Adrift: The Complete Novel (5 page)

“Mary, call 9-1-1!”

Chapter 9

Wally busied himself in the bar, picking up trash before sweeping and mopping the floor. He’d left Kelly to close up the night before. Normally she was good about leaving the place spotless. Hell, she was his best employee.

He’d returned in the morning only to find the place as he’d left it, dirty and sticky. After opening the doors to air out the stale smell, he pulled out his phone and called Kelly. It went to voicemail. He tried again. Voicemail.

“Hey, it’s Wally. Just want to see why you didn’t clean up last night. I’ll take care of it for you this time, but let’s not have it happen again.”

He was upset, but he knew the value of a dependable employee. There were a few over the years, Kelly being one of the best.

Wally got back to the task at hand, dumping the last batch of plastic cups in the trashcan before he started on the floors.

+++

“Yes, ma’am. When was the last time you saw her?” asked the police dispatcher.

“I think it was before she went to work yesterday,” said Mrs. Waters.

“Is there anyone she could be staying with? Maybe a boyfriend or girlfriend?”

“Kelly doesn’t have a boyfriend. She comes home from work the same time every night. I’m so worried. What can you do?”

“Technically it hasn’t been twenty-four hours, but I’ll let the chief know. I’m sure he’ll have the patrols start looking.”

+++

The Walton County Sheriff’s Department had cordoned off the beach, lining the perimeter with deputies and vehicles.

“Did you get any ID off of the body?” Sheriff Karl Tasker asked one of his men who’d just inspected the deceased.

“No, sir.”

“What about cause of death? Any clue?”

“No gunshots as far as I could see. The coroner should be here any minute.”

The affluent beach community hadn’t seen a dead body in quite some time. Three local mayors had contacted the sheriff, asking if the cause of death had been determined and whether a suspect was in custody. He’d told them all the same thing, that the matter was still in its infancy, and that he would give them an update when he could.

Word spread quickly, and the crowds showed up before the police could get the body covered. Pictures of the body had already been posted on social media. Karl Tasker, a former beat cop from Detroit, fumed at the thought of having the poor girl’s family see the photos. He wanted to wring the necks of the inconsiderate bastard who’d done it.

Tasker’s phone rang. “Tasker.”

“Karl, it’s Darryl up in Defuniak Springs,” Tasker rolled his eyes. He hated dealing with the chief of the Defuniak Springs police department. The man thought he was God’s gift to law enforcement, when in fact, all he was just a lazy bigot.

“How can I help you, Mr. Knox?”

“Word on the street is that you’ve got a dead body on the beach.”

Tasker waited for the question. None came. “And??”

“Well, it’s still premature, but we got a call a few minutes ago. Seems that we may have a missing person.”

“And you think…”

“Yeah, I know it’s a long shot, but I was wondering if you could tell me if the deceased is a young girl, around twenty years old.”

Tasker froze. “Can you send me a picture?”

“Sure. Want me to text it to you?”

“That would be best. I’m at the scene.”

“I’ll have one of my people send it. You should have it in a minute.”

Two minutes later, the picture came through. It looked like a high school photo. The girl in the image was cute, not pretty. She smiled shyly at the camera, her green eyes squinting slightly.

“Mike, come take a look at this.”

+++

Johnny woke to a splitting headache, sun shining down on his face. He looked around groggily, realizing that he was in the bed of his truck. He could hear cars driving by. Pushing himself up with his arms, he peered out of the truck.
Not Defuniak Springs
.

It looked like 30A, or as tourists called it, SoWal, the beaches of South Walton. As he rose to climb out and drive home, something fell out of his lap. A pink cell phone.

+++

“Knox, it’s Tasker.”

“What’d you find out, sheriff?”

“I’ve got some bad news.”

+++

“Daniel, I’ve gotta run to the store. How about you keep at it? I’ll be back soon.”

I nodded and turned back to the twelve-by-twelve shed we’d framed. Hollie was good with his hands. I was too, just not in traditional ways like carpentry. Still, I enjoyed the labor. It allowed my mind to focus and stay engaged.
I could get used to the farm life
, part of me thought. But I knew it wouldn’t work. There was a timeline to keep. In a few hours, I’d be on my way.

Putting the thought out of my mind, I got back to cutting the lumber to Hollie’s specifications.

+++

“Mornin’, Hollie,” greeted the woman at the grocery store. “Anything I can help you find?”

“No, ma’am. Just pickin’ up some odds and ends. How’s Horace?”

The woman rolled her eyes. “He’s still milkin’ that back injury. Just wish he’d get around to fencin’ my garden. Them deer love my tomatoes.”

Hollie moved along, picking up a plastic shopping basket. “You tell him that I said to get up off his old Air Force rear and get to work.”

The woman chuckled, returning her gaze to the magazine she’d been reading.

He moved up and down the narrow aisles swiftly, thinking about how he could get Daniel to stay. It wasn’t just the help, for which he was grateful, but he liked the young man. He wanted Daniel to have a place to stay, and Hollie wanted to give it to him. It’d been too long since he’d had company. Besides, there was something Daniel wasn’t telling him. It was there, just beneath the surface.

Hollie wouldn’t pry, but he’d known plenty of military vets over the years. He knew the toll they paid. If his new friend was in pain, he wanted to help.

Once everything on his list was packed into the basket, Hollie headed to the register. A customer and two cashiers were all looking up at the TV mounted on the wall outside the manager’s office. News. No one turned as he placed his things on the conveyer belt.

“What’s going on?” The words had just left his lips when a picture flashed up on the screen. It was a photo of Kelly Waters.

Chapter 10

I was almost done with the cutting when Hollie pulled in. He unloaded the three grocery bags wordlessly, and walked into the house to put them away.
Strange. Not even a hello
.

I kept at it until every piece of wood was stacked neatly, waiting for further instruction. Hollie didn’t come out, so I went inside. He was in the kitchen, staring out the window.

“Everything okay, Hollie?”

He almost jumped, turning around to face me. “I’m fine…I…I need to ask you something, Daniel.” The lines in his face seemed deeper, darker.

“Sure.”

“I’ll just come right out and ask…where did you go on your walk this morning?”

I was confused. It was a strange question.

“I took a walk through the fields. Sat down for a while. Waited for the sun to come up.”

Hollie nodded sadly. His demeanor frightened me.

“What’s wrong, Hollie? What am I missing?”

It took him a moment to respond. He looked up, a strange look in his eyes. “Kelly Waters is dead.”

+++

Johnny pulled into the garage, longing for his bed. Hopefully his grandfather was out. He was not in the mood to talk.

Creeping through the house, he sighed as he reached for the knob of his bedroom door.

“Where the hell have you been?” asked Max Laney from down the hall.

“I was out.”

“With whom?”

“Who cares?”

“I care! Now tell me, where were you last night?”

“Come on, granddad, can we talk about this later? I’m beat.”

The elder Laney sneered. “You’ll sleep when I tell you to sleep.”

Johnny exhaled, smelling his stale breath. His bowels rumbled. “I was at Pappy’s.”

Max’s eyes narrowed. “Where did you go after that?”

“I fell asleep.”

“Where?”

“In the back of my truck.”

“At Pappy’s?”

“No, down the road.”

The patriarch searched his grandson’s face, probing for the lie. “Have you seen the news?”

“No, why?”

Max Laney growled, “Come with me.”

Johny reluctantly turned away from his door and followed his grandfather.

+++

BREAKING NEWS

Police have confirmed that the body discovered in Rosemary Beach was that of local resident, and Walton High School graduate, Kelly Waters. Local law enforcement are asking for assistance in finding information pertaining to what is now being called an accidental drowning. If you have information, please contact the Walton County Sheriff’s office at
…

+++

“You wanna tell me you had nothing to do with that?” asked Max Laney.

Johnny’s stomach turned. Images in his mind. “I…I’m not…”

“Dammit, Johnny, this is serious. If you want my help, you need to tell me right now or you’re on your own.”

Sweat broke out on Johnny’s back as patchy memories flooded back. The next thing he knew, he was telling his grandfather everything he could remember.

+++

“What do you mean she’s dead?” I asked, picturing the girl’s face, the way she’d stood up to the cops and Johnny Laney the night before.

“They found her body washed up on the beach this morning. A couple of tourists found her.”

“But, who would…”

“Daniel, you need to tell me everything that happened at the bar last night.”

I lowered my head and told him.

Chapter 11

Max Laney padded over to the kitchen table and picked up his buzzing cell phone.

“Max speaking.”

“Mr. Laney, it’s Darryl Knox. I was wondering if I could talk to you for a minute.”

“Anything for our chief of police.”

Knox paused.

“You still there, chief?”

“Uh, yes, sir. Well, it’s just that it’s sort of a sticky situation, and, well, I don’t wanna come across wrong.”

Laney mouth pursed, but he answered brotherly. “Come on, Darryl, we go back a long way. Why don’t you just come out and say it? I won’t bite.”

Another pause.

“I appreciate that, Mr. Laney.” Laney heard the police chief shift the phone. When his voice came again it was hushed. “I assume you’ve heard about the Waters girl?”

“I have. Damn shame.”

“Well, we’ve begun the investigation, and we had the chance to question a couple witnesses. One of them says that the last person to see her was your grandson.”

“Which one?”

“Johnny, sir.”

“Well that’s quite a charge, son. May I ask who your witness is?”

“It’s still an ongoing investigation, and I can’t talk about the identity of any of our witnesses.”

“I understand that, Darryl, but if you’d like my help, which I’m assuming you do, I’m gonna need a little more than what you’re giving me. The last thing I want to do is call up my lawyer. Is that what I should do?”

Knox was in a tough spot. Sure he was the chief of police in Defuniak Springs, but Max Laney was the de facto benefactor of the community. Knox had played ball with Max’s oldest son, Johnny’s father. It was Max Laney who’d suggested to a young Darryl Knox that he put himself in the running for chief of police, despite his youth. The help of the Laney family name had solidified his promotion against strong opposition and the nomination of a former police chief from Brooklyn.

“Now, I don’t think it’s that bad, Mr. Laney, but I sure would like to talk to Johnny.”

“How about I bring him down to the station and the three of us can have a little chat? Would that help?”

“I’d really appreciate that.”

“Fantastic. We’ll see you later this afternoon.”

Maximillian Laney ended the call and closed his eyes.