“I’m gonna go,” Luke managed to say.
“You go straight home to Bobby’s place now.”
He walked out the front door without answering.
Catherine and Jonathan came out of the movie theatre with their arms around each other. They walked in the midst of the crowd out onto the street. The night air was still warm and the town was lit up with all the familiar lights in the stores and restaurants. Cars moved along Bridge Street at a slow pace, many with boys hanging out the windows calling to girls.
“How about some coffee or a shake?” Jonathan offered.
“Sounds good,” Catherine answered, “but I need to be home by eleven.”
They started walking down towards the park.
“Jonathan, you thinking anymore about going to school next fall?” Catherine asked.
“Thinking about it,” he answered, looking away across the park lawn to the boats down below.
“Still thinking about engineering school up at Tech?” she asked.
“Uh huh.”
“You know, I’m probably not going to be able to go. There’s just no money and I don’t know how I’d do it.”
“I haven’t got that all worked out yet either,” he said. “Figured I’d be working my way through.”
They had been through this conversation before. Jonathan knew she was worried about him leaving her. He had tried not to think that far ahead, but the issue was looming out there.
“You know I love you, Johnny?”
“I sure do.” He stopped and pulled her to him and kissed her.
He was looking into her eyes when he heard a voice interrupt them from behind.
“You sure have a way with the women, son.”
Jonathan turned. It was Connor Harris, sitting on a park bench with two of his friends. He felt a chill course through him and he held Catherine behind him. He could see a look in Harris’s eyes that spelled real trouble.
“Catherine, I want you to go on over to the restaurant and order those shakes,” Jonathan said.
“Jonathan…”
“Now!”
She backed away slowly, then crossed the street reluctantly. “I’m calling George…” she said.
“Just go, now!” he demanded.
Connor Harris got up from his seat. His two friends followed. He walked over and stood just a few steps away, staring Jonathan straight in the eyes. Jonathan could smell they’d been drinking. “Well, boat boy, you’re just getting all kinds of women chasing after you, aren’t you?” Connor said.
Jonathan held his ground and didn’t answer. He sized up the two others and saw they were set like a hair trigger, ready to go off. People passed on the street, paying little attention to the confrontation that, at this point, looked like just another conversation.
Connor moved another step closer. “It seems every summer we need to put boys like you in your place. You know what I’m talking about?”
Jonathan didn’t answer. He could see a wild rage in the eyes of Connor Harris. He looked around quickly to see if he could find any familiar faces for support.
“What the hell were you up to with Emily Compton the other day?” Harris asked. “You know she’s my girl, don’t you?”
Jonathan was breathing faster now. He could feel the adrenaline working through his system. There was a ringing in his ears and a pressure building there. He kept his eyes on Harris. “You seem to want trouble over this no matter what I’m gonna tell you.”
“You’re the one who wants trouble when you start going after girls you have no place being with,” hissed Connor.
“If we’re gonna do this, it’s between you and me, unless you need these two to fight for you,” Jonathan said, not giving an inch.
Connor looked around at the crowds of people continuing to walk by. “Down by the docks. Let’s go.”
Jonathan’s gaze was fixed on the face of Harris. He had been in his share of fights growing up, as any kid would, but he thought to himself he had never looked into the face of someone who truly wanted him dead.
Then, he sensed a blur of motion coming up from behind Harris, but he couldn’t take his eyes away. The pressure building in his brain kept on and it seemed all he could hear was the ringing in his ears. Harris said something to him, but he couldn’t hear him.
He watched as Harris turned slowly to see what was coming up behind him. One of Harris’ friends suddenly lurched to the side and fell to the sidewalk. Jonathan heard a sort of muffled roar, almost animal-like, through the noise echoing in his brain. Then, he saw Connor Harris’ head jerk backward towards him. He felt, more than heard a concussion of sound and watched as blood from Connor’s head flew across the space between them and splattered down the front of his own face and shirt.
Jonathan stepped back in disbelieving shock as Harris spun around to face him again. His eyes had gone blank, almost looking right through him. The left side of his forehead was a bloody pulp. He hung limp for a moment and his feet moved as his body instinctively tried to gain balance. His left leg gave out and he crumbled in a lifeless heap.
Jonathan saw Harris’s face hit the sidewalk and watched as a pool of blood began to spread slowly out over the pavement and into the grass. He felt lightheaded and thought that he was going to fall or pass out. He looked up and saw Luke standing in front of him. His brother had a crazy, dangerous look on his face and his eyes were glazed over and vacant looking. In his right hand he held an old weathered piece of lumber.
When Luke saw his brother looking down at the board he dropped it on the legs of Connor Harris.
A crowd began to gather now and Jonathan heard someone scream and someone else yell for help. He staggered backward and tripped on something and fell into the grass. He came up into a sitting position. Luke was still standing there staring at him. He looked for Harris’s two friends, but couldn’t find their faces in the crowd of people.
He managed to speak, “Jesus, Luke.” He wiped at the blood that was dripping down his face.
He saw Emily Compton push through the crowd. Emily saw Connor Harris lying still on the pavement in the pool of his own blood, then she turned and saw him sitting there. He could feel tears starting to run down his face.
Emily knelt down next to Harris and screamed, “Someone get a doctor!”
Louise Kelly came into the circle of people and got down on her knees next to her friend and held her as she started to cry. “Someone please get some help!” Louise pleaded.
Jonathan managed to get back to his feet. He looked over and his brother was gone.
“Emily, please try to eat something,” her mother said. The two women were sitting at the long oak table in the kitchen of the Compton home. A cook was working at the sink and clattering some pans as she cleaned up, but otherwise they were alone. Margaret Compton had her arm around her daughter’s shoulder.
Emily looked down at the eggs and toast on her plate, but had no inclination to try to eat. She had been up most of the night trying to sleep, but not able to get the images of the past evening out of her mind. A doctor had finally come, then an ambulance. They had taken Connor away. She remembered a policeman being there and seeing him leave with Jonathan and two of Connor’s friends. She hadn’t spoken to Jonathan McKendry. She just remembered the fear she had seen in his eyes and the tears streaming down his face.
Her father walked into the kitchen. He had left for the hospital an hour earlier.
“Connor is still alive,” he said, joining them at the table, sitting across from his daughter.
“Oh, thank God,” she heard her mother say.
“He’s heavily sedated and apparently in a coma, but they say he’s stable, whatever the hell that means.” He asked the cook to bring over some coffee.
“Did you see him, Daddy?”
“No, they wouldn’t let me in, but I spoke with his parents. His father had been down at the police station. They’ve arrested McKendry’s older brother, Luke.”
“Luke? But, I thoug
ht...” Emily started.
“Yes, it was the older brother,” her father said. “Apparently, he had been told a fight was about to start, by Jonathan’s girlfriend, I guess. He came up from behind and smashed Connor on the head with a piece of lumber. Jonathan and the two boys with Connor were both questioned, but they weren’t held. Connor’s father is meeting with the prosecutor later this morning to determine what kind of charges will be filed.”
“Is Connor going to be okay?” Emily asked with a pained voice.
“I really don’t know, Honey. Let’s just pray that he’ll come out of this.”
Emily’s mother began, “Stewart, your daughter was just telling me she was out in a boat with this McKendry boy and Connor had seen them.”
“When was this?”
“It was a couple of days ago, Daddy,” Emily answered. “Louise and I stopped by the boatyard so I could show her my boat. Jonathan offered to take us out on another boat they had that was like the Chris Craft. We ran down the lake, then Connor saw us when we were coming back in the channel.”
“Stewart, we’re going to get dragged into this mess, you know that don’t you?” her mother said.
“Let’s just pray Connor is going to be alright,” he said in response. “And Emily, I want you to stay away from the McKendry place and from that boy. It sounds like he’s not responsible for what’s happened to Connor, but it won’t do anyone any good for you to be seen with him. Is that clear?”
Emily nodded.
Jonathan was sitting in the Compton’s Chris Craft when his father came into the boathouse.
“Get down out of there!” his father yelled. “I’ve been looking all over for you. “I’ve just been down to the police station. They’ve got Luke locked up and they’re not sure what he’ll be charged with yet.”
Jonathan climbed down out of the boat. “Pop, he didn’t have to help me. I could have handled it.”
“You’ve done enough already. Didn’t I tell you to keep your distance from those people?”
“I was out with Catherine,” Jonathan said. “I didn’t know I was going to run into this guy. I told you what happened. I didn’t start anything.”
“You started it when you went off with that Compton girl.” His father moved over and slumped down on a bench next to the boat. “Luke is in a hell of a lot of trouble. If that kid dies…”
“Pop, he was itchin’ for a fight. We were about to go at it when Luke came up.”
“He had no right to hit that boy like that. He may have killed him, goddammit!”
Jonathan looked down at the dusty floor of the boathouse. He had been out here all night trying to sort through what had happened. Catherine had met him after he came out of the police station. She was really upset and told him she had run into Luke and warned him about the fight. She was crying and trying to apologize for getting Luke involved. He had walked her back to her house before he had come home. Catherine had asked him why this person wanted to fight with him. He had tried to tell her he was just too tired and upset to go through the whole story with her, but she kept pressing him. When they reached her house they sat on the front porch step. George came out and joined them. He told them the whole story about the bicycle crash and the day in the boat with Emily and Louise, and Connor Harris passing them on his sailboat.
Catherine had gotten even more upset and wanted to know how he felt about the Compton girl. Her words stuck in his mind, “Jonathan, I can’t be what this girl is for you.”
He had tried to explain he was just showing her a boat. She wouldn’t listen and ran into the house in tears. George just shook his head and walked in after his sister.
His father’s words interrupted his thoughts. “Your brother was drunk again. I guess he had been down at The Helm again all night. That’s not gonna help him.”
“I have to go see Luke,” Jonathan said, walking toward the door.
“No, you’re going to stay right here! Do you understand me?” his father said. “I don’t want you settin’ a foot away from this boatyard.”
Jonathan looked at his father and saw desperation in his face he had never seen before. He looked older and it made him ache to see the pain he was causing him and his family.
Jonathan walked down the hill to the docks and out to the end of the pier. He sat down with his legs hanging over the side. It was still early and there were no boats out yet. It was very quiet, except for a few ducks paddling by.
He looked down the channel toward Lake Charlevoix and thought about the day in the boat with Emily and Louise. He wanted to go back to Horton Bay alone, to take a swim or catch a fish, to just make all of this go away.
Chapter Eleven
The phone next to Sally’s bed rang and the jarring sound caused her to sit up quickly. She pushed the hair away from her face and tried to wake up enough to answer the call. She saw how late it was on the alarm clock and felt comfort in knowing she had been able to get some sleep. She finally picked up the telephone.
“Hello,” she answered dully, still not fully back from a deep sleep.
“Good morning, Sally, it’s Alex.” Sally didn’t respond. “Sally, I hope I’m not intruding, but I just wanted to call and see how you’re feeling today.”
“I’m okay, thank you,” she answered, pulling her legs over the side of the bed. She wondered where Gwen was.
“Sally, I thought you might like to join us on a boat ride this afternoon. We’re taking the EmmaLee out to Fisherman’s Island. We thought you might like to come along and get some fresh air.”
“Oh, I don’t know how I could today, Alex, but thank you,” Sally said. “I need to get down to the gallery. I’m late as it is.”
“I already tried to reach you down there. I spoke with Gwen and asked her about the boat trip. She thought it would be good for you. I asked her to come along as well, but she said she had some things she needed to stay in town for. Why don’t you come with us?” he asked.
Sally sat without responding for a few moments. Looking out the window she could see it was going to be a beautiful day and she really did need to do something besides sitting around. “What time are you leaving?”
“Can you be down here by noon? We’ll have some lunch prepared and Megan’s made some cookies for you.”
Sally closed her eyes and thought of the little girl and how sweet that was. “Alex, this is very nice of you. I’ll be down around noon. Thank you.”
“Terrific,” Alex said. “Bring a swimming suit with you.”
“Okay, I’ll see you soon.” She hung up the phone and sighed.
She went downstairs and made coffee and a quick breakfast. She tried to call Gwen, but their assistant, Patty, answered and said she was out running some errands. Sally left a message she was going out with the Clarks for the afternoon. She walked into the living room and couldn’t help but see the photo albums on the shelf against the far wall. She walked over and reached for the one on the far left.
When Sally got to the boat, she saw George and Elizabeth Hansen were on deck and she returned their wave. Alex met her as she came onboard. He took her hand and helped her onto the deck of the EmmaLee.
“I’m glad you could join us,” Alex said. “You’re looking much better today.” He hesitated, “I mean much happier… whatever, I’m just glad you could get away to come with us.”
They walked forward to join George and Elizabeth who both gave her a hug.
“What would you like to drink?” Alex asked.
“Oh, lemonade would be fine,” she said.
Alex signaled for someone to come over and gave the crew member the drink order. Megan came running up to join them with a plate filled with her cookies. She had a red bathing suit on and a towel wrapped around her middle. Her hair was tied back with a white ribbon.
“Hi Sally! These are for you, to help you feel better,” the little girl gushed.
Sally crouched down. “What kind did you make, Megan? They look great.”
“They�
�re peanut butter!” She held the plate up for everyone to take one.
“These may be the best cookies I’ve ever tasted, Megan,” said George Hansen, as he rubbed his generous belly. “And you can see I’ve been able to sample a lot of cookies in my days.”
The little girl laughed, then said, “I’m going to go back and help with lunch.” She ran back towards the main cabin.
“The winds are going to be fairly calm today, so we thought we’d head over to Fisherman’s Island, anchor off, and maybe catch some fish or go swimming,” their host said.
Alex signaled and the crew began scurrying to free the lines and get the boat underway. Within a few minutes they were away from the docks and slowly heading out into the calm harbor of Round Lake toward the channel to Lake Michigan. It was right at 12 o’clock when they heard the bells start clanging on the drawbridge up ahead and they could see the traffic barriers coming down to halt the cars on Bridge Street. Two sailboats were waiting in front of them for the bridge to open to allow them to pass. During the summer, the bright blue metal bridge opened every thirty minutes on the half hour to let the larger boat traffic through. The bridge quivered, then parted in the middle, two large sections rising up towards each side of the channel.
The EmmaLee’s skipper positioned her behind the sailboats and had her follow them through the open bridge channel. Dozens of people lined the sides of the channel and many waved as they passed. Sally looked over the side. The water of Round Lake was a deep emerald green and clear enough she could see bottom near the side of the channel as they passed under the open bridge. Two small boys were sitting on the pier watching the bobbers on their fishing lines. They smiled at her when they saw she was watching them. Up ahead, she saw the two piers on each side of the channel reaching out into Lake Michigan. There was a lot of boat traffic going both ways through the channel on this warm summer day. The big red lighthouse at the end of the south pier stood as a familiar beacon.
The Seasons of the EmmaLee: One grand ship. Two love affairs, decades apart. An idyllic summer resort town torn apart by betrayal, murder and shattered dreams. (The Charlevoix Summer Series Book 1) Page 11
