Murder at the Lakeside Library

by Holly Danvers

  “Accounting. Not super exciting, but I was still eligible for the bike discount.” Rain had no idea why she’d said that. First of all, she didn’t own a Harley, and second of all, her husband had died as the result of one. So why was she trying so hard to impress Brock? Was she really that socially awkward? She swallowed and noticed the burn on the back of her throat had indeed healed.

  A woman came up behind Brock and looped her hand through his arm protectively. He turned to greet her. “Lyla, look, it’s Rainy … an old ski friend of mine!”

  “Oh, hiiiii!” The woman’s attitude instantly changed at the introduction. “I’ve heard about you! Your family is somewhat of a legend on this lake, right?” Lyla’s blond brows danced in amusement. “Wasn’t someone in your family like a famous author or something? I’m right … right? Am I right?” She ran her hand through her dyed blond hair to primp it. “We met a long time ago, but I doubt you’d even remember it,” Lyla added.

  Lyla was right, there was nothing about the woman standing in front of her that seemed remotely familiar to Rain. She even wondered if the woman was lying about the fact that they’d previously met, to impress Brock or something. She wondered this as she took the woman in for a half hug.

  “Oooh, didn’t the police find that dead guy on your property this week?” Lyla scrunched her nose and held a hand to her mouth as if the deep secret would be kept only between them and not privy to everyone else that surrounded them around the bonfire.

  Brock’s demeanor instantly changed. His eyes narrowed in on her. “That was your property? Now, that I didn’t know.” He shifted his weight and stood gripping his beer tighter, waiting for an answer.

  Rain’s eyes darted the crowd, seeking Julia or Nick. Neither was nearby. She cleared her throat before answering. “Um, unfortunately, yeah.” She rubbed up and down her arms, not because of a chill in the air, more out of a need for protection.

  “Oooh, it was your house!” Lyla whispered as a coconspirator with a slight nod. “That’s what I’d heard. The author’s house …”

  “Did you know the guy?” Brock asked.

  “No, I didn’t.” Rain admitted easily. “Did either one of you?”

  Both shook their heads and eyed each other in denial.

  “Do the police have any leads?” Brock seemed suddenly intense or agitated. Rain couldn’t discern which, as the man kept shifting his weight.

  “Not to my knowledge.” Rain’s eyes surveyed the backyard again, looking for a Hail Mary from her friends but came up empty. “You know, I’m feeling pretty parched. I think I’ll go and grab one of those.” Rain pointed out Brock’s beer, but the truth was, anything that could provide an escape would help at this point.

  “No worries allow me. I’ll go grab one for ya, I could use another myself.” Brock said. “I’ll be right back.” He turned on his heel away from them, leaving Rain and Lyla in uncomfortable silence.

  “Well, that was awkward,” Lyla said. “Nothing usually rattles Brock.” She took a sip of her wine cooler and pointed out a few lawn chairs closer to the fire. “You want to join me?”

  “Actually, I’m feeling pretty warm.” Rain admitted, and she wasn’t exactly sure if it was from the bonfire. She guessed more from the sudden rapid-fire questions. Questions that she’d naively thought she could avoid in mixed company.

  “Suit yourself!” Lyla said and went to take one of the chairs seated around the fire.

  Rain wandered closer to the lake and looked out at the darkening sky. A shooting star shot across her path, and before she could make a wish, a male voice interrupted her.

  “Beautiful, isn’t it?” The man came from behind and moved past her, making his way closer to the lake, almost to the point of the toe of his sneakers touching the water. “Makes you wonder how anything horrible can ever happen around this place. It’s so calming.” He stood a few feet from the pier and then stepped onto the wooden boards like he owned the place. Something in his familiar voice prompted Rain to follow.

  “How so?”

  “The murder out here on Pine Lake, for one. I guess you don’t remember me.”

  Rain couldn’t gauge in the dark who she was talking to, as when he’d passed by, a shadow from the lighting had hidden half of his face in the dark. “What’s your name?” she asked instead.

  “Paul,” he said before turning toward her. “Don’t you remember me stopping by to borrow a book from the library?”

  Before she had a chance to answer, she heard a familiar voice behind her.

  “I gotta go, nice to meet you, Paul,” Rain said jutting a thumb behind her. “That’s my friend calling me, have a good night,” she added, before turning on her heel and walking over to join Julia.

  “Having fun?” Julia asked, finally coming to her aid.

  “You want the truth?” Rain asked. “Or should I give you the sugar-coated version?”

  “Yeah, I want the truth, give it to me straight.” Julia threw her arm around Rain’s shoulder, pulling her in, while still holding a wine cooler in one hand.

  “I still haven’t gotten used to socializing without Max yet. Especially, when everyone seems coupled off.” Rain’s eyes traveled back to the bonfire where couples were laughing and licking marshmallow off each other’s fingers. “Max was so charismatic, you know?” she continued. “I never realized how much of a buffer he provided in social situations … until he was gone …” her voice trailed off.

  Julia must’ve realized her predicament when she, too, looked back at the bonfire and confirmed what saw. Which was everyone seated around the fire two by two. “Oh Rain, it didn’t even cross my mind. I’m sorry for being insensitive. Honestly, I hadn’t even thought of that. But if you’re uncomfortable, let me take you home, okay? I can come back for Nick.”

  “Are you sure?” Rain felt terrible, as they’d just arrived. But the larger part of her wanted to curl up with one of those new books Marge had supplied to the library.

  “One hundred percent positive. I’m sorry I put you through this too soon. I’m not being a very good friend.” Julia’s eyes dropped to the ground.

  “On the contrary, you’ve been an amazing friend.” Rain shook Julia by the arm. “It’s not that. I know socializing alone is something I need to get used to. I guess I didn’t even realize how often Max took the lead in these types of things. I just need to get my footing is all. I’ll get there,” she added with a weak smile to be convincing.

  “I know you will.” Julia gave a tight squeeze of her shoulder and then released her as if she completely understood.

  “I really do appreciate you allowing me to tag along.”

  Julia wagged a warning finger and then bopped her on the nose. “You’re never just a tag along. You’re a Laker again. And us Lakers stick together, remember?”

  “Yeah, I remember.” Rain smiled.

  “Now, let’s get you home.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Julia had not only insisted she drive Rain home, but she also took her by the elbow and led her to the door. Rain had already decided a good book to bring along to bed might settle her down, so the two walked into the house to retrieve the key, and then back outside to the catwalk leading to the library.

  “Did you have any fun tonight?” Julia asked.

  “Yeah, it was a great first step reacquainting with some of the Lakers. And Kim clearly is a wonderful host. I appreciate it.”

  “Talk to anyone interesting?” Julia pressed.

  “I navigated through a few conversations. I’m an idiot though, I think I’m fresh outta practice,” Rain admitted and slapped her hand to her forehead.

  Julia looked at her amused. “What happened? Tell me.”

  “I actually said to Brock, ‘Aren’t you the guy who dropped us from the pyramid?’” Rain said using an exaggerated dunce voice. She shook her head in disgust. “Can you believe I said that? What an entry!”

  “Hey, not your fault that’s his claim to fame.” Julia grinned. �
�He’s the one who dropped the ball.” She laughed aloud. “Nothin’ Nimble I think we nicknamed him at one point.”

  “His wife is certainly insecure. Until she knew who I was, she was like a coyote ready to pounce.” Rain shook her head and rolled her eyes.

  “Oh, that’s just Lyla.” Julia waved a hand airily. “They’re not married … Yet … Lyla would like to be, but Brock seems to be dragging her along. Now that I think about it, they’re probably considered common law married as they’ve been together way over the seven-year mark. I would’ve given him the ultimatum long ago.” She blew her pink bangs away from her face.

  “You’re too funny.”

  “What? I feel like there’s more to the story.” Julia asked, shaking a finger in front of her eyes.

  “Nah,” Rain shook her head. “It’s nothing. Well … maybe it’s something?”

  “Spill it.”

  “What else do you know about Brock besides his clumsy drops?” Rain chuckled. “He acted kinda weird when Lyla brought up Thornton’s murder. He acted sketchy, I guess would be the word.”

  “Oh, nooo … Lyla didn’t! She brought it up. Why would she do that? No wonder you wanted to bail. I’m sorry!” Julia cringed.

  Rain shrugged. “Like I said before, keeping this crime under wraps is gonna be somewhat difficult— if not impossible. It won’t take long before every citizen around Pine Lake knows about it,” she said with conviction.

  “Yeah, I suppose you’re right.”

  Julia started doing that twirling thingy she does with her hair that prompted Rain to ask, “What? I can tell something’s going on in that pink head. What’s up?” Rain eyed her friend inquisitively.

  “It’s nothing.” Julia disregarded with a wave of her hand. “I’m just taking in what you said about Brock. Nick mentioned when we were out by the cooler that he overheard someone say that he’s involved in that whole condo complex debacle. Interesting that he was weird with you. He’s pretty even keel … not a guy that’s easily flustered.”

  “Huh. Something else to ponder, I guess.” Rain threw her hands to the sky.

  “Yeah,” Julia sighed. “I’m bummed you didn’t get to meet Seth. Kim’s husband is a doll. Oh well, next time.”

  “Yeah, next time.” Rain agreed.

  “There’s gonna be a next time, right? You’re not gonna let this couple thing scare you off?”

  “Of course!” Rain nodded. Maybe there was a book in the library that could help her out with this. If nothing else, a book would provide a great escape right now, and she was ready for it. “You need to get back there. Time’s a-tickin!” she flicked a finger to the clock on the wall.

  “Okay, okay, I’m outta here.” Julia turned and took a step before hesitating and turning back on her heel. “You sure you’re gonna be okay?”

  “I’ll be just fine. But thank you.” Rain smiled and followed Julia to the library door. “Again, Julia, thanks for the invite tonight. I appreciate all you’re doing to welcome me back to the Laker scene. It’s just going to take me some time.”

  Julia’s look of compassion was so tangible, it almost brought Rain to tears. She swallowed the lump that was forming in her throat.

  “You have Jace on speed dial, too, if you need, right?” Julia’s eyebrows knit together in concern. “Give me your cell phone so I can check, if not, I’ll plug the number in.”

  “Yes, I have it. Now, go!” Rain smiled and gave her friend a light shove out the door. “Get outta here, go back and hang out with your husband, you’re wasting precious time! I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “Love you, Rain. And I’m so happy to have you back up here with us in the Northwoods,” Julia said.

  “Right back atcha.” Rain winked. “I’m happy to be back, too.”

  Rain rose a hand in farewell before retreating to the safety of the library. After shutting the door, she leaned against it wearily and let out a tired sigh. The smell of bonfire smoke permeated her clothing and filled the space around her. She wondered if she should pump up the AC and go and take a nice hot soak in the clawfoot tub.

  Rain’s eyes were gritty and fatigued as she surveyed the shelves of novels that filled the library walls. She pushed away from the door and walked deeper, her eyes traveling up and down the stacked walls of books. So many beautiful leather spines begged her to make another choice, outside her grandfather’s work. After talking about Thornton all day, she needed a distraction. She plucked a mystery from the nearby shelf, read the blurb, and then set the book back down, unable to make a choice. If only her eyes weren’t so weary, she’d tuck in for another long night of reading. She blinked several times and then dug the heels of her palms into her eyeballs. Despite her best attempt to revive them, she didn’t think her eyes would cooperate, and she’d have to settle for a night without books. She let out a resigned sigh. Double checking to make sure she locked the door, she flicked off the chandelier and closed the library door before re-entering the cabin.

  The living room was dark when Rain entered the room, but instead of turning on the lights, she was prompted by the rising beam of the moon to walk over to the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the lake. The colossal orb was full, casting a sparkling reflection to glow like a lighted path upon the water. The scene before her looked almost surreal—like something she would find on a computer background photo, and she took in the ethereal scene gladly. She closed her eyes momentarily, hoping to commit the picture to memory, and then opened them.

  A dark shadow darted across the front lawn. She blinked her gritty eyes to verify that her eyes were not actually playing tricks on her and stumbled backward momentarily. Rain sucked in a breath and flattened her body against the log wall, when she saw the figure reappear. She crouched down beside the window frame and peered out again to see if she could follow the trespasser with her eyes. The shadow darted again, and then ducked behind a tree on the far end of the yard, and she completely lost visual. Her eyes sprinted toward the screen door. Holding her breath, she crept over to it, and slid the door open a hair crack, just enough for her ears to perk at any sound. The sound of a branch snapping in the distance caused the intruder to yelp and then what sounded like Depp! in a foreign tone sung out, interrupting the unnerving quiet.

  “Depp?” Rain shook her head as if to find the word in her own vocabulary but came up empty.

  Could it be Julia sounding off one of her many flowery superlatives? Did she forget something, and then run across the lawn? She wouldn’t play that kind of a game, even in a drunken state. Not now, not with everything that’s happened. Besides, the bonfire was happening on the far side of the lake, nowhere near …

  No. Rain confirmed in her own mind. It was certainly a man’s voice—and the voice sounded foreign to her ears. Even if she’d heard but a mere syllable.

  Rain’s heart hammered in her chest as she waited what seemed like an eternity. The deafening silence frightened her as her ears were hypersensitive to the next sound. She focused in on the ticking of the clock which mimicked her thundering heartbeat. She desperately tried to slow her breath to the rhythm.

  Finally, she heard a rattling noise coming from the cabin’s front door, as if someone was jiggling with the doorknob. After slowly easing the back door shut and locking it, she crept into the kitchen. Her eyes darted the room in search of a weapon to defend herself. She reached for a knife from the block atop the kitchen counter, held it to her side, and moved like a sloth from South America toward the front door. When she arrived, she saw the knob abruptly stop moving. She couldn’t help but thank her lucky stars that she’d heeded Jace’s advice and changed the locks and added the deadbolt.

  The sudden lack of sound or movement made Rain uneasy. She wanted to phone Jace, but she feared the intruder would hear, and for the life of her, she didn’t know where she’d last left her phone. Rain clenched her teeth. If only she’d listened to Julia and kept the phone handy, she chastised inwardly.

  Rain crawled back to the front window
, careful not to slice her hand with the knife, peeked outside, and waited.

  It seemed like forever before the dark figure passed the light of the moon that had cast a radiance upon the front lawn. She noticed the figure was wearing a dark hoodie and was now moving away from the cabin at a rapid pace which gave her a slight sense of relief. The figure quickly darted toward the pier. Rain wondered then if she’d hastily left the keys to the boat inside the pontoon. Before she had a chance to consider, she heard the distinct throaty engine of a wave runner come to life and scoot off into the dark night.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  After much searching around the cabin, Rain finally found her phone back inside the library, tucked under one of the nautical cushions in the reading nook. For the life of her, she couldn’t remember how her cell phone had landed there. Her fingers couldn’t work fast enough across the keypad to send Jace a text. A night alone in the cabin, without an officer of the law coming by for an official statement, wasn’t sitting well with her, and was no longer an option in her mind. She told Jace to meet her at the back door, in hope there might be a chance he could lift a fingerprint off the front doorknob. She needed to know who the heck had been jimmying with the knob. And soon.

  Every light, in every room of the cabin, was now fully lit, and Rain paced back and forth, wearing a path in the floorboards, until she heard a knock on the hard glass. Her eyes rose to the door where Jace stood with his hands on his hips and a grim look upon his face.

  “Hey, You okay?” Jace asked when Rain went to greet him. She opened the door wider to let him cross the threshold. He grabbed hold of her arms, gave them a light shake, and looked intently into her eyes until he felt he had the answer he was looking for, and then slipped his hands back upon his hips. “Fill me in, what happened?”

  “I’m still a little rattled, to be honest.” Rain wrung her hands, blew into them, and then dropped them to her sides. “I think whoever it was that came here tonight wouldn’t have taken a chance if my lights or the neighbors’ lights were on. He wasn’t that brazen because he was dressed in a hoodie and dark clothing … like he didn’t want to chance getting caught. And your sister is at a bonfire tonight, so it looked like no one was home at either house. I’m not sure if Julia is back yet, I didn’t want to call her and ruin the rest of her evening. I already did that once tonight.” Rain ducked her head out the door to see if she could see any lights on next door, and then retreated when she noticed it was still dark.