Silent Witness

by Patricia H. Rushford

  “He’s making dramatic strides.” Gram reached back for her laptop computer. “And while I’d love to chat more with you about it, I think I’d better get my impressions of Dolphin Playland down before I forget. We’ll be able to watch some therapy sessions firsthand when we get to Dolphin Island.”

  Gram settled into writing and Jennie into driving. Actually she was glad for the silence. Except for the traffic through the towns, this was one of the most scenic roads Jennie had ever driven. The highway stretched from key to key between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. As she passed one small, isolated island accessible only by boat, Jennie wondered what it would be like to live there. She’d never known anyone who owned their own island. It’d be wonderful, she thought, at least once in a while when you really needed to get away. Lisa would love it, so would Mom and Dad …

  It was strange how she wouldn’t even think about him for days, then all of sudden, some little thing would remind her. And the hurt would start all over again. Oh, Dad. I miss you so much. God, please let Gram help me find him. Please.

  “Jennie? Are you all right?”

  “I’m fine.” Jennie brushed the wetness from her cheeks with the back of her hand. “I was just thinking about Dad. He’d love it here.”

  “Yes, he would.” Gram closed her computer and put it in the case. “We’re almost there. We’ll need to watch for a thirty-foot statue of a dolphin and her calf at the entrance.”

  “Gee, Gram, better keep a sharp eye out,” she teased. “A statue that small will be hard to spot.”

  The Dolphin Research Center was almost the complete opposite of Dolphin Playland. There were no protesters and no elaborate gift shops, or lavish settings or auditoriums. It had a relaxed atmosphere with comfortable old buildings and open-air classrooms. A tour guide, who introduced himself as Mike, explained that they were a nonprofit organization. Mike walked them through the facility, explaining their various programs and introducing them to several dolphins. Like those Jennie had seen earlier, they performed elaborate dives and spirals and seemed to enjoy every minute of it.

  When they were back in the car and on the road again, Jennie sipped on the cola she’d gotten at a market near the center and thought about the flyer Scott and Melissa had given her.

  “You seem deep in thought,” Gram said.

  “This place is so different from Dolphin Playland. I mean, these people really care about the dolphins. Except for the ones that need medical care, the dolphins are here because they want to be. The other place … I don’t know, it’s so commercial.”

  “I sensed that too. I’m glad we were able to stop here.” Gram took her computer out again. “It will be interesting to hear what Scott has to say.”

  Jennie glanced at Gram, then back at the road. “That’s the second time you’ve mentioned him. How come you want to talk to Scott, anyway? He seems like an opinionated scuzzball.”

  “Scuzzball? You know, dear, in my day when a young lady resorted to name calling, it meant she had more than a passing interest. You know the old saying, ‘Methinks thou dost protest too much.’ Could it be that you’re developing a crush on him?”

  Jennie groaned. “No! He’s definitely not my type. Anyway, what makes you so sure you’ll be talking to him? He probably won’t call you.”

  “Oh, he’ll call. I think he likes you.”

  “Gram, be serious. I think you’re getting me mixed up with Lisa. I’m Jennie, remember—the tall, skinny kid who spends most Saturday nights reading mysteries. My boyfriend, at least I thought he was my boyfriend, just turned down a date with me to go fishing.”

  “Jennie McGrady, is that any way to talk? You’re a lovely girl. And as far as Ryan is concerned, going to Alaska was a hard decision for him. When he asked me about it I assured him you would understand. Was I wrong?”

  Ryan lived on the coast in Bay Village and was Gram’s next-door neighbor. He and Jennie had been friends a long time. In the last few weeks they’d grown closer. “No,” she said reluctantly. “I even told him he should go. But it still hurts.”

  “Yes … yes, it does.” Gram looked out the window, and Jennie had the feeling she was no longer talking about her or Ryan.

  “Grandpa Ian left you like that too, didn’t he, Gram?”

  “What?” Gram looked surprised. “Now, how did you know I was thinking about him?”

  Jennie shrugged her shoulders. “I just did.”

  “We’d only just fallen in love when he took a job with British Intelligence. World War II was in full swing and he came to me, wanting so much to go and so much to stay. I kissed him goodbye wondering if I’d ever see him again … there were so many casualties. Six months later he came back. We married, and well … you know the rest. It seemed like I was forever saying goodbye to that man.”

  “Gram, if Grandpa Ian had disappeared like Dad did, would you have gotten married to somebody else?”

  “I don’t know.” Gram leaned over and patted Jennie’s arm. “Now, don’t be comparing me with your mother. We’re as different as night and day.”

  “That’s for sure.” Mom was an accountant, Gram, a writer. Gram loved mystery, excitement, and adventure; Mom loved security and a husband who came home every night.

  “Being different doesn’t make either of us wrong, Jennie. But enough of this maudlin conversation. This is a beautiful day, and we’re heading for Key West.”

  Gram was right. Jennie once again took up her resolve to forget about all the conflicts going on in her life and concentrate on Florida and sunshine and having a great time.

  Key West, Jennie discovered, was an inland bulging with tourists. A friend of Gram’s was visiting relatives in New York and had given them use of her home, a quaint Caribbean-style house that had been built in 1840 and recently restored. Since the house was only a few blocks from Old Town, they decided to walk to Mallory Square to have dinner and watch the sunset.

  They were seated on the deck of what Jennie thought must be the world’s classiest restaurant and had a spectacular view of the Gulf of Mexico. As they ate their meal of broiled swordfish, rice pilaf, and broccoli with hollandaise, bright orange and purple splashes of color covered the sky. Concerns about Ryan, Nick, her mom and Michael, and Dad had slipped into a fuzzy, remote corner of her mind. Several boats glided across the horizon, their dark sails silhouetted against the fiery sky.

  “It’s beautiful,” Jennie whispered. “I wish I could stay here forever.”

  “Hmmm.” Gram sipped her tea and smiled. “Moments like these are to be captured in the soul and relived in harder times.”

  They were just leaving the restaurant when a large dinner cruise ship approached the wharf area. “Let’s watch,” Jennie suggested. It had been a spectacular sunset, and the people aboard seemed flushed with excitement as they filed past Jennie and Gram. Jennie was about to dub the evening the most perfect one she’d ever had when a loud, raspy voice broke the quiet.

  “If I ever catch you within a foot of my boats again I’ll smack that big mouth of yours so hard you won’t be able to eat for a month!” the voice boomed. “Now, get your gear and get out of here.”

  “But what about my pay? You owe me for four days …” That voice. Jennie had heard it before.

  “You’re lucky I don’t sue you for thirty times that. Now, get out of here before I call the cops.”

  As soon as Jennie saw the shadowy figure emerge from the boat, she knew why the voice had sounded familiar. “Scott.” She hadn’t meant to say his name out loud and didn’t realize she had until he spun around in her direction.

  He stared at her for a moment and touched a hand to the cut above his eyebrow, then heaved a sigh and walked away. He was obviously embarrassed; Jennie knew the feeling well. “Wait,” Jennie called. He didn’t respond, so she ran after him. When she caught up with him about halfway down the block, Jennie wondere
d why she’d bothered.

  “What do you want?” he snarled.

  “I … I guess maybe I wanted to help. Though I’m not sure why. You are the rudest person I’ve ever met.”

  “Well, you’re …” Scott’s expression softened. “Look, I’m sorry. I guess I’m not in the greatest mood. I just got fired.”

  “I heard.” Jennie tucked some hair that had escaped her braid behind her ear. “What happened?”

  “I decked one of the passengers.”

  “You what? No wonder you got fired.”

  “The guy deserved it. He totally ignored the rules. Went diving and came up with a big chunk of live coral from the reef.”

  “How do you know it was live?”

  “I saw him do it. When I tried to signal him not to, he just ignored me. We got into a big fight and I won.”

  “That’s a matter of opinion,” Jennie said as she pushed aside his hair to get a better look at the cut. He winced. “Your eye is swollen, and that cut looks like it needs stitches. What do you think, Gram?” When no one answered, Jennie felt her stomach knot in alarm. Jennie spun around. Gram wasn’t there.

  5

  “You looking for the old lady who was with you at Dolphin Playland this afternoon?” Scott asked.

  “She’s not an old lady—she’s my grandmother.”

  Scott shrugged. “Same difference.”

  “She was right behind me. At least I thought …”

  “What are you getting so upset about? She looked like she could take care of herself.”

  “She can … but … oh, never mind.” She thought about her emergency cell phone tucked away in the glove box in her car back home and sighed. Life would be so much easier if her mother had given her one to use all the time. Not that the phone would help now anyway. Gram had purposely left hers in her room. Where technology was concerned, her family lived in dark ages.

  “Can’t you just call her?” asked Scott.

  Exasperated, Jennie ran a hand through her hair. “No. Neither of us has one right now.”

  Scott nodded. “Okay, let’s go back to where you last saw her.” Scott took hold of her shoulders. “And calm down. She’s probably back on the wharf watching the sunset entertainment.”

  Jennie drew in a deep breath. “You’re right. I’m calm. I know she was with me when we left the restaurant. We were watching the last of the sunset. Do you remember seeing her when you got off the boat?”

  Scott shook his head. “No, I didn’t notice. But that’s a good place to start. C’mon.” He took hold of her hand and pulled her forward. They wove their way through the crowd, and after what seemed an eternity, they reached the wharf where she’d last seen Gram.

  “Where is she?” Panic streaked through her again.

  Scott led her to a bench. “Let’s just sit here and wait for her.”

  “Are you crazy? I can’t do that. Someone may have kidnapped her …”

  “What?” Scott shook his head. “I must be missing something here. Why in the world would anyone want to kidnap your grandmother?”

  “Because she’s a …” Nice going, McGrady. Why not announce it to the entire world while you’re at it? Hey everyone … my grandmother is a secret agent. Works for the FBI in her spare time.

  “Let me guess,” Scott leaned forward and placed an elbow on his knee. “She’s filthy rich, and you’re afraid someone has kidnapped her so they can collect a ransom.”

  “No.” Better make this good, McGrady. “She’s a writer. And she used to be a police officer.”

  “Oh, I get it.” Scott slipped into a Sly Stallone accent—almost looked the part with his cut and bruised face. “She’s made some enemies … she’s testified against a mafia don, and now the mob’s gonna fit her with a pair of cement boots.”

  “Close. Our flight out of Portland was canceled because of a bomb threat. Gram didn’t think it had anything to do with her, but …”

  Scott jumped to his feet. “Oh, man, I gotta get out of here.”

  Jennie glanced in the direction of the wharf. The man who’d fired Scott was stepping off his boat. “Scott, wait. He’s not going to hurt you. Not with all these people around.”

  “Yeah, you’re probably right. But that guy’s a mean dude, and I’d just as soon not have my face messed up any more than it already is.”

  “Wow! Look.” Jennie stared in disbelief as two uniformed policemen escorted the man into a nearby squad car. “You really don’t have to worry about him. I wonder what happened.”

  Scott shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe you could ask your grandmother.”

  Helen McGrady emerged from the boat, talking animatedly to another officer. “I sure appreciate the call Mrs. McGrady. We’ve been trying to nail this guy here for a long time. Only next time, how about giving us a call first?”

  As they approached, Gram smiled. “Oh, Officer, here’s the young man I was telling you about.”

  Scott stiffened. “What’s this all about?”

  “I was hoping you could tell me.” The officer pulled a note pad from his back pocket.

  “Hey, look, I didn’t do anything.” Scott lifted his hands and stepped back.

  “Maybe I should explain.” Gram adjusted her shoulder bag. “You see, Jennie and I overheard your boss threaten you, and then when you came off that boat looking as you did … well, I decided then and there to have a word with him. I thought perhaps I could persuade him to at least pay you your wages. While you and Jennie were talking, I went aboard. I was just about to go down the stairs into the cabin when I heard voices. It didn’t take long to figure out what was going on. It seems your boss had a sideline.”

  “Right,” the officer added. “Drug smuggling. Cocaine. A sweet setup. He takes tourists out for diving, dinner, and dancing, and when he arrives at the reef, sends a diver out to pick up the drop. We figure he either used someone posing as a tourist or his crew …”

  Scott took a step back and collided with the bench. “I … I didn’t know. Honest.” He looked at Jennie then Gram. “I had nothing to do with it.”

  “Then you won’t mind coming down to the station to answer a few questions.”

  When Jennie saw the look of fear in his eyes, she knew what he was thinking. Don’t run, Scott, please don’t run.

  Gram must have sensed the same thing. “Why don’t we all go together? I need to give my statement as well, and when we’re finished there, we can have a doctor take a look at your eye.”

  An hour and a half later the police dropped Jennie, Gram, and Scott at the house. The three of them quickly piled into the car and headed for the hospital. Jennie stole glances at Scott through the rearview mirror. It made her nervous having him there, especially now that she knew he was a juvenile offender. He’d been arrested four times in the last year and a half. She felt certain Scott hadn’t known about his boss’s drug-smuggling operation, but it bothered her that Gram had been so trusting. She glanced back at him again. He met her gaze and gave her a sheepish grin before shifting his attention to Gram.

  “Thanks again, Mrs. McGrady. If it hadn’t been for you, I’d probably be in jail right now.”

  Gram turned sideways in her seat. “Yes, you would. I hope that in the future, when you’re questioned by police, you’ll refrain from calling them pigs and telling them where to go.”

  “Yeah, well, maybe they could quit harassing me. It seems like they’re always trying to pin something on me. Even the dolphin killing. Just because I was working at Dolphin Playland when it happened …”

  “You were working there?”

  “For about two months last summer. They canned me after the dolphin died. They found out I was a volunteer with the DPA and accused me of killing their dolphin to make them look bad.”

  Jennie and Gram exchanged glances. “Hey, I didn’t do it.”

  �
��I’m sure you didn’t,” Gram offered. Jennie said nothing, concentrating instead on finding a parking place near the emergency-room entrance to the hospital.

  It was midnight before they got home, and Jennie was not happy. Since Scott had been living on one of his boss’s boats, he no longer had a place to stay. Gram, of course, had insisted he stay with them. Jennie filled the teakettle with water, slammed the kettle on the stove, and flipped on the burner. She could hear Gram and Scott talking in the living room where they were making up the sofa bed for him.

  Ease up, McGrady, she told herself. The guy’s been through a lot. What did you want her to do, make him sleep on the street? Besides, you’re the one who ran after him. Face it, McGrady. You’re jealous because Gram is spending so much time helping him.

  “I am not jealous,” she muttered, yanking open the cupboards above the stove. “Gram,” she yelled. “Do you know where the tea is?”

  “She’s upstairs.” Scott appeared behind her.

  Jennie gasped and whirled around. “Good grief. You scared me half to death. How long have you been there?”

  “Long enough.” He leaned around her and lifted up a canister marked TEA. “You might look in here.”

  Jennie yanked the canister out of his hand, and in the process dumped the entire contents on the floor. “Now look what you made me do.” Jennie dropped to the floor and started scooping the loose tea back into its container. She closed her eyes to hold back the threatening storm inside her.

  Scott hunkered down beside her. “Do you want me to go?” When she didn’t answer, he went on. “Hey, I can take a hint. I know you don’t want me here. And if you really want me to leave, I will.”

  Jennie sat back on her heels and threw her long braid back over her shoulder. “Your eyes are the same color as my cousin Lisa’s. ‘Course she doesn’t have a shiner.”

  “What kind of an answer is that?”