✔Secrets of Saltwater Bay

🐶Chapter 1

Casper Coffey was obsessed with crime documentaries and cheesecake.

I could still picture his chubby cheeks and satisfied smirk when he figured out who the murderer was within minutes. Despite how clever he was, I doubt he ever foreseen who the killer would be in our latest case.

Chilled air bristled the trees and summer foliage. Lovely tangerine colors bled across the skyline as the sun cowered down behind the bay like a wounded soldier. In the distance, I heard the waves crash onto the shore, like music to my ears.

Grainy bits of sand tickled my toes as I hurried down the path of Saltwater Bay. I crossed over the small bridge that connected to the lighthouse, hearing the old wood creak beneath my weight.

I always dreaded the spiraling stairs I had to climb just to reach the peak of the lighthouse watch room. Each resonating clang from my footsteps made it seem like I was a prisoner with shackles around my ankles.

When I finally reached the top, I spotted Casper sitting criss-cross applesauce on the ground eating a Snack Pack pudding. He seemed to be a world away as he gazed beyond the safety railing. His mop of curly, dark hair buffeted in the breeze, accentuating his rosy cheeks and sunburned nose.

"Silas, you made it. I thought a killer might have snatched you up," he taunted.

I sighed. "Why is murder always your first guess to everything?"

Casper shrugged. "Can you believe they actually uncovered somebody's bones down at Saltwater Bay?"

I wasn't surprised he steered the conversation toward the remains the police recently uncovered. Casper was always up to date on the hottest topics in our town, especially the crimes.

Two women had been walking their dogs together when they stumbled upon a skull (which was confirmed to be human) and a thigh bone. There were no signs of foul play yet. The police assumed the remains surfaced from an old shipwreck years ago, when we were still in Pull-Ups and playpens.

"It's crazy. Human bones don't just surface to the sand out of the blue," I pointed out, making my way over to him.

"Who do you think it was? Do you think we knew them or their family?" he asked. "It takes quite a few years for a body to decompose into a skeleton, you know. The location also plays a substantial part. It's possible he or she wasn't disposed of in the water. The killer's burial ground may have been somewhere else."

I was accustomed to Casper's murder 101 lectures by now. Even when we were younger, he had this thought-provoking mindset to question everything. A simple answer never sufficed for him. He'd go to the end of the Earth just to prove a point. He was like a dog with a bone.

"Oh yeah? Where do you think the person was buried?" I questioned.

"The original place could have been disturbed somehow, but I don't know where such a place would be. Weather may have contributed too. We had that horrible thunderstorm last week."

"Good point." I nestled my head against his shoulder. "Just promise me you won't hurt yourself trying to snoop around and irritate the police."

"Psh. Irritate? You mean to contribute my humble assistance? Then, of course. I'm like a police consultant, love."

Police consultant? I wanted to snort at that. As if the police actually viewed him that way. No, they considered him a cockroach that they couldn't get rid of.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. "I doubt they see it that way."

"Pity. It's their loss." He tilted his head toward mine. "I don't need their attention when I have yours."