Page 104 of Oliver

“Nope, only if—“

“Fine,” he growls, and I hide my relief behind my hair. Now I don’t have to go alone, and Oliver can’t hide what he finds from me.

Chapter 32

I denounced god a long fucking time ago.

Penny

I knew better than to tell Oliver the location ahead of time and my suspicions are confirmed when he follows my directions with an icy demeanor and ticking jaw.

It’s quiet and really dark when we pull into the boat ramp drop off and Oliver parks the car. The faint glow of the lights from within one of the houses breaks up the darkness but not enough to see much with the moon blotted by clouds.

It’s almost two in the morning. Most of these folks are probably asleep by now which was the goal when we waited but now, it's eerie as we traverse the rocky shore toward the boat, swaying gently in the water.

Oliver was silent while I explained the death of the girl from the restaurant, whose name appears on both that and the infamous boat we’re about to board.

I did an internet search for her disappearance and stared at a grainy picture of the poor girl who disappeared over thirty years ago, never to be found again. Apparently, it was from the very lot that I stood in with Mr. Cook which gave me the heebie jeebies and sent Oliver into another fit of pouting.

There was no evidence of foul play. Her car was in the lot when they came looking for her the following morning. The last person to see her was an employee who left after she told him to go, while she closed up the remainder of the building to leave.

Although the disappearance was heavily investigated there was nothing to indicate foul play. She vanished into thin air and all these years later, detectives remain stymied about what happened.

My heart aches for her grieving parents and images of Dixie participating in a similar scenario confound me.

How could she do it? Knowing she was not only hurting a human being but leaving their family to grieve the loss?

Oliver grabs my arm and I flinch before focusing back on our task. When I turn to him, he points to the ground and I drop to my knees, wincing when the prickly rocks dig into my skin. He follows me down and I glance toward the boat with his heavy breaths puffing against my ear.

A shadow forms in the darkness, only seen by the light of the flashlight and I cover a gasp when a man emerges from the boat and heads toward the house.

I can't see beyond that beam of light so I don't know if it’s Mr. Cook but who else could it be?

Once he’s gone, Oliver turns to me. “Penny, it’s too—“

“No.” Slashing my hand through the air, I say in a fierce whisper, “We’re here. We have to go in there. Don’t you want to know? Besides, what if there’s another victim in there? What if she’s hurt or dying?”

His sigh parts my hair before he produces a gun from his waistband. Wide eyed I stare at the weapon as he helps me to my feet.

When I don’t move, he waves his other hand and I break from my stupor as he mutters, “This is fucking insane.”

I silently agree but wisely keep my mouth shut as I lead the way. Once we reach the dock, I look up to the house which now has a faint glow from within. I’m hoping whoever it is, they stay in the house, go to bed or something because I would prefer not to be caught searching the boat.

Either way, I’m willing to take the risk. I wasn’t kidding. What if there is someone in there who needs our help?

Our footsteps clomp against the dock, and I wince before lifting and drooping my heels more softly. When we reach the boat, Oliver glances around before slipping over the side and reaching out for me.

I stumble after him, my heart in my throat.

As soon as I’m aboard, he grips the gun, turning this way and that. Once again, it’s not bright enough to see much but I strain to hear anything out of the ordinary.

After searching the deck, where I proceed to stumble over shit multiple times, Oliver’s impatience resonating in my brain, I follow him to the door that leads inside.

Oliver produces a tiny flashlight and shines it over the area once before flicking it off. To the right are the controls to operate the boat, to the left a set of stairs leading down into the bowel, where I presume anything worth finding resides.

I’ve never been on a boat. I don’t know what to expect but after traversing the stairs, I pause beside Oliver while he shines the light once more before flicking it off. It’s a risk which is why he makes it quick but without it, we wouldn’t be able to see enough to proceed.

With that brief flash though, I saw a small table surrounded by bench seating and revealing the windows seen from the dock. The space was empty and remarkably clean. Beyond that was a small kitchen with bare countertops and faux wood cabinets.

---