Chapter Twenty
The rest of the week was ... strained.
That was the only way Britt could describe it.
Everyone was on edge. The police detectives came out to Lobster Cove to talk to Britt and Evelyn about the accident.
After Britt was done telling them everything she could remember about what happened, they confirmed her suspicions, that the brakes and steering had both been tampered with.
Walt and Barry had reiterated that they’d testify in court that it was Camden who’d suggested Evelyn’s car had something wrong with it and he’d been the one to work on the vehicle, refusing their help. The lack of any fingerprints other than Camden’s on the car confirmed their stories.
The independent financial consultant that Lincoln had hired was working through the years of tax returns and other financial documents, and had preliminarily confirmed that all the Youngs’ suspicions were correct.
Large amounts of money each month had been embezzled, most likely by Otis.
It would take a while to determine how much exactly, from which accounts, and for how far back.
The DA wasn’t ready to press charges yet, but they were coming. It was inevitable.
And while everyone at Lobster Cove was relieved that Otis and Camden would face charges for everything they’d done, there was also an air of grieving around the property for the second time in just a few months.
Otis was as much an institution around the place as Austin Young had been.
Evelyn had trusted him. Hell, everyone had.
And he’d broken that trust in the worst way.
Britt did her best to keep the things she could running smoothly, to take the stress off Evelyn and the others.
She completely took over everything having to do with the guest cabins, greeting the renters, and making sure they had everything they needed.
She answered the email inquiries and kept on top of the website they used to book stays.
She cleaned the cabins, baked for the guests, and generally became the face of Lobster Cove Rentals.
She also continued to help out with inventory at the auto shop. Walt and Barry were subdued but busier than ever now that Camden was gone. True, he was only part time, but even the few hours he’d worked had taken some of the pressure off the two men.
Lincoln had stepped up to help out around Lobster Cove where he could. Zach was busy trying to make his lobster shack profitable, and Knox was working with the Coast Guard every day.
Everyone was busy, but the pall of Otis’s betrayal hung over Lobster Cove like a shroud. Despite being fired, the damage he’d done was still front and center in everyone’s mind.
Britt was making muffins in the kitchen to put into the two-bedroom cabin as a welcome gift when Chad entered the house. He was sweaty and dirty, and he had a determined gleam in his eye.
“We need a break,” he declared.
“What?”
“A break,” he repeated. “You haven’t been swimming in the cove yet.”
“Chad, the water’s freezing,” Britt told him.
“It’s chilly. Not freezing. We’ve had some warm days recently, and it’s time you were given a proper welcome to Lobster Cove.”
Britt frowned. “And what’s that?”
“The lobster swing.”
“The what?”
“The lobster swing. It’s a swing hanging from a tree near the shore. It’s tradition for everyone who lives and works at Lobster Cove to take a turn. Everyone’s done it but you. Hell, even some of the guests at the cabins have used it.”
“I’m good,” Britt told him, not liking the idea of getting into the water. Yes, it was warm now, but that didn’t mean the water was warm. For someone used to southern waters and beaches, it wasn’t even warm- ish .
“Come on, it’ll be fun,” Chad cajoled.
The front door opened, and Knox and Zach walked in.
“Heard it’s lobster-swing day!” Zach exclaimed. “I left the shack to my employees for a few hours because I wasn’t going to miss opening day for the swing!”
“Same,” Knox agreed. “It’s been forever since we’ve been on that thing.”
“So how do you know it’s not going to break? The rope might be rotted,” Britt pointed out.
“Not a chance. Besides, Lincoln is out there now, checking it.”
“Mom!” Knox yelled down the hallway. “It’s lobster-swing time!”
Two seconds later, Evelyn peeked her head out of the office. “Woo-hoo!” she exclaimed. “Britt, you’re going to love the swing. Let me go change. Don’t leave without me!”
Britt turned to gape at the brothers. “Your mom is doing it?”
“Yes, so you have no excuses as to why you can’t,” Chad said with a chuckle. “Go on. Go upstairs and get changed. I have no idea if you have a suit or not, but if you don’t, you can wear a pair of shorts and a tank top or something.”
As Britt made her way up the stairs, she wondered how in the world she’d gotten roped into this. She could swim, but she also vividly remembered how cold the water was less than a week ago, when she’d crashed Evelyn’s car and gotten submerged after escaping the wreck.
But if Evelyn could do it, and was apparently looking forward to it, so could she.
Britt changed and made her way down the stairs, shaking her head as she heard the brothers talking about years past, when they’d spent hours playing on the swing and in the waters of the cove.
By the time they all headed out of the house toward the infamous lobster swing, Britt realized the mood of the Young family had taken a turn for the first time since Otis had left the property.
Everyone was in high spirits, laughing and reminiscing about good times on the swing. It was a nice change.
They walked along the shore, past the bench, and up through the trees on a path that took them about ten feet above the water. They went down a second, barely visible path, if it could be called that, and meandered back toward the water.
The path abruptly ended at a large tree where two long, thick, sturdy ropes holding a wood-plank seat hung from one of the large branches.
The ropes were currently looped around big hooks that had been screwed into the tree trunk, obviously to secure the swing when not in use, to keep the ropes from getting tangled in the tree during the winter or any windstorms.
There was maybe a ten-foot slope that led down to the water, and Britt could see someone had made a crude set of wooden steps over the rocky slope, so whoever was in the water could make their way back up to flat ground fairly easily.
Finally, there was a platform made out of wood standing near the tree. Britt couldn’t figure out exactly what it was used for. Maybe for someone to stand on, to make sure whoever was swinging was safe?
She didn’t have to wait long to find out. Knox was eagerly stripping out of his T-shirt as he yelled, “I’m calling dibs on first swing!”
The other Young brothers grumbled good-naturedly but didn’t seem too upset that Knox wanted to go first. She stood by a smiling Evelyn as they watched Knox climb onto the box. Zach unhooked the ropes from where they’d been secured against the tree and handed the swing to his brother.
Knox tugged on it hard a few times. Apparently satisfied that it was secure and would hold his weight, he put his ass on the thick wooden board affixed to the bottom of the ropes.
It looked like any swing in a kids’ playground or schoolyard.
Except for the extremely long ropes and the ocean water lapping against the shore.
Knox stood on his tiptoes and leaped backward. He let out a loud whoop as he swung forward over the water. Lincoln stepped up, and when gravity swung Knox back toward land, Lincoln pushed against his back—hard—making his brother go much higher when he next flew out over the water.
That happened a few times, and on perhaps the fourth swing, Knox propelled himself off the board when it reached its peak.
His arms and legs flailed a bit as he let out another joyous shout and fell toward the water below.
He landed with a huge splash and came up laughing, shaking his head, water flying in every direction.
“Ooooh boy! This water is nothing like in Florida!”
Everyone laughed.
“Baby!”
“You’ve been gone from Maine too long! Gone soft!”
“Don’t be a wuss!”
Knox’s brothers didn’t hesitate to make fun of him for implying the water was cold.
Of course, that made Britt nervous. If Knox thought the water was cold, it was probably freaking freezing. How much could it have warmed up since the accident? She figured not much.
Then again, Knox wasn’t exactly spending a lot of time swimming. He immediately made his way to the shore and used the crude stairs to walk/crawl back up to where they were all standing.
One second Britt was smiling at everyone’s good-natured teasing, and the next, she was letting out a girly screech as Knox made a beeline for her and wrapped her in a giant bear hug—soaking her clothes in the process.
“Knox!” she protested, trying to wiggle away from him.
“Just trying to get you ready for your turn,” he said with a laugh.
Chad ended up pushing his brother away. “Mine,” he declared with a mock growl and scowl.
Everyone laughed again, and any lingering tension they’d been feeling because of the events of the last few days was officially nowhere to be seen.
Britt hadn’t even noticed Knox holding another rope when he came up the bank, but apparently it was attached to the bottom of the swing, and that was how it was prepared for the next person. Lincoln pulled the swing back toward the tree and held it for Zach as he climbed up on the box.
“Why the box?” Britt asked Chad as she leaned into him. He had his arm around her, and it felt nice. He was warm, and even though the air temperature was bordering on hot in the sun, her clothes were now damp thanks to Knox, making her feel chilly.
“It gives extra leverage. Gets the swing going faster and higher than if we got on it on the ground.”
“I’m not sure I’d be able to even get on it from the ground,” Britt observed.