90 Miles To Freedom Read online

  ISBN 1463566492

  EAN 978-1463566494

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

  '90 Miles To Freedom' is published by That Right Publishing LLC, who can be contacted at:

  http://www.thatright.com

  http://thatright.ning.com

  '90 Miles To Freedom' is the copyright of the author, K.C. Hilton, 2011. All rights are reserved.

  The book cover design is by Robin Ludwig Design, Inc.

  All characters are fictional, and any resemblance to anyone living or dead is accidental.

  Collin had the perfect life. He had a loving family and everything money could buy. A life envied by all.

  But Collin wasn’t perfect. He had a secret, one that came with a price. A secret that could destroy his life and everyone in it.

  Chapter 1

  May 2010

  “George!” Betty yelled up the stairs. “We have to go! We’re going to be late! And we still have to buy Joey a graduation card! What on earth are you doing up there?”

  George and Betty Scott weren’t old enough to retire, but they didn’t need to work, either. They’d wisely invested in commodities and made a mint when oil prices went through the roof.

  They’d always loved the ocean. When they found themselves financially secure with no mortgage, no car payments and nothing else to worry about save living expenses, they decided to sell their old home and move so they could raise their two boys near the water. When their oldest son was still in high school they purchased a home just outside of Key West, Florida in a subdivision called Key Haven.

  George and Betty loved Key Haven. They were perfectly happy to live in Key Haven for the rest of their lives. All they wanted was to make their children happy, grow old together, and patiently wait to spoil future grandchildren.

  Their two story home sat on a large lot, the back of it facing the Gulf. The house was huge. At thirty-five hundred square feet, it was comprised of three bedrooms, three and a half baths, and a two car garage.

  Most women are generally interested in having a large kitchen, and Betty’s was larger than most. However, her favorite feature of the house was that she could walk through the French doors in the living room and step onto the stone-tiled patio. The patio led to the seawall, which was exactly forty feet away from their private boat docks.

  Betty loved to sit on her patio for hours at a time, watching the water. The Gulf was so clear that she could see the fish swimming deep within, flitting here and there in their underwater world. Schools of dolphins swimming by in the early mornings or late afternoons were an added bonus that made Betty smile every time.

  The backyard patio area was George and Betty’s second home. They found no need to go anywhere for vacations.

  “No need to take a vacation now that we live here. Most people spend loads of money just so they can vacation where we live,” George and Betty often said to their children. “Besides, where on earth could there possibly be a more beautiful place to visit?”

  George was more than intrigued by his two car garage. The large area kept him contentedly busy, organizing and storing his handyman tools and miscellaneous items. George, being an efficient man, had labeled all the drawers and cabinets in the garage so he could quickly and easily locate whichever particular tool he might need. He had a full arsenal of the tools a man would need to do odd jobs around the home, and was very proud of them. The labels were also helpful for Betty, because she was often more inclined to use the handle of a screwdriver to hang pictures throughout their home rather than take the time to search for a hammer. She often told George that “if it works, that’s all that matters.”

  Most of George and Betty’s time was spent on their partially covered back patio, reading books, playing games on their laptops, and discussing the day’s events. Often they lazed in their in-ground swimming pool or in the attached Jacuzzi, following up with a delicious meal which George cooked on their gas grill. Evening sunsets offered the most glorious setting, more fascinating than any movie. The ocean not only offered endless hours of mesmerizing views, but also provided tranquil sounds that soothed their already contented souls.

  George was a tall man, just over six feet tall, and had a slender but muscular build. He wore his straight brown hair in a shaggy style and sported what he considered to be a very stylish goatee. He always made mention to anyone who would listen that if he didn’t have facial hair he would look twenty years younger.

  The top of Betty’s head almost reached George’s shoulder, since she stood only a couple of inches over five feet. When George told people about his facial hair making him look older, she was always pleased to chip in that if she were only seventy five pounds lighter she would also look twenty years younger. And Betty never minded when George teased her about being short. She simply responded by telling him she wasn’t short at all. Technically, she was vertically challenged. She also told him she wasn’t overweight; she had thick skin.

  The couple was immensely proud of their two sons, Collin and Joey.

  Collin, their oldest, was twenty-four. He was half a foot shorter than his father, with a stocky build that showed a bit of muscle. His hair was brown, like that of both his parents. He wore it in a fade style cut, keeping a little extra hair on top and using hair gel for the wet, messy look. Collin also wore a well-groomed goatee. On his left ear he sported a small gold ball earring.

  When he’d graduated from high school, Collin told his parents he had decided not to attend college. Instead, he wanted to own his own business. Rather than his parents paying for his college tuition, he asked if they could save money and purchase him a seaworthy fishing boat. He astutely pointed out that owning a ship like that would ensure he always had work, a place to sleep and, of course, an abundance of seafood, so he would never go hungry. Collin had worked on various fishing boats throughout high school, learning as much as he could. Betty and George were well aware that he had always dreamed of owning one of his own.

  So now Collin was the owner of a large fishing boat, in which he lived and worked, making a great living by charging vacationing tourists for fishing excursions.

  Chapter 2

  On the morning of Joey’s graduation, Collin felt somewhat sluggish. He had not slept all night, explaining to his parents that the fishing tourists had paid him double the night before so that he would take them fishing during the night hours. The tourists claimed that fishing at night during a full moon would allow them to catch the best of fish.

  Collin had planned on taking a short nap before graduation to ensure he’d be able to keep his eyes open during Joey’s ceremony, as well as at the planned celebration dinner afterwards. He knew his parents had made reservations at their favorite restaurant. Collin also wanted to be wide enough awake to meet up with his fiancée, Morgan, after dinner.

  But for now the focus was on Joey’s high school graduation. Betty paced around the front entrance of their house, impatient to get moving. Collin stood on the side, watching her and smiling.

  “Lord help me! That wretched man! He will be the death of me yet! How ironic that the general consensus is that women take too much time getting ready. Well apparently,” Betty shouted through the door, aiming her voice in the direction of their bedroom, “the general consensus hasn’t met my husband!”

  “Mom, it’ll be fine,” Collin assured her. “You know how Dad gets on special occasions.”

  She ignored her son, choosing instead to encourage her husband with a little more yelling. “George! Why is it that I’m always wa
iting for you to get ready? Isn’t it supposed to be the other way around?”

  “I’m coming, I’m coming,” puffed George, sounding out of breath. He hurried through the hall holding two pairs of shoes. His tie hung undone around his neck. “What do you think: black or brown?”

  “Either pair will do just fine,” Betty snapped. She bit her lower lip, trying to hold back her anger. “It’s not like anyone will notice the color of your shoes anyway!”

  George gave his son a bewildered look, then shrugged and rushed back to their bedroom. They could hear him dropping the shoes onto the floor.

  “You’re worse than a girl going on her first date!” Betty shouted, then looked over at Collin. She shook her head and chuckled under her breath. “God help us.”

  Collin laughed, always entertained by his parents’ strange little ways. Their good-hearted sarcasm could be very funny, and they seemed to get great joy out of picking at each other most every day. It wouldn’t be the least bit out of the ordinary to hear either of them say, “I’m going to kick your ass,” then start laughing and peck the other one on the lips.

  George came shuffling out of their bedroom in his black shoes, mumbling while he tried to fix his tie. “I just want everything to be perfect. Our little boy is graduating from high school and will be off to college after the summer.” The tie appeared to be fighting back, so Betty stepped over to give him a hand. “Our little boy, Betty! He’s turning into a man so fast. He’s just barely out of diapers! Well …” he said, pausing and tilting his head to the side. “Maybe not diapers. Maybe that’s pushing it. But how can it be that we’re already headed to his high school graduation? When did he grow up so fast?”

  Betty smiled and kept quiet, letting George go on and on, thinking out loud.

  Suddenly George’s eyes lit up like a kid’s on Christmas morning. He grinned from ear to ear. “Maybe Joey can buy a boat after Collin sells the yacht. Then he could use the other side of the dock. Now that’s a great idea!”

  Joey was eighteen and stood six feet tall, like his father. He had a slender build and enjoyed teasing his older brother about being short. Of course teasing in this family was always done with affection, so Collin was never upset when Joey went after him.

  Height wasn’t the only difference between the brothers. Joey was graduating from high school at the top of his class and had completely different plans from what Collin had after graduating.

  Joey wanted nothing more than to attend Florida Tech to obtain a degree in Oceanography. He loved the ocean, its creatures and everything else about it. He found it all extremely intriguing. Joey could often be found reading and studying every article he could find about what went on under the sea.

  “Having an ocean as a backyard is better than a fenced in yard with grass and a swimming pool,” Joey would say when people asked him where he might live in the future. “Besides, I wouldn’t care much for mowing a large yard of grass.”

  When George’s tie was finally knotted properly, Betty got behind him and shooed him toward the door, clicking her tongue as she went.

  “I’m not sure why you’re having Empty Nest Syndrome symptoms, George. After all, you are hoping our boys will continue to live at home, right?” She grabbed the keys to the car and rushed towards the door. “It’s not as if living on a boat which is docked in our backyard is exactly moving out, you know!”

  George ignored her comment, continuing instead to mumble and complain about how quickly his boys had grown into men. Collin stood in the living room, watching all the commotion. He was planning to go on his own to the graduation a little later on.

  “Let’s go, old man,” Betty said when George hesitated in the doorway. “We’re not getting any younger. Joey will never forgive us if we’re late!”

  “But -” George started.

  Betty let out a sigh and rolled her eyes. “Oh, for Pete’s sake. God help us. Get in the car!”

  “When this is over, remind me why I married you. I’ll need to remember so I don’t kick your ass before the end of this day!” George said, chuckling. He gave Betty a light slap on her backside while they were walking through the door, and she answered with a flirtatious wink. He pulled the door closed behind him, then gave it a wiggle to make sure it was locked. Collin could hear his father talking through the door.

  “Don’t worry, old woman. We have three hours before graduation starts. I’m fairly sure we’ll not only get a front row seat, but a front row parking spot as well!”

  Chapter 3

  George and Betty hurried down the front walkway and Collin, who was watching his parents through the large bay window, smiled when he witnessed his father open Betty’s door for her. Such a sweet gesture, he thought, reminding himself to do that with Morgan later on. Once Betty was in the car, George walked around to the driver’s side and closed his own door. Then they just sat there in the driveway, not going anywhere.

  Collin yawned and peered out, wondering why they hadn’t moved. He could see them in the car, looking at each other and talking, but the car hadn’t even started up. It was strange that his mother was allowing them to simply sit there after she’d been in such a hurry before.

  All of a sudden George and Betty bolted out of the vehicle and raced back to the house. Collin nearly laughed out loud at how entertaining all this was, but restrained himself to a low chuckle. The front door smashed open and slammed into the wall, making so much noise Collin thought it could have been mistaken for the police knocking down the front door during a raid.

  “Collin! Collin!” Betty yelled shrilly.

  She was panting as if she had just finished her first marathon. Collin frowned, feeling a flicker of concern over his mother. It was completely out of the ordinary for Betty to lose her composure, and her anxiety at that moment had certainly risen to a new level. George kept a close, fast pace behind his wife, almost bumping into her when she stopped short.

  “Our car won’t start!” she said. “Can we borrow your car?”

  George appeared to be a little nervous, too, which was unusual. Collin could see him fidgeting in his pockets; he appeared noticeably uneasy.

  “Yes, of course,” Collin quickly replied, handing his father the keys. “But how will I get to Joey’s graduation?”

  Betty spun around to face George, and anyone could have heard a pin drop in the midst of the silence that suddenly filled the front hall. If looks could actually kill, Collin mused to himself. The entire scene was so unexpected and comedic that Collin wanted to laugh. He didn’t, though. It didn’t look like anyone else would think it was funny.

  “Call Triple A,” George muttered. “The number is in the phone book. I was planning to get a new battery this week, but I never got around to actually doing it.”

  George kept his eyes on Collin, out of the range of Betty’s piercing glare. Even so, Collin could swear he saw a hint of a nervous grin showing at the corner of his dad’s mouth.

  He will never hear the end of this, Collin thought to himself. He still fought the urge to laugh, but knew that if he gave in to the mirth he would have to endure his mom’s wrath for many days to come.

  George’s expression changed very subtly when he caught a glimpse of Collin laughing under his breath. At first he started to flush with embarrassment, but before long he apparently saw the humor in the situation. George started to giggle, then quickly covered the sound with a loud cough. He thumped his chest with his fist for added effect.

  It was easy for Collin to envision his dad listening to his mom’s uninterrupted complaints all the way to graduation. He was so relieved that it was his father on the end of his mother’s fury, not him or Joey. It made Collin even happier that he wasn’t going to the graduation with them.

  Oh, how fun this week was going to be, Collin thought, feeling only slightly sorry for his dad. His dad didn’t make too many mistakes, usually, so he fully intended to play this one to the hilt. Teasing his father about this was going to provide great entertainment fo
r awhile. He thought it might be that much more hysterical if he actually went to the auto parts store and picked up a battery himself, instead of calling Triple A. Yes, he decided. That’s what he would do. He had time. By doing that, he would gain brownie points with his mom. Then he’d be able to sit back and watch his dad’s expression while his mom raved about how wonderful Collin had gone out specifically to buy the battery.

  It’s not like George had a job or was working forty plus hours a week. He’d had more than enough time to have their car battery replaced. He was just too busy with his endless list of projects. Betty, on the other hand, kept busy with her lists, enjoying the whole process of planning events. Although it was only the middle of May, Betty’s mind was already thinking of Christmas. She was constantly making notes of things that needed to be done, and what needed to be purchased. She searched the internet looking for good deals, always telling the others, “To get a good bargain, you should buy certain items during a certain time of the year.” To prove her point, every year Betty bought Christmas wrapping paper after Christmas, usually at fifty to seventy-five per cent off.

  “Don’t worry about a thing, Mom,” Collin told her, giving her a friendly wink. “I’ll look after this and see you both at the graduation.”

  “Thanks, son. You’re a star!” Betty said, smiling. She kissed Collin on the cheek and patted his arm as if he were a young boy. “Now don’t forget to take your nap. And make sure you remember to set your alarm so you’re not late.” She kissed him again then ushered George once more toward the front door.

  “We love you! See you there!” Betty called back over her shoulder.

  Collin just smiled, then yawned again, stretching his arms up high so that he nearly touched the ceiling. A nap. That sounded perfect. He could definitely use some shut eye after the late night. He strolled towards the back door, headed for the dock. He had time to lie down before he was due at the ceremony.