Authors: Colleen Rhoads
“Why would he keep this from you?” Wynne’s voice was tentative, as though she were afraid of the answer.
Simon folded the paper and put it in his pocket. “I think I’ll ask him.” Anger overshadowed the trepidation he felt. He didn’t want to examine what this meant, didn’t want to feel as betrayed as he did.
“Simon, could this have anything to do with Jerry’s death? Is this the same boat?”
“No, it sounds like it’s something even bigger.”
“Does Brian do all the designs?”
“Yes, all of it.”
“Did you ever notice any jealousy between him and Jerry?”
Simon nodded slowly. “Jerry overshadowed everyone. Every girlfriend Brian had in their teen years, Jerry took eventually.”
Wynne squeezed his hand. “Does he harbor bad feelings against you?”
“I don’t think so. We’ve always been like brothers.” He returned the pressure of her fingers. “Let’s go talk to him. I think we’re jumping to conclusions here.”
“I hope so,” Wynne said, following him to the door.
The boat engine was idling when they stepped back on deck. “Don’t say anything yet,” Simon cautioned Wynne. “Let me think about how to approach him.”
She nodded, but her eyes were shadowed. Simon figured she was already convicting Brian, but he couldn’t believe his cousin would do something like that.
He felt the crackle of the paper in his pocket, and it reminded him that something was amiss. It wasn’t easy to explain away such a huge boat deal. Every time he tried to add it up, he kept coming up with a conclusion he couldn’t bear.
He suddenly realized they were far from shore. Maybe he should wait to confront Brian until there were people around. Just in case he’d had something
to do with the attempts on their lives. He wanted to discount the very notion that his cousin might want to harm him, but the ugly suspicion wouldn’t go away.
“Here we are,” Brian called. He cut the engine and lowered the anchor.
Simon looked at Wynne. If they went down, Brian would be left up here alone. He could leave them or sabotage them in some way. He saw the same fear in her eyes. There was no help for it. He would have to talk to Brian now. Better to do that than to dive and worry about what was happening on the surface.
He stepped closer to his cousin. “Brian, I need to talk to you.”
Brian pushed his hair out of his eyes. “What’s up?” He pointed to the sky. “This good weather isn’t supposed to last. We’d better get down there and see what’s happened.”
“We will. But I have a question first.” Simon pulled the letter from his pocket and opened it. “Can you explain this?”
Brian’s eyes widened when he saw what was in Simon’s hand. “Were you snooping in my office?” He went white, and his mouth was tight.
“Not really. I knocked off a stack of papers. This was in it.” Simon held the paper away when Brian tried to snatch it. “When were you going to tell me about this? Why did you need my money with this kind of sale going through?”
“I needed some new equipment,” Brian said, thrusting out his jaw.
Simon glanced at the letter and saw something he’d missed before. “The date is before Jerry died. Did he know about it?”
Brian put his hand in his pocket and pulled out a tiny pistol. The dark, round hole was small, but Simon knew it was deadly. “I’m sorry, Simon, but it has to be this way.”
“You killed your own brother?” Simon still couldn’t believe it. He glanced at Wynne then moved slightly in front of her to shield her with his body.
“I’d had it,” Brian said bitterly. “Do you have any idea what it was like to live in his shadow? And Rhonda was the last straw. I thought she was the one until Jerry moved in once again. And when I came up with this new boat design, he was crowing about how rich he was going to be. Off
my
work, my designs. I couldn’t take any more.”
“I understand that,” Simon said softly. “Did you try to kill us, too?”
“I didn’t want to.” When Simon shifted, Brian moved the gun so it was aimed at Wynne. “Don’t try anything, Simon, or I’ll have to shoot your pretty girlfriend.”
Simon froze. “Put the gun down, Brian, and we can talk about this.”
“Too late for talk.” He smiled but there was no mirth in his face.
“We’re no threat to you,” Simon said, holding his hands out with the palms up.
“With you gone, the entire business is mine. I won’t
have to live in anyone’s shadow ever again.” Brian’s face hardened. “No more talk. It’s time for you both to go diving.”
“I’
m not going in,” Wynne said. She crossed her arms over her chest. “You’re going to have to shoot me.”
“I can do that,” Brian warned.
“If you do, it will clearly be murder. You don’t want that. That’s why you’ve tried to dispose of us with accidents. The sheriff will know where to look if we turn up with bullet holes in our heads.”
“You won’t turn up.” Brian smirked and his eyes were hard. “All I have to do is weight your bodies and dispose of you someplace where you’ll never be found.”
“But we
might
be found. Superior is capricious. A storm could toss up our bodies when you least expect it, just like it did with Jerry and Amanda.”
Brian hesitated. “Maybe. But I’ll do what I have to. Now get in the water.”
He shot over Wynne’s head, and it ruffled her hair as it passed. She flinched and took a step back.
“He’s serious,” Simon said.
“Move,” Brian commanded. “Into the water, or the next shot goes through your forehead.”
Wynne bit her lip. They had their dry suits on so the cold wouldn’t kill them right away. They’d last a couple of hours until they’d need to warm up. She began to pray as she adjusted her mask and mouthpiece. Maybe they could make a determined effort to swim to safety.
“No. Take off the suit,” Brian said.
“It won’t look natural,” Simon pointed out. “The sheriff will know we wouldn’t go diving without our suits.”
“I’ll tell him we forgot them. He’ll buy it since we lost the boat and equipment. Take them off.” His voice was inflexible.
There went that idea. Wynne peeled her suit off. At least they had their oxygen. But it wouldn’t do them much good if hypothermia got them. She went into the water, and Simon joined her. The cold immediately tightened her muscles.
Brian leaned on the railing but kept the gun trained on them. “Hypothermia is a great way to go.” His tone was conversational. “It’s fast and efficient.”
Wynne glared at him. “Before we die, I’m going to go down and see the site one last time. I want to see if the storm buried it again.” She didn’t dare just dive without telling him what she was doing. She didn’t want him to shoot at her or Simon.
Brian shrugged. “Suit yourself. The cold will just
take you faster. It’s colder the farther down you go. But Simon stays here. If you don’t come up in fifteen minutes, I shoot him.”
Wynne had an idea. She glanced at Simon, adjusted her mouthpiece and dove. She kicked hard, willing her muscles to stay warm and limber. Angling her body for maximum velocity, she swam to the bottom of the lake.
The cold pierced her skin like tiny darts. She needed some kind of weapon. Her fingers were quickly turning numb, but she scrabbled through the muck at the bottom of the lake in search of something she could use. There was nothing. The storm had buried much of what they’d excavated.
Her fingers closed on a rock. She had a pretty good arm. The rock was nearly perfectly round, like a baseball. She’d have only one shot. Tucking it in the back of her swimsuit, she swam back to the surface.
Her head broke the water, and she spit her mouthpiece out. “It’s all gone,” she said. “The storm buried it again.”
“Too bad you won’t have an opportunity to dig it up again.” Brian gestured with the gun. “Show me your hands.”
Glad she’d assumed he’d ask, she held up both palms. “What did you think I had? No spearguns down there.”
Brian laughed. “I like you, Wynne. I’m sorry you have to die.”
“I wish I could say the same about you,” she retorted.
His smile died. “If you’d had to live like I did all my life, you’d understand.”
“Revenge is never worth it,” Wynne said. “You have to answer for yourself before God.”
“I’m not in the mood for a sermon,” he said sharply. He glanced at his watch. “Getting warm yet?”
“Not so you’d notice.” Wynne’s teeth began to chatter. She glanced at Simon. He moved closer and put his arm around her waist.
“I don’t think so.” Brian wagged the gun at them. “No sense in dragging out the torture. You’ll get cold quicker apart. You move over that way, Simon.”
“No.” Simon said, pulling Wynne closer. “If we’re going to die, the least you can do is let us go together. Wynne agreed to marry me.”
“I figured it was just a matter of time.” Brian’s eyes narrowed. “Maybe it will be my turn with everyone out of the way. I’ve seen the way women fawn over men with money. I’ll be wealthy beyond my wildest dreams. I will be able to have my pick of women.”
“Money doesn’t solve all your problems,” Simon said.
His lips were blue, and Wynne could feel him shivering. She reached behind her and dug out the rock she’d picked up. She grabbed his hand that was on her waist under the water and guided it to the rock so he could see what she had planned. He went rigid and looked at her from the corner of his eye.
“Maybe not, but I’m going to find out.” Brian smiled.
Simon let go of her waist and began to move toward the boat. Wynne followed.
“What are you doing?” Brian called out shrilly.
“We’re coming aboard. We’re not going to just wait and let the water kill us.” Simon reached the ladder and grasped it.
Wynne tensed, her fingers tightening on the rock. She’d reached the bow of the boat and grabbed hold to brace herself against it. Praying for God to guide her aim in spite of the numbness in her fingers, she tensed and got ready.
Brian leaned over the railing and aimed the gun at Simon. “Get back or I’ll shoot.”
With Brian’s attention on Simon, she had a clear shot.
Help me, God
. She steadied herself with her left hand and aimed with her right. The rock left her fingers and sailed through the air. It struck Brian squarely on the wrist. The gun flew out of his hand and into the water.
He shouted and reached after it, nearly toppling into the water with the gun. Simon lumbered up the ladder, his movements slow from the onset of hypothermia. Brian rushed forward to grapple with him.
Wynne could barely feel her fingers, but she reached up and grasped the railing. She didn’t think there was any way she could haul herself up from the water in her weakened state, but she had to help Simon or they were both dead.
She dug her toes into the hull of the boat. Her feet slipped off, but she tried again, seeking a small inden
tation she could wedge her toes into. Grunting and pulling, she finally managed to tug herself onto the deck. She stood outside the railing. Now all she had to do was swing her body over into the boat.
She teetered on the edge, almost too weary to make a move. Grunts and curses emanated from Brian as he struggled to toss Simon back into the water. Wynne sucked in a breath and watched the deadly confrontation for a moment. She could see Simon was barely hanging on. She had to do something.
With the last ounce of her strength, she clambered over the railing and at last stood swaying on the deck. She looked around wildly for a weapon. The sieves! She rushed forward and grabbed up the heavy metal sieve. It was all she could do to raise it over her head.
Shrieking, she tottered forward and brought it crashing down on Brian’s head. He went down like a pile of rune stones. Wynne grabbed Simon’s hand, and he fell forward onto the deck. She knelt and rolled him over.
“My girl, the Valkyrie,” he said. He stood and pulled her into an embrace. “You sounded like a Norse warrior when you yelled. It was enough to curdle my blood.” He prodded Brian with his foot. “He’s out cold.”
“Thank the Lord,” Wynne said, drawing in a deep breath. The tension began to ease from her shoulders, but she was still shaking, both from reaction and from the cold.
“I’ll call the Coast Guard.” He headed toward the ship-to-shore phone.
Wynne went to the cabinets and dragged out some blankets. She put one around herself and draped one over Simon’s shoulders. He shot her a grateful smile.
Wynne could hardly believe it was over. She glanced to where Brian still lay on the deck. Such a sweet exterior hiding such a black soul. He had so much potential, too. Such a brilliant designer, and he threw away his bright future for money.
But hadn’t she been teetering on doing that very thing? Oh, not for money, but for fame in her field. She’d been stressing about contracts and her career, when the really important things in life were relationships and people. Instead of asking what God would have her do, she’d been trying to figure it out on her own, as if it all depended on her, when in reality, God was the designer of her life.
Simon put down the phone. “The Coast Guard is on its way.” He slipped his arm around her shoulders. “You okay?”
“I’m fine. Starting to warm up.”
“Me, too. But remind me to let you teach our kids how to throw. You nailed that gun dead-on.”
She laughed. “We make a team that is pretty hard to beat.”
Brian stirred. “I’d better tie him up.” Simon grabbed a hank of rope and tied Brian’s hands behind him. “That should hold him.”
Brian groaned and rolled over onto his back. His
eyelids fluttered. He tried to sit up and moaned again when he realized he was bound. His shoulders slumped.
The sound of a boat growled in the distance. “Here comes the Coast Guard,” Wynne said.
Brian’s eyes opened wide. “Let me go,” he begged.
“You know I can’t do that,” Simon said.
“It’s my word against yours.” Brian jutted his chin forward.
“Against both of ours,” Wynne pointed out.
Brian staggered to his feet and plunged toward the railing. “Stop him!” Wynne shouted.
Brian barreled over the railing and splashed into the water. He sank without another sound.
The sun was setting in the west by the time the Coast Guard divers recovered Brian’s body. Wynne was more than ready to head back to shore, but she and Simon wanted to wait until they knew it was all over. Until the body was recovered, there was always the chance that Brian had survived.
Simon watched silently as they loaded his cousin’s body. Wynne stood in the circle of his arms—the place she now felt most secure. She leaned back against his chest. “I’m sorry about Brian, Simon. You have to be devastated.”
He grew rigid, and his arms slackened. She felt cold when he turned away. He hit his fist against the railing. “It’s so senseless.” His voice was tight and harsh. “I would have done anything to help him. Why didn’t he
come to me if he thought Jerry was taking advantage of him?”
Wynne heard the raw pain under the anger in his voice. She touched his forearm. “It’s not your fault, Simon. I know you like to take care of everyone, but you can’t. Brian was an adult. He’s responsible for his own choices, not you.”
She felt him flinch, then he turned his head and gazed into her eyes. Her eyes filled with tears at the suffering in his face. “I’m sorry, Simon.”
“I know.” He sounded hoarse. Drawing her into his arms again, he rested his chin on top of her head. “I don’t know what I’d do if you weren’t here. It would be pretty unbearable.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
“What about Australia?”
“I’m leaving that up to you. What do you think is the right thing for us to do?” She could get into this passing the buck, she thought. She trusted Simon’s judgment so completely, and it felt comforting to turn things over to him.
“Oh, sure, make me decide.”
She heard the smile in his voice as she snuggled against his chest. “You’re going to be the spiritual leader. So lead on.”
He gave a heavy sigh, and her heart skipped. Was he sorry he’d asked her to marry him? She tipped her head back and looked up into his face. “What’s wrong?”
“You need to honor your commitment to the
contract,” he said quietly. “But I don’t have to like it.” He puffed his cheeks out and exhaled. “This being responsible to God for the right decisions is a bummer. It was more fun to growl about you leaving me.”
She didn’t know whether to be happy or sad. But she knew it was right. “I’ll miss you,” she muttered.
“I’m coming with you if you can land me a contract, too. If you can’t, I’ll wait patiently.”
“You willing to part with a little cold, hard cash? Our dig is operating on a shoestring budget. Offer a grant, and he’ll be even more likely to agree.”
“I can do that,” he said. “But there’s one more big problem we have to discuss.”
“Uh-oh, that sounds ominous.” Was he going to ask her to give up everything and stay here once the Australia contract was fulfilled? If he did, could she agree?
He gripped her shoulders and scowled. “It’s about our past.”
“Our past?” Their present had consumed so much of her thoughts, she’d forgotten they’d known each other once upon a time in their childhood.
“It’s about that thing you overheard,” he began.
A smile played at her lips. “I won’t say a word.”
“It’s okay if you do,” he said. “In fact, I’ve decided I’m not hiding anything. You can call me anything you want.”
A chuckle built in her throat. “You might reconsider. Do you remember that nickname?”
He groaned. “How could I forget?”
Wynne well remembered the day herself. She’d
stood with three other girls behind a tree and listened to Simon’s girlfriend of the hour break up with him. When Simon realized he’d been overheard, he’d been humiliated as only a seventeen-year-old boy can be.
“Kiss me, Woobie,” she said, pulling his lips down to meet hers.