by CeeCee James
“This is Baby,” Joss said. “We have to be careful where we put our feet when we get in, and we need to sit still. Baby doesn’t like to be rocked too hard.
I eyed him again, wondering not for the last time what I had gotten myself into. Still, this was Sharon’s nephew, and I didn’t think she would steer me wrong.
Joss helped us into the boat, his hand rough and leathery, and soon we were situated. He sat near the engine and then we were off.
Within minutes, we left the sounds of the road and signs of civilization. Even the power lines disappeared. Excitement bubbled inside of me. I stared ahead into the tunneling trees and dark, rippling water, and felt like I was floating into another time. Another land.
“Look, see over there,” Joss murmured. His calloused finger pointed to a bare branch. “That’s a red-bellied woodpecker. He’s getting himself some breakfast.” He threw that last line in Emma’s direction.
As we watched, the bird hammered at the tree, making the distinct knocking sound.
“And over there are some egrets. Aren’t they lovely? Always took my breath away.”
White birds on delicate stilt-like legs stood near the edge of the river. They ignored us and stood, with slim beaks poised, hunting fish in the water.
The river was lazy, and we moved with it. Joss didn’t force us faster and instead used the engine to mainly keep us in the center. I loved the expression on Emma’s face. Her eyes were clear and wide and full of curiosity.
At the next bend, we came into a brighter area. Here, the trees had lost their leaves, letting in sunlight. The water reflected the sky like a dirty mirror, the clouds three shades darker, the trees brown smears. But the sun, the sun was more brilliant than ever, sending sharp flashes against the rising ripples produced by the passing boat.
“Look do you see that there?” Joss pointed.
I turned to see what had his attention. At first I thought it was a rock. And then the rock moved with a sudden spurt.
“A turtle?” Emma squealed.
He grinned. “Yeah. A common snapping turtle. You see them a lot around here.”
Slicing through the water next to us were fish darting away from the shadow of our boat. I leaned, and Joss reached for my elbow. “Careful now. Don’t tip the boat.”
I sat back, my cheeks filling with a hot flush. “Sorry.”
“No worries. I just don’t want to take a dip in there. Sometimes there are snakes.”
I jerked my eyes in his direction. Was he serious? His face didn’t change expression. He sure seemed to be.
And then, signs of mankind. Over on the bank was garbage, plastic bags and cups. I cringed when I saw it. Joss did me one more and swore under his breath. He cast a guilty glance at Emma. “Sorry about my mouth. That makes me so mad.”
“People come down here?”
“On bikes and four-wheelers. It’s a well known trail. Just wish they’d keep it clean for the animals. They’re leaving trash right in their living room.”
As we floated by, the trail became more clear. It was a muddy slash between the trees, dug out from knobby tires, that disappeared over the hill.
“People have no respect. Leave their garbage everywhere,” he grumbled again. “Just last week I was with my buddy trying to help him tow out a car out by your place. Cops called us in. The car had been there for twenty years.”
“I found it!” Emma said. “Jasper and I found it!”
“Did you get it out?”
“No. It was too hunkered in there. Trees growing through it and anchoring it down. Take more time and cause more damage to move it than to let the land reclaim it.”
“Where do you think it came from?”
“Serial numbers were filed off in most spots. But if I were a betting man, I’m darn sure it came through the McDaniel used car lot, eons ago. Course, by now, there’d be no paperwork. If there ever was any.”
“Why do you think that?”
He shrugged. “Age of the car. How long it’s been there. Dropped off like it was stolen. Cars were always being swiped off the lot back then. It was before they had any real security.” He smiled. “Plus there was something else. Under one of the seats was a pen with the McDaniel logo.”
“Are you serious? Did you tell the police?”
“Sure. Handed it over."
“Did you find anything… unusual?” I asked, thinking about the money.
His eyebrow flicked in my direction. “No. What else should we have found?”
“Didn’t you find money?”
“Money? Nope, nothing like that.” Joss didn’t ask more, and I thought it was odd he didn’t care. Nothing seemed important to him, yet as he scanned the shore, his eyes softened when he found birds like it was the first time he’d been down the river.
I crossed my arms and settled back. I thought Emma was going to chime in when the money was mentioned, but her attention was caught by the sounds of frogs.
“Where are they?” she asked Joss.
“Down under those rocks in there. It’s thick with mayflies. That’s their favorite lunch.” His eyes twinkled.
Emma gave a thrilled shiver as we stared into the dark, ripply water. It wasn’t hard to imagine their wide white mouths sucking up the bugs.
The river forked. Joss guided us to drift down the one to the right. The boat gently bobbed with the current.
“How do you know which way to go?” I asked.
“Easy. I’ve lived here a long time.” The boat rocked a bit with the new current. “That way there feeds out into the pond over at your place.”
I studied the dark tunnel of trees. “That’s an awful lot of water.”
“Well, the river don’t stop there. It splits again with a little creek run-off going to the pond. The rest of it continues down until it meets Roanoke River.”
“Oh, I see.”
“I want to go down it, Chelsea! Let’s follow it to our place?” Emma’s eyes glistened with excitement.
“Maybe next time,” I said. “Now where does this go?”
“This end will eventually spill off into the town’s lake. We’ll drop off before that, down by my place.”
“How will you get back to your car?”
“Oh, I tie my boat off down here and have someone go drop me off. Sometimes I pay a kid in the summer when business picks up.” He flipped the toothpick to the other side of his mouth.
A barn roof appeared through the trees. It made me sad to see we were approaching civilization.
Joss pointed out a few more birds. My eyes weren’t sharp enough to always catch them, but I nodded like I had.
“What are those?” Emma asked.
I squinted to see something silver flash through the trees. And then red flags.
“That’s the RV business over there. Ol’ McDaniel used to run it. Course, he’s gone now, so who knows who’s running it now.”
I remembered processing some of his estate sale items at In For A Penny.
“I think it was supposed to be Clint who ran it,” I said quietly.
“Yep, that’s true. He would have run it to the ground in no time.”
“You said you didn’t get along with him.”
“That would be an understatement. He was a bully, just like his cousin.”
“The mayor,” I said to clarify.
“Yep.” Joss didn’t seem like he wanted to waste any more energy discussing those two, so I watched the scenery. Emma trailed her fingers in the water as she searched for fish.
It was quiet. Peaceful. And piece-ful, if you know what I mean. The kind of experience that calms the mind and puts all the pieces together.
All too soon, the pier came into sight.
“Here we are,” Joss said. “Hope you enjoyed your ride.” He pulled over to the landing dock and held out his hand to help Emma and me up.
“I sure did. Thank you so much!” I said, and nudged Emma.
I didn’t need to remind her. “I loved the turtle! Thank yo
u for taking me to see the turtle!”
He smiled. “Any time. Glad you liked it. Tell Aunt Sharon hi from me,” he said before spitting the toothpick in the water.
I promised him I would even as a strange thought bubbled inside of me. If Clint was such a bully, why would he cut and run from the very town where he was the big cheese?
But Joss didn’t seem open to any more questions. When we left, I saw him trudging toward his office with our two lifejackets in hand. He turned at the doorway and waved.
I waved back. At first I wondered why he wasn’t more curious about Clint’s death. Then I realized that the garbage on the river bothered him more than a murdered bully ever would. And I liked that about him.
Chapter 21
The next morning, David (Tilly’s ex husband) arrived to pick up Emma. I felt kind of proud of myself that we were so prepared. By the time he pulled into the driveway, she was as neat as a pin, which was a feat since I’d first discovered her in the goat pen rolling around with the kids.
David and Tilly got along well, and I was thankful for the sake of Emma. David was a pilot so his schedule was very sporadic. But he was a good father and spent what time he could with Emma, flying in on his days off.
He waved from the driver’s seat, and Emma skipped out with pigtails flying. She was wearing her new shoes, which she swore made her run faster. I, of course, agreed. Her radiating joy was almost tangible, and I couldn’t help but smile.
I waved like a maniac until they were out of sight. And then it was quiet. I had the day to myself.
It’s kind of a shock to the system when life is a constant go, go, go, and suddenly it stops. Honestly, a spare couple of hours felt like forever, and I didn’t know what to do with myself. I walked into the kitchen, turn around, and walked straight back out. The last thing I wanted to do was clean.
I did have a few things I wanted to check on, and now was as good of a time as any. One thing that had been bothering me since our river trip was that abandoned car. I hadn’t heard anything more about it. I wondered if Officer Kennedy would tell me what they’d found.
It was a long shot, but it was all I had. I decided I would unpack a little bit while I called her. I found some coat hangers, dialed the number, put the phone on speaker, and then went over to my opened suitcase.
Of course, the cat was sleeping inside. I scooped him up and set him on the bed and then grabbed a shirt warm from his body heat. He lowered his ear in displeasure and began licking his side as if to remove the stain of me touching him.
“Hello, Officer Kennedy speaking.”
“Hi, Officer Kennedy. Not sure if you remember me, but it’s Chelsea Lawson from out at Tilly Miller’s place.”
“Of course I remember you.” Her sharp tone could have cut a brick.
I cringed. I’d meant my greeting to be more as a reintroduction, but now I felt dumb. “Uh, well I had a few questions about the Pontiac out in the woods. Do you know if it’s safe to go back there?”
“Yes. Why wouldn’t it be?”
“I heard the car wasn’t removed?”
“We decided that the cost to remove the car in its state wasn’t worth it. We gathered what evidence remained and have released the site.”
Well, that was nice of her to let us know. And that must be why Joss hadn’t seen any money. “Did you figure out where the money came from?”
“That is still under investigation. If we need any information from you, we’ll be in contact.”
“How about what happened to Clint? Do you have any more information on who did it?”
“Not at this time.”
“Because I’m getting an awful lot of slack from the people in town. They seem to take it personal he died out here at the farm. Almost like they think I did it. Maybe you could get the word out?”
“Ma’am, I have a lot on my plate. This world doesn’t exactly revolve around you, you know.”
I was astounded at her response. The whole conversation had felt like pulling teeth, but her brute insult cut me to the quick. I said some inane reply to her curt goodbye and disconnected the phone.
Numbly, I hung up the item in my hand. I needed to get out of here. I couldn’t even process.
I headed to the bathroom to get ready. It was almost like I was on auto drive. It seems I should have taken a second to deal with what I felt, because, in my distraction, I smashed my baby toe on the corner of the door frame.
Something like a screech ripped out. I didn’t even sound human. Jasper came running up the stairs and skidded into the bathroom just as I hopped over to the tub. I sat on the edge, cradling my foot. Jasper’s cold nose pressed against my hand as I rocked. Tears dripped down my cheeks.
In a crazy way, the injury helped. Maybe, subconsciously, I was relieved to have a reason to let myself cry. I allowed myself to indulge for a minute, gulping and squeezing my eyes.
Then, I pulled myself together, partially in thanks to my excellent nurse. I kissed Jasper’s head and gave him a hug. I wasn’t going to let a grouchy person get me down.
I washed my face, got myself ready, then ran downstairs for an apple.
“You be a good boy, Jasper. Keep the house safe,” I said, heading out. He watched from his spot on the couch by the window as I walked to my car.
Starting the car made me smile. Joss had been right. No more weird engine rattles and no more knocks. I drove out onto the road, crunching my apple and feeling thankful I hadn’t made some appointment with the mechanic for a squirrel’s nest.
I decided to drive out to the place I’d passed a few days earlier, the RV business. After the conversation with Joss yesterday part of me was curious who was running it since both Clint and his father had died.
There was some apprehension that came with that decision. What if I ran into the new owner and was met with the same anger or suspicion I’d seen in other townspeople’s eyes? Even worse, what if the owner was some other relative that blamed me? If the mailman was giving me a hard time, surely one of Clint’s relatives would.
Maybe I wouldn’t introduce myself. I’d just tell them I was looking around.
I pulled onto the lot and was immediately impressed with what felt like acres of travel homes. Who knew there were so many choices? Tan motor bodies, silver ladders going up the back to the roof, pop-outs, it appeared like the world’s biggest camp out.
But instead of any evidence of people, I was greeted by an empty customer parking. I parked the car as close to the exit as possible and stared into the lot as the engine ticked.
Silence descended into the car. I reached into my purse and pulled out my pepper spray. Better safe than sorry. I scanned the area again, searching for signs of life.
Nothing. It was dead quiet.
Suddenly, my phone buzzed. I swear, I nearly peed myself. Shaking my head and half-laughing at my jumpiness, I pulled it out to check the text message.
It was from David, Emma’s father. —What’s this about a Freckles that Emma keeps talking about?
I rolled my eyes. That girl, I swear. I texted.—It’s her new imaginary friend. Her teacher said the less we react to it, the less it will be a thing.
He sent back a thumbs up. I dropped the phone into my purse and grabbed the door handle. I blew out a gust of air. Here goes nothing. Then, lifting my chin in determination, I climbed out and locked the door.
The air was brisk, but instead of smelling fresh, it carried the scent of oil and gasoline. I walked over to the office, side-stepping a pile of fast food wrappers along the way. To the side of the office was a pair of muddy tracks, like those made by an ATV.
The lights were off in the office, but I still knocked on the front door. I tried the doorknob, and it was locked. Cupping my hands to block out the light, I peered inside the modular.
There were the usual desks filled with stacks of folders and computer monitors. Nothing inside gave me a sign if they were simply closed for lunch, or if they were closed for good.
I wal
ked back down the steps as the wind picked up and tugged at my jacket. I pulled it close and slowly walked out into the parking lot. I surveyed the rows of trailers. It was as if even the birds had abandoned this place. The only sound was a faint hush from the highway.
Then I saw it. A stack of books sitting on the metal steps of one of the RVs. They looked like paperbacks, in fact I recognized one as a mystery novel. What were they doing out here? They could get destroyed in the weather. I walked over, curious.
The cover of the top book fluttered in the wind. As I got closer, I could see I was right. It was a stack of mysteries. I picked up the first one to read the title and then looked in both directions. Who had left them here?
Just then, the trailer’s door opened. I froze in surprise as a man in a red coat bounded out. One side of his blond-white hair was slicked straight on end from a heavy night’s sleep.
We stared at each other in shocked silence. I honestly can’t tell you who was more freaked out.
“Hello?” I said, a little apprehensively.
His face turned white, and his eyes looked like two runny eggs, what with the dark circles and bags under them. “Denise!” he gasped, staggering back.
I didn’t have a chance to respond, because he blurted out again. “I’m sorry, Denise. It wasn’t my fault!”
“Wait, what?” I asked.
He sprang down the metal steps, making the whole trailer shake. When he passed me, he visibly cringed, like he didn’t want to touch me. The next thing I knew, he raced around the RV, and then he was out of sight.
Chapter 22
What the heck just happened? Who was that guy?
He’d left the RV door open, and I could see personal items inside. What looked like piles of dirty clothing. Shoes. More books. He must be living in the travel home. Did the owners know?
What owners, Chelsea? I asked myself. I checked for him again before running back to the parking lot with a few glances over my shoulder. His expression when he’d first seen me was like he’d seen a ghost so I wasn’t too afraid he’d sneak up on me. But you could never be too sure.
I pointed the key fob at the car as I ran, unlocking it. As soon as I jumped in, I locked the doors. My heart was thumping. Okay, what should I do next? Call the police?
