by Hallie Lee
•
While Bella and I meandered along the notorious make-out trail, I tried to work up the courage to hold her hand. As I grew increasingly frustrated by my awkwardness, Bella lightly brushed her fingers against mine.
With a clumsy desperation that caused my heart to skip, I firmly clasped her hand, marveling at how her fingers nested perfectly into mine.
“So?” She pressed, “What were you going to show me?”
I stopped, waving my free hand about like a magician. “This. All of it. One day, it’s going to be the Shady Gully Recreation Center. Or,” I squeezed her hand. “Maybe you could come up with a better name.”
“What happens at this recreation center? And where will all the lovers go?”
The way she said lover sent a flutter through me. “Well, I don’t know. But people can fall in love here, and even get married.” I pointed. “You see over there? On top of that hill? I’m picturing floor-to-ceiling glass windows overlooking the woods. It would make a great place for weddings and receptions. And then over there—” I drew her attention to the large, flat pad of ground that was once a baseball field “—there we can build a cool building with pool tables, and ping-pong tables—”
“I like ping-pong!”
“And we can set up badminton and tennis courts over there.” I scanned the land next to a long-forgotten pond. “We can clean up around that pond, and make it beautiful again. Heck, we could stock it, and rent fishing poles for kids to fish.”
“You’ve thought a lot about this, haven’t you?” She leaned into me, tugging her arm around my waist.
I tried to focus on sharing my vision, but it was impossible to concentrate with her soft curves pressed against my body. “This place has ruined so many lives over the years, and I’d like to change its image. Turn it around and make it a fun place for families to gather, and yet, cool enough for teenagers to congregate. Anyway, if we can get the funding—”
“—and get incorporated,” she finished with a laugh. “Yes! Let’s do it!”
Driven by a rush of affection, I impulsively lowered my head, and kissed her lips. To my surprise, she kissed me back. What started out as a soft brushing of the lips quickly turned into something more urgent.
Distracted, I nearly missed the sound of leaves snapping, and the undeniable feeling of another’s presence. We quickly pulled apart, and I positioned myself in front of Bella.
“It’s okay,” I told her, facing the intruder. Muscular, with vivid blue eyes, he stared at us with chilling intensity.
“He won’t hurt us.” To my horror, Bella moved closer to the animal.
“Bella, don’t.”
The wolf twitched his tail, and turned away from us as casually as he’d approached. “Hey,” Bella said in a soothing tone. “Hey, wait. Are—are you hurt? Hania?”
The animal locked eyes with her, studying her closely. And then, with his ears pointed straight up, he let out a long, plaintive cry.
I’d never been so close to a wolf. And I’d certainly never heard one howl so sorrowfully. The striking creature gazed upon the half moon, and again wailed with what sounded like grief.
“Bella,” I whispered. “We should move back.”
“They don’t really howl to the moon, you know.” She calmly explained. “Sometimes they howl to their pack-mates out of affection. Or sometimes they’re lost and trying to find their way home.”
Bella and the exquisite animal continued to gaze upon one another, as if they were deep in a language too profound for words. And then, suddenly satisfied, the wolf turned and disappeared into the woods behind Cicada Stadium.
As I slowly regained my breath, I cast my eyes on Bella…whose eyes were bright with tears.
Chapter Seventeen
The Long, Nasty Evening
Sheriff Rick
M
y deputies and I, along with a few dedicated volunteers, prodded through the swamp for hours. We sweated like pigs, fought off mosquitoes the size of hummingbirds, and painstakingly waded through the presumed sacred grounds.
I didn’t see much sacred about it, frankly. But what did I know? The overgrown spot of swamp held no markers, had no boundaries, and if Quietdove hadn’t begrudgingly muttered, “Here,” I’d have slogged past the area, missing it entirely.
Littered with haphazard rocks, weeds, and ragged feathers, the mysterious section of land seemed completely untamed. And yet, Quietdove cautioned a volunteer when his hoe ventured too far in one direction. “Careful there.”
“You see something I don’t?” I asked.
“Yes,” he responded flatly. “I do.”
Excellent. An unpleasant evening all around. My disgruntled deputy and I plodded on.
•
It was well past dark when we finally called it quits, and the sense of relief was palpable as we loaded up and headed out of the creek. We’d made it as far as the jury-rigged bridge when Luke’s gray car bounced over a few potholes ahead of us.
I flashed my headlights in irritation, as I was dog tired, hungry, and ready to get home to Gerty. Naturally, Luke stopped, eager to chat. When he emerged from his car with a big, loopy smile, I had half a mind to use my breathalyzer on him.
“Sheriff. What’s up?”
“What do you mean, what’s up? It’s late. It’s dark. And I ain’t in the mood for your Dudley Do-Right routine.” I squinted at him. “Have you been drinking? You look goofier than usual.”
Despite being aggravated with me, Quietdove chuckled. But his expression hardened the moment he saw me glinting at him.
Luke meandered over to my truck, making a face when he noted my rumpled, dirty clothes. “Wow. You’re—” He stopped, deciding to get to the point. “Did you learn something in Miss Peony’s case?”
“No. Another dead end. Not that it’s any of your business.” I extended my arm to the side of my truck, pounded a few times to signal my team. “Let’s go, men. One vehicle at a time.” I added under my breath, “It’s like a lottery, crossing this thing.”
Luke and I watched as Quietdove slowly steered his deputy’s truck across the bridge. The metal on the makeshift structure clanked like percussion cymbals with each rotation of the truck’s tires. “Is he okay?” Luke asked of Quietdove. “He seems upset.”
I didn’t respond. Gestured to the next truck as Quietdove cleared the bridge.
“The connection out here is terrible,” Luke frowned. “My calls have been dropping ever since I left Bella’s.”
While amused that the kid made a point of weaving his date with Bella into the conversation, I sparked with annoyance. “So happy you had a nice evening,” I glowered. “But it’s a heck of a time for all that talk about Mitch and Meadow to surface, don’t you think? We’ve got enough division in the community as it is.” I signaled the next truck forward.
“What? That’s not my fault. I thought everybody knew anyway.” He jabbed his phone. “Hello? Hello?”
“Not everybody knew. But I reckon they do now.” I felt my phone vibrate. “Yeah? Hello?” As my call dropped, I urged Luke to the bridge. “You next. Let’s go.”
But as Luke finally got a connection, his expression turned serious. “What happened? Is everybody okay?” He raised his eyebrows at me, shouting into his phone. “Just sit tight. I’m with the sheriff now.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Someone broke into Aunt Robin’s lake house.” He pocketed his phone. “Follow me.”
I didn’t argue. As long as he led me to Robin.
•
As we tooled down the tree lined road toward Robin’s house, my headlights illuminated the glistening night-time water of Lake Osprey. Under other circumstances, I’d enjoy gawking at the upscale, two-story mansions in the exclusive lake front subdivision. Most of the properties sported elaborate docks and boathouses bigger than
my apartment. Massive party barges nuzzled along the water’s edge, while expensive fishing boats nested underneath the carports. It appeared many of these folks were what they called two boat families.
Several of the homes had alarm systems, or at least signs advertising they did, but Robin’s did not. As I parked behind Luke, bursts of red and blue lights told me the calvary had beaten me to the scene.
I threw a pair of booties and gloves at Luke. “If you’re going in, dress appropriately. And for heaven’s sake, don’t touch anything. I had to promise my first-born child to your mom and dad to keep them from rushing out here.”
He eyed me as he tugged on the gloves. “First born? Really? Not much of a gamble at your age, is there?”
I scoffed, incredulous over the sudden cockiness in the kid’s manner. One date, and suddenly he was Bert Reynolds. “Careful, whippersnapper.”
He gestured toward the coroner’s van. “Why is he here?”
I waved at Dan, the parish coroner. “He lives around here. Probably curious.” I ushered Luke up the stairs to the house with a warning. “Whatever you do, don’t look him in the eyes. That man can talk a log straight into a fire.”
The crime scene techs had managed to keep Robin, Sterling, Violet, and Petey contained in the living room, while they moved from room to room gathering evidence. The three youngers appeared in good condition, hardly fazed by the violation.
Robin’s face, however, told a different story. Her eyes were puffy behind her chic glasses, and her demeanor suggested a weariness I hadn’t seen before. “Ricky,” she moved toward me.
“Sorry. I was out of cell range, or I’d have been here sooner.”
Wrapping my arms around her seemed natural. It’s what Luke did the second he saw her, and what Lenny would have done, if he were here.
“Thank God you’re okay, Aunt Robin,” Luke said. “I was across the creek, and the reception is spotty.”
“I’m fine,” she squeezed Luke’s waist. “But this—” she indicated the house— “isn’t okay.”
The home smelled of badly cooked meat, and the grease splattered along the stove suggested a careless and hurried cook. A dirty plate, along with used silverware and a whiskey glass were piled in the sink. “We’ll be able to get prints from that,” I told Robin.
She nodded, glancing at the stripped walls. Most of her paintings, likely painted by Desi’s Mom, had been removed from the sunny yellow walls, stomped on and defiled. Hateful and gratuitous, I thought angrily.
“Why?” Robin’s sorrow was palpable. “Why not just steal them?” She pivoted when her brother, Max, entered from the master bedroom. “Did you solve the crime, baby brother?”
Although his face was grim, the knucklehead’s focus was impressive. Perhaps Max would evolve into a fine deputy after all. “Sheriff. We found blood and other body fluids in the master. In the tub. On the bathroom floor.” He hesitated. “And the bed.”
“Good,” I nodded. “We’ll get some DNA. I saw a team scouting the perimeter of the house. Are they interviewing the neighbors?”
“Yes sir.” He glanced at his watch. “As much as possible. We’ll have better results in the morning.”
“Good job, Max.” Robin smiled approvingly.
“Good thing your shopping spree went long,” Max teased her. “Y’all might have run into Goldilocks otherwise.”
We all swiveled as Violet yawned. “Sorry.”
“Why don’t y’all head back to Shady Gully for the night?” I glanced at my watch. “Or what’s left of it. The techs will finish up in a bit, and then tomorrow we’ll do another sweep. Question the neighbors. See what else the light of day reveals. Y’all need a ride?”
“I can take everybody back to Mom and Dad’s,” offered Luke.
Robin rubbed Violet’s arm affectionately. “Y’all go on ahead with Luke. I’m not ready to leave yet.”
When Robin’s gaze settled on me, I took my cue. “That’s a good idea,” I told Robin’s kids. “I’ll drop your mom off at Desi’s later.”
•
It didn’t matter that it was close to three in the morning and I’d been awake for twenty-two hours straight. I sat in a lawn chair on the cedar deck of a two-story lake house, overlooking the moon’s reflection off a beautiful lake. And Robin sat beside me, smacking adorably on a green apple taffy.
The activity surrounding the crime scene had dwindled to a low hum, as the techs packed evidence and forensic equipment into their vans. Even the curious neighbors along the lake had darkened their lights, no doubt sending up grateful prayers that their own homes had been spared.
“We’re heading out, Sheriff,” the lead tech said with exhaustion. “We’ll touch base tomorrow with the results.” After a glance at his watch, he clarified. “Or today.”
I waved. “Keep your eyes peeled on the way out.”
Just when I thought I’d have Robin to myself, I heard the heavy tread of boots chugging up the steps.
“Howdy Sheriff.”
“Dan,” I shook the hand he offered. “Awfully nice of you to come by.” While I focused intensely on the glistening water of the lake, the chatty coroner sat down with a heavy huff.
Great.
“It’s been a long night, eh? How’ve you been, Robin?” Dan raised a contented sigh as he sank farther into the lawn chair. “Aside from this business, of course.” He made a show of sniffing the air. “Is that strawberry taffy I smell? Dang if I hadn’t had one of those in ages.”
I swallowed the exasperated grunt tickling my lips, and leaned on one haunch to dig the last taffy out of my pocket.
“Thank ya, kindly, Sheriff.” After he smacked and sucked the strawberry clean off the candy, he asked Robin, “Does your son do any fishing when he’s out here? I caught a nice mess of white perch last week.”
Robin smiled politely, clearly running on fumes.
I decided to turn the conversation in a direction that might be useful. “Say, doc,” I started. “I’ve been meaning to ask you a hypothetical question.”
“Sure,” he said eagerly. “What you got?”
“I was wondering if it’s typical for someone to, well, for lack of a better term, come back from the dead?”
He squinted, reflecting on me a long moment, while Robin looked at me curiously.
“Take a person who’s been injured, for example. Attacked. He’s bloody, and in bad shape. You check his pulse, and you get nothing. Zip. How in the world would that rascal get up and walk away? Or drag himself off?”
“Oh, I see where you’re going. Yeah. Yeah, right. Actually, Sheriff, I’ve heard of that. It’s not uncommon. Could be a number of things. For instance, there’s a thing called Lazarus syndrome, where you could mistake the living for the dead.”
“That’s horrible,” Robin said, appalled.
“It happens,” Dan leaned in. “Could be a pressure build up in the chest. Or adrenaline. Sometimes potassium levels are too high. Or it could be as simple as a faulty pulse check. Usually, even after CPR, it’s prudent to wait ten minutes or so—just to make sure.”
Robin gasped, just as Dan’s phone buzzed.
“Well, shoot. I hate to run, but that’s the Missus. She’ll be worried.”
“No problem, Dan,” I patted his shoulder. “I appreciate the insight.”
“Thank you for coming,” Robin said pleasantly as the coroner trudged down the stairs.
Within minutes the echo of Dan’s departing tires faded, giving the floor to the cicadas as they cheered on the darkness. Robin and I sat together, quietly, for a nice, long spell.
Eventually, a forced chuckle rattled from her throat. “I forgot how loud they were.”
“They don’t have cicadas in Kentucky?”
“I imagine so. I guess I don’t stay up late enough to hear them.”
Soft waves lappe
d against the retaining wall along Robin’s house, the rhythm lulling us into a comfortable silence.
“I’m sorry this happened,” I said eventually. “We’re gonna get him.”
“Or her. Goldilocks,” she said lightly. “It makes me sad, is all. Everything in there, probably even Sunny’s paintings, can be restored, replaced, cleaned, and fixed.”
“It makes me angry. Not sad.” My gaze landed on her. “And I suspect it’s a he, not a she. And I have a suspicion who it is.”
“Madhawk? Because of all the blood?”
“We’ll know tomorrow. Or today.” I studied the black waves brooding over the lake. “How’s Buford?”
She chuckled, for real this time. “Better. It’s a good thing I left him at Desi’s until we got settled in here.”
“He’s probably set into another piece of Lenny’s furniture by now.”
“Maybe so.” Robin’s smile didn’t quite reach her eyes.
When my phone rattled in my pocket, I reluctantly glimpsed the caller ID. “Come on,” I griped aloud. “What else could go wrong tonight?” I swatted my phone with irritation. “Sheriff here.”
I recognized the calm, deliberate voice on the other end. “Geez, you’re kidding?” I glanced at Robin, incredulous. “Okay, I’m on my way.”
“What’s happened now?”
“That was Quietdove. There’s a fire at Wolfheart’s place.”
“What? Is everybody okay?”
“Unclear. Quietdove said the EMTs and fire department are in route.” I stood, offering her my hand. “I’ll bring you to Desi’s before I head out to the creek.”
“No, that’s out of your way. I’m coming with you.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea. You’ve been through enough tonight.”
“I’m not going to be able to sleep no matter what,” she said offhandedly, making her way down the steps.
“But what about Desi? I promised to deliver you safe and sound. She’ll have my hide.”
