Lighthouse Beach

by Shelley Noble

  “We’ve got a little more cleaning up to do here. I’ll call you when we’re done, and if he hasn’t turned up we’ll join the search. If you hear anything call us here or my cell.”

  “I do give him lollipops,” Agnes said. “But he didn’t come in today. Oh dear.”

  “Don’t you give it a thought,” Clancy told her. “He’s probably safe asleep somewhere. Totally unaware that everyone is looking for him.”

  “Probably,” Ned agreed. “I wonder. Do you think he would have gone out to the stables by himself? I know Ian does equestrian therapy with both boys.”

  “He might. I don’t know if he could remember the way; his directional skills are about on the same level of the rest of his skills.”

  “I’ll call Ian and tell him to look out for him.”

  “You do that,” Clancy said. “And then if you will, call Lillo, tell her not to let Mac go careening all over the place looking for the kid. Then we’ll have a cup of coffee, finish cleaning the kitchen, and call it a night.”

  “Excellent idea.” Ned punched in Ian’s number.

  Lillo’s cell rang, but when she picked it up, the call dropped. No one ever called her unless it was important. She walked out to the path in front of her cottage, hoping for a better signal. The wind was blowing like crazy. She tried to connect but couldn’t.

  She climbed up to the gate, to see if Mac’s lights were on. A gust of wind hit her from the side and she staggered a couple of steps to regain her balance. They had wind all the time; this was baby stuff compared to the heavy winds.

  Still, she should go check on Mac. Leave it to her to go check on the lighthouse and get blown off the jetty.

  She’d started across the parking lot but stopped when she saw Ian’s SUV turn into the parking lot. He stopped by Lillo and jumped out.

  “Did Ned call you?” His hair was blowing around his face and his windbreaker was snapping like crazy.

  “No, why? What’s going on?”

  “Bobby Trader’s missing. Everyone is out looking for him. Sada’s coordinating the search. She’s sending some people down here to check the beach. Ned said to make sure Mac stays inside. He and Clancy are coming down when they finish at the clinic.”

  “Bobby? Lou’s little one?”

  “Yes. I thought he might have come down here.” He wasn’t looking at Lillo but was scanning the parking lot and beach around the cottage. And Lillo got a chilling visual of Ian on the lookout for hostile marauders. Every moment of inattention liable to be lethal.

  “Come inside.”

  They fought the wind gust and practically fell into the cottage. Lillo threw her weight against the door.

  “Damn, that’s some wind all of a sudden.” She turned around and was met by three startled faces.

  “Bobby Trader is missing,” she told them.

  “You haven’t seen him around here?” Ian asked. “Or any of the kids?”

  “We were gone most of the day.”

  “We saw them this morning,” Jess said. “But that was around eleven maybe? It was the same kids that were fighting down here yesterday.”

  “Down here? Bobby and Joey are not supposed to come down by the water.”

  “Well, they were here,” Lillo said. “The others, Tommy and that crowd, are another story. We heard them fighting and went out to see. They’d knocked Joey down and were going at him. Until Jess intervened. Then Diana grabbed them by the shirts and lifted them off their feet.”

  She saw Ian flick a look at Diana before returning his attention to Lillo.

  “Yeah, I should have knocked their heads together before I let them go,” Diana said.

  “Has anyone spoken to Will Clayton?” Lillo asked. “Maybe Bobby is with them?”

  “They haven’t been able to reach him.”

  “So maybe they’re both missing.”

  “Are you sure Bobby was with them? They’ve been told to stay away from Tommy and that gang.”

  “Really?” Jess said. “Because it didn’t do any good. His brother tried to get him to leave, but Bobby wouldn’t go because of the boat. Tommy said he could go in the boat or something like that. And we saw them crossing Main Street when we were leaving this morning, and Bobby was with them. I didn’t see his brother.”

  “You wouldn’t. He has speech therapy off island on Thursdays. Bobby was supposed to stay at the community center. I guess he never showed up.”

  “You want us to check the beach?” Lillo didn’t need to ask; Jess, Allie, and Diana were already gathering up outerwear. “What about the marina? Isn’t that where Tommy’s father keeps his skiff? Though not even Tommy Clayton would take a boat out in this wind, but they might have gotten stuck somewhere—”

  “The lighthouse,” Ian said. “Bobby’s always talking about going in a boat.” He threw his head back. “Not just going in a boat. Going with them in the boat to the lighthouse. I told him I’d take him. I wasn’t listening. It wasn’t because he wanted to see the lighthouse, he wanted to be part of the group.” He slammed his fist into his palm so hard that the sound echoed in the air and all four women jumped.

  “Surely they wouldn’t go to the lighthouse,” Lillo said. “Mac is always running them off.”

  “I hope not.” Ian spun around and headed outside, Jess and Diana at his heels.

  “He’ll be safe as long as he’s inside, won’t he?” Allie asked. “But what if he’s hurt? He’s just a little boy.”

  “He’ll be safe,” Lillo said. As long as he doesn’t try to get back.

  She grabbed her jacket off the peg by the door and followed Ian outside.

  Ian had run ahead and was standing at the jetty entrance, scanning the lighthouse tower.

  “I don’t see any lights,” Lillo said. “The kids usually bring flashlights.”

  She wasn’t sure Ian heard her, he was so intent on the tower and the stormy sea that rose around it.

  Then he started forward and she knew what he had in mind. “Ian, no. The water’s already over the jetty. You can’t get across, and if you drown, who will save Bobby? You don’t even know he’s in there.”

  He didn’t hear a word she said.

  “Ian! Stop! At least call Ned and have him send some folks down.”

  He jerked to a stop. “Sorry.”

  “Let’s call Ned and see if he has any information, then we’ll figure out how to get into the tower.” She took him by the arm, afraid he would do something stupid. He had the most developed superego of anyone she had ever encountered. And she wasn’t sure if he cared enough about his own safety or even his own life to make rational decisions.

  And she knew that if he decided to cross the jetty, there was no way in hell she could stop him.

  But he turned and they jogged single file down the path to Mac’s kitchen. Mac was sitting at the table with a cup of coffee and surrounded by the smells of something delicious.

  “Ned called. He told me to stay put until you got here. He and Doc are standing by at the clinic in case they’re needed.” Mac stood. “Let’s go.”

  “No,” Lillo said. “Think before you act. Both of you. First. Could they have gotten into the lighthouse? Is it locked? What about the windows?”

  “You’re damn straight it’s locked. And I boarded up the windows from inside. Though I suppose if you brought a hammer you could knock them out. But why would Tommy take Bobby to the lighthouse? He won’t have anything to do with the kid.”

  “Bobby said Tommy was going to let him in the gang,” Lillo said.

  “You think it was some kind of initiation?”

  “I don’t want to think that even Tommy Clayton would be that mean.”

  Mac gave her a look.

  Ian turned on them. “If he’s in there and tries to get out, he could be washed away, his body never found. Are you going to tell that to his mother and father?”

  “We don’t know that he’s in there,” Lillo told him.

  “I’ll get the lanterns.” Mac headed for th
e storage closet.

  “But don’t turn them on,” Ian told them. “If he sees the light he might try to come to us,” said Ian. “And if he does …”

  He’ll be swept out to sea.

  Chapter 24

  It took less than a minute for Mac to hand out flashlights, then she snatched the lighthouse key ring from the nail by the door and they all followed her outside.

  They reached the parking lot just as several trucks pulled in and came to a stop. Will Clayton got out of the first one. Sonny Dumas and his sons were right behind him. Will ran around to the passenger side and yanked his son Tommy out of the car just as Nando and Howie roared into the parking lot.

  Lillo hurried toward Will. “Do you have Bobby?”

  Will shook his head and thrust his son toward the group.

  “Tommy here has something he wants to say.”

  Tommy didn’t say a thing.

  “Tell ’em.” Will shook the boy. “Tell ’em.”

  Ian crouched down until his eyes met Tommy’s. “Do you know where Bobby is?”

  Tommy nodded spasmodically. “In the lighthouse.”

  “How did he get there?”

  Tommy shrugged.

  His father gave him a shove.

  Tommy wrenched away. “He was always pestering us to let him hang out with us, to go in the boat, go to the lighthouse. Like we really wanted him or anything. He’s nothing but a moron.”

  Will Clayton cuffed the boy so hard he nearly fell into Ian, who put him back on his feet.

  Jess sucked in her breath. Lillo grasped her arm to keep her from interfering.

  “And now he’s out there with no way to get back to shore. If he tries he’ll probably be washed out to sea,” Ian said. “And that will be your fault.”

  “Whoa,” Diana breathed behind Lillo.

  Ian’s voice was so measured, so free of emotion, that shivers ran up Lillo’s back.

  He seemed so detached that she was afraid it might be one of those instances of the calm before the storm. She’d seen it in the hospital in the psych ward; hell, she’d seen it in family members just waiting to hear the news of a loved one. Trying to hold it together until they snapped.

  “You took him and left him there?”

  “He wanted to go. And we thought it would be funny if we left him there. We were going back for him, but the waves got too high. I don’t want him to die.”

  “You should have thought about that before you left him.” Ian stood, shoved his flashlight into the waistband of his jeans.

  But before he could make a move, Mac barred his way. “What are you doing?”

  “What does it look like? I’m going after him.”

  “The waves are over the jetty. The wind is too strong. You can’t make it on foot and a boat would crash. You’ll have to wait until lower tide or the weather breaks.”

  “It’s dark; he’ll be scared.”

  “I know, but you’re the only one he’ll trust, and if you get swept away, he’ll still be stuck there.”

  Ian grabbed the keys from her hand. “I can’t leave him.”

  Sonny strode after Ian. “If you’re determined, I got a winch on my truck. We can rig up a lifeline. Won’t do much good on the way out, but if you can attach it to the lighthouse somehow, you’ll have something to hold on to on the way back. It’ll take just a couple of minutes.”

  “Okay, let’s do it,” Ian said.

  It took more than two minutes to get everything ready. Sonny backed his truck up to the jetty, then fitted Ian with a utility belt with a walkie-talkie, a first-aid kit, and a Mylar blanket.

  Ian clasped it around his waist.

  “I’ll attach the cable to you on your way out, not that it will do much good if you fall and hurt yourself. When you get there, attach the anchor to the lighthouse, oughta be a hook or an eye somewhere outside for the boats.” Sonny attached one end of the cable to the utility belt, added a couple of rolled-up webbing straps and carabiners. “Use these on your way back, I’ll keep the cable taut, but you’re on your own until we can reach you.”

  Ian nodded.

  “You sure you don’t want me to go instead?”

  “Thanks. But I’m the best one to go.”

  “Meaning he don’t think his own life’s worth a damn,” Mac said under her breath.

  “Well, he’s wrong,” Diana snapped.

  “Hell, girl, we all know that. Why don’t you take it on yourself to enlighten the man?”

  “Maybe I will.” Diana started to move closer to him, then decided against it.

  They were all holding their breath. At least they still had a few hours before dark. Hopefully they wouldn’t need that long.

  Ian braced himself and stepped onto the jetty. For a heart-stilling moment, he swayed as a gust of wind nearly wrenched him from his feet.

  He was weighted down heavily enough so that if he fell in the water, the undertow would pull him under before any of them could do anything to save him.

  Lillo had lived in this fishing village her whole life and she knew steady wind or no wind were the best environments for rescue. But the erratic gusts could sweep a man away without warning.

  Diana slipped in beside her. “Is this as dangerous as I think it is?”

  “At least that.”

  “Why doesn’t he just wait?”

  “He’s afraid that Bobby will find a way out and try to make it across the jetty by himself.”

  “Damn those kids. I would have gladly wrung their necks yesterday if I’d known what was going to happen today. The little shits.”

  “Pretty much.” Lillo glanced over at Tommy, who no longer looked like a bully, but like a terribly frightened little boy. His father didn’t look much better. Under constant stress, trying to make ends meet, raising two boys by himself. Refusing help because it wasn’t macho to take a handout, not for any of the few services available to those in need. And content to blame everyone but himself for not succeeding. One of the ones who had held on to fishing even though the writing had been on the wall for a long time.

  Not willing to let go of what he knew, the only thing he knew. Not willing to learn something new. Waiting for the world to go back to what he’d expected it to be. And letting his disappointment poison his own sons’ lives. Maybe this would jolt him into doing something for them.

  Everyone drew nearer together, watching Ian moving in slow motion over the rocks. Another car arrived. Lillo was vaguely aware of Lou Trader arriving with Joey and her husband, Flynn, but she couldn’t take her eyes off the figure fighting his way toward the lighthouse tower.

  And then the inevitable happened. He slipped, disappeared, and for a horrible second became a part of the landscape. The watchers gasped, leaned in, looking, praying, collectively willing him to get back to his feet.

  He did, but by the time he reached the small island that served as the foundation of the lighthouse, Lillo’s lungs hurt from not breathing. She gasped in air. She thought the others did, too.

  Ian didn’t go in immediately but searched for an anchor for the haul rope. Finally raised his hand to signal that he’d found one. Attached it, then signaled Sonny to test the connection. Sonny jumped back in the truck, slowly let out the clutch, and rolled forward. The rope snapped in the air, grew taut, then held.

  Ian signaled the okay, turned his back on them, and after a few breath-held seconds, they watched him go inside.

  The Traders had moved to the front of the crowd and were huddled together. Will Clayton and Tommy stood off from the others. And Lillo hoped for all their sakes that Ian and Bobby made it back and unharmed.

  An eon passed with no one talking. Eyes fixed on the seemingly deserted lighthouse. Unexpectedly, a gust of wind would whip through, ruffling them like stalks of grass. At other times, a whisper would rise and die on the wind.

  And they waited. Jess, Allie, and Diana had moved toward Lillo as they watched the rescue. Now they moved closer together, focused on the empty lighthouse door.<
br />
  “What’s happening?” Jess asked. “Can you see him?”

  And then there was Ian standing in the door, Bobby in his arms.

  Lillo’s breath hitched. They hadn’t considered that Bobby couldn’t make it back across the jetty even with Ian’s help.

  “What’s he doing?” Jess asked.

  “Trying to connect his carabiner to the cable so they won’t be swept into the water.” He was having a hell of a time. He only had one free hand and the wind kept buffeting him, pushing him in one direction, then another. Put him down, Lillo thought. Just for a second. Put him down or you won’t make it.

  “Dammit, man, put him down!” Sonny echoed Lillo’s thoughts out loud.

  Sonny and three of the other men moved onto the jetty, blocking Lillo’s view. They spread out along the base of the rocks to help Ian as soon as he got close enough.

  Lillo moved over, trying to catch a glimpse of Ian and Bobby, but for what seemed an eternity all she could see were the backs of three waiting men. She saw the men surge forward. Someone cried out. Then they stepped back and Ian emerged between them, carrying Bobby, wrapped in the Mylar and clinging to Ian’s neck.

  The Traders surrounded him. Flynn Trader tried to take Bobby, but the boy cried and kicked and clung to Ian.

  “Hey, Bobby, you okay?” someone from the crowd yelled.

  “Bobby? Bobby?” Lou Trader whimpered; she held out her arms.

  Bobby raised his head, looked at the group, then nuzzled into Ian and clung tighter.

  “Bobby!” Flynn said, his voice shaking with emotion. “Go to your mama.”

  “Just give him a minute,” Ian said. “He’s cold and in shock.” He whispered something to Bobby. Sonny got another blanket out of his truck and threw it over the Mylar one.

  The Traders stepped closer to Ian, and for a split second Lillo thought they might fight to take Bobby away from him. Gradually, Ian managed to slip Bobby into Flynn’s arms. The boy fought to get back to Ian, but Ian stepped away, and gradually he calmed and Flynn carried him back to their car.