Dark Water

by Talty, Jen

  “Someone needs to go stop him.” Frank’s heart hammered in his chest. “Why is Jared still here talking to those clowns?”

  “Filling them in, and then one of us gets to babysit you.”

  Frank raised a brow. “I take it you volunteered for the job?”

  Reese nodded. “Patty’s gassing up your boat right now.”

  “Patty? My cousin Patty?”

  “She just happened to be with me when I got the call.”

  Frank shook his head. “I’ll deal with you later.”

  “She’s a big girl and she knows the score. We’re just having fun; besides, right now you have bigger fish to fry.”

  Reese certainly had a point. If Taylor hurt either Lacy or Andy, Frank would be the one Jared was slapping cuffs on.

  “Reese,” Jared shouted. “I’m rolling. I’ll call you as soon I got a lock on Taylor.”

  Shit. “What about Lacy and Andy? Anyone see them?” Frank questioned.

  Jared shook his head. “I’ll find them, I promise.”

  Not if I find them first.

  “Go home to your family. I’ll be in touch.” With that, Jared hopped in his patrol car and sped out of the trailer park, dirt turning up behind the tires.

  “He’s the best damn cop in the state,” Reece said, giving Frank a pat on the back.

  “Maybe so, but I’m not just going to sit here and do nothing.” Frank rubbed the back of his head and winced. The fucker had hit him good and hard, leaving behind a bump the size of a golf ball. “Let’s hit the road.” Frank jumped into Reece’s car. The sooner he got on the lake, the sooner Lacy and Andy would be back where they belonged.

  Home.

  With him.

  The drive to his place took forever. Patty had his Boston Whaler loaded with whatever police equipment she could find. Staring down at the oxygen tank resting on top of his wetsuit, a chill filled his body. God he hoped he wouldn’t be using those today.

  “Thanks, Patty,” Frank said, blinking the late afternoon sun from his eyes. There was a stillness in the air that only came before a storm. The temperature indicated a cold rain would soon take over. He glanced across the lake at the mountaintops where gray clouds started to form over the trees.

  “I wish I could do more.” She squeezed his shoulder and then planted a kiss on his cheek. “I can see how much she means to you.”

  “Might be too late for that.” Frank turned the key and the engine roared to life. “But I’m not going to let history repeat itself.”

  Frank watched Patty take Reece’s hand as she climbed off the boat. She stared at Reece for a long awkward moment before Reece patted her arm and then leapt from the dock.

  “Call us if you hear anything, and lock the doors,” Reese said.

  “Just make sure you catch that bastard.” Patty released the bowline and gave the bow a good shove with her foot. “Take care of my cousin. I kind of want to keep him around for a while.”

  Reese nodded and then stood next to Frank.

  Frank gunned the boat and headed toward the group of islands called the Narrows. “When this is all over, I’m going to beat the shit out of you.”

  “What the fuck for?”

  “She’s falling for you and you’re going to break her heart.” Frank wondered if it was his heart he was concerned about since the idea of not having Lacy in his arms made him physically ill.

  “For the record, I think Patty’s a nice girl and she and I had this conversation this morning. We’re friends,” Reese said, but not very convincingly.

  Frank pushed his cousin’s love life from his mind as he navigated through the islands of the Mother Bunch looking for any trace of Taylor or Paul, but so far, nothing.

  “Do you think they found what they were looking for?”

  “That would make sense. Get the papers and take care of all the loose ends.”

  “Except the kid showed up. Then you and Lacy.”

  Frank slowed the boat down and scanned the area. The sun had disappeared behind the mountains, but still cast a bright orange glow across the lake. A breeze picked up from the northwest causing a slight ripple. Frank inhaled and could feel the moist air burn in his lungs. Soon it would rain. “Exit plan.”

  “What are you thinking?” Reese pulled out a small pair of binoculars.

  “It seemed they had two plans. The first to make Lacy guilty of a hit and run so Taylor gets the kid.” Frank couldn’t decide if he should head to the area where Hannah’s body had been found, or head north toward Ticonderoga in hopes to stop them from heading up to Canada. “Jared does realize there is no way in hell that I was hanging out at home, right?”

  “Yep,” Reese said, handing the binoculars to Frank. “Let’s see what he’s got.” Reese pulled out his cell and punched a few numbers.

  Frank let the boat idle down the channel toward Glenn Island as he scanned the area for any sign of Taylor’s boat. “Get a make on Paul’s boat. I know his family has a place right on the lake.”

  The clouds were taking over the sky and the sun was now almost completely gone. The darker it got, the harder this would be. Taylor would kill them both if he had to, and something told Frank that was only moments away.

  “Fuck me,” Reese said. “How the hell did that happen?”

  “What?” Frank dropped the binoculars and stared at Reese who still had his cell phone plastered to his ear. Reese held up his hand.

  “She okay?”

  “Lacy?” Frank felt his pulse pick up, then drop when Reese shook his head. “Who then?”

  “We’ll head north on the east shore.” Reese flipped his phone shut and then ran a hand down his face. “It’s Patty.”

  “What about her?”

  “Paul showed up at your place and shot her.” Reese took in a long breath and held it for a moment.

  “She’s okay, right?” Frank couldn’t believe the turn of events. Why Patty? Other than she was his cousin, she hadn’t done anything to those people. She wasn’t a part of this mess.

  “She’s going to be fine, or so I’m told.” Reese slammed his fist on the side of the boat. “Head north. He went in that direction driving a yellow speedboat. Shouldn’t be too hard to miss.”

  “What do you mean by ‘or so I’m told?’” Frank gunned the boat, ignoring the channel speed limit, and made his way to the eastern channel.

  “She was hit in the right shoulder. She’s fine, but it looks like she’ll need surgery. She said Paul ransacked your place.”

  Frank glanced at Reese. His face was tight and his eyes narrowed, but he looked more concerned than anything else. Frank knew Reese was a good man. He’d be concerned for a perfect stranger as equally as he would for his best friend. As much as he wished Reese would get past whatever it was that haunted him, he knew Patty wasn’t the girl to help him. She’d smother the man. “Any idea what he was looking for?”

  “Patty said he took a box.”

  “Shit,” Frank said. “That box is probably the one filled with Hannah’s personal stuff. I bet what they’re looking for is in the box.”

  “That means Lacy and Andy are expendable.” Reese reached across Frank and gripped the throttle. “This hunk of shit go any faster?”

  “You drive,” Frank ordered. “If Taylor were going to dump bodies, it would be where there isn’t a lot of traffic.” Dealing with the rocking boat didn’t bother him at all, as he snagged the underwater spot light.

  “I’m thinking Rogers Rock.”

  Frank had to agree. “Shut the lights down.” He perched himself on the bow and focused on finding a needle in haystack.

  * * * * *

  “You’re crazy if you think you’ll get away with this,” Lacy tried to yell, but her voice seemed to fail her. “I’m married to a cop. The whole state is going to come down on you like it’s the end of the world.” She tried to twist her trembling hands, but couldn’t break free from the rope binding her wrists.

  The engine purred quietly as the boat cut throu
gh water. She could see the spray out the porthole, but nothing else.

  Andy barely made a noise, but she could hear him breathing. His back was to her. She couldn’t see his face, but she did manage to rub her fingers against his hand.

  Taylor continued to ignore her. She could barely see him through the open door, but she knew he could hear her, even if he appeared to be immersed in his own world.

  “At least tell me what you plan on doing with us.”

  He leaned over the side and stared down at her with a smug grin. “Same damn thing I did with Hannah. Just taking out the fucking trash.”

  She tried to swallow, but the thick lump in her throat made it impossible.

  “Aunt Lacy?” Andy questioned.

  “What, honey?”

  “Do you think Frank is dead?”

  Her breath hitched. Widowed on her wedding day. That would be just her luck. “No,” she said. “They probably just knocked him out.”

  “Quit your yapping down there,” Taylor said.

  She noticed the boat had begun to slow. They’d switched vessels three times now. It would be a miracle if anyone found them. “If you want me to shut up, then tell me exactly what you’re going to do and why.”

  “You’re going to die. Plain and simple.” Taylor turned the boat toward the west shore.

  She could hear another engine off in the distance. “Switching boats again?”

  “Nope, this is the end of the line for you.”

  “Dad?” Andy asked, with a slight tremble in his voice.

  The term sickened her to the point she could feel the bile rise up from her gut.

  “I want to come with you,” Andy said.

  “No can do, kid. You had your chance and you turned on me like a rat leaving a sinking ship. Besides, I don’t even know for sure if you’re mine.”

  She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. The man was a monster and didn’t deserve to live, must less have a son as wonderful as Andy. But, if going with him would keep Andy alive, then so be it. “He’s your son. He’s a part of you.” She hadn’t meant to sound as if she was begging, but maybe in way she was.

  Taylor chuckled. “He’s nothing to me.”

  The man wasn’t human. “You don’t have to do this. We won’t say anything.” Lacy knew she needed to buy some time. Maybe if she distracted him long enough, she could find a way to save Andy because he was all that mattered now.

  “Give it up.” Taylor ducked down into the cuddy and grabbed Andy by the arm.

  “Leave him alone!” She tried to kick at Taylor, but she couldn’t reach him. “Where are you taking him?”

  “Just up on the deck. Relax.” Taylor helped Andy up the short steps.

  She leaned over, but as soon as Andy left the cuddy, she could no longer see him.

  “We need to get moving,” a deep voice rang out. It sounded as if it could be Paul, but she wasn’t sure.

  “Just get the kid ready,” Taylor said.

  Oh, God. She broke out in a cold sweat. Her lungs burned; she could barely breathe. Get him ready for what? What exactly did he have planned for them?

  Slowly, Taylor made his way into the cuddy.

  He grabbed her legs and yanked her toward him.

  She kicked and struggled, trying to break free from the ropes, but it seemed hopeless. “No!” She squirmed and tried desperately to cause him bodily harm, but to no avail.

  He spread her legs and then pinned her down with the weight of his body. “Stop fighting me, bitch; it won’t help. I’m going to kill you.”

  “No, you’re not.” With all her might, she head-butted him in the nose.

  “Fuck!” He jumped back, banging his head on the ceiling.

  Pain rippled from the center of her forehead to the back of her neck. She must have whacked him good because she saw stars.

  “Goddamned whore.” He grabbed her by the hair and raised his hand.

  “Come on, man. I hear a boat, but I can’t see it,” Paul said in a faint whisper from the top of the steps.

  Taylor pulled her up the stairs by her hair. When he let go, her head landed with a thud on the bottom of the boat. Her eyes watered and now the pain shot down her spine. She wasn’t ready to give up—not yet.

  “We have to dump them now,” Paul’s voice was still low and quiet, but there was a hint of panic. “You’ve got to get me out of here.”

  “Fine.” Taylor wiped his bloody nose on his sleeve and reached for something behind Andy.

  “Already tied the cement block to the boy,” Paul said. “Now let’s get the fuck out of here. I’m not going to jail.”

  “Me neither.” Taylor dropped a block next to her legs and then tied a rope around her ankle. “It’s not that deep here. Maybe ten feet, but we don’t need much for you to drown.”

  Her heart was beating so fast she worried she might pass out before she hit the water. She took in a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself. She’d have only seconds to figure out a way to untie herself and then get to Andy. “The cops will catch you and you will go to jail. Running only proves you’re guilty.”

  Taylor shook his head. “That’s where you’re wrong. So very wrong. But, I don’t have time to explain it to you, and frankly, I don’t give a shit.” He knelt beside her and leaned in close. “You should have never come back.”

  “You’re going to rot in hell if you don’t rot in jail first.” She spit in his face.

  “Stupid bitch.” He raised his arm and then backhanded her across the cheek.

  Her eyes watered. Immediately, she could feel her face swell. She struggled to release her hands, but they didn’t budge. “Take Andy with you. Let him live.” The salty tears rolling freely down her face stung as they glided across her broken skin.

  “Come on, man. That boat is getting close.” Paul lifted the block tied to Andy’s feet and rested on the side of the boat. Then Paul lifted Andy into his arms.

  “No,” she whispered as she locked gazes with a terrified Andy, but he didn’t cry. He didn’t struggle. He just locked gazes with her, then glanced to the water and sucked in a breath.

  Her entire being trembled from the inside out. Taylor lifted her to the side of the boat, placing the block next to her. Her toes touched the cold, dark water. The same water that took her sister. A sudden chill shot up her spine. She tried to pull her feet from the lake, but Taylor kept a tight hold of her.

  “Fighting will just waste energy,” Taylor whispered in her ear.

  Her heart pounded so hard it hurt. The approaching boat had to be getting closer. She could hear the soft hum of the engine getting louder, but where was it and could they even see her? Would they even know where to look? She stared at Taylor’s steady hand on the cement block and took in a deep breath. “Please don’t,” was all she could manage before the block disappeared into the darkness.

  A sudden tug at her leg yanked her whole body, at lightning speed, into the lake. Pain ripped from her ankle to her hip and then it all stopped. Her body shivered from the cold water that engulfed her. The need to breathe was so strong she let out some air, then stopped. She blinked her eyes open, but could barely see anything. Looking up at the surface, she could make out objects, but couldn’t be sure what was what or who.

  Where is Andy?

  She fiddled with the rope that held her hands, but she couldn’t get the knot loose. Her pulse increased as she let out a little more air. She jerked her body, then stilled when she heard a muffled splash.

  She could feel the water shift to her left, but she couldn’t see anything. Staying as still as possible, she tried to focus through the dark water, but could only sense Andy as he must have struggled to break free of his restraints.

  Water swished about her. It had to be Andy.

  Don’t panic.

  She sensed him fighting. Struggling. But couldn’t do a damn thing to save him. Her lungs demanded air. It took all her energy not to open her mouth and breathe in what would ultimately kill her. Panic set in w
hen the water suddenly went still as if Andy had given up.

  She opened her mouth to scream, but she sucked in the water instead. She gagged and choked until the dark water surrounded her.

  Then everything went black.

  * * * * *

  Frank flicked on the spotlight the moment he heard the roar of an engine. “Over there!” he shouted, and pointed to a boat taking off toward Ticonderoga. “What the fuck?” He shifted the spotlight onto the splashing water. “Reese.” Frank fixed the stream of light on Andy’s head as it disappeared again into the water.

  “Got him,” Reese said as he maneuvered the boat in the direction of where Frank had seen Andy.

  It had to be Andy, but where was Lacy?

  Frank reached for his oxygen tank and then tossed it over his shoulder ignoring his racing pulse. He had to remain calm. He was simply doing his job. What he was born and trained to do.

  “They left a boat behind,” Reese said. “I’ll radio ahead.”

  Frank shoved the mouthpiece between his lips and scanned the water with the light. The lake floor in this area was shallow and rocky. It shouldn’t be too hard to find them. Just as he was about to jump in, Andy surfaced about five feet from the boat.

  “Andy,” Frank eased himself into the water.

  Andy coughed and gagged. He spun around and gasped for air before taking a deep breath and going under again.

  Lacy!

  Frank followed, frantically shifting the light in the dark waters. The beam hit rock after rock until finally it landed on Lacy.

  Her body had gone limp. With her back to the surface, it looked as if she was floating. She seemed peaceful. Her beautiful long hair floated in the dead calm waters. He couldn’t see her face. And she didn’t move. A quick snapshot of Hannah’s body with her eyes wide, mouth open as if to scream, flashed in front of him. Adrenaline shot through his body and he raced toward her, surging past Andy.

  He reached for her. When his fingers gripped her arm, her skin was cold. Too cold. Then he tried to swim to the surface, but Lacy’s body pulled him back. Something touched him and he jerked.