hurried toward her bedside. “Danny, what’s the matter? Are you all right?”
The girl reached for her hand and squeezed it tight. “I’m so happy to see you.” She snuffled out the words. “I was so cold and out of it, I didn’t have a chance to thank you. Thank you for saving me. And for saving Brendan and his dad and his uncle, too.” She dabbed at her face with the white sheet.
“Of course.” Aubrey smiled gently and lowered herself onto the chair next to the bed. “You’re welcome. It’s my job and you did great.”
“Yeah? Well, I can’t imagine having your job. You are so cool, you know that? Like, totally badass. I thought I was going to die. That net, it was going to pull me under. I couldn’t believe it when you came swimming over to me and I hoped I might actually be saved. And when I realized you were a woman? I was, like, shocked. I thought you might be an angel, even though you were wearing all that Coast Guard stuff.”
Aubrey let out a soft laugh. “Believe me, I was just as happy to see you as you were to see me. And just as surprised, by the way. I didn’t realize I was looking for a girl, either. You know, you weren’t part of the original distress call?”
Her head bobbed as fresh tears sprang to her eyes. With her free hand, Aubrey reached for the tissue box on the bedside table. She placed the box between them.
Danny plucked out a couple of tissues and used one, dabbing her eyes and blowing her nose. “I’m so sorry. I’m really emotional for some reason.”
“That’s perfectly normal after what you’ve been through.”
She sniffled. “Yeah. I’ve been crying a lot. I go from really, really happy to, like, the saddest of sad in one heartbeat. It’s been rough. I mean, I’m super grateful to be alive and everything, but...everyone is mad at me and Brendan. Especially at Brendan.”
“Why would they be mad?” Aubrey placed a hand on her own chest. “I’m not mad at you.”
Danny nibbled on her lower lip. “I wasn’t supposed to be on the boat. Brendan stowed me away.” She added a raspy chuckle. “That’s what he called it. He called me his stowaway. I thought it was cute...”
“Where were you headed?” She couldn’t help but wonder how the young couple thought they would get away with the scheme when they reached their final destination.
“Brendan’s dad and his uncle? They drop off these parts sometimes down the coast. It was just supposed to be one of those trips. There and back. Drop off the stuff and then turn around and come back. Brendan said it would be easy. He was going to pretend like he was getting seasick and then come into the cabin where I was hiding. I know it probably sounds really bad...” She trailed off with an apologetic shrug.
It had been a stupid thing to do, but they were kids. She was struck by the memory of the time she had been Eli’s “stowaway.”
During his teenage years he had worked for Quinley’s Berry Farm. Sometimes he’d deliver berries as far away as Portland. One time he’d suggested Aubrey hide under a blanket in the cab of the pickup so she could ride along. It had been a perfect day filled with sunshine and laughter. On the way home they’d stopped for frozen custard and watched the most incredible sunset from a bluff overlooking the Astoria Bridge. For a few seconds she let the happiness of that memory sink in, refusing to spoil it with thoughts of the unhappily-ever-after that followed.
Danny dabbed at her eyes with a fresh tissue. “My parents have been pretty good, though. I think they’re just happy I’m alive.”
“Of course they are.”
Her head started an agitated shake. “But Brett, that’s Brendan’s dad, has, like, blown a gasket over the whole thing. Usually he’s a really nice guy, but this...?” She gave Aubrey a pleading look. “He’s... Brendan is worried.”
“Worried, how?” The loss of a boat was a pretty big deal and definitely a reason to be upset. Hopefully it was insured.
“I’m not sure. He just keeps saying that his dad is in a serious rage. He can’t let it go. Keeps asking Brendan questions and going over and over what went wrong.”
Near-death experiences hit people in different ways. She wondered if she should follow up on this for Danny and Brendan’s sake. Talk to his dad or recommend some counseling? She would brief her superior officer Senior Chief Nivens and get his opinion. What she didn’t need to do was upset Danny any further.
“You know what? I know it’s difficult to believe right now, but chances are this will all blow over. Just do me a favor. Next time you decide to stow away or participate in any activity at all anywhere near the water, wear a life jacket, okay? Promise me.”
She let out a giggle. “That’s funny. That’s exactly what that other Coast Guard guy said this morning.”
Coast Guard guy? “Who?”
“Lieutenant Commander Pelletier.” She enunciated the title proudly. “That’s right, isn’t it? He told me to call him Eli, but he looks more like a lieutenant to me. A really good-looking one. And the other guy was totally hot, too. He looks like a movie star or a model or something...”
Eli. And the “hot movie star” had to be Gale. Why would Eli and Gale come here to talk to Danny? The girl had already been officially debriefed. Danny’s unknown presence onboard had thrown a wrench in the midst, but wrenches like that were thrown into rescues all the time. Yet a niggle of concern began to form in her mind. If they were questioning Danny again, did that mean she herself was being investigated for some kind of misconduct?
Aubrey replayed the entire series of events over and over again in her mind. She reassured herself once again that she hadn’t done anything wrong. Had she? Maybe she should have radioed that she was fine and didn’t need assistance. But time was always a factor... These were the kinds of details she could stew about for days. She wanted to quiz Danny about what they’d asked her, but felt it would be wrong somehow.
Besides, she told herself, not only was she a big girl, she was good at her job. She would wait it out, with confidence, until she knew for sure what this was all about.
Instead she focused on Danny and what she could do for her.
* * *
“I HAVE AN IDEA,” Gale said from the passenger seat of the pickup as Eli drove back toward the base.
“What’s that?” Eli asked.
“It occurred to me earlier while we were talking to Alex. It made me think about what I’d do if we were trying to solve this case in Falls Terrace. I know you haven’t lived here, or even been here, in a long time, but you still have a lot of connections in the community.”
“Yeah.” Eli was already realizing how true that was. Twelve years didn’t seem that long now that he was back.
“All this Christmas stuff going on? This could help us solve this thing—getting out there and meeting people and socializing. A town this size, with this close-knit feel? People talk. There’s not much that is really and truly secret. Folks might not even know they are sitting on important information because they only have one piece of the puzzle. But if we gather some of these pieces, make some connections, we might get somewhere.”
He
