by Ryan Field
And Latte always went with them. Sienna had started bringing him to work with her because he hated being alone in her apartment. Latte sat quietly behind the bar without being seen; the customers didn’t even know he was there and he never caused any trouble. And when he was in Oceanview and Sienna and Avenir were upstairs, he liked to curl up in front of the drawing room fireplace while Mavis read before bedtime. Mavis tried to coax him up to her room with tidbits of food and warm smiles. She adored him. But Latte would yawn and rest his head on the hearth, waiting patiently for Sienna to come downstairs.
There had been several severe snowstorms that month, and driving in the snow usually made Sienna so tense she couldn’t eat. Her hands felt shaky just thinking about driving through the snow and ice. But when Avenir drove, she sat back in her seat and folded her hands on her lap. She smiled at the way he navigated the roads and handled the car with ease. His Mercedes, with rear wheel drive and no snow tires, never slipped or skidded and he usually drove at normal speed. The thing about him that made her smile the most was that he knew how to take control, without controlling her at the same time.
Sienna and Latte usually didn’t get home until four or five in the morning. She drove Avenir’s car, because she still didn’t feel right about driving the new car he’d given her for Christmas. It wasn’t because she cared about what Robert and Karla would say. (They were gone for a few weeks and she didn’t have to deal with them. They’d been so devastated by what had happened the night of the Christmas Festival they’d flown down to Palm Beach for the Christmas holidays.) One reason Sienna felt awkward about driving the new car was because she liked paying for her own things. And the other reason was because the only thing she’d been able to afford to give Avenir for Christmas was a new sweater and a pair of gloves.
Of course he’d opened her gifts with a huge smile on his face and he’d thanked her many times. He’d even stripped out of his shirt in front of her to prove how much he liked it. He wore the sweater for the rest of that night. But she wished she’d been able to afford something better. She thought about the hidden painting and the will her mother had left. But Sienna was a realist at heart and she figured she had a better chance of getting the things she wanted in life by working for them instead of dreaming about them.
Then two days after Christmas, while Sienna was arranging martini glasses behind the bar in Applejacks, the chief of police paid them a visit. She was in the corner and he couldn’t see her from the other side of the bar. It was still early and Jaydin and Larson were still upstairs in Jaydin’s apartment. Larson hadn’t officially moved in with Jaydin, but he spent so much time there it seemed as if he had. Grace was stacking cocktail napkins in the middle of the bar, and Latte was under the sink sleeping next to her purse. She usually kept two small dishes there, one for his dry food and the other for his water. She kept a litter box in the back room near the exit door next to the trashcan.
When the police chief entered the bar, Grace saw him first. Sienna overheard her say, “Well, what can I do for you?” Grace was wearing a tight white sweater and showing a great deal of cleavage. From the tone of her voice, and the way she was leaning forward, Sienna had a feeling that Grace was flirting with him.
Kevin smiled and removed his hat. He didn’t see Sienna behind the bar. He nodded at Grace and said, “I’d like to talk to Jaydin Harrington. Is he here?” Then he squared his shoulders, took a quick look at Grace’s cleavage, and looked up at the ceiling so she wouldn’t think he was staring at her chest.
Grace smiled. “Jaydin is upstairs. I’ll go up and get him.” Then she put down the stack of napkins and crossed to the other side of the bar. She looked into his eyes the entire time, walking slowly and smiling. “You can sit down at the bar if you want while I’m gone.” Suddenly, her voice dropped to a slow stage whisper.
When she stepped out from behind the bar and Kevin could see her short black skirt, his eyes widened and he looked in the other direction. She knew he was watching; she walked slowly and rocked her hips. And when her back was turned and she was heading for the stairs, he bit his bottom lip and watched her walk away.
Sienna stepped out and said, “Is this about Mickey’s death?” Her voice was strong and solid; she didn’t want him looking at anything but the serious expression on her face.
Kevin’s head jerked to the side and his face turned red. “I didn’t know you were here,” he said. “I’m sorry.”
“I was in the corner,” she said, “getting ready for work.” She stood in the middle of the bar, with her hands on her hips and her eyebrows pointed down. “Did you finally check out Larson’s story about the cabins in Ellsworth?” she asked. “Did you speak with the desk clerk and confirm Larson’s story? I’ve been wondering, and I was almost ready to call you.” When Sienna had something on her mind, she never stopped until it was resolved.
“I did,” he said. “It took so long because the clerk was out of town. He went to Disney World with his family.” His shoulders relaxed. “I’d rather wait for Jaydin first, before I say anything. I think he should be here.”
Sienna tightened her lips and folded her arms across he shoulders. This was Kevin’s polite way of telling her that he didn’t think it was any of her business and that Jaydin was the only person he needed to see.
A minute later, Jaydin came jogging into the main bar. Larson and Grace were behind him. He crossed to the middle of the room and said, “Grace said you wanted to see me.” His eyes were wide and innocent.
Larson stood next to him with his hands in his pockets. He stared at Kevin and rocked back and forth in his expensive running shoes. Even though there was snow and ice on the ground, Larson was wearing long running shorts and a T-shirt. He worked out every day of the week, all year long. On that particular day, he’d run five miles and finished two hundred push-ups between two picnic benches behind the bar.
Kevin nodded, then he reached out to shake Jaydin’s hand. “I’ve spoken with the night clerk at the cabins in Ellsworth,” he said. “And you’ve been officially ruled out as a suspect in Mickey’s murder. According to the coroner, Mickey died sometime around four in the morning, and I’ve confirmed that you were at the cabin with Larson between two and eight in the morning. He said you were both definitely there the night Mickey was killed, and that he’s seen both you and Larson many times.”
Larson took a deep breath and hugged Jaydin. He held him tight and slapped his back a few times. “What a relief, buddy,” he said. His voice was deep and throaty and reassuring.
Then Sienna walked around the bar and hugged her brother. When she stepped back she turned to face Kevin and asked. “Are you still ruling Mickey’s death a murder?” She knew it was Bowen who’d killed Mickey and the others, but she was curious about what the police thought.
Kevin shrugged his shoulders. “Officially, yes,” he said. “But we have nothing to go on. I’ve never seen anything like it. There were no signs of struggle on the body, except for two small puncture wounds. Maybe it was a wild animal. I don’t know. It may take years to solve these cases, if ever.” He scratched the back of his head and frowned.
“Thank you for coming over here, Kevin,” Jaydin said, shaking his hand again. “I appreciate it.”
“Yes,” Larson said. “Thank you.” Then he reached out to shake Kevin’s hand.
Grace walked up to Kevin and said, “Can you stay for a drink?” She ran her fingers up and down his bicep and smiled. “You look so tense and worried, you poor thing.” She was definitely flirting, and she knew how to do it well.
Kevin stared down at his shoes and said, “I am officially off duty until tomorrow morning. I guess I can stay for one drink.” He pulled out a stool in the middle of the bar and sat down. “I’ll have a beer,” he said. “I deserve it. I work hard.”
Jaydin and Larson went back upstairs. It was still early and Kevin was the only one in the bar. Grace and Sienna walked behind the bar and Sienna whispered, “Are you trying to hook up wi
th Kevin?”
Grace looked at Kevin and smiled, then she turned to face Sienna and whispered, “He’s kind of cute. I like him.”
Sienna smiled and shrugged her shoulders. Kevin was average height and his light brown hair was thinning. He had a stocky body and a round, innocent face. He wasn’t a bad-looking guy, and he seemed to be just as interested in Grace. So Sienna said, “Does this mean you’re thinking of settling down?” She was joking; she’d known Grace for a long time and she often wondered if Grace would ever settle down with one man.
But Grace pressed her finger to her lips and thought for a moment. Then she lowered her voice and whispered, “I really do like him.” She took a deep breath. “I’m actually surprised by how much I like him.”
Sienna smiled. “As much as Larson seems to like Jaydin,” she said. “I’m still in shock. I knew they were always best friends, but I never expected this.” She was pumping Grace for information about Larson, because she knew that Grace and Larson had been lovers. “Did you know anything this secret relationship of theirs?”
Grace sighed. “I was a little shocked, too,” she said. “But it couldn’t have been easy for Larson growing up in a small town like this, and listening to those two idiot parents of his all the time. No wonder it took him so long to figure out who he is. I’m happy for them. I’m sure it wasn’t easy.”
Sienna looked down at the bar and thought for a second. “I guess you’re right. Larson was probably sleeping with half the women in town to prove something to his parents, and to ignore what he really wanted. It must have been rough on everyone.”
Grace reached down for a cold bottle of beer, and then she smiled and said. “I’m going to talk to my police chief now. I’ll see you later.”
By eleven o’clock, Avenir called Sienna’s cell phone and said he wouldn’t be coming to the bar. He was working on something that couldn’t be ignored. So she told him to continue working, and she’d come to Oceanview when she was finished.
When she hung up the phone she frowned and shook her head at Latte. He was under the bar looking up at her, with a sweet, innocent expression. It hadn’t been a good night. First, she’d discovered that Latte had eaten an entire lobster roll she’d put in her purse for later. His face had been covered with pink sauce and there was a piece of lobster dangling from his chin. She couldn’t yell at him. Jaydin and Larson had gone out for lobster rolls for lunch and they’d brought one back for her, and it was her own fault for leaving it on the floor where Latte could get it. Second, the radio had predicted more snow that night and she hated to drive in snow. And third, the temperature gauge in her old Camaro had been pointing to H that morning. She didn’t know anything about cars, but she knew that meant the car was running hot and something was wrong.
When the bar closed, Sienna walked outside with Latte in her arms. She’d closed the place alone. Business had been slow, and Jaydin and Larson went upstairs early to watch a new DVD they’d rented. And Kevin had asked Grace if she wanted to go back to his place for a cup of coffee after work and she’d said yes. She’d asked Sienna first if it was okay to leave a few minutes early, and Sienna had said it wasn’t a problem. She’d been watching Grace and Kevin all night and she’d noticed something between them. When they spoke, they looked into each other’s eyes. Kevin treated her well, and Grace seemed to appreciate it.
It was a slow weeknight in the middle of winter. Sienna had closed the bar on her own many times. But when she stepped outside, it was already snowing. Latte’s eyes blinked and he buried his face in her elbow. The wind was blowing and the snow was falling on a slant in tiny white specks. There was a two-inch coating of soft, powdery snow on the parking lot already, and Sienna’s lips tightened. She’d seen snow like this before in Mt. Desert. It came down fast and accumulated into deep drifts in a matter of minutes.
So she crossed to her car and brushed off the front and back windows with her glove. The snow was still soft, and all she had to do was push it gently. But it was coming down so fast that by the time she got into the car the windows were covered again. She put the key into the ignition and pressed the gas pedal a few times. Older cars like hers didn’t have fuel injection, and the gas pedal had to be pumped a few times. But when she switched the key and tried to start the engine, it wouldn’t turn over.
She stopped pumping the gas pedal and waited a few minutes. She didn’t want to flood the engine. She huddled forward and tapped the steering wheel a few times. She counted to fifty and tried to keep her lips from quivering. Then she reached for the ignition again. She looked down at Latte on the other seat and said, “Here goes.” He tipped his head to the side and meowed.
This time the engine turned over. She took a deep breath and slipped the car in to reverse. When she stepped on the gas the car hesitated for a moment. She heard a knock in the engine, and the seats were vibrating. She slowly backed out of her parking space and put the car in drive. Then she looked down at Latte and said, “Of all the nights Avenir has to work late.”
It wasn’t a long drive to Oceanview, but the roads were covered with snow. Ice formed on the wipers and made streaks across the windshield. She put the car in low gear and drove very slowly. When she reached one steep hill, she went halfway up and the car fishtailed. She had to back down and start again so she could gain enough momentum to keep the car on the road and get it over the hill without getting stuck.
She got the car up the hill on the second try, but the back end had slipped so violently she’d almost fishtailed into the ditch. She held the steering wheel tightly to keep the car on the road and to keep her hands from shaking. Weird sounds came from the engine; the tailpipe backfired a few time. She huddled over the steering wheel and drove with her forearms, silently begging the old car to keep running long enough for her to get to Oceanview. The car was still vibrating and the temperature gauge was moving toward H again. And it was freezing inside the car. She had the heat on the highest setting, but it didn’t seem to be working at all.
Then she remembered that she’d left her cell phone on the bar at Applejacks. After Avenir had called to tell her that he wasn’t coming, she’d noticed the battery was low. So she plugged it into the charger and placed it at the end of the bar. But she’d been in such a hurry, worrying about driving in the snow, she’d left it there. She bit her bottom lip and sighed. It probably didn’t matter anyway. There were sections, she knew, on this road where you couldn’t even get a cell phone signal on a clear day in the summertime.
She looked down at Latte and frowned. “Looks like it’s just you and me,” she said.
When she looked up a second later, she saw something in the middle of the road. She wasn’t sure if it was a person or an animal and her natural instincts kicked in. She hit the brakes hard and the car skidded to the right. It swerved in a half circle, back end first, creating a huge arc of snow. It finally stopped with the right front tire in the ditch. The engine jerked a few times, and steam began to rise from under the hood. The car started to vibrate so much that the ashtray jiggled and clinked. A moment later, there was a loud swish, a sharp crack from under the hood, and then the engine died.
Latte jumped up on her lap and meowed. She couldn’t see through the windows because of the snow. The wipers were still working, but the front of the car was facing the woods. Her heart was beating fast, and her hands were still shaking. Oceanview was only a ten-minute drive away in good weather, and Raspberry Hall was only a little farther down the road. But walking there in the snow, with high-heeled boots and a kitten under her arm, would take at least an hour. She wasn’t even wearing a hat or a scarf.
Then there was a tap on the driver’s side window. She pulled Latte into her body and said, “Who’s there?” She checked to see if the doors were locked and grabbed the armrest with her other hand. She assumed it was the figure she’d seen in the middle of the road.
A deep voice said, “It’s Bowen, Avenir’s friend.”
Her heartbeat rose and the same feel
ing of panic she’d had the night the truck almost ran her over passed through her body. Latte’s ears perked and he let out a loud meow that sounded like a scream. She pressed her hand against his tiny body; she’d never heard him scream this way.
“What do you want?” she asked. “I know who you are, and what you are. I’m not afraid of you.” Then she reached to the back seat for a baseball bat she kept as protection.
“So my creation, Avenir, told you everything,” he said. He laughed and slapped the roof of the car.
“What do you want from me?” she asked. “I’m nothing to you.”
Bowen didn’t answer her. The next thing she heard was the door handle going up, and then the sound of crunching metal. With one tug, Bowen broke the lock on the door, jiggled it once, and opened the door all the way. Then he leaned over and looked into the car. He stared down at her legs and smiled. He licked his lips and said, “I’m just trying to help. It looks like you’re in trouble.” Then he reached down to pet Latte on top of the head.
Latte sat up straight and growled, a deep growl that sounded more like it was coming from an adult wildcat than a little white kitten. When Bowen reached to pet him, Latte’s sharp claws came out and he took fast swipe at Bowen’s hand.
Bowen pulled back fast. “What kind of devil cat is that?” he shouted. The scratches were deep and there was blood trickling down toward his fingers. He smiled and lifted his hand to his mouth. He licked his own blood clean and the scratches instantly disappeared. Then he laughed and said, “I haven’t tasted a kitten in a long time. From what I remember, they are very sweet.”
