sure that’s enough to land you in prison somewhere.”
“See, that’s the best part. I’m not going to prison, and it’s all because of you.”
“What do you mean?”
“They’ll never take me in when I have a hostage. We’ll walk right down this dock and to my car. Once I’m sure they’re not following us, we’ll see if you can go. But once again, you know too much. Maybe we’ll drive out of this town and I’ll shoot you in the woods somewhere. See if they ever find you.”
His words cut deep, but Jade wouldn’t let them frighten her.
“They’ll shoot you before you make it off the boat,” she scoffed.
As if it was planned, sirens began blaring in the distance. The bright red and blue lights could be seen rolling up at the end of the docks. Her rescuers had arrived.
“Didn’t really think this one through, did you?” Jade asked, watching officers flood the dock. Edna was at the front, gun out, heading straight up to the ferry. Jade could hear her board the boat, her heavy boots clanking on the metal stairs.
“Captain Arnold Monahan, put down your weapon and come peaceably!” Edna shouted, reaching the top deck.
Her flashlight was held under her gun, illuminating the scene. She slowly inched her way forward, getting closer to Jade and the Captain.
“You’d better do as she says, Captain,” Jade warned. “Edna doesn’t mess around.”
“I can’t go in. I didn’t do anything wrong. I was protecting Camden. You don’t know what they were going to do!” Captain Monahan yelled, almost as if he was losing sanity.
“What were they going to do?” Jade probed, figuring they may as well get as much information as possible while he was loose-lipped.
“I saw his papers. I knew immediately what he would do!” Monahan shouted.
“What were they going to do?” Jade repeated.
“They were going to drill right on a fault line. They knew it would cause an oil spill. It would destroy Camden! It would destroy everything I’ve worked so hard for. I have a good life here. I’m a Captain again! I’m in control! I saved the town! You should be thanking me!”
The gun was shaking in his hand, but still pointed at Jade.
“Captain Monahan, put down the gun and come peacefully,” Edna stated calmly.
“No! You can’t take me! I’m a hero!”
He spat those last words out. His eyes were trained on Edna and her gun pointing directly at him. Jade seized the moment of distraction. As she pushed away the gun, a shot was let out. The resounding noise echoed throughout the bay. She tackled the Captain to the floor of the ferry. Jabbing her elbow into the man’s stomach, she wrestled the gun away from him. He grabbed at her arm, and together they rolled along the deck of the boat. Jade ended up on top and kneed the Captain where it would hurt. Pointing the gun to his face, she got up on her knees and crawled away from the Captain. Edna moved in and trained her gun on him. Jade stood up and shouted for the rest of the officers waiting below deck to move in. Within the next two minutes, Captain Monahan was handcuffed and taken off of the ferry.
“Are you okay?” Edna asked.
“Yeah, the bullet missed me,” Jade muttered, slightly out of breath.
“And you’re not traumatized?” Edna asked, just to be sure.
“That’s not the first time I’ve had a gun pointed at me. You know that. I need to call Mark,” Jade mumbled still catching her breath.
In truth, Jade was a bit shaken up, but she wasn’t one to show it. It really wasn’t the first time a gun had been pointed at her, but that didn’t mean she was altogether used to it. There was something about facing your own mortality that never sat well with her. Jade gave a little shudder and moved on.
“Will you meet us down at the station? I’ve still got a couple of questions for the Captain here,” Edna said.
“Yeah, I’ll meet you downtown. Will the Chief let me sit in on the questioning?” Jade asked.
“I can convince him. Don’t worry. See you downtown.”
Edna gave Jade a swift hug and walked down the steps of the ferry.
Chapter 8
Jade pulled out her phone. The battery was almost dead, but there was a message from Mark.
“We need to talk.”
That was all it said. No good ever comes from those words. Was this the end of her relationship? Had she and Mark gone too far? Was she pushing someone else out of her life? Jade couldn’t stand it. She was sure that she’d done it again. And in her fashion, she decided it was better to not face the pain yet. She texted Mark back saying that she had some business at the police station and that the talk would have to wait. She put her phone back in her pocket, knowing that it would die soon.
Jade took a last long look at the ocean, taking in the morning breeze and the salty air. Fishermen were starting to roll out onto the docks, heading for their boats, ignoring the cop cars that were driving away. It had been a long night, and Jade was beyond tired. She didn’t want to go to the station or talk to Mark. Jade wanted to go to bed and forget about the fact that a gun had been pointing at her head not five minutes ago. She could’ve died and the last thing she would’ve said to Mark was in anger. It was only dawning on her just how much Mark meant to her. Maybe that talk shouldn’t wait. If he was going to break up with her, she would have to fight to keep him, the first good thing in her life. Jade pulled her phone back out, but it was too late. Her phone was dead.
Letting out a sigh, Jade walked back to her car, passing the fishermen who gave her odd looks along the way. She passed Johnson’s Bait and Tackle shop. The lights were on and Mr. Johnson was sitting at the window. For some strange reason, Jade felt compelled to go in and talk to him.
Entering his shop, she abruptly greeted him with a question.
“Who are you?”
“Hello, Ms. Pearson. I hope you’re more honest with me this time,” he replied smoothly.
“Answer my question and then we’ll see how honest I am.”
“
Alright, alright. I’m Isaac Johnson. I used to work for the FBI. I retired and moved here. Built myself a business and a home,” he explained.
“You lied about going fishing yesterday morning. I saw you on the news checking out the body,” Jade said.
“I didn’t lie,” Mr. Johnson responded seriously. “I did go out fishing…after I investigated the body and looked into what the police thought of the case.”
“But why?”
“I like to know what goes on here in Camden. Old habits die hard. I like to know everything.”
“Then you know the police just arrested Captain Monahan?”
“I watched the arrest go down. He came asking questions about you late yesterday afternoon. So, I thought it was best to look into both of you.”
“And what did you find?”
“I know that you moved here nearly fifteen years ago. You came from nowhere and have started to make a name for yourself with the police. You’ve solved nearly two hundred cases. That’s impressive.”
“Thank you. And what did you learn about Mr. Monahan?”
“Nothing I’m sure you won’t know once you talk to the police. He was expelled from the navy for his violence in command, especially against those who voted on polluting the sea. Apparently, he’s some kind of ocean activist that went beyond crazy. He broke someone’s arm for littering on the beach. I’d say it’s better that he will be behind bars.”
“Wow. I had no idea. How did you find out so much?”
“I’ve got my sources.”
“Why was Mr. Yates in your shop?” Jade asked, remembering the initials on the registry.
“He wanted to buy a map of the bay. I sold him one. That’s it.”
Jade eyed him skeptically but decided not to push the matter. After all, they had a man in custody.
“Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions. Don’t worry, I’ll keep your little FBI past a secret,” Jade said, giving a little smirk.
“Before you leave, I should warn you to be more careful. It’s not every time a gun gets pointed to your head that you just walk away,” Mr. Johnson said seriously.
“Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind,” Jade replied, feeling more than a little creeped out.
She said her goodbyes and finished the walk to her car. It was slowly getting light out. By the time she reached the station, it was light enough to see her way without headlights. She stopped at the desk to grab her visitor’s badge and then she headed down to the Interrogation Rooms. Edna was waiting outside for her.
“Took you long enough to get here,” Edna remarked.
“I talked to someone on the way here. Gained some valuable information,” explained. “But I’m sure you know it already.”
“Maybe. Maybe not. We’ve only just started looking into the Captain. Tell me what you got.”
“Well,” Jade started, “Monahan is ex-navy, discharged for his violent tendencies. He’s an ocean activist nut and gets really crazy about it. I think I know why he killed Mr. Yates.”
“Let’s go find out for sure. It’s better to get a proper confession,” Edna said.
“Him holding a gun to my head isn’t good enough?” Jade asked sarcastically.
“Just get in there,” Edna replied, holding open the door.
Jade walked in and sat across from Captain Monahan. He was in handcuffs and had guards on either side of him. He looked beyond angry.
“Hello, Mr. Monahan,” Edna said, sitting down.
“It’s Captain Monahan,” he replied gruffly.
“Well, in light of recent events, I’d say you’ve lost your job and title of Captain,” Edna said.
“Yeah, you holding me hostage and pointing a gun to my head was great for your career,” Jade added.
“I’m a hero. You should be thanking me,” Monahan blustered. He shook his fists and rattled the handcuffs.
“So you’ve told us,” Jade said ignoring his little outburst. It was better not to feed into a criminal’s fantasies.
“Just tell us why you killed Mr. Yates,” Edna stated, putting a microphone on the table that was hooked up to a recording device.
“Fine. Mr. Yates worked for Wilder Corp. They were going to drill on a fault line near Camden. It would’ve caused a huge oil spill, ruining the bay and the town. Everyone would’ve had to move. The natural beauty would’ve been destroyed. Animal habitats would’ve been wasted. I did this town a favor. I saved you all,” Monahan declared.
“Why didn’t you just report the plans to the town council? They would’ve fought it much more legally than you did, and no one would’ve had to get hurt,” Edna said.
“It’s a corporation, big business. They wouldn’t have listened to your puny town council. I needed to send them a message. A very clear message,” Monahan grumbled.
“So, how did you kill Mr. Yates?” Edna asked.
“It was easy. He wanted to take a night tour on my ferry. I agreed and we went out that night. He was on the top deck. I just grabbed my wrench and hit him behind the head,” Monahan explained.
“Then you pushed him overboard, letting the natural elements ruin the body,” Jade finished for him.
“That’s right. I would’ve gotten away if you hadn’t shown up on my boat,” Monahan boasted.
“How did you know she was there?” Edna asked.
“He followed me around all day today. I’m willing to bet he’s the one who called me, threatening me to stop my work and almost wrecked my car,” Jade interjected.
“I never called you, or even got near enough to touch your car,” Monahan said, clearly confused.
“Someone threatened you?” Edna asked.
“Yeah,” Jade admitted.
“And you didn’t tell me?!”
“I didn’t want anyone to worry. Besides, we’ve caught the bad guy.”
“Again, I didn’t call you or touch your car. I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Monahan said urgently, interrupting the pair. “I may be a murderer, but I never did those other things.”
“Wait, are you serious?” Jade asked.
“Yes,” Monahan said.
Jade and Edna looked at each other. It felt like he was telling the truth.
“Jade, can I talk to you in the hall?” Edna said
They walked out into the hallway and shut the door behind them.
“What are you talking about, getting into a car wreck and threatening phone calls?” Edna asked.
“Someone almost ran into my car. They were driving on the wrong side of the road. That happened just a couple hours after someone called me saying that, if I didn’t stop my work, I’d be in big trouble,” Jade explained.
“And you didn’t think to tell anyone?” Edna asked.
“I told Mark.”
“Mark is barely a policeman! He’s a coroner.”
“I know that,” Jade said quietly. She was digging herself into a hole with all of her friends tonight.
“Speaking of Mark, isn’t that him up there?”
Edna was pointing up the stairs. Jade took in a sharp breath. This was it. The time she was dreading. Was this going to be the end of her relationship with Mark? Would this be the end of all of the good memories she had made? Did Mark hate her? Jade sighed and was preparing to walk up the stairs to Mark when he came running down to her.
“Jade! Oh, thank God you’re safe!” he cried, hugging her tightly.
“You’re not mad?” Jade asked. She couldn’t believe it.
“Of course I’m mad. How could you go into danger without calling anyone?! You could’ve died!” Mark exclaimed. “But I’m just so happy you’re okay.”
“So you don’t want to break up with me?” Jade mumbled, looking into Mark’s eyes.
“Break up with you?! No. No. No. I care about you too much,” Mark said, hugging Jade again.
Jade happily breathed a sigh of relief. She burrowed herself into Mark’s arms and closed her eyes. She didn’t want to let go. She wasn’t one to cry,
but she did feel her eyes become damp. Mark gently pushed her away and Jade wiped her eyes clear, pretending that there had never been tears there in the first place.
“Are you done here? Can we go somewhere so that we can talk?” Mark asked.
“Edna?” Jade said, looking at Edna who had been left to awkwardly stand there and watch the reunion. “Are we done?”
“We’re good. You can go. I’ll get the papers signed so you can get paid,” Edna replied, smiling.
