Page 56 of Songs of Summer

“She fed you from a spoon? Did she do it choo-choo train style or like an airplane?”

“Don’t be silly. Oooh. All the blood is rushing to my head.”

She pulled herself back up but kept talking.

“I feel awful about lying to her. I hate the thought of doing this all over again tomorrow.”

“We won’t be here tomorrow, remember?” said Matt, reminding her of the lightning-fast tour of New York they had planned. “Let’s see how we both feel after a day away.”

“I think I’ve made up my mind. If it’s OK with you, I’m gonna stay back tomorrow and tell her. I’d rather it not take away from the wedding and I’m feeling confident that the big drama was a one-off thing.”

While saying it, she glanced out the window.

“Look outside!” she said, clearly alarmed.

In the light of the moon, they spotted Beatrix darting down the street, zigzagging between people’s yards like a lunatic.

“What the…?”

“On second thought, taking some time off tomorrow to reflect on it all might be smart,” she said uncertainly.

Before they had time to figure out what Bea was up to, a long blasting alarm sounded outside. The noise seemed to fill the whole island.

“What’s that?” asked Maggie, her body now rigid with apprehension.

“It’s not good,” Matt replied. “One long alarm usually means someone’s in trouble.”

He got out of bed and opened his door to see Jake running down the hall, hastily pulling on his jacket.

“What’s going on?”

“Possible ocean drowning.”

“Do you need help?”

“More eyes can’t hurt.”

Maggie slid off the top bunk and followed Matt and Jake downstairs. Dylan emerged from her room and came into the kitchen, wiping the sleep from her eyes.

“What’s going on?” she asked.

“Possible ocean drowning,” Matt reported. He only recalled one other instance like this in the middle of the night, and it didn’t end well.

“Do you think it’s Veronica?” Maggie asked cautiously.

All their faces turned to her in fear.

They knew she wasn’t at the dinner party, and that Bea hadn’t been sure where she was.

“We just saw Bea running up and down the street in a panic,” Matt informed the others.

“Oh my God,” Renee said, appearing in the kitchen just in time to hear Matt’s words.

“Everyone calm down,” Jake insisted before passing out flashlights. “Dylan, Matt, and Maggie, come with me. Renee, please go over to Shep’s and see what’s going on there. Bring your phones so we can connect.”

“Should I wake Steve?” Dylan asked the group.

Their answer, a resounding “No.”

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