I climb off the boat, ready to chase after him to ride in the ambulance. But I barely get a step before my uncle moves in front of me, blocking my path. I scoff, ready to push past him, but he holds me by the upper arms.
“Let them do their jobs, Noa,” he says, his voice controlled, but somewhat sympathetic.
Although I want to be with Jamie, I also know that I have to handle everything else that’s happened today. I watch as they take him down the dock, and then I step back from my uncle.
Sheriff Castillo’s face is already contorted in worry and confusion before he glances at Tech and Shawn. Now there’s horror, too. He takes in the dirt, the blood on our clothes, the shock that I’m sure is all over our faces. Then, his gaze falls on the deck of the boat, which is honestly gruesome.
His eyes go sharp. “What the hell happened out there?” he demands.
The question hangs in the air, and I can still hear the sound of the wind through the reeds. The bang of the gun. And somewhere, in the back of my mind, is the sick, sinking thought that the Everglades finally gave something back.
I don’t want to say it. Ican’tsay it.
But if Ellis is really out there, I can’t leave him for even a second longer. He needs to come home. He needs to be with his family.
I take a shaky breath. “Jamie saw a dead body,” I say, my voice cracking. My uncle’s eyes flash to mine. “He thinks he saw a body in the marsh.”
Stunned, the sheriff can’t seem to wrap his mind around my words. What I’m really trying to say. “A body?” he repeats. “Who? Where in the marsh?”
Tech shifts uneasily on the dock, Shawn watching as she waits for the barrage of questions that will probably follow. Of course, there is only one question.
“You need to check,” I say finally, and tears begin to sting my eyes. “You need to see if it’s him.”
And then my uncle rocks back on his heels. “Jesus, Noa,” he says as if just absorbing my grief. “What… what are we talking about here? Don’t do this to yourself.”
“Please,” I whisper. “We didn’t have time to go back. But I… I need to know.”
His gaze softens, just for a moment. “It’s not him,” he says gently, and neither of us has to mention Ellis by name.
But this isn’t a visit to his office where he can blow me off. Frustration claws at my throat and I harden my jaw, glaring at him.
“You told me to let the paramedics do their job,” I say fiercely. “So how about you do yours now. I need you to check.”
The sheriff doesn’t seem angry as he stares back at me, not offended. He looks hurt, but not by my words. I wonder then if he’s scared that Ellis really is out there—and that he failed to save him. He gives me a curt nod and takes out his radio.
“This is Sheriff Castillo,” he says, all business. “I need you to get a boat out into the Everglades. Send them to…” He pauses to unclick the radio button, muting himself, and looks around at us. “Where was this?” he asks.
For a second, we’re all quiet. How in the world do we tell him that—
“We found the Starline Hotel,” Tech announces, straightening his back. I can hear the confrontation in his voice, the injustice he’s waiting to remedy. And despite everything, there is a small flinch of a smile on my lips. Proud of what we’ve done.
However, my uncle’s expression shifts. His usual stern impatience is replaced with something else. Something… uneasy.
“No, you didn’t.” His voice is firm. Final.
We all exchange a look, a bit confused.
“Yes, we did,” I say. When he lowers the radio, as if he’s not going to call for help after all, I’m incensed at his hesitance. “We were there,” I state. “We wentinsidethe Starline Hotel. It was flooded and rotting, but it was still standing.”
Tech folds his arms. “And we weren’t alone,” he adds. “While we were there, two guys showed up, and at least one had a gun. They shot at us, and honestly, we barely got away.”
The sheriff’s eyes flash with concern. “Who shot at you?”
“You think we stuck around to ask for names?” Tech snaps.
My uncle scoffs in frustration. “What the hell were you doing out there in the first place?” he demands. He steadies his gaze on me. “We just talked about this. I told you not to mess with this stuff. And you brought the Matthews kid along?” He motions down the dock to where the ambulance is just now pulling away. “I can’t even imagine what his parents are going to have to say about this.”
“It was literally his idea to come along,” I point out. “And I can’t believe you’re more worried about that than the fact that someone is lying out there in the marsh. Not to mention the part where you don’t care that two men tried to kill us.”
