✔Secrets of Saltwater Bay

🐶Chapter 2

Casper revealed a red dog collar he stepped on and held it up so we could examine it better. The name Oliver was engraved on the silver tag with a phone number underneath, most likely the owner's.

"Somebody probably just tossed that old collar out here," I told him.

"You really think it's a coincidence that we'd find this near the area where they found the bones?" he asked.

"Yes, I do."

"While I love you with all of my heart, you can be pretty dense sometimes, baby."

"And, you can be too dramatic." I countered.

"This collar could connect us to the victim. You know this portion of the beach has been closed off all week. We're likely the first to trespass," Casper explained. "There wouldn't be anyone else to get rid of it. Besides, who takes their dog's collar and tosses it out in the sea?"

I shrugged. "People do weird shit all the time. You like psychology and seeing how the mind works, so you know that."

"Touche," he murmured. "But I still believe the collar is somehow a clue to the case."

I sighed. "Case? Seriously? You don't plan to get involved in this one too, do you? I thought the case of the stolen video game was enough to satisfy your craving for near-death experiences."

"Come on now. How was I supposed to know what the teen was hiding in there? He told me it was a real popular video game of his that someone robbed," Casper said in his defense.

"It turned out the video game case was his cash stash from the expensive items he stole from his neighbors and sold online," I replied. "Then, when you confronted him he pulled a swiss army knife on you."

Casper shrugged. "Every good detective gets threatened when they get close to the truth."

While I adored his passion for mystery solving, some days I wished my boyfriend had a safer hobby. Like gardening or ballroom dancing. Why did he have to be so addicted to figuring out who committed crimes?

🐶

It was fairly early the following morning, so there weren't many customers coming through the front door of Island Bound Treats. The diner's regulars were already there, some with cell phones and some with newspapers, sipping their freshly brewed cups on spiny bar stools that overlooked the rest of the restaurant.

Row upon row of empty tables were covered with checkered red and white tablecloths, matching the customary color design of the diner. The walls were plastered with eccentric posters from the past, such as the We Can Do It! Rosie Riveter and a few odd advertisements for the place. My favorite was the 80's cartoon that depicted patrons like us sitting on the stools with heaping plates of breakfast food.

We just put our orders in after the waitress served us each a respective cup of their house special. I sipped on my steamy mug, listening to Casper's tirade of theories.

God, I loved that boy but I couldn't understand how he was so energetic in the morning. He seemed like he already quaffed down three cups of coffee before leaving his house.

"I hope the person I called from the dog tag gets back to us today," Casper said. "I have a feeling they'll know something important."

"Are you a dog whisperer now?"

My boyfriend rolled his eyes. "You know what I meant."

"Can you communicate with all animals?" I continued the joke. "Try to speak to my dead hamster, Mr. Gibbles."

"Mr. Gibbles doesn't want to hear from you." Casper chuckled. "He still holds a grudge toward you for letting him starve to death while you were away at summer camp."

"That wasn't entirely my fault. Dad promised to take care of him while I was away," I pouted. "I guess he just got too caught up with work."

"That was a boring summer." Casper sighed. "It just wasn't the same without you."

"Oh, come on now. It wasn't that bad with me away. I'm sure you solved lots of mysteries and caught up on your reading," I replied.

He shrugged. "You make my life better by being around. That's why I fell in love with you in the first place."

"Casper..."

"I got two slices of cheesecake for ya boys." The waitress's voice echoed in my ears, startling me. "Enjoy your desserts."

"Thank you, mam." Casper accepted his plate and dived in.

I couldn't help but smile at him. After that love confession, my mind was swirling with all sorts of things. Such as college. Casper was remarkably smart, so there was no doubt he'd get into a prestigious university that would laugh their asses off at my barely average SAT scores.

I wasn't sure if I could handle a long distance relationship. Just the mere thought of it put a damper on my mood. I couldn't imagine not being able to wake up and ride my bike down to his house so we could travel all over town together. And I didn't want to consider him finding a new partner in crime. That would break my heart.

"You okay, Silas? You're just picking at your food."

"Yep. I'm perfectly fine." I stuffed a proportionate amount of sweet cheesecake in my mouth to verify so.

I could sense he didn't believe me. He wouldn't be such a good unofficial detective if he didn't see through my facade. But before he had a chance to interrogate me over the depressed aura that must have hung over my head, he received a phone call from the owner of the dog tags we uncovered at Saltwater Bay.

Eagerly, I leaned in to listen to what the individual had to say.

"Hi, this is Katherine Gibson. I just got your voicemail. I can't believe you found Oliver's collar. He went missing around the same time my sister, Natalie did."

I recalled the Natalie Sayers case. She went missing roughly eight years ago.

There were many conspiracy theories, but nothing was ever proved. They never found a body or a suicide note and she was eighteen, which gave her the right to leave our town if she desired. Close friends and family claimed she wouldn't just leave without telling them, but there hadn't been enough evidence to keep an investigation going.

"Can we meet up someplace and chat?" Casper questioned. "I remember hearing about your sister's missing case. I'm sure you'd also like to have Oliver's collar."

The lady on the other line took a moment to respond. "Alright. Can you meet me at the Lobster Shack down on the harbor? It's my workplace. I'll be on break at noon today. We can talk about my sister and Oliver then."

"That would be great. Thank you so much for your time, mam. We'll see you later this afternoon," Casper said.

"Sure thing, hon." Katherine promptly hung up.

Casper placed his iPhone down and stroked his chin, his tell-tale sign of contemplation. Katherine seemed like a nice enough woman in my opinion. She could have told us to mind our business or fuck off, but instead she agreed to have a meet and greet later this afternoon.

Perhaps she was interested to hear what we'd have to say. This was probably the first time in years her sister's case has been brought up. I remember the disappearance of Natalie very vaguely, but I didn't keep track of things like that.

"Well, what did you think about Katherine?" I asked him.

"She was hiding something. I could sense it in her voice," Casper replied.

"Well, I'm sure she was a little anxious because she might think this is a prank," I told him. "I mean, receiving a voicemail like the one you left her must be odd. How would you feel about it? Some strange boy calls her, claiming to have her missing, most likely dead, sister's dog's collar?"

"All excellent points," he agreed.

"But, you're still suspicious about her and her motives?" I questioned.

Casper nodded. "Never rule someone completely innocent unless you have proof to back it up."