I seethe at the word girl. “Yes,I can understand. But I sure as hell didn’t have anything to do it.For God’s sake, I was the one that sat by his body until the policearrived. I’d have to be a pretty stupid murderer to do that.”
Dickson smiles and nods. “That’svery true. I never asked you if you had anything to do with whathappened to him.”
I press my lips together andglare at him.
“Okay, Jade. I have one lastquestion. The last time Denny was at your house, did he leaveanything behind?”
I take my hands off the tableand try to look natural when I stick them in the front of myhoodie, feeling if maybe the wallet is poking out. Thankfully, itisn’t. “No. Not that I know of.”
Dickson stands up and offers hishand. I shake it, and he holds the door open for me. As I’m walkingout, I pause and look at him. “Have you got any serious leads inthe case yet?”
He shrugs. “We’re still waitingon the toxicology report. I’m sure it will fit all the piecestogether. It shouldn’t be long now.”
The first thing I do when I getinto the truck is grab my smokes and light one. I pull Denny’swallet out of my pocket and toss it into the glove box. What abloody nightmare that was. Though, as much as I don’t like being onthe other end of Dickson’s interrogations, a part of me respectshim. He’s not pompous or unreachable. Or maybe I’m just grateful helet me out of that damn room.
Taking a long drag, I slowlyexhale and then start the truck. I wonder if Annie has noticed thesmell of smoke on my clothes lately. I wonder why she hasn’tmentioned it, or scolded me about it. I feel heavy when I realisethe truth that my lung health has taken the back burner these pastfew months.
When I get home, Annie is asleepon the couch. Stinky is lying on the floor beside her. He looks upwhen I walk in. I walk over to my wife and kneel down next to her.Slowly, I lean in and kiss her cheek. She stirs, and her eyesflutter open. She gives me a sincere smile. That smile I rememberfrom before everything. “You’re home.”
She sits up and asks me aboutthe meeting I just had at the cop shop, and I give her a briefoverview. When I’m done, she tells me to sit on the couch while shegets my dinner. The weight and stress of the interview dissipateswhen Annie places my food in front of me and she sits, stroking myback like a cat as I eat.
When I’ve cleared my plate, Itake my girl’s hand and lead her to the bedroom. We haven’t madelove in days. I want to engulf her, to get lost in her, and for herto get lost in me.
Chapter Fifteen
For the next two days, workovertakes me as my lost days catch up with me. By the time I gethome, I’m so tired that I head straight to bed after dinner.
Annie has been getting offearlier due to the cooler weather and people not buying as manyplants and flowers. By the time I get in, she’s been home longenough to let Stinky out, make dinner and make our lunches for thenext day. It’s great. I wish she didn’t have to go to work at all.I wish she was home every day, waiting for me, and I wouldn’t haveto share her with the rest of the world.
Tonight, is an angry night.Branches from tall trees wallop the outside of the cottage. Thelights flicker as the wind rages outside. We gather a handful ofcandles in case the power goes out and then head to bed. Stinkydecides to take refuge between us, under the covers. I predict arestless sleep.
Dreams come. The fog looks thesame, but something’s different. I stand at the end of the dock andlook out over the water. The blue boat that Robbie is usually inisn’t here. I stand with my bare toes poking over the edge of thedock as I look down into the dark, infinite water. Is he lurkingdown there, waiting to grab my legs and pull me to the depthsagain? I back up just in case.
A strange breeze twists aroundme, making me unsteady on my feet. I try to turn by I can’t. Thewind is holding me still. I hear a scraping sound coming from underthe wharf. I’m able to move my head. I look down, between the slatsof wood, but I see only water.
The sound gets louder, and Ifeel the vibrations in my legs. My body starts to shake as whateveris beneath me rattles the dock. My heart is pounding so hard that Ifeel pain on the inside of my ribs.
Then, with the same quickness itcame, the wind and the shaking stops, releasing my body from itshold. Relieved and shaken, I turn to walk up the dock towards thehouse.
As soon as my back is facing theend of the wharf, I hear my name, whispered.
I spin around and look. There’sno one there.
Then, I see it. On the water, Isee a silver tip poke through the dense fog. Bit by bit, the fogrelinquishes the rest of a small blue boat.
My eyes are fixed on the boat asit follows the same route it has before, across the cove and up tothe dock. When it gets close enough, I see Robbie lying on hisside, his face pointing away from me. Just then, the wind picks upagain and resumes its hold on me.
A shiver runs over my shouldersand up the back of my neck. The middle of my bones turn cold whileI gaze at Robbie’s still body. Then, I see his fingers move. Next,his feet start flicking back and forth. in an almost chainreaction, as the rest of his body begins to jerk and spasm. My bodyfills with terror.
With his head still facing away,the body does a backwards crawl out of the boat and onto the wharf.I take a shallow breath as the body contorts in front of me. Iclose my eyes again. With my eyes still closed,
