Liquid Lies

by Lois Lavrisa

  Then, it all made sense to me. Once the mayor got the boat in the middle of the lake, he was going to kill us then set the boat on fire. He wanted the Jet Ski so he would have a way to get back to shore. Jacob and I were being led to inferno death on the mail boat. It would all look like an accident.

  Terrific.

  Now I was thinking like a killer.

  Opening the top of the gas can, I began to slowly drip the gas along the edge of the boat. Pretending to be in slow motion, I moved at a snail’s pace.

  “Damn it, pour! You’re just sprinkling—soak the boat!”

  “Here are a few problems I’m having with your plan. The mail boat is company property and you’re damaging it. Not to mention the fact that it’s a fire hazard,” I stammered. Stalling while I thought of how to save Jacob and get us both off the boat.

  I came up blank.

  Grabbing the can from me, he pushed me to the ground and I landed on my butt.

  I stood up. “Hey, that was unnecessary.” I felt a sharp pain in my tailbone.

  He ignored me as he dumped the gas. The smell overwhelmed me and I coughed.

  I grabbed a chair as a weapon. As I lifted it, the mayor ran over and yanked it away from me and threw it down.

  “Move this boat into the middle of the lake!” the mayor commanded.

  As the mayor grabbed my arm, I untied the boat and pulled the plank in. The Jet Skis knocked rhythmically against the hull of the boat. I walked past Jacob’s limp body as I went to the control room. With a little ambient light, I saw his chest move up and down. Thank goodness he was still alive. Relief washed over me.

  The mail boat slowly chugged away from the dock. The motor hummed along. How I wished it would make a loud bang or something to alert someone to come to our aid. My heart sank. This was going to be my last day alive. But I didn’t want it to be Jacob’s. I had to save him.

  The mayor stared off into the distance. What was he looking for? He probably wanted to make sure that no one else was around to catch him. Catch him killing us.

  I said, “So you want to kill us in the middle of the lake, huh? No one will hear the shots, or find our bodies. Then, you’re going to burn the boat, destroying all evidence and get away on a Jet Ski.”

  He jabbed the gun at my skull.

  “I take that as a yes,” I said. “And could you please stop it with the gun. I can’t go anywhere now that we’re out here.” We passed the first mansion, and headed to the middle of the lake.

  Suddenly, I heard a scuffle, then the sound of something being hit.

  “Shit,” the mayor yelled as he fell to the ground holding his head.

  Spinning around, I saw Jacob holding a cooler. “And all this time I thought that was for cold drinks.”

  “I sure cooled him off,” Jacob said. He came to my side and tightly embraced me.

  I kissed him. “Let’s get out of here.”

  “The Jet Skis!” He grabbed my hand as we ran to where the Jet Skis were tied. I began to unknot the rope. I heard a shuffling noise behind us.

  The mayor must be back on his feet. Turning around, I saw the mayor lunge at Jacob.

  Jacob shoved him away. The mayor grabbed Jacob, pushed him against the railing and flipped him overboard.

  “Jacob!” I ran to the rail. Although it was dark, by the moonlight I could see some movement. I heard splashing. “Are you okay?”

  The mayor pulled me up against his body, gun in hand.

  “Are you crazy?” I said. I struggled away from his grip. The mayor looked over the railing, and pointed his gun toward the water. Thinking fast, I pounced on him before he could shoot at Jacob. He flung me off like I was a fly.

  I ran back to the control room and jammed the boat into high gear, hoping to jar the mayor so he’d lose his balance.

  Although the mayor stumbled, he kept his footing. He dashed into the control room and put the gun to my head. “Stop the boat.”

  Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Jacob swimming. He was on the side with the Jet Ski’s. I wished that he would get on a Jet Ski, and save himself. I could deal with the mayor.

  “Kill me. That’s fine. But Jacob will tell everyone,” I screamed. “It’s over.”

  “I’ll take care of him,” his upper lip trembled. “Nothing’s over until I say it is.”

  An engine cranked up. Then I heard the familiar buzz of a Jet Ski. Jacob was free. I could hear the Jet Ski moving away from the boat, but then it seemed to be drawing nearer, as though it were turning around and coming back. Why wasn’t Jacob going back to shore, to get the police?

  The mayor fired a shot at Jacob. The blast was deafening and the sound echoed in my head. I saw Jacob steer the Jet Ski away from the boat.

  “You missed,” I said.

  “I won’t this time.” The mayor growled, as he turned and held the gun inches from my face.

  He was about to put his finger on the trigger when I knocked the gun out of his hand. He scrambled after it. Then I saw Jacob position the Jet Ski within a few feet of the boat.

  I knew what I had to do. I’ve made a thousand jumps off the boat onto docks, but never to a Jet Ski. I had to try. My life depended on it.

  Chapter Forty-Three

  The mayor snickered as he lined up his shot.

  Grabbing a cooler, I flung it at him.

  Nearby the mail boat, Jacob had idled the Jet Ski.

  “Ready?” I said to Jacob.

  He nodded.

  I glanced behind me as I flung my leg over the railing. The steel under my hand felt cool. My heart felt like it could explode. The bile in my throat felt hot.

  The mayor got back to his feet. Time was running out. I’d never been under this much pressure during a jump. And this time I only had one chance to get it right.

  As I took a deep breath, I leaped.

  It felt like I floated in the air for minutes. A shot rang out.

  My body slammed into the back of the Jet Ski. My chest hit the hard plastic. It knocked the wind out of me. I could barely breathe. Jacob caught hold of my hand and pulled me up onto the seat.

  There was another shot.

  As Jacob zoomed away from the mail boat, I turned and saw the mayor get on the other Jet Ski.

  I held Jacob’s waist. I spoke above the roar of the Jet Ski, as the waves crashed. “Does this count as a date?”

  “Or foreplay,” he offered.

  We could hear the sound of a Jet Ski approaching us. “He’s coming after us,” I said.

  “He’ll have to catch us first,” Jacob said. His wet hair shone in the moonlight. “Plan A, Reach into my pocket. See if my cell works.”

  Wiggling my hand into his wet jeans, I pulled out his phone. Nothing lit up. “It’s dead.”

  “But we won’t be,” Jacob said. “What’s plan B?”

  Our Jet Ski zipped over the surface of the water. The sound was almost deafening. The mayor’s Jet Ski jumped over the waves in our wake. He was gaining on us.

  “We need to get the mayor to follow us. When I say ‘now’, you take a hard right, okay?” I said to Jacob.

  “Yes,” Jacob answered back.

  Knowing the mayor would follow us, I would get Jacob to drive us to the dock that was under construction. I knew there were ropes around it, and I also knew when to pull away before we got to them. On the other hand, the mayor would continue forward and wreck his Jet Ski. Maybe he’d swim to shore. But it wouldn’t matter.

  By then, Jacob and I would be long gone and back on shore where we’d call the police. And we’d give them the digital memory card from the recorder. The police would then put the mayor in jail for life.

  “He’s getting close,” Jacob screamed above the roar. “Where’s the dock?”

  The mayor was less than twenty feet behind us. I saw he only had one hand on the steering wheel. By the light of the moon, I could see he had a gun in his other hand.

  A shot rang out. It pinged off the back of our Jet Ski.

  “Over
there. Get as close as you can.” I pointed. We were getting close to the dock.

  Jacob turned and headed in the direction I was pointing.

  I heard another shot. There was a sudden hot sharp stab in my right thigh. It burned. I felt it and it was wet. I looked down at my hand and saw it was covered in blood.

  The mayor neared to within ten feet behind us. We quickly approached the dock that was under construction. I knew how far the ropes extended out beyond the dock. We needed to steer away from them, but get close enough so that the mayor wouldn’t have time to turn and he’d get caught in them.

  “Now!” I screamed.

  I held on tight as Jacob yanked the handlebars hard to the right.

  Then he swung our Jet Ski around for a better view of the dock.

  The mayor had no time to react. Hi Jet Ski flew into the ropes at full speed and then disappeared into the darkness. The mayor was sent airborne as the Jet Ski was suddenly jerked out from under him. When he hit the ropes, something seemed to pop off of his body and fly in a different direction than the rest of him.

  “Close your eyes,” Jacob put his hand over my eyes.

  “Too late,” I said. “Did I really just see what I think I saw?”

  Jacob patted my hand. “It’s over.”

  “Let’s go back to the pavilion.”

  My thigh throbbed with severe pain. It didn’t matter. The mayor’s killing spree was over.

  As we bobbed up and down in the water, I looked at the navy blue sky dotted with stars and said, “Francesca, Mark and Don— may you all rest in peace.”

  Chapter Forty-Four

  “I’d have to say, Ms. Coe that you have, without a doubt, given me more work than any other single person in my twenty year career.” Detective Wurkowski grinned.

  “Job security.” I smiled. I limped over to shake his hand. He had made it to the pavilion ahead of the EMS.

  “Are you injured?” Detective Wurkowski asked. He inspected my leg. “A bullet.”

  “I took one for the team. It’s just a flesh wound,” I said. Then I told him what had happened. For the few minutes that we talked, he took extensive notes. Jacob put his arm around me.

  “Let’s get her to sit down,” Detective Wurkowski said.

  “Alright hero, you’re going to get that leg looked at,” Jacob said as he guided me over to a bench.

  “Are you trying to tell me something?” I asked Jacob as I sat. “This is the romantic bench.”

  An ambulance pulled up.

  “Ms. Coe, EMS is here. Mr. Elmore, I need to finish taking your statement,” Detective Wurkowski declared.

  “It’s your turn. They already have mine,” I said.

  Two EMS techs, an African American female and an Asian man, leaped out of an ambulance and rushed over to me.

  “You’re in good hands now. I’ll be right back.” Jacob kissed me. Then he trailed after Wurkowski.

  A handful of squad cars, lights blinking, were parked near the pavilion. A dozen or so officers walked around the dock. A police boat headed out to retrieve the mail boat. In the distance, I saw another three police boats, flood lights sweeping the area around the roped off dock. In my statement, I’d told Detective Wurkowski that’s where we’d last seen the mayor.

  Based on what I’d told them, they must have been looking for a body. In some twisted way, the mayor’s decapitation was poetic justice. Even though I’d never meant to harm him, the universe took care of him in its own way.

  Estelle and Hazel approached me. They were accompanied by two officers.

  “Oh my goodness. We heard the whole story. Our bodyguard told us. CiCi, who do you think you are? Nancy Drew?” Estelle asked. She pushed aside an EMS tech and sat next to me.

  “Ma’am, I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to leave. We need to examine her,” the female EMS tech said.

  “But she’s my, um, my, I’m her–” Estelle stammered.

  “Mom,” I finished her sentence.

  Then she looked into my eyes. “She’s my daughter.”

  I found myself fighting back tears. My heart swelled with happiness.

  “Okay you can stay, but you have to give us a little room to work. She’s got an injury to her thigh that needs medical attention,” the male EMS tech said.

  Hazel bounded over, plopped on the other side of me. “I’m so glad you’re alright. I heard you got the killer too? I’m so proud of you.” She pinched my cheek.

  “Okay, now who’s this?” the female EMS tech asked. She sighed and shook her head.

  “My other mother.” I smiled.

  The two EMS techs exchanged questioning glances.

  Their eyes did somersaults.

  “Hey, does this mean I’m going to lose my bodyguard?” Hazel said. “Cause there still may be trouble. You know the death threat and all. I might still need around the clock protection.”

  “She’s already gone through two officers. She just wore them out. Neither of them lasted more than a few hours,” Estelle said.

  “I was just too much woman for them to handle.” Hazel hoisted her purse onto her lap.

  We all laughed.

  There was commotion as the police boats arrived back at the dock. Officers ran to meet them.

  “Wow, I bet they found the mayor,” I said.

  “Looks like they’re carrying something off the boat,” the EMS tech said.

  “Rats. I can’t see a thing,” Estelle said. “As soon as we heard about you and Jacob, we rushed out of the house and I didn’t get a chance to grab my glasses.”

  “It’s one of those black bags with zippers. What are they called? I see them on my crime shows all the time. You know, the kind they put dead people in. Oh a body bag,” Hazel craned her neck. “I have to get a better view. I’m going over to take a look.”

  Chapter Forty-Five

  Within an hour, the EMS techs had checked me out and had my leg bandaged. The bullet had only grazed my thigh. Estelle never left my side.

  They packed up their supplies and equipment. The female tech said, “You know. You’re pretty lucky to have two moms.”

  “That I am.” I beamed.

  “Thank you for fixing her,” Estelle called after the techs as they headed to the ambulance.

  Hazel walked briskly toward us, returning from the dock. “You’re not going to believe this. Oh my heavens. It’s like some sort of universal justice. And I know justice. Remember one of my husbands was a lawyer.”

  “We know already,” Estelle said as Hazel sat down beside us.

  “Good gracious. I’m out of breath. Give me a second.” Hazel panted for a minute while we waited. Her face was covered in dew-like perspiration.

  “Do tell,” Estelle said.

  “Not a body bag. A head bag,” Hazel spouted.

  When I’d told them what happened, I had left out the part about Jacob and I seeing the mayor’s head pop off as he hit the ropes at full speed. Instead, I told them he’d flown off his Jet Ski, and that was the last we’d seen him.

  Hazel took in a deep breath. “They found the mayor’s head.”

  “I tell you what. Decades go by, and not a thing happens around here. Now we have heads bobbing in the water like apples in a metal tub at Halloween.” Estelle tsked.

  “You got that right. I bet we’re going to get more tourists here because of all this excitement. You know, now that we have notoriety, or is that notorious?” Hazel said.

  “Ridiculous.” Estelle laughed.

  Jacob approached us. “Good evening Estelle, Hazel.”

  “You know, under this light, at this angle, you look like my third husband,” Hazel said. She tilted her neck sideways, and then straightened up.

  “Enough. We’ll leave you two alone.” Estelle took hold of Hazel’s arm and attempted to drag her away.

  “What’s wrong? He does look like him,” Hazel said over her shoulder as they left. They walked toward the pavilion.

  “Does this mean I finally have you
to myself?” He helped me to my feet.

  My leg was stiff. It ached and throbbed. I was wobbly.

  Yet, I felt light. At peace. Like everything is as it should be. At last.

  “But, I’m damaged goods.” I smiled as he lifted my chin and planted a warm soft kiss on my lips.

  “That’s the way I like them. The perfect ones are overrated,” he said.

  Chapter Forty-Six

  Three months later

  I threw a Frisbee and Skipper caught it in mid air. He galloped back to my side and dropped the Frisbee on top of my boots. I picked it up and scratched his head. “You’re like the bionic dog now that your leg’s all healed.”

  Trees were adorned with shades of red, orange and yellow. Piles of crunchy leaves littered the ground. The pavilion was shut down and there was a sign in the ticket booth window that read, “Closed for the season.” Boats were out of the water and in storage. Docks were pulled out. Only the locals were left in Round Lake.

  There was a crisp scent in the air, like fresh apples and wood chips. The cool wind whipped under my sweater.

  “Let me toss the next one,” Jacob said. I handed him the Frisbee. He threw it high in the air above the field.

  Skipper rushed at it. He leaped for it, catching in his teeth.

  “Whoa, he got it,” Jacob said. “He’s a terrific dog. What happens if you break up with me? Will I get visitation rights with Skipper?”

  “Who said I’m going to dump you? You’re the only one that’ll have me.” I pulled the scarf around my neck. It was cold. I thought I should have worn something warmer than a thick sweater over a t-shirt and blue jeans. “What about if you dump me? Do I get a share of Elmore Construction?”

  A siren blared for a second nearby. I turned to look. A black sedan pulled up next to the curb near the field. Detective Wurkowski stepped out.

  “Looks like your boss is here,” Jacob said.

  Detective Wurkowski had hired me once he found out I had decided against going to graduate school, and needed a job. In any event, my high school aptitude test did say I should be in law enforcement.

  And after all that we’ve been through together, Wurkowski still wouldn’t call me CiCi.