CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE.

Each time Addy reached the end of a street, she turned left or right, whichever one took her away from Deale.

At times she pulled over in indecision, trying to clear her mind, and then drove on. She would have given anything for her grandmother. Grandma Adelaide was tough and no-nonsense when it came to affairs of the heart. She would have told Addy that life was hard and how you dealt with it made you stronger.

Then she would have dragged Addy out of her depression and cooked her some macaroni and cheese.

When Masons Beach dead-ended, she pulled over and got out. Lights along the sh.o.r.eline twinkled in the ink black sky, and a warm breeze blew in off the ocean. She walked along the sand for a long time and reflected on her life-where she'd been and where she was going. Most of her choices had been by accident.

Aside from actually choosing to go to Berkeley, she had lost her parents, been a victim of Karen's infidelity, and merely agreed when Maureen insisted that they move in together and that she accept the first job offer that came along.

And now she was back in Deale, a place that evoked such mixed emotions. She loved Tommy dearly and would do anything for him, but once again her life had been decided for her. He was her responsibility and depended entirely upon her, but what about her happiness? Maureen had been a mistake, she could see that now. Addy had run away from Deale, or rather from Karen, and into the arms of someone she didn't love. Since returning to Deale, she had been unwillingly drawn back to Karen, both physically and emotionally. But could she trust herself, trust her choices anymore? And what was Liberty to her? Who was she and how did she feel about Addy?

All the questions overwhelmed her and she began to run down the beach. She wanted to keep going until she collapsed from exhaustion. Maybe then her mind would be still and she could sleep.

"Shh," Frank whispered. "You sound like a Humvee out on maneuvers."

"I can't see a d.a.m.n thing," Clarence said.

"Try opening your eyes."

They cautiously stepped through the dense underbrush along the Cooper side of the inlet. They had driven to within a mile of the house, then hiked along the sh.o.r.e until they could make out the house lights. They'd brought a net and wading boots and sat on stumps near the dock to put their waders on.

"Forget hunting on land, the cops have already done that. Focus on the water. Here." Frank handed Abel the net. "Start over there and spread out. Let me know the minute you find anything."

They reached into the water and blindly searched the inlet bed for the reporter's camera. The only sound was the soft swish of water as it moved against their boots and arms. But after an hour, they had only unearthed rocks and sh.e.l.ls and bits of driftwood. Frank was becoming annoyed, and he worried that at any time someone would come out to see what they were up to.

"There's nothing here, Frank," Abel whispered. "Maybe it's out in deeper water. He swam across from our side to here. He could've lost it anywhere."

Clarence said, "We'll never find it."

"If he had it in the first place."

Frank scanned the tree house behind them and saw the impressive structure clearly for the first time. Maybe the guy who lived there was spying on them right now. If he wasn't, then he had to be asleep. The woman said he never left. The guy must be crazy or something, which could only work in their favor.

No way would anyone believe a Section 8 guy over a Gulf War vet. But the camera bothered him. The cops weren't even sure it existed, but they must have some reason to send out divers. If there was a camera, G.o.d knows what was on it. Maybe that guy up there would know. Maybe he had the camera already and was waiting to blackmail them even now.

"Follow me." Frank started wading back to sh.o.r.e and toward the oak.

"Are you nuts?" Clarence rasped. "Where are you going?"

"Up there." Frank pointed at the tree.

"Frank." Abel pulled him aside. "We gotta get outta here before someone asks us what we're doing. Let's go home, there ain't no camera."

"We have to be sure. And that guy up there can probably tell us one way or the other." Clarence and Abel hung back as Frank limped to the base of the tree. But when Frank motioned them onward, they followed.

Once at the top, Frank tried the door but it was locked.

"Hey, little buddy. We want to talk with you about the reporter. I'll bet you can see real good up here, can't you? Did you notice if he had a camera with him?"

There was nothing except the sounds of the night. Frank tried the doork.n.o.b again with no luck.

"s.h.i.t," Frank said. "Give me something to open this with, Abel."

"I don't have anything."

"What the f.u.c.k," Clarence said. "I didn't know we were supposed to bring lock picks with us on this expedition."

"You should always be prepared," Frank growled.

"Then why didn't you bring something? You're the Boy Scout of the family." Clarence began to laugh at his own joke, his horsey snort getting louder.

"Quiet, a.s.shole." Frank glared at Clarence. He put his weight against the door and tried as quietly as possible to force it open.

But the door was solid and immovable. "d.a.m.n, who made this door?" He stepped back and ran shoulder-first into it, and it still wouldn't budge.

"What's the kid's name again?" Frank asked.

"Papers said it was Tommy Cooper," Abel said. "He and his sister live here. Well, she lives down there. Why do you think he lives up here, Frank?"

Frank stared at him. In a singsong voice he repeated Abel's question. "aWhy do you think he lives up here, Frank?' How the f.u.c.k would I know? Shut up and help me get the G.o.dd.a.m.n door open, will ya?"

All three of them stepped as far from the door as they could.

Turning sideways and tilting their shoulders down, they charged.

As they braced for impact, the door opened wide and they crashed into the house. Frank fell into the table, knocking comic books and a chair over, but he quickly jumped to his feet and crouched in a defensive posture.

The boy stared wide-eyed at them, like he was half asleep.

"We ain't gonna hurt you, kid," Abel said.

"Speak for yourself," Clarence muttered.

"Shut up." This wasn't exactly a kid, but Frank was confident he could take him even without Clarence and Abel's help. Pretty much like the reporter.

"Your name's Tommy, right?"

Tommy nodded. The one in army clothes, the one that reminded him of a snipe, seemed to be the boss. Tommy wondered what they wanted. They sure had been noisy. He had tried to call Addy when he first heard them, but she didn't answer, so he decided to open the door before they got any louder. They made him nervous, and he began to flap his wings, like he always did when he wanted to fl y away.

"See, I know a lot about you already, like your name," the snipe said. "I also know that you came down out of this tree and found that guy by the water."

"Caw! Caw!"

"Shut up!" the one that looked like a pelican yelled.

"Quiet!" The snipe looked like he hated the pelican.

"What the f.u.c.k's up with the bird call?" the sandpiper asked.

"The kid's got a screw loose, don't sweat it." The snipe moved slowly toward Tommy, holding out his hands. "It's okay. I'm not going to say anything about it to anyone, as long as you don't either. What I want to know is, did you see us go after him?"

Tommy nodded again.

"Holy s.h.i.t, let's get rid of him now," the big pelican said.

"The kid thinks he's a bird. Do you think anybody would believe anything he says?" The snipe stared at Tommy again.

"Did you tell anybody you saw us?"

Tommy shook his head.

"Good boy," he said. "Now you just keep quiet about that and everything will be okay. We wouldn't want to hurt you or your sister, would we, you guys?"

The other two shook their heads.

"One more thing, Tommy. Did you see if the guy had a camera with him? You know, a little box that takes pictures. Did you see one?"

Tommy didn't say anything. He wasn't supposed to lie. His grandma had told him that. He didn't see many people, so he never needed to. But he felt like he shouldn't tell them about the camera he'd found and hid under his bed. He'd give it to Karen instead. She'd be sure the camera went to the right person.

"Tommy, do you know what a camera is?" the snipe kept saying.

"Yes, but I don't know how to make one work."

"That's good, that's okay," the snipe said, like he was trying to be nice. "But the man lost his, and we just want to find it. Did you find his camera?"

"There's a car coming down the road," the sandpiper whispered.

"Let's go." The pelican hurried to the door and went out on the deck.

"Did you find his camera?" the snipe said again.

He grabbed Tommy by the arm, and that scared him even more.

"Caw! Caw!"

"To h.e.l.l with that lunatic, Frank. Let's get outta here."

Clarence scrambled down the tree but Abel hesitated at the rung.

"Come on, Frank," he pleaded.

Frank stared at Tommy, trying to decipher if he knew anything about the camera. But Tommy broke loose from his grasp and hopped onto his bed, flapping his arms and cawing at the ceiling. No way was that kid going to convince anyone they had anything to do with Vinson's death, even if he witnessed them doing it. Who would believe a fruitcake like that? But if he had the camera, that was another thing.

"Keep your mouth shut, kid. If you say anything to anybody, I'll come after you-and your sister."

Tommy quieted.

"That's right. Now I've got your attention, don't I?" Frank grinned. "Keep it to yourself that we were here and everything will be fine."

Frank edged his way out the door, keeping his eyes on Tommy's. When he reached the ladder, he finally looked away and left.

Tommy sat on his bed and stared out the door. His heart beat fast, and he didn't understand what had happened and what it all meant. He was scared and didn't know what to do. He'd never had strangers in his house before, except maybe that Liberty lady.

She scared him too.

The snipe wanted the camera, and he knew he better get rid of it before he and the others came back. If the bad men took the camera, they would never give it back to the crane. But the crane was dead. Who did it belong to now? He didn't know, but he didn't want the camera in his house anymore.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO.

Addy sat at the picnic table as the police divers swam around the inlet, their black neoprene heads occasionally bobbing to the surface like the seals along the California coast.

She sipped a cup of coffee and tried to clear her clouded brain from her restless night. Three cups of coffee later, the caffeine still hadn't helped.

Karen stood by the spot where the reporter was found, her short sleeves revealing the tanned muscles of her arms. She was stunning in the morning light, her bronzed skin gleaming.

Addy's body stirred at the sight, but when she recalled Dee-Dee's comment, she immediately squelched the sensation.

She supposed she couldn't begrudge Karen companionship all these years. But that she had slept with Dee-Dee, her best friend, really hurt. Anonymous s.e.x was one thing, but this was something else.

Surprised to see Karen heading straight for her, she braced for the encounter. Karen suspected her of murder.

"Good morning." Karen sat down.

"Officer," Addy said stiffly.

Karen sighed loudly.

"They've been out there for hours," Addy said. "Haven't they found anything to tie me to the murder yet? Addy Cooper, with the candlestick, in the library?"

"This isn't a game, Addy. A man is dead."

"I know that. You haven't let me forget it. Why don't you search my house? Surely you'll find some blunt object I used as the murder weapon. Of course, my fingerprints are all over everything, so it'll be difficult to narrow your choices. h.e.l.l, I'll make it easy on you and just confess. You can haul me away in handcuffs, get your picture in the paper and all that."

"Dammit, Addy. Why don't you just tell me what's going on? We've got to know what Tommy is talking about. Why are you so d.a.m.n stubborn?"