| |
STUNNED AND BRAIN-SCRAMBLED, Rivers followed Gabby out to the parking lot. This was definitely a roller-coaster moment, and she hadn’t expected the fierce drop so soon. Kevin and Cooper, a few steps behind on the sidewalk, spoke in hushed tones.
Midstride, Gabby stopped and turned. She pointed at Cooper. “You are not resigning. I know you’re not guilty, and it’ll seem like you are if you quit now.”
“She’s right,” Kevin agreed. “The polygraph will back up your statement, and you could voluntarily submit to a drug test.”
Cooper raised his gaze from the ground to Rivers. He seemed to be waiting for her verdict.
She swallowed hard, floundering to figure out what she actually believed to be true. Was she foolish or blind? The man she saw before her wasn’t a drug user anymore nor was he a drug dealer.
Have I been deceived somehow, God?
Only last night, she’d said she wished Cooper’s family could know the man she knew. Now a gentle nudge in her heart told her to trust her own words.
Rivers took a step toward him. “I don’t believe you’re involved with whatever Angelo was doing. You shouldn’t give up your work. It’s too important.”
He didn’t speak, but his eyes widened, as if he couldn’t imagine her still being on his side.
“Why don’t you give Cooper a ride home in the Stinky Bug?” Gabby tapped Rivers on the back. “Kev and I will stay until Daddy can drive us. We’ll see if we can come up with a plan.”
Cooper shook his head, his focus still on Rivers. “You don’t have to. Honestly, if I were you, I’d catch the next flight to Memphis and get away from my trail of misery.”
“You’re not me.” Rivers retrieved the keys from her bag and motioned with her head toward her car. “Come on.”
The hum of the motor and Cooper’s directions claimed the ride back. They both seemed embroiled in their own thoughts. Rivers churned ideas over and over in her mind. How could they make this situation better? There had to be a way to disconnect Angelo’s illegal acts from being tied to Cooper or Re-Claimed.
“Angelo passed his last drug test. And it’s not one he could fake.” Cooper broke the quiet. “Sure, he’d admitted he was still struggling some, but nothing that would add up to this. I mean, the kind of cash it would take to come up with that much heroin—no way Angelo had it. He was a small-time carrier, only did it to be able to afford his own stash. And in less than two weeks, he’d have finished his probation.”
“Maybe the temptation was too much. If someone offered him a lot of money or a lot of...”
“Heroin. You can say the word. I won’t jump out of the car to look for some.” He banged his hand against the dash. “But dang-it, why take my boat? I see why you think of us as ruiners.”
She wished she hadn’t been so honest about her inmost thoughts. “You aren’t that.”
“Anymore, you mean. Because I was. Like Angelo, I took people’s trust and buried it in the Atlantic. Only I was worse. I took my cousin under.”
At a stop sign, Rivers glanced at Cooper. His face contorted with pain. This situation had swept him into a black pit, and she wasn’t sure how to drag him out or even throw him a life ring.
“Don’t give up hope.” She pressed the gas, recognizing the area, at last, and turned toward Re-Claimed rather than the gallery. There was no way she’d let him thrash in this mire alone in that tiny studio. Maybe Davis could help.
Unless he’d been involved.
No. She trusted her instincts about both Davis and Cooper. She’d not been around Angelo as much to have feelings one way or another about him. She pulled to a stop in front of the Re-Claimed houses.
“Why are we here?” Cooper stared out the windshield.
“I may’ve turned off those annoying alarms you set on my phone, but I still need dinner. I thought maybe they’d have some leftovers.” She offered him a smile and touched his arm. “Let’s get some food, find Davis, and sit outside to eat and talk.”
He lowered his head, his eyes pressed shut. “What if I don’t want to?”
“I didn’t ask.” She opened her door. “Let’s go.”
~~~
“IF YOU’D SAID ANGELO’D wrapped himself in tin foil and claimed to be a Martian, I’d have been less shocked.” Davis kneaded his forehead and stomped the concrete. “I mean, I’m bumfuzzled and mad as a wet cat. I’d rip him a new one if he were here. How could he do this to us? To God? I thought I knew the man.”
Cooper understood Davis’s bewilderment and anger. But what really confused him right now was the support Rivers was showing him. How could she still believe in him? Couldn’t she see he wasn’t worth it?
Yet, here she sat on the front porch step of Re-Claimed, eating her dinner of chicken nuggets and trying to figure out how to prove his innocence. Other than Gabby and Kevin, no one had ever believed in him or stood up for him. Honestly, he often didn’t believe in himself. He should’ve seen this coming, seen some clue that Angelo was floundering.
“What about surveillance cameras? Maybe one would show Angelo leaving. If he left with someone else, they might be recognizable.” Rivers pointed toward the security company sign on the front lawn. “There’s one at the gallery, too, right? The video might help figure out at least part of what happened.”
“Yeah, if they haven’t been recorded over. The loop is only so long.” Cooper sighed. “I’ve never had the need to check into it before, but Kevin might know how long they last.”
The sheriff’s car pulled up, and Gabby and Kevin stepped out before it pulled away again. The siblings made a somber trail down the sidewalk.
“This is so frustrating.” Gabby waved both arms in the air. “God, send us some miracles, please, in the name of Jesus.”
“Amen,” Davis answered. “Rivers had an idea. Can y’all find out if there’s anything of interest on the surveillance cameras at the houses and the gallery?”
“Good thinking.” Kevin nodded. “They might have one out at the marina. I’ll call Dad and the security company. See what we can get going.” He squared off in front of Cooper. “We’re going to figure this out. You’re not going down with your ship.”
Another car pulled up front. Shane’s red Audi.
Rivers grunted. “Not him. Not now.”
“What?” Cooper stared at her. “Has he been bothering you?”
“He wanted me to sell everything, and I’ve told him I’m not going to.” She raised one shoulder. “I don’t feel like dealing with him.”
“I’ll deal with him if he causes anyone a lick of trouble tonight.” Gabby straightened her spine, and her hands fisted.
“Shane better watch out.” Davis chuckled. “That’s one scary woman right there.”
Shane made his way down the sidewalk in a quick stride. “Oh, man, I just heard. I can’t believe your boat is gone. I’m so sorry. I know what it meant to you—the patrols.”
“Yeah.” Cooper held in a groan. If only that were the worst of it. Word sure traveled fast in this little community.
“Look, I’m sorry I was a jerk to you and Rivers the other night. I was just caught off guard, and I’m trying to put together this big deal.” Shane pulled a keyring from his pocket and held it toward Cooper. “Take my boat out. I never have time to get on the water. In fact, I’m planning to sell it. You can let me know how she’s running.”
“I’m fine.” Cooper shook his head, ignoring the offering. “You’re boat’s more of a mini-yacht, anyway.”
“Come on. Take her for a run.” Shane smiled, hopeful. “You can let me know if you notice anything that needs fixing.”
Stepping in front of Cooper, Gabby swiped the keys, then turned back to face him. “Let’s do it, Coop. Let’s all take tomorrow afternoon off and hit the waves.”
“I don’t know.” This seemed like the worst possible time to take off on a joy ride. Unless Gabby wanted him off-site for a while. But wouldn’t it look bad for him to be enjoying himself while Re-Claimed was under suspicion?
Rivers put a hand on his shoulder. “You did say we should do something fun.”
“All of you?” Shane’s brows knitted, and his smile disappeared. “My boat’s not that big.”
“Not all the residents.” Gabby’s fist went to her hip. “Me, Kev, Cooper, and Rivers. We need some time away from here.”
“What am I, chopped liver?” Davis snorted.
“Someone has to run the gallery.” Gabby shot him a sarcastic look.
Arms crossed, Davis pretended to pout. “Well, if you’re going to be that way, I could really use a good foot massage when y’all get back.”
Cooper held his tongue. Gabby would get her way, but the timing seemed all wrong.
~~~
“IS THIS RIGHT?” RIVERS looked down at the life vest she’d put on. So bulky feeling, but at least Cooper wore one, as well, since he’d insisted she had to.
“Here, let me snug it a little.” He pulled at the straps, barely glancing at her face. His brows had yet to unfurrow. “Are you sure you want to go out? This was Gabby’s idea, and now she and Kevin are bailing on us.”
“It’ll be good for us to catch some rays and relax.” She tried to sound perky. “Just for a little while. I’m sure she wanted to come, but they couldn’t find anyone to fill in.” Probably because of the announcement about Angelo’s arrest on the ten o’clock news.
“Just a quick ride, and then let’s take the Jeep over to Tybee Island or something.”
“Sounds good.” Taking his cheeks, she forced him to look at her. It was obvious Cooper was nervous, but he needed to do this. “Breathe. I’ll be fine.”
“You better.” He gave her a half-hearted smile. “This is a nice boat.”
“Wonder why he’s selling? Seems like he could squeeze in a ride here and there. Take clients out.” She let go of Cooper’s face and glanced around. The vessel was much larger than Cooper’s. It even had a roof over what he’d called the cockpit.
“Shane’s always been a wheeler-dealer.” Cooper untied the ropes that held them to the dock. “Better sit down now.”
Rivers plopped into the chair next to the captain’s seat. “Jordan didn’t talk about him much.”
“You probably know that Jordan’s grandparents on his dad’s side were divorced, but he may not have mentioned that his grandfather married a much younger woman with a son—Shane. Jordan’s dad had never been close with his stepbrother, but I guess since Shane lived here, they asked him to handle their business after my grandmother died.”
Cooper took his place and cranked the motor. Before long, they’d cleared the marina and canal.
The heavy Atlantic breeze stirred the waves and ruffled the branches of the palm trees on the nearby beach. Rivers ran her fingers across the top of her head. Her hair would probably end up in large goofy spikes by the end of this ride.
Though the shore was still in sight, the farther they traveled, the more the vastness of the ocean made her feel small. The image of being lost to this deep expanse sent a chill scampering across her shoulders. How scary it must have been for Savannah and Cooper that terrible day.
“There’s the lighthouse.” Cooper pointed through the windshield. “We could check it out later. It’s a museum now.”
“I’d like that.”
He slid a glance at her. “You would?”
“You’re not getting rid of me yet.”
“If you’re sure.” His gaze focused forward again.
A whiff of something like oil and burnt tires hit her nose. “Do you smell that? Like something burning?”
Cooper’s head whipped toward the back of the boat. “Oh, God, help us.” He cut the engine and swiped his fingers through his hair. “Rivers, you’re going to have to jump overboard.”
Her gaze followed his to see billowing black smoke rising toward the sky.
“Now, Rivers!” He scrambled up, pulled her to her feet, and pushed her to the nearest side. “Jump!”
“What about you?” Her heart battered her chest at the sight of the water and waves.
“I’ll follow. Go!”
She plunged over the railing into the chilly waves of the Atlantic.
