The Reef

by Lois Kay

  “What?” The smile left Lucy's face and she sat up straight, the phone clenched in her hand. “Mom? What happened? Are you okay? Did he hurt you? Where are you?” Rebellious and outspoken as she was, Lucy never could have imagined her mother would ever be able to turn her back on her husband and she realized things must have been very serious for her mother to do a thing like that.

  “I jumped in the car and started driving. I....I didn't really know where to go.”

  “Where are you now?” Lucy urged. The distress in her mother’s voice tied her stomach in knots.

  “I’m outside The Reef. I really don't know what possessed me to come here,” Joan McDonnell nervously chuckled. “I must have been confused.”

  “Mom, did he hurt you?” Lucy asked again. Her hands were shaking as anxiety crashed over her. It took so long for her mother to answer the question, Lucy thought she might not have heard her. Just as she was about to repeat her question, her mother spoke.

  “He hit me. Twice.”

  Lucy closed her eyes end tried to swallow away the tears that were pooling in her eyes. “Stay where you are. I’m on my way,” she urged. Her voice cracked with emotion.

  “I... I challenged him, Luce and he hit me.” Joan McDonnell still sounded dazed.

  “We’ll talk about it,” Lucy answered. She grabbed her purse and car keys. “Stay where you are, Mom. I’m coming to get you. Okay?”

  “Okay,” Joan McDonnell whispered. “I’ll wait here for you.”

  “I'll be there within ten minutes. I’m leaving right now.” Lucy jumped up and almost ran to the door, her lunch completely forgotten.

  * * *

  Brian's heart pounded in his chest and the muscles in his legs were stiff from tension when he climbed the stairs that were leading to the first floor. Little Steven was closely behind him. On their way up, they had only met an Asian couple. They had nodded friendly, not noticing Brian's forced smile, his pale face and the perspiration on his forehead.

  With trembling fingers, Brian opened the door of the manager's office. Immediately he was roughly pushed inside the room, nearly stumbling over his own feet. A soft click told him the door behind him was closed. Nervously he looked over his shoulder, to see Little Steven taking in the office with appreciative eyes.

  “Nice place, Billy boy,” he heard him whisper. “Although, I could do without the smell of smoke.” Without hesitation, Little Steven walked up to one of the oil paintings that decorated the walls. He reached behind a replica of Van Gogh's 'Starry Night' and pulled out a little key. A triumphant smile crossed his face when he threw the key at Brian.

  “Open up that safe,” he ordered. He took his hand out of his pocket and pointed at Brian with his 10mm Glock. Brian’s hands were shaking and without protest he knelt in front of the safe, quickly opening the solid, steel door. There wasn't supposed to be much inside. A stack of documents, a little box that looked like a jewelry box and a few neatly stacked bundles of dollar bills. Brian’s eyes went wide when he noticed the usual amount of money present had almost tripled.

  “Get me the money,” Little Steven grumbled. “I’m not interested in the rest.”

  Brian took one of the bundles, estimating that he was holding about five hundred Australian dollars and hesitantly he looked up. “Um....I...do you want me to put it in a bag or something?” he asked, wishing he was courageous and strong enough to jump up and beat the living daylights out of the tall man with the gun, although he knew that such an action would no doubt result in his death.

  “Give him an envelope or something, Fred,” Little Steven ordered. “A big one,” he added with a grin.

  Fred silently did what his companion asked him and walked to one of the file cabinets against the wall to retrieve one of the big envelope that were stacked on top. When he handed one to Brian their gazes briefly locked and Brian could have sworn he saw a look of remorse in the younger man’s eyes. Quickly he stuffed the money in the large envelope. He was puzzled by the amount of money he found in the safe. The previous day William Jenkins had retrieved money to make a deposit. Or at least, that’s what he had told Brian. He had been very tense and Brian had found his behavior odd. He wondered if his manager had anything to do with what was currently happening.

  “Get a move on, moron.” A kick in his back brought Brian back from his musings and he swallowed hard.

  * * *

  It took Lucy less than ten minutes to reach the plaza in front of The Reef. She ignored a ' no parking' sign, parked her car and quickly jumped out, scanning the area for her mother. With a sigh of relief, she located her on a bench in front of the building. Even from a distance, Lucy could see that her mother was shaken up. She seemed to be dazed, not noticing the world around her, but kept staring into the distance, with eyes that were empty and glassy. When she approached her, Lucy noticed a dark bruise on Joan McDonnell’s cheek and a cracked, swollen lip from which a small drop of blood was oozing. Her stomach churned and she tried to fight back frustration and anger. She approached her mother slowly, not wanting to startle her. “Hey, Mom,” she greeted gently. She dropped down on one knee in front of Joan and grabbed her hand. “What happened?”

  Joan McDonnell looked up and tried to smile when she saw the worried look in Lucy's eyes. But instead of a smile, there was an expression of pain when the battered lip cracked open again. “Your....father...and I....We had an argument.” Her voice was barely audible. “He hit me and I left. Lucy, I....I don't want the boys or Fiona to see me like this. I... don’t want to go back, but.... I don't know what to do.”

  The intense sadness in her mother's voice and eyes was almost too much to bear and Lucy took a couple of deep breaths to push down the anger that was rapidly rising. She sincerely hoped her mother would not go back, but would start taking care of herself. “I can't tell you what to do, Mom,” Lucy said. “But I hope you’ll at least take the time to think things through. You’re your own person. You don’t need anyone to tell you what to do or how to do it. Besides, you have me and Jody. You have a place to stay.”

  “What about Fiona and Michael?”

  “Michael can look after himself, he’s sixteen. Don't worry about him. If you want I’ll drop by after school and talk to him, so he knows what’s going on. But, Mom, please, think about yourself for a change.”

  “I have no place to go,” Joan McDonnell whispered.

  “Yes, you do. You can stay with me,” Lucy quickly answered, congratulating herself for cleaning up her apartment the previous day.

  “That’s the first place he’ll come look for me,” Joan McDonnell objected and Lucy realized that was probably true.

  “We'll find another solution then.” Lucy rubbed her mother’s hand. “How about staying with Jody? Or maybe even staying at The Reef. I'm sure Sam wouldn't mind, after all, it's her dad's resort.”

  “I can't do that!” Joan McDonnell protested. “I can't impose on Sam like that.”

  “We'll see.” Lucy grinned and pulled her mother to her feet. “Why don't we go inside and ask one of Jody's coworkers if we can use their phone, because, believe it or not, in my hurry to get here, I forgot mine. It’s still in the office, charging.”

  Too tired and too emotionally worn out, Joan McDonnell let herself be pulled up and followed Lucy to the entrance of The Reef. Her own near future was murky at best, but she knew one thing for sure; her daughters had grown up to be caring, responsible adults.

  * * *

  As he was walking down the stairs with Little Steven towering over him, Brian wondered what was going to happen next. He was hoping he would leave, so Brian could call the police. He realized it wasn't the silent companion of the tall man that was a threat to him, but Little Steven himself. The presence of the lethal handgun he had shown him a little earlier, made him very cautious not to do anything stupid.

  “Okay, handsome, listen up.” Little Steven’s voice suddenly sounded very close to Brian’s ear. “I want you to walk us to the door. Do you see that
cute elderly couple over there? The ones who are just leaving? We’ll follow them outside and you’ll stay right near that door. Whenever I look back and not see you standing there, I will shoot them. You got that? I'm sure you want them to enjoy their well-earned retirement, don't you?”

  Something hard poked in his back and Brian swallowed hard, hoping the gun wouldn't go off by accident.

  “Did you get that?” Little Steven.

  “I... I got it,” Brian answered. “I’ll stay at the door, so you can see me.”

  Little Steven’s meaty hand patted his shoulder. “Good boy. Your mom will be so proud of you. Now, walk two steps in front of me and remember to act normal. Don't try to do anything stupid.”

  When he reached the bottom of the stairs, Brian walked into the direction of the entrance. His heart was pounding in his chest and he could feel perspiration coat his forehead. He had to make a conscious effort not to wipe the palms of his clammy hands on his pants. Through the huge glass door, he could see that the plaza in front of the building was relatively empty. He hoped it would stay like that for at least a few more minutes. When he was halfway down the lobby, a movement outside caught his attention and at the same time he heard a sharp intake of breath behind him. And suddenly, with blood chilling certainty, he realized that somehow Jody was involved. He suddenly understood the burglary of her apartment had not been a random act of vandalism. Somebody had been looking for something. The conversation he had with Jody a few hours earlier, now made a lot more sense. Brian had met Jody's sister Lucy a few times and recognized her immediately. The reaction of the thug behind him made it clear that Little Steven knew her as well.

  “Look at that, Fred. This is our lucky day.” Little Steven sounded excited.

  Brian felt sick to his stomach. He didn’t want Lucy to come inside. He needed to warn her, but didn’t know how. As he saw Lucy approach and the automatic door slid open, Brian knew what to do. With a courage born out of despair, he dropped to one knee. Supporting his weight on his right hand, he used his outstretched left leg to try and swipe Little Steven's legs out from underneath him.

  “Lucy! Run!” Brian shouted from the top of his lungs. He was horrified to see that his unexpected move had caused Little Steven to stumble, but the big man was still standing and seemed ready to make a run for it. Brian turned to look at the entrance and was relieved to see Lucy grabbed the arm of the woman she was with, pulling her backward, until they were outside again, where they took off running.

  “Big mistake, fancy boy. Consider yourself dead.” Little Steven had regained his full balance and as he was walking away from Brian he pulled out his gun, turned around, aimed and pulled the trigger twice. Without looking back, he ran to the entrance with Fred closely behind him.

  The echoes of the shots were still painfully ringing in his ears when Brian’s body crumpled to the ground and convulsed in pain. It only took a few moments for him to start feeling numb. With a strange sense of detachment, he looked down at his body. A steadily growing pool of blood collected next to him. The puddle contrasted with the light-colored marble floor and Brian could hardly believe it was his. He tried to smile, but his lips felt cold and stiff and suddenly he felt exhausted. His gaze eyes traveled across the ceiling and for the first time ever, he realized how beautiful it was. The dark wood, the lights.

  One of The Reef’s guests, a retired nurse, was on her knees, next to him and was applying pressure to the bleeding gunshot in Brian’s chest. Brian looked at her hands and was fascinated with the bright red blood that seeped through her fingers.

  “Thank you,” he whispered.

  “Take it easy, son, the ambulance is on its way. Take it easy, you'll be fine. Just take it easy.”

  “Chris,” Brian coughed and felt like his chest was on fire. “Tell Chris I’m sorry.” He was so tired and couldn't keep his eyes open much longer. He heard voices talking to him, but they were so far away and he couldn’t understand the words. Slowly he let the darkness claim him and he drifted away in a deep, peaceful sleep.

  ***

  Lucy pushed her mother in the car, slammed the door shut and ran across the other side to get in the driver’s seat. She tried not to think about what had just happened. She had no time to process the urgency in Brian’s voice, nor the sound of two gunshots. She needed to focus on getting her mother and herself out of a dangerous situation. As soon as she started the car’s engine she took off with breakneck speed.

  “What are you doing, Lucy? What is going on?” Joan McDonnell was close to a full-blown panic attack.

  “I'll tell you later, Mom, but we have to get the hell out of here.”

  “But...but I heard shots. Was that a gun? Shouldn't we—?”

  “Absolutely not.” Lucy’s face was pale. “Those shots are the best reasons to leave.” Her eyes darted from the rearview mirror to the road ahead and back again. She was worried. Her heart was pounding and the palms of her hands were sweaty. The death grip on the steering wheel turned her knuckles white and Lucy did her best not to panic. “I'll explain later, Mom, I promise. But first we’ve got to get out of here.”

  “Where are we going?”

  That was a good question. In the past few minutes Lucy had cursed herself numerous times for being so stupid to forget her cell phone. She could have had her mother call Sam and Jody. And the police. That was the answer. The police. She would drive to the police station. They would be safe there. A look in the rearview mirror showed Lucy that they were followed by a car that was recklessly ignoring all traffic lights and stop signs she and her mother had just passed. Inwardly she cursed. They were running out of time. The police station was only a few kilometers away but there was way too much traffic to really speed up. Not that it prevented their pursuers to slow down.

  When Brian had called out to her, one look had been enough for Lucy to know that the two men that were inside The Reef must have been the ones that had been following Sam and Jody. She realized they were looking for them. She had seen it in the look of the larger man's eyes. He recognized her, even though she had never seen him before. But knowing that they had been after Fiona made her realize they had recognized her as Jody's sister. The gunshots still echoed in her ears and with a sickening feeling she knew that Brian must have been shot. She had seen him drop to the ground, trying to sweep the man behind him off his feet.

  The car that was following her came closer and Lucy softly whimpered, knowing she had to speed up to stay out of their reach. “Hold on, Mom,” she hissed through clenched teeth. She pressed down on the gas pedal and immediately felt her car respond. All her muscles tensed when she saw a big truck turning into her lane and desperately she changed lanes, squeezing her car through the small space left between the truck and a bus, ignoring the honking and obscene gestures around her. Joan McDonnell muffled a scream and closed her eyes. She dug her fingers into the soft leather of her purse to stop her fingers from trembling. With some skill and a lot of luck, Lucy prevented her car from skidding and she muttered an expletive, realizing she had been holding her breath. She let out a shuddering sigh and cast a look on the road behind her. With satisfaction, she saw that her pursuers had not been able to overtake the truck and her panic eased a few notches. She rounded the last corner that stood between her and the police station and without slowing down she entered the parking area around the building. Her car came to a screeching halt between two police cruisers. Somewhere, in the back of her mind she knew she wasn’t supposed to park where she had stopped her car, but she couldn’t care less. She unbuckled her seatbelt and did the same for her mother, who seemed to be in shock.

  “Come on, Mom,” she urged. “We need to go inside.” Before Joan McDonnell could respond, Lucy had already exited the car, ran around it and opened the door on the passenger’s side. She grabbed Joan’s hand and pulled her out of the vehicle. She headed for the entrance and as soon as she pushed through the heavy doors and saw the surprised look of the woman who was staffing the front coun
ter, she allowed herself to relax a little.

  “Are you alright?” the woman asked. She was about to walk around the desk but Lucy held up a hand.

  “There’s been a shooting at The Reef.”

  The woman nodded. “I know, love. We sent a couple of units that way.”

  “Brian,” Lucy gasped. “I think they shot him. I—”

  “Miss McDonnell?” A surprised voice sounded and when Lucy turned she stood face-to-face with Senior Sergeant Waters.

  “God, am I glad to see you,” Lucy blurted out, happy to see a familiar face, even if they were barely acquainted. She took a deep breath and swayed on her feet. Immediately, a strong arm steadied her and guided her to a bench alongside the wall. A gentle pressure pushed Lucy down on the seat and only when she sat and glanced at her mother who still looked like she was in shock, Lucy noticed she was shaking.

  “I’m sorry,” she breathed. “I’m probably not making any sense at all. But—”

  “There’s been a shooting at The Reef,” Trishia Waters said. Her brows furrowed when she looked from Lucy to Joan and back again. “You were there?”

  Lucy nodded. “I…Mom and I were about to go inside when Brian yelled at me to run. I saw two guys and one had a gun. I…I think they’re somehow involved in trying to get to my sisters.”

  “Jody and Fiona,” Trishia Waters said.

  “Yes.” Lucy frowned and her hand grabbed Joan’s, ready to make another run for it.

  “Relax,” Trishia Waters said. “I have talked to your sisters and to Sam Stevens. I know about what’s happened. I’m part of the investigative team.”

  Lucy let out a shuddering breath. “Okay. That’s good, then. This guy, when he saw me, he recognized me and was coming after me. Mom and I ran and I’m sure I pissed off a lot of people when I was racing over here. But I left my cell phone at my office and had no way of calling and—” A hand on her shoulder made Lucy look up into a pair of sympathetic blue-green eyes.

  “Take a deep breath. Why don’t you and your mother come to my office? I’ll get you something to drink and you can tell me exactly what happened.”