Episode 56:The Fisherman’s Hook

 

 Episode 56:

## Episode 56: The Fisherman’s Hook

The living room was quiet, the only sound the rhythmic ticking of the wall clock. Alice had finally claimed her victory over Josh, her tiny hand gripping his sleeve. Sarah smiled, her British lilt soft and melodic as she guided the toddler to the cushion next to him.

"Alice, darling," Sarah said, her voice slow, the vowels stretching out, "you keep... a sharp eye... on Josh now. Don't let him... wander off."

Alice took the command to heart; she sat perfectly still, staring at Josh with an unwavering intensity.

Sarah turned to the dining table, where three white cardboard boxes sat. The savory, salty scent of ginger and soy filled the air. She flipped the metal handles and opened the lids, the steam billowing out.

"The Chinese is getting cold," Sarah said. "Help yourselves."

Josh reached for a box of lo mein, while Andrew silently scooped orange chicken onto his plate. They ate in a heavy, domestic silence, the only sound the scraping of forks against ceramic as they took what they wanted from the small white boxes.

"She’s eyeing your food, Josh," Sarah laughed softly. "Better be quick... or you'll have nothing left... but the plate."

As the meal finished, Andrew looked toward the sliding glass doors. The darkness outside was absolute. "How about some coffee out on the deck?"

The night air was biting, smelling of salt and damp cedar. Andrew leaned against the railing, his voice a low, American rasp. "You think people are watching us from the trees, Josh?"

Josh leaned back in his chair. "They’ve packed up for the night. But Andrew... there's something you need to hear. These girls... they aren't from around here. They're from a small town in Arizona called Copper Ridge. I did some digging. The reason you didn't find records here is because the trouble followed them from home."

**"Their fathers are the local law back in Arizona,"** Josh continued, his voice dropping an octave. **"Between the ages of sixteen and nineteen, six girls and three boys went missing in Copper Ridge. All labeled as runaways. I think after that man, Ted, was pushed off the cliff here... they decided to come out of retirement."**

The sliding door hummed open. Sarah stepped out, her face pale. "So," she said, her voice trembling, "you truly think... they’ve done this before? Back in their own town? That it’s a habit... for them?"

"The records say yes," Josh replied.

Andrew stood up abruptly, his chair legs screaming against the wood. "Pardon me... I need to clear my head. I’m going for a walk."

He disappeared into the tree line.

Josh looked at Sarah. "Sarah... what truly happened with Allyson? Who was she to him?"

Sarah took a long, shaky breath. "I had an affair while I was pregnant in Rome. I treated Andrew... quite badly. He’d given up on me. He was going to swim out until he couldn't anymore. That’s when he found Allyson. She was his lifeline.

Later, when I was in the coma, she was the one... who looked after Alice. She watched over him while I was... a vegetable on a ventilator. The morning we decided to be a proper marriage again... she went into town... and never came back."

Sarah’s voice dropped to a whisper. "Cindy baited a trap for him. She left a note, telling him he could still save her—that if he got to the sea caves before high tide, she’d be alive. It was a lure, Josh. Andrew swam into those dark, suffocating caves while the tide was roaring in.

He fought the current, screaming her name, thinking he could pull her back to life... but when he finally reached her, he realized she’d been dead for hours. He held her cold, lifeless body in his arms while the water rose to his neck."

She wiped a tear away. "Cindy left another note near the cave entrance. It wasn't about Allyson; it was a taunt. She wanted Andrew to die in there, pinned against the ceiling by the tide. He didn't just find a body, Josh. He barely escaped his own execution. He carries the weight of her body... and the memory of that rising water... every single day."

Later that night, the house was hushed. Sarah sat on the couch near Josh. "Let's put on a movie. How about *Predator*?"

They shared a small laugh, but the day’s exhaustion hit Sarah like a blow. Before the movie was halfway through, her eyes drifted shut, and her head lolled over, resting heavily against Josh’s shoulder.

Outside, the sliding door hummed. Andrew stepped into the hallway and saw them.

The blue light of the TV danced across his face. He pulled out his phone, the shutter click muffled by the film’s score.

One photo.

Then he vanished into the bedroom.

When Sarah woke to the rolling credits, she rushed into the bedroom. Andrew was sitting up, the glow of his phone cutting through the shadows. He turned the screen toward her.

"So," he said, "did you guys have a good time?"

"Andrew, please," she whispered, her accent thick. "I fell asleep. I didn't even know... I’d moved. Don't invent a betrayal... that isn't there."

"I thought we agreed," he interrupted. "None of us were to cuddle with anyone else. Do you think I should send this to his girlfriend? Or would it bother her to see him curled up with another woman?"

"Please don't," she whispered. "You're already carrying so much. Don't start a fire in here, too."

Andrew stared at the screen, then deleted it. "I’m not that guy. I won't ruin his life." He tossed the phone down. "But I noticed you were watching *Predator*. I wanted to show you that. That was supposed to be ours. I was even going to make that caramel popcorn... I still remember how."

Suddenly, he rolled out of bed. He walked to the spare room and pushed the door open. Before Josh could sit up, Andrew’s fist connected with his jaw.

**Thud.**

"I brought you here to give my wife a sense of safety," Andrew hissed. "Please don't cuddle with my wife again, Josh."

He returned to the bedroom. Sarah whispered into the dark, "I’m so sorry. I’ll wait for you next time. I love you."

The next morning, the kitchen smelled of burnt coffee. Josh had a dark bruise on his jaw. Andrew sat at the head of the table. "A sparring session, I think. I haven't had a workout in a while."

"Sure, old man," Josh said.

Down on the sand, they circled. Josh lunged, but Andrew stepped into the strike. He caught Josh’s momentum, hooked a leg, and flipped him hard. The sound of Josh hitting the packed earth was a heavy crunch.

"Experience beats speed every time," Andrew said, smirking as he hauled Josh up. "Maybe you should do some practice on your own, Josh. I don't want you off your best if you have to defend my wife and baby."

Andrew showered and put on a warm jacket. "Honey, I'm going fishing," he said with a smirk. "Josh, hold the fort."

He walked all the way up the beach to the conference center. He found an ice cream shop and ordered a thick chocolate milkshake, sipping it as he wandered the buildings. He slipped into the back of the kitchen, memorizing the staff schedule. A cook came up to him. "You can't be in here."

"I just wanted to say thank you," Andrew said, flashing a charming smile. "Last night's dinner was amazing."

Now he knew Chloe’s schedule. He went to Mariner's Market, picked up a bottle of wine, and met Maria behind a building. "I've been nervous about what you said," Maria told him.

"Just act normal," Andrew said. "Does Chloe share a room?"

"No, room twelve. But Andrew, the no-alcohol policy... first offense is two days without pay."

Andrew stealthily approached the dorm, picked the lock, and entered room twelve. He poured the wine onto the carpet and placed the bottle in the window. Then, he knocked on the personnel director's door.

"I know this seems weird," Andrew told Byron. "But a guest pointed out a wine bottle in a window. She thought this was an alcohol-free zone. I just thought I'd mention it to you."

Byron looked out his window. "Fuck... there on the top. Is that a wine bottle?"

"I don't care if people drink," Andrew said, "but it makes her wonder if she wants to come back. That's the only reason I mentioned it."

Andrew left. Chloe got off her shift and found Byron in her room.

"What is this? I didn't buy this!"

"The tip came from an old lady," Byron said. "You're suspended two days without pay. And the dorm leader will check your room nightly."

Chloe was livid. She stormed out of the dorms and began walking toward the edge of the property where Cindy was staying. Cindy and the girls were from Copper Ridge, Arizona, and they had set up their base in a weathered cabin tucked behind the pines.

Andrew followed at a distance, sipping his milkshake, watching her lead him right to their nest.

Inside the cabin, Cindy looked up from a map. "What's wrong, Chloe?"

"I got a two-day suspension!" Chloe cried. "They found a bottle of wine in my window."

"Was it any of your roommates?" Cindy asked.

"No, my room was locked. They had to unlock the door to see it."

Cindy went quiet. "Go back to your dorm. Tonight, I’m going to surveil them again. They have a house guest... he looks like a younger brother of Andrew’s."

Outside, Andrew finished his milkshake. He had found the nest. He knew exactly where the girls from Copper Ridge were hiding. With a satisfied smirk, he turned and began the long walk back to the beach house.