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  How long she was underwater was anyone’s guess.

  Whether God intervened in some supernatural way would always be a mystery but when she came to, she was on a hard floor, coughing up water and looking up at a member of the Coast Guard. “There she is. Welcome back, detective.”

  “Where is he?”

  “Who?”

  Skylar continued to cough as they wrapped her in an insulated blanket and took her back to the safety of shore.

  17

  It was noon, two days after Skylar had fought for her life in the cool waters of St. Joseph Bay. The storm had torn the Forgotten Coast asunder. In the aftermath, locals returned to their homes to assess the damage, foolish boat owners looked upon their shipwrecked vessels, insurance companies forked out thousands and businesses reopened their doors. Blue skies squeezed out what remained of dark clouds, and squawking birds wheeled overhead swooping in to collect scraps from overturned waterfront garbage cans. The temperature and humidity soared as did the number of news reports detailing the murderous spree of one David Calhoun.

  His dead body had been fished out of the bay, and there was no one else who could truly give a solid reason for the killings. It was left to guesswork as it was for many murders without the accused. After further investigation it was theorized that Jason Matthews was murdered because he’d played a hand in seeing David discharged from the Marines due to mental instability. After Lamar had a falling out with Mike Randall, he was no longer able to provide David with the drugs that had once kept him on an even keel. It was surmised that David blamed him and because of that felt so hopeless that he took his life. Finally, Carly Michaels was just in the unfortunate position of denying David entry into one of the Veterans Village programs through the Stand Down event, which in turn led to him being homeless. When looked upon with a logical mind, it seemed strange that anyone would lash out and kill another for those reasons but under the duress of mental illness and PTSD, it wasn’t unheard of among veterans.

  Austin Harrison made a full recovery and was thankful to Skylar. Having been taken to the same hospital as him, she’d had a chance to talk with him at great lengths about his work, and some of her own troubles. He’d offered to have her come out some time and take in a session, if only just to observe. Skylar told him she’d think about it.

  The day she left the hospital she visited with both Donnie and Ben. Due to their injuries they were being kept in a bit longer but the doctors were confident they would be released before the week was out.

  “I’m glad to see you’re doing well,” Skylar said gripping Donnie’s hand. She sat beside his bed wearing fresh clothes that Harvey had dropped off that morning.

  “If it wasn’t for you, Skylar, I would probably be holding Mrs. Wu’s hand by now.”

  “I’m not sure if that is a compliment or not,” she replied with a smile.

  He laughed. “I see Ben is up and about. He’s been in a few times.”

  “That he is. You can’t keep a good man down or is it…” she trailed off as she looked out the window.

  “Something bothering you?”

  “Nah. I just miss the way things were with him. It seems as if things have gone by the wayside and…”

  “You feel lost?”

  She nodded. “I guess.”

  Donnie looked towards the ceiling. “There’s an old Chinese proverb that says, a wise man adapts himself to circumstances, as water shapes itself to the vessel that contains it.” Both of them nodded without giving any response to that. It often didn’t require one. Donnie’s view on life was simple, positive and always wise. “You know you’ve always got me.”

  “That I have,” she said squeezing his hand.

  “Skylar,” a familiar voice came from behind her.

  “Speak of the devil,” Donnie said.

  “The devil? Uh-oh, what’s she been telling you?” Ben said inching into the room. He was still dressed in hospital garb but his color was back and he was looking more like himself every day.

  “Only good things. Only good things,” Donnie replied pulling back his covers and wandering toward the bathroom while giving them both a view of his fleshy backside. He paused at the door. “It’s open, isn’t it?”

  “Like the Grand Canyon,” Skylar said. She and Ben laughed as Donnie closed the door behind him. Skylar rose from her seat and followed Ben out into the corridor.

  “I was speaking with Austin Harrison this morning. He told me what you did for him. Never short of working wonders, are you, Skylar?”

  She clasped her hands behind her back and strolled with him. “I aim to please.”

  “He said you might go out to one of his meetings. I think that might be good.”

  “I said I would think about it. It’s not exactly my thing.”

  “And what would your thing be?” Ben asked casting her a sideways glance.

  “Ah you know — annoying therapists, long walks along the beach and dinner this Thursday.”

  He stopped walking and she looked back at him.

  “You do remember our last discussion?”

  “I do but I thought maybe we could pick up where we left off. You know…a clean slate.”

  He pulled a face as if struck by sudden pain. “I’m not sure if that’s a good idea.”

  Her chin dropped and she pursed her lips and breathed in deeply. “No, I understand. Hey, it was worth a shot, right?” He stared back at her as she turned to walk away. “Get well soon, Ben,” she said.

  “Will do. See you next Thursday.”

  She stopped and turned.

  “For what?”

  “For a session. Unless you’ve changed your mind. I mean, I can’t do this Thursday. That’s why I said it wasn’t a good idea. You know,” he said gesturing to his hospital gown. A smile formed on Skylar’s face, as a band of warm sunlight flooded the hallway. A smidgen of hope ignited as she winked and pointed at him. “I’ll be there.”

  She left the hospital that day feeling renewed and whole if only for a short while. As she drove back to Carrabelle and observed the comings and goings of locals helping one another, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of gratitude. She recalled the comment Sara Goodman had made about becoming stronger after a storm. Skylar could see the fortitude in the people. Many might have packed up and moved away but these were a different breed of people, cut from the same cloth and raised on the shoulders of the strong. Courageous at heart, she felt proud to serve them.

  With one day off until she began her shift again, Skylar decided to swing by Harry’s Bar and have a bite to eat and a quick drink. She parked Harvey’s truck outside and entered to find the establishment still in the busyness of the lunch hour. A country tune played over the speakers, couples sat in booths chatting and a few fishermen sat on stools at the bar watching a baseball game on a flat-screen above.

  Skylar took her usual spot near the end of the bar.

  “Skylar. Good to see, the usual?”

  She gave a nod and grabbed a handful of nuts and tossed one into her mouth. She glanced down at her phone and browsed some of the news articles on the case. Not everyone was pleased by the outcome of the investigation. Some local news channels were saying the sheriff’s department had dropped the ball while others applauded their quick actions. The fact was they weren’t mind readers. Some investigations were easier than others. It was a combination of luck, good investigative work and a lot of gut instinct. The outcome could never be predicted. As she sat there reading, someone sat on the stool beside her. “Noon and you’re drinking already?” Harvey said.

  “Shouldn’t you be at work?”

  “I took a half day. Figured you’d be here.” He glanced at her cell phone as he raised a finger to get the bartender’s attention. “You tormenting yourself with soundbites?”

  “I guess.”

  “No point. It is what it is. What people fail to realize is that the guy is no longer on the streets. He won’t hurt another person. Of course people don’t look at i
t that way. Nope, they have to see the glass half empty. It doesn’t matter what good you do, there will always be the ones that bitch and moan.”

  The bartender came over and took his order and he reached for a handful of nuts. “Me? I think you did one hell of a job.”

  “You mean, we,” she said correcting him. “And I’m not sure about the outcome.”

  He frowned and looked down as he was given his beer. He took a swig of it. “Some things are out of our control, Skylar. Just like the storm that swept through here. You’ll notice that no one out there is griping about the storm, they are talking about the future. That’s because locals know you can’t always have sunshine without a few dark clouds. And sometimes they roll in, wreak havoc and leave one hell of an aftermath. But it’s what we do after.”

  “You are starting to sound like Donnie.”

  He chuckled then his smile left.

  “You okay?” Skylar asked.

  “Yeah. I just keep seeing that kid’s face, wondering what I could have done sooner.”

  “Join the club.”

  He snorted. “Yeah, I guess we both got lucky.”

  Harvey had hit it on the nose. Both of them could have lost their lives out there doing their duty. And yet in some ways it still didn’t seem right. Jake should have got the help he needed. David should have been rotting in a jail cell. For all their efforts, sometimes things in life were just out of their control.

  “Payton. How’s she doing?”

  “Surprisingly well,” Harvey said. “Very apologetic and grateful. I don’t think she’ll ever forget what happened. Nor will I.”

  “Ditto.” She took a sip of her beer. “At least you won’t be kicking any male strangers out of your home early in the morning.”

  “I’ll drink to that.”

  They clinked glasses, and spent the next few hours not as partners but as friends.

  THANK YOU FOR READING

  DEAD STORM BOOK 5

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  A Plea

  Thank you for reading Dead Storm: A Coastal Suspense Series Book 5. If you enjoyed the book, I would really appreciate it if you would consider leaving a review. I can’t stress how helpful this is in helping other readers decide if they should give it a shot. Reviews from readers like you are the best recommendation a book can have. Without reviews, an author’s books are virtually invisible on the retail sites. It also lets me know what you liked. You can leave a review by visiting the book’s page. I would greatly appreciate it. It only takes a couple of seconds.

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  About the Author

  Emma Rose Watts is the not so cozy pen name of the bestselling cozy mystery author Emma Watts. Under the name Emma Rose Watts, she writes gritty suspense and mysteries based in Florida. She is from Maine. She is married, and has kids and a dog.

  www.emmarosewatts.com

  [email protected]

  Also by Emma Rose Watts

  Dead Calm: A Coastal Suspense Series Book 1

  Death Match: A Coastal Suspense Series Book 2

  Death Blow: A Coastal Suspense Series Book 3

  Death Drop: A Coastal Suspense Series Book 4

  Dead Storm: A Coastal Suspense Series Book 5