The Siren's Call (Last Chance Motel Book 3) (5 page)

“As long as it is a short trip. I don’t have the stamina I used to. To tell you the truth, I think I overdid it the other day.” He looked over at Jenny getting the kayaks ready. “I think we’ll be okay. We should be back within an hour.”

“That’s very nice that you volunteered to go with Jenny.”

River laughed, “I didn’t exactly volunteer. I was conscripted.”

When Eva gave him a funny look, River assured her, “We’ll be fine.”

“Just be back before the storm.”

River looked at the sunny sky. “What storm?”

Eva pointed to a dark horizon out across the ocean. “Storm is coming in. Down here they pop up with scarcely any warning, but this one is coming in fast. You don’t want to get caught in it.”

“We should be back in plenty of time,” said River. “Right, Jenny?”

Jenny looked up from the kayaks and nodded.

Eva went over to Jenny and kissed the top of her head. “See you in an hour. Stay close to the shore and please be careful.”

Jenny didn’t respond, but hurriedly got into a kayak. She gestured for Eva to push her off.

Eva stood on the beach and watched while Jenny and Mr. Egan paddled around the mangroves and out of sight. Reluctantly, she went back to the office thinking about how Jenny didn’t seem to respond to her anymore.

Before she married Mike, she and Jenny had been very close, and Jenny seemed to crave affection from her. Now she was constantly pushing Eva away.

Wondering what she had done to make the child change, Eva glanced at the clock. It was twenty before three. She made a mental note to check for Jenny in an hour.

To be on the safe side, Eva put the keys for the motel’s boat in her pocket.

Better safe than sorry.

“J
enny, wait up!” called River. He paddled hard to catch up with the little girl.

“I was following the manatee,” said Jenny, pointing to the slow-moving creature ahead of them.

“We shouldn’t do that,” cautioned River. “Manatees are shy things. They aren’t like dolphins that like to play with humans. They like to be left alone.”

“No. No. She was calling to me. She wants me to follow her.”

River looked at Jenny’s sweaty face. He noticed the fierce determination in her eyes. He also saw the pain. There was something going on with this kid. “Jenny, can we rest here for awhile? My arms feel heavy.”

Jenny nodded.

“You know, Jenny, sometimes people get confused about why they do things. And sometimes they do things that might not be good for them, but they still feel compelled to act. When a person feels that way, confused and angry, it’s good to talk to someone. It doesn’t have to be family, but someone they can trust.

“I know that I like to discuss problems with someone when I’m feeling not right. You know, just talk things through. I have a war buddy I confide in. We have a pact, this buddy and me. I can talk to him and he can talk to me too. Do you understand what I’m trying to tell you?”

“I think so,” replied Jenny. However, she seemed preoccupied with a baby bull shark swimming under the kayaks.

“Jenny, is there anything you would like to tell me?”

Jenny kept her graze on the water and shook her head.

“Jenny, I can see that you’re not enjoying this trip. Are you trying to prove something?”

Jenny looked up at River and shook her head again.

River thought for a moment, and then came up with an idea. “I’ve heard that people sometimes try to punish themselves by doing things they fear. Are you trying to punish yourself, Jenny?”

Jenny looked at River with tears in her eyes and nodded. The tears spilled over and ran down her flushed cheeks.

River felt sorry for the little girl. “Jenny, what could you have possibly done that you would want to punish yourself?”

Jenny began sobbing so hard that she was finding it hard to breathe.

River became alarmed. “Jenny! Jenny! What is it?”

Between the sobs, Jenny confessed, “I . . . like Eva too much. Makes me forget my real mommy.”

River reached over and pulled Jenny’s kayak close so he could put his arms around her. “Honey, I see the problem now.”

He ripped off a piece of his shirttail and handed the torn fabric to the sobbing girl. “Here, here. Let’s dry those tears.”

Jenny blew her nose several times and then washed the “hanky” in the seawater. She blew her nose again. Jenny looked at River. “Do I look all right?”

“No matter the age, the female is always concerned with her looks,” quipped River grinning. “You look fine, darlin’,” he said, fibbing about her red, swollen eyes and runny nose.

“Why am I so bad? What’s wrong with me, Mr. Egan?”

“Nothing, lass. You feel bad because you loved your mother and that’s natural. Now you want to love Eva, and that’s natural too. You’re worried that your mother in heaven might be upset with you for liking Eva as much as you do.”

Jenny nodded, biting her bottom lip.

“Little lady, I can tell you with the utmost certainty that your mother is pleased that you like Eva and that you consider her to be your second mother. She wants you to be happy. She knows you need a mommy like every little girl does. You don’t need to feel guilty about loving Eva as your second mommy.”

Jenny’s face brightened. “Really? Mommy wouldn’t be mad at me?”

River smiled. “Of course not. I’m telling you the God’s honest truth.” River crossed his finger over his heart.

Jenny took a deep breath and broke into tears again.

“Now what?” asked River.

“I feel better,” she replied. “Thanks Mr. Egan.”

“You do look like a weight has been lifted.”

Jenny smiled. “Whew, I do feel better. Much better.”

“Good. Let’s head back, then. The sky is getting really dark, and I don’t want to get caught in a storm.”

“Yeah. Mr. Egan, you can tie your kayak to mine and I’ll paddle for the both of us.”

“I’m too heavy for that. You lead and I’ll follow. I’m not sure where we are.”

Jenny’s brow furrowed. “All we need to do is turn around and head back the way we came.”

“Are you sure? It’s confusing with all these small islands. I think we should go that way.” River pointed in the opposite direction Jenny had indicated.

“No, Mr. Egan. That way leads out into Florida Bay, and then to the Everglades. That’s heading north. We need to go east.”

Increasingly uneasy and unsure, River looked back and forth between the way he wanted to go and the way Jenny had indicated. “Whatever you say. I just would like to get back as quickly as we can.”

“Just follow me.” Jenny dipped her paddle into the water and began making her way. Every few feet, she would turn and check on Mr. Egan. For almost half a mile, he was able to keep up with her.

After rounding a bend, Jenny stopped her kayak and turned to look for River. After waiting several minutes, she paddled her kayak west again, only to find his kayak drifting several hundred feet away with River slumped over.

“Mr. Egan!” cried Jenny. She hurriedly paddled over to him. As she reached his kayak, Jenny touched River’s arm.

River raised his head and said hoarsely, “Sorry Jenny, but I don’t feel too hot.” His voice sounded weak and raspy. His head sank back to his chest.

“What’s wrong, Mr. Egan?”

When he didn’t respond, she shook him. “Mr. Egan?”

“Jenny,” replied River softly, raising his head. “I–go on. Get help.”

Jenny glanced around, as if looking for an adult to tell her what to do. Her lips quivered, and she let out a few loud sobs. Just as she felt she might totally let go into a meltdown, something brushed the side of her kayak and caught her attention. Startled, Jenny peered into the water.

It was Eva’s manatee!

Jenny watched as the manatee slowly circled the kayaks and then headed east toward the Pink Flamingo Motel.

Jenny gripped the sides of her kayak and squeezed as hard as she could. This helped her calm down. She had to clear her mind so she could concentrate and think. Watching the manatee slowly swim away, Jenny came up with a plan. She jumped into the waist-deep water and tied her kayak to River’s. Then she pushed River’s kayak in the direction the manatee had taken. Jenny was confident that sooner or later she would come to a dock, or someone’s backyard where she could ask for help.

Jenny looked up at the darkening sky. An increasingly strong wind hampered her progress, making the kayaks seem even heavier.

Hearing a motor, Jenny turned and spied a passing speedboat. She waved furiously, hoping that the boat would stop, but the people on board waved back, hands full of what seemed to be beer cans, not realizing that she needed help.

Jenny resumed pushing the kayak again, but with the strong wind, she was no longer able to control the direction of the kayaks, which kept veering to the left instead of going straight.

Jenny shook River again. “Mr. Egan. Mr. Egan!”

When River didn’t respond, she pulled herself to the front of the kayaks and began hauling both behind her. Her feet slid in the sand, so she tried swimming with the rope tied around her waist. That didn’t work well either. It was taking too much time and wearing her out.

Increasingly frantic and not knowing what to do, Jenny finally spotted a house with a small dock at the water’s edge. It was all she could do to drag both kayaks to the dock and secure them. After checking on River, Jenny ran to the house and pounded on the back door.

But no one answered.

As the sky continued to darken, it began to rain in earnest as Jenny burst into tears from frustration. Looking beyond the house’s shrubs, she spied a tee shirt business next door that seemed to be open. Shoving through bushes that scratched her arms and legs, Jenny ran and burst through the business’s door, yelling.

A cashier and a customer paying for a shirt both looked up, startled.

“Help, please!” cried Jenny. “My friend is sick.”

The cashier quickly called for someone to watch the register while she and the customer ran after Jenny into the rainstorm. They followed her to the neighbor’s dock and down to the bay where they met a terrifying sight.

River’s kayak had turned over, and he was floating facedown in the water!

E
va paced back and forth, occasionally looking out the office window. In between waiting on a guest and answering the phone, she made repeated trips to the lagoon and waded out into the water, looking west.

Jenny’s failure to come back with Mr. Egan made her very anxious. Returning to the office, she poked her head inside the attached manager’s apartment, where Lillian was sitting at a table going over that month’s invoices.

Lillian looked up from her work and recognized Eva’s panic. “Anything yet?” asked Lillian.

“No sign of them,” confided Eva, “and I don’t want to go rushing after them, but the storm is coming in.”

“Didn’t Mr. Egan promise to be back before the storm?”

“He assured me that they would be back in plenty of time.”

Lillian smiled as she reached out and gently touched Eva’s arm. “Then he’ll be back.”

Eva impulsively turned to look out the office window and nervously chewed her nails. “I know, I know, but what if something happened?”

Lillian got up from the table and joined Eva at the window. “I know we mothers are conditioned to always think the worst, but nine times out of ten, it turns out there’s a simple explanation, like they stopped off and got some lemonade, and then lost track of time.”

“They can’t lose track of the sky. It’s really getting nasty-looking out there, and the wind is way up,” Eva argued.

“Maybe they stopped off at Mary’s?”

Eva shook her head. “Mary’s house is five miles away. Way too far for them to paddle, and even if they got to it somehow, they would have to stash the kayaks somewhere and then walk up the embankment to the highway and cross it. That would be too much for Mr. Egan.”

“Let’s call Mike. Maybe he’s heard from them.”

“He’s all the way down on Big Pine Key working on a house. I hate to bother him with this. After all, I was supposed to watch her. Oh gosh, what have I done letting her go with Mr. Egan? I don’t even know the man. What if he’s a . . .?”

“Don’t be silly. I have a nose for trouble like that, and he’s a gentleman through and through. You’re starting to imagine all sorts of outlandish things.”

Growing strain showed on Eva’s face as she tried to dismiss all sorts of nightmares from her mind.

Lillian shut off her adding machine. “Eva, you are driving yourself into a tizzy. Listen, I’ll watch the front desk. These bills can wait. Go on and search for them. I’m sure you’ll find them as soon as you round the first bend, and they will only be too glad to get a tow back to the motel.”

Eva grinned and grabbed the boat keys out of her pocket. “Thanks, Lillian.”

As she was running out the office door, she heard Lillian yell, “Call me when you find them.”

Looking up at the threatening sky, Eva murmured, “Let’s hope I find them.”

E
va slowly edged the boat forward, looking through her binoculars. After not finding them in the first mile, Eva became ultra-concerned, and waved down some fishing boats coming in.

No, they hadn’t seen a little girl and an older man kayaking.

Grimacing at the replies, Eva began to really panic. She thanked the fishermen and continued down the bay side of Key Largo.

Water slapped the sides of the boat, and it began to rain in earnest. Now fear began to gnaw at Eva’s stomach. Maybe Jenny had drowned.

Tears burned Eva’s eyes, as she could no longer keep terrible thoughts from her mind. If something had happened to Jenny, Eva’s life would be over. Not only would she have lost the only child she would ever raise, but her marriage to Mike would be over. He would never forgive her–and she could never forgive herself.

Increasing the boat’s speed, Eva checked every rocky bank, every tiny beach, every mangrove, every dock, and circled every tiny island for the next several miles.

“They can’t have gotten this far,” she muttered.

After looking at her sea charts, Eva turned the boat around and headed back. After going for a half mile, she noticed two kayaks tied up and pushed under a small dock for safekeeping. She pulled out her binoculars and crossed her fingers for luck.