by Keck, Laurie
“Mr. Wade? Case Wade?” the officer asked
“Yes, I’m Case Wade. What’s wrong, Officer?”
The officer tilted his head. “Yes. I recognize you. Good evening, sir. I need to talk to you. I wonder if we might go up to the house.”
“Sure, of course.”
Case buzzed them in and they drove up to the house. When he got out of the car, Case scratched his head as he walked toward the officer, who now stood under the porch light. Case glanced to his left at the cruiser parked a few feet away, where he noticed another officer sat quietly.
Case pointed behind his back. “My son is asleep in the truck. I need to get him. Was there another break-in? Did something happen to one of the animals?”
“No, not that has been reported. Let your son sleep. We can talk here. It won’t take long. I have only a few questions.”
“Sure, okay.”
The officer motioned to the porch steps. “Mr. Wade, you may want to sit down.”
Case sat down and planted his feet firmly on the ground, resting his elbows on his knees.
The officer spoke. “We found the body of a Miss Annette Sprigs today, an apparent drowning.”
Case‘s mouth dropped as he lurched to his feet. “What!”
“It would appear to be a boat accident. Sir, I do need to ask. Where were you today?”
Case shook his head before speaking. “I just came back from a county fair. It was in Fort Lauderdale. I was there all day with my son, until just now.”
“I imagine, just for the sake of clarity and crossing ones T’s, someone can vouch for that?”
Case ran his hand through his hair. “Yeah, sure, lots of people. I had a show. I was in front of an entire audience.”
“Your son… Miss Sprigs was his mother?”
“Yes, she is.” Case brushed his hands over his head. “Was. Is. Yes.” He looked intently at the officer as he said, “Are you sure it was her?”
“Yes, sir. Her parents came and identified her. Do you always have your son? Does he live with you?”
Case rubbed the back of his neck. “No. I have shared custody with his mother… or I did.” Case squinted. “Do you think I had something to do with this?”
“I just need to ask some questions.”
Case rubbed his forehead. “Yeah, sure, I understand.”
The officer closed a note pad. “Everything you told me matches what we have.”
The officer handed Case an envelope. “This is our preliminary finding, along with a probable cause of death.”
Case reached for the envelope. He held it and just stared at it.
The officer said, “It’s mostly all there. She was in a small motorboat. It seems she may have hit her head on a rock. There were four teenagers who saw it and reported the mishap. The report is she reached for something, though the witnesses said it looked more as if something reached for her. I won’t even say what they thought they saw.”
“What do they think they saw?”
“You know the imagination of folks who come to these parts and with the town name of Siren Rock… Let’s just say these kids were inebriated.”
Case sat on the step again and began tapping the envelope against his other hand.
The officer reached his hand out. Case stood but felt unsteady on his feet.
The officer shook his hand. “I’m sorry to have been the one to have to inform you. I’m sorry for your lost, for both you and your son. We’ll be in touch if there is anything else. Goodnight, sir.”
The officer walked toward his car and then turned around. “One more thing, in your copy, the witnesses are referred to simply as that. The names are blackened out, as they are underage.”
Case exhaled a deep breath. “Thank you.”
The officer got in the cruiser, and Case stood frozen as they drove away. When the vehicle was no longer in sight, Case tilted his head toward the sky and then covered his eyes with his hands.
I can’t believe this. What am I going to tell Timmy?
He placed his palms against his temples and stared at the ground. He shook his head and then walked over to his truck and opened the back door to unfasten Timmy from his seat. Timmy was still asleep, and Case carried him to the house. As he opened the door, Bandit greeted them.
Case whispered, “Hey, buddy, I’m sorry we’re so late.”
Case carried Timmy upstairs to his room and placed him on his bed.
“Daddy, why were police here?” he asked as he rubbed his eyes
Case sat next to him.
Tell him it’s a dream. Tell him it’s a dream.
“They had to tell us some really bad news.”
Timmy rubbed his eyes again and propped himself up on his elbows.
Case rubbed Timmy’s knee as he spoke. “Your mom had an accident. Not our kind of accidents, but a really bad one. She can’t be with us anymore. She loved you, and would want to be with you, but she can’t be. She died, Timmy. I’m so sorry.”
Timmy’s eyes watered, and then he started to cry. Case held his head against his chest. After a few minutes, Timmy sat up and asked, “Do you mean like Sudsy? Mom said that was an accident.”
An accident. I can’t believe how careless and irresponsible she was. I should have known that wasn’t right. I think she killed Sudsy.
Case nodded. “Yes, just like Sudsy.”
Only this time it was her.
Case brushed his hand through Timmy’s hair. “It will be okay. We will live here together, and I will be with you until we are both very old men.”
“Daddy?”
“Yeah?”
“Is Mom happy now? Will she be nicer now?”
Case blinked his own tears away as he pressed his lips together.
“Yes I believe so.”
He patted Timmy’s knee again.
“Do you need to go to the bathroom?”
Timmy said, “Yeah.”
Case took him to the bathroom and helped him to brush his teeth. When they returned to the room, Timmy got into his pajamas. Case helped him back in bed and started to pull the covers up.
“Will you sleep here tonight?” Timmy asked
Case kissed him on the forehead. “I was thinking the very same thing.”
They shared a weak smile, and then Timmy got wide-eyed.
“Daddy, can we ride Robust tomorrow?”
“Sure we can do that if you want.”
“But not like Mom did.”
Case crinkled his forehead. “Oh?”
“She rode too fast, bumpy. Made me sick, him too.”
Case clamped his eyes shut, and then he started to remove his boots.
He climbed into bed and turned out the light. He lay on his back as he placed a hand on his head and stared into darkness.
Chapter 9
Having tended to the animals on this early morning, Case now stood at his back door. Coffee in hand, he listened to the faint whisper of the wind as it blew softly. He continued to listen to the muffled sympathy of the awakening day. Each species had its own song to sing, like any other composer. A nearby bird called to its mate. The sound of a steady tapping led him to follow the sound to the right, to see the woodpecker in search of his morning meal. Barely seen in the short distance, amidst the fog, Robust grazed this early morning. The lack of clarity, the lack of a sharp view, echoed what ran through Case’s thoughts.
She took him out there .He could have been seriously hurt, or worse, he could have been killed. And all just to get back to me.
He blinked to fight back tears that had soon formed in his eyes. Breaking through the line of fog, Bandit came leaping forward. A smile curled on Case’s mouth as he was reminded of good things to come.
“Hi, Daddy.”
Case swung around. “Hey, buddy. Want some breakfast? Scrambled eggs, bacon, pancakes. We have it all.”
Timmy slid into a chair and propped his elbow on the table, resting his head in his hand. “Cereal”
“Cereal? Ok
ay.” Case reached in the cabinet and pulled out a bowl with farm animals on it. “Here’s your bowl”
He poured the cereal and tried to hide the slight tremble in his hand. He glanced at Timmy while he poured the milk into the bowl. He set the bowl down and sat across from him with his coffee.
Timmy ate large spoonfuls and ate them quickly. “Guess I was hungry.”
“Want some more?”
“Okay.” Timmy sat, dangling his legs back and forth.
Case got up and refilled his bowl. “Toast?”
Timmy raised his eyebrows and gave a thumbs-up while he ate his cereal.
“Still want to ride Robust today?”
Timmy answered enthusiastically. “Yeah!”
“Okay.”
“Daddy, he won’t go too fast, will he?”
“No, we’ll ride him like you and I always do.”
Case placed the toast and a jar of jam on the table.
“Thought you might like some blackberry jam.”
Timmy crinkled his nose.
Case tousled Timmy’s hair. “Just kidding. It’s grape.”
Case picked up a slice and began to spread the jam and then prepare another. He then kicked his feet up on the adjacent chair and reached for a piece of toast. Timmy picked up a slice as well. Case reached his piece across the table, in a “let’s toast to that” fashion.
“Cheers.”
Timmy reached his across and tapped his father’s piece.
“Cheers.”
They shared a smile.
* * * *
After getting ready for the day, Case and Timmy went outside. Timmy ran over to the goats. He petted Rae then ran over to Doe to offer pets. “I love them. They’re cute.”
Case said, “They are. You wanna stay with them while I prepare Robust?”
“Okay!”
When he was ready, Case called out to Timmy, who came skipping over to him.
“Robust looks good, Daddy.”
“Yeah, he does. Here’s your helmet. Say, the last time you rode, did you have your helmet?”
“You mean with mom?”
Case nodded slightly
“No, she said I didn’t need it.”
“Always with your helmet. I’m going to lift you up, and then you need to hold on.”
Case placed Timmy on the horse, and then he mounted.
“Remember, Daddy, not fast.”
“No, not fast, just nice and easy.”
He wrapped an arm around Timmy’s waist.
“I’m proud of you son.”
The land had it all. A large open meadow dipped into a valley, and on the outskirts, large trees mimicked all but the finest forests. The fog having lifted, there was infinite beauty in every direction. They walked quietly, surveying the land, as Bandit kept pace beside them. After forty minutes, they made their way back to the house.
Case asked, “How was that?”
“Good.”
Case reined in to stop Robust and gave him a pat. “Good boy.” He then dismounted and lifted Timmy to the ground.
Case put his hand on Timmy’s shoulder. “You’ll live here with me from now on. You and me.”
“Okay. I’d like that, Daddy.”
Case smacked his lips together to make a popping sound. “Me too.” And then he extended his arm out as he made a broad sweep of the animals. “They’ll all love it too!”
Timmy giggled.
“How would you like to learn the guitar like me?”
“Can I?”
“Sure. Right now, though, what do you say we take a ride in to town, visit Larina and Mr. Bixby? I need to talk to them about something.”
“Can Bandit come?”
“Yeah, he can come. We need to run into town first; I have something to pick up for Larina. Say, when’s the last time you walked on the beach?”
Timmy raised a brow. “Walked? I don’t know. With you?”
“Ha, okay. What do you say we do that today?”
Timmy asked, “Will we swim?”
“It may be too cold for that, but we can feed the seagulls, search for shells.”
“I don’t wanna swim.”
“Okay. No swimming.”
“Mr. Bix…by told me he had a shell, and he can make it sing.”
“Wow. That’s pretty cool, huh?”
“Maybe he’ll teach me?”
“Maybe. And maybe we’ll find a shell like it.”
* * * *
As they drove along, Case was singing softly along to the radio while Timmy was coloring in his book.
“Like this?” Timmy said as he held up a page of his book.
Case glimpsed in the rearview mirror. “Sure do.”
When Case reached the beach road, Timmy gazed out the window. “They live on the beach?”
“They do.”
“It’s pretty. Daddy, over there’s the ocean!”
Case lowered his head down to peek out Timmy’s side “Sure is, look at that.”
They pulled up to the gate, and Case buzzed the call button. Larina soon answered and opened the gate.
Timmy said, “Cool.”
They drove up the drive and parked in the front. Larina was waiting on the drive.
“Hi,” Case said as he got out of the car and then kissed her on the cheek. “Thanks for having us. Sorry about the last minute.”
He let Bandit out and then walked to the other side to help Timmy out of his seat.
Larina smiled. “Hi, Timmy.”
“Hi. This is pretty.”
“Thank you, I’m glad you came. And it’s good timing. We just picked up a couple of pizzas. Do you like pizza Timmy?”
Timmy beamed. “It’s my favorite. That and roasted marshmallows with Daddy.”
“Oh great, I think we have both.”
Larina winked at Case as she placed her hand on Timmy’s shoulder to lead him in. Grant, who had been reading in the den, came out with his book in his hand to greet them. “Timmy, Case, good to have you.”
“Hi Mr. Bix..by.” Timmy said.
“Timmy, how would you like to call me Papi?”
“Okay. It’s a little easier to say.” Timmy said.
Case and Larina exchanged smiles.
As Timmy entered, he stepped to his left. “Wow!”
Grant said, “You like it? It’s my favorite place in the house. Would you like to see it?”
“Yeah.”
Grant motioned for Timmy to enter and then turned to Case. “What do you say you call me Grant? We are beyond sir.”
Case said, “I will, thanks.”
“We’ll be in the kitchen,” Larina called out.
* * * *
Timmy stood cautiously in the room as he glanced all around until he noticed the large telescope. He went running over to it.
“Wow! Can I see?”
“Of course, here.” Grant moved a step stool over and lifted him up. “Just look right through there.” Grant helped position Timmy and showed him how to maneuver the instrument.
“If you are here this evening, we can find the stars. What do say?”
Timmy grinned. “Yes please. This is sort of like a dream I had. But I don’t remember it very well.”
Grant reached for his pipe. “Dreams can be wonderful things. Take us places we can only imagine. What do you remember about it?”
“Well, it was pretty. Sunny. There were waves and birds. I saw a woman. She was laughing and having fun. I wanted to meet her. The animals liked her. It’s like she talked to them. I saw her with a dolphin. She was a dolphin girl. What do you call them?”
Grant placed his pipe between his teeth. “A mermaid.”
“Yeah, that’s what she was, what you said, a mermaid!”
“Were you afraid at all?”
“No. I didn’t want to wake up, so I kept rubbing my eyes. I wanted to stay there. She looked so happy, I was happy. I felt loved just being there.”
Larina peeked inside the room. “Okay, everyone, p
izza is served.”
Grant lifted Timmy down and said, “That’s a great dream, Timmy. You know, I’ve had similar dreams about the ocean and being a part of it.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
Then Timmy placed his hand in Grant’s, and they walked out to the veranda.
* * * *
Larina laid the pizza on the coffee table and passed everyone a plate and a napkin. “I can’t believe they’ve called for rain. It’s such a clear day. Drinks are coming.”
Case took off his blazer and said, “Timmy, I can take your jacket here if you want.” Timmy took off his jacket, and Case laid both over the back of the loveseat.
“Here’s pepperoni. Want that, Timmy?” Case asked
Timmy nodded.
Case spoke to Grant. “After lunch, I wonder if you would be available to talk. I have something I really have to tell you both.”
“Of course, Larina mentioned you had something important to share. I hope its good news.”
Case curled his shoulders forward and took a bite of his sausage and onion slice.
“After lunch then,” Grant said.
Larina returned, carrying a tray. Case got up. “I should’ve helped you with that.”
Larina playfully tapped his hand as she placed the tray down. “You’re fine. Here are drinks, everyone.”
“This is really good.” Timmy bopped up and down in his chair.
“I’m glad you like it.”
Grant said, “Timmy, after lunch, I’ll bet Sunmoon and Bandit would like to play some ball.”
“I can play with them.” Timmy giggled as he wiped his mouth with his napkin.
Case raised his eyebrows as he nodded.
As they each continued to eat, they shared some stories until Timmy said. “I’m full. Can I play now?”
Case took his plate from him. “Sure.”
Timmy got up and called to the dogs to follow him.
Larina moved a chair closer to Grant and Case.
