The Sisters McFadden

Chapter 7 - Bloodlines

Jack Walker stood on his cramped deck and looked out over Santa Monica Bay. Beer in hand, he took great pleasure in barbecuing three steaks to perfection. The Walker house sat on the cliffs above Torrance Beach surrounded by modern houses, the only original structure remaining from the sixties. Even at seventy-one, Jack never tired of his view which included the sands of Redondo, Torrance and RAT Beaches. He'd been meticulous over the years about the upkeep of his house and property. He'd made some renovations and improvements but kept the character of the bungalow he originally built. After his daughter-in-law, Kit, died, he convinced Rex to move back in with Dalton and Cheyenne. It was tight quarters, but he loved having three generations of Walkers under the same roof. If the ocean conditions were not too rough, he would still take out his prone paddle board and paddle out as far as Lunada Bay. Dalton and Rex often joined him.

Dalton finished up a shower and emerged from indoors onto the deck, starved. He planned to meet Jimmy and Lexie back down on the beach before sunset. Lexie had texted him a mere twenty times. A few texts included selfies of her and Chelsea on the sand. What was she telling this girl about him? Who knows but he would find out soon enough. There was little doubt from the selfies that Chelsea was a pretty girl but he now had tunnel vision for her little sister, Ash. Dalton set the table outside with the sun still shining from above the distant horizon. Beyond the outstretched peninsula sat Catalina Island and the Channel Islands as well as the Malibu coastline to the north.

"Hey dad," said Dalton as Rex walked out onto the deck with a cold beer he'd grabbed from the refrigerator.

Rex looked exhausted with his gun and badge still attached to his belt. He had been gone all day. "Something smells terrific," he said. "Hope you two's Fourth was better than mine."

"Who was the girl you found?" asked Jack. "The news still has not released a name."

"That's because we still don't know."

"No one has reported her missing?"

"No, can you believe it. Dalton, did you hear anything down at the beach?"

"Guards and police were talking about her all day but nada. Doubt she is a PV girl or we would have heard something. Unless her folks are out of town and left her home alone. Maybe she's from Redondo or Hermosa or Torrance."

"Do you think it was an accident?" asked Jack.

"It's one of many possibilities," said Rex. "First we want to simply find out who she is." He looked out over the water towards Malaga Cove. He could see the exact spot where he pulled the dead body out. It gave him a fresh perspective. Again, it nagged at him the way she was facing upwards towards the surface, almost as if she had ascended from the depths to reach up to him. She was asking for his help. His gut told him to go back out there. "Let's eat first, but after dinner, Dalton, I want you to look at a photo of the girl taken by the medical examiner. See if you recognize her. No photos have been released to the public. Not gonna lie, it's disturbing to look at."

The Walker men sat down and cut into the steaks Jack had just pulled off the grill. It was still warm out. A perfect moment amongst the three of them. It was tradition on holidays and summer nights for Dalton to join his father and grandfather with one beer. Rex merely wanted Dalton to be a normal seventeen-year-old. He loved him so much. He knew Dalton did not spend his time chasing girls and looking for parties. But he sometimes wished he did. In his view, Dalton was too serious now. It started after Kit died. Rex worried about Dalton slowly withdrawing further. Thank goodness for Jimmy and Lexie. True friends. If Dalton did not feel like going out and being social on a Friday night, Jimmy would skip whatever party was happening and come over to play video games with him. If Lexie sensed at school that Dalton was feeling down, she would bake cookies and bring them over. Rex tried to spend as much time as he could with his son but it was not easy with the job. Luckily, they had the ocean as their common bond. Rex surfed and paddle boarded often with Dalton, just like his dad had done with him growing up. With Cheyenne away at college up in Oregon, the three Walker boys were a tight unit. Unbreakable.