The Turned Read online

  “I thought you were going to become an artist like your mom.” Her father challenged, remembering last week when she had dumped paint all over the kitchen floor trying to be a ‘real’ artist like Sarah.

  “Oh… I’m gonna’ do that too!” Lana remembered excitedly.

  “Both?” her father smiled broadly. “Kiddo, you are going to be one busy lady. Really busy. A biologist and a world class artist. Whew!” Thomas lifted his hand and pretended to wipe sweat from his brow.

  “Daddy,” Lana climbed over and sat on his lap, “can I come sailing with you?” The question resembled a plea for life. Thomas mentally calculated how many times his daughter had asked this question and couldn’t wait until the day he could tell her yes.

  “You can when you’re older,” Thomas said for now, hoping that when she was old enough she still wanted to go sailing with him.

  “Daddy I am old enough,” Lana whined as the wind sent her hair into a halo of chaos.

  “Lana, I promise to teach you when you’re a little older. You have to grow a couple inches first,” he reasoned, trying to tame his daughter’s hair.

  “Pinky promise?” Lana lifted her fisted hand with her little finger sticking out. Her dad followed suit. The look on her face was priceless, as if he were promising her the presidency, or the world.

  “Pinky promise,” he agreed, nodding his head, turning his smile into a look of complete seriousness.

  Their pinkies crossed and they both squeezed tightly, Lana squeezing harder than her dad. She giggled and smiles spread across both of their faces.

  “What do you say we go home, Kiddo’? Your mom’s probably waiting on us.” The image of his wife setting plates and silver on the table for their family dinner popped into his thoughts as he stood up and helped his daughter do the same.

  “Okay, Daddy,” Lana agreed as she took her father’s hand so he could lift her safely from the boat to the pier.

  * *

  Lana climbed into the passenger seat of her Mom’s black Tahoe and fastened her seatbelt. The click resounded through the car. Lana remained silent, testing to see if her mother still harbored the anger from earlier. The engine roared while Sarah steered the car out of the driveway.

  “I told Daniel we’d go out to lunch with him for your birthday after we take the cake home,” her mother began nonchalantly, struggling to keep the raw emotion she still felt under wraps.

  “Is he going to come to my party tonight?” Lana asked hopefully. She had missed her Uncle Danny these past few months.

  “Of course, but I just figured we’d keep up the tradition of us all having lunch together.” Sarah’s voice was calm and collected. She smiled internally that Lana hadn’t brought up that whole book mess from earlier. It was her daughter’s birthday and she was focused on Lana having a wonderful day, and an amazing party.

  “I know, I was just making sure that you’d invited him,” Lana offered trying not to let her excitement shine through even though her mother knew how important Uncle Danny was to her. He had become everything to her when her father disappeared.

  The car was silent for a moment. Lana wondered what her mother was thinking about as her eyes fixed on the oncoming traffic.

  “It’s sad that we only see him once a year now. It isn’t like he’s not a friend of the family anymore.” He did take on the role of surrogate father after…Sarah struck the thought from her mind, mentally refusing to think about that again today.

  “Maybe you should talk to him about it, Mom,” Lana suggested. She would love if Uncle Danny began spending more time with her mother and her, instead of only their secret sailing lessons.

  “You know, you’re right. I need to do that.” The blinker clicked repeatedly as her mother turned the car onto Main Street, toward the bakery.

  “Where are we eating for lunch?” Lana asked, turning the conversation back to their plans for the day.

  “Daniel suggested that pizza place on North Avenue,” her mother replied while changing lanes, turning to look in her blind spot.

  Lana laughed, “Why did I even bother to ask?”

  “What do you mean?” Her mother’s tone indicated that she had missed Lana’s sarcasm.

  “Daniel always picks that place when it’s his choice. And it’s always his choice,” Lana laughed even harder. Her hands immediately came up and covered her stomach. The reverberation of laughter sweeping through her.

  “Oh,” her mother giggled. “He loves it, says he used to go there every day after school when he was younger.”

  The scent of cookies and freshly baked cakes seeped into the car, overwhelming Lana’s senses. Sarah pulled into the bakery’s parking lot and stopped the car. Lana unclasped her seat belt, opened the door, and stepped down onto the black pavement.

  They walked around the building to the front of Sweet’s Bakery Shoppe. Opening the glass-paned door, a bell jingled as they walked in and were greeted by the sweetest smells anyone could possibly imagine. Lana took a deep breath and licked her lips.

  “Hey Sarah,” Marie Lawson shouted as she emerged from the backroom, where the smell of the baked goodies originated. She was splotched with flour and had her hair tied up in a messy bun with gloves still adorning her hands. Lana tried not to laugh.

  “Marie, great to see you,” the two ladies hugged, Sarah carefully avoiding the floury design that Marie often donned. “You stopping by Lana’s party tonight?”

  “I’m gonna’ try to make it. If I get all of this flour out of my hair by six thirty that is,” Marie answered laughing. “I suppose you’ll be wanting a cake for this party of hers, huh?”

  “Well, if you happen to have one, we’ll be more than happy to take it off of your hands.” Sarah returned the teasing gesture, opening her hands as if begging for them to be filled with delicious cakes.

  “Actually, I just finished putting the final touches on one. Let me go grab it.” Marie turned away from Lana and Sarah, winking as she did so.

  Marie disappeared for a moment into the back room. She came out holding the most gorgeous cake Lana had ever seen. The cake was three tiered with fudge icing covering it. It had turquoise stripes around the base of each tier with white icing delicately designed to emulate lace on the top of each level.

  Lana gasped and her face spread into a smile complete with quarter-wide eyes. She stared at the delicacy Marie had used in decorating her birthday cake and imagined taking the first slice and it tasting exactly like the clouds in heaven.

  “What do you think, Sarah? Lana seems to like it,” Marie joked, her face painted with the pride she felt over the cake design.

  “Marie, I love it,” Lana whispered still in awe. She couldn’t imagine what her friends would say about the beauty of the cake, dare she cut into it.

  Marie slid the cake onto the counter and Lana gave her a warm hug. “Happy birthday, dear.” Lana had forgotten about the flour covering Marie’s clothing and enthusiastically wrapped her arms around Marie.

  Lana’s mother stood gazing at the cake, her face a mirror to what Lana’s had been. “Marie, you’ve seriously outdone yourself.”

  * *

  “Uncle Danny!” Lana shouted, running toward the tall tanned man with sandy blonde hair, wearing khaki shorts and a t-shirt advertising cereal.

  “Hey Lana,” he managed to say as Lana looped her arms around his neck. “How’s it feel to be eighteen now? Getting old,” he laughed. “Bought your first pack of smokes yet?” Daniel asked, ignoring the fierce gaze he knew Sarah was giving him.

  Lana hit him gently on the shoulder. “You know I don’t smoke Uncle Danny,” Lana joked back.

  “Oh right. I keep forgetting,” he teased. He turned to Lana’s mother. “Hello Sarah, how have you been? Haven’t seen you in a while,” his demeanor shifting from playful to gentlemanly in an instant.

  “It has been some time, Daniel. I’m doing good. You?” Sarah smiled, taking in the handsome young face of her friend. The closest thing she had to a real frie
nd.

  “Oh, I’m making it,” he said with a lopsided goofy grin. “You girls ready for some birthday pizza? I brought eighteen candles to stick in the cheese.” Daniel motioned to the left pocket of his shorts.

  “No you didn’t,” Lana challenged, reaching for the pocket to see if he was bluffing.

  “Is that a bet?” Daniel casually stepped to the side, swatting Lana’s hand away so she couldn’t reveal the answer to her challenge.

  “Oh, it’s a bet all right.” Lana stood her ground, hands on her hips as if she were turning twenty-five instead of eighteen.

  Daniel winked at Lana. He held the door open for both of the ladies and then followed them in. They walked into Joey’s Pizzeria to the smell of pepperoni and fresh dough. The three went to the back corner and grabbed an empty table underneath the poster of Elvis singing into an old-fashioned microphone, Daniel’s favorite spot.

  “I’m going to wash my hands real quick. Lana would you mind ordering me a Pepsi?” Sarah asked her daughter as she threw her purse on her seat and turned toward the restroom sign.

  “Sure, Mom,” Lana agreed readily.

  Sarah headed toward the opposite side of the building and Lana found her chance to talk to Daniel alone. She dared to ask him about the book, her nerves sending electricity through her body.

  “Uncle Danny, I have to talk to you about something really important.” She began, unsure how exactly she was going to say all of this in a way that he would actually believe her.

  “What’s up Lana?” Daniel asked as if this conversation would be like any other, slowly looking around for a server.

  “I got a package in the mail today… and, well… I think it’s from Dad.” Lana’s voice had dropped to a whisper and Daniel had to strain to hear exactly what she had said. The words hung in the air a moment, threatening to come to life.

  Daniel’s eyes widened. “What makes you think that?”

  “The package had a leather book inside. I haven’t gotten a chance to read it yet, but it has Dad’s initials on the front cover. And the inside, his name is written there.” Lana rushed, wanting to get rid of the information, she needed Daniel’s opinion.

  “Leather?” Daniel questioned, “I’m pretty sure his log book was leather. I guess it could be that. But it couldn’t have been your dad, Lana. He’s gone. Someone else must have found the book and mailed it back.” Daniel explained his reasoning carefully, the last thing that he wanted to do was upset Lana.

  “But there was no return address in the front cover of the book,” Lana argued. “How would someone return it without knowing the address?” She had thought about this thoroughly while getting ready that morning. If there was no return address on the front cover, then there was no way that anyone but her father could have sent it. No one else would know the address. If someone other than her dad had found it, they wouldn’t have known who Thomas Winters was, or where he had lived ten years ago…

  “Lana, what are you saying?” Daniel leaned over the table, closer to Lana, not knowing what to expect.

  “I told you. I’m saying that I think he sent it to me. He’s… he’s alive, Daniel.” Lana breathed heavily, looking around, glad that her mother was nowhere in sight. She met Daniel’s eyes and hoped that she saw belief dancing in his irises.

  Chapter 3

  “Daniel, man, you have to come with me on this trip. I can’t do it alone.” Tom’s blue eyes were locked with Daniels. Tom felt his muscles tense, waiting for the answer he knew was coming. How could he convince Daniel to change his mind? Daniel didn’t understand the importance of this expedition. Should he risk telling Daniel, hoping the world of biologists didn’t catch wind of it?

  “Tom, I can’t. I told you. I have to sit this one out.” Daniel shrugged his shoulders leaning farther back on the built in bench, the cushion sliding forward underneath him. He’d give anything to make this trip, but too much was riding on him not going.

  Daniel and Tom sat on Tom’s sailboat. The wind gently rocked the boat back and forth causing the streams of light to glitter off of the royal blue paint. The sun cast a warming glow onto the ocean. The two men each held a bottle of Coor’s Light in their hand, the condensation dripping down their hands. The mountains slowly losing their cool blue color.

  “But you’re the second best marine biologist I know,” Tom teased, attempting humor to sway Daniel’s decision.

  Daniel laughed. “Let me guess, you’re the first?” He threw back a gulp of the icy beer.

  “You have to come. I can’t take anyone else. They’d just be in my way.” Tom took a long cool drink from his beer, letting the liquid wash over the words he knew were true.

  “Well, you’re gonna’ have to this time, buddy,” Daniel replied flatly. This was not what Daniel wanted to be saying to his partner. His body urged him to say yes, to agree to the trip, but his head and his heart held him back.

  “There is no one else that can do the work the way you do it.” Tom pointed his index finger at his best friend. “Fact. You know I’m right Daniel,” Tom said persuasively. He readjusted himself on the bench opposite from Daniel.

  “Why is this trip so important? The last time I couldn’t go there was no problem. I don’t understand why there’s an issue this time.” A hint of anger rose in Daniel’s throat. Anger at the reason why he had to continue to deny his best friend the help he needed on this trip.

  Tom looked out over the water, avoiding Daniel’s gaze and his question. Tom was hiding something. Daniel was sure of it. He understood that no one worked better with Thomas than himself. No one had ever been able to match Thomas’ knowledge and work ethic, except Daniel. He just failed to completely understand why Thomas kept pushing this. The last expedition that he had to miss had forced Thomas to hire on someone else. Daniel remembered that the trip hadn’t been the easiest for Thomas, but he had published a paper after it. The work may have been harder for Thomas without Daniel, but it had been completed.

  “This trip is more important than any trip before.” Thomas finally said, his words the same volume as the soft waves lapping at the bottom of the sailboat.

  “How so?” Daniel countered, nearly demanding a full explanation.

  “It’s going to change things.” The cryptic reply danced through Daniel’s ears. Why couldn’t Thomas just be up front with him? Daniel expected that from his best friend, but then again, Thomas had never been clear when it came to important biological issues. Thomas had to be the best and if anyone else caught wind of his work, then that could bring competition.

  “What things exactly? Come on Tom, what’s this trip really about?” Daniel leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees, staring at Tom.

  “Daniel, you just have to trust me on this one.” Daniel watched Tom raise his beer and take two hefty gulps before he let out a long sigh.

  “Tom, I’m sorry. I can’t go. Maybe if you give me a few weeks to patch things up with Theresa… Then I’ll go with you.” Daniel hung his head, a puppy that had disobeyed. He felt that he was letting Thomas down. He stared at the deck, wishing that he could go, knowing that the feel of the wind in his face as he sailed away from all of his problems would bring him serenity for a few short weeks though it would be hell when he returned.

  Tom shook his head. “It’s got to be now. This time of year is perfect for this trip.” The tone of Tom’s voice was razor sharp. He had made his mind up about going, he couldn’t wait for Daniel to beg Theresa to let him go, for her to understand their work.

  Daniel’s voice broke. “Damn it, Tom. Theresa’s going to leave me. You’re lucky; Sarah understands how much all of this means to you, but Theresa doesn’t. She thinks sailing is a waste of time, not to mention a waste of our talents. I can’t risk it. Especially for a trip that you’ll tell me nothing about,” Daniel sighed. He lowered his head suddenly exhausted. Why couldn’t his wife just accept that being a marine biologist was his life, his work. He loved Theresa with all of his heart, but she didn’t re
cognize that Daniel’s work wasn’t just an excuse to have fun with his best friend.

  “Daniel,” Tom’s voice resonated calmness, “this trip would prove that we aren’t wasting our talents. She’d see when we go discover something that will change the world.”

  “I can’t do it. I can’t take that chance.” Daniel’s gaze shifted from the fiberglass and wooden deck to the waves rolling in. His voice was nothing more than a whisper, “I need her, Tom. Don’t you know what that’s like? I don’t want to lose her.”

  Tom shrugged and looked out at the horizon, the feeling of defeat raining down on him. “Okay, Dan.”

  “Okay?” Daniel retorted, thinking he had missed something, a part of the conversation that made Thomas understand.

  “I do understand, Daniel. If it were Sarah and I, I’d stay off the ocean forever to keep her. It’s okay. I can do this trip alone.” He looked at Daniel. “I just don’t want to. But I don’t really have a choice this time.”

  The accepting words stung Daniel more so than Thomas trying to change his mind. He looked at the ocean churning around them and felt like he’d just lost everything.

  * *

  The clock on Lana’s night stand read six thirty. Lana felt her nerves peak at the clock that rushed her along. Her party started in thirty minutes and she hadn’t finished getting ready yet. All she wanted to do was read her Dad’s logbook, but she’d run out of time. She’d have to wait until later. Her hands turned to fists, how long would she have to wait for a moment alone to skim the pages? The pages that could hold the secret to where her dad had disappeared to.

  Lana grabbed her favorite dress out of the closet, white at the top with a dark blue band around the waist. The bottom of the dress was striped green, turquoise, and midnight blue. She slipped it on and went across the hall to the bathroom, gently tugging the bottom of the dress down.

  Lana clicked the ‘on’ button for her straightener then glanced up at herself in the medicine cabinet mirror. She wondered what her dad would look like now, if he were still alive. He was young and smiling in her memory, the edges of his face blurred after ten years.