by Abbey, S. C.
“You stay right that young man.” Katie said to Doug as she retrieved her cell phone from her pocket and dialed a quick dial. “Hello, is this the police? This is Agent Moulin from Interpol New York, I was forced to engage a drug deal. I am currently in need of assistance.”
“Let me go!” said Francis as he brushed Harvey’s hands off his shoulders and stumbled toward the railing. Harvey lurched toward him and Francis bent down to grab his pocket knife from the deck. He brought it up and pointed to Harvey but Harvey was quick enough to grab his wrists in retaliation. They wobbled in unity along the side of the railing when a huge wave hit the hull of the yacht. A momentarily loss of balance caused the two men to fall across the metal barrier into the water. Katie heard a loud splash and she turned around, abandoning her phone call.
“Shit– this day can’t get any worse.” Said Katie as she ran to the railing once again.
“Harvey?!” she cried out as she stretched as far out as she could past the barrier. She could see a pair of hands struggling frantically the water before it disappeared under an incoming wave. “Harvey!”
Katie Moulin took off her jacket and jumped into the Long Island Sound.
Chapter 27
I’M GOING TO drown. This is the end of me. It’s so heavy, all the water. My eyes, they sting. I can’t see a thing. Help me, help.
The deep blue sea was all Harvey could see, which was not an accurate description of what he could really see, for with his eyes open, all he could see was blank. The sea water stung his eyes whenever he tried to open his eyelids, his arms negotiated with the water but the water did not cooperate. He felt all the garments on his body soaked through till his skin was drenched.
The water’s so salty.
Harvey coughed with the fortitude of his entire body but whenever he managed to expel some water from his lungs, more just rushed in to take its place. His arms continued to grip the surface of the water as if there was an edge where he could touch and heaved himself out of it. Undoubtedly, there wasn’t.
He could remember the same fear that had gripped him when he last had a similar encounter. It was the same struggle he was in now, except at that time he was a young boy in his teens. It felt like a life time ago. He had been running in Bertram’s garden, chasing after an exceptional pretty blue and green dragonfly when he had accidentally tripped and fell into a reflection pool camouflaged among a circle of bushes. It was a relatively shallow body of water but to a young boy, its depth was significant. It would have still not been deep enough to drown him if he had not struggled when he had hit the water and got his feet entangled in the rubber water tubes that was part of the pumping system that supported the fountain. The helplessness he had felt when the water surface was within arm’s reach of his yet he could not break free of his bonds, left a deep and lasting mark in his consciousness. He would no longer be able to forget the dangers of water. He would be still alive if not for the fact that Bertram’s then butler had reached in and hauled the boy out of the pool. He made it a point never to approach a large body of water ever since. Until now.
My lungs, they’re burning. I can’t hold my breath anymore.
Harvey drank another gulp of seawater, now accustomed to its saltiness. He had managed to pop his head out of the surface for a couple of seconds to take a breather before he was buried by another incoming wave. His eyes were still blinded by the sting of the sea water as he desperately rubbed them with his hands.
He thought about his mother. He did not remember her or felt as sad about her departure as much as he should have though it was still as much as he could have, which was not very much considering he was currently drowning in the sea. His mother was a soft spoken woman who was not much of a talker, and never had many friends. Her whole life was dedicated to her husband and children. She had never contradicted her husband on whatever he said, and never disagreed on any plans he had set out to do. One thing he could always remember, was the sound and melodic tone of her gentle voice, calling out to him, calling after him. Harvey could still hear it now despite the crash of the waves and water that seeped into his ears.
Harvey–
Mother?
Harvey–
Harvey could hear a loud splash and the swooshing sound of something that had entered the same pool of water he was in.
I’m here! Mum!
“Harvey!”
Harvey’s subconscious mind expressed a sense of bewilderment when he realized the voice didn’t exactly sounded like his mother’s. The full resonance of it became clearer as it seemed to approach him.
Katie? Harvey thought before his brain could no longer endure the prolonged lack of oxygen and blacked out, as he sank toward the floor of the sea.
Chapter 28
KATIE SWAM AS fast as she could the moment she entered the water, there was no time to consider the consequences.
“Harvey!” shouted Katie one last time before she could no longer see Harvey’s head bobbing up and down the surface of the river. She took a deep breath and dived into the water, but she could not see through the murky water. She reached out her hands to feel for Harvey, she knew she only had a few seconds before she would lose Harvey to the depths of the sea forever. Her hands did not reach any physical object but she didn’t want to give up. She dived a little lower, kicking the water with all the strength that is left in her legs, sinking a little closer to the seabed. She could feel bubbles escaping from her nostrils, she didn’t had long before she could bear it no further. Finally, she felt her fingers reach another set of fingers and she gripped it snugly, refusing to let go as she tugged on it as hard as she could and reached out to grope Harvey’s neck, swimming up to the surface of the water sturdily.
Katie took a deep breath as she broke surface, she never felt more alive.
“Harvey?!” said Katie as she found her voice.
Harvey did not reply. He was clearly unconscious, dead to the world. Katie mustered the remaining of her strength to position herself under Harvey, acting as a float for him while she supported him under his armpits and swam toward the harbor.
“Meechum!” cried Katie when she finally reached the edge of the dock. “Meechum, get your ass down here!”
Doug Meechum sat in a trance on the deck of the Red Lion like a poorly made Greek statue, his eyes unblinking. It took Katie several more tries before he realized that the Interpol Agent had been calling out to him. He stumbled upon the dock like a drunken man.
“Huh? What?” he said stupidly.
“I need your help. Put your hands under here, and pull him out of the water on the count of three, I’ll push from below. One, two, three–”
Doug dragged Harvey’s unmoving body out of the water, it took him more effort than he had expected, his face turned red from the maneuver. Katie pushed herself out of the water and propped herself above Harvey.
“Harvey?” she said, slapping him on the face. “Harvey, wake up!”
Katie gripped the lips of Harvey Nolan with her fingers and tilted his neck up, she opened his mouth. “Harvey?” she said, before placing her own lips on his to blow air into his lungs. “Harvey, please wake up!”
She continued the mouth to mouth resuscitation for a minute but the situation did not improve. She started pounding on his chest with her fist. “Harvey! Nolan! Don’t. You. Dare. Die. On. Me!” Katie yelled at the cold body of Harvey with an emphasis on each word and a pound on his chest.
For a moment, Katie thought she had lost Harvey, when the unmoving pale face of Harvey Nolan suddenly jerked and coughed out a mouthful of water. He continued to choke on the water in his lungs as he expelled them. Katie sat back down on the dock, relieved.
She stared at the professor as she released a breath she didn’t know she was holding. “Still can’t swim after all these years?” Chucked Katie.
Harvey coughed hard, heaving himself nearer into the middle of the deck. He did not want to be near the sea that had almost killed him now. It took him a good five mi
nutes before he could squeeze out a reply.
“I sink. When I encounter water. I just freeze up.” Harvey said, his face still pale as a ghost from the recent escape from Death. “I don’t know why.”
“Perhaps you should think twice before getting on a boat the next time.” Accused Katie as she glared at him.
Harvey looked around him, still a little unclear about the circumstances. His memories began to come back to him. “Where’s White?”
“I’m afraid he’s either dead or he got away.” Katie moaned as she stretched her shoulders, the fatigue had begun to kick in. “I’ll place my bet on the latter.”
“Drug man?”
“Got away too. At least we’ve got the boat. I’m sure there’s plenty of money and crack somewhere in it.” Katie said. “I’ve already called for back-up. The DEA is on the way.”
She stood up and stomped toward Meechum, dragging him on his feet from the front of his shirt. “Where’s White?”
Meechum returned her question with a blank look. “I don’t know, man.”
Katie shook him by his shirt and tapped on his cheek. “Don’t lie to me, boy. You are looking at a minimum of five years in prison and a fine that will swipe you dry. If you do not want to be slapped with an additional five years for obstruction of justice for a felony, you better damn well cooperate with me right now, do you understand?”
“Now let me ask u again, where the hell did Francis Spencer White go?”
Meechum cowered as he looked down to his feet. “I think I might know where he is.”
Chapter 29
GARRETT FROST STEPPED hard on his brakes and honked at the yellow cab that had swerved in front of him to stop for a passenger. “Jesus!” He was in the process of winding down the window to give the driver a piece of his mind when his cellphone rang.
“Sir, it is Darrow.” Said the caller.
“I’m on the way back to the station.” Detective Frost said. “You better have good news for me this time.”
“Hardly. It’s Shia Jamison, she’s gone.”
“Who? What do you mean gone?” asked Frost, he did not recognize the name.
“Shia Jamison, Sir. Harvey Nolan’s office secretary? The beautiful girl who served us those wonderful fish-shape crackers and coffee at the meeting room?”
Frost frowned at the connection with Harvey Nolan. Why does everything keep involving the Columbia professor? “What happened?”
“Her mother made a police report this afternoon, said she had been missing all night and day. Her phone’s engaged too. Her mother insisted it has never happened before.”
Frost considered the circumstances. He wondered if he was being bias against the professor or if everything was just a coincidence. He decided against the latter. “How long has it been?”
“Almost twenty hours, sir.”
Damn it.
“Does she have a boyfriend?” Frost asked, hoping that the case was simpler than it seemed to be. “Or is she married?”
“Negative.” Replied Darrow in an instant. This time, he was well-prepared before he called his boss. “She lives with her mother and father.”
Frost stopped by the road shoulder of Webster Avenue and killed his engine. He needed to think without the distraction of the traffic. He examined his options and came up with a plan. “Darrow, listen. I want you to head down to Miss Jamison’s office building for a visit, bring two men with you. I’m going to make a phone call to the University requesting an informal search. I’m sure based on the gravity of the situation, the University will not say no. The first twenty-four hours is the most important in any missing person’s case. After that mark, the chances of finding them drops drastically.”
The sound of a roller chair being pushed across the floor echoed through the call. “I’m already on it, Sir.”
A long pause of silence endured before Detective Frost spoke again. “And while you are in the building,” his voice lowered, “I want you to take a quick look into Nolan’s office, he keeps it unlocked. Keep your eyes wide open, see what you can find. Bag anything if necessary.”
“Got it.” Agent Darrow replied without a question.
“Oh, and one more thing, Sir.” Darrow continued. “Taylor called. He said they found a body.”
Chapter 30
HARVEY WAITED ALONG the side of Plymouth Street where it met Bridge Street at an intersection. The edgy neighborhood of Vinegar hill, which was once a bedroom community for the workers at the Navy Yard next door and in Dumbo’s warehouses and factories, stood quiet with its crumbling mansions and cobblestone streets. The heading home crowd had thinned out considerably, not that there were many to begin with, as the evening passed into the night, with the moon high in the sky among the clouds. Every now and then, a lone hipster would stagger past them unknowingly, uninterested in the three persons sitting in the car. Doug’s stomach growled for the umpteenth time as he wrapped his arms around them.
“How long more do we have to wait? I haven’t eaten for eight hours at least. Can we at least grab something to bite?” said the young man, his face scrunched in hunger.
“You tell me. You said he would turn up here sooner or later. Or were you trying to pull a fast one on us?” replied Katie.
“No, I swear, I told you everything I know. I’m sure he will appear sooner or later. You’ll see.”
“Then sit tight, and shut your mouth. Keep a look out for him.” Barked Katie.
Harvey watched the exchange on his rear mirror from the driver’s seat. He too was feeling extremely listless and hungry. It had been a long day after all, not even considering that he had almost died. His last meal had been that wonderful huge plate of breakfast at Bert’s which he did not finish. He kicked himself mentally for not eating up. They had been sitting in his vehicle for the past five hours where Doug had leaded them to wait at. He was so confidant Francis would appear, Katie and Harvey took his word for it. Seemed like a foolish decision to leave after three hours of waiting, having already invested that much time, it would be a waste if they were to give up. Or so they thought two hours ago. It really seemed like a good idea now.
“Why did you stood me up at Neptune’s?” Harvey found himself asking. The words blurted out of his mouth before he could retract them.
Katie took a second to remember what Harvey was talking about. She stared at him. “Seriously, Harvey? Do we have to talk about this now?”
“I thought it didn’t matter anymore. But I guess old memories die hard. So, why?”
“I had work.”
“That’s it? That’s your bail-out plan?”
“I–”
“Look!” jumped Doug.
“Lower your voice, are you trying to alert the whole neighborhood?” accused Katie.
“Sorry, I was just excited. Look, it is Billy Coke.”
Harvey gazed at Katie for an additional second before he turned his attention to the person Doug was pointing out to. “What kind of name is that, Coke?” he said, an eyebrow raised in question.
“Yeah, Coke. That’s what they all call him, Billy Coke the crack head. I guess he loves cocaine so much he decided to name himself after it, who cares?” Doug continued. “He’s almost never in Vinegar Hill unless he needs supplies. Somehow or rather, he could always sniff us out wherever we were. Some say his nose was like a dog’s when it came to crack. And who will he go to for supplies here?”
“Francis.”
“Exactly. Well, Francis and I to be exact. But seeing I’m already out of business and still physically in your tiny car,” complained Doug as he shifted around, “I’ll bet you my grandmother he is on the way to look for White.”
“Brilliant deduction Mr. Meechum.” Harvey said as he started switched on the ignition. “But no thank you, I do not want your grandmother.”
“I thought you guys finished selling the batch of crack you had? That’s what you were doing on the yacht, with the Captain, replenishing. Isn’t it?” Katie asked, finding holes in Dou
g’s statement.
Doug gave a sheepish look in reply. “Erm, we kinda pocketed 4 ounces of the stuff, pure. We just took it out and diluted the rest with flour. A drop of water in an ocean. Our customers would have never found out.”
“That’s almost three and a half grand worth in street value.” Katie said in disbelief. “You dare steal from the Captain?”
“It was Francis’ idea.” Doug said, quickly pushing the blame to his partner in crime. “I didn’t want anything to do with it, that’s why he kept the additional crack, not me.”
“But he was going to split the money with anyway, right?” Harvey added.
“40/60.” Replied Doug, like a guilty puppy caught messing up the place. “I mean, my neck was on the line too, it’s only fair.”
Harvey continued to follow Billy Coke along Bridge Street onto John Street on the left. He kept a safe distance and did not switch on his headlights. The broken street lamps helped their cause immensely. The druggie did not seem to have realized he was being followed. The pursuit was slow and nerve-racking, for Billy was strutting at a painful snail’s pace. He finally stopped by the intersection of John Street and Jay Street before taking a right turn into the small lane that was the dead end of Jay Street.
Harvey was about to turn into it when Doug stopped him. “Stop here. That’s a dead end. Which means either Francis is there or he isn’t. We should go on foot if you want to find out.”
Harvey stopped his vehicle by the side of John Street and killed the engine. The three of them alighted his car.
“No games from you Meechum, understood?” Katie said as she pointed at Doug.
Doug swallowed his saliva. “Yes, Mdm.”
They hurried along the path that Billy Coke had taken, the old cobblestone street was uneven and bumpy. They could feel the cool breeze from the East River and Harvey sniffed his runny nose. He pulled up the collar of his jacket in an attempt to stay warmer. Most of his cloths had already dried out from the long wait but his undergarments and socks were still damp, the most uncomfortable parts to be wet. They waited behind the edge of the fence that was the last barrier between them and the lane.
