Fatal Vows

Chapter 4

    "So, you're saying that she said your name, recognizing you, before dying?"
   

 I give the girthy police officer a disdainful look.  "Um, not exactly, Mr. Carson.  She just said 'you' and that was it.  I had never met her before, I didn't even know she was a relative of Grace's.  There's no way she could've known who I was."
His mustache twitches once.  "And the dagger," he continues with a sigh, "you'd never seen that, either?"
   

 "No, sir," I respond.  I shift in my seat, impatient by the officer's stupidity.  "Have you confirmed it was a murder?" I ask cautiously.
    

He rubs his flabby chin, "No, why?"

    I shrug, "Just seems kind of obvious, that's all."

    He raises a hairy eyebrow and shuffles his papers, "Well, I think we're done here-"

    "Wait, what?" I cry in disbelief.  "I've hardly told you anything!"  I feel my face turning red.

    "You've told me enough, miss," he says, taking a lazy bite out of his donut.  "Good day, ma'am," he says with a mock tip of his hat.  "Next."

    I release an annoyed sigh and stomp out of the small office to meet Ryder and Daylon outside with other people waiting to be interviewed.

    "That was fast," Daylon notices, "did you tell him everything?"

    "No!" I nearly shout.  "He only wrote down, like, two notes, too."  I can hardly contain my anger as the ball of frustration in my stomach grows.  "American police are idiots," I mutter.  Daylon chuckles, only increasing my irritation.

    "Hey," Ryder says, "what if we went to the beach for the rest of the day, get our minds off this, whatever it is."

    The image of the ocean settles my hot head for a few moments, but my troubles still linger. 

    "What if we looked around ourselves?" I ask challenging my friend.

    "What?  We're just teenagers!  They'd never let us!" Ryder protests.

    "Who?" I shoot back, quizzically.

    Ryder struggles for words, earning a smug look from Daylon.  "Still, it's too risky," he finally says, "think about your mom, Elena.  She'd be pissed!  The ballroom's probably covered in police tape anyway."

    I sigh in defeat, "Maybe you're right, just an idea."  I shrug the rejection off.

    Daylon speaks up, "I like the idea of the beach, this is a vacation, after all.  Maybe we'll get another chance."  I'm not sure what he meant by that, but palm trees and white sand do sound appealing.

    I sigh again. "Sure, why not."

    We board the elevator again and head to our rooms, and I find my coral swimsuit bundled carelessly at the bottom.  As I slip it on and find my flip flops, the thought of finding clues follows me out the door, permanent in my mind.  I force the idea away and meet up with Daylon and Ryder, cracking a false smile, a mask for the thoughts whirring in my head. 

    Of course, the antsy brats of Grace's family have to infest the beach, like maggots, but significantly noisier.  I flare my nose in disgust. Their mothers anxiously mutter among themselves, shrouded in bright towels under colorful umbrellas. They glance around apprehensively, probably courtesy of the murder from last night. An unexpected chill snakes up my spine at the thought.

    "Well, now or never," Ryder mutters.  He shrugs and heads down the wooden stairs from the hotel patio to the beach.  I share a tired look with Daylon before following.  He looks around anxiously, like the beach visitors, before stepping down.

    "What's wrong?" I ask when we reach the bottom.

    "Oh, nothing," he says briskly.  I'm not all too sure, but I follow him silently.

    We manage to find an open space to drop our stuff near the small cliff overlooking the ocean.  I set up a soft yellow towel on the sand and take a seat, basking in the sun.

    "You guys go on ahead," I say to Daylon and Ryder, "I might hop in later."

    Daylon shrugs, "Suit yourself."  He tugs off his shirt along with Ryder and they scamper off into the crowd, swerving around kids and scattered lounge chairs.  I smile, happy for their friendship, and reunion.  Laying down on the towel, I pray for a decent tan, never able to escape my perpetually pale skin.  I can't ignore the thin white lines that stretch across Daylon's back, making a mental note to ask him about it later.

    I lay in the sun only to be drenched in water five minutes later.  I yell after Daylon and Ryder, holding a large bucket they found.  We laugh as I push them into the cool water, splashing white around us.  Ryder accidentally lands practically on top of Daylon while cliff jumping.  I bend over from laughing as they emerge, Daylon holding Ryder like a baby.

    "You're an absolute idiot," Daylon says before dropping Ryder in the water.

    He pops up a few feet away, "Not cool," he shouts, and Daylon and I just laugh.  I see the two boys share a look, and Ryder smiles.

    Out of nowhere, I see something floating in the water on the shore down the coastline.  A streak of red leaks from it as waves crash against the sand, soaking into the water.  My heart sputters, thinking the worst.

    "Oh, God," I breathe.  Daylon turns around to face me.

    "What's the matter," he asks.  I point a shaky hand in the direction of the thing.

    From a distance, I see Ryder's face turn white.  I see him stagger before he nearly collapses in the water.

    "Ryder!" I scream, realizing he probably stumbled at a dropoff.  Daylon turns, the blood draining from his dripping face.  He quickly dives into the water for his friend.  My stomach feels queasy like I might faint, too.

    I slowly stagger toward the object on the shore.  As I get closer, the curve of a woman's body comes into view.  I gulp and carefully step closer.

    "It's okay, I got you, I got you," I hear the soft words of Daylon across the water as he drags Ryder ashore.  He lays him gently on the sand.  Ryder coughs up some water and gulps for air in racking mouthfuls.  Daylon brushes away stray dark hairs from Ryder's forehead.

    I turn to see the woman gasping for breath as the water laps up to her side.  Reluctantly, I reach her shivering body.

    "Hey, do you need..."

    I see a silver dagger plunged into her heart, making me recoil back.  Her brown hair streaks across her fearful round face.  She slowly looks up at me with her last bit of strength, a small flame igniting in her black eyes.

    "You," she whispers before the flame extinguishes and she rests her head on the sand.
    

Dead.