Fangtooth by Shaun Jeffrey

wasn’t moving.
    “Do you think she’s dead?” Jen
whispered.
    Jack bit his lip. If she wasn’t dead,
then she was sure as hell as close as she was going to get.
    “Well I’m out of here,” Jack said.
    Jen turned and looked at him. “You don’t
have to leave. Stay.” Rocky’s expression said otherwise.
    “Nah, guess it’s time to head home.”
    Jen lowered her gaze. She kicked at the
floor and then nodded. As he walked away, Jack couldn’t help thinking that he
had seen something in her expression. Something that said she really wanted him
to stay. He smiled. Perhaps there was hope yet.
     

 
    Chapter 14
     
    “Are you sure it was her?” Bruce asked,
putting down the paintbrush he’d been using to paint the window. White paint
splattered the front of his blue shirt and speckled his cheeks and hair.
    Jack nodded. “I don’t know what happened
to her, but she looked real bad.”
    Bruce shook his head. “My god. I was
only talking to her this morning. What a day this is turning out to be.”
    Jack recognised something more than
regular sympathy in his dad’s voice. He saw concern; wished now he hadn’t
mentioned anything. The previous altercation with his dad seemed to have been
forgotten, which was better than having to listen to another lecture.
    “Perhaps I should go see how she is,”
Bruce said.
    “Why? You don’t know her.”
    “I know, but it seems the right thing to
do. I think I’ll go and have a wash. Do you know where they took her?”
    Jack shook his head.
    “Well, there’s probably a hospital
nearby. I’m sure someone in the village will know. And Jack, thanks for the
milk.”
    Jack shrugged his shoulders. “It’s no
big deal.”
    Bruce ruffled Jack’s hair. “Still,
thanks anyway.” He smiled and then left the room, leaving Jack feeling glad his
good deed hadn’t gone unnoticed, but resentful that his dad was going to see
another woman.
     
    Bruce parked the car opposite the
harbour and then walked into the hardware shop. Duncan Roberts was sitting
behind the counter reading a book.
    “Hello again,” Duncan said, smiling
amiably. “It’s Bruce, isn’t it?”
    “That’s right. I don’t know if you heard
about the woman that had the diving accident earlier—”
    Duncan nodded his head. “Terrible
business. What with the attack this morning. Never seen anything like it in all
the years I’ve lived here.”
    “Well I was just wondering if you could
tell me where they might have taken her.”
    “Probably to the hospital in town.”
    “Is it far?”
    “No, you passed through it on the way
here. The one with the new resort.”
    “Thanks.”
    Duncan clucked his tongue. “Mind how you
go now. You know what they say, bad luck has a way of travelling in threes.”
    Bruce subconsciously fingered his wallet
with the good luck charms inside.
    “If you’d like a drink later, get to
know a few people, I’ll be in the bar about eight,” Duncan said.
    “What … yes, thanks. I might just take
you up on that.”
    Outside the shop, Bruce stared across
the harbour and saw Zander standing on the bow of his boat, staring back at
him. Bruce held his hand up in acknowledgement. Zander spat into the sea,
turned and disappeared below decks.
    Bruce didn’t like animosity, but he
didn’t think Zander was going to be on his Christmas card list anytime soon.
    Once in the car, he took out his phone
and rang Jack, who answered on the sixth ring.
    “Yeah?”
    “I’m going to drive to the hospital.
Don’t know what time I’ll be back. There’s some money on the table in the
kitchen. If I’m not back in time, buy yourself something to eat.”
    “Buy something where?”
    “There’s a cafe in town isn’t there? Oh,
and can you feed Shazam too?”
    “Whatever.”
    “Thanks. See you later. Be good.”
    Bruce disconnected the call and started
the car. He drove out of the village at a leisurely pace. With so much work to
do on the house, he felt guilty leaving it. But he knew he was