before someone else died.
Because, based on my recent experience with Josiah Blais, it was only a matter of time before another body appeared.
There was only one thing important enough to distract me from that goal. One reason I’d give up some of the precious hours I needed to clear Sera’s name.
Despite the morning’s unpleasant turn of events, a smile pulled at my lips. My eyes drifted to the still vacant houseboat.
Right now, I had an appointment with a bear and a cat.
Chapter 6
I hadn’t learned to drive a car until college, but I’d practically been raised on boats and knew how to work all of them, from the smallest rowboat to the largest, P. Diddy-worthy yacht. All I needed was access to some type of watercraft, and I’d find my way to the mainland.
Luckily for my plans, I was on a crime-free island where everyone left their keys in the ignition.
Current unsolved murder aside, I was about to increase the island’s crime rate by about one hundred percent. I hadn’t wanted to get my father away only because he made me nervous. I also didn’t want any witnesses when I committed a felony.
The houseboat was nothing fancy, but it had two small bedrooms with double beds, a decent-sized sitting area and a kitchen about the size of a Post-it note. It was a little larger than Mac’s Airstream trailer, but I wasn’t concerned about its comforts. All that mattered was it could get me to Seattle, which it would.
Eventually.
This particular vehicle wasn’t intended for transportation so much as gentle floating. I had several hours before I was supposed to meet them, but the houseboat would never make it on time, not without help.
No one was on the shore. With my stomach in knots, I started the motor and was grateful to see the previous owners had been kind enough to leave it with a full tank of gas. I waited just long enough to confirm that no one was rushing from the trees to demand I stop, then put the boat in gear. With sluggish, reluctant movements, the houseboat reversed, pulling away from the dock.
I couldn’t simply point the bow toward Seattle. I needed to head at least half a mile in the opposite direction, putting distance between the boat and the island before looping back around. It wasted precious minutes, but it was better than being spotted and finding a speedboat chasing after me, demanding to know what trouble I was getting up to this time.
As the miles grew between the boat and the island, tension slid from my shoulders, and I took a moment to play with the water. It responded gleefully, recognizing the ancient power that resided within every elemental. I let the water soothe me, recharge me, strip away the fear and panic of the last two days. There’d be time for that again, I was sure, but for now all I cared about was reaching the city in time to meet Mac and Simon.
The water sensed my impatience and wrapped itself around the boat’s hull, pushing it along at a pace no speedboat could match.
The closer I drew to the city, the more my nerves rose to the surface, straining toward what lay ahead. I was eager to see them, certainly, but I also felt a slow-building dread.
Something inspired Simon and Mac to drop everything and drive north. In the last day, something had changed enough to convince them to make the twelve-hour drive to see me—a decision made before they knew I would remain on the island for several more days.
The closer I drew to Seattle, the more my vague unease threatened to turn into blind panic. The water could only do so much to soothe me.
This time of year, full dark didn’t descend until nearly ten o’clock. Even so, the sun worked its way steadily across the sky, growing weaker with each passing hour, and the air was changing. It was no longer a warm caress. Instead, chilled fingers plucked at my skin, calling goosebumps to the surface.
I still didn’t close the boat’s windows. The open sea and sky were too precious to keep a plate of glass between us.
Because, based on my recent experience with Josiah Blais, it was only a matter of time before another body appeared.
There was only one thing important enough to distract me from that goal. One reason I’d give up some of the precious hours I needed to clear Sera’s name.
Despite the morning’s unpleasant turn of events, a smile pulled at my lips. My eyes drifted to the still vacant houseboat.
Right now, I had an appointment with a bear and a cat.
Chapter 6
I hadn’t learned to drive a car until college, but I’d practically been raised on boats and knew how to work all of them, from the smallest rowboat to the largest, P. Diddy-worthy yacht. All I needed was access to some type of watercraft, and I’d find my way to the mainland.
Luckily for my plans, I was on a crime-free island where everyone left their keys in the ignition.
Current unsolved murder aside, I was about to increase the island’s crime rate by about one hundred percent. I hadn’t wanted to get my father away only because he made me nervous. I also didn’t want any witnesses when I committed a felony.
The houseboat was nothing fancy, but it had two small bedrooms with double beds, a decent-sized sitting area and a kitchen about the size of a Post-it note. It was a little larger than Mac’s Airstream trailer, but I wasn’t concerned about its comforts. All that mattered was it could get me to Seattle, which it would.
Eventually.
This particular vehicle wasn’t intended for transportation so much as gentle floating. I had several hours before I was supposed to meet them, but the houseboat would never make it on time, not without help.
No one was on the shore. With my stomach in knots, I started the motor and was grateful to see the previous owners had been kind enough to leave it with a full tank of gas. I waited just long enough to confirm that no one was rushing from the trees to demand I stop, then put the boat in gear. With sluggish, reluctant movements, the houseboat reversed, pulling away from the dock.
I couldn’t simply point the bow toward Seattle. I needed to head at least half a mile in the opposite direction, putting distance between the boat and the island before looping back around. It wasted precious minutes, but it was better than being spotted and finding a speedboat chasing after me, demanding to know what trouble I was getting up to this time.
As the miles grew between the boat and the island, tension slid from my shoulders, and I took a moment to play with the water. It responded gleefully, recognizing the ancient power that resided within every elemental. I let the water soothe me, recharge me, strip away the fear and panic of the last two days. There’d be time for that again, I was sure, but for now all I cared about was reaching the city in time to meet Mac and Simon.
The water sensed my impatience and wrapped itself around the boat’s hull, pushing it along at a pace no speedboat could match.
The closer I drew to the city, the more my nerves rose to the surface, straining toward what lay ahead. I was eager to see them, certainly, but I also felt a slow-building dread.
Something inspired Simon and Mac to drop everything and drive north. In the last day, something had changed enough to convince them to make the twelve-hour drive to see me—a decision made before they knew I would remain on the island for several more days.
The closer I drew to Seattle, the more my vague unease threatened to turn into blind panic. The water could only do so much to soothe me.
This time of year, full dark didn’t descend until nearly ten o’clock. Even so, the sun worked its way steadily across the sky, growing weaker with each passing hour, and the air was changing. It was no longer a warm caress. Instead, chilled fingers plucked at my skin, calling goosebumps to the surface.
I still didn’t close the boat’s windows. The open sea and sky were too precious to keep a plate of glass between us.
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