Twenty-nine
They walked back to the plane in the dwindling light, their footsteps heavy.
“I might owe you an apology,” Mackenzie said when they reached the dock. “But I don’t know if I’m ready to make it yet.”
He knelt to untie the plane. “Fair enough.” He had no argument. He may not have robbed the bank, but he had lied to Eliza. Far worse than that, he may have broken her heart, too.
They got into the plane and he pulled in his focus.
Engage the starter. Oil pressure good.
Ramona didn’t seem convinced she could bring this guy in. What did that mean for Eliza? She’d get arrested and Derek would run off with Stacy? They’d never find him.
Doors secured. Controls free and correct.
What if Joey got to Derek? What if he could compel him to talk first…
Carb heat, double check.
He had to get him to talk. Get him to turn on Stacy. But how?
Instruments set. Flaps up.
It was so like Eliza to send them away. So like her to take the fall. It was obvious to her that Derek was the robber, but would it be enough to convince a jury? Especially after Derek hired a clever attorney who could point the finger back at her?
Rudders up. Nose forward .
Eliza had looked so small, sitting in that massive leather recliner. It had taken all his strength not to run across the room, scoop her up, and fly her to safety.
They could wait out Derek’s arrest in secret together. Hide away in a little Italian village. Find a cottage in the Swiss alps. A tiny apartment in Berlin.
He didn’t care where it was. Only that he’d be with her.
Liftoff.
They rose higher and Joey, his heart soaring, pushed the plane as fast as it’d go.
There was no going back now.
It didn’t take much to edit pictures of Joey and Stacy together – twenty-seven dollars to be exact. The guy he found to do it wanted an extra six dollars to rush the order. It was done by four that morning.
Joey flew to the mainland and printed the pictures, then flew straight to Orcas Island. He landed at The Grand Madrona Hotel docks. Patty once mentioned a friend of hers ran the place; he hoped dropping her name would be enough to keep him from getting screamed at. Luckily, no one approached him at all.
According to Eliza’s research, Derek’s trailer sat on a small plot of land a mile and a half from the hotel.
Joey walked up the gravel driveway to the main road and a guy leaving stopped to ask if he wanted a ride. He accepted, climbing into the blue truck.
“Headed to a friend’s?” the driver asked.
“Something like that.” He kept his eyes watching the road, memorizing where he’d need to run if things went south.
They stopped at the NO TRESPASSING sign.
“Thanks.” Joey popped the door to the truck open and hopped out. A narrow dirt driveway wove uphill, into the trees. He walked on, heart thundering in his ears.
The trailer sat at the top of the hill. The top and bottom third were a grey white, the middle a yellow stripe. A door sat at the edge, the top of it bent and misshapen.
Joey knocked. He heard rustling before the door flung open. Derek stood in a white tank top, his dark curly hair flopping over his forehead.
Joey’s heart skipped a beat when he saw Derek’s gold-flecked eyes squinting into the rising sun.
“Can I help you?”
He took a slow breath. “I’m Joey. I need to talk to you.”
Derek crossed his arms over his chest. “I don’t know any Joeys.”
“It’s about Stacy.”
His muscles stiffened. “I don’t know any Stacys either. Get out of here before I call the police.”
Joey put up a hand. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you. Stacy might already have the police looking for you.”
His face twisted. “What? Why?”
“That’s what we need to talk about.” Joey forced a sigh. “Do you want to get arrested right now or not?”
Derek peered over Joey’s shoulder. All Joey could hear was his own breathing.
“Get inside.”
The door closed with a clap, Derek slipping inside.
Joey’s lungs burned like he’d just run ten miles. He took a deep breath and pulled the door open. His eyes adjusted to the warm glow of light inside the trailer. A counter straight ahead held a stack of papers. On top of that was a ukulele. The sink overflowed with empty cans, the lids standing straight up like knives.
Derek sat on a cracked blue couch. “How do you know Stacy?”
Joey reached into his pocket and pulled out the stack of glossy pictures. The one on top was of him and Stacy at a picnic. He handed them over. “I could ask you the same question.”
Derek passed through the pictures, getting to the back of the stack, eyes lingering. “So she’s been keeping you on the side.”
“No.” Joey crossed his arms over his chest. He could feel his pulse in every vein. “She’s keeping you on the side. Stacy and I have been together for years.” He shrugged. “On and off.”
Derek tossed the stack of pictures onto the couch cushion next to him and shrugged. “Did you come here to fight me? You can have her.”
“I’m not here to fight you. I want to get back at her.”
Derek smirked and sat back. “That’s fine. Leave me out of it.”
“She told me about you. About the banks.”
Derek leapt to his feet, his face inches away from the tip of Joey’s nose. His breath was hot and smelled of sour milk. “What did you just say to me?”
“I’m telling you what she told me.” Joey didn’t budge. “If you don’t want to hear it, I’ll leave.”
Derek stared, his eyes hard. He sat down. “What did she tell you?”
Joey lowered his shoulders, the muscles in his back softening. “She told me she was using you, that she was going to take the money to run away with me. She said she has all the evidence to frame you for the robberies.”
He shook his head. “No. She can’t. She wouldn’t do that to me.”
Joey held his breath. “She can and she will. She’s doing it right now.”
Derek snapped his head to the side. “This isn’t happening.” He slammed his fist into the wall. “She wouldn’t do this to me!” His eyes were rimmed red, tears glimmering at the lids.
Some small, innocent part of Joey’s heart sunk. It didn’t feel good to trick a guy like this.
The rest of his heart, beating fast in his chest, reminded him that Stacy and Derek were happy to send Eliza to prison in their place.
He didn’t feel so bad.
“I didn’t think she would lie to me, either. It’s bad, man. I know.” Joey raised his hand slowly and placed it on Derek’s shoulder.
Derek buried his face in his hands. “I should’ve seen this coming.”
“There was no way for you to know. But you can turn her in. Let her take the fall.”
Derek sat up, shaking his head. “I can’t. I love her. You don’t get it.”
“She told me she’s going to turn you in today. She said she was going to prove to me that this was all fake.”
His jaw dropped. “There’s no way.”
“That’s what she told me. If she gets to them first, explains her side…” Joey shrugged. “It’s going to be hard for you to convince them she’s lying. She’s an agent, man. They’re going to believe whatever she says.”
Derek sat back against the couch and pulled a cigarette out of his pocket. He lit it, taking a deep drag. “What do I need to do?”