Sunset Over Misty Lake

by Margaret Standafer

  “We’re going to get past this.”

  “But it’s so big. It’s not like I got a speeding ticket and didn’t tell you.”

  “Yes, it’s big. And it sucks. And there are about a million different things I’d rather be talking about, but it’s not too big that we can’t handle it. I’d like to think there’s nothing that big.”

  “I’d like to believe that.”

  “Then do.” She didn’t look convinced. “What if the tables were turned? What if it was me hoping you could get past something that happened with me?”

  She shook her head and didn’t stop as she spoke. “That wouldn’t happen. You’d never let yourself get in a situation where—”

  “Stop. You have to stop beating yourself up over this. I told you, I know you didn’t do anything intentionally. What we need to do is figure out what happened and what we can do about it.”

  “Okay. I’ll try.”

  “Good. Then tell me everything.”

  “Oh, Joe, don’t make me talk about it again.”

  “We have to talk about it.” While it still stung, Joe made himself ask, “What about Cort? When do you expect to hear from him?”

  Karen looked sideways at him as if afraid he was going to explode again. “I’m not sure. This morning, I hope.”

  “It’s one of the things I thought about last night. It’s one of the things that took some time to come to terms with. You should have come to me. I need to know that in the future, you will. No matter how big or how small a thing it is.”

  “I will. In this case, I just thought Cort, seeing as he has business and contacts everywhere, might be able to get some answers.”

  “Why didn’t you go to the police? You have to know you were very likely drugged. You’ve told me stories about things you’ve seen at work and about the effects these types of drugs have on a person.”

  “I considered that, of course, but I wasn’t going to tell myself, or you, that that’s for sure what happened in order to take all the blame away from myself. It’s true I don’t remember what happened and I know that could point to drugs, but I had to consider that it’s also possible I made a bad decision and then felt such guilt afterward that I somehow blocked it all from my mind. I’d like to blame it on being drugged and be able to say I didn’t have any choice, but I won’t do that just to take the easy way out.”

  “You may not know, but I know. You were a victim, and that’s a matter for the police.”

  “Assuming I would have gone to the police, what was I going to tell them? I have no proof of anything.”

  “I’d say you have proof. You have photographs.”

  “I had photographs. You don’t think I kept them?”

  “I think you should have. I wish you would have. Karen, you need to go to the police.”

  “Too much time has passed. What could they possibly do?”

  “You said he contacted you again demanding more money. That’s blackmail. Or extortion. Or something illegal. We should talk to Jake.”

  “No way.” She leaned back and crossed her arms over her chest.

  Joe tapped a finger on the table. “We’ll come back to that. Tell me what happened that night in Vegas.”

  “I told you last night. I don’t remember any more.”

  “Tell me again. I think there’s a good chance I stopped hearing things after a point.”

  Karen sighed. “We were at the bar. No one drank much that I noticed. I know I didn’t drink much, maybe just a sip here and there of the silly drinks we had the bartenders make for us. Even Kelly hardly drank.”

  Joe nodded his encouragement.

  “We were sitting at the bar in the casino of our hotel, The Ivory Palm, when the other girls decided they wanted to gamble a little more. I was tired of it. I wanted to go back to the room, but I knew Kelly would be disappointed, so I told them I’d wait at the bar until they were done and ready to go somewhere else. I kept talking to a bartender. Joshua. Like I told you last night, he was friendly, and I felt a little less stupid sitting at the bar by myself when I was talking with him. He wanted me to try a drink he’d created. It had some foolish name. I told him I was done drinking, but he said something about really needing more opinions and that it wasn’t very strong, blah, blah, blah. He made it, I took a sip, it was good, I guess, fruity but not too sweet. Anyway, that’s all I remember. The next thing I knew I woke up in bed wearing a nightgown I’d never seen before. I told you all that last night. There’s nothing more.”

  “Okay. The nightgown. You’re sure it wasn’t a gift for Kelly and when you went back to the room you grabbed it by mistake?”

  “I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t grab a nightie out of a gift bag and put it on. No, I’d never seen it before. All I could come up with was that maybe I’d seen it in a shop on my way back to the room and I’d bought it to surprise you. It didn’t look like anything I’d buy, but I didn’t have any other idea where it could have come from. Honestly, Joe, it never crossed my mind that something else could have happened. Then I found the note.”

  “The note.” He’d forgotten she’d mentioned a note. “What did it say.”

  Karen dropped her eyes. “Thank you. Nothing else.”

  Nausea swirled in Joe’s belly. He ignored it. He couldn’t look back, only ahead.

  “Okay, so at that point you started to think the worst, but you didn’t find anything else? You didn’t remember anything else?”

  “No. Not until I got home and got the text.”

  “Tell me about that. What did it say?”

  Karen dropped her face into her hands. “It was disgusting. Honestly, I don’t remember exactly, and I don’t think the words matter, it was his intent. He said he’d get the pictures to people.”

  “Did he mention me by name?”

  “No.”

  “Are you sure he even knows your last name or where you live?”

  “I’m not sure, no, but how hard can it be to find out? He could trace my phone number. The area code alone gives him a pretty good idea where I live.”

  The next question was nearly impossible, but he had to ask.

  “Did he ever mention your pregnancy? Did he comment or make threats regarding a baby?”

  “No. About that, Joe. If you want to find out for sure, we will, but maybe it’s better not to know? Would it change things for you?”

  More than anything he’d learned over the past six hours, questions regarding Evan and Julia were the hardest to come to terms with. He’d weighed pros and cons, he’d tried to guess at how he’d feel if he learned the worst, but it always came back to the fact that they were his children. He wanted to believe nothing could ever change in his heart and that regardless of biology, he’d love them as he had from the day he’d learned of them. Still…

  “I don’t know. At this point, I just don’t know. Can we hold off on any decision?”

  He saw a flicker of relief in her eyes. “Of course.”

  “So, he never mentioned a baby, he never mentioned me or anyone else by name, never said anything about where you live, where you worked, any personal details?”

  “No, I guess he didn’t.”

  The more Joe heard, the more he believed the guy probably hadn’t done much digging. He was preying on a woman desperate to keep a secret. He wouldn’t have to put in much effort to get what he wanted from a woman in that position. If Karen refused, it was possible he’d dig a little deeper, but it was just as likely that he’d turn his attention to his next target. A picture was forming in Joe’s head and it wasn’t a pretty one. For the time being, though, he’d keep his guesses to himself.

  “Okay, so he might find out where you live, he might find out how to contact me, but he’s out of ammunition. You’ve told me everything, so he no longer has any sort of hold over you. Ignore him. Change your phone number.”

  “Just like that? Let it all go?”

  “Oh, I didn’t say let it all go. No, I’m not ready to let it all go and to let him
off that easy, but you can let go of any fear of him. He can’t hurt you, Karen. He can’t hurt us.”

  As if it finally sank in, as if she finally realized what Joe said was true, the tension seemed to melt from her shoulders and a look of peace washed over her face.

  “You’re right,” she whispered, then louder, “you’re right! Oh, Joe, you’re right! It’s over. It’s really over!” Silent tears slipped from her eyes and cascaded down her cheeks. She didn’t notice. She stood up and twirled in a circle, then launched herself at Joe. “You are the most incredible person I know. Thank you for loving me.”

  Before he could answer, Karen’s cell phone hummed with a call.

  “Ignore it,” she said. “We should still have a little time before the kids wake up.”

  “Seems kind of early for someone to be calling,” Joe said. “Maybe it’s important. Something about your grandfather?”

  She sobered and turned to look down at her phone lying on the table. Joe sensed the change in her mood immediately.

  “Is it your grandpa?”

  “It’s Cort.”

  “Ah.” Her mood change made more sense. “Answer it.”

  “Are you sure? Maybe we don’t need to know anything more.”

  “Answer it. Put him on speaker.”

  Karen looked unsure but did as Joe asked.

  “Hello, Cort.”

  “Karen. I hope it’s not too early.”

  “No, of course not. I’ve been waiting to hear from you. We’ve been waiting to hear from you. Joe’s here with me.”

  “Cort,” Joe said.

  “Joe? Then Karen, you explained the reason for my call?”

  “I did.”

  Joe heard Cort’s breath through the phone. “Good. That’s good.”

  “You must have some information, or you wouldn’t have called at this hour.”

  “I just finished meeting with Dave, the guy I told Karen about.”

  “Just finished? At…” Joe glanced at the clock and calculated. “At four-thirty in the morning?”

  “He’s a bit eccentric.”

  “Well, what did this eccentric guy tell you?” Joe’s stomach knotted with the question. He felt Karen press closer to him. They both stared at the phone.

  “He told me a great deal, but the condensed version is that you’re not his first victim, Karen. Apparently, he’s making something of a career out of drugging women, getting them back to their rooms, snapping a few pictures, then hightailing it out of there before there’s any chance of being caught. Then he demands money. He seems to have a knack for knowing the type of woman who cares enough about someone that she wants to protect that person and to keep certain information from that person.”

  At Joe’s side, Karen collapsed into a chair and dropped her head into her hands. Joe rubbed a hand up and down her back.

  “You say he drugs the women and then takes pictures. Ah…” Joe looked down at Karen and wasn’t sure how to continue. Cort saved him from having to.

  “I asked the questions you’re probably thinking. I’d like to say I’m one hundred percent certain there’s nothing more to it, but at this point, I can’t do that. Based on what Dave learned, the guy searches out easy targets and isn’t picky about the sex of those targets. It’s about the money, nothing more. I wish I could give you something else, something concrete, but at this point, I can’t. Dave is going to do some more checking for me. You’ll know when I know.”

  Joe watched Karen rise from her chair and pace the kitchen, her face, for the moment, blank of any emotion.

  “And did you get a name? Did you find out if he’s still around? Karen might not agree, but we’re going to talk more about going to the police with this. Will they be able to find him?”

  “He’s still in Vegas, although not at the moment. I guess he took some time off work, but he’s expected back before long. He’s using a different name, he’s changed his appearance, and he’s working at a different casino. I’ll know when he gets back to town and back to work. About going to the police, well, that’s not my decision.”

  “Right.” Joe kept an eye on Karen. Reluctance tinged with fear clouded her eyes. “I can’t thank you enough for helping Karen.”

  “Please, don’t mention it. I’m happy to do whatever I can.”

  “We’ll have more questions, but for now, get some sleep. We’ll see you when you get back.”

  “Yes, I’m—”

  “Cort?” Karen interrupted. She stepped quickly to the table and looked down at the phone. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  “We can talk more when you’re back in town?”

  “We can, of course, but I’m afraid it’s going to be a little longer than I expected. I need to go to Dallas to meet my brother before coming back to Misty Lake. I should be back just in time for the Fourth of July party.”

  “Oh. Well, okay. We’ll see you then. Thank you again,” Karen said through her frown.

  “You can always call if I can help sooner with anything.”

  “Sounds good. Thanks, Cort,” Joe said. He reached down to end the call. He turned to Karen and they said nothing, just looked at one another.

  Joe’s emotions ran the gamut from overwhelming relief to a burning anger and an almost uncontrollable need to act on that anger. But he’d keep those less-than-admirable emotions in check. For the time being.

  Karen spoke first. Her words were tentative.

  “We still can’t be certain…the twins…”

  “We can. Cort seems to have confidence in this man he’s working with and he said that man seemed certain. He’ll do more checking, but as far as I’m concerned, I have my answer. A few minutes ago, you said yourself that it’s over. It’s all over. You were right. It is. He can’t hurt us any longer.”

  “You’re sure?”

  “I’m sure.”

  Worry slipped from Karen’s face and she smiled. “It’s over.”

  She launched herself into his arms. Joe picked her up and this time they twirled together. From one end of the kitchen to the other, they spun, and they laughed. Laughed like they hadn’t in far too long.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  FOR KAREN, RELIEF translated to a renewed energy that had her finding more hours in the day to tackle long overdue chores, to oversee her grandfather’s transition to a rehab facility, to dote on her children and husband, and to throw herself into preparations for the Fourth of July party at Anna and Sean’s house.

  A week ago, she’d been hoping for any excuse to skip out on the party. Now, the day before, she was cooking and baking with abandon. Shauna’s pasta salad was done and in the extra refrigerator in the basement. Three pans of Susan’s chocolate-peanut butter-fudge bars were cooling on the counter. Beans were soaking in three separate pots and would be ready to dump into the slow-cookers that sat waiting on the kitchen table before bed meaning Anna had been able to scratch that item off her list. In the morning, she’d head to her in-laws’ house and join forces with Anna and the rest to make it a day the town wouldn’t forget. Karen could hardly wait.

  There’d been some confused looks and some flat-out doubt when she’d told her mother-in-law and sisters-in-law that she wanted to take some of their tasks off their plates. Anna had refused at first, but Karen had managed to persuade her to let go of the job after repeated promises that she was more than up for the challenge. Besides, Karen had argued, the beans were time-consuming, took up valuable kitchen space, and since they were Joe’s favorite, she had a taste-tester at the ready. In the end, Karen had been almost sure she’d seen a fleeting glimpse of relief in Anna’s eyes when she’d finally relented.

  Shauna and Susan had also turned down Karen’s offer initially but hadn’t argued quite as hard before acquiescing. Shauna had her hands full with the spa, her wedding plans, and an upcoming meeting in New York to pitch her ideas for the future of Mackenzie Wellness. And with Cort out of town longer than expected, Karen sensed S
hauna was nearing the breaking point. Susan had the inn full for the holiday along with a wedding reception right after the Fourth. She didn’t seem too broken up at turning over her secret recipe to Karen.

  The only thing putting a damper on Karen’s mood was the situation with her grandfather. Leonard had grumbled and argued and finally flat-out refused, all in his slow and slurred speech, to go to a nursing home. Karen had spent hours showing him pictures on her laptop of the top-notch rehab facility and had pointed out that nowhere in any of the literature was it referred to as a nursing home. He didn’t buy any of it and had fought long and hard to go home. Since her grandmother didn’t have the heart to insist and since Karen’s mother said she couldn’t possibly tell her father what to do, it had fallen to Karen to be the heavy. The fact that her grandfather had always been proud of Karen’s nursing career had helped Karen’s cause, but it still hadn’t been easy.

  Now, Leonard was settled in Lakeland Rehab an hour away from Misty Lake and would miss the McCabe’s Fourth of July party for the first time. Her grandmother and her parents were going to spend the day with him to try to ease the sting. Karen didn’t envy them. Leonard would gripe and complain, but Karen knew that deep down, he was broken-hearted at missing the party he looked forward to every year and the chance to be together with those lifelong friends that, in her grandfather’s words, were still kicking.

  Karen did her best to shake off her melancholy by assuring herself her grandfather would make great strides under the expert care at Lakeland and would be home soon. And she tried her best to ignore the niggling of doubt that wouldn’t quite let go.

  Busy cleaning up the kitchen, Karen heard Dylan before she saw him. “Peppy, peppy, peppy,” he sang as he bounded into the kitchen ahead of Joe.

  Karen raised her eyebrows at her husband.

  “Yep. The pup’s still there.”

  “I thought your dad had a good feeling about the couple that was coming to see the dog the other day.”

  “He says he thought they’d be the ones based on their phone conversation, but it didn’t turn out that way. They decided this one looked like he was going to be too big for their apartment. They’re probably right about that, that guy will need a yard and room to run, but that puts Dad back at square one.”