Henry Franks (14 page)

Henry looked at his father, trying to remember the man in front of him, but the memories were gone, as though they'd never existed.

“I love you,” his father said, his voice breaking on the words before he let the door swing closed.

Moonlight flooded the room as the clouds broke apart. Branches clawed the house. Henry sat there, counting until he couldn't count any higher, his breathing ragged and harsh as blood dripped to the floor. He looked at the space where his father had been, studying the shadows, looking for answers but there were none to be found.

“Who are you?” he whispered as the moon disappeared again, the words nothing more than a sigh.

NOAA Alert: Hurricane Watch: Florida to South Carolina

Miami, FL—August 28, 2009, 6:47 AM:
FOR EMERGENCY RELEASE:

The National Hurricane Center has issued a Hurricane Watch for the following counties along the Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina coastlines:

• St. Johns, Duval, and Nassau counties, Florida
  
• Camden, Glynn, McIntosh, Liberty, Bryan, and
  Chatham counties, Georgia
  
• Beaufort, Colleton, and Charleston counties, South Carolina
  

Landfall is estimated late tonight on the east coast of the United States.

Two More Victims Discovered on SSI

Brunswick, GA—August 28, 2009:
The discovery of two more victims in the marshes on Saint Simons Island late Thursday evening has increased the pressure on the Glynn County Task Force to solve the string of murders that has plagued the Golden Isles this summer.

Florence Josephs, 54, of Sterling and her youngest son, Wayne, 23, were found by local residents Henry Franks and Justine Edwards.

“Due to the continued danger that this situation presents to citizens and to visitors to Glynn County, I have asked Major Johnson of FLETC to seek additional help from both the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the FBI,” said Mayor Monroe.

In response, Major Johnson has requested further involvement, as well as an additional force of FLETC personnel to augment the local and park police already involved with the manhunt for the person police believe has been responsible for these murders.

Initial reports indicated that Florence Josephs died of blunt force trauma and her son died from asphyxiation. The wounds, according to Sam Alli, the first officer on the scene, appear to be consistent with the other murders.

“Again, we ask everyone in Glynn County to remain vigilant and cautious until this situation is resolved,” said District Attorney Staci Carr.

In related news, police are seeking any leads regarding the graffiti spray-painted on the pier in Saint Simons Village. The vandalism, which read “If she doesn't get us, Erika will,” has been cleaned up at County expense.

“At this time, it is vital that everyone remain calm and remember to stay safe,” Mayor Monroe said. “I have been in direct contact with the National Hurricane Center and as of now, landfall is still difficult to determine. Evacuation plans are being updated and school buses will be available for those needing emergency transportation. As always, we appreciate the support and understanding of the citizens of Glynn County and the visitors to the Golden Isles.”

twenty four

Low dark-gray clouds settled to the horizon and the wind came in fits and starts, tainted with salt and ozone, pushing warm moist air through the open school bus windows.

“I can't believe we're getting a hurricane and it's on a weekend,” Justine said. Her head rested back on the seat with her raincoat bunched up as a pillow. “We're not going to miss any school for this.”

“What if they evacuate?” Henry asked. “Maybe we'll be out all next week?”

“Wouldn't an evacuation have started already? We didn't even get out of school early. My mom wanted me to stay home today. That's why I missed the bus this morning.”

“She still mad?”

“Mad? No.” Justine tried to smile but, for the first time Henry could remember, the attempt failed halfway through. “But she's as close as I think she's ever been. What about your dad?”

“I think he knows why we were out in the marsh,” Henry said.

“He said something?”

He shrugged and dropped his hand onto her arm, sliding down her skin until their fingers merged. “He came up to talk but didn't really say much. Then he left.”

“He went out?”

Henry nodded. “I don't think he's been home since.”

“My dad never got back to sleep. He left really early to get to Savannah. Now,
he
was mad at me.”

“I'm sorry.”

“Not your fault,” she said. “I've always wanted to be the one who says that.” She smiled. It almost succeeded.

“So tonight's really not going to happen?” he asked.

“After last night, there won't be any movies for a while, chaperoned or not,” she said with a shrug. “And my parents are pretty much blowing off Erika, though my dad did nail up some boards this morning before he left.”

“Am I allowed to say I'm sorry again?”

“No.”

“Then neither are you,” he said.

She sat up and turned to face him. “I still think my mom's beginning to like you. She's said yes to us once, you know.”

“I know.”

“That was a big deal, her saying yes.”

“Yes,” Henry said.

She squeezed his hands and smiled. “I went to the guidance counselor today.”

“About the—” He looked around, then lowered his voice. “You know, from last night?”

She frowned but it was short-lived. “No, I wanted to ask about colleges. Ones that might end in ‘ORD.'”

“And?” he asked.

“She said Oxford first; it's where she went.”

“Our guidance counselor went to Oxford?”

“Not
that
Oxford. She went to Emory, in Atlanta. But they have a two-year college called Oxford. She went there before transferring to the university.”

Drops of rain blew through the windows and Justine drew her jacket over their heads.

“You don't think … ?” he said, hidden with her beneath the raincoat.

“Can't hurt to check.”

He leaned back and looked at her. “Thanks.”

“Haven't found anything yet.”

“I know.” He ran his finger down her cheek, then held her face between his palms. “Thanks for still trying.”

She closed her eyes, resting her head down on his hands for a moment. Then she smiled. “Did you ever search for Alexandra?” she asked, opening her eyes to look at him.

“No. I completely forgot by the time we got home and then, with everything else, it just slipped my mind.”

She pulled the coat closed around them and kissed him as the bus pulled up to their stop. “Then what are we waiting for?”

Together, they ran down the street, keeping under the trees to avoid the rain. In front of his house, she stopped and looked next door. “Crap, I have to go home.”

“I understand,” he said.

“I'll call.” She gave his arm a quick squeeze and then ran home alone.

NOAA Alert: Hurricane Watch: Florida and Georgia

Miami, FL—August 28, 2009, 3:16 PM:
FOR EMERGENCY RELEASE:

The National Hurricane Center has updated its Hurricane Warning for the following counties along the Florida and Georgia coastlines:

• Duval and Nassau counties, Florida
  
• Camden, Glynn, McIntosh, and Liberty counties, Georgia
  

Landfall is estimated late tonight on the east coast of the United States.

twenty five

The house was empty and almost chilly, the air-conditioner working through the humidity outside. Henry took the stairs two at a time, letting his backpack fall to the floor as he turned his computer on. He sat down for just a moment before pushing the chair away and pacing the confines of his room, keeping his eye on the monitor slowly coming to life. On his third circuit, he pulled the chair behind him, spinning it around.

From his backpack, he grabbed notebook paper and a pen, centered them next to his keyboard with the page of names from beneath the pillbox and sat down.

A knock, and then, “Anyone home?” Justine called from downstairs.

“Up here,” he yelled back.

She came in, dropped a large duffel bag on the floor, and sat down.

“Going somewhere?” he asked.

“My mom left a note saying she had to go into Brunswick to pick my brother up from school and then run down to St. Mary's to get my grandparents. They don't drive. She asked your dad if he could take me along if there's an evacuation.” She shrugged. “Apparently he said yes.”

“Well,” Henry said, “except for the fact that my dad's not home at the moment, that sounds good to me.”

“Where is he?”

“Unlike your mom, my dad isn't the note-leaving type,” he said. “The last note he left me apologized for the note before.”

“I'm sure there's a really good story behind that,” she said.

“Not really.”

“Well, in that case, what are we looking up first?” she asked.

“Google just gave me almost eighteen million hits on Victor, Alexandra, and Elizabeth. I need a last name, or maybe a city at least.

“So, Oxford it is,” Justine said.

On the screen, the Oxford alumni page loaded and he turned the monitor toward the bed so she could see.

“Do they have class listings?”

“Even better,” he said, clicking his way through the site. “It looks as though they have class pictures.”

“Individually?”

“No, split up by residential areas.”

“Do I want to know how many dorms?” she asked.

“Only four are listed.” He shrugged. “But that's today. There might have been fewer back in the eighties. I don't know.”

He continued clicking through the alumni section until the small black-and-white thumbnails were displayed.

“They're not labeled all that well, are they?” Justine moved next to him, leaning on the desk to get closer to the screen.

“No.”

“The last numbers have to be the year, don't you think? Maybe we can narrow it down a little.”

One by one, they opened pictures and read through the names at the bottom.

“Would be easier if these weren't scanned in. The resolution isn't that great,” she said, her fingernail running along the monitor.

After dozens of pictures, Henry stretched against the seat, his bones cracking with the motion. Outside, the rain continued, the clouds so dark it might have already been night.

“Hungry?”

“And thirsty,” she said. “But just open the next one; we can eat later.” She pushed the mouse herself as he turned back to the monitor.

“We're up to 1983,” he said. “Are we even close to running out of pictures?”

What seemed like hundreds of grainy photographs later, Justine rested her finger on the names at the bottom of a picture, the quality so poor that faces were blurred together.

“Henry,” she said, pointing toward the faint type where
Williams, Frank
was liste
d.

Beside her, he was silent as his discolored finger rested on the monitor next to hers.

“Is that a typo?” he asked.

“I don't know.” Her voice was softer than before, her breath hot against his skin. “Your dad's William Franks, right?”

“So he says,” Henry whispered. “I can't see the face. It's too blurry.”

“Google it.”

Henry opened a new window and carefully typed the name into the search field. “Williams comma Frank,” he said, the words barely spoken.

Google returned almost thirty million hits.

“Try ‘doctor'?” Justine said.

Eighteen million.

“Try it without the comma?”

Dr. Frank Williams
, he typed.

Over eight million hits.

“Put it in quotations.”

He re-typed and hit enter.

NOAA Alert: Hurricane Warning: Florida and Georgia

Miami, FL—August 28, 2009, 6:57 PM:
FOR EMERGENCY RELEASE:

The National Hurricane Center has issued a Hurricane Warning for the following counties along the Florida and Georgia coastlines:

• Nassau County, Florida
  
• Camden and Glynn counties, Georgia
  

Landfall is estimated late tonight on the east coast of the United States.