Chapter Fifty
Quinn splashes in the ocean, mindful that there have been reports of deadly sharks in these waters off Somalia’s port of Marka. There’s been no running water on post for two weeks, so it’s worth the risk—the barracks are rank with the stink of soldiers who spend all day in the scorching heat.
The locals are watching on the shoreline, entertained by the crazy naked foreigners. Giuseppe yells to the crowd, “Come see it! The most well-endowed man in all of Italy.” He emerges from the water buck naked, his lanky frame doing body-builder poses to the laughter of everyone.
Then without warning, the water—the entire Indian Ocean—turns blood red. Giant centipedes and black mamba snakes and scorpions are everywhere, the creatures consume Giuseppe and George as they plead for Quinn to save them.
Quinn wakes to the sound of a scream. It’s his own.
Holly has jolted awake too. It takes Quinn a moment to realize he’s in his bed in Omaha, not eight thousand miles away.
Holly turns to him. “The nightmare again?”
Quinn doesn’t want to talk about it. Holly seems to know this immediately, turns away from him, frustrated.
He should talk to her. Talk to a professional like she keeps begging him to.
Instead he gets up. It’s almost 5 a.m. He goes into the living room of the small apartment and does fifty push-ups, fifty crunches.
Laces his shoes and goes outside for a walk.
In basic training, he’d learned that running was one of the few things that quieted the maelstrom in his head, but the best his injury allows these days is a short walk.
Outside, it’s quiet, that desolate time just before sunrise.
When he returns to the apartment Holly is gone. Why wouldn’t she be?
But then he sees the note on the table: I’m sorry I wasn’t more understanding.
I’m going to the library to study. I’m excited for our dinner.
Happy anniversary! And happy birthday. She always jokes that she lucked out having their anniversary on his birthday—only one gift required. But she always gets him two.
He doesn’t deserve Holly.
By midmorning, he’s visited the flower shop for the annual vigil for missing Minnie Agbayani.
He’s starting to realize he’s never going to solve the case.
She’s been gone four years. He buys some flowers for tonight—Mr. Agbayani recommended a bouquet of pink and red flowers called Cosmos for a second anniversary—and Quinn heads to hospice to visit his dying brother.