[Shelby Alexander 04.0] Serenity Submerged

by Craig A. Hart

  “Thanks,” Shelby said. “And smart move, having a second weapon.”

  “I always carry a spare. Don’t you?”

  Shelby walked over to check on Fritz. “Hold on, buddy. We’re going to get you help.”

  “Too bad she killed him,” Fritz said. “You don’t see those—kinds of fights outside of, what you say, pay-per-view.”

  “Save the banter. You need to conserve your strength.”

  “Just a couple things, in case I don’t make it.”

  “Make it quick. We need to get you out of here.”

  “The money. The body.”

  “What about them?”

  “They’re—in the lake. In the center—directly out from that old pier where you—like to fish. It’s all there. The money. The evidence. I want to—make a clean slate of it.”

  “You have plenty of time,” Shelby said. “Before long, you’ll be able to take care of it yourself. What’s the other thing?”

  “I’m sorry I wasn’t completely, what you say, honest with you. I never meant to put you in danger. I only—”

  “Forget it, Fritz. Just take it easy and we’ll—”

  Another gunshot sounded and Shelby jerked back as droplets of blood freckled his face. He looked down at his friend, at the round hole in his forehead. Then back and up at Ward, who stood a few feet away, the little revolver still in her hand. Shelby began to get up, but Ward waved the gun at him.

  “Stay right there.”

  “Ward—what the—?”

  “Did you really think I was here out of love? It’s all about the money, Shelby. Someone in your line of work should know that by now.”

  “You disappoint me,” Shelby said. “I thought perhaps true love was alive after all.”

  “Not between James and me. I almost lost my life when he left me high and dry. Everybody thought I had something to do with it.”

  “But you didn’t.”

  “Of course, not. I was as much a victim as anyone else.”

  “Then how did you find him? I imagine it would have been difficult for a person working alone.”

  “I wasn’t alone.”

  “Who else?”

  “The organization from Detroit, where James first got the money, has connections with the one in California. They contacted the bosses and asked if there was any information we would share. I was questioned.”

  “But you didn’t know anything.”

  “James and I were close once. Close enough to share our hopes and dreams. I used to lie awake at night and wonder where he was. Then I remembered a brief conversation we once had. It was after sex and we were lying naked in bed, enjoying what used to be the obligatory post-coital cigarette. We started talking about the future and he asked if I could retire anywhere in the world, where would that be. I told him the Swiss Alps and got so engrossed in imagining it, I barely heard his response. But you can probably guess what it was.”

  “A quiet place by a lake.”

  “Exactly. He didn’t specifically mention a campground, but it was a start. He always enjoyed camping and had a love for the great northern woods.”

  “And you passed all this along.”

  “In exchange for one thing. I wanted to be informed once they’d found him. I wanted to be there. And they did. I got a call saying they had a solid lead and were closing in. I decided to beat them to it. My life in California was going nowhere. I’d been practically an outcast for years. Not exactly shunned, but kept from the inner circle. That’s a lonely position to be in. No one wants to get close to you for fear of being sucked into the web of suspicion surrounding you.”

  “And after you get the money?”

  “Two million will take me anywhere I want to go.”

  “But it won’t keep you there. Two million doesn’t go as far as it used to, not the way I suspect you’re planning to live.”

  “I can take care of myself. I only need seed money.”

  “And what do you plan to do with us?”

  Ward shrugged and raised her pistol. “I’ll have to kill you, of course. You can’t be allowed to live. You know far too much. And now that James shared the information, I don’t need you anymore.”

  A blast of emergency sirens split the air and a voice boomed from a megaphone.

  “Drop your weapons and get on the ground! Everyone, on the ground!”

  Mack and Shelby hit the dirt, but Ward shoved the gun into her waistband and ran for the Jeep. The police vehicles were closing fast. Shelby watched as Ward disappeared around the first bend. He heard the Jeep’s engine crank and cursed himself for leaving the keys in the ignition. Tires spun dirt and then the sound of the engine faded away.

  24

  The night reminded Shelby of the massasauga adventure, when he’d seen Ward for the second time. And now he was back, facing the real possibility of seeing her again. They sat on an old pier jutting into the lake. Shelby had spent many hours fishing this place, and guarded the secret with his life. He couldn’t profess to be looking forward to tonight’s outing, however. Although wearing a wetsuit, it would still be a chilly swim. Tourists from warmer climes were often surprised by the relatively cold temperatures of northern lakes. Cold water wreaked havoc on a swimmer’s stamina and many found their endurance seriously curtailed as compared with swimming in the warmer waters off Texas and Florida.

  “You really think she’s going to show up tonight?” Mack whispered.

  “She will if she wants any chance at the money. Besides, she probably thinks we’re still in police custody. And we would be, if not for your judge friend.”

  Mack shrugged. “Being an ex-cop does have its advantages. Finding out about Wilkes and the senator helped a lot, since it destroyed the sheriff’s credibility. We haven’t heard the last of this, but at least we’re free to walk around. It’ll get sorted out in time.”

  Shelby waited, keeping one ear tuned to any unusual sound. And then he heard it, the low rumble of the Jeep’s engine. He’d recognize it anywhere.

  “She’s coming,” he said, motioning to Mack. “Help me with the rest of gear.”

  Once completely suited and ready to go, Shelby perched on the edge of the pier. Headlights appeared on the far side of the lake.

  “Interesting approach,” Shelby said. “She’s being more cautious than I expected.”

  Mack raised a pair of infrared binoculars hanging around his neck. “It’s her all right. And your Jeep. Only now there’s a boat attached.”

  “I guess she’s not that cautious. The reason I didn’t bring a boat was to avoid the noise.”

  “Small engine. Although the sound will carry over this still water.”

  “Either way, if she has a boat, I’d better get a head start. I’d prefer to get to the site first.”

  Shelby dropped off the edge of the pier, disappeared, and then resurfaced. He gave Mack a thumb up, adjusted his breathing apparatus, and slipped beneath the surface once again.

  It was all blackness underneath the water. The lack of definite reference points was unsettling, and Shelby found himself struggling against a growing sense of disorientation. He surfaced every few yards to make sure he was on the right track. He would have preferred to stay up the entire swim but couldn’t risk the sound of splashing or the reflection of the moon off his wake.

  He was almost to the center of the lake when he heard the rapid putt-putt-putt staccato of the boat motor. He dove straight down and flipped on his diving light, taking care to keep it pointed away from the surface. The light revealed a surreal world. Night diving was unlike daytime diving in many ways. The most striking was the difference in color. Diving with only the sun for illumination was certainly easier and safer, but the water absorbed much of the sunlight, which robbed the underwater scene of much color. When diving at night, visibility was so limited that anything seen was illuminated by a nearby light source, protecting the spectrum. A fish swam by, a granddaddy walleye. Shelby longed for his fishing gear, thinking, A lead head j
ig topped off with a minnow, and you’d be mine, sucker.

  He swam down farther, and suddenly, the bottom rushed up to meet him. His gloved hands sank into the lake bed, sending up twin plumes of silt and muck. He immediately began searching in a grid pattern. He turned at right angles, scanning the lake bottom as he swam.

  A flash of something caught his eye and he moved toward it. He moved the light again, and this time the flash was nearer and more distinct.

  It was the case.

  Shelby surged toward it and reached for the handle. Then his hand jerked back impulsively. Half-buried in the sand of the lake bottom, not two feet away, was a human skull. It seemed to be grinning, while the empty eye sockets stared out at him, blank yet knowing, as if it had secrets not worth keeping. Part of a bony hand and a few ribs stuck from the grit. A fish nibbled at one rib, as if remembering a delicious meal.

  Recovered from the initial shock, Shelby reached forward again and grabbed the handle. He pulled the case free and wheeled toward shore.

  Something sliced through the water past his head. He twisted to follow its progress, and saw a metal bolt drive deep into the lake bed. He pivoted in the water and saw a dark form swimming overhead, moving fast—Ward. She held something in her hand and Shelby didn’t have to be a genius to know it was a speargun. Ward faded into the darkness—she’d taken cover to reload.

  Shelby flipped off his diving light. He hadn’t seen one on Ward, so she must have been navigating by his light. There was no reason to make things easy for her, not to mention providing her a clear target. Once the light went off, Shelby plunged into utter darkness. The moon was bright, but he was too deep to get any benefit from it. He turned toward shore and began swimming, using smooth, easy movements. “Faster, faster!” his body shouted, but he wanted to make as little disturbance in the water as possible. He was unarmed out here, and had one hand occupied with the case. That damn case. If it had been only money, Shelby would have let it drop back to the bottom. But Fritz deserved justice.

  Some instinct, a prickle on the back of his neck, made him roll over to look in the rear. And there, not ten feet away, swam Ward. She churned the water with her legs and aimed the speargun directly at Shelby’s facemask. Shelby swung the case upward as Ward pulled the trigger, and he felt the dull thunk as the bolt punctured the side of the metal case. Ward pulled the speargun back, placing it on her chest to begin reloading. Shelby thrust himself forward with powerful strokes, knowing if he gave her time to reload at this range, it would be curtains. He reached out with his free hand, grabbing the speargun and tearing it from her grasp.

  Ward attacked, grasping for his facemask. Shelby twisted his head away and tried to maneuver to the rear. But Ward was a proficient swimmer and she rotated, keeping Shelby in front and at arm’s length.

  They grappled in the water, each struggling to get the upper hand. Shelby kicked his legs, taking the fight higher and higher. He had the knife strapped to his leg, but didn’t want to use it. He cringed at the idea of killing a woman. Could he plunge a blade into Ward’s body? He wasn’t sure and had no desire to find out.

  All at once, they broke the surface. His arms free of the water, Shelby’s strength advantage was more pronounced. He reached down, unsheathed the knife, and sliced through Ward’s air hose.

  “You bastard!”

  Ward struggled to free herself, but Shelby pushed her underwater. After a minute, he let her up. She came up gasping and furious.

  “I’ll split the money with you! Without the evidence in that case, they won’t be able to prove anything!”

  Shelby’s own breathing was labored. “Bribery? Surely you can do better. Now stop struggling or you’re going under again. You ought to be grateful I don’t simply drown you after what you did. Fritz was a friend of mine. Flawed, but a good friend.”

  “Go to hell,” Ward hissed. “All of you. Stupid rednecks in your shitty town.”

  Shelby smiled. “If we’re that stupid, what does that say about you? Now let’s go. It’s cold out here.”

  25

  Shelby sat in his Jeep in front of Carly’s house. Inside, he was a mass of nerves and conflicting emotions. He felt as he had all those years ago when he was about to ask Lara Garrett to prom. Only this time, it was less fear of humiliation and more fear of loss. He gathered his nerve and opened the vehicle door with a firm, decisive movement. There was no turning back now.

  He walked up to the front door and knocked. He waited, heard movement inside, and the lock clicked. The door opened and Carly stood there, her hair in disarray, and one hand full of fabric.

  “Shelby! I didn’t know you were coming over.”

  “Sorry, I thought I’d stop by on my way to Traverse City to speak with investigators there. They have some questions about the latest Serenity shit storm.”

  “It’s been an exciting time for you lately, hasn’t it?”

  “Just a bit, yes.”

  “I heard about your friend. I’m sorry.”

  “It was a rough time. For him, most of all.”

  “Are you all right?”

  Shelby shrugged. “I will be.”

  “I’m sorry I haven’t been as available lately,” Carly said. She started to say more, but Shelby shook his head.

  “You don’t have to explain. I intentionally kept you out of the loop. You needed to focus on yourself.” He cleared his throat and reached into his shirt pocket. “And that brings me to this.”

  Carly looked at him quizzically. “Shelby, what is it? You’re acting weird.”

  Shelby pulled a folded piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to her. “It’s this. I want you to have it.”

  Carly took the paper and opened it. Her eyes widened. “Oh, Shel. I can’t take this.”

  “You can and you will.”

  “It’s too much.”

  “In reality, it’s not enough. But it should help you get settled and get your bearings in New York before you have to start making up the difference yourself.”

  Carly’s eyes filled with tears. Shelby was surprised by how much this shocked him; Carly wasn’t the crying kind. Faced with this brand of emotion from her, Shelby’s resolve momentarily weakened. He swallowed hard and gripped her hand, pressing the check into her palm.

  “Take it. And set the world of fashion on fire, okay?”

  Carly nodded, her cheeks wet. “Thank you, Shelby.”

  Shelby leaned down and kissed her.