Page 12 of Summer L.A.W.

Joell’s eyes narrowed. “Describe him.”

She thought of the warped reflection, the song that seemed to know her better than it should. “Older. Rough around the edges. Watched me like I was an objective, not a person.”

“And?” Sahara pressed.

Crystal let the towel drop, closed her fingers around the shell again. The song, now just a whisper, was still there, faint but persistent, curling in the back of her mind like an ear worm.

“And…” she said slowly, “he called me daughter and told me I don’t have long.”

Magda froze mid-sip of tea. “Don’t have long for what?”

Crystal stood, tucking the shell into her pocket like it might bite if left in plain sight. “That’s the part I’m still figuring out.”

She left before they could push harder, the sound of the ocean still in her ears, and the date, counting down in a tick-tick rhythm her heartbeat was too fast to match.

Crystal had almost made it to the stairs before the knock came. Not a polite, ‘I brought cookies’ knock, but a solid, three-beat rap that said, ‘you know me, and you’re not going to like this’.

She considered ignoring it. Unfortunately, Joell didn’t believe in ignoring knocks. By the time Crystal hit the landing, Joell had already cracked the door.

The hot plumber stood there, soaked through, though this time without the dramatic fishing net accessory. His dark hair was plastered flat, water tracking down into the collar of his jacket.

“You’re developing a habit,” Joell said.

“Yeah, well,” he said, lifting a Ziplock bag, “so’s your coastline.”

“Crystal!” Joell called out. “You’re going to want to see this.”

“Are you sure about that?” she grumbled as she returned to the foyer.

Mason was addressing Joell. “Raoul promised me a quiet place to stay. Didn’t mention the part about invisible force fields and things washing up that look like they belong in a horror movie.”

“Consider it part of the amenities,” Crystal said dryly.

He held out the bag. Inside was something metallic, corroded but still legible in places: a round military challenge coin, the kind sailors carried for luck. Crystal stepped closer, heart tightening.

The embossed design was barely visible through the salt corrosion, but she knew the ship’s name well enough: HMS Sutherland.

“Found it wedged in the rocks below your back bluff,” the plumber said. “Tide was going out, but it looked like it’d been placed there, not washed up.”

Sahara had padded in silently, taking the bag and holding it up to the light. “This isn’t just a coin,” she said. “There’s magic in the etching.”

The plumber shifted his weight, eyes flicking to Crystal. “I figured you’d want it. Look, I don’t scare easily, but… whatever I saw last night? It’s not gone. I could feel it out there, even in town.”

Crystal met his gaze. “Yeah. I can feel it too.”

Magda leaned on the doorway. “We’ll add it to the list.”

“Long list,” Mason said. He hesitated, then added, “If you’re keeping score, that’s two weird things I’ve delivered to your doorstep in as many days. You might want to get a bigger mailbox.”

He left without waiting for thanks, boots crunching down the drive.

Joell closed the door, locking it with a flick of her fingers. “We’re going to need to know exactly who or what else was on that ship with you,” she told Crystal.

Crystal stared at the coin through the plastic, the corroded letters gleaming faintly in the candlelight. In her pocket, the shell pulsed once, as if in answer. I need to tell you about a date…”

The sky was bright blue. A day that had no business belonging to the same week as last night. Sunlight hit the ocean, making the swells glitter in a way that almost looked harmless. Crystal knew better.

Sahara had insisted on “a little fresh air and firearms calibration for Brianna,” which translated to hauling a few handguns, a box of ammo, and the portable target stand out to the grassy bluff above the cove. Joell and Magda came along for “magical diagnostics,” which Crystal suspected was code for watch the new girl and see if she explodes anything. She almost wished Brianna would oblige with one of her spectacular distractions. Crystal was tired of carrying the drama.