Chapter 18
The Stranger
We’ve been circling the City Hall parking lot for over twenty minutes.
It’s slap full, and the lines of cars parked along the roadsides stretch in all directions for over a mile.
I grip the steering wheel tighter as a truck coming from the opposite direction cuts me off and stops right in front of us.
The passenger jumps out and attempts to direct the driver into a narrow opening.
Then the tailgater behind me taps my bumper, waving his arm out the window as he slams on his horn.
Damn it. Dropping Crystal off at the entrance may be the only option at this point.
“What the hell are we about to walk into?”
She raises a finger, still talking animatedly with someone on the phone.
I notice the news vans and cameras parked right at the entrance. Shit. What are they here for?
Finally, she hangs up and turns to me. “Scott wants us to park at Spock’s Ice and meet Sid and her team. There’s still some parking there, and they’ve got bikes.”
The truck in front of us has squeezed a couple more feet over to the right, enough for me to edge around it. After a few more near collisions, I get us back on the road and fall back three blocks to the ice cream parlor.
Spock’s Ice. With bright pink walls, light green trim, and a striped awning, the building looks good enough to eat.
“You want some ice cream while we’re here?” I ask her, only half joking.
“Maybe later.” She laughs as she gathers her notes and puts them into her tan satchel. “Or you can stop by with Natalie. She loves it. Her favorite is wild watermelon with lychee popping boba.”
“Over there.” I point to Sid and the bikes. She’s standing with a few of her crew at the curb.
As we walk up, Sid hands me a helmet while another guy hands one to Crystal. “Hop on. Nathan, you’re with me. Crystal, Heath’s got you.”
I buckle the chin strap of my helmet and get behind Sid.
“We’re going to get y’all right to the entrance,” she says. “When we do, head straight for the door. Don’t stop for anyone. Scott and Liam are already waiting and ready to fight them back.”
“Fight them back?” Crystal asks. Her voice is hoarse.
“Looks like the word’s out that Nathan’s alive. This is all about him.”
What the hell? I’m already creating chaos for the people I love.
Crystal looks my way and mouths, “It’ll be okay.”
We take off.
It’s even worse now. There’s not an inch of space left, and anyone who arrived early is blocked in. It’s going to take hours for this mess to clear out later.
“I’ve got to pick up Natalie in about an hour,” I tell Sid as we move at a slow crawl into the parking lot.
“No worries. I’ll get you back to your car when you need to go.”
Is she sure about that? The bikes can squeeze through for now, but it’s a challenge even for them.
“K, Nathan. Listen up. You’ve already got eyes on you, and they’re about to charge. I’ll get us right on the steps and will try to hold them back. Run for Scott.”
I glance over my shoulder, looking for Crystal.
“Hold on tight, here we go.”
Sid presses hard on the gas, and we whirl around the sharp corner into the building’s porte-cochère. She jerks the bike, and it bounces up several steps of the staircase.
“Run,” she commands.
Jumping off, I run. Instantly, a crowd of reporters swarms around me. Calls and shouted questions from dozens of voices ring in my ears.
“Nathan, where have you been all these years?”
“What are you hiding?”
“Can you do an interview? We’ll pay you.”
Sid throws her arms out, blocking a handful of the mob behind me. “Hey guys, I’m his rep. You want to ask him something, you go through me.”
Liam and Scott are by my side now and begin shoving those who have followed me. The guard at the front door opens it and closes it as soon as I’m through. Scott and Liam stay outside. Scanning the room, there’s no sign of Crystal.
I consider going back when Sid rushes through the door, Crystal by her side.
Then her crew comes in, walking their bikes.
“Who did this?” Crystal’s shaken up and angry. “Scott told everyone to keep their mouths shut. Nathan deserves some peace.”
Pulling Crystal to my chest, I try to calm her.
“Daddy Dearest.” Sid glares at the stage. Garrett and Finn are already there. “Sorry, guys. This was a rotten thing to do. Even for him.”
“Thank you for your help,” I say.
“I’ll be in the back. Let me know when it’s time to pick up Natalie.”
Holding her hand tightly, I escort Crystal toward the stage. “Are you sure you want to do this? You could call in sick.”
“It’s a little too late for that.” She laughs half-heartedly and brushes down the creases in her dress and squeezes my arm.
Finn notices Crystal and walks over.
“You okay?” Finn asks her, “This is a mob.”
“We’re good,” she says.
Then he looks at me and grins. “You’re famous. Seems like everyone in this town wants your autograph.”
He rests a hand on her shoulders. “Mind if I steal her?”
What I want to do is punch his arm away, but I nod, and he guides her the rest of the way to the dais.
I find a seat a few rows away from the stage. Thankfully, no reporters were allowed inside, but I can feel the heat of hundreds of curious eyes burning my skin. As soon as I meet anyone’s gaze, they dart their eyes away.
And the whispers—I try to ignore them.
One set of eyes grabs my attention—because they are hidden behind dark glasses and seem to be fixed on me.
And the man they belong to is smiling. At me?
Immediately, I’m on guard. But then a woman walks up to him and whispers something in his ear. They laugh and walk off.
Something’s off. I get the sense that I know him. I look for him again in the crowd, but he’s gone.
The audience is getting restless, the chatter louder, and less of the crowd’s attention is on me as they become focused on the stage.
A heavyset man finally walks in from the back of the curtain to the microphone. Tapping it, he clears his throat and begins speaking with a warm, easygoing drawl.
“Welcome, folks.” He smiles and calmly waits for most of the chatter to stop. “Most of you know me, but for those I haven’t met, I’m Mayor Bent.” There’s still some light murmuring in the crowd. But most have quieted down and are waiting to hear what’s going on.
“You want answers. I do too. That’s why we’ve got these smart folks here with me.
” He gestures to the speakers behind him.
“Dr. Harlow—you may know him from the Carter’s Drop dives, Dr. Phineas Clark from West Virginia, and Mrs. Crystal Glassier, our very own marine biologist.” He gives a curt nod.
“They’ll bring us up to speed. Hold your questions till the end, and we’ll get to ‘em.”
He steps aside and motions for Finn to come forward.
Finn takes the podium and politely bows his head to the crowd. His tall, elegant stature and science-nerd style of dress signal trustworthiness. He gives a brief introduction and then jumps into the facts.
“The truth is, we don’t yet know what’s warming the waters.” Fearful gasps fill the room. He continues to explain the current situation and what he and the team of cave divers and scientists are doing to find answers.
“But we will find out what’s going on, and we will find a solution. You have my word.”
I roll my eyes. I don’t care who the hell you are. You can’t make guarantees like that. Failure is always a possibility.
He wraps up his presentation and then opens the floor for questions. Most people raise their hands to speak, but a few shout out rudely, canceling each other out. He ignores them until everyone behaves.
“You, yes, you. Lady in the green dress.”
The woman speaks fast, tripping over her words. “My friend’s son got a rash a few days ago. After swimming at the beach. And some of my neighbors aren’t feeling well. Hundreds of dead jellyfish cover the beach every morning until they’re cleaned up.” Her voice rises, strained. “Is it dangerous?”
“No. It’s not dangerous, but we are concerned. Ms. Glassier will go over the environmental impacts. And I’m afraid those impacts have brought us to a difficult decision that I’ll let Mayor Bent speak to.”
Loud chatter erupts from the crowd. The woman sitting to my left twists her closed hands tighter, her face a wall of worry. I get her attention and whisper, “It’s going to be okay.” Some of the tension leaves her face.
Mayor Bent walks back up to the microphone, relieving Finn.
“Friends. When I was told this news, I swore like a sailor and demanded we find another way. But NOAA and Coast Guard officials have made the call, and I’m on board.
We’re closing all the beaches and suspending recreational aquatic activity from Maverick Key’s shoreline to the waters surrounding the reef. ”
An explosion of loud conversation takes over the room as some people surge to their feet as if they plan to storm the stage. Police officers who have been idle until now move quickly, corralling agitated citizens back to their seats.
“Why is that big military ship anchored less than a mile offshore? What aren’t you telling us!” one man yells over the commotion.
“Folks, I need you to quiet down a little so I can speak.” A flurry of shushes rolls through the audience. Mayor Bent continues. “We’ve called in all the big guns. That ship is where they’re doing their fancy lab work.”
The man eyes the mayor skeptically and asks another question.
My alarm vibrates. It’s time to leave so I can pick up Natalie.
Standing to leave, I try to wave goodbye to Crystal, but she doesn’t see me. I hate leaving her here in this mess.
When I find Sid, she waves me down the hallway and out to a narrow alley where she’s moved her bike. The passage is squeezed between two sections of the concrete block building.
A quiet hiding place tucked away from the curious mob who’s waiting for a glimpse of Nathan Carter.
“You and Crystal are going to get a lot of attention you didn’t ask for now. And your little girl.” She frowns. “Take her somewhere else until all this settles down.”
“Won’t your dad just tell them anything we do?”
“Yeah, well.” She swallows. Fighting tears? “He and I are going to have a little chat. I’m fucking tired of him messing around with everyone’s lives.” For a moment, her tough exterior slips, and she’s just a little girl. One who loves her father. And still knows he’s a world-class asshole.
“For what it’s worth. You’re not him. Thanks again for today.”
She drops me off at Spock’s Ice, and I drive to the school.
I’m on the parent pickup list and have all the instructions for following the school’s safety protocols. Sweat pools at my hairline. I’m late. School was dismissed twenty minutes ago.
When I pull into the parking lot and scan the sidewalk for Natalie, I spot her sitting alone on a bench. Thank God. No other kids are left, but there’s an older man standing beside her. He must be a chaperone.
Closer, I notice he’s not wearing a volunteer safety belt. A jolt of fear shoots through me. Picking up the pace, I rush over to her. His eyes widen in shock when he sees me, and he turns and bolts.
What the hell?
“Hey!” I shout, getting a nearby police officer’s attention. “He was talking to my little girl.”
The officer darts off after the man.
Crouching down, I catch my breath and put my hands on her shoulders. “You okay, Sugar Muffin?”
Her little face crunches up in concern. “He’s a nice man, Daddy. I know I’m not supposed to talk to strangers, but I’m at school with the policeman.” She points to the policeman who’s returning empty-handed.
I hug her.
After the officer confirms he lost the guy and takes my information, we go home.
I look at the clock for the five-hundredth time.
Crystal’s still not back. I hate that she’s still in the middle of that chaos, and I’m worried that anything could have happened to her.
Car accident, mugging. I should have stormed the stage and taken her with me.
I check my cell again—no response to my text.
Even though Natalie’s just finished a jumbo watermelon gelato with bursting boba, I cook her some mac and cheese.
She finishes her plate and asks for more.
I shake my head. “Where are you putting all the food?”
She laughs and rubs her tummy. “In here, silly.” I poke the tip of her nose, which earns me a squeal.
After we finish eating, I ask her to tell me what the man said to her, and then brace myself for her answer.
“He said he knew you, Daddy, and he was sorry you died.” What? My muscles tense, every protective instinct flaring. “He told me I needed to tell my momma to stay away from the scientists. That they are all dangerous. And he said a Big, Mean Man is in Maverick Key.”
What the hell?
How am I going to protect them when I can’t remember what I got myself into as Nathan Carter? I think of the guy with the sunglasses and the man who scared Crystal. I’m the root cause of all this. I know it. I’ve got to get through my journals and find some answers fast.
“I’m scared, Daddy. The scientists and the Big, Mean Man won’t hurt Momma, will they?”
“No. I won’t let that happen. I promise I’ll always keep you and Momma safe.” Thousands of possibilities race through my mind. “Did he say anything else?”
“He said his name was Walter.”