Chapter 19 #2
Upon reflection Cavin suddenly felt terrible for his prior treatment of Keaton. The man irritated him on the night of their introduction, but Cavin had no idea what the guy had been through. Now he understood why Georgia called Keaton’s story a sad one.
Georgia. The mere thought of Georgia instantly brought a cascade of plans back into the forefront of Cavin’s mind and at a time when he would rather not have them.
He suddenly recalled the mayor’s and his wife’s invitation to their party this evening.
He also indicated to Georgia that he would probably see her there.
Thankfully, they never made formal plans to attend the event together nor had he officially committed to joining her for tomorrow morning’s church service when she suggested it.
Nonetheless after all of today’s excitement, the invitations completely slipped his mind.
Considering this dilemma, Cavin nearly glanced at his watch to see if time allowed for a late appearance at the party, but he quickly dismissed the idea, deciding it would be rude to interrupt such a serious conversation.
Cavin reached into his pocket and muted his phone, choosing instead to give Noel his full attention for the remainder of the evening.
“All four of our family members died in a tragic boating accident,” Noel explained, instantly bringing Cavin’s mind back to the present. “Levi, Laney, and I were also supposed to be on that boat,” she added with a sniff.
They walked about twenty steps in silence as little waves pressed against the seawall repetitively reminding the structure that it stood in the way of nature.
A man fishing on a kayak tossed his hand up in the air acknowledging their presence, and Cavin waved back.
Lost in thought Noel never saw the fisherman nor did she hear the hum of the vehicles passing over the very bridge she and Cavin drove over just a short while ago.
The words supposed to be echoed in Cavin’s mind as they walked below the bridge. “I am so sorry,” he uttered cautiously. After another moment passed, he inquired, “Where were you instead?”
“Levi and Laney spent the night together at our house the night before our planned weekend camping trip to Shackelford Banks which is an island not far from Beaufort but only accessible by boat,” she explained.
“In the early morning hours on the day we were scheduled to leave for the excursion, the three of us became ill with some sort of stomach bug that hit me first. I am pretty sure I picked it up from Rainey and Chelsea because they both became sick right after I’d been at their house a couple of days prior.
” Noel paused for a moment, and Cavin could see her jawline tightening visibly.
“Fletcher had been away most of the week captaining a fishing trip, so once the kids and I experienced symptoms, I encouraged him not to come home to get us. Rather than cancelling the last planned trip of the season that everyone was looking forward to, I offered to stay home with the kids and ride out our ailments.” She closed her eyes remembering how Fletcher had come home to grab a few things anyway, and before leaving it surprised her when he kissed her.
She got aggravated at him and told him he might get sick, but he said the reward outweighed the risk.
At the time Noel found it careless, but she would remember that kiss—their last kiss—for the rest of her life.
Their lips moved slowly and passionately as if they might never touch again, but Fletcher always kissed her that way.
“Oh my goodness, I bet the kids were bummed,” Cavin replied, not yet fully realizing the weight of the happenstance. “Thank God the three of you did not go,” he added suddenly comprehending the long-term benefit of their temporary sickness.
Feeling tears form around her eyes, Noel stuffed her hands into her pockets.
“I sometimes wish we had gone,” she admitted for the first time to anyone other than herself.
On several occasions she almost voiced her thoughts to Mrs. Madelyn and Chelsea but then stopped herself because they sounded morbid and might cause unnecessary worry.
Why she just disclosed her unsettling thoughts to Cavin, she was unsure but maybe because soon he would be gone, too, like the family members she missed so much.
“Do you think maybe you could have done something to help if you were there?” Cavin asked curiously.
Noel shrugged her chilly shoulders. “I doubt it. Fletcher was a professional fishing boat captain. He knew those waters like the back of his hand. He frequently drove to and from Shackelford even in the dark without incident. He grew up navigating the waters around Beaufort, and there is no one I would trust captaining a boat more than my husband.”
“Then why do you wish you had gone?” Cavin asked, and suddenly the answer struck him like a lightning bolt. “Oh, I understand what you are implying,” he added, not wanting Noel to have to admit the words aloud.
“It’s hard knowing we should have been there,” Noel confessed.
“I imagine. Where was Keaton?” Cavin asked, immediately assuming that since he apparently pawned Laney off on Noel these days, maybe he did the same then to get drunk whenever he wanted.
Noel grew silent, and then the tears pushed their way down her cheeks.
Cavin knew he promised to refrain from physical touch this evening, but he suddenly felt compelled to rub Noel’s shoulder blade gently.
They dodged a couple who walked by them holding hands, and Cavin saw the woman look at Noel disapprovingly while whispering something to the man as if crying in public were frowned upon.
He considered glaring in their direction but decided to ignore them instead.
When Noel caught her breath, she swiped away the tears with the sleeve of her jacket. “Keaton was driving the boat,” she revealed.
Cavin waited a few seconds considering whether or not to verbalize the thought that immediately came to mind. “Oh, based on what you said a minute ago, I assumed Fletcher was manning the boat.”
“That’s one of the odd things about the accident,” Noel admitted. “Fletcher never let anyone else drive the boat.”
The wheels turned in Cavin’s investigative mind, but he waited for her to continue.
“Keaton won’t tell anyone why he was driving instead of Fletcher,” Noel explained. “The police almost arrested him for withholding evidence.”
“My goodness,” Cavin replied, then another question floated into his mind like a balloon.
“How did the police know Fletcher always drove the boat?” he inquired wondering if Noel told them but doubting she would have any reason to have that discussion with the authorities, maybe with her brother but not an investigator.
At least not unless there was more to this story or if she suspected foul play was involved.
“I hate to ask this but was Keaton drinking?”
“The answer to your first question came up later in the investigation in a meeting with detectives when Rainey mentioned that Fletcher never allowed anyone to drive his boat,” Noel explained, and then she somehow let out a hint of a laugh while crying sounding like a bull snorting although Cavin couldn’t imagine why she found humor in the question nor the answer.
Then her answer to his second question cleared things up.
“Prior to the accident, Keaton wouldn’t touch alcohol.
He hated everything about it—the smell, the taste, and the effect it has on the brain,” she explained.
“Really?” Cavin responded surprisingly although he could see why a man who felt responsible for the death of loved ones might turn to alcohol. Now he felt bad about making an assumption about Keaton once again. Maybe he should stop doing that, he realized.
“Regardless of what happened out there, Keaton holds himself responsible,” Noel shared.
“What did he say happened?” Cavin came right out and asked.
“Keaton said they hit a sandbar.”
“How did he survive when no one else did?”
“Keaton said everyone except him went flying because he saw the sandbar at the last second, and only had enough time to brace himself and hold onto the steering wheel for dear life. He said he tried to scream, but by the time it came out of his mouth, it was too late.”
“Oh God,” Cavin sighed.
“The actual causes of each person’s death varied slightly.
My mom and Lexi were sitting in the back of the boat, and my dad and Fletcher were at the front.
” Noel paused for a moment realizing she never shared the details with anyone.
The autopilot response had always been that her family members died in a tragic boating accident, and after hearing that, people didn’t ask questions.
“Mom and Lexi both flew forward toward Keaton, hitting their heads on unforgiving parts of the boat,” she mentioned first, not wanting to explain further although certain Cavin understood.
“My dad flew out and landed on the sandbar—the impact was too great for any chance of survival.” Noel stopped there for a moment trying not to visualize the accident for the millionth time, but she never could push away the imagery.
“Fletcher was near the bow. His head rammed into something that knocked him unconscious but didn’t kill him, and he flew completely over the sandbar.
His cause of death was listed as drowning. ”
Cavin let the silence linger in the air for a long while, and then Noel’s quiet tears erupted into muffled sobs as she covered her face with her hands and eventually her jacket.
Nonetheless she kept pacing instinctively knowing that if she stopped she would fall to the ground.
Cavin’s insistence on walking along the waterfront brought Noel relief because she would have never made it through this conversation in a restaurant, but for some reason she didn’t fully understand, she needed to get this out.
“I am so sorry, Noel,” Cavin finally uttered, reaching for her shoulder again, but she didn’t even seem to notice the gesture.
“I am sorry this happened to your mom, dad, Lexi, Fletcher, and to you.” Cavin felt the need to name them all.
They were real people. Even though he didn’t know them, they were as real to Noel as he was standing beside her right now, and he knew she loved each of them unconditionally. That was evident.
Noel eventually pulled her face out of her jacket, and for a split second she locked eyes with Cavin. “Thank you,” she mumbled simply.
They reached the end of the waterfront area and started walking down random streets passing historic homes full of charm and character.
Cavin had no idea where they were headed, but as long as Noel continued he would keep walking beside her.
He would walk all the way back to Beaufort if she wanted.
They didn’t even have to eat; he would be fine with going hungry.
“I cannot fathom going through what you have been through,” Cavin admitted.
“I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy,” Noel asserted.
“Not that I really have any,” she added, thinking that Walter, who had been trying to force her to sell her family’s building at a fraction of the value, might be the person she liked the least. Oh, and Georgia—she didn’t really care for Georgia, and even more so after the lady threatened the children and tried to flaunt the connection she made with Cavin.
Some women were way too skilled at stabbing each other in the back.
“I am sure,” Cavin replied. “Can I ask you another question about the accident? And if you would rather not answer or if I am asking too many personal questions, you can tell me it is none of my business.”
“Believe it or not, I actually appreciate your questions. No one ever asks any questions; they just tell me over and over how sorry they are, and they look at me like I am the most pitiful thing they have ever laid eyes on,” Noel explained.
“I understand all of that,” Cavin reasoned. “Was Fletcher wearing a life vest?” he wondered aloud after receiving permission.
“Not at the time which is another red flag. Fletcher always wore a vest, and he made every person in his boat buckle one on, no matter what; otherwise, he wouldn’t leave shore.”
“Did Keaton say why Fletcher was not wearing a life jacket?”
Noel shook her head. “He just said Fletcher took it off. He won’t explain more, not even when the police interrogated him over and over.
I’ve asked him many times, too,” Noel explained still shaking her head.
“I’ve even questioned him when he was drunk, hoping he would spill the beans, but he won’t. ”
“Geez, Noel. You are so strong to have made it to this point in your recovery after experiencing this tragic accident.”
Cavin was the first person to acknowledge Noel’s direct connection with the accident; even though she was not physically present on that boat, she always felt like she had been right there with her loved ones.
“Thank you,” Noel replied gratefully.
“It is also so brave of you to share this story with me,” Cavin acknowledged.
At the mention of the word brave, Noel felt her whole body shudder—not just because she couldn’t seem to escape that term but because she couldn’t deny that the moment he spoke it, she saw Fletcher in Cavin Dawson’s eyes.