Dark Water (Cooper M. Reid Book 1) by Barry Napier Page A

They do okay. That kind of family.”
    Stephanie shrugged, like the topic didn’t interest her anymore. “So where is this place?”
    “Right up the road..”
    The spot he had in mind actually crept into view far sooner than he had expected. He hit the brakes and pulled off of the road. There was no sort of access road or pavement to drive down or park on, so he settled for pulling out of the road and onto a small stretch of grit and sand along the side. With the car a good ten feet off of the road, he parked it and killed the engine.
    “I don’t suppose you have a flashlight, do you?” Cooper asked.
    “In the trunk. Why?”
    “This is the place. A flashlight might come in handy. You never know.”
    “ This is the place?” she asked suspiciously.
    “Well, no. The place I was telling you about it just over this rocky little hill,” he said, pointing directly to their right.
    Cooper popped the trunk and got out of the car. When he opened the trunk and pulled the flashlight out of a small emergency kit tucked away in the corner, he could smell the ocean, salty and slightly fishy.
    He checked the flashlight, saw that it supplied ample yellow-tinged light, and looked ahead to the rocky ground. He thought he’d save the batteries for later. After all, it might do Stephanie some good to have a little adventure in the dark.
    “Ready?” he asked
    “Sure. Lead the way.”
    He walked towards the rockier ground ahead, enjoying the knowledge that Stephanie was walking less than an arm’s length away. The ground rose slightly, blocking off the view of the beach ahead of them. Yet as they neared the crest of the hill, Cooper heard the breaking waves ahead of them. The sound was different at night. It was more muted, more drone-like. The air had the slightest nip to it, one of those that felt like a stubborn spring chill was clinging to it, refusing to accept that summer was on its heels.
    They came to the top of the rocky terrain and stood motionless for a moment, looking out to the beach. It was secluded and dark, yet they could see everything. Their eyes had adjusted to the dark long before the beach had come into view and the moon was a generous three quarters full.
    “It’s pretty,” Steph said.
    “Yeah, it sort of is,” Cooper replied.
    “If I didn’t know better, I’d think I was being set up for some sort of cheesy romantic gesture.”
    Cooper chuckled. “You and I both wish I could think that far ahead.”
    She rolled her eyes and started carefully down the hill. It was nearly a straight vertical drop of ten feet or so, the small rockface jagged and rough. Down near the sand, though, it smoothed out to a clean angle until the beach covered it. Steph did an excellent job of watching her footing and was down on the sand in less than five seconds.
    Cooper remained at the top of the rocky hill. He stared out to his left and saw the two large black rocks that stuck up out of the water. Under the dark cover of night, the rocks looked like looming giants, something alive but remaining stationary to fool some unsuspecting prey.
    “Is it the crabs?” Stephanie asked from below.
    “What?” Cooper asked.
    “Crabs. They tend to scamper around on the beach at night from what I understand. You’re hesitating up there. I figured you were scared of the crabs.”
    “No. I think I’ll be okay.”
    Cooper tossed the flashlight down to her and made his way carefully down the shallow rock wall. Of course, the moment his feet touched the ground, he couldn’t help but think of crabs, scuttling across his feet with their little pinchers opening and closing.
    “This way,” Cooper said, walking towards the rocks.
    “Are those the rocks you think the kid was pointing to?” Stephanie asked.
    “I don’t know if he was pointing to them specifically. But he was definitely pointing in this direction. And since those are the only definitive landmarks out here, it seems like the best spot.”
    “Why at night,