by Joan Rylen
Vivian ran a hand through her blonde curls. “It was a helluva day. We’ve been surrounded by men in uniform. Unfortunately, we weren’t at a strip club. They were the real deal.”
“Oh, wow. Would you like a glass of wine? Or a beer? We have all that you brought in the fridge.”
“I’ll have one of my Dox Equis.” Vivian sat in a rocker on the back porch. “Thanks.”
“You got it,” Tracy said and disappeared.
Vivian and Wendy sat rocking and tried to relax. In a few minutes, Tracy brought them each a beer. She set down a cup of hot tea and walked down the steps with a large plastic bowl. She filled it with water from the hose. “Come here, boy,” she called to Austin, who trotted over and went to town slurping.
She picked up her tea and sat down beside Vivian.
Vivian and Wendy told her about the hike, and then about finding the jawbone.
Tracy’s eyes got big, and she put her hand on her chest. “A human bone? Are you sure?”
“The teeth had silver fillings,” Wendy said. “There was no doubt. When we left the coroner, crime scene techs and a bunch of volunteers were there and looking for more, uh, pieces.”
Tracy shivered. “Had they found anything?”
Wendy shook her head. “Not that we know of, but from what we understand, it sounded like a tedious process. I bet we’ll know more tomorrow. I hope so, for the sake of that person and the family.”
Tracy got up. “I need a real drink; this tea isn’t cutting it. I’ll be right back, and I’ll bring us all a little something special.”
Wendy took a long draw of her beer and looked around. “It’s so nice out here. It’s little things like this I was looking forward to sharing with Jake.”
Austin lay at Vivian’s feet. He sat up and she rubbed his soft ears while she thought about the Jake situation. “Why don’t we call Antonio in New Orleans? Ask him to use his NOPD accesses to see what he can find out about the name on that other passport? We can trust him.”
Antonio Robichaux was a detective with the New Orleans Police Department they had met earlier in the year. He was also the brother/brother-in-law of Adrienne and Al Russo, whom the girls met in Playa del Carmen on their first vacation. They’d run into them in NOLA where Al’s contacts and Adrienne’s street sense had come in handy during Wendy’s bachelorette party.
Wendy brightened. “I don’t know why I didn’t think of that before. He would be straight with us, tell us if he found anything, even if it wasn’t...” She couldn’t finish.
“Pleasant,” Vivian finished.
Wendy nodded. “Do you still talk to him?”
Vivian shrugged. “I haven’t been to New Orleans to see him, but we still talk occasionally.” She grinned mischievously. “I wouldn’t mind seeing him next time I go. Maybe slip into his handcuffs.”
Wendy laughed and seemed to relax.
Vivian was happy to see her smiling. The past few months had been really tough, and they’d thought about canceling the trip, so this made her feel better about their choice to come. “I’ll call Antonio first thing in the morning.”
Tracy pushed the door open with her foot and came out carrying three martini glasses filled to the brim with a reddish amber drink, a cherry resting at the bottom.
Wendy held up her drink to toast. “To that poor person up on the mountain. May they not only find out who it is, but bring to justice whoever is responsible.”
The three women clinked glasses.
Tracy sat down and took a sip. “Mmmm, not bad.”
Wendy took a sip, then another. “Wow. I’ve given up bourbon and the like, but this is delicious.”
“I’m not one for whiskey at all, but this is yummy,” Vivian said, fishing the cherry out. “What is it?”
“Let me guess,” Wendy said, and took another sip. “It tastes a lot like a manhattan, but sweetened up.” Wendy had tended bar through college at Morton’s Steakhouse and made her fair share of manhattans and martinis. She’d even won a martini making contest, twice. “What’d you use?”
Tracy sat her drink on the porch railing. “This is made with Crown Royal Maple, extra cherry juice. My secret ingredient from my bartending days. Shhh. I call it the Upstate Uproar.”
Kate pushed open the screen door and walked out in her jammies and pink, fuzzy house shoes. “Who’s causing an uproar?”
They all laughed.
“I’m going to make another round. Kate, what can I get for you?”
“Just some water, thanks. Lucy’ll be down in a second. She’d probably like something.”
“I’ll check with her,” Tracy said and went inside.
Wendy and Vivian chatted with Kate for a few minutes, telling her about reaching out to Antonio for help with the Jake situation. Lucy, smelling freshly showered, walked outside and sat down in the rocker Tracy had vacated. “Did I hear the name Antonio?”
Vivian smiled. “That’s affirmative.”
“Why am I not surprised?”
Wendy finished her drink. “I think it’s a great idea. She’s going to ask him about Jake’s passport. Or actually, Paul Vaughn’s passport.”
“Yeah, it’s a good idea,” Lucy agreed.
Tracy arrived with a cocktail tray of decadent drinks. Even Kate’s water was gussied up with a lemon wheel. “I feel like I’m back at The Rumor Mill.”
“What’s The Rumor Mill?” Lucy took a cautious drink, then a bigger one. “Yum-ola.”
“The place in town where I bartended for years,” Tracy said.
Vivian took a long sip of her cocktail. After today and finding that jaw, I could use a few more of these.
“Where’s Brandon?” Wendy asked.
“At work. He’s had a job at the hardware store for years. The money helps when it’s slow around here, and besides, we can get things at cost. He’ll be home soon.”
“Totally worth it,” Kate said, rocking back and forth in a white wicker rocking chair. “It’s not cheap to keep up a house like this.”
Tracy gulped half her drink and changed the subject. “So I can’t believe what happened to you today. Who all was out there?”
“We met a couple of sheriff deputies, then the coroner and the crime scene photographer,” Kate replied.
“What trail were you hiking?”
“Haystack Mountain.”
Tracy looked out across the lake and nodded. “That’s a good one.” She finished off her drink. “Sorry it didn’t end up so well.”
Vivian set her glass next to Wendy’s empty on the rail. “On the contrary, we met a sexy blond fireman.”
“Larson Doolan?” Tracy asked.
Vivian looked at Tracy, amazed.
“I’m married, not blind.” She smiled. “He’s very involved with the fire department. It figures he would be there.”
Vivian raised an eyebrow. “Does he have a way with the ladies?”
Tracy laughed. “You could say that, though as far as I know, he’s never had a longtime girlfriend and he’s never been married.”
“Lone wolf,” Vivian said. “A renegade, a rebel. I like it.”
“AKA horny. Totally Vivian’s type,” Lucy said and looked at the girls. “I’m getting hungry, what’s for dinner?”
Kate propped her feet up on another chair. “I don’t feel like going anywhere. I’m tired.”
“We have a great pizza place that delivers,” Tracy said and got up. “I’ll go get their menu for you.”
“Perfect,” Vivian said.
The girls decided on two large pizzas, a meat lovers and a veggie. Tracy went inside to call in the order.
Wendy set down her martini glass with a heavy clank, hard to do with such a delicate glass. “I was interrupted by the sheriffs showing up earlier today,” she said and blew out a long sigh. She twisted her long brown hair into an up-do and tucked it in so it stayed.
Vivian knew Wendy was back to business.
“There was more inside Jake’s secret basketball than money
and the passport.”
15
What else was in there?” Vivian looked at Wendy, almost afraid to know what else she had found in Jake’s basketball, but dying to know just the same. Jake was not turning out to be who Wendy thought he was, and she felt bad her friend had been deceived.
“Jake, or should I say Paul, has an iPhone.” Wendy pulled a black cellphone out of her pocket. “I bought a charger and it’s good to go, but I can’t get past the code.”
Kate took the phone from Wendy.
Wendy nodded. “It’s unbelievable to me he had a whole separate identity and life. I keep questioning everything I thought I knew.”
“You can’t live like that, Wendy,” Vivian said. “Don’t do that to yourself. I’m sure Jake loves you or he wouldn’t have been marrying you.” That damn sure better be the case.
Kate handed the phone back to Wendy. “I can’t get into it.”
Vivian reached for it. “Let me try.” She punched in common codes like 1234, 9876, 4567 and a few others. Of course the code was more complex and she couldn’t unlock it.
They watched the sun set over the mountains, a brilliant display of colors. Kate took pictures and posted to Facebook as Vivian feverishly tried to unlock the phone.
Wendy tapped her foot on the porch. “I’ve tried his birthday, variations of his Social Security number, his parents’ birthdays, the birthday on the other passport. Nothing has worked.”
“I want a turn,” Lucy said and took the phone. She tapped buttons on it while the girls discussed theories of what could have happened to Jake.
After a while, Vivian heard a car pull up and the front screen door open and close. Tracy brought out the pizzas, paper plates and napkins a few minutes later.
“I’ll be right back with a couple of beers and more water for Kate.”
“Thanks, Tracy,” Wendy mumbled through a bite.
Vivian picked up a slice. “When I call Antonio, I’ll tell him about the phone, too. Maybe he’ll have some pointers for breaking into it.”
Tracy walked outside with beverages so the girls ended the conversation and got down to business. They gave Austin a slice and their crust, and the pizza was polished off in no time.
Lucy threw down her napkin, stood up, brushed off crumbs and walked down the steps toward the lake. She looked up to the sky. “Wow, I can see a lot of stars in Colorado, but the reflection off the water is amazing here.”
Tracy was picking up the pizza boxes and said, “We have a high-powered telescope. You might not be able to see Martians on Mars, but you can see the man on the moon.”
“Oooh, I wanna see,” Wendy said. “Y’all want to go?”
They did, and Tracy brought the telescope to the water’s edge a few minutes later. She set it up for them on a small table she’d pulled from the boathouse.
“You can see Jupiter over here.” Tracy looked through the lens and positioned the scope for them. “It’s the brightest star. You can tell planets from stars because the planets don’t twinkle.”
The girls took turns looking at Jupiter, and then Tracy repositioned the scope. “Mars is over here.” She headed toward the house. “I’ll leave you to it. Please bring the telescope inside when you’re done. You can just put it on the dining room table.”
The girls thanked her and said goodnight.
Vivian peered through the lens after the other girls had checked out Mars. “Oh, I just saw a Martian!” She giggled and panned the telescope to the right a little. “Just kidding, but I wonder where Uranus is.”
“Stooping to Uranus jokes, huh, Viv?” Wendy said.
“You knew it was coming.”
“Speaking of asses, any new men in your life?” Lucy asked.
“Not lately. I have a few friends with benefits I see from time to time, when the need arises, but I don’t have much time to date anyone seriously.”
“You need to get back out there, Viv,” Kate said, stepping up to the telescope. “You’re not getting any younger, and you need to find your soul mate. I don’t want you to be alone when you’re old and feeble.” She looked into the lens and didn’t see Vivian’s eyes roll.
“I’m perfectly happy being single, thank you. I’m not worried about finding my soul mate. I thought I had one once and that didn’t work out, so no need to rush into finding another one. My soul can mate with itself if it needs to.” She giggled to herself. “In fact, I’ve been looking at selling sex toys!”
“Oh my god, are you going to sell dildos out of your trunk?” Wendy asked.
“Not out of my trunk, out of a magazine. There are some pretty good companies out there that offer a variety of sexual enhancement opportunities. I’m seriously looking into it.”
“I’d be your best customer,” Lucy laughed.
“I’ll probably not do it because of the time involved, but I did seriously think about it.” Vivian bent over and shook out her hair and added from upside down, “I could use the extra income.”
Kate turned to her. “I’ll support whatever you do, even dildos, but I believe everyone only has one true soul mate, and Rick wasn’t yours.”
Wendy sighed. “I thought Jake was mine, but now he’s gone.” She turned and started walking toward the woods just beyond the house.
Lucy ran to catch up with her. “Wendy, wait.”
Wendy waved her away. “Little things out of nowhere get to me these days. I’m okay. I just need to pee. I’ll be right back.” She disappeared through the trees.
“Why don’t you go inside?” Vivian asked her. “The house isn’t that far away, you know.”
“It’s fine,” Wendy called from beyond the tree line. “I can pee in nature.”
Kate looked at Vivian. “I didn’t mean to upset her. I don’t know what I was thinking. But you do need to get out there, Viv. I don’t want you to die alone.”
Vivian snorted. “Oh geez, come on now. I really don’t have time, and my friends make me feel special.”
“Aaaahhhh! Aaaahhhh!” Wendy ran back to the lakeside but then turned and started sprinting toward the back porch. “It’s going to eat me. It has huge fangs.”
Lucy screamed and ran in a circle. Kate made a mad dash for the porch, and Vivian looked toward the woods where Wendy ran from but didn’t see anything.
“You sure something was after you?” she yelled to Wendy.
“Yes! I was mid-stream when I heard this mad gnawing, thrashing sound. It kept getting closer and closer!”
Lucy stopped circling and took a few hesitant steps in that direction and then stopped as something shook a nearby bush. She shrieked and high-tailed it to the porch, joining Wendy and Kate.
The screen door banged open and Brandon ran out, followed by a policeman and the newlyweds.
“What’s going on out here?” he asked and stopped to look at the girls.
Wendy pointed toward the woods. “There’s something in there. It was big and it almost got me. It might be Bigfoot.”
Brandon looked at the policeman. “What do you think, Adam, bear?”
Vivian still hadn’t seen any animal come out but she inched closer to the house anyway.
“Could be bear,” Adam answered. “Or wolf.”
“Wolf?” Wendy whimpered. “Are there really wolves out here? They can see in the dark, right?” She didn’t waste any time moving up the steps and onto the porch.
“Do y’all have chupacabras up here?” Lucy asked.
“No chupa-whatever, but we do have plenty of wolves, and they can smell fear a mile away,” Adam said, pulling his gun out of its holster and walking down the porch steps.
“Careful, Adam,” Brandon said. “I don’t want to have to tell Angie that you were eaten by a pack of wolves.” He laughed just as something rustled in the leaves again.
Brandon pointed to where the trees met the lake. “There it goes!”
Adam pointed his gun into the darkness.
The group looked to where he had pointed but no one reacted. Vivian
couldn’t see what Brandon had seen. She walked toward the porch.
“There!” he said and pointed again.
Vivian still didn’t see anything.
Tracy hit Brandon with a dish towel. “Stop messing with these girls. They had a bad day as it was. Besides, it was probably only a raccoon.”
Just as she said it, a masked, ring-tailed bandit scurried through the leaves back into the protective covering of the woods.
“Well, damn.” Wendy said. “I could have sworn it was Bigfoot.”
Adam holstered his gun. “Raccoons can be vicious little suckers. Be glad you didn’t cross his path. Or her — the mommas are the worst.” He looked to Brandon. “Let’s go finish up.”
Brandon held the door for Adam and they went inside. Wendell and Mitzie stayed outside with the girls.
“I don’t know what’s going on around here,” Mitzie said, “but I don’t like it. The police showing up here, animals going crazy. It’s not my kind of honeymoon.”
Wendell held her hand with both of his. “We will leave in the morning. It’s not safe to go now, what with wild animals and such.”
Mitzie pouted but then must have decided Wendell had done all he could. “Let’s go into the city tomorrow, go shopping!” She winked at Vivian, then looped her arm through Wendell’s and they went inside.
Vivian laughed, figuring Mitzie was more at home at Macy’s in New York City than at the Turlington Farms B&B in Lake Placid. She turned to the girls. “What is the cop doing here?”
“Brandon didn’t seem too upset by him,” Kate said. “They seemed to know each other pretty well. Maybe he’s just a friend.”
“Is it her?” Brandon’s raised voice carried through an open window. “I have a right to know if it is.”
“I can’t tell you anything yet,” Adam replied. “I just thought you should know.” Adam lowered his voice, and Vivian couldn’t hear any more.
The girls were quiet, but whatever Brandon and Adam discussed wasn’t loud enough, and Adam left shortly with a slam of his car door.
“I’m going to turn in.” Kate stretched as she stood. “I’m pooped since I didn’t sleep well last night. I hope tonight is better.”
Lucy held the door open for her. “I’m going up with you. The more I think about it, the more unnerved I get. I mean, we found a person out there today. A person.”
