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The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this story are fictitious. Any resemblance to real or historical occurrences is purely coincidental.
This is a work in progress please keep comments constructive.
Hello friends! Spring has sprung and with it so many new and wonderful projects! I apologize this chapter has taken me longer to post than usual. Between building raised beds, buying up all the plants, editing my first book and throwing a surprise hot-dog party, I’ve had little time to devote to Marina and her friends. Oh, but if felt good to dive back into this story once I sat myself down to write. I’m also working on a way to make jumping back to previous chapters more accessible, so you can read more like a traditional book if you like.
Perhaps a recap would be helpful? If not, please read on.
Marina just graduated from high school on Martha’s Vineyard and her friends are celebrating on Lambert’s Cove Beach. A murder mystery is told around the fire and the group look up to the cliffs to see a blinking light. Then someone nearly drowns and Marina jumps in to save him with Fez Mayhew, a friend from Marina’s childhood. Officer O’Brien of the West Tisbury police is called to the scene. Fortunately all the kids are safe but Marina, Fez and Cain, who nearly drowned, are brought to the hospital. Jacob Matthews (Marina’s father) is filled with emotion seeing his girl at the hospital, the same place she was born and where he lost his wife and son to a terrible car accident when Marina was still a little girl. Marina is determined to get to the bottom of the story she heard around the fire and the connection to the blinking light up on the bluff.
Hope you enjoy! xx.
Chapter 6
The next day Marina slept late. Jacob had taken the morning off but as the clock crept towards noon he had to go to an estate he took care of to check a few things and make sure the property was ready for the family arriving later that day.
Marina woke to sunlight seeping through the windows of her room and bouncing off the rafters. The house was silent around her. Maisy, their dog, was asleep at the foot of her bed, creating a warm pocket for Marina’s feet. She burrowed deeper in the blankets momentarily forgetting about the night before but then something scratched her wrist and she looked down to see a hospital bracelet. The events from the night flooded back. She shivered thinking of the chill of the water and the fear that gripped her in the dark. She squeezed her eyes shut, replaying the blinking light on the bluff and then she opened them wide thinking of Fez following her into the water and how he looked in the hospital; like the friend she had lost all those years ago. She felt a different sort of fear flutter in her chest.
She threw off the blankets, upsetting Maisy who looked around alert for whatever was causing the disturbance. Marina had no idea who, if anyone, had her phone or what had happened to her things the night before. And where was her car? She pulled on a pair of sweatpants and a long sleeve over her Mom’s old Chilmark Road Race t-shirt and padded downstairs. Her dad had made coffee which she poured gratefully into a cup and looked around for her stuff. Jacob had put her clothes from the night before in the wash but there was no sign of anything else. She took the landline out to the deck, feeling the warmth of the sun on her face, and dialed Shelly’s number, one of the few she knew by heart. Shelly picked up on the first ring.
“Oh my gosh, Marina. Are you ok? I’ve been so worried. I wasn’t sure if you were home. Is your dad so mad? My parents are furious with me. I’m grounded for a week, which isn’t as bad as I thought they were going to ground me for. Honestly I think they feel bad because it’s our last summer and they don’t want me in the house all day, but oh God, here I go just blabbering.”
Marina laughed. “I’m ok. Do you know where my things are?”
“I have your phone and wallet and I’m at the café. My parents made me work this morning as part of my punishment.” Shelly said sullenly.Marina couldn’t help but smile at this. Shelly said she hated working at her parents’ café, but most of the clientele were regulars that had known Shelly her whole life and Marina knew she secretly loved to see them.
“Do you want to meet for coffee?” Marina asked. “I still need to find my car, but I could meet you in like, an hour?”
“Yeah, I can take a break when you get here. Motts?” The subterranean coffee shop Mocha Motts on Circuit Ave in Oak Bluffs was their unofficial meeting spot.
“Great, and could you text Levi and tell him I don’t have a phone and need him to come pick me up?”
“Will do. I think your car is still at Lambert’s Cove but maybe it got towed?”
“Ok, thanks, Levi and I will find it. See you in an hour.” Marina rang off.
Marina took a long shower, letting the hot water soak into her bones. By the time Jacob had pulled into their driveway from the hospital it was light out and it took all the energy Marina had just to climb the creaky stairs and crawl into bed. She was covered in a film of salt water, but the shower washed it away and woke her up considerably. She had just enough time to throw on some clothes before Levi pulled up in his parents' Prius.
“Hey,” Levi called as he let himself in through the sliding door from the porch.
“Hi,” Marina called from upstairs. She came down moments later in shorts and a worn navy cotton sweater and flip flops, her hair still wet. “You want water or anything?” she asked as she gave him a quick hug.
“I’m good, thanks. You ok?” Levi asked, studying her.
Marina waved him away. “I’m totally fine. Kind of a crazy party though, what did you think of Summer’s story?”
Levi laughed. He was more accustomed to parties getting out of hand and broken up by the cops than Marina. “Yeah. I don’t know, Summer is always making up stories.”
“Yeah,” Marina said, starting to dig in. “But we actually saw something.”
“Who knows,” Levi shrugged. “We should get going. I’ll take you to your car first.”
Marina’s car was miraculously still parked along the dirt road along the Lambert’s Cove cemetery. The police must have taken pity on the group and held off calling JLW Towing. She hopped in, happy with the familiar scent of salt and mildew, and rolled down the window to wave to Levi who backed out of the dirt road. Marina pulled a u-turn and followed behind Levi towards Oak Bluffs.
They both found parking along Ocean Park, a sure sign the summer season still hadn’t fully hit yet. When they got to Mocha Mott’s they ran into Shelly outside. As they walked inside the warm smell of toasted bagels and ground coffee assailed their nostrils. The line was short and they ordered quickly. Black for Marina, a mocha for Shelly and a tea for Levi who didn’t like coffee. When the got their order they squeezed into an empty booth with their drinks. Marina gripped the paper cup between her hands appreciating the warmth. Shelly handed Marina a bag with her phone and wallet. Marina knew her phone would be filled with friends checking in on her so she left it for later. A group of juniors from their high school came in and eyed the three of them, whispering amongst themselves. What had happened at the party the night before had already gotten around, Marina thought grimly.
“So,” Shelly said, ignoring the group. “What happened at the hospital?”
“Nothing really,” Marina replied. “Officer O’Brien asked me some questions. Fez and Cain were there too. Cain’s parents come over from the mainland.”
“Was your Dad so mad?” Shelly asked.
Marina shrugged. “I don’t think so, I mean he was pretty upset but I’m not grounded or anything.”
Shelly rolled her eyes and scowled towards her coffee, but then perked up again “Fez was there?” she asked, wiggling her eyebrows. “How did that go? He’s so hot.”
Levi tactfully became very interested in studying the names carved into the worn table but his ears stayed alert. Marina rolled her eyes.
“He was fine, I mean he came into my room and asked if I was ok, but he didn’t stay long. I think he just wanted to get out of there. But I wanted to talk to Officer O’Brien. I mean, can we talk about what happened? You saw the light on the cliffs, right?” Marina could feel she was close to a good story. It was a feeling she got, a tingle down her spine she had learned to trust.
“For all we know Summer paid her brother to go up on the cliffs and freak us out.” Levi said, still studying the table.
“I wonder where Fez is working this summer,” Shelly said dreamily.
Marina looked at them, frustration flaring. During her time at the school newspaper she uncovered a secret tunnel in Edgartown that was part of the underground railroad, wrote about food insecurity on the island by interviewing dozens of families, and was one of the first reporters at the airport when the plane of migrants arrived from Florida. She was a good reporter and she could sense when a story was worth following. Levi, though, was more interested in meeting girls at his summer job bussing tables than finding out what happened. Marina knew she needed to talk to Summer, and Cain too, hopefully his parents hadn’t brought him off the island yet. She bounced her leg up and down in anticipation.
Just then the air outside the coffee shop was filled with the sound of sirens. Marina looked around and then jumped up and ran outside, following the sounds of the wailing emergency vehicles down Circuit Ave. Shelly and Levi gathered their things and followed behind, giving each other knowing looks. They were used to Marina dropping everything to follow a story. They reached the intersection where Circuit met Lake Ave, and watched as fire trucks and police cruisers streamed into town, circling the Flying Horses. The large red building that sat, like a beacon, in the center of two streets. Officers were working on setting up a perimeter around the historic building.
“What in the –” Marina started to say but she was drowned out by more arriving sirens. They crossed the street and stood in front of the Strand Theatre watching the scene in front of the back entrance of the building, where most of the activity was taking place. They could see police officers and firemen coming and going from the building but none of them lingered long enough on the sidewalk for them to be able to ask any questions. She noticed there were no EMTs or ambulances in the fray, which signaled to her that there wasn’t a medical emergency inside.
She didn’t see any reporters yet so she made mental notes of which officers were there hoping she could speak to them later. Maybe Henry, the editor of the Gazette, would finally give her a front page story.
“Shelly, could you text Casper and ask him what’s happening?” She asked.
“On it,” Shelly replied, pulling her phone out of her back pocket. “sh*t, I forgot I was supposed to be back at work ten minutes ago. I have to go. I’ll let you know when he responds,” Shelly called, already jogging away from them back to the café.
“I’ve got to go too,” Levi said. “I told my mom I’d help her in the garden. You good?” He asked Marina.
“Yup, I’m going to stick around here for a bit, see if I can find out what happened.”
“One sec,” Levi said, his face brightening as he walked quickly up the street and ducked into a bike rental shop. Marina followed behind him, too distracted by the scene in front of her to be concerned with what Levi was up to. He came out of the shop a few minutes later listening to someone talking animatedly who didn’t look much older than Levi himself.
Levi whistled for Marina to join them. “Marina, this is Dragan, he just came here from Serbia to work for the summer. We met at a party the other night. Anyway, he was here when the first cop cars showed up.”
“Hi Dragan, nice to meet you,” Marina said, sticking out her hand to shake his. He had big brown eyes matching his dark hair and an easy smile.
“You too,” he replied. “Yeah so I got to work around seven this morning. I was just now outside with the bikes when I heard sirens and police cars started pulling up along the building. There were two of them at first, and now - ” he waved his hand towards the scene in front of them. “Someone unlocked the door to let the cops inside. That’s all I know.” He finished with a shrug. He talked with a rich accent but his English was clear and precise. A group of tourists wandered over inspecting the mopeds, while shooting curious glances towards the Flying Horses. “I don’t like it, it makes me feel -” He searched for the word.
“Uncomfortable?” Levi offered.
Dragan nodded with a serious expression. “I have to go,” Dragan said, looking back towards the potential customers. “Nice to meet you Marina.”
“You too, thanks for the info.” Marina said as Dragan excused himself. She wanted to ask him more questions but she didn’t want to bother him as he tried to make a sale.
“What do you think?” Levi asked Marina.
“I don’t know, it could just be an electrical issue and they’re being cautious because the building is so old.” Marina tried to rationalize.
“Yeah but why make it such a big deal?” Levi asked.
Marina shrugged her shoulders. She was just as confused as him and she hated not knowing what was going on.
“I’ve got to run,” Levi said, “but I’ll give you a call later.”
“Sounds good, thanks Levi.”
Marina watched the scene a few minutes longer. No one was coming in or out of the building. She jogged across the street into the dilapidated gift shop on the corner. Inside was jam packed with nick nacks and Martha’s Vineyard sweatshirts and Gone Fishing t-shirts. She found a notebook with a nautical looking cover of the island and a pen with a lobster on it. She brought it to the register where an old man was sitting with suspenders on and smelled like cigars. He eyed her suspiciously.
“Quite a scene out there,” Marina tried to make small talk. He grunted in response, using one finger to type in her purchase.“Do you know what’s going on?” She asked conspiratorially.
“Cops started showing up about 20 minutes ago. That’s all I know.” He replied, taking a closer look at her. “You’re Jacob Matthew’s girl right?” She nodded.
“No kidding. I taught your daddy how to fish when he was a young guy. Poor kid couldn’t catch a damn thing, all his friends were laughing. I told him, put a bit of cheese wiz on your bait and showed him. Fish were practically jumping out of the water onto the dock.” His eyes crinkled at the memory. “Damndest thing that happened to your Mum kid, we’ve got you all in our prayers.”
Marina was used to people bringing up her Mom and brother without any warning. Every time it felt like a bucket of ice water was dumped over her head but she had learned to not let her face deceive her.
He continued, now that he placed Marina as a local. “No one’s been in to talk to me, though they likely should. Probably just some nosy tourist thinking they could get an exclusive look inside. Though I’ll tell you some kids, well maybe a little older than you, but kids all the same, came in a few months ago asking me all sorts of damn questions like I was a tour guide or something.”
“Kids? Do you remember what they were asking or what they looked like?” Marina’s interest piqued.
“Nah, just the usual stuff I get being next door to the Great Flying Horses.” He said this with an air of weariness and also pride. He finally finished ringing Marina up. “Ten bucks even. Islander discount,” he said to Marina with a wink.
She pulled out ten dollars to pay and thanked him before saying goodbye. She had already pulled off the lobster cap of the pen and started jotting down what he had told her as she made her way outside. The door tinkled open as a couple walked inside with lanyards indicating they were part of a cruise group. Marina let them pass. Out on the street she looked to the water and sure enough a giant cruise ship was anchored offshore.
A few of the cop cars had left and the scene was more understated than it was before. Probably trying to minimize the attention from the tourists. The massive building was locked up tight and looked dark inside. Marina circumnavigated around the block. There was police tape barring her from climbing the steps to look inside. From the sidewalk she saw no movements within. The wind had picked up and dark gray clouds gathered above, indicating rain. A business card skittered along the street and blew against her leg. She reached down to pick it up. Just a cleaning service card based in New Bedford. These and others like it were pinned up around town by the thousands and still there was more work than workers. Marina tucked it in the back of her notebook. She hated litter on her island.
Since it seemed like any activity was done for now she made her way towards Ocean Park and to her car. She sat in it for a while, protected from the growing offshore wind and wrote down everything she could remember. She threw the notebook onto the passenger seat when she was done, holding onto a tiny glimmer of hope that her editor at the Gazette would let her write the story about what was happening at the Flying Horses. She was dying to find out.
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