by Rose Pressey
“Well, the mermaids were talking to us and said they wanted to show us something. We were only gone for a minute but when we came back you were gone.”
“I guess it was just a misunderstanding,” Jennifer said as she batted her eyelashes.
Oh, no. I didn’t want her talking to this guy. Something didn’t add up and until I got to the bottom of it he would just have to stop flirting.
She handed him a card. “Call me, okay?”
I pulled on her arm. “Yeah, she’ll call you. In another lifetime,” I whispered under my breath.
Jennifer walked backwards and waved to him with a big smile as I pulled her from the café.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“What? He explained what happened. I believe him.”
“Somebody kidnapped you. Was he involved? We don’t know if he was, so you should keep your distance.”
“I don’t think he was involved. Unidentified women were responsible. I think it was the mermaids. I don’t think he had anything to do with it.”
“Well, maybe not, but until we know for sure, maybe you should keep your distance,” I said.
She sighed. “All right, but he’s just so cute.”
“Well, the cute one could also be a psycho, so if it’s just the same to you, maybe we should stand back.”
We all got into the car. I had to think of the next move.
Chapter 16
We decided to head back over to Shelby’s condo. It was probably pointless, but it was the only thing I could think of at the moment until I tracked down more information about the murdered man.
I still couldn’t believe he turned out to be Shelby’s boyfriend. I had to do something to move forward with this case. One thing I worried about was that maybe Shelby really wasn’t involved in the kidnapping and she was in danger too. I had to make sure first.
As we neared her condo building, I spotted the red Corvette.
“Do you think that’s her car?” I asked, pointing it out to Jack and Jennifer.
“It could be hers, but there are a lot of Corvettes around,” Jack said.
“Yes, but the fact that it’s so close to her building makes me wonder.”
“I’ll try to get closer,” he said, pushing the gas.
Jack maneuvered around a couple of cars in the other lane so that he could catch up. We were getting closer now, but I still couldn’t see if it was truly her. Then just as we approached a red light, I got a better glimpse of the person behind the wheel. I was almost certain that it was Shelby.
“Maybe you should move over to the other lane so that I can see her at the red light,” I said.
But before Jack had a chance to switch lanes, the light turned green and she took off. She was in a hurry too. Maybe she realized that we were back there and following her. She made a right turn pretty quickly, but Jack was able to do the same. She pushed the gas now that there were no cars in front of her.
I was almost sure she knew we were following her. She made another left turn. Jack was unable to do the same. Now we were caught at a red light. I was so anxious. I just knew that we were going to lose her. What would she do now?
When the light turned green Jack took off and we made the left turn, but as soon as we did, I realized that she was nowhere in sight. There were several streets up ahead that she could’ve turned onto. I had no idea which one to take. And even worse, since this was our first trip to Miami, we were clueless on directions. Considering that we had only been here for a couple days and the navigation on my phone didn’t work all that well, it was unlikely that we’d find her. I decided to pick the first street.
“Turn this way,” I said, pointing.
Jack whipped the car onto the next street. We soon realized that Shelby wasn’t there either. Unless she had sped down the road rather quickly. Maybe she would get a ticket and be pulled over by the cops. That was probably the only way we would find her. I noticed that we were close to the mermaids’ house.
“Maybe Shelby’s going to pay the mermaids a visit,” I said.
“Good idea,” Jennifer said. “Although I don’t want to go anywhere near the house. They scare me.”
Shelby said they were scary. And she obviously knew what she was talking about. Unless that was her way of turning me off the case. We got close to the mermaid house, but Shelby’s car was nowhere on the side road. She wasn’t in the driveway either, but she could’ve gone through the gate and parked out of sight. There was no way to know. A small street beside the mermaids’ house led to a parking area on the left for the public beach access. As Jack drove down there I spotted the car right away.
“There she is,” I said.
Of course, it was just the Corvette and Shelby was nowhere in sight. Jack turned into the parking lot and pulled close to her car. There were only a few cars in the lot. Maybe the early hour had kept away the crowd. Which was good for us, because it would make it easier to spot Shelby.
We got out of the car and stepped closer to the beach. I looked to the left and then to the right. A group of people had gathered down by the water. They stood beside a couple of jet skis and a boat was close by too. After staring at the group for a few seconds I thought I saw Shelby right there beside some guy.
“Look, there she is,” I called out, pointing in that direction.
“What do we do now?” Jennifer asked.
“Let’s go get her,” I said. “Maybe they’re holding her against her will.”
As we ran toward the beach we kept her eyes on Shelby. Before we reached the water though, Shelby got on one of the jet skis with one of the guys. They took off across the water. Were they headed over to that boat? What would we do once she got on there? We wouldn’t be able to get to her.
“If she’s with other mermaids then they may be taking a swim. I know they like to do that regularly.”
“But we could just wait for her by her car. She has to come back sometime,” Jennifer said.
“Yes, but we don’t know how long they’ll be out there swimming. It could be hours or late into the evening. Maybe she won’t come back for days,” I said. “We should go out to her now.”
“How will we do that?” Jennifer asked.
“I guess we could get a boat,” Jack said.
“How in the world can we get a boat on such short notice?” I asked.
“Well, they rent them,” Jack said.
“That could take a while,” I said.
“By that time, Shelby will be long gone,” Jennifer said.
“It’s worth a shot. Otherwise we’ll just be sitting here waiting until she comes back,” Jack said.
I sighed. “I guess that’s true. Okay. Let’s go find a place to get a boat.”
We hopped back in the car and took off down the street while I searched on my phone for a place to rent a boat.
“Ah-ha. Bob’s Boat Rental is just down the street,” I said.
I gave Jack the address and within a few minutes we pulled up to the place.
“I’ll go ahead and rent the boat,” Jack said.
Jennifer and I waited by the car.
“Have any of us ever navigated the open sea?” Jennifer asked.
“Not to the best of my knowledge… Although I have been out on the pontoon boat on the lake with my parents. Plus, I’ve navigated a unicorn-shaped floatie at the pool.”
Jennifer’s eyes widened. “That’s a little scary. Are we sure we want to do this?”
Movement caught my attention. Jack headed toward us, waving a set of keys.
“Well, I guess it’s too late now.” I gestured.
“I’m too young to die,” Jennifer said. “I still have things on my to-do list.”
When Jack approached, I asked, “Do you know what you’re doing? You know, have you ever taken a boat out before?”
“Absolutely not,” he said.
“Oh, Lord. Why are we doing this?” Jennifer swayed as if she might faint.
“We’ll be fine,” I said. “We just won�
�t go away from the shoreline. That will make it okay, right?”
“I guess,” Jennifer said hesitantly.
It was more of a question than an answer.
We left the car parked in the lot and headed over to the dock where we’d find the boat. Jack counted down the boats until we located the one named Mystic Mermaid.
“This is it.” Jack gestured.
How appropriate,” I said.
We all climbed onto the boat and looked at each other as if to say, What next?
“By the way, I had to sign a waiver that states that I’m responsible if anything happens to the boat or if I kill any of us,” Jack said.
I froze on the spot. “You had to do what?”
“I think I can’t breathe.” Jennifer fanned herself with her hand.
“You know, if I cause you great bodily harm or you die, it’s my responsibility, not the rental shop’s.”
“Oh, that’s just great,” Jennifer said. “That’s reassuring. I can’t wait to go out on the water now.”
“Don’t be dramatic. Everything will be just fine. I can drive a car just fine, which means I’ll be able to handle this boat with no problem,” Jack said.
Jack sounded a little too confident now, which made me a bit more anxious. His confidence should probably have the opposite effect, but it didn’t.
“I wouldn’t have signed if I wasn’t confident that I could handle this,” Jack said.
“That’s true,” I said. “We have confidence in you, Jack, don’t worry.”
Jennifer looked at me as if to say, Are you crazy?
As we stood there staring at the boat, I said, “What about if you hit someone else? Is that covered in the waiver? Or would we need to insure for that?”
“That’s a lot of questions. I think Shelby will already be gone by the time we figure out the liabilities of this,” Jack said.
“There are a lot of questions we need to know. Maybe we should just forget about it,” I said.
“I can’t believe my ears,” Jack said. “Rylie Cruz is ready to give up this easily. I guess I figured it would happen sooner or later.”
I glared at him. He knew how to get to me. That was what I got for dating a psychiatrist. He knew that would only trigger me into being even more determined. I would want to show him. I didn’t give up on anything.
“I’m not giving up,” I said. “I just want to make sure I’m a responsible boater, that’s all.”
“I’m ready to give up,” Jennifer said, holding up her hand.
“We’re not taking a vote on this,” I said.
“At least the guy gave me a little overview on how to use the boat,” Jack said.
“Oh, that’s reassuring. You were in there all of like five minutes. Talk about a crash course,” Jennifer said.
“It’s better than nothing, I guess,” I said.
“I suppose,” she said around a sigh.
“I think we’ve stalled long enough.”
Because that was exactly what we were doing. The longer we stood out there talking the more chance that we would never find Shelby. She would be back to shore and in her car before we ever even got this thing out on the water. I trusted Jack. He was smart and knew what he was doing. But that didn’t mean I wasn’t anxious about it. I would try to hide that though. I didn’t want to worry him any more than necessary during this process. I would pretend like I had all the faith in the world in him.
“Who wants to drive?” Jack asked.
“What? You signed the waiver. It should definitely be you,” I said.
“I agree. I think it should be you,” Jennifer said.
He watched us but still didn’t look convinced.
“Okay, I can do this.” Jack stood a little taller.
He put the key in the ignition and started the engine. It was a little iffy getting that thing away from the dock, but we finally figured it out. Now we were out on the water. Luckily, it was just a short trip. Before we knew it, we’d be at the area where we’d last seen Shelby. At least that was what I kept telling myself. Jack was actually doing great with guiding the boat across the water. So far, so good. Like I’d said, we would be fine. Unless one of us drowned or needed to be rescued. What was I saying? There was no way one of us would end up in the water.
“This is actually really nice,” Jennifer said. “I shouldn’t have worried so much.”
“Yeah, you’re doing a great job, Jack,” I said.
He smiled. I knew he was proud of his accomplishment.
We cruised across the water as the boat swayed gently from side to side. I figured I might as well try to enjoy the view and ride as we headed toward Shelby. I would have enough anxiety once we got there. I wasn’t sure what I would say when I saw her. I guessed I would just get right into it. I’d ask her what was going on and tell her that I wanted answers. That was after I found out she was safe.
I kind of assumed that if she went willingly with these people then she was involved in the kidnapping. It would be somewhat shocking to find out she’d lied to me. Though I wouldn’t totally be surprised. I’d been stabbed in the back before by people who I thought I could trust. I guess I really never knew anyone truly. Though there were always some people who I knew were trustworthy from the start, like Jennifer and Jack. And my parents of course.
When I looked over at Jennifer, her face seemed a pale shade of green.
“Are you all right?” I asked as I moved over to her.
She held onto the side of the seat. “I just seem a little woozy, I suppose. It’s all this back-and-forth motion. Back and forth, back and forth.” She moved with the motion of the boat.
“Well, don’t do that. It’s only going to make it worse,” I said. “Try not to think about the fact that we’re out here on the water and that it’s a really long way to the bottom. And a really long way on that other side until we reach land.”
“Thanks for the reminder,” she said. Her face looked even greener now.
“You two are just making things worse by talking this way,” Jack said.
When I caught a glimpse of his face he was the same hue as Jennifer. Oh no. Was I the only one not getting sick on the water?
“We should have invested in seasickness pills,” Jennifer said.
I supposed right now wasn’t a good time to suggest pizza for dinner.
“Don’t worry, we’ve almost reached Shelby’s boat. Then we can figure out where Shelby is and get back on dry land.”
“I can’t wait,” Jennifer said. “I have a newfound respect for fisherman.”
The closer we got to the boat the more anxious I felt. I wasn’t sure if it was because of confronting Shelby or because I didn’t know the people with her. What were they capable of, if they were capable of kidnapping? They had to be mean and probably violent. The closer we got to the confrontation, the more I questioned whether we should even be out here. But we’d already come this far, and I didn’t want to turn back now. Better to find the answers than to always wonder what we could’ve done differently.
“I see the boat right over there,” Jennifer said, pointing.
“Yeah, that’s them,” I said.
“Should we go closer?” Jack asked.
“I’ll be honest, I’m nervous, but I guess that’s the whole purpose of us doing this, right?”
Jack continued on the path toward the boat. Though once we arrived I wasn’t sure what we’d say to them. I guessed the first thing I’d ask Shelby was why she was doing this and why she was on the boat with them. She wouldn’t be able to get away from me now. She would have to answer. Maybe I’d call the police and tell them that I had a murder suspect cornered right there in the water.
As we neared the boat all was quiet. No one was around. The boat was just empty there out in the water. We stopped when we were close by and looked around for any sign of people.
“Where are they?” Jennifer asked.
Then it hit me.
“I bet I know what they’re d
oing,” I said. “Shelby said that they went out for swims often. That’s probably what they’re doing now.”
“That makes sense,” Jennifer said.
I moved over and peered over the side of the boat, hoping that I might see any sign of a tail or fin down there in the water. Maybe I could grab their attention while they were swimming and have Shelby come up to talk with us. I wasn’t sure how long we would have to stay out here and wait for them. And I certainly wasn’t jumping in. I hadn’t worn a swimsuit and I didn’t swim well. Needless to say, I didn’t go near the water often.
“What was that?” Jennifer asked as the water splashed not too far away.
“I think I saw a fin.”
“Maybe it’s a shark,” Jack said as he peered in that direction.
“I saw it again. It was definitely a fin. And I don’t think it was a shark,” I said.
“What do you mean, you don’t think it was a shark?” Jennifer said with wide eyes.
“Exactly what I said. I don’t think it was a shark. You know there are sharks out here, right?”
“I tried not to think about it until you mentioned it. Maybe it’s time that we should go back.”
“It’s not going be like Jaws. It’s not going to come up out of the water and eat us or anything.”
“Oh, I’m not so sure about that. I mean, I would’ve never guessed there were mermaids, but now I know that’s the truth. So maybe there is a giant shark ready to come out of the water and eat us.”
“Never going to happen,” I said.
Just then something hit the boat. We rocked back and forth. Jennifer screamed.
“Okay, remain calm,” I said. “It was probably a dolphin or something.”
I told her that, but I wasn’t for sure. What if it really was a shark? Now I was having second thoughts. No, no. That was a crazy thought. I should just calm down.
Chapter 17
Just when I thought I’d lose my last meal the boat stopped rocking. We stood there trying to keep our balance and hoping that whatever had hit the boat wouldn’t return. My breathing started to come back to normal. But I was on edge waiting for this to happen again.
