Colleen Coble (6 page)

“You have to check it out. Where can we start?”

“You’ll help?”

Libby adjusted the bonnet of the carrier so the breeze wasn’t on the baby. “Of course. Alec too.”

“I want to talk to the rescue team that looked for him. Alec, Josh, Curtis, Sara. I want to find out where they suspect he went in the water. And I want to talk to Tom and see if he did any kind of investigation and how quickly he decided to call it a drowning.”

“I think everyone believes it was a simple drowning,” Libby said. “And be careful with Tom. If you go in with both guns blazing, he’s liable to be offended.”

Amy smiled. “I do have a
little
diplomacy.” She took another sip of her coffee. “I called him when I got the e-mail and sent it to him. He thinks I’m off base. So we’ve had our initial skirmish.”

Libby smiled back, then nodded toward the doorway. “No time like the present to practice that skill.” She rose and waved. “Tom, come join us. You haven’t seen Noah yet.”

The big sheriff, in his thirties, hiked his pants and came their way. His grin broadened when he saw the sleeping baby. “I stopped by this morning to make his acquaintance. I’m surprised you’re out and about already.” His brown hair was graying a bit at the temples.

“You sound like Alec.” Libby leaned back in her chair. “I’m not one to lie around. I feel fine.”

“You look good too.” He bent over and touched Noah’s soft hair. “He looks just like his daddy.”

“I think so too. Alec just beams when people tell him that.”

Heather appeared with her pad and pen. “Coffee, Sheriff?”

The apron was longer than the skirt she wore, and her feet were going to be killing her in those heels by the end of the day. Amy hadn’t seen her get ready this morning or she would have advised her to wear something different.

Tom ordered coffee and a sandwich. “I heard you were in town, Amy. You here about that e-mail?”

Nothing like getting straight to the point, but Amy would rather have it that way. No beating around the bush. “I am.”

His heavy brows came together. “I understand your concern, but there are some weird people in the world. I get the worst of them through my office.”

“I don’t think so. I would like to go over everything you did when you discovered Ben was missing.”

Heather brought his coffee, and he took a swig of it before he answered. “Ben drowned, Amy. It was a sad day, but it’s happened
here more than we like to admit. The currents are strong, especially that time of year.”

The man wasn’t listening so she shifted gears. “That’s another thing. Why was he even here in November? We always come in the summer.”

“Not Ben,” Tom said. “He came nearly every month, for at least a few days.”

Amy caught her breath. Her chest hurt as though she’d been punched. Why wouldn’t Ben tell her he was coming more often? She could have met him here. “For how long?”

“A good year.”

Amy turned from the sympathy in Tom’s eyes. “Did you know he was here too, Libby?”

Libby was quick to shake her head. “No, I didn’t. He must have slipped in and out of town. Rosemary Cottage is pretty quiet. Maybe he needed some downtime. He had a stressful job.”

“True.” It hurt to think he hadn’t wanted her company though. They’d shared everything. Or at least she’d thought so. His business was handling company mergers and making them profitable. There was always the stress of letting people go. He’d hated that part of the job.

“What do your parents say about this?” Libby asked.

Amy sipped her drink and wished she didn’t have to answer. “They told me to let it alone, that Ben was gone and nothing could bring him back.”

“Good advice.” Tom nodded.

Noah began to fuss, and Libby rocked his infant carrier with her foot. “They believe it’s a prank?”

“I think they don’t care whether it is or isn’t. Mom would rather bury her grief in her charity business and forget any unpleasantness, and Dad is too busy with golf to care.”

Her family had always been different. That’s why she and Ben
had faced the world together. Without him, she might as well be alone.

Amy walked barefoot through the emerging dawn toward the sound of the surf. The birds were beginning to awaken, and a blue jay squawked when she startled him. Amy’s meeting with the Coast Guard team would be over dinner at Tidewater Inn tonight, so she had the entire Saturday free. The house was spotless, and the sea beckoned. There was a path through the maritime forest to the beach.

She crossed the narrow road and stood on the dunes. The sun hit the waves in a gorgeous display of color she’d seldom seen. Ben always wanted to wait until the sun warmed things up, so they never got here before the sun finished its climb out of the waves.

The waves were huge rollers today, surging up onto the sand to deposit shells before ebbing back to regain their fury. She pulled her sweater tighter around her to block out the chilly wind.

“Hello.”

Amy turned at the pleasant female voice. A short woman of about fifty stood behind her with a surfboard in her hand. A Jack Russell terrier was by her feet. The woman’s generous curves were stuffed into a wetsuit. She hadn’t yet covered her short brown curls with the hoodie in her hand.

Amy smiled. “Good morning. You’re surfing this early in the season? I bet the water is cold.”

“I surf nearly year-round.” The woman held out her hand. “I’m Edith Lowman.”

Amy shook her hand. “Amy Lang.”

Her blue eyes crinkled at the corners. “Ah, the miracle worker who delivered young Noah.”

“I see the village drum has spread the word.”

“A body can’t pick a flower in Hope Beach without someone seeing it.”

The woman’s quip gave Amy hope. Whatever had happened to Ben, someone had seen something that would help her get at the truth. “I don’t believe we’ve ever met. Did you move here recently?”

Edith tugged the neoprene hood over her head and began to tuck her curls into it. “I’ve only been here a few months. I came from Maine, so this water is warm compared to what I’m used to.”

“You surfed in Maine?”

“Sure did. I’ve been surfing since I could stand on a board. I was about three, I think. The day I’m too old to surf is the day I’m ready to meet the Lord. Have you surfed here before?”

“When it’s warm.”

“Go get your gear, girl, and you’ll see what surfing was meant to be. If you’re brave enough.” Edith lifted a challenging brow.

Amy opened her mouth to turn down the offer but instead found herself saying, “I’ll be right back.”

She raced to the cottage and found her surfboard in the shed. Her wetsuit was a 4 mil so that would help. And she had a hoodie. She pulled on her wetsuit and grabbed her surfboard, then jogged back to where Edith was waiting.

Edith slanted a smile toward Amy. “Oh my stars, you surprised me. I thought for sure you’d vamoose and I’d never see you again.”

“I intended to, but I decided I’m up for an adventure.” Amy stared at the whitecaps rolling to the thick dunes. “It looks cold.” There was a light breeze that chilled her even more.

“Water temperature today is about sixty. It will be a shock at first, but you’ll adjust quickly. Ready?” Edith asked. The dog barked in answer and ran toward the waves. Edith picked up her board and joined her pet.

It was always smarter to surf with a buddy in case you got conked on the head or rolled by a wave. Amy followed her into the water, gasping at the first shock of the waves on her feet and calves. She hadn’t expected it to be quite this frigid.

She stopped. “I don’t know about this.”

“Wade in slowly to your waist and adjust, then plunge in.” Edith was already to her waist. She flopped onto her board, then helped her dog onto the slick surface.

“Your dog surfs too?”

“Sheldon loves it. He puts me to shame.” Edith straddled the board while she waited. “Come on, you can do it.”

Amy wasn’t so sure. She waded out a little deeper, wincing as the cold water touched her thighs. If she was going to do this, she’d better just take the plunge. She inhaled and dove under the large wave rolling toward her. The power and the cold squeezed her lungs, and even when her head popped above the water, she struggled to draw in enough oxygen. But she hadn’t come this far to quit. Seizing her board with cold fingers, she heaved herself aboard and paddled to join Edith.

“Well done.” Edith smiled. “Let’s see what you’re made of.” She turned her board and paddled out to the breakwater.

Amy barely felt the cold now, only the exhilaration. She paddled out until she crested the surge, then waited for the right wave. There it was. Edith saw it too and paddled to meet it. Amy did the same. The curve of the wave lifted both boards. Amy found her feet and balanced on her board as the crest took aim at the shore. The warm air was in sharp contrast to the cold water spraying her legs and feet.

She spared a glance to see how Edith was doing and saw the dog straining at the front of the board with Edith balanced behind it. It was a picture Amy would never forget. This would be a keeper wave, one she would talk about for a long, long time. An exultant
shout of laughter came from her throat, and she felt more alive than she had since receiving the news of Ben’s death.

When the power of the wave left her in its choppy wake, she bobbed to the surface and laughed. “Let’s do it again!”

Edith’s grin stretched across her face. “I knew you’d love it. So did your brother.”

Amy’s smile faded. “You knew Ben?”

“I showed him how to cold surf too.” Edith leaped onto her board and paddled out to catch another wave.

“I need to talk to you.” Amy followed her.

S
IX

C
urtis scanned the waves and saw his aunt’s head bobbing in the water. Someone else was crazy enough to be out surfing in that cold water, but he couldn’t make out who it was from this distance. He glanced in the rearview mirror to see Raine studying her book, a new Punky Grace book he’d just bought her.

She caught his gaze in the mirror. “Ede?”

“We’re going to get her now.” He pulled the car off the side of the road and parked, then tugged his Harley do-rag more tightly to his head and got out.

There was no parking lot along this stretch of beach, but Edith loved to surf here and usually walked the mile from their house. The waves were strong just off the point, and it was a beautiful spot with sea grass anchoring the thick dunes and the maritime forest struggling to survive the heat and salt. He often came here to listen to the waves himself.

He got Raine out of her car seat and grabbed a beach blanket.

“Down,” she commanded.

He grinned and put her on the sand until he spread out the blanket. The two of them sat on it and waited for Edith. There was no hurrying her. She went surfing every day it was safe. And
that was most days. She even surfed in the rain. When Raine grew bored, he helped her build a sand castle, then glanced at his watch. Edith should be finished anytime.

He watched the two figures in the water. The slimmer one was a pretty good surfer, but his aunt put everyone to shame. She could balance on a roller in a hurricane, though as far as he knew she’d never attempted to surf in one. Edith might be nuts about surfing, but she wasn’t crazy.

The wave deposited the surfers and receded. The two of them turned and started toward shore. Curtis brushed the sand from his hands and went toward the water to greet them. As they neared, he saw the other surfer was Amy. His gut tightened. Surely his aunt wouldn’t betray him, but then, he knew her views on the topic.

Amy’s eyes were shining as she came up out of the water. The wetsuit hugged every curve and her face was pink. “Curtis, what an incredible morning! Did you come to surf?” She pushed her hoodie off her dark hair and down around her neck. Her gaze went to Raine and she smiled again. “Hi, sweetheart.”

“Dude.” The child pointed at the water. “Swim.” She stood and started toward the waves.

Curtis grabbed her. “No you don’t.”

His niece squawked and squirmed. “Down.” Her small hand moved in emphasis of her order.

“Doodlebug, you are far too bossy.” He set her back on the blanket. “You wouldn’t catch me out there in April.” He eyed Amy warily.

Amy lifted an eyebrow. “She calls you dude?”

He grinned. “I call her Doodlebug and it somehow evolved.”

“Edith tells me that she got Ben hooked on winter surfing, but she hasn’t managed the same thing with you.”

“I’m immune to her wiles.” He grinned.

He’d never been immune to Amy, though he wanted to be.
He’d met her exactly five times, and he could recount every word, every expression. The connection he felt with her was weird, and clearly one-sided. She’d cut her hair since he’d seen her last, and her dark curls just covered her ears and revealed the long column of her slender neck. But her eyes were still that funny color—green mixed with gold and brown—and topped with impossibly long, thick lashes. Her eyes seemed lit from within by her excitement for life. The eyes were supposedly windows to the soul, and he’d always been drawn to the soul he saw behind those eyes. The guys would laugh if they knew he had such crazy thoughts.