Phantom Point
by Gary Inbinder
July 1907: Chicago is sweltering, and hard-boiled detective Max Niemand has a hot, new case. A wealthy socialite hires Max to rescue her wayward artist brother from the clutches of a femme fatale and her dubious California artists’ colony. The job is lucrative, with the promise of a large bonus for good results.
Arriving on the West Coast, Max becomes embroiled in a murder case and a fight over oil rights. In the course of his investigation, he encounters hard-nosed cops, gangsters, an Old West marshal, a tycoon, a cagey lawyer, fast cars, faster women and a malevolent gold-toothed hitman. Before long, Max realizes the odds of living long enough to collect his bonus are definitely not in his favor.
Chapter 25: The Cave
Two boys, ages fourteen and ten, and their twelve-year old sister raced barefoot through the surf, with a big yellow dog in the lead. The kids took turns throwing a ball to the dog, the dog dashed ahead, retrieved the ball and ran back panting and eager to start the game over. This pattern continued down the beach until Jake, the fourteen-year old, heaved the ball such a distance that it seemed to disappear into the cliff-side. The dog chased the ball and then it too disappeared. The kids ran after the dog.
As they rounded the cove, they heard the sound of barking echoing from out of a small cave. The kids stopped at the entrance and Jake, the older boy, whistled and called out, “Hey, Rex. Come on out, boy.” But Rex didn’t come out; he remained in the cave, barking and whimpering. Jake turned to his siblings. “You stay here. I’m going in.”
“I wanna go, too,” the ten-year old whined.
“You stay put with your sister or you’ll get a licking,” Jake said.
The ten-year old looked down at his feet and kicked sand. “Yeah, all right,” he muttered.
Jake entered cautiously. Growing up on the coastline, he had been warned about the dangers of the caves, especially near high tide. Once inside he was beguiled by the shimmering beauty of light reflecting on shallow water. However, as he approached his agitated dog, Jake saw something that made him freeze in his tracks. Just ahead of him, half-submerged, was the body of a woman in a flowing white dress.
Jake inched forward slowly, carefully, keeping to the dry area next to the cave wall. When he came up beside the dog, he rubbed the animal’s head and patted his flank to quiet him. “It’s all right, Rex. Calm down boy.” Jake peered into the shallows. The woman’s eyes were closed and she appeared peaceful, as though she were sleeping. But crabs were crawling around her face. “Let’s go, boy,” he said.
As soon as Jake and Rex came out of the cave, the younger boy said: “What was in there, Jake? What did you see?”
Jake ignored the questions. “You two run back home and fetch Pa. Tell him it’s important. He needs to see something, and then we’re gonna have to report this to the lawmen. I’ll stay here on guard with Rex. No more questions. Just get!”
Jake and Rex watched the kids scamper back up the beach. Playtime was over.
Copyright © 2022 by Gary Inbinder
