Misty Lake: Book One in the Misty Lake Series

by Margaret Standafer

  “I hope they learned a lesson,” Sam said. “Hopefully this will be enough to keep them away from the stuff.”

  “I have a feeling it will. And, if they didn’t get enough of a scare riding in a police car and spending some time in jail, I’m pretty sure their father will take care of the rest. He was none too pleased when I called him. He even asked if it’s okay if he lets them sit in jail for a little while before coming to get them. He’s determined to teach them a lesson.”

  “Sounds like a good dad. I hope he gets through to them.”

  “He will,” Jake said, putting a hand over hers. Then, determined to get a smile back on her face, he asked, “What do you think about this weekend? What do you feel like doing?”

  “Well, since you asked,” she said with a sly grin, “I’m thinking about buying a boat. Do you want to go boat shopping with me?”

  “Really? I didn’t know you were interested in having one.”

  “I’ve been here for months and have hardly been on the lake. I think it’s time. Besides, a boat would be fun. Now, I’m not talking about anything like Joe has. I was actually thinking about a pontoon.”

  “That’s definitely not like what Joe has.”

  “Do you think it’s lame? My thought was I would use it to cruise around, Rigi could come with me. Maybe I’ll even start fishing, who knows?”

  “I think it sounds perfect. You know, I have a boat parked out behind Joe’s place. I haven’t put it in the water this summer since Joe has his new one. It’s nothing as fast and fancy as his but it moves pretty well. If you’d like, I could move it over to your place, teach you how to drive it, and you could use it whenever you want.”

  “You could do that.” She studied Jake. She didn’t want to make it seem like she was going to consider his boat hers, didn’t want to make it seem like they were sharing property. Although, he had suggested it, she thought. “That’d be good. I think I’d still like to look around a little at pontoons, though. It seems like it might be a little more relaxing floating around in a pontoon. Besides, they kind of remind me of the old raft we’d drag out into the lake and jump off when we were kids. I might have to invite all my cousins here for a game of King of the Pontoon.”

  She was beaming, her eyes twinkling, and Jake knew he’d move heaven and earth to help her find the pontoon of her dreams. “Then we’ll look at pontoons this weekend.”

  Sam glanced at her watch. “I suppose you need to be getting back soon? I’ll just finish these fries,” she said, popping one in her mouth.

  Jake grinned at her. “Enjoy your lunch?”

  “Ha! I suppose you thought I’d order a salad or something girly. But you know what? I’ve been swimming almost every day, swimming hard, so I decided I deserved to splurge a little. Besides, this was delicious,” she said, as she finished the very last french fry and licked a drop of ketchup from her thumb.

  “I’m glad you enjoyed it. And you’re right, I do need to get back.”

  Just then his radio crackled. “We have a domestic at 158 Spruce, reports of shots fired.”

  “10-4,” Jake responded. “On my way.” He turned to Sam give her a quick kiss and found her frozen, eyes wide and terrified. “Sam?”

  She grabbed his arm and squeezed tight. “Oh God, Jake,” she whispered, barely able to get the words out.

  “Sam, it’s okay. Everything will be okay.” He hated leaving her, wanted with every ounce of his being to stay, but knew he had to go. “I’ll call you soon, very soon. I promise.” He put an arm around her, hugged her tight, threw some bills on the table, and darted out the door.

  Sam sat and stared after him, unmoving. Shots fired. The words replayed over and over in her head. He was going to get shot, he was going to die and leave her, too. Another cop would ring her doorbell, give her the news that someone else she loved was gone forever.

  Her head was spinning with horrific images and she felt nauseated. Gripping the edge of the table, she told herself, No! She had to do something. She couldn’t sit back and let it happen again. She wouldn’t.

  Stumbling to her feet and knocking over her chair, she reached for her purse and staggered out the door, oblivious to the stares of those around her. She was looking around wildly, trying desperately to remember where she’d parked her car when she felt hands reach out and take her by the shoulders.

  “Samantha,” a voice said, calmly, reassuringly.

  Sam turned and tried to focus. Jake’s father looked back at her, his kind blue eyes filled with understanding. “Oh, Sean! It’s Jake, shots fired, he left, we need to do something.” She was pulling on his arm, trying to drag him with her down the sidewalk.

  “Samantha, please try to calm down,” he said gently.

  “But he’s going to get hurt! What if he gets hurt?” Sam shouted frantically.

  “He’s going to be fine, he knows what he’s doing.” Sean started to slowly lead Sam down the street to a deserted bench. Once he had her seated he took her hands and said, “You need to trust in his ability. He’s been in situations like this before, he can handle things.”

  “Every situation is different,” she argued. “The dispatcher said ‘domestic.’ I know that’s bad.”

  “You’re right, domestic disputes can be bad, emotions tend to run high and people become unpredictable. Like I said, though,” he continued when Sam grew even paler, “Jake is experienced, careful, and, if I may brag a bit, well trained.” He grinned hoping to get Sam to relax.

  “What’s going to happen? What will he do?” If she couldn’t do anything to help, she needed to understand the situation, the dangers.

  “First, he won’t go alone, there will be at least one other officer there with him. They will wear vests, bulletproof vests, it’s procedure. Then, they will do what they can to assess the situation, determine if anyone is injured, try to talk to those involved, reason with them.” Sean continued to tick off steps in protocol as matter-of-factly as possible sensing Sam needed something real to concentrate on rather than imagining the worst.

  “Is it scary?” she asked weakly.

  “It can be.” He wanted to be honest. “Most police work is routine, even mundane, but there are times when it’s scary. Other jobs are like that, I would imagine.”

  “I guess.” She had calmed some but her hands still shook slightly as she reached in her purse for her phone and held it tight, willing it to ring. “He said he’d call,” she said softly.

  “And he will. It may take some time to get everything wrapped up, but he will call, don’t you doubt it.”

  They sat in silence for a while, Sam thinking over what Sean had told her and Sean waiting patiently. Eventually Sam asked, “How did you find me?”

  “Jake called me. He told me about the situation, that he had to leave you when you were upset and frightened, and asked if I would check on you. I was nearby, it didn’t take me long.”

  “He called you?” Sam was touched, deeply touched, and the tears that had been held at bay by fear started to flow.

  “There, now,” Sean said, leaning her head onto his shoulder and thinking Anna had been right, Sam was in love with their son.

  They sat, Sam’s tears slowing then eventually stopping. “I should probably head home.” Now that she had herself somewhat under control, she started to feel foolish.

  “Why don’t you let me buy you a cup of coffee and we’ll wait together.”

  Grateful for his understanding, Sam gave a quick nod and they made their way down the sidewalk to The Whole Bean. Once they had their coffee, they wandered to the park and found a picnic table in the shade. Sean kept up a running dialogue, regaling Sam with stories of Misty Lake’s history and some of its more colorful residents.

  They both jumped when Sam’s phone chirped. She punched a button and quickly answered, “Jake?”

  Sean watched the tension and fear melt away as Sam talked briefly with Jake. When she hung up she turned to him looking relieved but exhausted. “He’s fine, he sa
id everything was taken care of quickly and easily.”

  “See now, didn’t I tell you?” Sean said kindly.

  “Thank you, Sean. I’m not sure what I would have done if you hadn’t come along.”

  “I’m learning that it’s not easy to be the one left to do the waiting. The only advice I can give you is to trust in Jake’s ability and know that he’s going to do everything he can to keep himself, and those around him, safe. He’s a good cop, Sam. Believe that.”

  21

  Sam knew she had been pulling away, had been a little distant with Jake, but she couldn’t seem to quite get back to the way things had been before. It wasn’t that they weren’t still seeing each other, talking and texting during the day, and having fun, they were, but she knew Jake noticed the change. She had talked to Susan for hours, listening to advice, agreeing with her cousin that she needed to move past it but still not quite able to unlock that part of her that had seized up when she had heard the call on his radio.

  She had also talked with Anna, who had called after Sean reported back to her on his afternoon with Sam. She had helped Sam work through some of her feelings, had shared experiences of her own, and it had helped. Some.

  Determined not to let herself fall back into a pit of despair, she put a smile on her face and gave Jake a big wave as he headed toward her dock with his boat. It wasn’t as big as Joe’s, she could tell, but it was bigger than she had expected after Jake had downplayed it. She loved the way the bright blue seats and trim looked skimming over the water. The captain didn’t look bad either, she thought, as Jake eased the boat up to the dock, shirt off, bronzed skin glistening, and eyes hidden behind aviator sunglasses.

  “Nice boat. I can’t believe you haven’t used it all summer. It seems a shame to keep in on land,” Sam commented as she grabbed a rope and helped secure the boat.

  “I guess it’s been a busy summer. I’ve only been on the lake a few times with Joe. We’ll have to make up for lost time.”

  They did just that. Once Jake, Sam, and Susan had loaded a cooler and the dog into the boat, they spent a beautiful afternoon on the water. It took Rigi a little while to get her sea legs with her stumbling from one seat to another, apparently trying to make sense out of the bumpy ride. After a while, though, she found a spot in the front of the boat where she could sit with her face in the wind, which she did until the waves eventually rocked her to sleep. They stopped for a quick visit with Joe and Karen, anchored the boat at the sand bar to cool off in the water, and Sam and Susan had their first fishing lesson.

  “It’s not the best time for fishing,” Jake consoled the frustrated women, neither of whom had had so much as a nibble. “The middle of the day with so much traffic on the lake, no one is going to be catching anything right now. We’ll try again another day, either early morning or in the evening.”

  “I don’t know,” Susan said skeptically. “It’s not really very exciting, is it? I mean all you do is sit here.”

  “It’s fun when they’re biting. Besides, a fish dinner makes any boredom worthwhile.”

  “I can’t imagine how long it would take to catch enough to make a meal,” Susan grumbled.

  Jake began heading back to Sam’s house while continuing to try to convince Susan to give fishing another chance. Sam gazed at the shoreline and picked out her house, pleased that she was becoming more familiar with the lake. Just as she was appreciating how pretty her house looked, she noticed the smoke.

  “Oh, my God! Fire!” she shouted. It looked as if the smoke was coming from directly behind her house.

  Jake and Susan jerked their heads to look where Sam was pointing. Jake punched the engine as he yelled to Sam, “Call 9-1-1!”

  They raced to shore. Susan screamed, “Go!” to Sam and Jake as she grabbed hold of the dock, quickly tied up the boat, and secured Rigi’s leash to a tree to keep her out of danger before chasing after them.

  A fire was raging on the back of the lot, near the shop. As they got closer, they could see garbage cans engulfed and the fire spreading close to the corner of the shop. Jake sprinted for the garden hose and began doing what he could to contain the flames.

  “Do you have gas or anything flammable in there?” Jake yelled to Sam.

  “There’s some paint thinner, a small propane tank,” Sam answered, trying to force her brain to work.

  Damn, Jake thought. Even a small amount would speed up the fire if the flames reached it. “Move the cars back!” he shouted.

  Sam tore back to the house for keys, throwing a set to Susan as she ran back. As she scrambled to get the cars out of the way, Sam prayed for the fire trucks to arrive. She ran back towards Jake, feeling helpless. She watched in horror as the flames inched closer to her shop. Even through the clouds of smoke she could see the far corner and one wall already blackened. There were flames spreading into the field, as well, and coming close to the tree line. Jake was furiously spraying but the garden hose was no match for the quickly advancing fire.

  Finally, she heard the far-off wail of sirens. Hurry, hurry, she silently pleaded. In moments, a truck pulled up followed closely by a second. She stood huddled with Susan watching as the fire fighters hurried and, with incredible precision, quickly began waging battle with the flames. She saw one of them spot Jake and yell, “No one inside?”

  Jake shouted, “No, all clear,” as he backed off and let the fire fighters take over.

  It was surreal, Sam thought, watching them scramble to save her shop, her house. Later she would realize it was all over fairly quickly but, at that moment, time seemed to slow down and Sam felt as if she stood for hours watching and waiting.

  Once the fire was out she answered questions and watched as Jake and the fire chief combed her yard for clues. It was easily determined that the fire had started in the garbage cans and had been intentionally set. The smell of gasoline was prevalent. She assessed the damage to her shop and was grateful to find that, aside from charred siding and some minor water damage inside, things were more or less intact.

  Eventually Sam and Susan headed inside with Rigi, there being nothing more for them to do outside. Sam opened a bottle of wine and the cousins, tired, scared, and angry, stared at each other as they sipped.

  Eventually, Susan spoke. “What the hell is going on, Sam?”

  “I wish I knew. I really believed it was all over but obviously not. This is a whole new level of evil,” she snarled.

  “You sound pissed off,” Susan said, admiration in her voice.

  “You know what? I am. This has gone on long enough. I’m going to look into installing security cameras, alarms, whatever I need in order to put a stop to this. I’ll talk to Jake, see what he recommends. This is my property and I’m sick and tired of someone thinking they can do whatever they want.”

  Susan smiled. “That’s my girl.”

  Later, Jake joined them and they talked, trying to come up with possible suspects, a motive. Sam asked him questions about security measures, what she could do, what he thought she should do.

  “Why don’t I give you the number for the security company I mentioned a while back? I’ve worked with them, the owner, Mitch, is a good guy. He knows what he’s doing and he’ll be honest with you, telling you what you need and what you don’t need.”

  Jake felt in his pockets for his cell phone and realized he didn’t have it. “It must still be on the boat, I didn’t even notice it wasn’t in my pocket with everything that’s been going on. I’ll be right back,” he said as he headed out to retrieve his phone.

  When he returned, Sam knew immediately something was wrong. His face was grim as he listened to voicemail. “What is it?” she asked as soon as he disconnected.

  He ran his hand through his hair and sighed deeply. “I had messages from Tom Lindahl and from the office. Zach is missing.”

  Sam was on her feet. “Missing? What do you mean, missing? How can he be missing?”

  “The kids had free time, most were swimming, playing volleyball
in the water. When they came in for dinner, Zach wasn’t there. The only explanation Tom had was that he just swam away from the camp and climbed out of the water somewhere else.”

  “How can he be sure? What if he had trouble in the water? He could have drowned.” Sam’s voice was rising, her fear palpable.

  “I’m going to call the office and call Tom. I’ll get more details but based on the message I had from the office, it sounds as though they’ve searched the lake, even sent a diver down. Let me see what I can find out,” he said as he walked outside angrily punching numbers.

  “This just gets worse and worse,” Sam said. “They’re going to want to blame him for the fire.” She sounded crushed.

  “It’s not that much of a stretch.” Susan held up a hand to stop Sam when she immediately opened her mouth to argue. “I know, you don’t want to believe it. I don’t either. All I’m saying is you can’t ignore the facts. He was away from camp when some of the other stuff happened here. Now, he’s missing today when there’s a fire. He’s been very reluctant to talk, to tell his side of the story, from what I hear. And, you said yourself you think he’s hiding something.”

  “I know,” Sam admitted. “I just don’t want to have this fight with Jake again. He’s going to suspect him, I’m going to defend him. We’ve been round and round with this too many times.”

  “Try to stay calm for now. Let’s wait and see what Jake has to say,” Susan suggested.

  It didn’t take long to realize the news wasn’t going to be good. When Jake came back inside he was muttering to himself and making notes on his pad.

  “Here’s what I know. Zach was reported missing around four-thirty. He had been in the lake with most of the other kids. They all got out at four o’clock to head back to their cabins to clean up before dinner. When his cabin counselor checked everyone in, Zach wasn’t there. The camp ran its own search for about thirty minutes before calling 9-1-1. A team is out there now, they’ve searched the water and are continuing to search the area but there hasn’t been any sign of him.”