Page 41 of Light of Day
“Someone took it on the wharf waiting for the ferry boat. Don’t worry, it’s nothing scary. I wanted to ask you about it because of Denton. You know Denton, right?”
Even in the moonlight, Heather could see Andy’s eyes glaze with tears. “He’s dead.”
“Yes, exactly. I’m trying to find out what happened to him. When’s the last time you saw Denton?”
“I…I…I didn’t see him fishing.”
Strange phrasing, Heather thought. Maybe Luke did too.
“Oh no?”
“No. Definitely not. He doesn’t hardly fish anymore. He’s too sad because of his wife. Maybe he’s not sad anymore.”
That wistful comment sent a chill down Heather’s spine. Had Andy wanted to help Denton not feel sad anymore? Had he pushed him off a cliff to end his grief?
Don’t be ridiculous.On Andy’s boyish face, she saw genuine emotion for someone he cared about.
“Not sad anymore,” Luke agreed. “Will you take a look at this photo?”
He reached into the inner pocket of his jacket to pull out the Zip-loc bag in which he’d stored the photo. Every movement he made was nice and slow, giving Andy plenty of time to see everything he was doing. Next came a penlight, which he aimed at the photo. Andy stared at it, but Heather couldn’t read his expression from her position in the truck.
“Do you remember when this was taken?” Luke asked gently.
What happened next came so fast that Heather almost thought she’d imagined it. Luke reeled backwards, his head swinging to one side as he hit the ground. Andy let out a squeak of shock and then wheeled around and bolted toward the woods at the edge of the property.
Heather jumped out of the truck and ran to Luke. He was struggling to sit up, blood dripping down his face, though she couldn’t tell where it came from. “I’m okay,” he managed. “He surprised me, that’s all.”
“I’m going after him.”
“No.” He grabbed onto her arm, but she shook it off.
“He knows something, obviously. If you’re okay?”
“Heather! Damn it!”
She was already on her feet and halfway across the lawn. She’d seen Andy run, and knew she could catch up with him easily. The problem was, what would she do when she caught him? She was faster, but he was much bigger.
On the other hand, she had surprise on her side, and also anger. How dare he run away instead of helping her find Gabby? That mother-effing twerp.
She dashed into the woods, using one arm to shield her face from the prickly lower branches of the evergreens. Having grown up playing in woods like these, she knew to watch out for roots lurking under piles of pine needles and granite boulders appearing out of nowhere. She didn’t bother with a phone light, knowing that it was better to let her eyes adjust to the darkness.
Andy was making lots of noise up ahead as he thrashed through the trees. That made it easy to follow him, and even easier to sneak up on him. Keeping her footfalls nice and light, she managed to catch up to him in a matter of minutes.
Now what? He was much bigger than she was, at least half a foot taller and a hundred pounds heavier. The only things she had on her side were surprise and her soccer skills.
Andy was slowing, running out of breath. This was her chance. Now or never.This is for you, Gabby.She took in a long inhale and released it with a roar—throw him off, surprise him—as she hurtled toward him, arms waving, making herself look as big as possible.
It worked. He shrieked and stumbled over a tree root in his scramble to escape the terrifying figure in the night woods. As he collapsed to the ground, she pounced on him. He whimpered in fear, curled in a fetal position, arms over his face.
Honestly, she felt sorry for him—as long as he answered her questions.
Hoping her body weight would be enough to keep him pinned, she straddled her legs on either side of his prone body. “I’m not trying to hurt you,” she told him. “I’m just trying to find my friend. Are you okay?”
He turned his head to look at her. She could tell the moment he realized she was just a human being and not a Sasquatch trying to eat him for dinner. “No,” he said weakly. “You scared me.”
“I’m sorry. Like I said, I just want to find my friend Gabby. My name is Heather. You’re Andy, right? It’s nice to meet you.”
“What?”
