Page 8 of Survivor
Chapter Five
Frank
Summer 2010
Wind in his hair, radio turned all the way up, Frank made the short drive from the cottage to the market in town. It was a rare occasion that his dad allowed anyone to drive his 1967 Mustang convertible, but Frank had caught him in the right mood that morning and snatched the keys from his hand before Hubert could change his mind. Caleb followed behind in the oversized Ford truck he’d rented, Taylor’s best friend, Bradley, riding shotgun. Frank would never understand why his partner felt the need to drive such an ostentatious vehicle. Hell, one tire of the monster truck stood almost as tall as the cherry red Mustang he was currently steering along the winding roads to town.
He loved summers at the Vineyard with Taylor, Caleb and Justine, the Stones, and his dad. This summer was extra special though; Taylor was turning eighteen in just a few days and they were throwing an over-the-top birthday soiree for him that weekend. Bradley, his girlfriend, and a couple of Taylor’s friends from Dallas were down for the week as well. The Stones had rented one of the vacation homes on the beach, not far from the Moores’ cottage, for the season and that’s where Taylor and his friends were staying until Sunday, when his friends went back to Dallas, and Taylor would be at the Moores’ cottage with them for the rest of the summer.
Pulling into a parking spot labeled Compact Cars, Frank killed the engine and hopped out of the Mustang, reaching into the back seat for the reusable grocery sacks they kept in the car for shopping. The big, loud, beast of a truck Caleb had rented ambled into the lot, his best friend leaning out the window and flipping Frank the bird before driving to the back of the lot where the other big, useless vehicles had to park. Shaking his head, Frank headed into the market, stopping for a cart and making a beeline to the deli to order all the meat they’d need for the weekend. He’d do the rest of the shopping while the butcher cut his steaks and chops to order, picking everything up on the way to the register to check out.
The market wasn’t very large, so it didn’t take long for Caleb and Bradley to find him back in the dairy section loading up on Almond milk, yogurt, and cottage cheese. Taylor and the other guys tagging along for the week were on the baseball team, all but two of them receiving scholarships to various colleges across the country to play baseball their freshman year. They were healthy and practiced clean eating, which was a concept Frank still didn’t fully grasp. Clean eating, what the hell did that mean, anyway? He washed his apples before eating them. That was clean eating, right?
“Hey, Frankie, grab some white cheddar and Havarti sliced cheese, finely shredded sharp cheddar, and a pint of shredded parmesan, would you?” Caleb read off several items from the list he held. “Bradley, we need four loaves of honey wheat bread, six packs of King’s Hawaiian rolls, and two packs of bagels,” he rattled off, pointing Bradley toward the bread aisle.
Frank loaded his cart with the items Caleb said they needed, a couple of packages of cream cheese for the bagels, and some unsalted butter sticks.
Before he got down the next aisle, Caleb grabbed the side of Frank’s buggy, pulling it over beside his. “Let’s do one for each house. That way, we don’t have to separate all this shit when we get back.”
“Damn, look at you, making sense,” Frank teased.
“Fuck. You,” Caleb said dryly, sorting the cheeses and butter between the two carts.
Bradley rolled up beside them with a third cart, the bread Caleb told him to grab sitting in the child seat at the top. “What’s next?” Bradley asked.
Caleb split the bread between the buggies as well before standing back and grinning like the cat that just ate the canary. “Cottage buggy, rental buggy, and party buggy.” He pointed out each one in turn.
Bradley chuckled. “Yeah dude, I’ve got the party buggy.”
Caleb grabbed him by the collar and pushed the lanky teenager toward the rental shopping buggy. “Yeah, no. I’ve got this. You go with Frank.”
“Hey!” Bradley protested.
“See you at the checkout, ladies!” Caleb cackled, disappearing down the beer aisle.
Frank rolled his eyes, patting Bradley on the shoulder before shoving him forward. “Come on, Kid. The faster we get what we need, the faster we can get back and then go for a swim.”
Taylor’s bff snorted. “Can I drown Caleb?”
Frank threw his head back and laughed. “You have no idea how many times I’ve asked myself that very question.”
Bradley fell in line behind him, the wheels of one of the buggies making that god-awful sound like nails on a chalkboard. “But you’re a cop. That means you should know the best way to dispose of the body.”
Still laughing, Frank shook his head. “You and I are going to get along just fine Bradley, just fine.”
~ ~ ~
Caleb loaded the monster truck with the bags for the rental house and the mass quantities of alcohol he’d purchased at the market while Frank managed to get all the cottage groceries into the Mustang. He made a pit stop at the farmer’s market for fresh fruit and veggies, Caleb jumping at the chance to run into the liquor store across the street before heading back to the cottage. The blaring horn startled Frank momentarily before he realized it was just Caleb being a dick, honking before turning into the driveway of the rental house, presumably to drop off Bradley and the groceries.
Pulling into the driveway, he took a moment to enjoy the fresh air and the breeze, things he didn’t get back in Dallas. Seagulls circled the water, the waves lapping against the sand. It was quiet, peaceful, and perfect. The rest of the week would be a bit crazy with so many people in town for Taylor’s party, might as well enjoy a moment of serenity before the madness ensued.
Yeah, right, he thought. Taylor wasn’t really the partying type; neither were his closest friends. He’d done well to surround himself with peers that were smart, laid-back, and low-key, for the most part. Considering what Taylor had been through, the shitty hand he’d been dealt, Taylor was growing into a fine young man. In the five years Frank had known him, Taylor had gone from a gangly preteen that was pissed off at the world to a striking young man with a promising future. Excelling in baseball and playing throughout high school, Taylor had received a full ride to the University of Texas at Austin in the fall. He’d play for them as a freshman while studying for his degree in social work. Frank couldn’t be more proud. He and Taylor had forged a connection, an unbreakable bond, over the last five years. Having lost his mother to cancer when he was still a teenager, Frank understood the mood swings, anger, and pain associated with the loss of a parent. The difference was, Frank still had his father and their family home in Martha’s Vineyard. Taylor had lost everything in one night.
As a cop, Frank knew his job was to handle each case and then walk away. He was never able to do that with Taylor though. Knowing the kid would be placed in foster care until family could be found and notified, Frank reached out to Valerie and Charles Stone, a couple he knew from church that were registered as foster parents. The homicide detective assigned to the case owed Frank a favor, so he called it in. After waiting the obligatory seventy-two hours, Frank met the social worker at the hospital to pick Taylor up when he was released, and the three of them drove straight to the Stones’ house in Highland Park.
Taylor had latched on to Frank for some reason, and Frank couldn’t bring himself to mind. Remembering when his own mother had passed, the pain of that loss resonated with Frank and he was determined to be there for Taylor because there had been no one there for Frank aside from his dad. Frank calling to check on Taylor, see how he was holding up, turned into a dinner invitation, and then another, and then Frank was invited to go with the Stones and Taylor for an extended weekend trip to Galveston island. Returning the favor, Frank invited them all to Martha’s Vineyard at the end of the summer along with Caleb and Justine, and the seven of them became a mix matched family from there on out.
A hand on his shoulder startled Frank and he jumped, shouting an expletive that Valerie certainly would have glared at him for voicing. “Easy, old man.” Taylor grinned down at him.
