brochure.”
He hugged himself more tightly. “All right then,” he said. “I won’t tell you what me and Tommy Naya saw out Dutchie way that day. But I don’t like to be near the dead. They don’t stay peaceful.”
My skin pimpled. I was never going to hang out with Mr. Lee again. “You don’t have to stay, you know. You must be done work for the night.”
He gave me a sheepish grin. “I want to see what going to happen.”
So we kept each other company.
Who knew rescue work was so boring? I found out about Mr. Lee’s bad back, his cousin in the Philippines who was a lawyer, and the best way to cook bitter melon. He knew I had a daughter. He even knew her name. “Yeah, man,” he said. “After she been visiting you here for so long now? Sometimes while she waiting for the waterbus, she will get out the car and come talk to me. How she going with her Neurolinguistics course?”
“All right,” I said. So Ife and Mr. Lee were friends. Me, I only knew his name because Dadda had told me it.
There was a hollow shout from down at the base of the cliff. A couple of the policemen ran to look over the edge. “Like something happening,” said Mr. Lee.
Our Cerberus was still guarding the way, but she was more interested in what was happening behind her at the cliffside. She had her head cranked over her shoulder to see better, so she didn’t notice when we snuck around in front of her and went to the other side of the cordoned-off area. It was darker over there; maybe we’d be able to get closer.
“Come under the tape with me, nuh?” I said to Mr. Lee.
“You better not,” came a low voice from the darkness at our feet. Mr. Lee gave a little yip of fear, bit it off quickly.
Jamdown accent. “Hector?” I said, peering into the shadows.
“Yes.” Hector stood up from the ground to his full height. Mr. Lee grabbed my arm. Hector stepped out where we could see him better. This time, the wetsuit had bright blue panels contrasting the black ones.
I patted Mr. Lee’s hand. “Don’t fret. I know him.”
Mr. Lee blew out a hard breath. “Jeezam. Nearly make me jump out my soul case and gone. You nearly kill me, man.”
“Sorry,” said Hector. His voice was flat. He looked to where the police were now yanking on a couple of ropes, pulling something heavy up the cliff face. The flashlights were dancing double time, and the shouted advice coming faster. The policewoman was over there now, shouting along with the others.
“They tell me I have to go down to the station and give a report,” Hector said. “It’s me who found them. The bodies.”
Mr. Lee squeaked, “More than one?”
“Yeah. A woman and a man. I don’t think they were dead long. Not enough decomposition. But the waves mash them up against the rocks.”
I swallowed. “They fell in?”
His face was grey. He looked desolate. “You know how it feel to touch an arm when all the bones in it break?”
“Fuck.”
“Jeezam.”
I asked him, “How you come to find them?”
“I was swimming.”
“At night?”
“That’s when the seals are awake.”
“The seals?” Who watched seals at night?
Over by the cliff side, the policemen pulled up a body bag, heavy with its contents. Then a second one. Hector’s gaze was grim.
“Jeezam,” said Mr. Lee.
Hector said, “I think it’s the little boy’s parents.”
“Don’t joke,” I whispered.
“No joke.”
A knot of people moved away from the cliff side, bearing the two body bags. “Oh! They taking them over to the ambulance!” I said. “Come quick!”
We got there as they were opening the back doors of the ambulance. Three policemen and a paramedic helped the others to load the bodies in. A Coast Guard man, looking around, called out, “Mr. Goonan?” It was Gene.
Hector shouldered his way under the yellow tape. “Right here,” he said. “We going now?”
Gene turned and spotted me and Mr. Lee at the same time that the policewoman did. Gene started forward. The
He hugged himself more tightly. “All right then,” he said. “I won’t tell you what me and Tommy Naya saw out Dutchie way that day. But I don’t like to be near the dead. They don’t stay peaceful.”
My skin pimpled. I was never going to hang out with Mr. Lee again. “You don’t have to stay, you know. You must be done work for the night.”
He gave me a sheepish grin. “I want to see what going to happen.”
So we kept each other company.
Who knew rescue work was so boring? I found out about Mr. Lee’s bad back, his cousin in the Philippines who was a lawyer, and the best way to cook bitter melon. He knew I had a daughter. He even knew her name. “Yeah, man,” he said. “After she been visiting you here for so long now? Sometimes while she waiting for the waterbus, she will get out the car and come talk to me. How she going with her Neurolinguistics course?”
“All right,” I said. So Ife and Mr. Lee were friends. Me, I only knew his name because Dadda had told me it.
There was a hollow shout from down at the base of the cliff. A couple of the policemen ran to look over the edge. “Like something happening,” said Mr. Lee.
Our Cerberus was still guarding the way, but she was more interested in what was happening behind her at the cliffside. She had her head cranked over her shoulder to see better, so she didn’t notice when we snuck around in front of her and went to the other side of the cordoned-off area. It was darker over there; maybe we’d be able to get closer.
“Come under the tape with me, nuh?” I said to Mr. Lee.
“You better not,” came a low voice from the darkness at our feet. Mr. Lee gave a little yip of fear, bit it off quickly.
Jamdown accent. “Hector?” I said, peering into the shadows.
“Yes.” Hector stood up from the ground to his full height. Mr. Lee grabbed my arm. Hector stepped out where we could see him better. This time, the wetsuit had bright blue panels contrasting the black ones.
I patted Mr. Lee’s hand. “Don’t fret. I know him.”
Mr. Lee blew out a hard breath. “Jeezam. Nearly make me jump out my soul case and gone. You nearly kill me, man.”
“Sorry,” said Hector. His voice was flat. He looked to where the police were now yanking on a couple of ropes, pulling something heavy up the cliff face. The flashlights were dancing double time, and the shouted advice coming faster. The policewoman was over there now, shouting along with the others.
“They tell me I have to go down to the station and give a report,” Hector said. “It’s me who found them. The bodies.”
Mr. Lee squeaked, “More than one?”
“Yeah. A woman and a man. I don’t think they were dead long. Not enough decomposition. But the waves mash them up against the rocks.”
I swallowed. “They fell in?”
His face was grey. He looked desolate. “You know how it feel to touch an arm when all the bones in it break?”
“Fuck.”
“Jeezam.”
I asked him, “How you come to find them?”
“I was swimming.”
“At night?”
“That’s when the seals are awake.”
“The seals?” Who watched seals at night?
Over by the cliff side, the policemen pulled up a body bag, heavy with its contents. Then a second one. Hector’s gaze was grim.
“Jeezam,” said Mr. Lee.
Hector said, “I think it’s the little boy’s parents.”
“Don’t joke,” I whispered.
“No joke.”
A knot of people moved away from the cliff side, bearing the two body bags. “Oh! They taking them over to the ambulance!” I said. “Come quick!”
We got there as they were opening the back doors of the ambulance. Three policemen and a paramedic helped the others to load the bodies in. A Coast Guard man, looking around, called out, “Mr. Goonan?” It was Gene.
Hector shouldered his way under the yellow tape. “Right here,” he said. “We going now?”
Gene turned and spotted me and Mr. Lee at the same time that the policewoman did. Gene started forward. The
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