Dust and Obey (18 page)

CHAPTER 34

I
gripped my flashlight as I walked outside along the oyster-shell pathway. The night had grown quite brisk, and I shivered as I gulped in a deep breath of frosty air. We’d split into teams to look for Blaine, and somehow Riley and I had convinced Dr. Turner to let us search outside. He’d urged caution but agreed.

My gut churned with anxiety. Where could Blaine be? No one would be able to deny something odd was going on if three things happened at this retreat center.

The silence between Riley and me was downright uncomfortable. I wanted to do whatever it took to avoid it.

“Gabby—” he started.

“This is probably the worst time ever to talk about what happened back there,” I rushed before he could go any further. “I guess I played my role a little too well.”

That’s right. Pretend this is all part of our cover.

I knew he’d never believe it.

“That’s because you were telling the truth,” he said quietly.

I focused on the path ahead. “It doesn’t matter, Riley. That’s all water under the bridge, as the saying goes.” Before I could talk about it any more, I pointed to a maintenance shed in the distance. “There’s a wheelbarrow against the door. I don’t remember seeing it there before.”

He frowned, hesitated a moment. “Let’s check it out. But I’d really like to finish this conversation later.”

I decided not to confirm or deny his request. With any luck, he’d forget about it or we wouldn’t have the opportunity to talk about things. Except luck was rarely on my side.

Right now, I was going to concentrate on Blaine.

We reached the shed and pulled the wheelbarrow from in front of the entrance. When we pulled the door open and shined our flashlights inside, I spotted someone curled in the corner.

It was Blaine.

I crouched beside her. “Are you okay?”

She nodded, obviously frazzled. “I came out here to get a hammer and nails. I’ve been waiting for someone to fix a rickety table in the Therapy Lounge, but I decided to just do it myself. When I stepped inside, someone pushed me and slammed the door. I gave up yelling for help about fifteen minutes ago.”

“Let’s get you inside,” Riley said. “Can you walk?”

She nodded. “Yeah, I can walk. Thank you.”

Despite what she said, Riley and I walked on either side of her until we entered the hall and lowered her onto a bench in the entryway. After I yelled for help, I studied Blaine a moment.

There were cut marks on her arm. How had that happened? Had someone hurt her?

Blaine followed my gaze down to her cuts. She pulled her arms closer, as if trying to disguise her injuries. “It’s nothing. I was just trying to get out. I thought I could prop myself up and get to a high window. I cut myself on the cinder blocks on the way down.”

“Are you okay?” Farrah asked. “Maybe I can put something on those cuts.”

Blaine shook her head, suddenly not looking so composed. “No, I’m fine. Thank you. I think I’ll just go take a shower and get ready for bed. If you’ll excuse me.”

Though she’d insisted she wanted to be alone, I followed her anyway. She stopped outside her door and turned to me. “I know you’re worried, but I’m okay.”

“But first the boat crashed and then this . . .”

She licked her lips. “I’ve thought of that also. You think I’m going to be the next person to get hurt?”

“That appears to be the case. You can’t deny that something suspicious is going on here.”

“As far as the boat, it was my fault. I didn’t know what I was doing. I’m not sure what happened tonight, though. Maybe there’s someone here that resents my position with Dr. Turner.”

“What do you mean?”

She shrugged. “The doctor pays well. I’m his right-hand woman. There are plenty of other people who’d like to do my job.”

“Like Steve?”

She shrugged again. “I’m not naming names. Now, if you’ll excuse me. I really would like a shower.”

Just as she stepped into her room, I called her again. She paused.

“Blaine, I saw you in Onancock a couple of weeks ago. Do you go there often?”

She swallowed hard. “As a matter of fact, I do. My sister has a gift shop there.”

I nodded. Her explanation made sense.

But nothing else on this island did.

CHAPTER 35

Riley
and I stepped outside later that night while everyone else slept. A blustery wind swept against the building, sending sand in our faces.

“Feels like a storm’s brewing,” Riley said, looking toward the horizon.

Just as he said the words, lightning flashed in the distance.

“You got that right.”

“Where should we go to keep a lookout? You have any ideas?

“I want to go down by that rocky shoreline. The boat that keeps coming and going could provide some answers. There’s only one way to find out exactly what’s going on.”

“And if we come face-to-face with a killer?”

I swallowed hard. I hadn’t thought of that. We had no cell phone service so we couldn’t call for help. No one would hear me if I screamed.

“Then we get tough,” I said. “And I have my gun.”

“You have a gun?”

I shrugged. “You’re not the only one who was affected by Scum.”

Scum was the name of the serial killer who’d nearly ended Riley’s life. He’d nearly ended mine as well. The memories were still painful, and they hit me at the oddest times, inducing nightmares that didn’t allow me to sleep.

But not many people knew that. No one could understand.

No one but Riley, and we hadn’t really talked about it. In fact, instead of allowing the incident to draw us closer, it had pushed us further apart.

“I know it was hard on you also, Gabby,” Riley said. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you.”

Well, at least he’d put that out there. His plea for forgiveness left me speechless. I wanted to say, “It’s okay,” but it wasn’t okay. Nothing was okay, and that was becoming more and more obvious the more time we spent together.

“Well, life happens, right?” It was the best I could come up with.

“Don’t try to brush it off.” He grabbed my arm and planted himself firmly in front of me until I looked at him.

My hair, once smooth, now whipped around me in the wind. Lightning cracked the sky, illuminating his face. The sight took my breath away. There was a new intensity to his gaze.

I could have been imagining things, but he seemed to be leaning closer to me. I could feel the pull between us. The tension—it could push us away or draw us together in a heartbeat.

Which direction would this moment go?

“Gabby,” he whispered. His hand brushed my jaw.

I couldn’t let this happen. I couldn’t go down this rabbit hole again. Even if everything in me cried out to get closer, to reminisce old times, to feel connected again.

At that moment, a light in the distance caught the corner of my eye.

“Get down!” I pulled him toward the ground before we were spotted.

We tumbled into the prickly grass beneath us.

“There’s the boat.” I pointed. “We’ve got to get to the stairs and go down to the beach,” I whispered. “It’s the only way we’ll figure this out.”

“I agree. Let’s go.”

Staying low, we made it to the steps. We crept down them until our feet hit the sand at the bottom. We ducked behind one of the large rocks that formed a natural bulkhead and waited as the boat came closer.

I could hear two men talking. I tried to make out what they were saying, but it was nearly impossible with the wind and the approaching storm. Thunder rumbled overhead.

Any minute now, the sky was going to burst.

“Can you understand them?” I asked.

“All I heard was ‘Be quiet.’”

Another odd sound filled the air. It was almost a scraping, a shuffling, but it was filled with occasional loud clinks and plops. It sounded like someone was dropping something into the water and then pulling it back up a few minutes later.

I couldn’t put together what was happening. It just didn’t make sense.

At that moment, I spotted someone else coming down the stairway. The footsteps were loud and heavy, but I couldn’t make out whom they belonged to.

I nudged Riley and nodded toward the figure. We slipped deeper into the shadows. Concealing ourselves could be the difference between life and death right now. I wasn’t sure what exactly we were in the middle of.

As lightning lit the sky again, I recognized the figure rambling across the sand.

Captain Leroy.

Was he involved in all this?

I heard a yell and another loud plop. From my position behind the rocks, it appeared that a man jumped out of the boat and waded through the water toward Captain Leroy.

Was this it? The big moment when we’d finally get some answers?

As I waited to see what would play out, suddenly lights illuminated the area. Over a bullhorn, a deep voice rang out. “This is the Virginia Marine Police. Everyone, put your hands up.”

CHAPTER 36

I
watched as Leroy and the man he was meeting raised their hands in the air.

Two other boats pulled up, and police officers appeared on the shoreline, surrounding the men.

The man in the water—the one from the boat—didn’t even ask why they were there. He just looked resigned and maybe angry, with his hunched shoulders and flared nostrils.

Had the marine police been investigating him for the death of Anna and the attempted death of Ginger? I couldn’t remember exactly, but I thought they primarily checked fishing licenses and boating permits.

“You’re under arrest for the illegal poaching of oysters from the Chesapeake,” the officer said through the bullhorn.

Again, there was no argument from anyone.

That must mean they were guilty.

Illegal poaching of oysters? What? I didn’t even realize that was a crime, nor that a person could be arrested for doing so.

The men talked while the police examined the boat. I supposed that was the sounds we’d heard. They’d been harvesting oysters.

Who would have thought?

I tried to stay still, but legs were beginning to ache from crouching low. The rocks were uncomfortable and hard beneath me—huge boulders filled with smaller stones and pebbles. Sharp crags dug into my skin.

“Someone else is coming,” Riley whispered, crouching lower beside me.

I glanced at the steps leading to the beach and saw Dr. Turner descend. He wore his infamous cardigan and loafers. His hair, normally neat and in place, flew like a kite in the wind.
Mr. Rogers Guest Stars on
Cops
.

“What’s going on down here?” he asked. “Leroy? Are you involved in this?”

Leroy didn’t say anything. He just looked the other way.

At that moment, I tried to readjust my position before I fell over. But my plan backfired. I lost my balance and fell backward. My hand hit a rock, which sent several stones cascading downward. It wasn’t my best moment.

“Is there someone back there?” a voice called out.

I froze when I realized the light was pointed at me.

With a frown, I rose to my feet, my hands in the air. Riley followed suit.

“Gabby? Riley?” Dr. Turner asked. Disappointment saturated his voice.

We stepped out, trying not to make things worse.

“What are you doing out here?” he continued. Then realization dawned across his features. “Sleepwalking.”

“She appears lucid now,” an officer said.

“We were kind of stuck down here once all this happened,” Riley said. “We were scared, so we hid.”

“You two certainly have a knack for being in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Dr. Turner said. “Why do I have a feeling there’s more to this story?”

I started to object when Riley cut in. “We do. It’s Gabby, actually. She’s a little on the nosy side.”

“I can see how this would affect your marriage, but we’ll have to save that for another conversation,” Dr. Turner said.

I waited for Riley to deny it, but he didn’t. Not that we were really married. But, really?

I didn’t have time to think about it at the moment. One angry-looking marine officer was waiting to hear our explanation as well.

***

Dr. Turner had asked to meet with Riley and me the next morning. This was after a short church service in the “chapel” at the lodge. We hadn’t had one last week after what had happened with Ginger. Everyone was too weary after being awake all night talking to the police. Dr. Turner presided over today’s Sunday morning gathering, after informing us that he was also an ordained minister.

We stayed behind, and I fully expected to receive a lecture. I was tense all over as I waited for him to begin. Riley and I sat on an uncomfortable pew that was covered in burgundy. Dr. Turner sat in front of us.

Mr. Rogers Goes to Church.

For a moment, I felt like we were two high schoolers who’d been caught making out under the bleachers. Only we hadn’t been making out. Or around any bleachers.

“First, I thought I’d give you an update,” Dr. Turner started. “Apparently, some fishermen Leroy knew had been paying him a percentage of their profits in return for his silence. Those watermen knew that the oysters being cultivated on the shores of this island were protected.”

“Protected?” I clarified.

“The oyster population in the bay had been steeply declining in recent years. Watermen can only harvest a certain amount of oysters at certain times of the year. These men knew exactly what they were doing. They were making thousands of dollars from their crimes.”

“That’s horrible,” I said. Sierra would have a field day with this. The animal lover would fight to the death to protect any living creature from being mistreated. Even oysters.

Dr. Turner nodded, his head looking heavy as it moved up and down. “I agree. Leroy admitted that he was suspicious you were on to him. He said you were constantly in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“I see.” I touched my throat.

“He said something about a confrontation he had with you last night?”

I nodded, realizing he had been the one who threatened me in my room last night. I must have tipped him off and made him nervous when I informed him about the boats I’d seen at night on the water. “Someone told me to go home. It was dark. I couldn’t see his face.”

“I apologize that happened to you on this island. He was obviously getting desperate. He would like to fully retire, but he just hasn’t had the money. He took the easy way out.”

My heart softened toward the man. He must have been the person I’d seen outside that first night I was here. He’d been working with the poachers even then. “I see.”

Dr. Turner let out a sigh. “I worry about the things happening here. I want to heal, not harm. I’m afraid I’m failing.”

“I can see a difference in the couples here, Dr. Turner,” I told him. “Don’t lose hope. Not yet.”

“I appreciate your kind words. I hope you’re including yourself and Riley in that equation.”

“Will you fire Leroy?”

“I believe in second chances, Gabby. I hope with some help and counseling that he’ll be able to turn from his ways.”

“That’s generous of you.”

“People have been generous to me in the past. I try to pass that along to others.” Dr. Turner paused for long enough to lean closer. “You want to know why I started doing this? I started as a psychotherapist, but I decided to specialize in marriage counseling. My own wife was killed by a hit-and-run driver. We had a beautiful marriage, and I want the same for other people.”

“I’m so sorry to hear about what happened,” I told him.

“I think I’m really beginning to see what the root of your problems are,” he continued. “It’s your nosiness, Gabby.”

My jaw literally seemed to come unhinged. “What was that?”

“Nosiness can lead to a multitude of sins.”

“Oh, so this is all about me? The disintegration of our relationship has nothing to do with him?” Outrage lined my voice, and I didn’t even try to hide it. It took all of my willpower not to charge out of the pew and throttle someone.

“Men like to feel that they’re first priority,” Dr. Turner explained.

“He was first priority! He always has been.”

Dr. Turner didn’t look convinced. “Riley, what do you say to that?”

He swallowed hard, a surprising seriousness in his gaze. “There have been times when I wonder if I can even compete with your curiosity.”

My mouth dropped open again. Could this get any more absurd? “What?”

“Let him talk, Gabby,” Dr. Turner encouraged.

Riley nodded. “I mean, I think that’s your first love.”

“Nosiness?” Dr. Turner asked, his eyes crinkling.

Riley nodded. “Getting in other people’s business. Injecting yourself into situations uninvited. Having no concern for your own safety.”

I stood this time, unable to resist the impulse. “I knew it! You don’t support me, and you never have! That’s what this all boils down to, isn’t it?”

“Calm down, Gabby,” Dr. Turner instructed, lowering his hand toward the ground like he was performing a magic trick.

I wouldn’t be that easily manipulated.

“It’s not like you’re nosy for a living, but I can understand what you’re saying,” Dr. Turner said. “You don’t feel like he supports who you are. Is that correct?”

I stared at Riley, my gaze no doubt sending daggers into him. With that message clearly communicated, I sat back down, feeling much colder now than I did before.

“Exactly. I’m not nosy for a living. That’s a ridiculous thought.” I cleared my throat. “I suppose I just embarrass him when I’m a little too pushy sometimes.”

“You could never embarrass me, Gabby.” He said the words softly, gently.

“Then what is it?” I asked, my voice still edgy.

“In the past, I guess I just never felt like we were partners, you know? I felt like you got in trouble, and I tried to get you out of trouble.”

“Many couples experience that,” Dr. Turner said. “It’s how you handle stress that makes the difference.”

“I never meant to be a nuisance,” I told him. “And, believe me, my entire life I’ve felt like I’ve encountered people who don’t accept me as I am.”

“Having people accept you for who you are doesn’t mean that you close the door to change and growth,” Dr. Turner said.

“I guess what I’m trying to say is that I’m different now, Gabby. So are you.” Riley sounded so sincere, so intense. But there was an underlying message he was trying to get across. I just wasn’t sure what. Or I didn’t want to know.

“What would you like to see from Gabby, Riley?”

“I love her spirit,” he started, leaning toward me casually. “I want her to keep being who she is. I think I just needed a wake-up call to get me away from all these expectations that people have put on me for my entire life. I’ve always been taught to fit a mold, but I feel like my purpose has changed.”

“The person you married is rarely the person you eventually are married to,” Dr. Turner said. “We all change. It’s a part of life. You just have to learn to grow together. It’s important that we don’t look to someone else when we realize the gravity of those changes. Your curiosity hasn’t led you to anyone else, has it, Gabby?”

I blinked, stunned at his questions. “You mean, have I cheated?”

“Well, yes, I suppose that is what I’m asking.”

“No, I haven’t cheated.” But as soon as the words left my mouth, I thought about Garrett.

But Riley and I had broken up. So going out with Garrett wasn’t cheating. I had nothing to feel guilty about.

“Riley, your gaze is telling a different story,” Dr. Turner said. “You feel like she has been unfaithful.”

“Maybe deep down inside I thought our relationship meant more to her,” he said quietly.

I flexed my jaw trying to keep my emotions at bay. It wasn’t working well, though. My emotions raged inside me with hurricane-force winds. “That’s not fair.”

“I thought I just wanted you to be happy. But maybe the truth is that I’m selfish, and I can’t imagine my future with anyone but you.”

“How about you, Gabby? What would you like to see from Riley?”

I stared at Riley, my words gone. Had he been acting earlier? Or was he speaking the truth?

My head spun while my heart squeezed and released. Squeezed and released. Squeezed and released.

“Gabby?” Dr. Turner continued.

I pulled my gaze away from Riley, trying to come back to reality. “Commitment. That’s what I want. Our relationship has an ebb and flow that hasn’t always been healthy. We had—have issues. It’s time to face the truth.”

“I agree,” Riley said.

“Great. You both agree on something,” Dr. Turner said. “I think we’ve gotten a good start here, Riley and Gabby. I’d like to talk about this again more next weekend, and I have some very specific homework for the two of you this week. I want you two to write down everything you love above the other person. Can you do that?”

Begrudgingly, I nodded. “Of course.”

“Yes,” Riley said.

“Wonderful. Now, we have one more session until it’s time to leave for the weekend. I have a new captain coming to take you back to the mainland.”

Captain Leroy might be gone. But there was still a killer out there.