Dark Waters (The Jeff Resnick Mysteries) (23 page)

I was pretty sure that, despite my previous experience out on Mount Mansfield, I’d never been quite as cold as I was at that very moment. The rain, the wind, and the spray all conspired to kill me — us. When the light evaporated, we’d retreated to the empty cargo area. Even though we sloshed in icy water, it was better than falling into the treacherous river. Da-Marr stood defiantly with his back to me several feet away, his arms clutching his chest. Even in the almost nonexistent light I could see he was shivering just as badly as I was. Shivering was good. It meant that our bodies were still trying to make heat. When we stopped shivering — it was time to worry.

Talking was almost out of the question. We were both hoarse from shouting to be heard over the roar of the river and the falls, and what did we have to talk about, anyway?

My fallback in times of terrible stress had always been reciting the times tables. Two times two, three times three, all the way to twelve times twelve. But instead I dwelled on thoughts of Maggie and her mother-in-law. Would her ex keep his promise and come back to take care of his mother this weekend? If Rich knew about what had happened, would he call her when he didn’t know the outcome, or wait until he had the worst to report? Would she cry for me? Would she be sad for a few days and then carry on? It bothered me that she might get over me a lot faster than she would have if this had happened a year before. In fact, she’d been frantic with worry when I’d faced hypothermia back in Vermont. But a lot had happened since then. We’d only really reconnected in the previous few days after months of awkward attempts.

Moving on to another subject, I worried about Herschel. What would he do without me? Carry on. That’s what he’d done when my father died and I acquired him rather than see him go to a kill shelter. In retrospect, it was one of my better decisions. Maggie was fond of him; I was fairly certain she’d find him a good home, although I would much rather she kept him — if only to remember me by.

You’re not dead yet.

I wasn’t about to think about Betsy Ruth. If so, I was sure I’d lose it and then Da-Marr would be ragging on me and calling me Pussy once again.

Okay, two times two is four. Three times two is six
….

“Hey!” Da-Marr shouted.

I turned to look at him, not that I could see more than just a silhouette.

“I’m frozen down to my soul. Can you really die from being this cold?”

“Yeah.”

“What?”

“Yeah!” I shouted.

“I ain’t hugging no other man, but maybe if we could stand back to back, then at least one part of me would be warmer.”

I shrugged, realized he probably hadn’t seen it, and agreed aloud.

We moved closer until our wet backs touched. He was taller than I was by six or seven inches, so I was more likely to benefit from this new arrangement than he was.

He groused about something, but I wasn’t sure what he’d said.

I turned and shouted in the direction of his left ear. “What?”

He turned his head, too. “I said where’s the damn helicopter?”

“Delayed by weather.”

“Nah, they just don’t care ’cause I’m black.”

“Bullshit. For all they know, it could be me and Bobby here. That is, if they even
know
about him.”

“What do
you
know?” he asked sourly.

“I lot more than you, apparently.”

“Sure. Spoiled little pussy white boy. You had all the advantages. Not like a black kid like me.”

“Excuse me, but from what I understand, you ain’t from da hood. You’re just a middle class kid with a ’tude.”

He ignored my comment and went on. “You had everything handed to you; living in a rich house and all.”

“Like hell. I grew up in the hood.”

“Did not.”

“Did too.”

“No shit?”

“No shit.”

“But what about Richard?” he asked,

“He didn’t even know I existed until I was fourteen.”

“I thought he was your bro.”

“Half-brothers. He didn’t live with our mother.”

“But you went to college,” he asserted.

“Two years, thanks to the GI Bill.”

“Pussy boy like you was in the Army?”

“Worst four years of my life.”

“Then you came home and lived high,” he said with contempt.

“No, then I moved to a shitty, roach-infested, studio apartment in Manhattan, where I lived until I got married.”

“You got no wife now,” Da-Marr sneered.

“No. Thanks to her cocaine habit, she had the top of her head blown off from her supplier when she couldn’t pay.”

It was a long few moments before Da-Marr replied. “That’s tough.” The words weren’t right, but his tone held far more compassion than I thought him capable of. “So then you got mugged,” he said.

“Yeah. A little over eighteen months ago. Ruined my career. I’m grateful Richard was willing to help me out.”

“And now you’re a bartender?”

“Hey, I’m lucky to have that job. I had my head caved in. There’s not a lot I’m qualified to do these days.”

“And the guys who did it looked like me?” he asked.

“Yeah.”

“Sorry, man.”

“That’s okay,” I said, but I wasn’t sure I meant it.

“No, really. I’m sorry. I’m sorry I been messing with you. I figured you were just some asshole. I should have asked more questions. I should have been nicer. That’s the way my mama brought me up.”

Once again, the ghetto slur had disappeared from his voice.

“I accept your apology.”

He was quiet for long few minutes; minutes filled with the roar of the falls, and the icy raging river not more than a couple of feet away.

“I’ve had a lot of time to think these past couple of hours,” Da-Marr said.

“Yeah?”

“And … I’ve got lots more to think about.”

I couldn’t help but smile. “Yeah, me, too.”

After that, we didn’t talk much. What was there to say? The old scow had sat in the Niagara River for almost a hundred years. Chances were it wasn’t going to go anywhere that night, either. And the chances were that if the weather cleared enough there was a good shot we might get rescued.

If we didn’t die of hypothermia first.

Our situation was bad. Worse than when I’d been stranded in Vermont.

It sucked that I’d had to face the same possible end in just over a year.

I was tired of a life that sucked.

Puddles the size of ponds riddled the large expanse of asphalt in the parking lot of Niagara’s Wonders Air Tours. Instead of being filled with the cars of eager tourists, it was filled with police cars from three different jurisdictions, state trooper cruisers, and a couple of ambulances. Outside of the police perimeter, every Buffalo TV station had positioned a van with a satellite uplink, ready to report the daring rescue of the stranded men on the old scow.

The problem was … there didn’t seem to be a rescue at hand.

Sam had never caught up with Richard. Was he out there, too?

“What’s the holdup?” Brenda cried, her voice filled with strain.

Richard couldn’t do anything but shrug. He reached out his hand to her and she grabbed it, holding on far too tight. “Hey, are you okay?”

“No, I’m not. And neither are you or Evie.”

Evelyn had left the car to stand under an umbrella some ten feet away. She kept staring at her shoes and seemed unwilling to commiserate with them. It was obvious she blamed herself for the situation, which was totally ridiculous. Well, maybe she was a little bit responsible, but it was nothing Richard felt he was ever going to speak of.

A Niagara Falls patrol officer approached the Mercedes and Richard hit the button to roll down the window. “I’m sorry to disturb you, Dr. Alpert, but there’s a woman at the perimeter who claims she’s a family member and wants to be let in. A Ms. Maggie Brennan.”

“Of course she’s family,” Brenda cried.

“Yes,” Richard agreed. “She’s family.”

The cop nodded, tipped his hat, and soon disappeared into the gloom beyond the big mercury vapor lights that lit the lot as though it was day.

Richard turned to Brenda for an explanation.

“I called her a while back when you were talking to one of the cops,” she admitted. “Would you have wanted to risk her wrath if I hadn’t?”

He shook his head. “I just didn’t want to worry her.”

Brenda leveled the evil eye on him.

“I’m sorry. And you’re right. She’d never forgive us.”

Seconds later the blue Hyundai pulled up alongside Richard’s car and Maggie got out. Brenda opened the passenger door and practically jumped out of the car, shuffle-hop-running as fast as she could move in her advanced state of pregnancy. Richard got out of the car as the women collided in a fierce hug. By the time he reached them, they were both sobbing hysterically.

“Hey, hey, hey,” he chided, and drew them both into a far more gentle hug; they clung to him like lichen on a brick wall. He looked up to see Evelyn standing apart from them, tears streaming down her own cheeks. He reached out a hand to usher her to join them and was surprised when she hesitantly approached.

“Evie,” he said, again waving her nearer, and then suddenly she’d attached herself to Brenda and they stood there like a pile of gerbils, just hanging onto one another. It was disconcerting and yet somehow comforting to share so much misery.

It was Maggie who finally drew back, wiping her eyes. “Tell me what’s happening.”

“Nothing,” Brenda cried. “And they won’t tell us why.”

“It’s on a need-to-know basis, and obviously the family doesn’t need to know,” Evelyn piped up.

“I’m sorry. We haven’t met,” Maggie said, holding out her hand. “I’m Maggie, Jeff’s girlfriend.”

“How do you do. I’m Evelyn Mason, Da-Marr’s aunt.”

“She’s my sister,” Brenda said acidly, with a sideling glance at Evelyn.

“Yes, that, too,” Evelyn agreed rather sheepishly.

“Why is nothing happening?” Maggie asked, looking at Richard for answers.

He shrugged. “The weather. The availability of a rescue helicopter. Apparently, some sailboat was in trouble on Lake Ontario. They can’t be in two places at once. We’re all getting wet,” he observed. “Let’s go sit in the car where we can stay warm.”

“Da-Marr won’t be warm out on that terrible river in the dark,” Evelyn said.

“No, he won’t, but I can’t take the cold — not right now,” Brenda said, sounding exhausted. “I must sit down.”

“You go right ahead, dear,” Evelyn said, “but if you don’t mind, I want to stay outside, near the command center. Just in case.”

Brenda reached for her sister’s hand. “If that’s what you need to do, then do it.”

Evelyn nodded, and when Brenda leaned close to kiss her cheek, Evelyn allowed it but didn’t reciprocate, standing as stoic as a totem pole once more. The poor woman just didn’t know how to accept love, and for that, Richard felt sorry.

Richard followed Brenda to the passenger side of his car, opened the door, and helped her in, while Maggie piled in the back behind the driver’s seat. No one spoke until he’d resumed his seat behind the wheel.

“Thanks for calling me, Brenda. I want to be here when Jeff gets off that helicopter.”

“If it ever arrives,” Brenda said tartly.

“Jeff and I have been through some rough times. He stuck by me when I didn’t deserve it. I want him to know I’m there for him, too.”

“Will Lily be all right without you?” Richard asked.

“Gary and Brian arrived on the five-thirty flight from Lauderdale. I’m free for the weekend and I intend to spoil Jeff … if he’s okay and up to it,” she amended, with just the trace of a catch in her voice. Her gaze shifted to Brenda. “Have you gotten any vibes in that direction?” she asked almost timidly.

Brenda shook her head. “Not lately, and it’s scaring the hell out of me.”

Richard looked out the window to see Evelyn speaking with a uniformed officer. “I’ll be right back,” he told the women, opened his door, got out, and jogged over to join his sister-in-law.

“Richard!” she called, her voice filled with hope and trepidation. “The helicopter is on its way. It should be here in only a few minutes.”

“Thank God.”

“Once they arrive, a team member will be lowered down to evaluate the situation before making a decision if a rescue can be made tonight,” said Captain Gainer.

“If?” Evelyn repeated, her voice breaking.

“I’m afraid so, ma’am.”

“Thank you, Captain. Please keep us advised,” Richard said.

The officer nodded and turned back to the command center.

Evelyn looked up at Richard, her eyes brimming with tears. “You’re a doctor. Please tell me they can survive the cold until morning.”

“Jeff’s done it before. He knows what to do to keep warm — at least as warm as is possible under the circumstances.”

Evelyn’s frown deepened. “I’m sorry, but I don’t have a lot of faith in your brother.”

Richard straightened to his full height, but spoke kindly. “Then it’s lucky I have enough faith for both of us.”

I was losing it. I’d been chanting twelve times twelve for who knew how long and the answer would not come to me. I couldn’t remember eleven times twelve, either.

I went back to the tens. They were easy.

“What are you mumbling about?” Da-Marr complained. He hadn’t spoken in quite some time. I thought maybe he’d fallen asleep — which could be deadly. Despite the constant noise of the river and the cataract ahead, I was having a hard enough time fighting the urge to lapse into what could be my final slumber.

“We’re gonna die,” Da-Marr said. “Either that or we’re already dead and in hell. My mama told me if I didn’t straighten up, I was going to hell in a hand basket. And what the fuck’s a hand basket?”

“Beats me. Do you know what twelve times twelve is?”

“Are you crazy?”

“No, I just can’t remember. And it’s important,” I told him with conviction.

Oh, man I was losing it. Lost it. It — whatever it was — was gone.

Everybody knows what twelve times twelve is.

Everybody except me.

I could be in serious trouble for this.

“I cannot feel my feet. They are gone. They have fallen off and how will I walk on stumps?” Da-Marr demanded.

“Fake feet. They have them you know. They don’t look like feet, they look like flippers, but you can run with them.”

“I can’t run with real feet, how in hell am I gonna run in flippers?”

“Someone will teach you.”

“I don’t want flippers. I want feet with toes!” Da-Marr yelled.

“You’re getting all pissed off for nothing. If we live, they’d probably amputate our legs from the knee down.”

“What?” he demanded, horrified.

“Well, maybe not. What do I know? Richard’s the doctor — not me.”

“Does he cut people’s feet off?”

“Not as far as I know, but there’s always a first time.”

Holy shit! What was coming out of my mouth?

“Hey, look, there’s a UFO,” Da-Marr said, pointing to the north.

“There’s no such thing.”

“I saw a show on TV that positively proved there are aliens.”

“Oh, and you believe everything you read on the Internet, too, I suppose.”

“Mostly. Why shouldn’t I?”

I opened my mouth to answer, but couldn’t think of a reason why he shouldn’t.

“Damn, that UFO is getting bigger. I think it’s gonna get us. You know what they do to humans they capture?” he asked.

“Eat them?”

“No! Well, maybe that, too. They do experiments on them — like that Nazi guy in Germany.”

“Mengele?”

“Bless you,” he said.

“Where did you learn about that?”

“In school, where do you think?”

“I thought you dropped out.”

“I did. But I got my GED. I’m going to college — but maybe not where Aunt Evelyn wants me to go. I don’t have to do what she says, you know.”

“I never said you did.”

“I’m gonna fix airplane engines. Richard said I could.”

“If he said it, you probably can.”

I watched the UFO get bigger and bigger above us. It began to hover right over us, and then the sky opened up — a burning white light that shared none of its heat.

“Oh, shit — they’re gonna cut us open, rip out our guts, and eat the rest of us,” Da-Marr wailed.

“I don’t think so,” I said, but I wasn’t sure if he could even hear me.

This was my nightmare. This was what I’d feared.

This was the end.

We were going to be sucked into the light.

Forever. Gone.

And then something obscured the light — a black speck that grew bigger and bigger until it hit the back of the scow and bounced back into the air several feet before landing. I squinted up at the figure towering over us. “Gentlemen, I’m Deputy Joe Williams of the Erie County Sheriff’s Office; are you ready to get out of here?”

“You better believe it,” Da-Marr hollered.

“Which of you wants to go first?”

Da-Marr and I looked at one another before answering at the same time, “Take him.”

“How about you first?” Williams said, looking at me.

I looked to Da-Marr, who nodded.

Seconds later, I was hooked into a rescue harness alongside Williams and with a mighty jerk that scrambled my insides, we started our assent.

My nightmare had come to life. The glaring white light obliterated everything. I looked below to the yawning abyss, like the darkness before creation — ebony so dense, no light could penetrate it. No light, no warmth, no love.

The wind, the noise of the falls, the chopper’s engine, nearly deafened me as a treacherous gale blew through my hair, stinging my eyes.

We spiraled higher and higher as the wind worked to suck at my soul. I squinted, desperate to block the piercing light as we spun ’round and ’round — as through gravity held no power over us. The cold air seeped into my sopping shoes and socks like thousands of needles while a powerful winch, and that magnetic light, pulled us ever higher, ever closer. The light was so white, so pure, it burned like a hundred suns.

We came to the end of our ride with a sudden jolt, then other arms pulled us into the cabin. Still blinded, I couldn’t make out my surroundings as I was released from the harness. Someone slapped a pair of earphones over my head that blocked out the worst of the noise.

Williams gave me a thumbs-up before he disappeared out the open side of the chopper.

“Hey, guy — want to tell me your name?” some deputy asked.

“Resnick. Jeff Resnick. The other guy is Da-Marr … God, I don’t even know his last name.”

“That’s okay. You’ve got worried family waiting for you,” he said.

Sweeter words were never spoken.

He spoke to someone up front, who no doubt would relay to the ground who we were.

Family was waiting. And what did that consist of? Richard and Evelyn? Or was it just Evelyn waiting? And what about Brenda? She was supposed to pop that baby at any minute. Surely, she wasn’t with them.

I was supplied with a blanket, and the guy I’d spoken with must have been a paramedic, for he stripped off my shoes and my socks and was examining my feet. I didn’t pay much attention. My gaze kept straying to the hole in the side of the copter and the deputy — who looked out for his comrade who’d fallen like a stone into the inky blackness. And suddenly I realized I was worried about Da-Marr. He’d been freaked by the idea of riding in a helicopter. How scared would he be? He was just a snot-nosed kid. Okay, he was older than I was when I’d left home, but for all his tough talk, he really wasn’t as world-wise as he wanted everyone to think.

The chopper hovered for what seemed like forever, but I wasn’t jostled nearly as much as I thought. The guy at the controls was good — very good. Thank God! After all we’d been through, did we want the chopper to crash into the river and kill us all? But that’s where my head was at. I’d faced death too many times and one of these days, my good luck would run out.

Then suddenly Williams reappeared at the copter’s open door with Da-Marr in harness.

“Hey, you made it,” I said into the microphone just beyond my lips, but of course he didn’t hear me and indicated so by smacking his left ear.

Da-Marr was pulled inside and given a blanket. The cabin door shut and the copter took off with a swoop, banking to the right. Like me, he was given a headset. His eyes were dilated, looking wild, and his first words were, “That was some fine ride!”

I laughed and held out my clenched fist. He clenched his, and we bumped hands. But then his face seemed to crumple. He reached into the pocket of his soaked jacket and pulled out the purple bag with the diamonds. “I figure you know where these need to go. I got no use for them.”

I nodded, and pocketed the diamonds once again.

Then the paramedic between us got serious and started asking way too many questions, assessing our mental states I’d guess. My feet hurt. Bad. Pins and needles. I wasn’t sure if that was good or bad, but it was what it was. If I’d been loopy down on the old scow, I’d regained my senses in no time flat, feeling better — more secure — with every second that passed.

“Hey, we got family waiting for us,” I told Da-Marr.

“Oh, yeah?”

I nodded.

“Who’s that?”

“I have no idea.”

He laughed. “Bet they’ve been shitting themselves.”

“You mean you didn’t?” I asked, straight faced.

His mouth dropped open in horror. God, he was such a kid.

“No, I didn’t.”

“Me, neither.”

“I want something to eat. A couple of burgers. Fries. A pizza.”

“Screw that. I want a bottle of Mr. Jack.”

He laughed.

Only seconds later, the copter seemed to slowly sink and the night blackness eased into a sea of bright lights.

“Can you walk?” the paramedic asked us.

“Hell, yes,” Da-Marr said. He looked at me, his expression sincere. “If you can’t, I’ll carry you.”

“I can walk,” I said, and we both removed our headphones. I shook hands with the crew, thanking them, and then let the deputy help me from the chopper. The rotor wash was incredibly strong, and an ambulance crew instantly descended on us.

“Wait for a wheelchair,” one of the paramedics encouraged, but Da-Marr and I brushed them aside.

I won’t say we walked with dignity across that parking lot — more like we stumbled — but at least we were upright. And up ahead was the sweetest sight I’d ever seen: Richard, Brenda, and even Maggie. They ran toward me and we collided in a tangle of arms and necks and kisses and tears.

“God, I love you guys,” I said, savoring the sensation of six arms encircling me.

“You scared the shit out of us,” Richard admonished in my ear.

“Oh, man — if you think
you
were scared.”

“You’re safe, and that’s all that matters,” Maggie said, and kissed me hard on the lips. Too bad we were standing in a parking lot, because a kiss like that warranted a whole lot more than the situation allowed. I pulled back, and looked Maggie in the eye, felt the tug of our connection back to where it had been a year ago and grabbed her in a fierce hug. “I’ve missed you, babe,” I whispered in her ear.

“Me, too,” she breathed.

We pulled apart and I looked behind me to see Evelyn and Da-Marr walking arm in arm, smiling.

A uniformed paramedic appeared at my side. “Sir, we’d like to check you out, if you’ll step this way.”

“Sorry, guy, but I really don’t need your services,” I said rather smugly, with euphoria or stupidity — I wasn’t sure which.

“Me, neither,” Da-Marr echoed. “But where the hell are my shoes? My feet are gettin’ dirty.”

“Sorry, guys, I’m afraid I
do
need some help,” Brenda said with desperation in her voice.

We all turned to look at her, but her gaze was on Richard. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, but my water broke a couple of hours ago.”

“Oh, Brenda,” Richard chided.

“The baby is on her way — right now!” she cried.

Suddenly the attention turned from us to her and a couple of paramedics swooped to her side, lifting her up by the elbows and carrying her to the nearest ambulance, with Richard running after them.

Dumbstruck, the rest of us followed, clustering around the outside of the ambulance.

The paramedics donned clean latex gloves, ready to help with the delivery, but Brenda shook her head. “No, please, I want my husband to deliver our baby.”

“Are you sure?” Richard asked.

Brenda looked at him with absolute trust. “I’ve never been so sure in my life.”

I looked away as the paramedics removed her underwear.

“Oh, my God,” Maggie breathed next me. “I can see the baby’s head.”

“Maggie!” Brenda cried. “Evie!”

Both women practically jumped into the ambulance, and somehow positioned themselves behind her so that they could each hold one of Brenda’s hands “Oh, shit,” Da-Marr muttered and looked away.

“Push,” Richard demanded.

Brenda wailed; a sound that scorched my soul.

“She’s coming, she’s coming!” Richard cried.

I focused my eyes on Richard’s outstretched hands, poised like a quarterback waiting for the center to snap the ball, but instead, Richard stood ready to catch a much more precious payload.

“Ohmygod, ohmygod,” Brenda wailed, and I could see her fingers clutching both Evelyn’s and Maggie’s hands.

“You can do this, you can do this,” Maggie encouraged.

“Push!” Richard encouraged.

“Oh…my…God!” Brenda screamed.

Suddenly an extremely bloody and slimy baby girl popped into Richard’s waiting hands. A second or two later, the baby began to wail.

The paramedics stepped forward, grabbed the baby, and did whatever it was that newborns needed, while everybody else whooped with joy — including Da-Marr and me.

Brenda was crying. Maggie was crying. Evelyn was crying. It seemed like all of us had tears in our eyes as we listened to little Betsy Ruth scream her tiny lungs out.

A minute or so later, Maggie and Evelyn retreated and Richard took their place as the paramedics laid the tiny, blanket-wrapped girl onto Brenda’s chest.

“Oh my God, look what we’ve done,” Brenda said and kissed the top of the baby’s head.

“She’s beautiful,” Richard said, his voice breaking. “Just like her mom.”

Brenda laughed. “Oh my God, I’m a mom.”

“You sure are,” Maggie echoed.

The paramedics asserted themselves. “We’ve got to take this new mom to the hospital,” they said, shooing the rest of us away.

Just before they closed the ambulance doors, Richard tossed his keys my way.

I caught them, not sure I was up to driving.

Maggie looped her arm around mine and we watched as the ambulance took off.

“Sir, we really need to check you out,” a uniformed paramedic said.

“Don’t give them a hard time,” Maggie chided, and I could see the concern in her eyes.

“I won’t.”

“You, too, Da-Marr,” Evelyn ordered.

“No, ma’am, I won’t.”

But before I let the paramedics lead me away, I handed Evelyn the keys. “You should have these. I have a feeling I’ll be going home with Maggie.”

Evelyn nodded. “Thank you.” She leaned in close and spoke into my ear. “Thank you. I have no doubt that if you hadn’t been there, Da-Marr wouldn’t be here with me right now.”