by Chloe Young
Susan threw the last bag into the back of the black SUV. It was the first time in a very long time that she had planned a trip that required additional changes of clothes. Packing these bags had reminded her of so many good times they had had as a family. She recalled the first time that Joseph had swam in the ocean. He was so afraid of those crashing waves even as Clint held onto him. Joseph knew his limitations in the ocean. That’s why the drowning was so hard for Susan to understand.
Then there was poor Damon who she barely even knew any more. She considered calling him to see if he would like to accompany them to the beach house. She knew it would be more painful that way. Damon seemed to act as if he never had a little brother; maybe that was the most hurtful part of the entire situation. How could he move on as if Joseph had been a dream or a figment of his imagination?
Damon and Joseph had never had a great brother relationship though. Damon often excluded his little brother from activities and lashed out at him over the smallest things. Maybe it was her fault that they never formed a bond and now Damon would go through his life with no good memories of his little brother.
Clint walked out of the house and made his way to the car. He could tell that Susan had been reminiscing and who could blame her. It seemed so long ago that Joseph had been taken from them, but it really wasn’t all that long ago that he had his perfect family. What did he have now though? As far as he could tell, he had no relationship with his living son, a son who had died under suspicious circumstances, and physical health that was beginning to fail him. As painful as this trip to the beach house may be, he certainly had nothing to lose.
Clint looked at his wife. “You ready to get going?”
Susan smiled at her husband. “Yes, I’m ready. You sure you will be okay to drive there?”
“I can drive. I remember the way there as if I’ve driven it all my life.”
CHAPTER 9
Damon was about five miles from the beach house. It would have seemed almost impossible for him to remember the way considering he was only a child the last time he had come to the beach for a vacation. He remembered the way though, down to the very smallest detail. He remembered the small mom and pop shop once you crossed into the town of Dover. He wondered how good ol’ ma and pa had survived over the years. He remembered the run down gas station across from the shop; it looked even more worse for wear than he had recalled as a child. He recognized the small playground that came into view as you followed the sloping road towards the seashore. So many memories came rushing back in; unfortunately they were not good memories. Damon could hear his mom and dad cheering Joseph on as he swung higher on the swings or made his way across those damn monkey bars. Damon always seemed to be the background, just watching others take all of the glory. He just wanted to be recognized for his own accomplishments.
Kristi elbowed Damon as the sand and water came into sight. “Whatcha thinking about? You look completely lost.”
Damon turned towards her. “I was just thinking that I’m finally home now. Can’t wait to show you guys around.”
Mark and Megan were eager to get out of the Jeep and finally hit the beach for some relaxation. Damon’s behavior at the gas station and his demeanor as he drove to the beach house was giving Megan the creeps. She wondered how well her friend really knew this guy. Either way, a vacation was a vacation and she was sure looking forward to it.
Damon pulled into the beach house. “Here it is. What do you guys think?”
Kristi stared at the beach house. There were a few beach houses lined up along the beach. They were quite spread apart from one another, so that it took some walking to get to the neighboring homes. At first glance, Damon’s beach house looked just like the other ones. It was two stories, a nice beach blue color, with a balcony on the second story. There was a stone walk way leading up to the front door. There was also a walkway leading around to the back of the house. This was where the vehicle had to be parked. Looking at the front of the house, Megan couldn’t help but notice that it had been neglected over the years. The windows on the lower level had been boarded up with the words “No Trespassing” sprawled across the wooden boards.
Megan, noticing the warning, turned to Damon. “Why the boarded up windows?”
Damon wasn’t sure what to expect when he had pulled up to the beach house. It hadn’t been occupied in years. His parents had refused to sell the house; they couldn’t bear the thought of another family making happy memories in this house. The boarded up windows didn’t come as a surprise, and to be honest, he couldn’t be sure about the state of the inside of the house either. He was expecting dust and cobwebs, but nothing that would spoil his weekend.
After contemplation, Damon responded to Megan’s question. “My family hasn’t been here in some time. I’m sure the community boarded it up to prevent storm damage or to keep strangers off of the property.”
Mark laughed. “That’s good enough for me. I’m ready to get out of this car and get inside.”
Damon had taken a key from his parent’s house the last time that he visited them. He knew that one day he would return to the place where it all happened. As Mark started to unload the car, Damon unlocked the front door and stepped inside.
Kristi stepped inside with Damon. The inside of the beach house was beautifully furnished. To the right was a living room with a large white couch and an Oriental rug spread in front of a large window that would be overlooking the water had it not been boarded shut. As she walked straight back, she entered the kitchen and dining area. There was an oak dining room table in the center of the room with an arrangement of artificial flowers in the center. The kitchen had all of the necessary appliances; fridge, dishwasher, stove, and microwave. Sure, there was a little dust but not enough to distract from the beauty of the home.
“Wow, Damon, this place is perfect! I don’t understand why your family doesn’t visit here more often!”
Damon grabbed Kristi by the waist and pulled her towards him. “My parents are older. This is more of a place for us young people to have some real fun.”
Mark and Megan made their way into the beach house with their bags and supplies for the weekend.
Kristi grabbed Megan by the wrist. “Isn’t this place great?”
Megan smiled. “Love it! Let’s get changed and hit the beach.”
Kristi and Megan made their way upstairs to check out the bedrooms and change into their bikinis before making their way outside. As with the living room and kitchen, the bedrooms were not disappointing either. There were large windows overlooking the ocean. In each room, there was a king size bed, a white antique-looking dresser, and a full-size mirror across from the bed. There was definite charm to this place. Sure it needed some dusting and upkeep, but it looked great for a house that had been uninhabited for years.
Mark and Damon stood awkwardly in the kitchen area. Mark grabbed a beer from his weekend stash and offered one to Damon.
Damon accepted the offer. “Glad you guys came with us. I think you’re really going to like it here.”
Mark thought about Kristi changing into her swimsuit. “I couldn’t agree with you more, man. Looking forward to it.”
CHAPTER 10
Horace gazed from his small deck as he watched these four strangers make their way into the abandoned beach house.
“Look at that, Max. Looks like that ‘ol place ain’t abandoned after all.”
Max rolled over and let out a small whimper.
Horace knew what had happened there and why that house had been vacant for so many years. It had been a huge story at the time; young boy drowns alone in the ocean. Police had combed the area until the boy’s body washed up on the shore. He had watched the tragic story unfold right in front of his eyes. The police had declared it an accidental drowning and had closed the case just as quickly as it had opened.
The real tragedy was that Horace knew it hadn’t been an accidental drowning. Horace had seen more than he should from this very spot in the fr
ont of his house. He had thought about going to the police, but he saw no need to become involved in things that were none of his business.
Over time, this little community forgot about the little boy who drowned. The family that had occupied the neighboring house every year, failed to return. Horace watched the house become boarded up and lie empty summer after summer.
Horace continued to stare as two young women made their way out of the house and onto the beach. “It would be rude of us to not go over and introduce ourselves. Wouldn’t it, Max?”
CHAPTER 11
Detective Sullivan took a final look around the small convenience shop. Poor Cliff had been taken away on a stretcher; he had been dead by the time the next customer had entered the roadside establishment. Considering that it was not a frequently visited area, it was hard to tell exactly how much time his body had been sprawled out across the floor in a pool of his own blood.
Sullivan looked over at his fellow police officers. “We need to pull the surveillance cameras. Hopefully we can get a license plate number and track down this person before he gets too far away.”
Most people who stopped along this road were tourists headed towards the beach for a weekend getaway. As a result, there wasn’t much crime along this way. Detective Sullivan had never been faced with an actual murder case in all his years as a police officer. He had numerous theft crimes reported, speeding violations, typical crimes of people who are passing through a small town. Not murder.
Sullivan who was new to the area and was at the rather young age of 35, still felt a strong desire to pursue justice and make things right. He had been hoping for a real case to solve, he was just sorry it involved the loss of a young life.
Officer Barrett approached Sullivan. “The surveillance cameras here are useless. The one out in the parking lot shows a Jeep but the tags are out of view. The only in store camera is the one by the front register. We see a young woman leaving the restroom area, but we have no idea if she was involved in the crime or not. There is no footage of anyone making a purchase at the cash register since real early this morning.”
If Sullivan was frustrated by this news, he didn’t show it. Barrett admired his calm, collected ways. He always seemed so put together even in his appearance. He had bright blue eyes, and blonde hair always neatly held in place. His suit made him look like he was always in control of the situation. His commitment to the job left him without a wife or kids, but he was willing to make that sacrifice for now.
Sullivan surveyed the scene one more time. “Sweep the area guys, there must be something here we can use.”
Just then a black SUV pulled up outside of the shop. Sullivan walked outside to greet what he assumed to be tourists passing through the area. “Afternoon, folks. I apologize for the inconvenience, but this gas station has been temporarily shut down due to a crime that took place earlier today.”
Clint frowned. “Hope nothing too serious, officer. We are just headed to our beach house for a few days.”
“Unfortunately, it was rather serious. You be careful out there. We are looking for a Jeep, olive green in color. It may be headed the same way you guys are traveling” Sullivan replied.
Susan let out a loud gasp. She recalled the day that Damon had pulled up to their house in his new Jeep a few years ago. He had been ranting about his brother and looking for something in their house. He was emptying drawers, going through cabinets, like a mad man. Eventually, he had found what he was looking for and left just as abruptly as he had come.
“Everything, okay ma’am?” Sullivan asked.
Susan smiled. “Yes, officer. Just a little shocked that such a serious crime could occur in such a small town.”
Susan didn’t actually suspect that her son had been involved in this crime. It was just that very few things actually reminded her of Damon. The mention of a Jeep of that color had triggered that memory in her mind. She still wondered why he had come to the house that day.
Clint took his wife by the hand. “Come on, honey. Let’s get going so we can fill up somewhere else and make it to the beach house before it gets to be too late. Thank you, officer, for the warning.”
As Clint and Susan pulled away in their vehicle, Sullivan turned to Barrett who had come out of the small shop. “Something doesn’t feel quite right, officer. We may want to patrol the beach area and see if we can’t find this Jeep.”
CHAPTER 12
Kristi and Megan had finally made their way down to the beach which was by no means a disappointment. The ocean water was a beautiful shade of blue and sparkled in the late afternoon sun. They couldn’t wait to stretch out and put their toes in the sand; just complete relaxation and peace. As they were spreading their beach towels onto the sand, they heard a voice from behind.
“Howdy, ladies. Just wanted to come on over and meet ya. I’m your neighbor for the time being, Horace, and this here is my hound, Max.”
Kristi and Megan turned around to face the stranger, and they both forced a smile as they took in his appearance and demeanor. It appeared as if their new neighbor hadn’t had a proper shower in weeks. What was left of his grey hair was pressed against his forehead with strands going in opposite directions. Saying he was unshaven was an understatement; his hair grew in scattered patches on his face and chin. He was wearing an old white t-shirt with cargo shorts that probably hadn’t seen a washing machine in some time. Poor Max didn’t look much better; they wondered if they should offer them some food so that they didn’t starve to death.
Kristi spoke up first. “It’s nice to meet you and your dog. I’m Kristi and this is my friend, Megan. We just got here, and we’re exhausted. Maybe we can chat some later. Right now the beach is calling our name.”
Horace smiled. “O’ course. I was just curious, seeing that this here beach house had been abandoned for so long.”
Megan frowned. “Abandoned? I think they just grew kinda tired of the same old vacation every year. It’s still property of the same family though.”
Just as Horace was about to reply, Damon and Mark walked down from the beach house and approached their ladies. Horace couldn’t believe it when he caught sight of Damon, something seemed so familiar and brought back so many memories of long ago. Although Damon had only been a child, Horace was almost certain this was the brother of the boy who had drowned in the ocean that night. It was hard to forget that kind of menace and evil when you looked into someone’s eyes.
Horace looked at Damon. “So you decided to come back, finally, did ya?”
Damon didn’t recognize this hobo and had no interest in getting to know him either. “Look, dude, we’re on a fucking vacation so beat it.”
Kristi looked appalled at Damon’s rude comment towards this man who was obviously just being friendly. She knew that they were way too good to spend their time on him. However, she did not feel like making a scene after only an hour or so of being at the beach. Damon, on the other hand, never held anything back when he talked to other people.
Before Kristi could say something, Horace interrupted. “No disrespect intended. Just haven’t seen your family up here since the incident.”
With that, Horace made his way back up the beach, Max in tow.
CHAPTER 13
Kristi was so appalled by Damon’s behavior that she did not even ask about the “incident” Horace had mentioned. “I’m going back in for a while. Just need to rest and get away from this bullshit.” Between the weird behavior at the gas station and the rude comments directed towards their neighbor, Kristi had had enough. She really did not understand Damon’s emotional issues. She generally just tolerated them, but at the moment, she felt exhausted.
Damon was about to protest, but Kristi had already gathered up her towel and was making her way back up the sand. “I don’t see what the big deal is anyway. The guy is obviously a freak, and you’re letting him ruin our trip.”
Mark watched Kristi make her way back up to the beach house in her bright pink bikini. She looke
d amazing, and he had been waiting for the opportunity to get some alone time with her. “Dude, I’m going to go back and grab a few beers. Want anything else?”
Damon understood Mark’s motives. He was like every typical guy when it came to a pretty blonde. Mark would get what he deserved so he decided to play along with him for the time being. “Few beers sounds good to me.”
With that, Mark made his way back to the beach house.
***
Clint turned off on a dirt road hoping that another local gas station would appear soon. The bar on the gas gauge had dipped below the E, and he knew that there wasn’t enough gas left to get them to the beach.
Susan turned towards her husband. “We really need to find a gas station, don’t we?”
Clint smiled. “Don’t worry. There is bound to be one somewhere up along this way.”
