Relative Undertow by Mark Souza
Contents
1. What happened to her You said she passed Tony grimaced For a moment Amy thought she saw anger in his eyes and then just as quickly he looked sad and vulnerable She had Alzheimer s and couldn t remember things Most days she didn t know who I was Some days she couldn t even remember where she lived She d get all wound up afraid she was in the wrong house and would try to run off She needed more care than I could give but we couldn t afford a nursing home One morning last month I found her dead at the bottom of the stairs I think she got confused again tried to get away and fell Tony s eyes locked on a picture frame atop the bookshelf on the far end of the room Is that your mom Amy nodded She died when I was four She must have known she was dying because she tried to teach me everything she could The stuff she told me didn t make any sense I think I was too young Like what Weird stuff like try not to change unless I had to because eventually someone would catch me at it That doesn t sound so strange Actually sounds like good advice Tony said Well how about the blood you take today may save you tomorrow Okay weird Sort of sounds like my mom near the end We have a lot in common He crossed the room and lifted the picture frame off the shelf and studied the photo She was beautiful he said wistfully The words just seemed to blurt ou2. a week to get groceries and that was the only time she ever came into town If the car was there Amy Szabo was there The old man had been a wealth of knowledge about a girl he really didn t know According to him Amy never got visitors Tony had all day if he needed it When Tony asked whether he might get shot for his troubles if he arrived unannounced the old man said She just might You can never tell with that kind It was really no answer at all Tony still didn t know whether there was a gun in the house And a gun could ruin everything Tony liked Howie It was a shame the old man had to take a tumble down the stairs but Tony didn t need a witness who could put him on the island He was certain the old man felt no pain It all happened so quickly and the old man was well past the point of feeling anything by the time he had his accident Tony left Howie in his house at the bottom of the basement stairwell with a broken neck The mailman was a bachelor and lived alone He would draw attention from hungry flies long before he would from concerned friends When Tony strode across his cousin s deck he noticed the windows were boarded up from the inside He knocked on the door The house was still He rapped again louder this time Muffled shouts ordered him to go around to the back The woman who met him looked like a mouse cowering from a cat She had large wide set eyes and peered out cautiously from behind the door He turned
3. body Her joints seemed to disconnect and her body convulsed Nerves fired and muscles jerked involuntarily When it was done she felt as flaccid and helpless as a jellyfish washed up on the beach Tony grabbed her legs and hauled her out The carpet peeled her shirt up to her shoulders and abraded her bare back As she slid past the table post she grabbed on weakly Tony jerked her free with little effort He dropped her near the stairs bent over her and leered like she was his prize His nose was broken and cocked to the side When he grinned he exposed bloodstained teeth She had done that Amy felt a small wash of pride At least she hadn t gone quietly She d fought Tony noticed the look of satisfaction on her face He leaned close so his face was inches from hers His breath stank Blood dripped off the tip of his nose onto her cheeks and lips You think you ve won something You haven t You only have a few minutes left in your pathetic life and I ll get what I came for he said Amy ran her tongue over her lips and tasted the metallic tang of his blood She smiled back at him Tony crinkled his nose in disgust What a little freak you are cuz But hey whatever floats your boat He grabbed her arms and pulled her into a seated position bent down bear hugged her around the waist and hoisted her body over his shoulder Blood rushed to Amy s head She felt her strength slowly returning Tony took the stairs on shaky leg
4. calmer Something brushed her hand She clamped down on it and looked up It was the anchor line Amy pulled herself hand over hand to the surface Along the way she felt changes in her body new strength new bulk new abilities Her clothes were too small for her new form and cut into her waist and clamped onto her limbs She felt the top button of her jeans give way When her head crested the surface she hacked the water from her lungs The transition from water to air was every bit as difficult as drowning The sun was nearly gone just an orange sliver hovering on the horizon Amy grabbed the gunwale and edged her way to the back of the boat She silently pulled herself onto the deck Tony hummed to himself up on the bridge oblivious She stripped off her clothes A dim light burned inside the cabin She crept inside and looked for a weapon The Taser sat on the table Poetic justice She took it On her way out she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror Her hair was matted down and darker She was a good head taller than before and broader Tony s twin This is what her mother tried to tell her about all those years ago She liked the changes She smiled The resulting sneer appeared as disingenuous as when Tony did it She d have to work on that The engines fired up She left the cabin and stalked up to the bridge Tony had his back to her He was pressing the button to raise the anchor and watching the line to assure it didn t bind on
5. deadline to meet She waited for sounds of retreat from her porch No such luck Another set of raps rattled the door Go around back she yelled Muffled words drifted through the door a man s voice and he sounded confused Go around back she repeated Footfalls from the deck reverberated through the floor Amy scurried to the rear of the house and bolted the lock She peered out the window for the intruder The man was a stranger to her Tall and dark he wore Levi s and a threadbare Creighton University Jays tee shirt His hair was longer than hers and pulled back into a ponytail He was no census taker that was for sure In fact he wasn t an islander Was he lost He stood on the deck looking around like he was taking inventory Who are you and what do you want The man seemed surprised when he saw her He broke into an amused grin as if he d discovered the dreaded watchdog was in fact nothing more than a Chihuahua He approached the window and crouched down to her level He studied her through the glass This isn t a zoo and I m not on display here buddy she thought His grin grew That smile had probably won a lot of favors but Amy found it unnerving She retreated behind the safety of her door I m Tony Szabo he said your cousin Can I come in She looked closer He looked Hungarian and there was a little of her father in his face around the eyes and in the cleft chin Or was it just the
6. hair to her cheek She lay on her side curled around a steel post supporting a triangular table above her head Banquettes on both sides curved and joined together at one end as if they d been formed around a giant arrowhead The thin orange and brown carpet beneath her face reeked of gasoline A rumbling resonated through her bones like a low rhythmic bass while something familiar slapped in from the sides in a slow defined beat like a snare drum She recognized the sound but couldn t muddle through the fog in her head to put a name to it The room was about the size of a closet with a low ceiling and seemed to rock side to side but maybe that was her throbbing head It wasn t familiar and she didn t know how she d gotten there She remembered the rag and the sickly sweet smell The bastard had drugged her A short set of stairs led to a tiny wooden door opposite her little warren Amy crawled from under the table and collapsed on the floor when her head swooned She fought off nausea and struggled to the steps She kneeled and tried the door It was locked She staggered to her feet and shuffled over to a small round window The floor shifted and she braced against the curved wall She pressed up on her toes to peer through the glass The sun was setting half of it already under the horizon It splashed the undersides of a low layer of clouds ablaze in orange and pink The colorful glow reflected off a choppy sea Amy s knees buckled at th
7. the winch Hey cuz she said The timbre of her voice was lower and foreign to her Tony spun The look of shock on his face was priceless a combination of fear and confusion He obviously didn t know what to make of his carbon copy Amy hit him with the Taser He tumbled to the deck in convulsions She tugged the plastic bag out of his pocket withdrew the rag and pressed it over Tony s mouth Good night sweet prince While Tony slept Amy took his clothes and then busied herself with the anchor She cut the line and hauled it up by hand The loose end of the line she tied around Tony s legs Though she would have to pay to replace it when she returned the boat it was worth it It was dark when Tony woke Amy remembered how she had felt when she emerged from the drug She gave him a few minutes to clear his head His eyes were fixed on her face He blinked rapidly as if it would change what he saw How It s not possible he said Amy smiled I told you we re not related I think when my mother sensed she was dying she tried to teach me what I was but died before she could Thanks to you I think I know now Until you bled on me my mother s form was the only shape I could achieve Thanks for the DNA cuz And when I show up as Tony Szabo to return the boat and visit Nebraska to close my bank accounts no one is going to think Tony Szabo is missing And if they do they Il look in Nebraska not at the botto
8. Relative Undertow By Mark Souza There is a weight to silence some find unbearable To Amy Szabo it was as warm and comforting as an old quilt It wasn t always so At first she had no choice and silence was a reminder of loss But over time she adapted until silence became a fortress protecting her from a noisy world full of expectations and danger Amy spent her days pecking away at her laptop translating technical jargon into plain English Her current project was for a new MP3 player user s manual Muffled clicks of computer keys manifested her thoughts into words They were the only sound inside the dimly lit house It never ceased to amaze her how little engineers could relate to the average consumer A rap at the door jolted through the stillness like gunfire Her fingers jerked away from the keys and hung in the air quivering She fixed her eyes on the door Who would visit on a weekday afternoon She didn t normally get visitors and liked it that way Howard Vickers was occasionally late with the mail delivery but he knew better than to knock She waited and hoped whoever it was would go away Could it be that nosey census taker she d been dodging He kept threatening to come out if she didn t return his calls Or maybe it was a lost stranger asking for directions On her computer her words looked foreign now She stared at the screen trying to recapture her train of thought It was gone like vapor Amy clenched her teeth She had a
9. away Normally it was a short fifteen minute walk She doubted she had fifteen minutes Sticking to the road would make her an easy target once Tony came around She d have to hoof it through the woods She started for the door Her purse she might need it When she turned to go back for it Tony jammed the rag in her face covering her mouth She tried to scream It was reflexive He hadn t made a sound Tony s hand smashed her lips against her teeth She could taste blood A sickly sweet odor filled her sinuses Her vision started to go and her legs buckled The scream ran out of juice before it could escape her mouth Her eyes drifted in opposite directions and she was falling Later she wouldn t remember ever hitting the floor Tony regained consciousness in the bathtub his skull pounding like the bass drum in a marching band A sanguine stream oozed into the drain He dabbed his scalp with his fingers and they came back crimson She had gotten him good He stood and would have keeled over if he hadn t braced himself against the vanity Blood trickled down his forehead What he saw in the mirror looked more like an accident victim than Tony Szabo He found a towel on the rack and wiped his face before wrapping it turban style around his head Boy had he screwed this up She d gotten away Now the question was would she call the cops Of course she would It didn t matter that he was family She didn t know him from Adam He heard som
10. d left Seattle unsure of whether he d even find her She carried the cups on saucers and handed one to Tony I hope you like it strong He took a sip and nodded his approval That s great coffee We re famous for it up here How do you like the Northwest It s definitely not Nebraska It s so green And the mountains and ocean we don t have that It must be nice living right on the beach His eyes drifted to the bank of shuttered windows She followed his gaze The beach has its benefits as well as draw backs You guys were legends in my house You were the island people My father described this place to me like it was from a fairy tale He said your family went everywhere by boat and owned your own island Did your father leave you this place She nodded Been in the family for a few generations But we don t own the island just this quarter mile along the shore My great grandfather bought the land dirt cheap before there was a ferry or roads Everyone back then thought he was a fool Not now though I expect Tony said A quarter mile of beachfront forty minutes from Seattle must be worth a fortune Ever thought of selling Amy shook her head There are too many memories here and it s home You must have an incredible view His eyes returned to the bank of windows His brow furrowed Why are all the windows boarded up The sun glares off the water and
11. e sight of all that water She felt vomit rising It all made sense now the low rumble of the engine the curved walls the rhythmic slapping of waves against the hull She was trapped on a boat She tried to think but reason was slipping away She moaned The moan turned into a wail as fear took control Moans grew into screams The animal inside her took over as the rational part that was Amy Szabo retreated for safety in the dark recesses of her mind She screamed until her throat was raw dove under the table and clutched at the carpet The engine died The boat slowed and settled deeper in the water When the forward momentum stopped the boat rocked on the waves The wooden door opened A man stood in the doorway smiling down at her His name wouldn t come but she knew he was responsible He had put her here It was his fault He was the enemy Ah you re awake Too bad for you This might have been easier on both of us if you were still unconscious He smiled That smile wasn t to be trusted that much she remembered The welcome and warmth it promised were lies to lure the unwary Trouble followed that smile like hyenas trailing herd of antelope Amy scurried under the table as deep as she could back pressed against where the benches joined at the point of the bow Why don t you come out of there and make things a little easier for your cousin Tony huh Tony that was it Amy s mind locked onto the name like a life
12. ed a thin layer of camouflage veiling a sales pitch Though she didn t want to appear rude she couldn t hide the impatience on her face I can t leave the island remember He glared at her for a moment and sighed She could tell from the sound that Tony was growing weary too How about this what if I buy you a place in the middle of the island far from the ocean and close to town Then could we work out a swap She shook her head Tony was certainly persistent I appreciate what you re trying to do You re a very considerate man But But your life is perfect here right He stood and unlatched a shutter and swung it opened Amy staggered back Please don t He opened another She turned to face the wall He opened another and another until a view of Puget Sound filled the breadth of the house and lit the back wall in a way she hadn t seen since she was a child She squeezed her eyes shut Perfect in every way but that he said He sounded smug and cruel like a sadistic child pulling the wings off a butterfly Please she begged Perfect except for living right next to a monster that wants to kill you and the little girl at the bottom of the sea waiting to get even right He grabbed her shoulders and turned her toward the windows His thumbs dug into her flesh as he held her firmly in place The sun warmed her face A red glow permeated her closed eyelids Tony released his gr
13. ething Someone was in the house Out in the kitchen his cousin was trying the phone He crept out of the bathroom and eased up behind her When she turned he had the rag ready It was startling how quickly the chloroform took effect She barely had a chance to squirm Her eyes rolled up in her head and she went down in a heap He looked down at his cousin sprawled on the kitchen floor Twice he d made her an offer that benefited them both and twice she d refused She deserved what was coming and he wouldn t lose sleep over it Why did she make it so hard How much did she weigh One ten max She d hit him like she was frickin Mike Tyson To work best Amy s death had to look like an accident A murder investigation would hold up the payout And sloppiness equaled life without parole There couldn t be any bullet holes knife wounds broken hyoid bone or suspicious bruising Just a body washed up on a Seattle beach a floater is what the police called them identification in the pocket maybe the victim s shoe at the edge of her own dock that would be a nice touch Leave just enough clues for the police to quickly connect the dots Tony rifled through the cupboards in search of bleach He had to clean his blood out of this place in case there was an investigation After her body washed up it should be an open and shut case of accidental drowning But you never knew Someone could get suspicious and go all Columbo And if they go
14. felt the heft of the porcelain lid in her hands It was probably as good a weapon as she would find Tony was working the last hinge When the last pin hit the floor she cocked the toilet lid back like a batter readying for a pitch The door fell Tony rushed in with the hammer clutched in his hand She swung The porcelain connected solidly with his skull The lid cracked in half and tumbled out of her hands Tony collided into her She crashed into the tub with Tony on top of her White streaks bolted across her field of vision and for a moment she thought she would pass out Tony s body pressed down on her in the tub and made it hard to breathe Tony groaned Blood oozed from a gash in his scalp and matted his hair Amy tried to push her cousin s body off her Pain jolted her arm It was useless and possibly broken There was no time to dwell on it One way or another she had to get out from under Tony before he came to She rolled the other way and pressed herself up with her good arm Amy felt wobbly on her feet and nearly tripped on the bathroom door She staggered to the kitchen The phone hung on the wall next to the refrigerator The pain in her arm started to ebb Maybe it wasn t broken She lifted the receiver punched in 911 and held it to her ear It was dead Did he cut the line before he came in or after he trapped her in the bathroom She reached for her car keys The bowl was empty Bastard Her nearest neighbor was nearly a mile
15. fled past Thanks he said She put a pot of water on to boil and pulled the coffee press down from the shelf The dock was just as the old man in town told Tony it would be A wooden speedboat was tied up to it and draped in a canvas cover stained dark with mildew The girl is letting her father s boat rot into the sea It s a damned shame the old man said There wasn t a Chris Craft on the island as cherry as that one Richard Szabo sure knew his boats He d roll over in his grave if he knew how his daughter was treating it His name was Howie something or other He was Amy s mailman a widower He liked a drink or twelve after work and didn t mind running his mouth as long as Tony kept springing for the lubricant Tony tied up at the dock and took a look around He climbed the hill and circled the property to get the lay of the land No neighbors The old man said as much but it was good to be sure A single track of gravel led away from the house and wound through the forest to the main road It was the only way out other than by boat The house was nestled into the hillside facing the water Thick boughed cedars leaned over the roof line Dull sunlight filtered through a thin layer of low clouds and winked off a bank of widows spanning the fa ade The windows were dark behind the glass The house looked abandoned A weathered Honda Civic sat in the drive next to the east wall Howie said Amy drove it about once
16. from the rest of the world The true money was in the property there was no doubt of that It was worth millions He d stopped at a real estate office in Seattle and checked Amy s beachfront property could easily fetch thirty million dollars It would solve everything No it was better than that It could set him up for life His daddy had always said work smart Tony not hard And if anybody would know it was his dad a man who had toiled in the stockyards until he was used up spit out and dead at only fifty Tony still remembered the look of loathing on his father s face when he came to bail Tony out of jail Possession with intent to distribute Tony had thrown his words back at him that night You told me to work smart not hard His father didn t say a word during the drive home Then he tried to lecture Tony on the merits of an honest day s work This from the man who died decades before his time with so little to show for it that his mother had to borrow money to put him in the ground Tony swore he d never let that happen to him He looked at his cousin cowering on the sofa spineless Her mailman was right about her She was an odd little duck scared of her own shadow He stared out the window and drew ina deep breath He d never smelled air like that salty and alive He d never go back to Fall City if he had his druthers Down at the dock the boats rocked on the waves A crack opened in the clouds A burst of sunl
17. he button while bracing the other against the door Let me in Leave now and I won t call the cops It ll be like nothing ever happened If only she could get to the phone She d call the police the first chance she got Tony walked away The back door slammed Maybe he was going Or maybe it was a trick He could be watching from the window waiting for her to come out How far was it maybe five running strides from back door to bathroom He could cover that in about a second She waited for the sound of an engine starting Tony said he came by boat She didn t hear him arrive Would it be possible to hear him leave The thud of the back door shuddered though the floor followed by the sound of someone approaching A shadow appeared under the door Then she heard the rapping of metal on metal Something pinged off the linoleum She crouched low and peered through the crack under the door A hinge pin rested next to Tony s shoe The pounding started again He was working on the middle hinge Amy scrambled to her feet and searched for a weapon In the kitchen she d have had access to a block of knives and a meat hammer Why did she pick the bathroom She pulled open the vanity drawers Hair brushes and eyelash curlers weren t going to do the trick The second hinge pin hit the floor In desperation she pulled the lid off the toilet tank hoping there might be something sharp or metallic inside she could use There wasn t She
18. he legs and propped her up As he bent over her blood dripped from his busted nose onto her face She flinched If she didn t like it that was tough in fact she could have more He hovered over her and dripped a bloody trail from her cheek to her lips He was shocked and repulsed when his cousin licked his blood off her lips Her eyes widened and he thought he saw them change Weren t they blue earlier His head started throbbing again It was dark in the cuddy cabin The sun was almost down He couldn t be sure what he saw and it really didn t matter It was time for Amy s first and last swimming lesson He lifted her onto his aching shoulder one last time The pain was worth it When he tossed her over the side he gave it everything he had and almost went in himself The splash when she hit was as beautiful as church music She thrashed and struggled For a few moments she wouldn t go down and it seemed she might make it back to the boat Then she started to sink and Tony could feel his blood pressure ease Even after she slipped under the water he watched for a while to be sure and then went below deck to fix his nose and clean the boat Details details details It wasn t like her father said at all Nothing grabbed Amy from below Nothing pulled at her Instead the water gave way like a polite man holding open a door She gasped for air Her chin dipped below the surface Seawater rushed into her mouth She swallowed and c
19. hoked Her head bobbed up and she gulped for air but her throat had clamped down tight A wave washed over her head She fought to the top again Still no air Her muscles burned and weakened Everything slowed again her movements her reactions time She slipped under The surface slid away Something inside told her she d never reach it again Above clouds glowed pink across the sky through the shifting prism of the waves It was so beautiful and so strange viewing it from below the water What a day to die And she was dying Cold numbed her limbs The air inside her was hot and devoid of oxygen It fought to get out Keeping it in hurt She released some and watched the stream of bubbles ascend It was a mistake She knew it immediately Lungs on the verge of bursting moments before now felt like a vacuum Those bubbles were seconds of life the last seconds she d know She stopped flailing She was too weak and it was pointless Her lungs screamed for air The animal inside her was back again and ready to try anything including taking a breath of seawater Her heart hammered It was desperate too She felt her will dissolve and knew soon she would take her last breath and it wouldn t be air Her head grew light and her vision dimmed Tiny sparks flashed in front of her eyes She finally relented and sucked in Water rushed inside so cold A spasm wracked her She forced the water out with a hard exhale and took in more Oddly she felt
20. ight sparkled off the green gem like waters of Puget Sound He could get used to this Water patterns danced on the wall in bright intertwining lines of light leaving Amy nowhere to turn She squeezed her eyes shut Close the damned shutters she screamed Yeah sure Tony answered Amy shivered She tried to slow her breathing tried to relax Goose bumps covered her arms It wasn t cold but still she shivered Though she d seen the bright patch on the wall blink out and heard the wooden clunk of the shutter latch she found it hard to regain her composure Her cousin must think she was a nut case He probably wasn t far off the mark Her eyes stung Tears tried to sprout She blinked them back She d be damned if he d see her cry too T m sorry Are you okay he asked She nodded without turning to face him She wasn t ready for that yet Though she d managed not to cry her nose brimmed with snot and she was close to gagging One embarrassing moment would be hard enough to cope with She didn t think she could bear another She rushed to the bathroom and locked the door behind her After blowing her nose and flushing the wad of toilet paper she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror What a wreck No make up swollen eyes a red raw nose unkempt hair what a fabulous first impression She splashed water on her face and patted her skin dry with a towel She felt better even if she didn t look it She
21. ip and she dropped to her knees Tony leaned close to her ear I ve been very nice he said In fact P ve gone out of my way His tone was menacing His patience gone I did a little research in Seattle Did you know that in Washington without a will an estate goes to the deceased s nearest living relative For you that s me I figure a person like you young healthy single and childless wouldn t have a will Who would you leave anything to right So if you were to have an accident it might take a little time as the authorities traced through the branches of the old family tree but eventually their search will lead them to me And this place will be mine She heard an odd rustling and cracked open an eye Tony pulled a clear Ziplock bag from his pants pocket Inside was a rag Amy didn t wait to find out what he planned to do with it She rolled to her feet and dashed for the bathroom slammed the door closed and pressed down the lock button Tony crashed into the door a moment later so hard it knocked her bathrobe off the hook He moaned and muttered something about his shoulder before moving off It was quiet afterward Amy sat with her back braced against the toilet and her feet against the door listening for Tony What she hoped for was the sound of the back door closing and footfalls on the deck followed by the roar of an outboard motor It didn t happen Instead Tony approached the bathroom again The door
22. irl and spent her summers playing by the shore Believe it or not I used to wade out into the water up to my chest all the time My dad used to worry because I couldn t swim He told me the ocean was stalking me waiting for the day when I wasn t paying attention On that day it would sneak up and grab me He said it would pull me down and jam its icy fingers down my throat and into my lungs and no one would ever see me again Tony grimaced That would have scared the pants off me T don t think he meant any harm He just wanted me to be careful It frightened me but I didn t stop not until the next year The next summer my friend Carey Hines and I were on the dock I was ten Carey was a little older We were playing tag and she was it We were having fun She d lunge and I d dodge I was quicker than she was And then it happened She rushed me I jumped to the side She couldn t stop and went in I laughed The look of surprise on her face seemed so funny at the time I couldn t help it Tt took a few seconds for me to realize it wasn t surprise on her face It was terror She couldn t swim either She thrashed so hard her eyes wide locked on mine the entire time The harder she thrashed the further she drifted from the dock It was like something had her and was dragging her away She fought for so long Then the look in her eyes changed from terror to surrender and she was gone She went down and never came
23. it s blinding a nuisance really Tony cocked his head like a curious parrot But it s cloudy He stood and unlatched a pair of shutters and swung them open See He turned back to her with a smile and appeared proud for being right He gazed out the window and sighed Still beautiful though Sun or no sun I can t imagine ever getting sick of a view like that You re one lucky lady Amy turned her face to the wall and tucked her knees up next to her chin Her voice cracked when she spoke Please close them Then it s true what they say about you in town What do they say That you re afraid of water so afraid that you ll only shop in the stores farthest from shore Horse Head Bay is full of gossips and fools It s true though isn t it The house wasn t exactly what Tony anticipated He d never been there before but his father had He made it sound like Shangri Frikin La Like his cousin s family was rolling in money Of course if you grew up in Fall City Nebraska with the stench of the stockyards in your nostrils it was all relative Still Tony expected more The ceilings were low the wood walls rustic the furniture tattered If Tony had the money the house would be a tear down Better to start fresh and build something befitting the view His cousin lived like the Unibomber hunkered down in her dark little cabin without a television or radio cut off
24. knob jiggled A frustrated groan was followed by a blow that shook the door It grew quiet again Sounds of drawers sliding open drifted in from the kitchen and metallic clanks of Tony rifling through her things Footfalls approached from the kitchen Shadows from Tony s feet reflected off the linoleum through the crack under the door Something rattled inside the doorknob The lock button popped up with a loud click and the knob turned Amy gasped She d forgotten about the small hole in the knob that allowed it to be unlocked from the outside and Tony had found it She pressed with her legs and braced for impact The upper corner of the door bowed inward as Tony fought to get in She locked her knees and held on Tony grunted and pressed harder She knew if she allowed any flex in her knees it was all over They d buckle like cooked spaghetti The old wooden stiles popped and cracked under the strain Amy feared the door wouldn t hold Tony grunted and pushed till he ran out of steam The door straightened and Amy could hear him panting on the other side She kicked the button back down The doorknob rattled again Why are you making this so hard cousin The more you fight the angrier I get And the angrier I get the worse it ll be for you once I get inside Open up She didn t He picked at the lock again but she was ready this time When the button popped up she kicked it down Tony kept working the lock so she kept a foot on t
25. m of Puget Sound Tony s mouth hung slack You re going to kill me No not kill m going to give you the same chance you gave me You ll have about three minutes to untie yourself My daddy was in the Merchant Marines and taught me to tie some pretty mean knots I ll be honest I don t like your chances I do want to thank you for one more thing though What Thanks for getting me past my fear of water Amy kicked the anchor over the side and it kawumped into the water like a kid doing a cannonball Tony s eyes widened and he sucked in a deep breath It took little more than a second for the line to come taught and jerk Tony s nude body over the edge Amy watched the bubbles rise where he d gone in She knew it was only the air trapped in his hair The real show wouldn t begin for a couple minutes when stale air devoid of life singed his lungs like a flame At some point he would exhale and his next breath would bring an icy death The boat bobbed on the waves In the darkness she didn t see Tony s last breath rise to the top but she heard it burble when it broke the surface It put her at ease as did what she didn t hear There wasn t another sound for ten minutes other than the soothing lap of water against the hull Amy started the motor and aimed the bow for the lights of Seattle She found the rental agreement in a drawer of the console next to the wheel There was an address on it fo
26. power of suggestion Would she have seen a resemblance if he d not planted the notion Do you have ID He laughed and dug a wallet out of his pocket opened it and pressed it against the window She examined the Nebraska driver s license It looked real Why are you here Can t I just say hi to my cousin Cousin You came all the way out to Washington just to say hi Yeah Well now that you ve said it have a nice trip back Amy closed the interior shutters over the window Wait he said She threw the latches and finally felt safe again T want to talk to you About what she asked Something clunked against the door She peeked out through the crack between shutters Her cousin was leaning against the entry his forehead pressed against the wood My mother died a few days ago he said You re my only living relative Since I was in Seattle on business I thought I d stop by I just wanted a chance to meet you There was need in his voice What did he expect from her She had nothing to give But she also knew loss and what it was to be alone the last of your line Her defenses withered She sighed in resignation at her own weakness and opened the door Tony stood there somber as if the cheery demeanor he d displayed earlier was a costume he d stripped away and left on the porch Come on in I ll put on some coffee She pointed the way to the sofa and he shuf
27. r Ray s Yacht Rentals and the coordinates were marked in the onboard GPS The next couple weeks as Tony Szabo would be interesting It sounded like people were hunting Tony and she might need to be careful during her trip to Nebraska She was looking forward to returning to her normal form and a more leisurely life once she settled Tony s estate Maybe she would finally travel Maybe even a cruise
28. r below him and over a mile to shore in any direction The man at the rental office had warned him about Puget Sound the water is so cold you ll die of hypothermia in twenty minutes When he opened the door to the cuddy cabin he couldn t see her at first A wave of adrenaline jangled his nerves as he wondered if she d managed to get away Then he spotted her huddled deep under the table like a trapped animal her eyes wide with fear He grabbed Amy s leg and started to haul her out A foot fired at him so fast he didn t have time to react It was a flesh colored flash followed by pain She d caught him full in the face and knocked him on his ass He heard and felt his nose crunch He tasted the blood in his mouth How had she gotten the drop on him again He rushed to the bridge and grabbed a knife This time the bitch would pay He would cut her up and feed the pieces to the fish No one got the better of Tony Szabo He had started for the back of the boat when he remembered the plan No signs of foul play It had to look like a drowning He returned to the bridge and traded the knife for a Taser When he got below deck he hit Amy with the fifty thousand volts and kept the button pressed down longer than he needed to There was something satisfying about watching her writhe and jerk She kept twitching even after he pulled it away which made him smile She had it coming and more They weren t close to being even He dragged her out by t
29. ring Anger elbowed its way through her fear Amy curled up to keep as much distance as she could from her cousin Tony crouched under the table so they were eye to eye and gazed at her T ve made some unfortunate deals with some very dangerous men You re sitting on a few million dollars I need desperately So what do you say Crawl on out of there and help a relative out Why was he telling her this Did he want sympathy Did it somehow excuse what he planned to do I m not related to you Richard Szabo wasn t my father she said Doubt clouded Tony s face She could see him weighing whether his plan was ruined or whether she was lying For a second it was there in his eyes to see Then confusion gave way to a grin It doesn t really matter You were able to inherit the house The documents that proved you were Richard Szabo s daughter will point to me as your only surviving relative He crawled forward snatched her ankle and pulled She kicked with her free leg and connected solidly with his face The crunch of cartilage registered through her heel Tony yelped He clutched his nose Blood gushed through his fingers When he saw the blood his eyes flared with anger Bitch Fine have it your way Tony rushed up the stairs and out of the cabin He returned a moment later carrying something about the size of a hair brush plastic and black He bent down and jabbed her with it A jolt of current coursed through her
30. s and nearly dropped her on the deck He barely managed the rocking motion of the waves with the added burden of her weight At the rail he paused Sorry it has to end this way cuz but hey it s not such a great loss I mean you were practically a shut in What kind of life is that Maybe you ll do better in the next one He heaved her overboard To Amy it all seemed to happen in slow motion Her chest clenched her heart pumped so hard she thought it might burst She flailed through the air as if with enough effort she might fly and somehow save herself And Tony grinned The water hit Amy like an icy slap across the face Time sped up again Instinct took over Her lethargy from the Taser vanished She clawed at the water For a moment she felt buoyant If only she could summon more strength maybe her flailing would raise her in the water till she could race across its surface like a basilisk lizard Then it all went wrong She began to sink She tried harder but had no more to give the pedal was already to the metal and it wasn t good enough She was going down She remembered Carey Hines and the look on her face when she drowned Amy knew that expression was on her face now desperation and soon resignation Tony felt a thump under his feet and knew his cousin was awake He pulled the throttle back and let the boat drift to a stop before setting the anchor Here was as good as anywhere no other boats around sixty feet of wate
31. stood with her head high shoulders back and pasted a smile on her face As she turned the knob to leave she whispered Roy Scheider s catch phrase from All that Jazz It s show time Tony waited a respectful distance from the door his face wracked with concern It s okay she said I ll be fine It s not your fault She tried a smile It was a weak effort and she let it drop I hope you don t mind me asking he said but if you re so afraid of the water why do you live on an island Wasn t my choice I was born here Yes but haven t you thought of moving someplace else She nodded Almost every day Tony shrugged Then why don t you She walked back to the sofa She sat and took a sip of her coffee It was barely warm I d have to cross the water to get off the island And every time I think about that I start to dwell on whether the ferry would sink or the plane would crash The sea is out there waiting for me ready to swallow me up I cheated it once and it s been waiting for me ever since If I tried to cross it would find a way to get me I know it would So you think of the sea as a living thing A monster that has it out for you Yeah crazy huh I know it s not rational but it is what it is Always been afraid of water No Amy stared at the shutters but didn t see them Her gaze extended back in time to when she was a g
32. t as far as Amy s house it had to be pristine DNA was a killer Though he couldn t forget about his fingerprints either Maid s work really He hated it But at least there was a hefty payday at the end He would be the highest paid maid in history Sweat ran down his back and soaked his shirt while he scrubbed Amy snored away where she had fallen She hadn t budged in the two hours it took him to clean the place up The guy who sold him the chloroform told him to be careful The gap between unconscious and dead was small But Amy seemed to be doing just fine Tony walked through the house to double check his work The bathroom was spotless and he d re hung the door The cups and saucers had been washed and returned to the cupboard along with the coffee press Amy s car keys rested in their bowl again All was as it had been His cousin s place had probably never been cleaner He hoisted her body over his shoulder and started the arduous trek down to the beach By the time he reached the boat his back ached and head throbbed The girl felt like a ton of nails tearing at his muscles He dumped her in the cuddy cabin below the bridge and locked the door He sighed and rubbed his shoulder where he had collided with the door His head was still tender but at least the bleeding had stopped He fired up the engine cast off the lines and swung the bow toward open water Amy awoke slowly groggy and sick her temples pounding Saliva matted her
33. t as if he was talking to himself He smiled weakly You look just like her Amy felt uncomfortable and shifted topic What brings you to the Seattle area Business he said and left it at that He seemed intentionally evasive and it made Amy curious Yeah you said that before What kind of business Let s just say I m a broker What do you sell A little of this a little of that Sometimes I sell Sometimes I buy and sometimes I just bring interested parties together so deals can happen So you re in real estate He smiled Sometimes What is it you do How do you get by Do you work on the island T m a freelance tech writer I work from here A computer and internet access are all I need I get assignments either off the web or from an agency I have a short list of regular clients that know I don t travel Nice you seem to have everything worked out Tony cast his eyes down at the floor and his cheeks flushed with color as if he were embarrassed by something I have a proposal Pd like you to consider What if we were to swap homes You would live in Nebraska I would live here I don t know that you could find a more landlocked place than the Great Plains Considering your circumstances it would be perfect for you no water no memories And you could finally open your windows Amy was tiring of company Their little family reunion now felt contriv
34. up again I sat there staring at the water realizing I hadn t moved a step hadn t screamed hadn t tried to get help Waves lapped up onto the dock I remembered my dad s story about how one day the ocean would come for me and I knew I was next I ran off the dock and hid in my room Tt was dark when Carey s folks came looking for her I still remember the expression on her parent s face when I told them Their eyes were filled with horror I saw it on my dad s face too only worse It wasn t just horror it was revulsion He looked at me like he didn t even recognize who I was and wanted nothing more to do with me They sent down a diver that night but the tide had taken her They drug hooks from a boat and found Carey s body a couple days later I still have nightmares about it that the sea reaches out and snatches me off the beach It drags me under to Carey who s waiting on the bottom Then Carey sticks one of those hooks into me so I can t leave her Tony shook his head Wow tragic but it explains so much When your father came out for dad s funeral I thought I d finally get to meet you He made some excuse about you being sick Now I think I understand Amy forced a smile Yeah Sorry about that Nothing to be sorry about We didn t make it out for your dad s funeral either so I guess we re even We wanted to but it was a crazy time Mom was having health issues and we were strapped for cash
35. up the charm and announced who he was She grew more wary and closed the shutters As a last ditch effort he tried playing on her sympathy a story about his dead mother with only a few details altered It worked He was in Amy s cousin scanned the premises His eyes seemed to rest on everything he passed at least for a moment Uncle Richard died a couple of years ago didn t he Tony asked More like five She scooped coffee into the press and waited for the water to boil T liked him He was a good man Yes he was So you ve lived here alone all that time It s not so bad I m good company She rolled her eyes when she recognized the irony Well at least good enough for me I never complain Tony s smile returned She poured steaming water over the ground coffee While she pressed down the plunger she watched Tony surveying the house Cream and sugar No black is fine It s odd that I didn t hear you drive up And it was No matter how quiet the engine she always heard the crunch of tires over gravel when cars came up the driveway It was the sound that announced the mail six days a week I didn t drive I rented a boat in Seattle A boat No one has done that in years How did you know where to go T stopped in town and got directions A boat seemed such a bold choice Dramatic yes but what if she didn t have a dock It also meant he
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