The Shore (16 page)

“It’s not going to be April, either,” Sabrina said, her voice stern and strong and her eyes glittering like diamonds. “You have no proof that the DVDs were taken while she was working here. Besides, she doesn’t make enough for you to take more money out of her salary. I know you can afford it. You’re paying your employees dirt, and it would be a shame if the IRS found out you’re also paying them cash off the books.”

If anything, Leonard’s eyes bulged out even farther. “But the DVDs—”

“Get a better security system and stop complaining,”
Sabrina snapped. “And don’t forget, you can take the loss as a tax write-off.”

April stared at Sabrina in amazement. She couldn’t believe what she was witnessing. Sabrina glanced over and winked at her, then turned back to Leonard. “And another thing. April has been so traumatized by this whole experience that you’d better give her the day off.”

“Now that’s total bull!” Leonard argued.

Instead of yelling back, Sabrina smiled. “Can I use your phone? I need to call the IRS.”

“Oh, go take a day off.” Leonard waved at April.

April turned right around and headed out the door. A moment later, Sabrina joined her. They took off up the street, laughing.

“I can’t believe you did that!” April said when they were out of earshot of the store. “How can I thank you?”

Sabrina shrugged. “It was no biggie. I didn’t like the idea of some jerk taking his own security issues out on my roommate . . . and her paycheck.”

“Well, thanks a bunch,” April said, feeling an unexpected rush of warmth toward Sabrina. “You completely saved my butt.”

“Guess I’m not as bad as everyone thinks, huh?” Sabrina said.

Guess not, April thought, but it sure is a strange thing to say.

Lucas was discovering the joys of teaching. His parents had talked about the rewards endlessly when he was growing up, and
then they’d gone on to greater glory in the world of education, but until now, he’d never experienced it firsthand. Of course, teaching three kids to surf wasn’t exactly the same as a full professorship at Princeton University, where not one, but both his parents taught. Nor had he written one of the great textbooks in his field the way his father had. But still, he found himself basking in admiration of his little class, who clearly drank in every word he said.

The two girls and one boy stood around him on the damp sand, clutching foam surfboards. He smiled at them all. “You’re going to make great surfers. Just remember, what is the key?”

“Safety first,” they chimed back.

“Excellent.”

“And why’d we have to stop surfing today?” Lucas asked.

“It’s getting too foggy,” one of the kids answered.

“Right.”

Someone behind him chuckled. Lucas turned to find Avery, smiling.

“Class dismissed,” Lucas told the kids, who headed back to their parents, who were waiting nearby.

“Looked like you were having fun,” Avery said.

“You mean the kids?” Lucas said.

“Them, but mostly you.” Avery nodded down the beach. “A lot more fun than he’s having today.”

Lucas looked down the beach. Owen was propped up in a
beach chair with a bunch of empty hard lemonade bottles scattered around him. The guy’s eyes were closed.

“Tough job,” Lucas quipped.

“I don’t think he’s happy,” said Avery.

Lucas looked up and saw Sabrina marching toward them with her lips pursed and her gaze fixed on Owen. April was following her.

“I have a feeling he’s about to become even more unhappy,” Lucas said.

Sabrina stopped next to them. “Owen?”

He didn’t answer. His head had lulled back, and his eyes were still closed. Sabrina nudged him with her foot, and Owen opened his eyes. “Huh?”

“Where are they?” Sabrina asked.

“Who?”

“The brats, the kids,” Sabrina said, becoming agitated. “You were supposed to be keeping an eye on them.”

Lucas felt a chill. Those boys were young. Six and four. Too young to be left on their own on a foggy beach.

“Wha?” Owen seemed more awake now.

Sabrina stood over him and shouted, “Where are the kids? You were supposed to be watching them!”

Everyone began swiveling their heads, looking around.

“They’ve got to be around here somewhere,” April said.

But Lucas didn’t see them.

“What if they drowned!?” Sabrina shrieked.

“That’s not going to help,” Lucas said.

Meanwhile, Owen staggered to his feet. “They were right here. I don’t understand.”

“You don’t understand?” Sabrina shouted. “Maybe you will if you have another drink, you idiot!”

“Yelling won’t change anything,” Lucas said, and turned to Owen, trying to ignore the stench of alcohol on his breath. “Where’s the last place you remember seeing the kids?”

“I don’t know. At the edge of the water, maybe?”

Sabrina screamed in fear. “They drowned!”

“Hold on,” Lucas said. “There are lifeguards here, remember? Even on a day like today. And there are a few people in the water. Someone would’ve noticed two little kids in the water without supervision. They’ve probably just wandered off somewhere.”

“Okay, great,” Sabrina snapped furiously. “They’re not drowned, just kidnapped!”

“Let’s split up and search for them,” Lucas said, seeing that someone needed to take charge. “April, you and Sabrina check down the beach that direction.” He pointed away from the piers. “Avery and I will check in this direction. Owen, ask around and see if you can find anyone who saw them. Okay?”

Everyone started off. Lucas began striding quickly down the beach, his head turning left and right. A few steps behind him, Avery had to hurry to keep up. It was still too misty for most beach goers, and aside from a few surfers and some sand castle
builders, he didn’t see anyone, and certainly no kids. “Do you think we’ll find them?” she asked.

“We’ve got to,” Lucas said, his jaw set.

Who knew he could be so intense? Avery thought as she, too, scanned the beach and the water for any sign of the boys. What would Curt be like in this situation? Would he even bother to look for the kids, or just say it wasn’t his problem?

“Shouldn’t there be footprints or something?” she asked. She cast her eyes downward but couldn’t make out any distinct prints on the sand except the ones they were leaving.

“If they were walking close to the water, we won’t find any,” Lucas said. “The waves would have washed them away. I figure they may have headed to the boardwalk. Maybe someone there has seen them.”

Avery was forced into a jog to keep up. “You don’t think they could have drowned, do you?”

Lucas stopped and looked at her. “You want to know the truth? Two kids that young, unsupervised, on a misty day like today? Absolutely. But I’m betting they headed for the boardwalk instead.”

Avery suddenly felt chilled to the bone. She didn’t want to imagine them struggling in the water, sucked out by a riptide. Don’t picture them dead. Picture them alive and happy and having fun, she told herself.

They reached the boardwalk without seeing any sign of the boys.

“Okay, I’ll take the right side and you’ll take the left side,” Lucas said. “That way, there’s less chance that we’ll miss them if they’re here. I’ll meet you at the other end. Ask everybody you see if they’ve seen a couple of small boys, light hair and green eyes.”

“But the boardwalk’s long,” she protested. “Plus, all the piers.”

“Then we better stop talking and get going,” he said.

Her heart was really starting to pound from the adrenaline and the fear. Lucas looked at her with a forceful, determined gaze. “We have to find them,” he said.

She nodded, touched his hand briefly, and set off down the left side of the boardwalk. The first place she stopped was a yellow and orange stand featuring foot-long chili dogs. The vendor was an older man with gray hair. “Excuse me? Have you seen two little boys come through here in the last hour?” Avery asked.

“Alone?” The guy’s wrinkled forehead wrinkled even more. “Can’t say that I have. I’ll keep my eyes open, though.”

“Thanks,” she told him, and moved on, stopping everyone she could. No one, though, remembered seeing two little boys by themselves. The time flew, and she was even more frightened and frustrated when she arrived in front of the Spencer Avenue Pier. The pier was one of the amusement parks and boasted a massive wooden roller coaster called the Great White. Even at this time of the day the screams of the thrill riders pierced the air and the sounds of tinny music floated by.

A brief thought flashed through her mind. It was ironic that she’d finally made it to the Spencer Avenue Pier, and she wasn’t going to get to go in. Despite his promise, Curt still hadn’t taken her to the amusement park. Maybe I’ll just have to go by myself, she thought. Or maybe with Lucas. Guilt started to rush through her, but before it could take complete hold, she felt someone come up behind her.

“Nothing,” Lucas said abruptly. She looked at him and noticed that he suddenly looked older, his forehead creased with worry and dotted with beads of sweat.

“What do we do now?” Avery asked.

Lucas looked around, deep in thought. He stared at a booth that sold seashells, starfish, and sand dollars. A sign proclaimed, treasures from the sea. Next to it, an older woman sold cotton candy.

“That’s it!” Lucas gasped. He grabbed her hand.

“Come on, let’s go.” He started running back toward the beach, dragging her with him.

“Where?” Avery asked, strangely thrilled that her hand was in his again.

“Under the pier. The boys wanted to look for buried treasure. They said the cotton candy guy told them about it.”

Back on the beach they turned around and ran under the pier. It was dark and shadowy, and the crashing waves echoed in and out of dark brown pilings as thick as tree trunks.

“Jamie, Tim, you here?” Lucas shouted, his voice a hollow echo.

No answer.

With her hand still in his, Avery and Lucas walked underneath the pier and looked toward the water. There was no sign of the two little boys, and Avery felt her spirits plunge. The tide was coming in, and water swirled around her ankles.

“Go away!” a tiny voice called suddenly.

She and Lucas spun around. There, back in the shadows, were two small figures with bright yellow and red toy shovels.

“Jamie, Tim!” Lucas rushed forward.

“Go away!” the smaller boy yelled. “You said pirate’s code!”

Avery felt a wave of relief wash through her. The smaller boy had tears in his eyes. “You said!”

“I know.” Lucas kneeled down and patted the boy’s head. “And I promise any treasure you find you can keep, okay?”

Now the older boy approached. He looked suspiciously at Avery and then said to Lucas, “What about her?”

“She knows the pirate’s code too,” Lucas assured him. “But listen, everyone’s looking for you. So we have to go back now. Otherwise, they’ll know where to look for the treasure.”

“Do we have to?” the smaller boy asked, sticking out his lower lip.

“Yes. And if you promise never to wander off again, then I’ll bring you back here in a few days and we can dig for treasure together,” Lucas said.

The boys’ eyes opened wide.

“Promise?” the older one asked.

“Absolutely,” Lucas said “Do we have a deal?”

“Deal,” the older one said.

“Deal,” echoed his brother.

Lucas swept them up, one in each arm. “People were seriously worried about you, little dudes,” he confided.

They started back down the beach and were about a hundred yards from the parasail boat when Sabrina saw them and started to run. “Oh, my God! Oh, my God! Where did you find them?”

In a way, Avery was relieved to see how frantic she looked. So she wasn’t really a total ice queen after all.

Lucas explained what had happened. Sabrina had tears in her eyes. She even hugged the boys and scolded them fondly. April and Owen looked equally relieved.

“I’ve got to get both of you home,” Sabrina said, grabbing the boys’ hands and hurrying off with them.

“What a relief,” April said.

“Yeah,” Owen agreed, hanging his head. “I can’t believe what an idiot I was.”

Avery looked at him, then down at the empty bottles in the sand.

“Hey, don’t worry,” Owen said, reading her thoughts. “I’ll never let that happen again. I swear.”

Avery gazed at him for a minute. She had a feeling he wouldn’t have to worry because there was no way he’d ever get the opportunity. The good news was, he seemed to have sobered up.

“Man, you think by now I would’ve learned,” he muttered.

“You’ve done this before?” April asked.

“Not me,” Owen said, dipping into a funk. “My old man. He spent his whole life drinking and chasing women and ignoring the people he was supposed to be taking care of. I keep swearing I don’t want to be like him, and then I keep doing the same thing.”

“But maybe not anymore, right?” April said.

“Hey, are you kidding? Those two little kids were supposed to be my responsibility,” Owen said with a shiver. “If something bad happened to them, that would be the end. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself.”

The crisis averted, Lucas and Avery started back up the beach toward the house.

“I think everyone owes you a big thanks,” Avery said.

“Hey,” Lucas said with a shrug. “I just did what any guy would do.”

“Actually, no, not any guy,” Avery said.

“You don’t know that for a fact,” Lucas said, as if it was obvious who they were talking about. “Maybe he would have.”

“Thanks, but you don’t have to stick up for him,” Avery muttered bitterly.

Lucas didn’t answer. Avery knew she had to stop comparing Lucas to Curt.

And now she knew why she had to stop.

Because Lucas always came out ahead.

Seven

That evening Polly felt restless and she suspected several of the others felt the same way. The people next door were having a party, and the streets seemed filled with young people heading out to bars. Polly wished her roommates were in a better mood. She’d heard about the kids getting lost and how Avery and Lucas had found them. Tensions still seemed to be running high, though. Sabrina was walking around with a cloud over her head. Owen had tried to talk to her twice, and both times she’d given him the iciest looks imaginable. While Polly couldn’t blame Sabrina for being pissed, she did think it was interesting that she was finally letting her feelings show. It was obvious that Sabrina was capable of getting really upset about something. It was also interesting to watch Owen try so hard to apologize. Finally he’d given up and left with Martin and his pals.