Ghost River, Jon Coon [ebooks online reader TXT] 📗

interstate bridge, Florida State Police Sergeant Wes Rogers put down his binoculars and picked up his chiming cell phone. “Yeah, he’s out of the water. Hard to dive without air,” he lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, exhaled, and then laughed. “They really should have checked that compressor.”

0945

Zack Greenly sat across from Detective Bob Spencer and Lieutenant Liz Johnson. Wonder when’s the last time anyone took out the trash? Zack looked beyond the cops at the tight interrogation room. Full trash cans, cement floor, and gray metal folding chairs around a cigarette-burned steel table with uncomfortably bright florescent lighting made the room feel like a prison cell or an interrogation room from another decade.

“Aren’t we done? I’ve answered your questions at least three times,” Zack said, coming back to the detective. “I’ve told you everything I know.”

“Try to see this from our perspective,” Bob said while drumming his fingers on the table impatiently. “You say you drove out to the bridge in the middle of the night to see the stars. Beautiful girl, you want to be alone. I get that. You were just talking, but then, for no reason, she got out of the car and jumped off the bridge? You didn’t try to stop her. Everything was perfectly cool one minute, and the next minute, with no possible explanation, she’s gone. Sorry, I want to believe you, but so far, son, that owl don’t hoot.”

Zack exhaled deeply and leaned forward, making solid eye contact. “As I told you, we were listening to the radio and talking. Nothing was wrong. She got out of the car and walked down to the bridge. We liked to look at the sky from the bridge. It was a beautiful night, tons of stars. I thought that’s where she was going. No big deal.

“I should have gone with her right away, but one of my favorite songs was on the radio. I stayed to hear the end of it. As soon as it was over, I went to join her. When I got about halfway to the bridge, I thought I saw her, or something, fall from the walkway into the water.

“But it was dark, really dark, and I’m not sure what I saw. I ran to where she’d been and looked everywhere. Then, when I couldn’t find her, I called you. That’s all I know. There’s not much traffic that late; that’s why we go. But there might have been a car. I don’t remember.”

Thirty-five-year-old Lieutenant Liz Johnson looked up from her notes and picked up the questioning, “Zack, how long have you two been going out?”

“Two years.”

“Two years?” she sounded skeptical. “Two years of holding hands and looking at the stars? And you were all right with that? I doubt your school friends would believe it. A good-looking guy like you? You probably could have any girl at that school, isn’t that true?”

He shifted in his chair, looking away. “We have boundaries. That’s all. I love her, and we have boundaries.”

“But you wanted more.” Not a question.

“Of course I wanted more. I’m a guy. But that wasn’t our deal. We agreed to wait.” He was surprised when she leaned toward him a little to break the distance between them. Her voice was softer, intimately encouraging his agreement.

“Is that what you were talking about? Did you want to change the rules? Look at me; tell me I’m wrong.”

Zack thought of the many nights he and Mickey had gone to the river’s edge and how badly he’d wanted to change those rules. But she was firm. They would wait. It would be worth it. He looked down at his hands, at the white line around his ring finger, where his class ring had been. The ring he’d given Mickey that night. You’re wasting your time. I’m not telling you anything.

“The fuel tank air vent was closed,” Jim said as he helped Gabe out of his gear. “But that’s impossible. It’s on the list. I opened the valve before I checked it off. I swear it was open when you started the dive.”

“Everything all right here?” Portly and gray-headed, state police Captain Brady was doing the asking. He was on scene along with several other of the state police commanders. Bringing home the body of a fallen brother was a high-priority mission.

“Yes, sir,” Gabe answered. “Compressor went down. But I had my bailout tank. No problem.”

“The current pinned him, Captain. I could barely bring him up. We could have lost him too,” Jim said, frowning at Gabe.

Gabe gave him a dirty look, and Jim went back to coiling the umbilical.

“We need to shut this down, Gabe. Jim’s right. The current’s too strong; it’s too dangerous. We’ve lost other men here before Charlie. Shut it down. Do it now.”

“Wait, Captain, it’s not that bad. With more weight to handle the current, we can do it. We need to bring Charlie home.”

Jim looked up and said, “He found explosives, Captain. Live explosives.”

“Explosives? You sure?” Brady glared at Gabe.

“Yes, sir, shaped charges. But with electric blasting caps. They can’t be fired without an electric current.” Thanks a lot, partner. Gabe gave Jim an I’m-going-to-kill-you-trooper stare. Whose side are you on, Jim? We have to find Charlie.

Brady’s jaw tightened. “Trooper, I just gave you an order. Shut this down now. No one dives here, and no one else dies here. Pack it up. I’ll tell the commander.”

“Yes, sir,” Gabe replied and rubbed the stubble on his chin. More deaths? What’s going on?

After getting out of the dive gear and into fleece-lined coveralls, Gabe grabbed a mug of hot coffee and sat in his truck with the heater going full blast. He checked his phone and winced when he saw a call waiting from Charlie’s wife Carol. Gabe hit call back and waited. Carol answered, “Gabe, is it you? Have you found him?”

“Not yet. I just came up. Captain shut us down. Not sure what’s going to happen next. How are you doing?”

“Not so