Deceived - Laura S. Wharton Page 0,21

school, they dated off and on, a relationship pattern that continued when she was in Meredith College and he tried to stay enrolled at North Carolina State University. The beach was calling him back, so he quit school and rented a small house with a bunch of other drop-outs. His housemates eventually had the sense to go back, but Sam chose a different path. He went through the police academy. Once he graduated, his first station was in Wilmington.

In a quirky twist, he and Angel met again during Wilmington’s popular azalea festival, an annual event on the riverfront where hoards of people come to celebrate spring and every street vendor in the region is hoping to sell bird-on-a-stick quality wares. Sam was waiting in line for beer for his date and two buddies when he heard a loud noise and saw a powerboat crash into an already crowded wharf. When he ran to help, he saw Angel on board, with her hand to her bloody head. She had fallen forward and gashed her forehead on the windshield as the bozo driver, who was drunk, tried to dock the boat. Sam rushed her to the hospital where she collected stitches and Sam’s stern lecture about accepting rides from drunks…and an invitation to dinner.

From then on, they dated steadily, and finally after nearly a decade apart, they married. Frank was born shortly after they moved to Carolina Beach, where Sam took up his new post.

A carbon-copy of Sam, young Frank loved living at the beach. He grew up in the water, sailing, surfing, and swimming, so it was little surprise that when he was old enough to choose a career, he headed straight for the Coast Guard’s recruiting office. What was a surprise was that he gladly accepted a post as far away as he could from home. At first, this move stung Sam. But given their strained relationship prior to Frank’s enlistment, Sam eventually let it go. Over the years, with monthly phone calls and an occasional visit to Alaska, Sam and Frank mended their relationship. Sam was proud of his boy.

Angel loved being on the beach, too, and she was content to stay at home when she could. After a few years, she became a bookkeeper for one of the local hotels, and remained there until she left Sam.

Sam wondered whether she was happy in California. Sam didn’t feel comfortable asking Frank about her when he called. Frank was Switzerland when it came to his parents, and Sam looked forward to seeing him in Norfolk in the fall when Frank arrived at his new duty station.

That is, if Sam could make it through the summer.

Sam’s head was still pounding as he made his way down the dock toward his boat. Thankfully, the loud-mouthed powerbroker on the Hatteras was quiet. Sam kicked off his shoes, stripped, and flopped onto the aft bunk. Things were getting serious. It was too much of a coincidence—Lee’s death, his own boat being tossed, and now an attempt to run him off the road. Unable to sleep, Sam grabbed his pants and rooted in the pocket for the notes Lee had made.

He wanted to talk to Deloris again, but if doing so put her at risk, then he’d have to figure it out on his own. What were the numbers? Why Lee? What did he know? And why didn’t he tell Sam? Sam’s head was swimming, still hurting from the crash, but hurting more from the troubling thoughts. Finally, he succumbed to deep sleep.

Chapter eleven

Thud!

Sam woke to the noise of a heavy line being thrown down on the hatch over his head. He flew up the companionway stairs in time to see a large female mallard lifting a spare braided spring line in her beak as she tried to make off with it, only to be pulled back forcefully to the boat.

“Shoo!” Sam yelled and swatted at the bird in the pre-dawn light.

Aside from her response of a hiss and quack, all was quiet in the still marina.

“Get!” He came up on deck, expecting the duck to fly off at his presence, but she persisted, tugging the tethered line upward in an attempt to take it.

On the third attempt, the force of the duck’s pull worked against her and snapped her down fast onto the deck. The duck sat up, pecked ferociously at the line, and started hissing at it.

Sam laughed at her antics. “You are a persistent little thing, even if your mission is doomed!”