Chapter 30 #2
Augie didn’t know when she and Leah fell asleep, but at some point, she woke to knocking at the front door. She sat up, panicked, as she took in the dark room, and grabbed her phone. It was just after one a.m.
She had five new messages from Chat.
Augie felt like she was in a dream as she peeled herself off the couch, careful not to stir Leah. She moved over the squares
of moonlight on the carpet as she walked to the door, smoothing her oversize T-shirt and sweatpants.
Chat’s shoulders were scrunched to his neck, his hands in his pockets, as he shivered from the cool night. When he saw Augie,
his body slackened. He didn’t speak.
She moved to the side.
Neither knew what to do. The only sound was Leah snoring lightly behind them.
“Thanks for messaging,” Chat whispered. “I wanted to talk to you. To both of you.”
Augie searched his tired face, feeling another strange mix of tenderness and anger.
“We should wake her up.” Augie stepped toward the couch.
Chat reached out suddenly and grabbed her forearm, but she kept moving away until he was holding only her fingertips.
She gently nudged Leah awake. Leah blinked twice, but as soon as she noticed Chat, she sat up. She threw off the blanket,
gathered the papers from the coffee table. “Kitchen?” she said.
It was bizarre having both Chat and Leah in her house—especially in the middle of the night, especially after all that had
happened—but they made their way to the breakfast nook. Augie boiled water for tea and set out mugs. She turned on a side
lamp so the light wasn’t harsh.
“Okay,” Leah said diplomatically.
Augie could tell she was trying to remain calm.
“We need to know what you know. Everything.”
Chat shifted in his seat.
“Because all I’ve ever known, for my whole life, is this.” Leah pushed the pile of accident reports and photos of Lyle toward
Chat, the papers flat and flimsy. “Lyle and Grant left The Manor, stole the keys, stole the boat. Crashed into the Arcola
fucking Bridge and died.”
Chat’s chest rose and fell as he looked at Lyle’s photo.
“I’ll start at the beginning. If that’s what you want.”
“That’s what I want. Augie told me what you told her, but I want to hear everything. From you.”
Chat said okay; he understood. Then, he began.
He again explained that Danika moved to St. Cloud right after her dad died, that she and Trey were sixteen. “I was only six,
and I don’t remember ever meeting her,” he said. “He and my dad didn’t get along, which stressed my mom out, so we didn’t
see him much. Trey and I didn’t get close until I was twelve or so and started to take hockey seriously, like I told you.”
He glanced to Augie. “Trey was all about hockey. He was a star in high school and college and was scouted early on. He was
getting some crazy good offers, but he always wanted to go to Europe.”
Chat held his mug with two hands. He tapped one finger against its side.
“So.” He cleared his throat. “The summer after his freshman year of college, the year before he was hoping to sign somewhere
and quit school, which my dad said was ridiculous, of course, Trey went to training camp near Minneapolis, the famous one,
not far from here.”
“The Hamilton arena,” Leah said. “Lyle was there all the time.”
“Right. So that summer, Trey and Lyle became friends. Trey, Lyle, Grant. Trey said he and Lyle had met at other camps, but they were on the same team that summer and bunked together, so yeah. On their nights off, they’d hang out.
They went out, sometimes, to The Manor. Trey said it was the place to be that summer.
And one night, they met the owner, Joshua Mike. ”
Augie took a sip of tea, feeling as if the hot water was filling her lungs.
Leah bored into Chat.
“He was part owner of the Wild, too, and Trey said he loved to show off. He was super generous, friendly. Josh Mike was only
thirty at the time. They couldn’t help but be impressed,” Chat said with an air of defensiveness. “They were only nineteen,
trying to go pro, and here was the owner buying them drinks and telling them about the NHL. He even said he had contacts for
the European leagues, coaches he knew. One time, he brought Mikko Koivu along. After that, Trey said they’d always look for
Joshua Mike. And, on their last night of training, he made a point to be there.”
“August twenty-ninth,” Leah interjected, her voice clipped.
“They were all at The Manor that night, going harder than usual. Trey said that at one point, Joshua Mike was bragging about
how some guy from Chicago had just brought the latest Cigarette speedboat, the X42 series, to his marina. Which I guess was
a big deal.”
“The boat was worth over four hundred grand,” Leah added. “It was rare. They said that’s why Lyle and Grant stole it.”
“Right. But according to Trey, Joshua Mike was the one who wanted to take it out. He kept saying it was fine. He knew the
guy, had the keys, no one would care.”
Augie watched red bloom across Leah’s neck.
“Trey and Lyle said no at first, but Joshua Mike kept insisting, bragging about it, and Grant said he wanted to go. So when the bar closed, Joshua Mike convinced them. They were all wasted by that point, so they finally said, whatever. Joshua Mike didn’t want to stop the party, either, so he asked the bartender for drinks to take with them.
She said no, and he got mad, but he realized he had a six-pack of beer in his car.
He told the boys to go wait at the boat while he grabbed the beer.
The boat was right there in his marina next door.
Joshua Mike told them where the key box was, gave them the code, said to meet him there. ”
“But the key box was broken,” Leah said. “It was busted. That’s why they said—”
“I know,” Chat said. “I’ll explain. But first, it’s important to know that Trey didn’t end up going on the boat. He and his
girlfriend, Danika”—Chat paused, tensing—“had been fighting all night. Trey said they’d been fighting all summer because of
the distance. She was scared if he went to Europe, he wouldn’t take her along. She’d have to get a visa, or they’d have to
get married. It would be complicated. And that night, she was losing it, so she drove down to pick him up. That was why, instead
of going to the boat with Lyle and Grant, Trey walked with Joshua Mike to the parking lot, where Danika was meeting him. Joshua
Mike tried to convince him to stay, but she was already on her way.”
Chat looked down.
“He’s tortured by it all. Trey. He wanted to stop Joshua Mike, but he was young, and dumb, and drunk. And, he didn’t. He said
goodbye, he walked to Danika’s car.” Chat suddenly turned to Augie. “She never saw Josh Mike. She didn’t know he was with
them. She still doesn’t.”
It went quiet before Chat continued.
“But, that next day, when the news came out about the accident, Trey got a message from Joshua Mike. He wanted to talk. Trey said he was in shock, that he couldn’t believe any of it.
Couldn’t understand it. He was back in St. Cloud with Danika by then, but Joshua Mike insisted they meet.
So that afternoon, they met at a gas station halfway between them. ”
Chat said Joshua Mike had brought cash. Fifty thousand. He told Trey he felt bad about what happened—that he’d told the boys
about the boat. He also told Trey that he felt bad he’d decided to leave right after him—that he didn’t go on the boat. He
said he wished he would have so he could have helped. He told Trey he’d gotten tired and driven straight home.
“Was that a bribe, then? The money? Trey had to have known he was lying,” Leah said.
“He didn’t know what to do. Trey said he believed him, in the moment—he wanted to believe him.”
“Why not at least tell the police? At least mention Josh Mike?”
Chat lifted one shoulder.
“It was all a mess. They’d been underage drinking, and Trey knew it wouldn’t change anything . . . it wouldn’t bring them
back. He also said that when Josh Mike put the cash in his hands that day, when he told him he heard he was a great forward,
and that the coaches—his friends—in Latvia wanted to talk to him, he didn’t know what else to do. All he could do was say
okay. Take the money. It wasn’t until later that he realized how twisted it all was.”
Augie could tell Leah was trying not to cry.
“He still feels sick about it. I do too. But I can understand. What was he going to do, go up against Josh Mike, who basically
owned all of Aldon Lakes, on a hunch?”
Chat shook his head.
“He should have. Because in addition to everything, when he got to Latvia, he was too depressed to play. He knew he didn’t deserve it. It ruined his relationship with Danika, too. It ruined his life. He thinks misery is what he deserves.”
“Maybe it is.” Leah turned to the darkened windows, the wetness in her eyes threatening to brim over her bottom lashes. She
took a shuddered breath, like it was climbing a ladder.
Chat’s face look pained, too. He leaned forward.
“This is why”—Chat pivoted to Augie—“when I came across Danika’s post this summer, I knew I had to be here. To find someone
to corroborate Trey’s story.”
“Why can’t Trey come forward now?” Leah snapped back, scowling. “And what about the key box? Why was it broken into if Joshua
Mike gave them the code?”
“Exactly. Trey thinks Joshua Mike must have broken it the next morning to frame them. It’s the only thing that makes sense.”
“We have to go to the police.” Leah stood halfway up.
“I know, I know. But look, Trey’s always been worried there’s not enough evidence to prove Josh Mike was on the boat.”
“Well, Trey needs to do something. We need to do something.”
“I’m trying, trust me. If I can find one more witness to support Trey’s story, it might work. Even if it’s too late to prosecute
Josh Mike, at least it’s something. I think it would set Trey free. I think it would set you . . .” He glanced to Leah but
trailed off.
“It’s what I’ve been focused on this summer,” he said, talking faster. “I was hoping I could solve everything before anyone
found out who I was. Trey still doesn’t know I’m here. He’d be too freaked out about everything.”
“What do you mean one more witness?” Augie interjected.
“Yeah, seriously, Chat.” Leah was growing angrier. “How are we supposed find one more witness? No one saw them leave that night. And the marina cameras were conveniently out.” Leah went suddenly still. “Joshua Mike. Of course.”
Chat nodded as Leah sat down. A second later, he spoke again.
“Trey did tell me there was one other person that knew about the boat that night, who heard Josh Mike talking about it.” He
paused. “Who might be able to help.”
“Who?” Leah said. “Who is it?”
“The bartender,” Chat said on an exhale.
Leah scoffed. “Oh great, how are we supposed to find some random bartender from The Manor from twelve years ago?”
Chat held still. “Because we know her.”
Leah looked to Augie, back to Chat.
“Who?” she said, exasperated—just as it clicked in Augie’s mind. At once, they all knew: Teuta.