The Recluse of Ocado Cove

Chapter 9

As we walked out of the forest and stepped into the sand, I looked up, searching for Lisa and Dave. There was nobody around the van.

"Sal..." I called, growing paranoid.

He turned to me as he was putting his prosthetic back on.

"You don't see them ?" he guessed.

I shook my head no. He walked a little closer to me.

"We'll find them once we reach the land," he said. "Look, I found this boat we can use."

I turned to see a police boat, amongst two others, left by the beach.

"We should hurry up before they come back," I replied.

We jumped into the boat, and I took a minute to figure out how it worked. During the short ride, compared to the last time when we had swam, everything was quiet. Too quiet. I had to focus on setting the boat to shore as we finally arrived.

Climbing the hill, I went to take a look at the van. It had some holes in the front window, but apart from that, it seemed to be in a pretty good state.

"Hey !" Sally yelled.

I turned to him, but he wasn't looking at me. He was looking towards the police cars, where the rest of the people were. Including Lisa and Dave. They were both being handcuffed on the side of a car.

"Let them go !" my friend told them.

One of the policemen stepped closer.

"This is a crime scene, kid. I suggest both of you to leave."

"You want me to give up and leave, really ?" Sally scoffed.

"This isn't your business, nor your place to be." the policeman raised his voice.

I stepped in. "You're arresting my mom and my best friend, for no reason. I think I have the right to be here."

"They have committed a criminal act," the policeman responded. "It's against the law."

"I know what criminal act means, thank you very much." I said, raising my voice.

"Look," the policeman insisted, "I'm gonna have to ask you to leave. I won't say it again."

"I don't think Henry Fisher would have wanted this." Sally interfered.

I was surprised, and so was the policeman, apparently. He seemed to back away, his gaze lowering.

"He was my father." Sally added, swallowing harshly. "He died doing your job. Sacrificing himself for you all."

The man was silent. What Sally was saying had caught the attention of some of the other policemen. Lisa and Dave were standing up near a police car, still handcuffed.

"He was selfless." I saw tears in my friend's eyes. "Always looking out for others... He had his own issues, but hell, don't we all ?"

Still complete silence. I could only hear the other policemen who were now walking out of the island empty-handed. I smiled slightly to myself.

"He always wanted the town's police to be so much more than what it's always been... A bunch of sheep, following a stupid book blindly." Sally bitterly said.

"He wouldn't have wanted this." he repeated. "He would be far from proud to see two innocent people being arrested... And for what ? You will all get paid anyway !"

He paused, then took a breath.

"I'm gonna have to ask you to let them go." he ordered, mimicking what the policemen had told us minutes ago. "I won't say it again."