The Sisters McFadden

Chapter 18 - Fog Bank

By the time the two young surfers walked up to Dalton's house in the fog, Ash was chilled to her core and had the shakes. Dalton gave her his water polo hoodie to wear and made her hot chocolate. She started to warm up as Dalton scrambled some eggs with whatever ingredients he could find, toasted some bagels, cut up some fruit and poured some orange juice. With no women in the house, the Walker men were used to being resourceful when it came to meals. Dalton and Ash sat at the table in the breakfast nook and ate with smiles ear to ear. Through the large picture windows, the fog butted up against the house and left little to no visibility. 

            "I'm not much of a cook," said Dalton.

            "I love it," said Ash. "No boy has ever cooked me breakfast before."

            "I am proud to be your first." Dalton's cellphone buzzed with incoming text messages. He glanced at his phone on the table. "Just got a text from your sister."

            "Guess we got our new phones. What did she say?"

            Dalton read the text word for word. He wanted no secrets. "Hey biscuit, it's Chelsea. This is my new number. Lexie is having people over tonight. Pick me up at seven. Can't wait to see you. I am so hungover. Going back to bed. Love you."

            "That sounds like Chelsea, except for the two words at the end."

            "She's just a friend. I cannot imagine she's serious."

            "I suppose you'll see." Ash changed the subject. "So, do you ever surf Haggarty's or Lunada Bay?"

            "You know your PV surf spots. We should definitely hit Haggarty's and The Cove. I have spots in the lineups there. Lunada Bay is another story. Locals are very possessive of their wave. I would only go out there if my dad and my friend Jimmy's dad are with us. The Bay Boys won't mess with them."

            "Let's just try Haggarty's and The Cove."

            "Tell me what South Africa is like?"

            "Cape Town is brilliant. We lived on Llandudno Beach. We own a vineyard with stables in Stellenbosch. The Western Cape was home but my grandfather owns and runs a game reserve in the middle of the country north of Port Elizabeth. That's where my mother grew up and we learned to speak Afrikaans. Then there is Jeffery's Bay. Supertubes, my favorite wave. We have a beach house there too."

            "That all sounds amazing. I would love to go there someday."

            "Maybe we can go together someday."

            "That would be heaven. But your sister said you eventually want to move to Australia. Why? You seem to love South Africa so much."

            Ash looked down like a kid in trouble. "I love Australia too. We vacation there a lot and I competed in a bunch of surf contests in Perth, Sydney and the Gold Coast."

            "And?" Dalton decided to be bold, he knew there was more to her story.

            "And it is far away from all my family's problems in South Africa."

            "Fair enough."

            "But I could only live there, or anywhere, if O comes with me."

            "I understand. I am just amazed that you have been all over the world. Costa Rica and Hawaii are as far as I have ever been."

            "So far." Ash looked at Dalton as if they were about to embark on a great journey together. "So where are your father and grandfather today?"

            "My grandfather works at the local library about five minutes from here in Malaga Cove. My dad is a detective with the Sheriff as you may know."

            "My father told me. I think your father was going to my house this morning to ask Chelsea about what happen last night. I can't believe some guy chased you on a horse."

            "I know. It was totally bizarre. I'm sure he was just messing with us. I feel bad for my dad because he's working that dead girl's case and has enough stress trying find out who she is and what happened to her."

            "Dead girl?" said Ash, taken aback. "What dead girl?"

            "Sorry, you probably did not hear about her yesterday. It was big news around here. My dad was out stand up paddle boarding yesterday morning in Malaga Cove and found a dead body in the kelp beds."

            "My god. How old was she?"

            "They think she was around fifteen."

            "My age. Did she swim out?"

            "Nobody knows, but she was naked."

            "She was nude?"

            "Yes."

            Ash seemed to fall deep into serious thought. Dalton almost asked her if maybe she knew something or had a theory about what may have happened to the girl. How could that be? She just moved here from the other side of the planet. He decided to stay silent but he did remember the photo of Jane Doe on the medical examiner's table. He remembered the girl's distinct cheekbones. While Ash stared quietly out the window thinking about the girl or something that seemed to upset her, Dalton took a minute to study her cheekbones. Without the photo in front of him it was impossible to make a true comparison, but he still thought Ash's cheekbones resembled those of Jane Doe. Once again, he dismissed the notion. Instead, he got up and brought the dishes to the kitchen sink.

            "I'm sorry," said Ash. "It's just kinda upsetting to think about a girl my age drowning out there all alone."

            "It's okay," said Dalton. "It is upsetting. I like that you care." Dalton started to rinse off the dishes.

            "Hey, do you have a path in your backyard?" asked Ash.

            "No, but our neighbors have a steep path down the cliffs to the beach that is hardly ever used. Why?" He continued to scrub.

            "Because I think I just saw two kids walking across your backyard."

            Dalton stopped cold, very confused. He walked over to the window and looked out into the mist. "Really? What did they look like?"

            "It looked like two girls. One wore white and one wore black. I think they were holding hands."

            Dalton was truly perplexed now but did not dismiss her, especially after the assortment of strange occurrences over the past twelve hours. He opened the sliding glass door and walked out onto the deck. It was hard to see anything. No signs of anyone. It was possible some neighbor kids had cut through the yard but they would need to have climbed up. Doubtful. He was at a loss. Then he heard something. It was faint, not close. It echoed. It sounded like girls giggling.

            Dalton's cellphone rang.