Submerged

“I didn’t think of it before because they weren’t turned on at the gas station. The truck was idling, but the lights were off. Even the headlights.” She caught his gaze. “That’s weird, isn’t it? Usually if you stop and idle the engine, you don’t turn off the headlights.”

Marcus nodded. “I think that’s your truck.”

“It was blue!” she blurted. “That shiny metallic blue. Navy blue.”

“You sure?”

“Positive. The lights around the gas pumps lit it up.”

“Anything else?”

She smiled. “When I drove away, I passed the truck. I wasn’t really paying attention, but I did look in my rearview mirror.”

“What did you see?”

“Balls.” She blushed. “You know, those metal bull balls some guys hang on the hitch of their trucks.”

Marcus chuckled. “Ah, those cool cowboy wannabes.”

“Rednecks.”

They both laughed.

“So,” he said, “you saw a navy blue metallic truck with hunting lights on top and bull balls on the hitch.”

When he put it like that, she had to grin. But her smile faded fast. “Why would someone do this?”

“We’re not sure. My friend Detective Zur is working on it. They’re looking at the security footage from the gas station.”

“But you all think Wesley had something to do with this.”

“Do you have any enemies?”

“No. Not that I know of.”

“Has Wesley pissed anyone off lately?”

“Probably.”

“That’s why the police are considering him a suspect.” Marcus leaned forward and picked up her hand. “We have a guard on your door, Rebecca. The kids too. Whoever did this might come back.”

“Because I’m still alive,” she said in a small voice.

“Yes.”

“Are you going back to work?”

He released her hand. “I’ve taken a… leave of absence.”

She sat up on her elbows. “It wasn’t a voluntary leave, was it?”

Marcus’s gaze shifted to the wall, then the window. “I’m on suspension. Until an investigation is completed. It’s the price you pay when you break the rules.”

“I’m sorry.”

His eyes snapped back to hers. “Hey, don’t be. I’m not. I could use a little break.”

“I guess being a 911 operator isn’t easy.”

“Some days.”

“And this was one of them,” she said dryly.

He shrugged. “It was a challenging day.” Then he grinned. “But I’d be kind of a lame superhero if I didn’t face challenges.”

“Well, I’m your number-one fan.”

“Speaking of numbers,” he said. “Remember when I told you about Jane’s habit of adding dates?”

“Yeah.”

“And you said the thirteenth was an unlucky day to plan your trip?”

Where’s this leading? “Uh-huh.”

“According to Jane you have to add up all the numbers and boil them down to a single digit. So June is six. Plus thirteen. That’s nineteen. Then you add the one and nine, which equals ten. Then you add the one and zero, which equals—”

“Sounds pretty convoluted,” she said with a laugh.

“I’m not done. One and zero equals one. Then add the numbers in the year 2013, which equals six. Then add that to the one, and voila!”

She grinned. “Seven. A lucky day. Really?”

He shrugged. “You’re still here.”

“You’re right. That’s pretty lucky, all things considered.”

She yawned and he clambered to his feet. “I’ll let you rest.”

“For a bit,” she agreed. “Then I want to see my kids.”

Marcus walked to the door. “Sweet dreams.”

“Wait!”

He turned back.

“Today’s June fifteenth, 2013,” she said. “What does that add up to?”

“Nine,” he said after a moment.

“What’s a nine mean?”

He smiled at her. “I’m fairly confident it means ‘out with old and in with the new.’ Means you’ve completed a cycle, and tomorrow you can start anew.”

As the door closed behind him, she contemplated his words. Could she really start fresh? Was tomorrow the beginning of a new life? And would Marcus Taylor be part of that life?

To all three questions, she thought, I sure hope so.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Hinton, AB – Saturday, June 15, 2013 – 7:12 AM

While Colton and Ella visited with their mother, Marcus sat in the kids’ room and probed Zur for information. “She remember anything else?”

“Nothing. And we’ve checked the husband out thoroughly. His alibi checks out. Witnesses state he was in the bar in Fort McMurray when all this went down.”

“Maybe he hired someone and paid cash.”

“We found no large withdrawals that couldn’t be accounted for.”

“The guy’s a gambler, John. Maybe he won some money and used that to finance the trucker.”

“We’re looking into every possibility.”

“You check her past?”

“Rebecca Kingston’s?”

Marcus nodded.

“She’s clean. No priors, no arrests. Not even a speeding ticket.”

“No weird religious affiliations?”

“You mean like a cult?”

“Wouldn’t be the first time a cult went after a mother.”

“No, she’s Presbyterian.”

“Really? Your investigation went that deep that it looked at her religion?”

Zur grinned. “It was on her hospital chart, Marcus.”

“Oh.”

There was silence in the room.

Marcus scratched his head. Who the hell wants Rebecca dead? Who benefits?

“You still think it’s the ex?” Zur said.

“It’s almost always the ex.” When Zur squinted at him, Marcus added, “I watch a lot of Law & Order.”