Chapter 3
They argued about the island, with Ephraim insisting they return so he could examine the shoreline and Sophie flat out refusing. “I’m taking you to the clinic and that’s it.”
She didn’t head for the main dock but one along the northern part of town, in the old oyster processing region.
Docks had once abounded here, with the major processing plants in the region.
Now, there were homes and businesses dotted along the coastline, along with some small docks.
She found one she knew wouldn’t report her boat and moored there then turned to Ephraim.
“We have about a five-minute walk to the clinic. Think you can make it?”
“I’m not going to a clinic.”
She glared at him, “Okay. Sit there,” and she cut off the motor, took the key from the ignition to prevent him from stealing the thing and then climbed out of the dingy and started walking up the dock and toward the boardwalk along the harbor.
A minute passed and she began to doubt her resolve then she heard him curse and yell her name.
Hiding a smile, she turned and cocked her head to one side. “Yes?”
“I’ll go, now help me out of this thing before I throw up.”
She didn’t laugh, didn’t gloat, but she did give herself a mental attagirl as she held out her hand and he climbed up on to the dock. He growled at her. “You could have left the motor key.”
“Nope,” she said and headed to the steps leading to the boardwalk and alley beyond.
The clinic staff greeted her with smiles and then with commiseration as she told them that Ephraim had gotten a nasty cut on his head and might need stitches.
She’d leave it up to him whether he told them of the circumstances of the injury.
When she asked him if he wanted her to stay, he said no and she headed toward her car, parked several blocks away.
She sighed at the parking ticket flapping against the windshield wiper.
Another expense she didn’t want to add to her monthly tab.
She’d set an amount to save each month and rarely made it, with increased costs for gas and supplies.
With her schedule full of rentals to clean, even in the winter she worked a full week but maybe she needed to take on weekend work, she mused as she stuffed the ticket in her back pocket and unlocked her twenty-year-old car.
She tossed the backpack into the passenger seat and started the car then headed for the one place she could relax, her cabin.
No, she couldn’t take on more work. Her weekends were short enough.
With cleaning her own house, taking care of the exterior of the property, and making time for church services on Sunday, she barely had enough time to recharge before heading back to clean other people’s ideas of vacation paradise.
And she wanted to make a career out of this?
After she’d turned off the main road and onto the national park road, she noticed a dark car following along.
Passing the secondary road that she’d normally take to her cabin, she kept an eye on the rearview mirror and made two or three more turns before the car dropped off and into a camping area in the park.
Chiding herself, she made a few more turns before getting back on the main road and headed to the cabin.
Ephraim had rubbed off on her, bringing back old habits.
She’d have to mentally cleanse herself before she went to work the next day or she’d be looking in closets for skeletons.
She’d been home for less than fifteen minutes when her cell rang. Noticing the clinic’s number, Sophie tamped down a surge of panicked concern and answered. “Hello.”
“Sophie? This is Clare, from the clinic.”
“Hi, Clare. Is something wrong with Ephraim?”
“We don’t know, he left the treatment room before the doctor got to see him.”
“What?”
“We’d just finished checking him in, which was a pain in the rear, to be honest. He kept saying he didn’t remember stuff and the medical assistant finally just told him the doctor would check his blood pressure and heart rate, she was so flustered.
Anyway, when the doc went into the room, he was gone. ”
Sophie huffed an exasperated breath. “Drat that man. He acted like he had some issues with balance and I think he had some vision issues too. He’d gotten a pretty deep cut on his head and I think maybe a concussion. He had a raging headache yesterday, too.”
“Sounds like a concussion to me. And that may explain his confusion or memory issues. Anyway, if he gets in contact with you bring him back or at least encourage him to see his own doctor. Concussions aren’t something to be taken lightly.”
“Will do, thanks Clare.” Sophie disconnected the call and glanced around for her car keys then stopped. Where was she going to look for the man? She didn’t know anything about him. The most probable place he’d show up would be the island, or a dock where he could get a boat to it.
She jogged out to her car and then drove to the shore, where she spent the next two hours trolling the docks looking for a man in sandy jeans and a spotty, dirty shirt but with no luck.
Finally, she headed back home, a knot in her throat that the thought of him in the surrounding brushland.
If he got confused and wandered enough, he could even get caught up in the bogs.
She checked her watch and thought about boating to the island, just to check.
Since she’d left the boat key at the cabin, she mentally calculated if she’d need more gas for the motor as she drove.
When she entered the house and saw Ephraim sitting at the worn, wooden table her grandfather had built, she threw her car keys at him. “You jerk!”
He watched the keys sail by him then turned to her. “Why jerk? Why not dastardly dude or buffoon?”
“Or something I don’t call men anymore! I was worried about you.” She stomped past the table to the couch on the outer wall of the cabin and leaned over to retrieve the keys from behind it. “The clinic called over two hours ago.”
When he didn’t respond she stood, her feet apart and her hands on her hips. “You could have called me.”
“Don’t have a phone, don’t have your number.”
“But you found my address and my house, apparently.” She huffed, unwilling to let go of the anger fueled by concern.
“Your address was easy, the clinic asked for mine and I couldn’t give it to them.
I just told them I was staying with you for a few days and they put that in.
When the nurse left the room I just looked at the computer screen.
A ride out here was a little harder. This is in the middle of nowhere,” he finished with what she considered way too much satisfaction.
“Who brought you out?”
“A ranger. Told him I’d hitchhiked to town for a burger and needed a ride back to the campsite.”
“The campground is almost a mile from my house.”
“Yep. Nice walk, though.” He stood and after holding onto the chair for a minute, stretched and then eyed her with a serious expression. “We need to get out to the island.”
“No, we don’t,” she bit out and turned her back on him. She headed to her bathroom. She hoped aspirin wouldn’t hurt his wound but at that point she wondered if she cared that much.
She made him take the aspirin and repeatedly told him she was not going to the island.
Ignoring him, she went to her planner on her phone and checked her cleaning appointments.
She’d had several cancellations which put her savings account money down even further but freed up the rest of her day.
She’d send her guest on his way and then try to decompress, maybe get out her sea glass and make some jewelry.
“I can call someone to come and pick you up if you want to go to a motel in town. There are plenty and most have a room for one this time of year.”
He shook his head and scratched at his elbow. “Got some old sweats or things I could change into? I need to wash these clothes.”
She was sure her eyes bugged out of her face then. “Wash your--- Look, I’m sure you need some clean clothes but the motels have plenty of washers and dryers.”
“I’m not leaving this house until I figure out who was following you when you left the clinic earlier today.”
She stared at him. “Following me?”
“A dark car, probably blue, maybe black. My vision isn’t the greatest right now. When you pulled out of the parking lot the car almost took out a pickup to get behind you.” He looked at her with clear concern then. “Someone was following you, Sophie and I’m afraid it’s because you helped me.”