Chapter 8 - Delilah
EIGHT
DELILAH
The smell of bacon and fresh coffee woke me as I stirred, not wanting to leave my bed.
Birds sang outside my window, the early sun rays peeking into the room to greet me.
“God, I slept amazing last night.” I spoke, sighing.
I got no reply. Reef must still be sleeping.
I turned my head to find the other half of my bed empty.
“Reef?” I shot up, clasping the thin sheet close.
My eyes glanced around the room, noticing his clothes were gone, just like him. What the fuck?
I wrapped the sheet around my body, leaving my room and stepping into the kitchen.
Cherri was standing in her night dress, flipping bacon, a cup of coffee in her hand, her eyebrows raising as she looked at me.
“Ummm, good morning, sleeping beauty. Sleep well?” I ignored her question, searching the rest of our place for Reef.
“Delilah?” she asked, looking around with me. “What’re we looking for?”
“Is he not here?” I asked.
“Who? Reef?” I nodded. “I thought he was still in bed with you.”
“No. I woke up and he was gone.” I gripped a wad of my sheet, squeezing it as I fought back my tears.
Sensing my sadness, Cherri quickly changed the topic. “Hey, did you see this?” She tossed a newspaper article to me.
I caught it, reading the headline out loud. “Unlucky or Targeted? Angel of Death and Killer Shark’s Latest Victim One and the Same.” Shit. That was fast. “When did this arrive?” I asked.
Cherri shrugged. “It was here on the counter when I woke up; figured you got it.” I groaned, slightly panicking. Did Reef find this and bail? Where would he go? “You okay?” She reached out to me but I stepped back, dodging her gesture.
“I’m fine. Reef probably just had somewhere to be.” I forced a smile. “And this,” I shook the newspaper, “this is just stressful.” I tossed it into the trash as my lower abdomen cramped, causing me to wince.
“You’re telling me. I already know your dad is going to lose it at the office today. You know how much he hates those tabloids.”
“I’m going to take a shower. Don’t leave without me. I’m heading into the police station with you today.”
Cherri nodded. “Okay. Hey, I like your necklace!” she hollered after me. I touched the tooth around my neck. At least I still have this.
I went with Cherri to work, my skates tied and draped over my shoulder, dressed casually whereas she looked amazing in her business attire. We approached her desk, noticing a new stack of papers.
“For fuck’s sake. Where is Deputy Danielson?” she drawled, rushing to get started. “Your dad should be in his office.” She rushed to begin organizing the chaotic mess.
I knocked on the cracked door to my father’s office. “Come in.”
I stepped inside, watching as my dad looked up at me. He looked as though he’d just spent the night here, working. Boxes upon boxes of files, photographs, and police reports remained scattered around his desk office, much like the dining room at home.
“What do you want, Delilah?” he grumbled, returning his eyes to whatever he was examining.
“I just wanted to check in, see how you were doing.”
“You saw the article,” he stated, seeing straight through my bullshit.
I nodded. “Look, I got officers scouring the town, hanging flyers, making calls, doing all the things to catch this Angel of Death.” He sighed, leaning back in his chair, rubbing his eyes.
“And as for this killer shark, well, the fishermen are preparing to hunt it down as we speak. Dale was right. We had the wrong shark, and no one knows where the fuck Danielson is!”
“You’re letting them hunt it?” I asked, worried for Reef.
“How else do you propose we stop it?” he snapped. “Look, I appreciate you checking on me, but I’ve got to focus on work.” Nothing new.
I nodded, taking the hint and leaving his office. I need to warn Reef. I changed into my skates, waving goodbye to Cherri as I exited the police station.
I skated towards the beach, as I neared the sand dunes, someone yanked me back, dragging me towards the dock. “Let go of me!” I screamed, kicking my skates.
“Shut up!”
I stopped fighting, glancing up to see him pulling me along the wooded pier. “Dale?” He didn’t speak, only dragged me further onto the pier toward his boat while I tried to fight him off, his hand tightly wrapped in my hair as he pulled me along. “Let go!”
As we stood feet away from the boat, Dale turned to look at me, forcing me to my feet as he squeezed my arms tight.
He pushed me back as I fell, my body landing on the deck with a loud thud, groaning in agony as I glanced around, disoriented.
A rank, rotting smell filled my nostrils, making me sick to my stomach as I lifted my head, peering through my hair to see a dead shark lying upside down across from me.
Its stomach was sliced open, the creature’s guts, blood, partially digested fish spewing out from inside it, staining the wooden deck.
I shrieked, scrambling as I crawled back, running into Dale’s legs.
As I looked up at him, he grabbed the back of my head, forcing me to my feet.
“You see that?” He pointed to the mutilated carcass.
“I told them they had the wrong shark. I told them! But no, it took a fucking newspaper article to make them believe me when I had the proof here, all this time!”
“You were right,” I stated, trying to calm him. “You were right, Dale.” I swallowed, fearful of him, his eyes crazed and bloodshot. “Tell you what, why don’t you let me go? Let me go, and I can tell my dad what I saw, explain how you were right this whole time. How does that sound?”
He stared at me, a sinister smile creeping from the corners of his mouth, wrinkling his sun damaged skin.
“I’m not an idiot, Delilah.” He tossed me back, my body slamming into the contents of the dead shark’s stomach.
I crawled away, fighting back the urge to vomit.
Dale kicked from the dock, the ropes of the pier sliding into the water.
“Besides, I could use an extra set of hands where we’re going. ”
“Where are we going?” I asked, scared to hear his answer.
Dale rushed to the front of his boat, starting the engine as it idled and began to drift away from the beach. “We’re going to find ourselves a shark.”