Naked Man’s Rock

Every morning I visited Naked Man's Rock. On this morning, someone was swimming around the rock. It was a woman, and she was staring at me. She came out of the water to stand in front of me, nude. I had an image of Aphrodite rising out of the sea foam. I reached out to touch her leg. My hand went right through her. She was a phantasmagoria of colored lights taking shape into her human form, even down to the tiniest detail, like her long painted fingernails.

My heart was pounding. That's the person in the newspaper.  “Are you Rebecca?”

She nodded. “Yes”

This can't be. I'm leaving. When I started to leave, she held up her hand. I read her lips. “Stay.”

I said, “We've been searching for you.”

Her lips started moving. “My body is under that pile of debris next to the small island.”

“Did you fall into the river and drown?”

“No. Brother Gregory held my  -- ” She stopped speaking.

How do I explain this to the Sheriff? He already thinks I'm pulling his leg about the religion.

I said, “Why would Brother Gregory want to kill you? I heard you and he were having an affair. Did something go wrong?”

She nodded. “We've been lovers from the first day that we met. He hired me as church secretary.”

“It's getting to be daylight. I have to go now.”

“You'll come back tomorrow?”

“Only to see if my mind is playing tricks on me.”

It was still early when I returned home. Someone knocked then opened the door. Penny, her eyes red from crying, stepped into the room. I went to her and put my arms around her. “I'm so sorry for hurting you, Penny”

“It doesn't matter. I'm still getting a divorce.”

Holding her close, I said, “Spend the rest of the day with me.”

She nodded. On the way upstairs, she asked, “What's so bad in your past that would keep us from being together?”

“I might be a serial killer or an enforcer for a crime boss. Do you know the difference?”

“No.”

“One is for pleasure, and the other is for money.”

“I don't believe you're either.”

The next morning, I hurried to Naked Man's Rock. Rebecca was waiting. I said, “Tell me the rest of your story. How did this happen to you?”

Her lips started moving. “When I interviewed with Brother Gregory for the job of church secretary, he never asked me about my qualifications. His eyes seemed to stare right through me. He started talking about sin and salvation. His voice was so hypnotic that I felt like I was floating in another space. Then he suggested that we finish our conversation in another room. He led me to his private study, and we made love all afternoon. Afterwards, I felt good about him. Everything he said made perfect sense to my way of thinking. From then on, we were together a lot.”

I said, “It's starting to get daylight. I've got to go.”

“Why do you always leave at daybreak?”

“If the light is bright, your colors fade to a fog. If the light is overcast, you still look like a real person.”

I went home and napped for a couple of hours. Then I drove to town for breakfast with the Sheriff. After we ordered, I said, “So, what's new, Sheriff? Have you found the missing lady?”

He made a face. “I talked to that Brother Gregory again. He's a real piece of work. I did find out his name is on her life insurance policy as the sole beneficiary.”

“You know, Sheriff, I'd be willing to bet that he made her disappear. How much insurance did she have?”

“One hundred thousand.”

“That clinches it for me.”

“Don't jump to conclusions. We don't have anything on him unless her body shows u