Still Waters: The Island / Below the Surface

“Sure. Let me go to my locker. I’ll join you in a few minutes.”

Mark nodded, smiling. He was a pleasant guy. Worked on civil cases, had a great reputation. Ben had tried to set Beth up with him. Beth liked him well enough but insisted there was just no chemistry.

In the locker room, Ben shed his coat, eased out of his tie and began to turn the wheel of the combination lock on his door. As he did, he thought he heard a noise and hesitated, looking around.

He wouldn’t have been surprised to see someone. Lots of guys came straight from work, changed and headed out to the pool or their boats.

What surprised him was that he didn’t see anyone.

He was certain that he hadn’t been alone a moment ago.

Working too hard, too much. Worrying too hard, too much. Hell, if life was just a jaunt out on the boat, days on an island...

Hell. He suddenly wanted to give Beth a good shake. He was jumpy because of the stinking island!

With a shake of his head, he turned back to his locker and started the combination over.

Click...click...click.

The lock opened.

He changed and went out to the pool.

It wasn’t even dark yet. He’d been ridiculous, thinking he’d heard something. Someone.

Disgusted with himself, he strode out to the pool and dived in. Strong-armed, he did lap after lap. When he came out, dripping, his friends were waiting with a beer.

Amber had come out. She smiled, waving to him. Apparently Kim’s folks had picked her up. She walked over. “Dad, think Aunt Beth would mind if we ate burgers out here? I was thinking about hitting the pool, too.”

“Sure. Aunt Beth won’t care. It’s a nice night, and you’re right—we should just be casual out here.” He left it at that, but inside he was inordinately pleased that she’d wanted to spend some time with him after all.

She smiled again, then scampered off to change. His heart took a sudden plunge.

It was hard to love someone so much and not smother them with that love.

As he watched his daughter walk away, he felt again the pinpricks that had haunted him in the locker room.

Fear.

Irrational but all too real.

He was scared. And he wasn’t at all certain why.

It just seemed that suddenly a shadow, something dark, had entered his life, stealing away comfort and ease....

He looked up.

The sun was still out, brilliantly shining.

The shadows, he tried to tell himself, were all in his mind.

9 (#u4fb49ff0-0a38-5ef7-adfe-d67986476231)

Beth was glad she had kept her mouth shut about the girls messing with her computer. When she joined her brother and niece out at the pool, she found a number of families engaged in a game of chicken.

Ben, with Amber on his shoulders, was trouncing the opposition. There was a lot of laughter and camaraderie going on. Nice.

She sat on the sidelines, watching, until Amber saw her and waved, then tapped her dad on the top of the head and alerted Ben to her presence, as well.

The competition tried to take advantage of Ben’s distracted state, but Amber turned back, ready to take on the world. Her opponent went down, and Amber laughed delightedly.

Like a child.

Then the two of them, after high-fiving each other in victory, laughed and left the pool, joining Beth on the sidelines.

“Congratulations,” Beth said.

“Thanks,” Amber said. “You’re cool with this, right? Hamburgers okay with you? I’ll go put our orders in. Would you rather have fish, Aunt Beth, or the salad bar?”

Beth shaded her eyes to stare at her niece. “Are you suggesting I should choose the salad bar?”

“No!”

“I’m going to have a hamburger and fries and iced tea,” she told Amber. “Ben?”

“The same.”

Amber nodded, grinned and went off to the counter to order.

Ben stared at his sister. “Dancing?”

“You could learn to dance,” she said defensively. “Salsa, I’ve decided. For a party—‘Summer Sizzler.’”

“I think it’s great,” he assured her. “Summer Sizzler—salsa. What’s not to like?”

“Good.”

“But are you sure that’s all you have in mind?” He leaned closer. “Tell me you’re not still trying to find out more about the Monocos.”

“I happened to see Maria Lopez at lunch. She’s a salsa queen. I spoke with her. It will be fun, good exercise, and Eduardo Shea gave me a great deal, because he thinks some of the members will sign up for dance lessons.”

Ben let out a sigh, shook his head and leaned back in his chair again.

To Beth’s dismay, one of the members, a woman named Tania Whirlque, came over and immediately brought up the same subject.

“Hey, Beth, I hear we’re having a dance workshop at the Sizzler.”

She hadn’t even put the flyers out yet.