sense.
"Let's just go back inside and wait for some news," Drew said. "You are
not
going down on that beach. And you are
not
going to chase after Crazy Addy."
I looked over and saw the lights from the beach and figured from the size of the glow, they must have a dozen spots on the water. I could hear a chopper in the distance but couldn't see it. I wondered how the hell far out at sea they were searching. It didn't sound good..."What did she say? Something about the officers were looking in the wrong place?"
Drew answered quietly, "Yes. And, um, nobody's dead yet, but that will change near morning. I don't suppose after you heard that much, you'll be satisfied until we go have a look in the back bay..."
We started toward the yacht club, which is where almost everyone we knew docks their boats.
5
"
Casey!
" A lone guy's voice floated over the water as we came around the side of the yacht club main building.
Lines of boats rested quietly dockside of four floating docks. The water was mirrorlike. The storm at sea had moved farther east, toward England, or broken up south of Greenland. The wind surely had died, which meant the ocean water was next—if it hadn't calmed already. The guy's voice was clear in the silence, and the boats were unmoving, save one thirty-footer at the end. Its mast was gently bobbing.
Drew and I ran down there to find Todd Barnes getting off the Sterns' thirty-foot sailboat. He reached a hand out.
Stern.
"Just us," Todd said, gesturing with disappointment at the bow, implying Casey was not inside.
"Guess we weren't the only ones with ideas to look back here." Drew shuddered. "You guys didn't get your idea to search back here from Crazy Addy, did you?"
"Hell no." Stern turned his chin to the masts for the sign of another one moving. "What's that warthog up to now? Don't tell me she's got something to say about all this."
I just screamed, "
Casey!
" up to the half moon. "
You are so not funny!
"
The silence that followed made me drop my face as I fought off the sudden feeling of spiraling. Three sets of bare feet moved around in awkwardness. Stern called out next.
After he got no response he said, "We came back here just a few minutes ago. Because of the sweatshirt."
I'd been afraid I might punch him out if I so much as glanced, but I looked full at him. His eyes had some hopeful glow. "They found her sweatshirt in the water."
I stepped closer. "My sweatshirt? White? Huge? Says
Naval Academy
on it?"
"Yeah. It washed up."
Before I could interpret that, Barnes took hold of my shoulder. "Yeah. And it was in one piece and guess what else? Just with their flashlights, the coast guard couldn't see any traces of blood on it."
"Well ... someone said she got shot in the neck," I forced myself to admit.
Todd shook his head like it didn't matter. "And the sweatshirt wasn't all twisted up, like she might have
drowned trying to get out of it. It looked like she just ... slipped out of it. Hopefully."
Drew read my mind. "So if she didn't get hit by a bullet, what made her fall into the water?"
"Well, here's the confusing part," Barnes said. "There was this little hole. Right about here." He pointed at his left shoulder.
I fought off panic by searching my head for what that could have meant. A hole but no blood. "Maybe it, like ... just grazed her—like, scared her," I said. "Maybe she stumbled backward and just ... lost her footing. She's been diving the tower at the pool since seventh grade. She's long been bragging about trying a dive off that pier, though I can't believe she'd do it ... especially when the water was so choppy and fierce. Still ... as long as she wasn't injured badly, I think she could have caught herself in time to cut the water, rather than slam it."
The three of them nodded in agreement, and I hoped it wasn't just to be polite.
"Maybe the hole is a barnacle bite." Drew shrugged. Barnacles are a type of shellfish, and their shells attach in multilayers to pilings. In
"Let's just go back inside and wait for some news," Drew said. "You are
not
going down on that beach. And you are
not
going to chase after Crazy Addy."
I looked over and saw the lights from the beach and figured from the size of the glow, they must have a dozen spots on the water. I could hear a chopper in the distance but couldn't see it. I wondered how the hell far out at sea they were searching. It didn't sound good..."What did she say? Something about the officers were looking in the wrong place?"
Drew answered quietly, "Yes. And, um, nobody's dead yet, but that will change near morning. I don't suppose after you heard that much, you'll be satisfied until we go have a look in the back bay..."
We started toward the yacht club, which is where almost everyone we knew docks their boats.
5
"
Casey!
" A lone guy's voice floated over the water as we came around the side of the yacht club main building.
Lines of boats rested quietly dockside of four floating docks. The water was mirrorlike. The storm at sea had moved farther east, toward England, or broken up south of Greenland. The wind surely had died, which meant the ocean water was next—if it hadn't calmed already. The guy's voice was clear in the silence, and the boats were unmoving, save one thirty-footer at the end. Its mast was gently bobbing.
Drew and I ran down there to find Todd Barnes getting off the Sterns' thirty-foot sailboat. He reached a hand out.
Stern.
"Just us," Todd said, gesturing with disappointment at the bow, implying Casey was not inside.
"Guess we weren't the only ones with ideas to look back here." Drew shuddered. "You guys didn't get your idea to search back here from Crazy Addy, did you?"
"Hell no." Stern turned his chin to the masts for the sign of another one moving. "What's that warthog up to now? Don't tell me she's got something to say about all this."
I just screamed, "
Casey!
" up to the half moon. "
You are so not funny!
"
The silence that followed made me drop my face as I fought off the sudden feeling of spiraling. Three sets of bare feet moved around in awkwardness. Stern called out next.
After he got no response he said, "We came back here just a few minutes ago. Because of the sweatshirt."
I'd been afraid I might punch him out if I so much as glanced, but I looked full at him. His eyes had some hopeful glow. "They found her sweatshirt in the water."
I stepped closer. "My sweatshirt? White? Huge? Says
Naval Academy
on it?"
"Yeah. It washed up."
Before I could interpret that, Barnes took hold of my shoulder. "Yeah. And it was in one piece and guess what else? Just with their flashlights, the coast guard couldn't see any traces of blood on it."
"Well ... someone said she got shot in the neck," I forced myself to admit.
Todd shook his head like it didn't matter. "And the sweatshirt wasn't all twisted up, like she might have
drowned trying to get out of it. It looked like she just ... slipped out of it. Hopefully."
Drew read my mind. "So if she didn't get hit by a bullet, what made her fall into the water?"
"Well, here's the confusing part," Barnes said. "There was this little hole. Right about here." He pointed at his left shoulder.
I fought off panic by searching my head for what that could have meant. A hole but no blood. "Maybe it, like ... just grazed her—like, scared her," I said. "Maybe she stumbled backward and just ... lost her footing. She's been diving the tower at the pool since seventh grade. She's long been bragging about trying a dive off that pier, though I can't believe she'd do it ... especially when the water was so choppy and fierce. Still ... as long as she wasn't injured badly, I think she could have caught herself in time to cut the water, rather than slam it."
The three of them nodded in agreement, and I hoped it wasn't just to be polite.
"Maybe the hole is a barnacle bite." Drew shrugged. Barnacles are a type of shellfish, and their shells attach in multilayers to pilings. In
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