Echo

turned out, also desperate for love. Lucky for her, the inhabitants of Mango Lane had plenty to spare.
    Scotty’s hands stayed full with the doggy troupe. He appeared to settle in to their new environment nicely. He did get a car. A modest maroon Jeep Wolfhound, used mostly on their little island. Jose put his foot down about Scotty driving off the key without being accompanied by one of the adults, including Peter. Scotty didn’t object much as he spent most of his extra time with his outboard motorboat, large enough for Echo and usually one or two of the dogs. Jose’s number one rule (no exceptions) demanded life jackets for all; especially Echo and the dogs. Scotty knew how to swim, thanks to a summer recreation program at the local town pool in Newtown when he was in seventh and eighth grade. But everyone knew that the currents in the deceptive bay could be tricky. The dogs could become a handful whenever Scotty lucked on a pod of dolphins to chase, the excitement overwhelming them. Scotty struggled to hold them back, their determination to join the dolphin’s play, a risk to them all. The bay teemed with dolphins, all individually known through the studies of the famous Mote Marine Laboratory, located on City Island in the bay in Sarasota. Sarasota Bay, declared by the U.S. Congress an estuary of national significance, boasted an aquarium that opened to the public. The Mote Marine Lab was well known for their studies of sharks, sea turtles, dolphins, red tide, environmental toxins, coral reefs and costal ecology beckoned tantalizingly to Scotty. Enlisting Peter, he paid it a visit. Risky business, considering the fact that Peter operated in the dark, still unaware of their true nature.
    ###
    Jose thought back to his miraculous arrival in Sarasota. Knocking on Abby’s door, they entered her luxury suite at her hotel to find her drawn and frightened. Signs of dried tears trailed down her pale face. Throwing herself into Jose’s arms, she babbled that Peter’s secretary was dead. The police demanded Peter fly back home for questioning. The words murder and rape hung in the air. Calming her down, Jose learned the police wanted him to return too; ostensibly, to discuss the issues . Full panic mode set in, scaring everyone.
    Luckily, in all of the drama and shock of Tiffany’s rape and murder, Peter’s requested meeting failed to materialize. Jose decided to accompany Peter back to Sussex County. He wanted to stay close to the investigation, hoping Armoni did not surface as part of it. But sooner or later, Jose knew Peter would find the time to sit them all down and start asking questions. While Peter handled questions from the police, Jose tried to find Mama Diaz and the girls. Not knowing where or how to start, he wisely hired a private investigator. He spent half a day filling the investigator in on all he knew of the Diaz family before his adoption. He felt certain, with the Internet, it wouldn’t take long before the investigator produced results. Four months later, still no news.
    The investigation into Tiffany’s killer landed at a dead end. Jose reported the small encounter between Armoni and Tiffany. But the police dismissed Armoni as a suspect. No motive and negligible connection. Oddly, the police mentioned how Armoni’s house got torched the same day as Tiffany’s murder. There were no sightings of Armoni since. And the cops didn’t see a connection? Feeling the heavy weight of dread, Jose thought the coincidence ominous.
    Bringing his thoughts back to the terrace, he stood up, surveying the lush tropical property, looking down toward the gazebo bedecked dock where Scotty’s skiff and the colossal green and white yacht swayed gently, water lapping at the hulls. Captain Cobby glanced his way, giving a friendly wave. Jose waved back, noting Captain Cobby’s twenty-year-old son Kane in the water scrubbing away at the marks left by the water line. Jose knew nothing of what it took to be a yacht owner. It’s been said that the happiest days of a yacht owner’s life were when he purchased his yacht and then again when he resold it. He had yet to discover the veracity of the saying. He really thought it silly for them to own such a vessel, but for some reason, Abby took a shine to it. Truth be told, he didn’t believe Abby actually felt happy. He knew something was missing. Not so much about her feelings for him. Something deeper, something profound that she needed to resolve on her own,