I See You

CHAPTER 12 - Dates and Divulgence

It had been two days since Emma ran into Mike Landers at the farmers market, and she hadn't said a word about it to Wyatt. How could she? He had no idea that Lisa had left his former best friend, and she wasn't sure how he would feel to know their son was named after him. How did you tell someone something like that? In hopes of putting together a clearer timeline, Emma had woken up early again and gone into the library. Wyatt had made her promise to be home by one, so she focused on all the public records she could dig up on Lisa, Mike, and Taylor.

Leaving with plenty of time to spare, she made her way to the appointment she set up at the Shelter Cove marina where Wyatt had docked his boat. Emma had never been good at impromptu lying, but eight years with Todd had made her a decent actress, so she coached herself on the drive over.

"Your boat is still in Seattle. You want to bring it over but need to check out the amenities, services, see inside a boathouse if possible, and most importantly learn all about the security," she repeated over and over until parking in the lot.

"You must be Emma," a stout, redhead greeted with a huge smile. "I'm Roberta. We talked on the phone."

"Yes, hello. Thank you for taking the time to meet with me," she said, closing the office door behind her.

"Might as well leave that open. It's better to show than tell, right?"

Roberta talked non-stop as she showed Emma the guest moorage dock, the pump-out station, the private restroom facilities, and the inside of one of the empty boathouses. This is what interested her the most. Wyatt had told her his was a mess with shelves along the wall and stacked boxes of fishing supplies, old coolers, tarps, and recreational gear, but she thought it would still be hard to hide. The dock space was no more than a three-foot walkway on one side and barely a foot on the other. Someone would have to know exactly where to hide. There's no way a passerby just happened to be tucked away.

"What about security? If I come back in after sunset, are there safety measures in place?" Emma asked.

"Each boathouse is locked from the dock, and the marine door is electronically controlled. There's a camera on the entry moorage for guests that runs twenty-four-seven and can be accessed whenever you like on our website. It doesn't cover all the slips, but it does show anyone coming and going. You have to walk past it to reach either side of the marina."

"The dock on that end looks pretty close to the trees," Emma pointed, knowing Wyatt's had been the last one.

"That side can be accessible when the tides are low, but don't you worry. We have a slip opening up right here in front."

"Thank you so much. I have two other places to check out, but I promise to be in touch the moment I've made my decision."

"Well, don't take too long. Our spots fill up fast, and Ms. Porter, you didn't hear it from me, but the yacht club is in need of serious repairs," Roberta said privily.

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind. Thank you so much for your time. I really must be going."

Back in the RAV, Emma pulled up her map that was full of pins referencing people and events she was looking into. She wanted to know where those woods connected in town, and her skin crawled when the map showed they backed right up to the parking lot of Taylor's office.

"One heck of a coincidence," Emma said quietly.

She added a pin to the boathouse and looked up the tide charts on NOAA. Low tide was 11:57 the day Wyatt was killed, which meant the waters would still be low enough for someone to wade through a little after noon. Now, Emma had one more call to make.

"Taylor Scott's office. How may I help you?" his receptionist greeted.

"Hi, my name is Emma Porter. I've come into a rather large settlement and was hoping to make an appointment sometime next week to speak with Mr. Scott about investment options."