Secrets in the Lowcountry--The River (2 page)

“
W
here is he?” her father questioned at the same time, obviously trying to find an answer to what seemed an impossible condition.

“I do
n’t know
.
”
Tim flushed as if realizing his answer solved nothing.

“As the Best Man, you are responsible to see that my future son-in-law appears a
t
the ceremony.”
The color of his face matched
the younger man’s
.

The bridesmaids gathered closer and listened.
Their expressions full of concern.

“Da
ddy, please,” Taylor broke in before her father could say anything else
and escalate the tension
.
“Tim, when did you see him last?”
Her voice sounded strange almost guarded
as she attempted to suppress her anxiety.

He
dedicated
his attention to
her
. A
partial
look of
relie
f
showed
as if he preferred speaking to Taylor
rather
than her father
.
“
He left e
arly this morning, before breakfast.”

“
Did you speak to him?” she inquired
in a
tone
calmer tha
n she felt
,
while squeezing
the bouquet that she suddenly realized she
still held.
She glanced down and
threw the
crushed
flowers on the small arm-chair
near the dining room door
.

Looking as if he couldn’t believe
the situation, Tim pulled
at his cravat
.
“Rod woke me.”

“And …
” S
he
e
ncourag
ed
when
instead
she wanted to ring his neck for taki
ng forever to tell what happened.

“Said
he
was going fish
ing and as
ked if I wanted to go.
”
H
e seem
ed
to gain a small degree of his normal self.

Taylor glanced quickly out the front window, while listening intently.
The rain, which had begun before dawn, had stopped
, but when?
With all of her preparations, she’d not looked out
until she walked down the stairs and seen the sun.
S
he’d no idea when the storm had passed.
Fix
ing her attention again on Tim, she said, “And
…
?”

“I told him only a fool went
out in a driving rain storm.
Rod said
t
h
at th
is was only heavy mist for the Low
country.
”
Tim shook his head and light-brown strands
partially covered his
damp
forehead.

She nodded.
“He would say that.
Rain never kept him from the river.
”
A foreboding
filled her.
Dang
Fool
.

“So
…
” H
er father pushed
, wanting more
information
.

“That’s all.
” Tim shrugg
ed his shoulders, but worry and
regret
covered his face
perhaps because he
hadn’t done more.

Seeing his expression and hoping to relieve at least a portion of
his
guilt, Taylor said,
“When he made up his mind, nothing would ever stop hi
m.”
Her
intonation
showed
sad
ness as she fought
to absorb the news.

“What a
bout the wedding?” her father
insisted
, as if trying to focus on the current problem
.

“Oh.
” Glancing back toward Taylor’s dad, his face once again showing pain, the best man replied,
“Rod said that he’d be back before noon and not to worry.”

“Didn’t you think it strange when
t
he
groom
hadn’t appeared by lunchtime?” Martin pushed.
The anger
scarcely contained.
However, he couldn’t control his facial reactions
which hardened with every word nor the redness creeping up his neck.
The vein on the side of his skull stood out and appeared to throb and Taylor worried he might have a stroke or a heart attack.

“Dad, please.”
She took his arm and hugged him.
“Everything
w
ill
be fine.”
She hoped her words
and actions
co
nveyed more hope than she felt.

Her dad
regarded
her
, before patting
her hand as if to reassure her.
His body lost a fragment of its rigidness
revealing
his
fight to control
his deep concern.

Tim opened his mouth, but before he could speak, her father said, “
Didn’t you think it unusual when
everyone around was dressing
and preparing for a wedding that the
groom hadn’t appeared
for his own wedding
?”
Her father’s sarcasm deepened with every word
, but his face no longer held the bright red tone
and the vein had receded
.

“Sure
.
” Tim defended himself
, gaining confidence
.
“Around three, I sent some of the guys to check the other rooms in the carriage house.”

“
T
hree?
You didn’t wonder when Rod
failed to retur
n before that
? Did you think about telling anyone?”
Martin’s word
s
pounded on the defenseless man.

He shrugged his shoulders
, again looking
guilty.
“I got talking and. . .”
Tim squirmed visibly.

“So, arou
nd three, people started searching
for him and. . .” Martin glared at the younger man.

Moving his eyes as if to avoid seeing Martin, he said,
“We couldn’t find him.
I kept hoping he’d come back, so I didn’t say anything.
With everyone getting ready for the wedding, I didn’t
want to disturb things. I figured
he’d be back in time.
When he hadn’t arrive
d
by quarter to four, I sent Josh to the dock, but the boat wasn’t there.”
Now, he glanced at Martin, as if hoping the man would understand.

She
tightened her grip on
her father, trying to keep herself upright.
“I’m sure he
’s
fine.
”
Even if her words sounded normal, her mind flowed
over with
doubts.
“Did you try his cell phone, Tim?”
Sure
ly
he did, but
she
requir
ed
all the details
.

“Yeah.
I started calling just before three, but it went directly to his voice mail.
I tried texting, too.
Nothing.
E
ither
he turned the phone o
ff or the battery’s dead, be
cause he’s not answering.”
Talking had helped Tim regain his self-control.

“He could be in a no service area,”
Emily, o
ne of the bridesmaid offered
, stepping forward slightly
.
“Service in this area is chancy at best.”

Emily’s
voice brough
t her back to her surroundings.
Taylor
nodded and clung to the suggestion. She
had been so wrapped up in Tim
’s
story she’d forgotten
every
one else.
A quick glance around revealed
her friends remained near, wanting to help in any way they could.
T
o show her thanks
, she managed a smile
and received s
imilar ones
back.

“Possibly.”
Her father nodded his
agreement
to Emily’s statement
.
“
I
f his boat ran aground, high-tide came in hours ago and
would have lifted him off. W
hile motoring back he c
ould have called to explain
.”

“Unless he ran out of
gas
or he had engine trouble.
” Taylor sighed
.
“Rod often forge
t
s
to che
ck the gas tanks.
When we boat or fish
together, I make sure they
’
re
filled.”
She hated saying this and waited for the explosion from her father.

“He what?” Her father swirled around and stared at his daughter. “
That boy’s lived here for 20 years. To chance running out of gas in the Lowcountry with almost no
marinas
available for miles is
reckless.
And not keeping a boat in t
op running order is equally
s
tupid ...”

Taylor interrupted, keeping her voice calm, “Dad,
after
we find him
you can
rage about his
imperfections
.

“
Oh, my gosh,
Dad
. Y
ou
must
tell the guests what’s happened,” she almost shouted.
“
I’m sure they are all wondering what’s going on
in the house
.
”

“You’re right.”
He
grasped her shoulders,
looking with concern
at her face.
“Are you sure you’re alright?”

She
bobbed her head
, although she’d never felt less all right in her life.

He
walked
stiffly
through the open door
,
stood on the stone patio
, and waited for a minute
as if to gather his thoughts
.

Taylor and
her bridesmaids followed him
outside
.
The whole situation
appeared bizarre.

The
guests had moved from the
tent and
stood gathered closer to
the
back of the
house.
All t
he talking and whispering stopped.
One hundred people stared at him.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I fear
the Groom is missing.”

Surveying the crowd as her father
spoke;
she saw the shocked expression on every face.

Her dad continued, “
Rodney took a boat out around dawn this morning, and he has not returned.
Since we need a groom to have a wedding, I am asking for
help
to
look for him.
Once he’s found, we can return, enjoy the
ceremony
and the party afterward.”

A few people chuckled, but everyone else remained quiet as if waiting to learn more.

“Those of you from the Lowcountry understand
how dangerous the B
r
oad River can be.
My plan is to blanket the river and its tributaries with boats and searchers. The sooner we find him, the sooner we can start celebrating. 
For those
staying on Plantation
, w
e
’
ll meet on the front lawn in fifteen minutes.
That gives you time to change. If you live
nearby, as soon as you are ready,
get your boats and
come back
for an assigned search area.