Page 69 of Reeves

Charli’s flashlight stays steady on us. She doesn’t interrupt, but I’m aware of her attention, the quiet way she’s taking in the entire exchange between Benjy and me.

“We should build the next one higher up,” Benjy decides, pointing toward the dunes. “Where the water can’t reach it.”

“Good thinking.”

He’s already moving again, sweeping the sand with his flashlight, the disappointment from a minute ago completely replaced with a new plan.

Ben’s boots crunch across the gravel behind us, the empty bucket swinging at his side.

“Shells are back where they belong. Y’all find any pirate activity?”

“They moved the trap,” Benjy calls out. “But that means they’re smart. We’re gonna build a better one tomorrow.”

Ben chuckles and falls into step beside Charli.

“Tomorrow, huh?”

Tomorrow.

Benjy jogs back toward us, his flashlight bouncing with each step.

“Can we bring more supplies tomorrow? Maybe some rope? And bigger sticks?”

He looks straight at me, waiting for the answer.

He isn’t really asking about rope or sticks. He’s asking whether I’ll come back.

SIXTEEN

Charli

The Neighborhood:The route moves deeper into streets the deceased knew. The crowd grows denser the further in it goes.

The dashboard lightscast a soft glow across Reeves's hands on the steering wheel. He drives through the quiet residential streets while Benjy bounces in the back seat, still buzzing with energy from the beach.

"We need bigger sticks next time. Way bigger." Benjy clutches his flashlight, waving it around as he talks. "And we should dig deeper. Pirates probably have really deep treasure, right?"

"Probably," Reeves says.

"And we could make the sides stronger. Maybe use rocks to hold everything in place."

Reeves nods slightly. "Rocks would work. Pack sand around them so they don't shift."

Benjy immediately absorbs this like it's official military strategy. "Yeah! And we could disguise it better. Make it look like just regular beach stuff so the pirates don't notice."

"Smart thinking."

Watching from the passenger seat, I'm surprised by how easily the conversation flows. Reeves doesn’t talk down to him or try to impress him. He just listens and answers when the kid needs input.

"Maybe the pirates already moved their treasure again," Benjy continues. "Up in the dunes where it's really safe. We should check tomorrow."

Tomorrow again. That word keeps coming up.

"Could be," Reeves agrees.

I braced for awkward pauses and forced conversation after yesterday. Instead, Benjy talks to Reeves like this is the most normal thing in the world, and Reeves doesn’t try to take over. He just meets him where he is.

That catches me off guard.