Rhodes lifted a brow. “Your mom is strange.”
“Rhodes, did you hear what I said?” I asked, ignoring his attempt at humor. “The note came from the marina. It was in your sister’s handwriting.” I swallowed. “We may be able to find some answers. We may be able to find her.”
Rhodes frowned, leaning back against the edge of the desk. He raked his hands over his stubble before crossing his arms hard across his chest. “How?”
“I know where Dale keeps his keys,” I whispered. “All of his keys.” Rhodes’ eyes widened at my implication. “Are you up for a little recon mission?”
“I don’t even understand the concept of this place,” Rhodes whispered as I unlocked the large gate guarding the boat barn. I used to find it funny when Mom called it that, but that’s exactly what it was really — a big metal barn full of boats.
“It’s just a different way to store your boat. It’s actually better for a lot of the ones around here. Keeps them from sitting in salt water and stuff.”
Rhodes didn’t comment further as we slipped through the gate. I locked it again behind us and we made our way toward the large building.
The night air was warm and wet against my skin and the small tendrils of hair hanging from my bun onto my neck were already soaked. Rhodes didn’t seem nervous or tense as we approached the entrance to the building.
I was both.
We gazed up at the columns and rows of boats once we walked inside the barn. I clicked on the flashlight I’d taken from Dale’s garage to illuminate them better and scanned the length of the barn. They were stacked ten high and hundreds across, all facing us stern side.
“What are we even looking for?”
“I don’t know, Rhodes. Anything that might connect that note and your sister.” His brows were furrowed, his jaw set. “Why do I get the feeling that you don’t want to be here?”
He sighed. “Sorry. I’m just not sure how to feel about all of this.” It was then that I noticed the worry hidden behind his strong eyes. I knew what he was feeling. He didn’t want to get his hopes up only to be let down. Or maybe he was afraid of what he’d find. Either way, it was apparent that he may not have been nervous or tense, but he was clearly uncomfortable.
“Try not to think too much about it. If we find something, great. If not, then we move forward and figure something else out. Okay?”
Rhodes took a moment to process before gently nodding. “Okay.”
Grabbing his hand, I pointed the flashlight forward and we dove deeper into the barn.
We walked slowly down the main hall, shining the light between each row of boats and up through the various columns. Neither of us spoke, and neither of us found anything to speak of. The longer we were there, the more I worried if I’d made a stupid decision. What exactly did I expect to find?
“Hey wait a second,” Rhodes whispered, his eyes trained on the row of boats to our right. “What is that?”
I pointed the flashlight to follow his gaze, illuminating something shiny and small near the back wall. Rhodes glanced back at me questioningly before taking a step toward it.
My heart hammered in my ears as we inched between the boats. When Rhodes and I rounded the front of the boat, he bent slowly, retrieving the object on the ground.
“What is it?” I asked, voice just above a whisper. Rhodes was staring at whatever was in his hands so intently I wondered if he even heard me.
“Oh my God.”
“What?” I leaned up to look closer. “What is it?”
He shook his head, forehead wrinkled between his eyebrows. “It’s hers.” He held the object out to me — a bracelet. It dangled over his pointer finger as his eyes found mine. “It’s Lana’s. She wore this every day.” He swallowed. “It was a gift from me when we turned sixteen.”
My heart stopped.
It was a small, dainty bracelet — a thin chain with one solo pearl charm. Their birthstone. Carefully, I reached out to touch the cool silver and rolled the pearl between my fingers, bringing away a film of dust with them. “It doesn’t seem like it’s been worn in a while.”
“What the hell?” He shook his head and I was at a loss for words, too. Nothing was making sense. “Do you think it’s the person who took her? Did it happen here?”
“Maybe,” I said, my stomach knotting at the thought. The soft click of the shutter sounded as I pulled out my camera and took a photo of the bracelet still hanging from his fingers. Every hair on my body was standing at attention, my fight or flight instincts kicking in. I hadn’t been scared before, but I was now. “It wouldn’t be weird for it to be left alone back here. These are the vacationer boats. The employees are lucky if they get sent down here more than once a year to pull one of these boats out.”
“And you’re positive that the note had to have come from here?”
I glanced around, trying to find one of the stationery pages stuck in the window of one of the boats around us. Scanning the windshields, I finally found a sheet four rows down. Peeling it from its careful placement, I held it up for Rhodes to inspect.
“See the bottom logo?” I asked. He nodded, and I pulled the note he’d found on his bike from my pocket. When I held them up next to each other, there was no refuting it. There was just a tiny little piece of the logo on the bottom of the note from Rhodes’ sister, but it was there. I snapped another photo.
Rhodes pinched the bridge of his nose. I knew his head was spinning, too. “What the fuck is going on?”
“My thoughts exactly,” a rough voice responded. Rhodes and I turned quickly and were met with a blinding white light. Instinctively, Rhodes threw himself between the offender and myself, serving as a human shield.
The light dropped, and my stomach fell right along with it when I realized who was holding it.
A cop.
“Shit,” Rhodes muttered.
The cop was young, maybe in his thirties, with caramel skin and a dark buzz cut. His eyes were shaded, but soft, as if he didn’t like busting us any more than we liked getting busted. My eyes adjusted to the light difference and I noticed his name badge read MARTINO.
“Do you two realize you’re trespassing right now?”
“I’m sorry sir,” I tried, maneuvering my way around Rhodes. “It’s my fault. I just wanted to—”
“Rhodes, did you hear what I said?” I asked, ignoring his attempt at humor. “The note came from the marina. It was in your sister’s handwriting.” I swallowed. “We may be able to find some answers. We may be able to find her.”
Rhodes frowned, leaning back against the edge of the desk. He raked his hands over his stubble before crossing his arms hard across his chest. “How?”
“I know where Dale keeps his keys,” I whispered. “All of his keys.” Rhodes’ eyes widened at my implication. “Are you up for a little recon mission?”
“I don’t even understand the concept of this place,” Rhodes whispered as I unlocked the large gate guarding the boat barn. I used to find it funny when Mom called it that, but that’s exactly what it was really — a big metal barn full of boats.
“It’s just a different way to store your boat. It’s actually better for a lot of the ones around here. Keeps them from sitting in salt water and stuff.”
Rhodes didn’t comment further as we slipped through the gate. I locked it again behind us and we made our way toward the large building.
The night air was warm and wet against my skin and the small tendrils of hair hanging from my bun onto my neck were already soaked. Rhodes didn’t seem nervous or tense as we approached the entrance to the building.
I was both.
We gazed up at the columns and rows of boats once we walked inside the barn. I clicked on the flashlight I’d taken from Dale’s garage to illuminate them better and scanned the length of the barn. They were stacked ten high and hundreds across, all facing us stern side.
“What are we even looking for?”
“I don’t know, Rhodes. Anything that might connect that note and your sister.” His brows were furrowed, his jaw set. “Why do I get the feeling that you don’t want to be here?”
He sighed. “Sorry. I’m just not sure how to feel about all of this.” It was then that I noticed the worry hidden behind his strong eyes. I knew what he was feeling. He didn’t want to get his hopes up only to be let down. Or maybe he was afraid of what he’d find. Either way, it was apparent that he may not have been nervous or tense, but he was clearly uncomfortable.
“Try not to think too much about it. If we find something, great. If not, then we move forward and figure something else out. Okay?”
Rhodes took a moment to process before gently nodding. “Okay.”
Grabbing his hand, I pointed the flashlight forward and we dove deeper into the barn.
We walked slowly down the main hall, shining the light between each row of boats and up through the various columns. Neither of us spoke, and neither of us found anything to speak of. The longer we were there, the more I worried if I’d made a stupid decision. What exactly did I expect to find?
“Hey wait a second,” Rhodes whispered, his eyes trained on the row of boats to our right. “What is that?”
I pointed the flashlight to follow his gaze, illuminating something shiny and small near the back wall. Rhodes glanced back at me questioningly before taking a step toward it.
My heart hammered in my ears as we inched between the boats. When Rhodes and I rounded the front of the boat, he bent slowly, retrieving the object on the ground.
“What is it?” I asked, voice just above a whisper. Rhodes was staring at whatever was in his hands so intently I wondered if he even heard me.
“Oh my God.”
“What?” I leaned up to look closer. “What is it?”
He shook his head, forehead wrinkled between his eyebrows. “It’s hers.” He held the object out to me — a bracelet. It dangled over his pointer finger as his eyes found mine. “It’s Lana’s. She wore this every day.” He swallowed. “It was a gift from me when we turned sixteen.”
My heart stopped.
It was a small, dainty bracelet — a thin chain with one solo pearl charm. Their birthstone. Carefully, I reached out to touch the cool silver and rolled the pearl between my fingers, bringing away a film of dust with them. “It doesn’t seem like it’s been worn in a while.”
“What the hell?” He shook his head and I was at a loss for words, too. Nothing was making sense. “Do you think it’s the person who took her? Did it happen here?”
“Maybe,” I said, my stomach knotting at the thought. The soft click of the shutter sounded as I pulled out my camera and took a photo of the bracelet still hanging from his fingers. Every hair on my body was standing at attention, my fight or flight instincts kicking in. I hadn’t been scared before, but I was now. “It wouldn’t be weird for it to be left alone back here. These are the vacationer boats. The employees are lucky if they get sent down here more than once a year to pull one of these boats out.”
“And you’re positive that the note had to have come from here?”
I glanced around, trying to find one of the stationery pages stuck in the window of one of the boats around us. Scanning the windshields, I finally found a sheet four rows down. Peeling it from its careful placement, I held it up for Rhodes to inspect.
“See the bottom logo?” I asked. He nodded, and I pulled the note he’d found on his bike from my pocket. When I held them up next to each other, there was no refuting it. There was just a tiny little piece of the logo on the bottom of the note from Rhodes’ sister, but it was there. I snapped another photo.
Rhodes pinched the bridge of his nose. I knew his head was spinning, too. “What the fuck is going on?”
“My thoughts exactly,” a rough voice responded. Rhodes and I turned quickly and were met with a blinding white light. Instinctively, Rhodes threw himself between the offender and myself, serving as a human shield.
The light dropped, and my stomach fell right along with it when I realized who was holding it.
A cop.
“Shit,” Rhodes muttered.
The cop was young, maybe in his thirties, with caramel skin and a dark buzz cut. His eyes were shaded, but soft, as if he didn’t like busting us any more than we liked getting busted. My eyes adjusted to the light difference and I noticed his name badge read MARTINO.
“Do you two realize you’re trespassing right now?”
“I’m sorry sir,” I tried, maneuvering my way around Rhodes. “It’s my fault. I just wanted to—”
