Chapter Twenty-Three
—NOA
Just inside the Surf Shack office is the key box, and I pluck off the key ring for the Sweet Caroline. I hand it to Jamie, and he glances at it as if he’s just found his lost puppy. And I can’t help it—I wish I could kiss him again. That moment was… well, it was everything.
An ending to the past. A step into the future.
For the first time in a while, there wasn’t pain hiding just below the surface. There was us. Simply us. And, of course, his lips, because he’s still the fucking best at that.
“We’ve got to go,” I say, grabbing his hand to pull him out into the fading sunlight.
“I brought some snacks,” Shawn announces as she arrives at the dock. She has a piece of licorice between her teeth, and she tugs on the red candy until it snaps. She nods to Jamie. “Nice to see you, Captain,” she tells him.
“You, too,” he replies. “And thanks again for bailing me out.”
She grins. “Not me,” she says. “You can thank one of your own for that.”
Jamie looks confused, as we haven’t had time to discuss the Jordan situation with him yet. Actually, we have a lot to stay about Jordan, but for now, we have to get moving.
Tech walks up, putting his arms around both of them. “Let’s go before the boss gets back,” he says, motioning to my father out on The Tarpon.
He’s been at it for a while, cleaning out some of the gear. I’m sure my father has heard about the fight at the resort by now, but I also think he’s avoiding me. He has been since the detectives came by to talk about my brother. Or maybe I’m the one avoiding him.
We all get in Jamie’s boat, our course plotted for Keewaydin Island. As we push away from the dock, I see Jamie looking up at the resort, as if waiting for someone. He doesn’t look scared; he looks sad. Like he’s hoping someone will eventually come looking for him.
In a way, I hope they do, just so he can feel vindicated. But either way, he deserves better than how his parents have treated him. And I don’t have to tell him that.
The sun has long set by the time we reach Naples, the sky still holding hints of an orange-and-yellow glow on the horizon.
I stand next to Jamie, the boat gliding slowly this close to the shallows.
He leans into me and we watch the sky, contented by it.
Peaceful, despite everything going on in our lives.
Jamie glances down at me, a flash of attraction in his eyes. Confidence. “Do we need to talk about earlier?” he asks.
I bite back my smile. “I’m good. Do you need to talk about it?”
“Oh, no. I think I was pretty clear.”
I laugh, getting on my tiptoes as I put my hand on his chest to move closer. “You definitely were,” I murmur as he leans down to kiss me.
“Ah, so we’re doing this again?” Shawn calls to us from across the boat.
“We are so surprised,” Tech responds flatly.
“Shocked,” Shawn adds.
Both Jamie and I laugh, and he gives me another quick kiss before focusing again on the water. I wrap my arm around his, leaning into him as we head toward Keewaydin Island. The wind in our hair. The past behind us.
It’s just after nine p.m. when we arrive at the dock.
“You said your great-aunt is, like, eighty years old?” Jamie asks Tech as he ties off the boat. “Do you think she’ll be up this late?”
“I’ve never met her,” Tech says. “But if she’s anything like my grandma, I’m sure she’s still up watching her shows. I’m thinking we walk by her place and see if the lights are on. Otherwise, maybe we stay the night on the boat and visit in the morning.”
Keewaydin Island is very small, about eight miles. Luckily for us, the dock is only a few blocks from Tech’s great-aunt’s home. As we approach the property, I’m struck by its charm.
Compared to some of the large, grand-scale homes, this is a modest ranch. Beautiful, exotic plants line the small porch, two rocking chairs set there. It’s relaxing. Serene.
There is a light on in the living room, the glow of the TV reflected in the window.
“Someone’s awake,” Shawn says. We all look around at one another, debating what to do. It’s Tech who makes the first more.
He starts up the paved walkway and climbs the porch. We all follow him, but hang back a little. We don’t want to overwhelm the older woman when she opens the door.
Tech knocks, looking nervous. I’m nervous too. We really shouldn’t be bothering her this late. Just then, a woman answers the door, but it’s not who we’re looking for. She’s too young, around the same age as my father.
She stands on the doorstep, looking us over before pausing on Tech. There is a hint of recognition in her expression. “Can I help you?” she asks him.
“Oh, uh…” Tech starts. “I’m sorry. I’m looking for Gloria Mendez. She is—”
“I knew it,” she breathes out, sounding relieved as she presses her hand to her chest. Her eyes grow misty as she gazes at Tech. She offers a watery smile. “You look a lot like him, you know?”
“Uncle Gabriel?” Tech asks, and I can tell it makes him proud.
She nods. “My cousin always knew someone would show up eventually,” she says. “I’m Ariel. Now, come in. We have a lot to talk about.”
I think we’re all stunned, but regardless, we walk inside Ariel’s house.
I’m nervous as I shift my gaze around. She’s there alone, the TV volume blasting until she turns it off.
There is a half-empty bowl of popcorn on the coffee table and a glass of iced tea sweating on a coaster.
It’s a modest but comfortable home. Familiar, in a way that reminds me that they’re Chasers.
“Let’s go into the kitchen,” she says. “There’s more room there.”
We walk in and take a seat at the table, all of us a bit skittish.
We definitely thought we would need to talk our way inside.
We’re quiet as Ariel gets us all some water, iced tea for Shawn, and then she sets a bag of chocolate chip cookies in the center of the table.
When she sits down, I’m slightly more at ease, but still very confused.
“I’m sorry,” I say, speaking up. “How did you know Tech would come here?”
“I didn’t know it would be Tech, necessarily,” she says. “But someone. Gabriel always believed someone from his family would come to find him.”
“Where is he?” Tech asks, smiling. “I’d love to finally meet him.”
Ariel wilts. “I’m so sorry,” she says gently. “He… sadly, he died just over a year ago.”
Shawn gasps, and Jamie looks down at the table. I immediately turn to Tech and watch as his smile slowly fades. My heart aches for him. He was so close to finding his uncle. I reach to put my hand over his, and he squeezes it before letting me go.
“How did…?” he starts, but has to clear his throat before continuing. “How did he end up here? On this island. And where is my great-aunt?”
“My mother passed away several years ago,” Ariel says.
“But… Gabriel came to live with us almost forty years ago. We took him in, hid him for a while. When the dust settled, he was able to start working odd jobs around the island. Everyone here knows him as Gabe. We supported my mother, helped keep her house. I’m sad that he’s gone,” she adds.
“He was more than a cousin—he was my best friend.”
Tech listens, but his eyes are searching around like he’s thinking. Like he’s not sure what to believe.
“If he was here all this time, why didn’t he ever call his sister?” Tech asks. “His mother? I mean, Grandma waited for him.”
Ariel laughs softly. “Your grandmother is the one who sent him here,” she says. “She helped him leave, and in return, he stayed away to protect her. To protect our whole family.”
“I don’t understand,” Tech says. “How was he protecting us? He should have come back to clear his name. Told the truth about what happened at the Starline Hotel.”
“He couldn’t,” Ariel says. “These people… understand that these were bad people. They would have killed him, Tech. Maybe even our whole family.”
The idea is horrific, even after what we’ve seen. And my mind turns to Felix. He had found the Starline Hotel—he was there, at some point. Did he threaten to tell someone? Is that why they killed him?
“I know this is a lot to take in,” Ariel says, reaching to put her hand over Tech’s. “And I’m sorry he’s not here to tell you himself. But… he did write it all down.”
Tech straightens up, and I exchange a look with Shawn. I’m not sure what exactly Ariel knows, but maybe this is the information we came looking for.
“What did he write?” Tech asks.
“Everything,” Ariel says with a shrug. “The details about that night, about Florence Marsten. He was sure there would come a time for the truth. Obviously, we had hoped it would have been sooner, but… he hoped right up until the end.”
“Couldn’t he have told a reporter?” Jamie asks, cutting in. “Since he was out of Cape Hope, wasn’t there someone he could tell?”
Ariel presses her lips together as she shakes her head.
“You’ve got to understand,” she says, and then looks back at Tech, “forty years on the run is traumatizing. Always looking over your shoulder. Wondering if anyone will recognize you.” She quiets.
“Gabe was very nervous around strangers for that reason. Eventually, it got bad. So he started writing.”
This is heartbreaking. At first, I thought Gabriel had found something peaceful. Although I’m happy he had his cousin, the shadow of the Starline was always looming over him.
“In his last days,” Ariel says carefully, “he asked me to share the story with whoever came to find him.” She sniffles, her eyes glassy under the kitchen light. “And to let you know that he had a good life. It was hard, but it was good.”
Tech sits back in the chair, and when he blinks, a tear drips on his cheek. He quickly wipes it away.
“I’m sorry it took us so long to find him,” Tech says after a moment. “But I’m here now. I’m ready to hear his story.”
She smiles at this and glances around at us. I can see her pride, her love for her cousin. “I’ll go get his journal,” Ariel says, and leaves the room.