Murder at the Lakeside Library

by Holly Danvers

  “Isn’t that always the way?” Jace grinned.

  Instead of asking specifically about her father, something held her back. Alternatively, Rain asked, “Anyone pull into my driveway while I was gone?”

  “Nope,” Jace confirmed. “I told you I would make sure your locks were changed before I let anyone near your property, and I’m a man of my word.” He said with an official air to his tone. “To be honest, it’s been eerily quiet out here this morning. I thought we’d have some rubbernecking—but that’s not been the case, thank goodness.” He added, his tone lightening.

  Rain breathed in and let the air out slowly. She didn’t want Jace to sense what was churning in her head.

  Hank must’ve been mistaken. He had to be.

  Rain redirected her own mind by returning to the present and what was right in front of her. “How about you? Find anything interesting out here?”

  Jace leaned in closer and lowered his voice and said, “I probably shouldn’t share this,” his eyes traveled over both shoulders to confirm no one was within earshot before continuing, “Wyatt bagged a small piece of fabric that we found over there.” Jace flung a hand in the opposite direction, across the street from the outhouse.

  “Really? What would you conclude from that?”

  “The grass was flattened in that area, too. It could’ve been where a scuffle took place. We can’t be sure yet if the swatch of fabric has anything to do with our case though. For all I know, it could just be a random thing.” He raised his hands to the air and shrugged. “Who knows.”

  “What do you think the fabric is from?” Rain shifted on her feet and slipped her hands onto her narrow hips causing her fingertips to almost touch.

  “Hard to tell. It could’ve been a kid running through the woods back there and getting hung up on some thorns. Or a dog playing around with its owner a little too rough.” Jace bobbed his head in the direction of the thick pines and brush. “We’ve bagged it, but honestly, it’s a long shot whether or not it has anything to do with the investigation. So far, that’s about all we’ve found.” Jace rubbed the back of his neck as if to soothe the growing tension.

  Rain absently reached for the Band-Aid Julia had applied to her arm after they’d finished their hearty breakfast. “I could definitely see how that could happen. Getting tied up on the brush, I mean.”

  Jace shifted and his eyes darted to the ground after the two heard a ruffling in the grass and movement caught Rain’s peripheral attention. A chipmunk scattered close to their feet, causing her to jump back and fling a hand to her heart. Jace reached out to comfort her, before resting his hands comfortably at his sides.

  “Still a little jumpy there. You okay?” Jace’s eyes softened, and Rain smiled to let him know she was fine. She was going to have to get over being so jumpy. She secretly wondered how long that would take. “I’m sure the last twenty-four hours are beginning to take their toll. I can put you in touch with someone to talk to—if you need it.”

  Rain diffused with a casual wave of her hand. “I appreciate your concern but no, really, I’m fine.” She shifted on her feet and clasped her hands in front of her. “Do you have any thoughts as to when I’ll be able to open the library, though? Julia and I were getting things ready before all this happened. You think I should wait another week or so to open? Or what are your thoughts on that? I don’t want to bring added traffic here to mess with your work.” Rain’s eyes traveled up and down the road covered in spent brown pine needles that had fallen from the soaring pines. Since Birch Lane wasn’t technically a through road, traffic wasn’t all that common.

  “That would probably be best. We should be wrapped up by then, and you can go ahead and reopen the library. I know many townsfolk are probably looking forward to the reopening,” he added with a smile.

  Rain then leaned toward Jace and whispered, “By the way, who are the rest of these people out here today? Besides you and Wyatt?” She turned her head to see one of them walking straight spined in rapid speed, headed in their direction.

  “State crime lab, CSU team. We haven’t had a murder in Lofty Pines in over twenty years. This crime is big for up here.” After noticing the seriousness of the person walking in their direction, Jace added, “I don’t want to be rude, Rain, but you probably should go.”

  “I understand.” Rain took the cue to step aside before CSU made it to their side. After turning to walk away, she turned back and said. “Five or five thirty works for all of us. We’ll wait for you to start the grill,” she said and then quickly moved in the direction of the log cabin, eager to dig through the closets and clear her father’s name.

  Chapter Ten

  After unlocking the cabin and stepping inside, Rain had only one thing on her mind. She took a direct route to the closet located by the back door. She needed to confront the uneasy thoughts once and for all that had flooded her mind. Desperate to confirm that her father was indeed far away in Japan, her legs couldn’t seem to get her to the closet fast enough. She flung open the heavy wooden door and began sliding hangers wildly, sifting through multiple winter coats, sweatshirts, and rain slickers.

  Rain didn’t initially find what she was looking for. She did, however, resurrect the waterski jacket from her youth, adorned with an emblem of the ski team’s logo on the back. When she removed the hanger and held it up, the small size reminded her of so long ago and how much had changed for her family up north. Her fingers grazed across the emblem affectionately. So many hours spent gliding across Pine Lake. Instead of returning the memory back to the closet, she tucked the waterski jacket under her arm to show it to Julia. She wondered if she, too, still had her matching one hanging inside of her closet.

  Despite a very thorough search, the hunt came up empty. The infamous Cubbies jacket was glaringly missing from the closet.

  After the frustratingly thorough sift through the closet, and not finding what she’d been hoping to find, Rain was left with a feeling of dread. She really wanted to erase Hank’s impression that he’d seen her father, completely from her mind. She snapped her fingers and decided that, knowing her father, he probably kept his prized Cubbies possession hanging safely in the closet inside the master suite. Her mother had attempted on several occasions to sway Stuart from his favorite team and have him donate the jacket to Goodwill. But Willow had failed, because as a diehard Chicago fan, the well-worn walking billboard was a relic her father refused to part with. Willow was never able to sway him to the side of the Milwaukee Brewers, either, despite her best efforts.

  En route to verify her latest notion, Rain slung her old waterski jacket on the back of a chair, plucked her cell phone from the kitchen counter where she’d left it to charge, and hit the speed dial number for her father. Ready to squelch the idea of him in Lofty Pines once and for all, she could end this nonsense with one quick call. She blew a breath of frustration when she heard her father’s voice:

  “You have reached Stuart. I’m sorry I missed your call. I’m either away from my desk, in a meeting, or traveling without reception …”

  Rain irritably clicked off rather than listen to the rest of her father’s long-winded voicemail message. She could almost rattle off his message verbatim, she’d heard it so many times before. She thought about reaching out and attempting to phone her mother, too, but Willow had promised that she would call and leave a message about the best ways to get hold of her while she was away digging water sources. Her mother had insisted not to rely on her cell phone either, as she was doubtful it would work. Rain would just have to be patient and wait. Although, a quick email alert that something was desperately wrong certainly wouldn’t hurt and might catch her mother’s attention. Rain kept it vague. This was something her mother shouldn’t learn via email and besides, she wanted to hear the tone of her mother’s voice when she shared the details of the horrible tragedy. In Rain’s opinion, her mother had a lot of explaining to do regarding her relationship with the victim. And she wanted to hear it firsthand.


  So much had happened within the last twenty-four hours, Rain hadn’t even considered entering the master suite since arriving to the Northwoods. She’d had no reason to step inside—until now.

  To free her hands, Rain tossed her cell phone atop the queen-sized bed in the master bedroom upon entering. A crisp blue and white quilt with matching pillows in geometrical shapes, which almost had a nautical feel to it, covered the bed. This replaced the handmade multicolored afghan that her grandmother had crocheted, and what she’d remembered as a child had always covered her parents’ bed. She rubbed her hand along the fabric to feel the new crisp change. Rain wasn’t sure if she was psychologically trying to distract herself from looking inside the closet or not. She wasn’t exactly sure she was ready for the answer to the missing jacket, and this was the only other room in which she imagined her father might keep it. Finding the jacket didn’t exactly prove a thing. Although it would provide a bit of verification to settle her own mind once and for all.

  It felt foreign to enter the privacy of her parents’ bedroom and sift among their things after so many years, and without them present. It felt as if she was intruding on their private space. When Rain was a child, the master suite was considered sacred. A place where she knocked before entering, and here she was standing inside the room without them. The whole thing felt off somehow.

  The interior wall was the only drywalled area in the oversized bedroom, and it had been repainted a pale blueish white. The rest of the walls were similar to the newer part of the cabin. Thick stacked logs shone like burnt butter from the light that streamed through the two oversized windows facing the lake, adorned with white muslin curtains.

  Rain stepped in front of the walk-in closet and took in a much-needed deep breath before opening the door. The shock of what she discovered made her gasp aloud. Her father’s jacket wasn’t the only thing missing. ALL her dad’s clothes were missing.

  Rain desperately pushed hangers aside, one by one, revealing rack after rack of only her mother’s clothing and a shelf of women’s shoes. Even though they didn’t live at the cabin year round, the closets were normally well stocked for any season they decided to take a trip. They called it their Northwoods attire, and had the luxury of leaving clothing behind, so they’d never have to pack a suitcase. Especially in the last few years when Lofty Pines was becoming a year-round tourist destination with snowmobile trails popping up and talk of a new snow ski hill in the works. Where were all her father’s things? Normally a full wardrobe for both of them would be hanging in the closet. Where did it all go? After shoving her mother’s slew of sundresses aside, she came upon an expensive-looking men’s suit jacket, hidden deep within the closet. The smoky tweed blazer wasn’t something she’d ever remembered her father wearing. A luxurious silk tie wound casually around the top of the hanger and draped in front of the suit, as if it’d been worn. Rain quickly pushed the maroon tie aside to view the size of the blazer and was inwardly embarrassed to not be sure if this would be something that would fit her father.

  Frantically, she dug her hands deep inside the suit pockets and found an obituary program from a funeral her mother mentioned that she and her father had attended several years ago. She sighed, feeling relieved, but only for a brief moment, as it was the only thing of her dad’s she had found. Her heart thumped loudly in her chest as she stumbled backward out of the closet.

  Rain spun around and took in the master bedroom again with fresh eyes.

  Everything in the master suite had been remodeled, and the room held a more feminine flair. A tiffany lamp sat atop one of the two matching whitewashed bedside tables that flanked the queen-size bed. Something she knew her dad must’ve scoffed at. He always wanted to keep the cabin in more of a rustic motif, and this was anything but “cabin-ish.” The look was far more feminine. Her parents had argued about this on more than one occasion. Rain recalled a time when her mother had put her foot down, refusing to let her father hoist an oversized taxidermic animal to the living room wall. Willow couldn’t stand having a large deer head with fake glass eyes hanging in her home because of her love of animals. She had only compromised on the lighting in the library as she said the antler sheds didn’t hurt the deer, they were naturally shed in the woods, so that was okay in her opinion.

  Sadly, Rain realized she only saw her parents’ relationship in the way she wanted to see it, even throughout her adulthood, not in the way it really was. But now seeing the truth firsthand, it hit hard. This room was no longer a room shared by husband and wife; it was a single master suite designed only for her mother. It had to be. Rain stumbled backward and sat on the edge of the bed and held her head in her hands, taking in this new revelation. She knew her parents were having marital issues, but were they no longer sharing a bedroom? Had it really come to that? She was stunned.

  “Knock, knock!” Rain heard the distant holler of a familiar voice.

  “I’m back here!” Rain said and quickly shoved the suit back on the rack. She abandoned the master suite before Julia had a chance to enter the bedroom. Rain wasn’t at all ready to disclose what she’d just unearthed.

  Julia was placing the box of brownies from The Brewin’ Time on top of the countertop and spoke over her shoulder. “You forgot these in the truck. If I leave them at my house, trust me, they won’t make it to dinner, especially if Nick sniffs them out. The man’s like a hound dog when it comes to food! As it was, I didn’t even take them out of the truck, but I feared if I left them in there any longer, they might melt.” Julia laughed to herself, caught in her own world, before turning to Rain who was moving quickly in her direction.

  “Hey? You okay? You look a little flushed?”

  Rain self-consciously waved air at her face as an attempt to fan herself and cool down, and then said, “I think I’m just accustomed to air-conditioning back in Milwaukee.” She chuckled. “Max used to keep our place like a meat locker. I’m hopefully a little young for hot flashes, wouldn’t you say?” she added, attempting to keep things light.

  Julia turned to pluck a tissue from a nearby Kleenex box by the sink. With her back facing her, Rain conspicuously stuffed the water ski jacket deeper into the chair so Julia wouldn’t see it yet. She didn’t want to share that she’d already been vigorously digging into the closets. The last thing she wanted to discuss with Julia was her parents’ marital woes. Or the missing jacket. She needed time to process all of this before voicing it all aloud. Voicing it would make it real—too real. Right now, she wanted to live in fiction. Maybe she should head over to the library, pluck a book off the shelf, and immerse herself in it.

  “I hear you; it can get pretty humid. Even though we’re in the Northwoods, we’re not immune to the sticky heat.” Julia waved the Kleenex in the air before blowing her nose. “Although, maybe you want to open up the windows. The dry air is approaching and it’s actually cooling off a bit out there,” Julia said. “You’ll either get used to the sticky or bump up the air in here.” She added, lifting a thumb to the ceiling fan and then tossing the crumpled tissue in a nearby trash can. Julia then turned on her heel toward the back door.

  “Yeah, good idea.” Rain said.

  “Hey, off topic, but Hank’s already here. Jace was talking with him in the driveway, and it looks like the big elephant’s outta the room. From what I saw, I think he noticed the crime scene tape—I mean, how could you not? Sorry.” Julia frowned. “I’m sure by now Hank has heard the official reason of why you’re really wanting to get the locks changed.”

  “I’m not sure we can hold back a murder investigation from the Lakers, no matter how hard we try. News, I’m sure, is going to travel like fan-to-flame real soon. I guess that’s something I’m going to have to prepare for.”

  “Yeah, I suppose you’re right.” Julia said.

  “Hey, just so you know, I talked to your brother about opening the library and he said we’ll have to wait until next week. We can still work on some administration stuff, though, if you’re interested. It might
be good to take some time and organize this week. We have a lot to do, no?”

  Rain could tell by the look of surprise on Julia’s face, that the reopening of the library wasn’t what her friend had expected to come out of her mouth. It was a great diversion away from her parents though and would give her some time to internally process. Organization and order always had a way of making Rain feel in control. Especially now, when everything was the complete opposite. She was desperate to get off this tilt-a-whirl.

  “I have a few things to help Nick with, but how about we turn our lunch meeting into a library meeting? Shall we?” A new spark of light danced in Julia’s eyes. “I’ll meet you on your pier at say twelve thirty-ish. Sounds good? Hank should have your locks changed by then.”

  Rain’s change of topic worked, as Julia didn’t even ask about the Cubbies jacket before retreating out the back door. She exhaled a sigh of relief.

  Rain followed Julia out onto the deck, closing the screen door behind them. A large shadow had fallen upon the wooden boards, causing the two to tent their eyes and look to the sky.

  “Look! An eagle!” Julia pointed to the top of a nearby white pine tree where a large Bald Eagle had landed and perched. His pure white head and yellow beak stood out proudly, not at all camouflaged by the branches.

  Rain looked up at the majestic bird, awestruck, and whispered so as not to spook him. “Wow, he’s beautiful, isn’t he?”

  “Sure is,” Julia said. “Did you know that the nest on the south side of the lake where we used to waterski is still there? I think there are eaglets in it, too. I see both mama and papa in it from time to time.” Julia smiled. “So cute, I can’t wait to see the babies grow.”

  “It’s still there? After all these years? Aww, that’s sweet.”