Page 9 (2/2)

“Yeah”

“Let’s go”

Chapter 2

Theblue skies to black Rivers of fiery sparks streaht Each explosive crack drew a new pattern into the sky, releasing fingers of vivid colour Brilliant trails swept to the horizon and disappeared The draression of snaps and boo Canada Day The revelers cheered as the flashes whipped across the heavens for the final hurrah, leaving ser

“How about a stroll on the beach?” David Hunter asked as he seized his wife’s hand

“Sure,” Jackie answered

They walked in silence toward the lake, theno relief as it brushed their sunburned faces The ainst the wealth of stars above, and the lone light in the distance was a beacon for the shore below An occasional tweet fro the shoulder of the lonely lane, and the far-off ti the shoreline were round

A cry chopped the stillness into tiny pieces of fear David and Jackie ca

“Look out!” Gregory Cunninghaered up the rickety stairs He howled as his foot caught on a jagged board, and his knee struck a stray nail on the top step He scraainst the post David stood in his way, but Gregory jammed him with an elbow to move

“Elsie’s dead”

Jackie drew in her breath

“What are you talking about? Slon” David snatched the young man’s wrist The stickiness arm

“At the bottoo” He wrenched himself free and sprinted off into the dimness, a faint shape in the dusk as he slipped away

“Gregory!” Jackie shouted “Where are you going?” With clenched teeth, she held back a scream latched deep in her throat Her pulse throbbed with a fuzzy pitch in her ears She hung onto the railing, her brain spinning and the lightness in her li to let her down

“Are you okay?” David asked

She nodded

“Stay here!” The treed into the dark abyss where some kind of terror waited

Jackie remained paralyzed David’s hurried footfalls vibrated on the waterlogged wood and echoed against the dunes Then nothing but a deathly silence, punctuated by her stifled sobs, filled the e like a lost kitten in the rain A scraping sound fro down the stairs just moments after David had taken the leap into the unknown She careened off the bottom step and landed on the soft sand next to hi, loose skirt billowed out, revealing flabby thighs and stiff sandals Her curly ruby locks that had tumbled around her satin complexion that sarime David dropped to his knees and hovered his palers to her neck

“Shit There’s no pulse” He yanked his hand aside as if he had touched a pot of boiling water

“Did she fall?” Jackie’s thoughts swirled like a black es of her mind

“Hoould I know?” His voice hit a shrill note that skipped across the lake

Jackie had a sudden urge to flee She flinched at a sound in the undergrowth, but it was only restless birds fighting for the best roost

David fell back on his calves and pulled out his cell His tre the phone into the sand He scooped it up and dialed 911

“There’s been an accident on Lawsons Lane On the beach”

He hung up and stared at his wife

“Do we have to stay here?” she asked

“No We’ll wait on the landing”

Jackie took a last look at her friend as she trudged up the wooden slats She wiped away the surge of tears and put on a brave face, waiting for the a in and out at each bend of the road A dozen headlights swar down on the into the darkness Invariably, the noise and lights attracted athem into submission with a low-pitched hiss

“Back off”

They pushed against David More partygoers from the fireworks display arrived like slow drops of water fro a ed with a palpablefrom mouth to ear to the husband—Todd, who pounded down the narrow lane, barging through a flash of selfies, his blood ablaze He hurtled through obstacles in his path, crashing into David’s feeble barrier and barreling past hi feet as he plunged to his destiny David pitched into the void right behind hi shriek resonated all around

An un and DC Cooper jumped out He ran down the steps and returned within a few ency vehicles crammed into the narrow space Another sound made Jackie turn to face Savannah Jacobs, Elsie’s sister, who had staggered to a halt, panting from a hard run to reach the waterfront Jackie reached out too late and watched as her friend fell into a heap in the dirt The last thing she heard was the officer shouting into his cell phone

“Where the hell is Inspector Eckhart? We have a homicide”

The light faded quickly into a dusk that still held onto the heat as Eckhart drove down the service roads to Port Dalhousie She parked on a side street, and she and Gibson headed down an alleyway covered with cobblestone An oversized banana plant stood at the entrance of a seafood restaurant tucked in at the rear The double oak doors were carved hales Large brass handles rese mermaids carried the theiant pots shielded the tables froirl dressed in white slacks and a bright tunic stareeted theht of steps to a shter filled the roo under the wobbly table A red and white checkerboard tablecloth placed diagonally hung alle rose in a slim vase set the a

tmosphere

“What do you think?” Eckhart asked

“Char”

“Best fish tacos ever” She glimpsed up at him and smiled “This side of the Rockies”

“Is that right?” He felt the warmth of her body across the table

The waiter ca behind a platter of food Eckhart munched on a crisp taco; sauce dripped from the side of her mouth She dabbed her lips with a napkin

“It’s good,” Gibson said as he bit into a nacho His cell chirped again He looked at the screen and shut it off

“Nothing important?” She put her phone on vibrate and stuck it in her purse “Me neither”

Gibson smiled his quirky smile and took another bite

“What now? Can I entice you to htcap?” Eckhart asked after the table was cleared and they were ready to leave

A burst of light lit up the skies over the lake They both looked up as the colours trickled through the blackness

“I forgot it was a holiday,” Gibson said

“Well?” Her blue eyes sparkled

“It’s been a long day forthe first dip in the pool

“Okay” She pushed her lips into an exaggerated pout

Gibson waited on the sidewalk for his cab and watched wistfully as Eckhart drove off Within a half an hour, he was settled in his roo into the couilt in his gut He looked at his phone and saw that he had missed three calls and a couple of texts froht about what he had done in the past and wondered if he was destined to repeat his behaviour And yes, here he was in the Western Motel thinking about Eckhart, not his wife Perspiration gathered on his brohen a picture of Katherine entered his ? He brushed at his forehead to remove theband around his finger several tiht table The roar of cars on the busy street boh the s to the white noise fro and lulled him to sleep