Page 21 (1/2)

Ty stared at hiue

Zane pulled hirip on Ty’s aruys?" he whispered "Whatever it was, it’s driving you both over the edge"

Ty blinked and licked his lips, trying to speak and failing He finally sed and ed to say, "You know I can’t tell you that"

"You need to tell soently "You both do Before it eats you up inside"

The haunted look in Ty’s eyes returned briefly before he turned away "Can we just deal with one thing at a ti Ty, and he’d reached his lio to bed"

Ty shook his head, glancing up at the house "Nick was right We didn’t even look at the boathouse I want to go down to the dock"

"Now? Ty, it’s dark, what do you expect to find?"

"I don’t know," Ty said with a frustrated shrug "But it’s ti at this as the perfect location to roup of people instead of a few freak accidents"

Zane had been looking at it that way all along, but he realized he’d also been looking at it as strictly Not His Probleers to them And since no one Zane cared about had been accused of theuntil help came from the mainland Ty had, too, to an extent, until Nick’s words had sparked so

"If that boathouse was taken out on purpose, it means someone intends to have his ith this island and everyone on it," Ty hissed "We’ve been looking at it as a murder What if it was a shot across the bow instead?"

Zane sighed "I was so hoping this would be a normal vacation"

Ty smacked him on the side of the head "Don’t use bad words," he said as he walked off

They followed the cliff path, taking an indirect route to the boathouse and dock so no one would see the The way to the dock ooded and kind of creepy at night It was also a long walk in the cold, soolf cart when they’d arrived

"Did you bring a flashlight?" Zane asked as he glanced up at the trees reaching over theht

"I ad in his pocket and extracted his phone "This is all I have"

"Me too"

"Aweso the spottyas they could When they broke the edge of the woods and came up to the rise in the path just before the docks, they both stopped at the sa around the ruins of the boathouse, playing over broken boards and twisted rope Everything else was dark As they stood watching, disjointed voices drifted toward the quietly

They both crouched and ot close enough to the docks to hear the words being said, they moved off the path and knelt behind a pile of broken and battered canoes

"What brings you boys out the night?" a voice asked Zane recognized the barely understandable Scottish brogue of Lachlan Mackie, the ferryman who’d met them on the docks the afternoon they arrived He held a lantern, its weak glow not quite reaching the two figures he was addressing

"We caasped when he recognized the voice

Zane smacked him in the shoulder "It’s Kelly," he hissed

Ty put his hand on Zane’s head "I know, shut up"

"I recognize a kindred soul when I see one," Kelly continued The light continued to play over the wrecked boathouse Zane assuh airport security to get here, left our hands a little empty"

"Ah, I see," Mackie said with a chuckle "I think I can show you so weed?" Zane whispered in Ty’s ear "We walked half a h the creepy woods to watch the his head

"Do you stay out here, Mackie?" Nick asked

"Aye Iwith his hands, probably pulling out or rolling a blunt, if Zane were to guess

"Must have been one hell of a racket when the storarette Mackie handed hiot out here in tiht where you are Wasn’t until the lightning strike I saw the dock was gone, the boats all with it"

Nick stepped closer, and Mackie lit the blunt for hi all your boats head out to sea without you," Kelly said

"Wasn’t the first time, won’t be the last"

"Really?"

Mackie nodded "These islands, they weren’t meant to be lived on That old castle on the hill, she’ll tell you some stories The house will, too Even the caves in the cliffs, they’ll sing to you about death The island likes to be left alone"

Nick and Kelly stood side by side as Mackie turned and headed back up the path, using an old wooden oar as a cane Sood night"

Ty and Zane crouched lower as Mackie passed by There was no reason to reveal their presence, not until the old ferryone

"Dude’s kind of creepy," Nick said after he was out of sight