Page 26 of Until We Break

“No one else has said it, but I wonder if he took the ferry over from Pointe Harbor. Maybe he’s not an island kid after all. Maybe he lives on this side of the sound.” Caleb shifted on his feet.

Pointe Harbor wasn’t huge, but it was on the mainland as the locals said. There were strip malls and pizza joints. Mini-golf courses and a water park.

“Then is there a different way to go about finding his family?” I asked.

He rubbed the back of his head. “I think everyone is working on it, but it doesn’t mean I can’t put in a few more calls.”

“You really don’t have to stay,” I said. “I’m sure your friend wants his truck back and don’t you have a shift or patrol to finish?”

“Are you trying to get rid of me?” He folded his arms across his chest, and I knew he was testing me. That moment in the hall had somehow threaded us together again.

“No. I wouldn’t.”

“If you’re staying, I’m staying.”

I felt relief and warmth spread through my chest. “Good.”

Wheel of Fortuneplayed on a television mounted on the wall. It looked too heavy to be on the thin platform.

“I don’t understand.” I looked at the little boy. “How is it possible no one is looking for him?”

Caleb exhaled. “People are shitty parents sometimes.”

“Since we’re both staying all night why don’t I see if the nurses could bring a cot in for you?” he suggested. “You’re not going to be able to sleep in that thing.”

I was perched in a wooden chair and already rubbing my legs to get the circulation flowing.

“And what about you?”

“I can sleep with my head on a rock,” he answered. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be right back.”

Caleb left and I knew we were in this together. No matter what happened. He was going to stick with me. He was not going anywhere. I didn’t deserve any of it.

THIRTEEN

Caleb

People are shitty parents sometimes.The words echoed in my ears. I’d said it about the kid’s family, but what I was thinking about was Margot’s parents. Why would I say that to Margot? Why would I even bring it up? Fuck.

I couldn’t go back to the room yet. I tracked down one of the nurses in the hall who had promised to put a cot in the room for Margot. I found myself in that pathetic courtyard with perfectly manicured hedges outside the cafeteria. I paced up and down the paver stones. I couldn’t quite make myself follow the square to complete the circuit.

What was I doing here? Why did I stay? I stepped from one paver to another. Back and forth. Back and forth.

My captain was going to need a full report on the rescue today. He was going to want even more details on why I stayed so long at Pointe Harbor, keeping the cutter in the slip on the mainland.

My dad would hear about it. My brother. The whole island. That’s when I needed a real explanation. Once they knew theywere going to flood me with questions. I had to prepare more for them than I did for Officer Guthrie’s inquiry.

The idea of walking out on Margot right now seemed just as hard. I’d already given her my word I’d be here. But why? She wasn’t going to stay on Marshoak Island.

There was still a lot about her I didn’t know about what happened to her the past seven years. What if she decided to keep the Blue Heron? What was her plan? Would she move to Marshoak Island? What did she do in New York? There was no way she existed in a vacuum. Margot had another life.

When I walked back into the kid’s room, Margot was layering the cot with blankets. I spotted a folded set on the chair along with a couple of pillows. She smiled at me.

“Everything okay?” she asked.

“Yeah. I had to check on a few things.” I strolled in and sat in the chair. I leaned over and she stilled. I touched my index finger against her knee. “Do we need to get a bandage for that?”

The scrape looked pretty nasty, even though the blood had dried and stuck to her skin. I didn’t want it to become infected. There was no telling what was on the pier.

---