What Have You Done(38)

Along the dock, on the way out to the boat slips, there was a tackle shop, a small café, and a souvenir shop lined up side by side. In front of the café, under the protection of a somewhat tattered awning, an old Asian man sat on a milk carton with a young Asian boy, his grandson. They were both dressed in bright-yellow parkas, the man snapping pictures with a Polaroid as folks passed by, the young boy calling out to them to purchase the picture his grandfather had just taken. This was Grandpa and Kiki. They were a staple at the dock, and he and Sean had grown to know them over the years as many of the boat owners had. One picture, one dollar. Everyone got their photo taken. Not everyone bought. Rumor had it that Grandpa had a way of getting free film from a warehouse that housed audio and visual equipment. Liam wasn’t sure how Grandpa pulled this off and was certain he didn’t want to know. Let the man and the boy make their living. This wasn’t what he would consider a crime worth looking into.

Liam passed them without looking up. The rain was stabbing at him now as it blew sideways. He pulled his hood tighter and made his way down the steps to slip 28, where the boat was waiting. Sean had put the cover over the wheelhouse and fishing platform to protect it from the weather. In order to come aboard, Liam would have to unsnap the corner and climb through. His hands were slippery on the rope that acted as a railing.

“What are you doing?” he asked himself aloud.

His feet refused to move any farther. He shook with adrenaline, staring at the boat’s hull as it rocked up and down in the heavy surf. One slip and he would fall into the water that knew of his fear and so relentlessly reached out for him time and again. He closed his eyes into slits and stepped onto the rear platform of the boat, balancing himself as he rocked with the waves. His fumbling hands unsnapped the corner of the cover as fast as they could. The whitecaps nipped at the heels of his shoes again as he stood on the swim platform, catching him on the ankle so he could feel the icy temperature of a winter just past. He steadied himself as he slid under the canopy, belly flopping on board. Outside, the rain thumped against the plastic. Inside, his heart thumped much louder.

He used the flashlight on his phone to look around, trying to recall anything, but again nothing came. The boat rocked in the angry current as he continued into the cabin. No memory was triggered that could help him in his quest. He looked at the couch that converted to a bed and thought about his time there with Kerri. They had come to the boat to make love on several occasions. Despite his fear of the water, she’d always made him feel comfortable, safe. He shut his eyes and thought he could still smell her perfume and their sweat floating in the air. Oh, how he missed her. He searched for a single spark that might tell him something, but it was as if he were seeing the boat for the first time. No memories from Saturday night came forth.

As Liam was turning to leave, his flashlight caught a piece of metal shining in the corner of the hull where the tabletop folded down into the floor for the bed. He leaned in and saw something sticking out from between the cushions on the couch. It looked like a small metal chain or perhaps one of Sean’s fishing lures. He reached over and untangled it from the fabric, then held it up to the light.

It was Vanessa’s charm bracelet.

The chrome from one of the charms was what had caught his eye. He turned it around in his hand and recognized the tiny medical bag that represented her profession, the cross that reminded her of her mother, and the angel that represented her mother watching over her. What had Vanessa been doing on Sean’s boat?

Vanessa doesn’t know about Kerri.

Motive.

Only you, me, and Don know about everything.

Liam carefully climbed out of the boat and refastened the cover to keep the rain out. He scurried back up the stairs toward land and hurried into the tackle shop. Inside, Bud Statler, the owner, sat behind the counter watching an old tube television that was propped up on a stool. There was no one else in the store.

“Hey, Liam!” Bud called when he walked in. “Where’s Sean?”

“Just me today.”

“Trying your luck in the rain? I hear they’ve been biting.”

“You know I don’t go out on the water.”

Bud smiled. “Oh, yeah. Right.” He hopped off his seat and leaned over the counter. “What can I get for you then? T-shirt maybe?”

The store was quiet. “Listen,” Liam began. “I gotta ask you a strange question, so bear with me.”

“Go ahead.”

“Was I here the other day? Do you remember seeing me on Saturday?”

Bud shook his head. “No, I don’t think you’ve been in here since last season. I haven’t seen you. Why?”

Liam tried on a smile he was sure didn’t work. “Had a good time drinking and can’t remember a thing. Trying to retrace my steps. Sean thought I might’ve come to the boat.”

“A blackout!” Bud shouted. There was a hint of admiration in his eyes now. Perhaps the land lover wasn’t so bad after all. “Oh, man, I’ve been there before, my friend. Been there too many times.” He laughed and smiled. “But no, didn’t see you. If you came by the dock, you didn’t come in here.”

“Okay, thanks.”

“If you find out what happened, let me know. We’ll trade stories.”

Liam waved and walked out as Bud was still laughing. The traffic from the bridge above was a constant droning. He had started back to his car when the Asian man, Grandpa, began calling to him in his native tongue. Liam waved but kept moving. He wasn’t in the mood to pay for pictures in the rain.