by David Kearns
Chapter Eighteen
We left the binoculars on the kitchen table. Maybe the next renter would enjoy the view as much as I had. I left the Miles Davis and Pat Metheny albums, the Marantz amplifier and the McIntosh speakers, the pots and pans and everything else that was too big to fit in the duffle bag that I carried. It occurred to me as we headed for the front door that there is a romantic idea associated with leaving everything behind and starting over somewhere else, and that fantasy is completely at odds with actually being forced to jettison everything you own and depart with no destination or plan. You feel as if you’ve been stripped bare and thrown into a snowbank.
Emily brought Sandy’s suitcase into the kitchen. I looked out the window, didn’t see anyone near Sandy’s Camaro or my Mustang GT, and we headed out. I didn’t feel good about leaving Sandy’s car behind to be destroyed by Peck’s crew, so we took Sandy’s car and left the Mustang behind. I wondered if I would ever see it again.
I drove slowly down the hill towards the Oceanside beach parking lot, looking at Three Arch Rocks for the last time. That landmark had been there for eons before I moved into the neighborhood and would be there long after I left. There is something to be said for being made out of stone.
When we reached the bottom of the hill, I saw that Detective Eccles had parked his rental car near the entrance to the Oceanside Beach parking lot. He was getting into the driver’s seat of his car.
“Look who’s here,” I said.
“Do you know this guy?” Emily asked.
“He’s a police detective from Oklahoma City,” I said. “Relax.”
I pulled alongside the Buick and parked the car. Eccles walked over to the driver’s side of the Camaro as I shut the engine off and rolled the window down. Eccles’ baseball cap had the Texas A&M logo on it.
“Detective Eccles,” I said. “What can I do for you?”
“Well, I’m headed back to Oklahoma City, but I wanted to share something with you in private before I leave.”
“Anything you have to say to me, you can say in front of her,” I said.
“Maybe that’s okay for you,” Eccles said. “It isn’t okay for me. Five minutes. Walk with me down to the water.”
“It’s okay,” Emily said. “I’ll wait.”
I got out of the Camaro and followed Eccles across the parking lot, down the short rocky trail, and onto Oceanside beach. It was low tide, and we walked thirty yards across the cream-colored sand to the edge of the waterline. It was late afternoon, warm, and the surf was as mild and languid as if the water were made of motor oil. Eccles turned his back to the parking lot and started talking.
“I have a flight leaving Portland in about three hours,” he said. “I tried to call you on your cell but couldn’t get through.”
“Sorry,” I said. “That’s part of the charm of living in a remote spot like this. Fewer intrusions from the outside world.”
“I was on my way up to your house to talk to you, but I wanted to check out the view one last time.”
“Sure.”
“So, I’ll get to the point,” he said. He tipped the bill of his cap back slightly and I could see how pink the skin on his sunburned face was. “I looked into the business about the car you said you saw in your driveway the day of the home invasion, and Peck did own one like that. So that’s something. However, I tried to sell that to my boss as evidence, and he said that it didn’t prove shit since you’re an unreliable witness, it was twenty years ago, and those cars were not uncommon back then.”
“What do you think?” I asked.
Eccles shrugged. “I don’t think I can prove that his car was at your house that day.”
“Suppose I told you that I memorized the license plate on his car,” I said. “Would that matter?”
“It certainly would,” Eccles said. “Give it to me.”
I stared at him. “Yeah. I memorized Peck’s license plate while someone was firing rounds from a revolver at me. The number is on the tip of my tongue.”
Eccles looked irritated, but he continued. “I also checked the manifest of what was found at your parents’ house by the forensics people. There was no record of any bookkeeping paperwork or accounting information. Pictures of the kitchen table don’t show any paperwork, either.”
“So we assume Peck took it,” I said.
“Without any way of proving that he did.”
I crossed my arms. “So why come over here to tell me?”
“I felt like I owed it to you to tell you where we stood before I leave.”
“Well, here’s your parting gift,” I said. “I tried to keep my half of the agreement we made,” I said. “Peck has other plans.”
“This thing is going to escalate, isn’t it?” Eccles said.
“It already has,” I said. “Yesterday two of Peck’s thugs tried to force me into a car for a meeting with Peck. Blood was spilled. This morning, six of Peck’s people came after me when I was walking on the beach. I got away, but a couple of Peck’s guys wound up in a deep ravine. They’ll have a hard time getting the bodies out.”
“I can’t let this go,” Eccles said.
“I tried to avoid Peck’s people,” I said. “They won’t leave me alone. This is all Peck’s doing.”
“You really are something, aren’t you?” Eccles said. “Most people would be at the police station raising hell, begging for protection, and insisting that Peck be arrested. Not you, though. One man stands alone against impossible odds. You’re like an action hero.”
“Think about this,” I said. “How much good have you done me since we met? Why would I turn to the police when the answer is always the same?”
“Hi, boys,” Emily said. She was barefoot and had the red low-heel pumps dangling from the fingers on her right hand.
Eccles looked at Emily and then said “Ma’am.” He tipped the bill of his cap to her in a gesture of respect.
“Anything else we need to talk about here?” I asked Eccles.
Emily touched my arm and said “I’m sorry to interrupt, but do you remember the guy from earlier today on the trail? The one who got stuck on the corner?”
“I do. Fat guy. Peach-colored shirt. Buzz cut.”
“I just saw him drive up the hill towards your house,” Emily said.
“You sure it was him?” I said.
“I’m pretty sure,” Emily said. “It looked like the same person to me.”
“What was he driving?” I said.
“A dark red Cadillac.”
“I’m calling for backup,” Eccles said. “I’m going up to your house to talk to this guy.”
“Calling who?” I said. “There’s no police department here. You could go up to the top of the hill and see if you can get a signal on your cell phone, or maybe you could drive over to Tillamook and bring a posse back. Either way, he’ll be gone before anyone comes. Besides, what would you arrest him for? Being at my house?”
“You could press charges for menacing, attempted murder, or attempted kidnapping.”
“You and I both know that I wouldn’t live long enough to testify.”
Eccles clenched his fists in a graphic display of frustration.
“Don’t worry about it, Detective Eccles,” I said. “We live different worlds. Mine has a few advantages; yours has a few advantages, too. I can take care of myself.”
Eccles raised his eyebrows in disbelief. “Really? You’re going to take on Peck’s whole organization?”
“I don’t need to do that,” I said. “He’s the only person I need to connect with.”
“This is going to ruin me because I didn’t stop you,” Eccles said. “You’re going to destroy us both.”
“You’re going to miss your plane,” I said. “Emily and I have places to be, too. Go back to your life and forget about me. I’ll try to keep you out of this as much as I can.”
“You know I could arrest you for your own good?” Eccles said. “Maybe I should.”
“For wh
at? Prove that I’ve done a single thing to Peck’s people other than in the course of defending myself. Prove that I’m planning to do anything to Peck. The law’s on my side, for once.”
“I want the right things to happen here, too,” Eccles said. “Can you not see that?”
“I think you’re too worried about your career to make waves,” I said. “Prove me wrong.”
I crooked my elbow and Emily hooked her arm through mine. We walked back across the sand to the parking lot and I held Emily’s door open for her while she got into the car. Before I got into the driver’s seat, I looked up the hill at my house. The fat man wearing the peach-colored shirt was standing on the deck of my house. He looked down at me and our eyes met. It wasn’t lost on me that he’d had to break into my house and stroll through my kitchen to get onto the deck. I gave him the raised middle finger with an outstretched arm, got behind the wheel, and started the car.
