Wild & Hexy

by Vicki Lewis Thompson

  ‘‘If I took the picture, you couldn’t legitimately claim the photo credit.’’

  ‘‘That’s right.’’ She searched his expression for irritation, and there was none. ‘‘I guess you really do understand how important this is to me.’’

  He nodded. ‘‘That’s why I don’t want you to get your hopes up, because I guarantee it’ll turn out to be a hoax.’’

  Annie surveyed the lake again. ‘‘Tell you what. I’ll wait until it’s completely dark. If I haven’t seen anything by then, I’ll give it up as a lost cause.’’

  ‘‘Deal.’’ He sounded happy about that.

  ‘‘In the meantime, please start eating.’’

  ‘‘I don’t have to do that, but I can get everything ready. Sure you don’t want me to bring you a glass of wine?’’

  ‘‘Absolutely sure.’’ She felt like a party pooper, but unless she made a reasonable attempt to get the picture, she’d regret it the rest of her life. ‘‘But you go ahead.’’

  ‘‘Can’t.’’

  She swiveled around to look at him again. ‘‘Why not?’’

  ‘‘The whole point of this wine is to share it with someone you . . . care about.’’

  As she looked into his eyes, her heart did a somersault. Close call. He’d almost said something that would ruin the next two days for both of them. She refused to think in terms of the L word, and he’d be wise to do the same.

  ‘‘Just give me another twenty-five minutes.’’ She kept her tone light, as if she hadn’t picked up on what he’d nearly let slip. ‘‘Then we’ll tackle that bottle.’’

  ‘‘Right.’’ He turned away quickly, as if not wanting to maintain eye contact. Then he got very busy getting the food out of the kayak.

  She didn’t blame him. She’d given him no hope for a future together, and now it seemed possible that he was falling in love with her. He shouldn’t allow himself to do that. She’d carefully kept a tight rein on her emotions, and there was no way she was falling for Jeremy.

  Sure, she had tender feelings for him, but they weren’t unmanageable. She was keeping her eye on the prize. Damn it, where was the creature? She concentrated so hard on the lake that it seemed as if the surface began to shimmer.

  Blinking, she looked again. Were those ripples, or was her imagination playing tricks on her? Jeremy had said that desperately wanting something to be true could mess with your mind.

  Yet the water seemed to be moving, although in the dim light she couldn’t swear to it. There was no breeze, either. She held her breath, hoping the movement wasn’t something she’d conjured up.

  But if the water really was moving . . . her mouth went dry with unexpected fear. She’d been so eager for a creature to rise up so she could get the picture of the century, and yet she knew nothing about it. The long, snakelike neck might enable it to reach out and snatch her from the beach the way orcas went after seals.

  Dorcas hadn’t seemed afraid, but maybe Dorcas didn’t have sense enough to be afraid. Maybe she’d only watched from the safety of her kitchen window, while Annie, determined to become a star reporter, had decided to get up close and personal with something huge and potentially dangerous.

  Yes, those were definitely ripples, and bubbles, too. Big bubbles. Her heart beat furiously as the ripples increased in size, spreading out as if someone had thrown a giant stone into the lake. She opened her mouth to call Jeremy, but nothing came out. Her throat muscles refused to cooperate.

  Jeremy was rustling around unloading things from the kayak, no doubt setting up their dinner. A pop told her he’d opened the wine. Surely he would look up in a minute. Surely he would see that there was something out there.

  She began to shake. Why hadn’t she suggested watching from Dorcas’s kitchen window and using a telephoto lens to get the shot? Why in God’s name was she sitting here, paralyzed with fear and quivering so much she’d never be able to take a decent picture?

  A triangular head broke the surface about a hundred yards from where Annie sat. She nearly passed out. Her heartbeat surged in her ears like ocean waves, and cold sweat trickled down her backbone. Shit.

  The head was about the size of the middle section of a curved sofa her mother used to have. Despite Annie’s terror, her reporter’s brain noted the size and shape so she’d be able to write about it later. That was assuming there would be a later, and she wouldn’t be pulled from the beach and gobbled up before Jeremy even missed her.

  The creature’s head came out of the water like a periscope balanced on a very long neck, and a dank scent filled the air, like the smell of a mudpack she used to get back in the days when she had regular spa appointments. As the head turned, Annie caught the flash of luminescent eyes. It saw her. She was sure of it.

  Maybe the thing was considering whether to make her the evening meal. She couldn’t see its mouth very well in the darkness, but no doubt the jaws were big enough to close right over little Annie. She prayed it was a vegetarian.

  Apparently it was treading water, because the ripples continued spreading outward. Annie told herself to take heart from that. If the creature wanted to attack, it would have done so by now.

  Her teeth chattered, and she clenched her jaw. Time to take a picture, girl. But what if she raised the camera and the creature mistook it for a weapon? Come to think of it, the camera was the only weapon she had. Maybe she could blind it with the flash, or throw the camera, aiming for a spot between its eyes.

  No, her best defense was to get up and run, dragging Jeremy with her. This thing had never been seen out of the water. Annie was guessing it had flippers, not legs. Running would be a great idea. But she couldn’t seem to move.

  The creature lowered its head and looked at her more closely. Annie held her breath, wondering if it would suddenly strike. But nothing happened. Then, in a motion that Annie couldn’t believe was happening, the creature winked.

  That couldn’t be right. This was some sort of monster. Monsters didn’t wink. Then the creature did it again.

  What a surreal moment. This huge thing that was like nothing the world had ever seen before was communicating with her. Did it want to be friends? Or was the wink merely a technique to make her drop her guard, a distraction so the creature could pounce and devour her?

  Whether it was a predator’s trick or not, it worked well enough that Annie lost some of the terror that had gripped her when the creature’s head had appeared. Slowly she raised the camera. When she had the head and neck framed on the digital screen, she pressed the button. The flash went off, and the creature slid immediately beneath the water.

  ‘‘Annie?’’ Jeremy’s feet crunched through the sand as he walked back toward her. ‘‘Did you just take a picture?’’

  She pointed to the ripples and the bubbles in the water. ‘‘There.’’ Her voice sounded funny, sort of like a rusty hinge.

  ‘‘Something came out of the water?’’

  She nodded.

  ‘‘Was it the creature?’’

  ‘‘Yes. And it winked at me.’’

  Annie had insisted on taking the picture immediately to Dorcas, so Jeremy had recorked the wine and packed up the food. They’d paddled quickly across the lake, and then Dorcas had invited them both to sit in the kitchen and eat their sandwiches while they discussed this so-called lake monster. Jeremy left the wine in the Suzuki, hoping he and Annie would drink it later.

  Sitting in the Lowells’ kitchen, he gazed at Sabrina perched on the kitchen window ledge. That cat saw a lot of what went on around here. If only she could talk, she might be able to clear up everything.

  For Jeremy, the wink had clinched it. Somebody was playing an elaborate trick, and he was furious. Whoever it was had scared Annie to death at first and was now stringing her along and making her believe she was on the trail of a major news story. He hated that kind of joke and wanted to find the perpetrators and wring their necks.

  ‘‘It’s not a great picture,’’ Annie admitted as she sipped som
e tea and looked at the small screen on the back of her camera. ‘‘I wish I’d had the presence of mind to take a bunch of them.’’

  ‘‘It’s a beginning,’’ Dorcas said.

  Ambrose brought over mugs of tea for himself and Dorcas. ‘‘I’m sure you were rattled by the whole experience.’’

  ‘‘Which was the point, wasn’t it?’’ Jeremy put down his sandwich. He was too angry to eat it. ‘‘I used to think this was the work of teenagers, but they wouldn’t have a reason to be this mean to Annie. I’m wondering if it’s some woman from her class who’s harboring a grudge over the Miss Dairy Queen pageant. Or some guy who’s pissed because she wouldn’t date him.’’

  Dorcas shook her head. ‘‘We saw the lake monster before Annie came back to town.’’

  ‘‘Doesn’t matter.’’ Jeremy had his theory and he was sticking to it. ‘‘They were practicing, making sure the thing worked right.’’

  Dorcas and Ambrose exchanged a glance.

  ‘‘Don’t worry about convincing Jeremy,’’ Annie said. ‘‘He’s not going to believe this monster is real, and that’s the end of that.’’

  ‘‘I can’t believe the three of you think it is!’’

  ‘‘Well, we do.’’ Annie gazed at him steadily across the table. ‘‘And we need to decide how to handle it. I’m counting on you to take care of Donald Jenkins and his plan to shoot it.’’

  ‘‘Don’t worry, I’ll take care of Jenkins. Besides threatening him with loss of computer service, I’ll also let him know it’s a fake monster and he’ll look like a fool if he starts shooting up something made of fiberglass and rubber.’’ He sent a pointed look across the table at Annie. For an intelligent woman, she was being incredibly gullible.

  Without commenting, she turned back to Dorcas and Ambrose. ‘‘The picture I took isn’t enough to convince my editor, but I’ll have a tough time getting a better one. The next two nights will be taken up with the rehearsal dinner and the wedding.’’

  Dorcas blew across the top of her mug of tea. ‘‘Maybe you could stay over a few more days.’’

  Jeremy turned to stare at Dorcas. Damn it to hell! It wasn’t a jealous Dairy Queen candidate or a loser guy, after all! Dorcas and Ambrose had created the monster as part of some elaborate matchmaking scheme. The monster was designed to keep Annie here until she finally fell for him.

  That kind of manipulation was just wrong. Sure, he’d love for her to hang around, but not because she was being tricked into thinking she had a big story to investigate. He couldn’t believe these two would be that devious, but now it all made sense. He had to do something.

  ‘‘I might be able to stay until dusk on Sunday,’’ Annie said. ‘‘But if I didn’t get something definitive then, I’d have to head for Chicago. I could come back the weekend after that, though.’’

  Unable to stand this nonsense another second, Jeremy stood. ‘‘Ambrose, could I talk to you privately in the parlor?’’

  ‘‘Uh, sure.’’ Ambrose pushed back his chair.

  Jeremy didn’t wait for him. He strode down the hall, breathing fire. This was the most ridiculous situation he’d ever been in, and it was ending as of tonight.

  Ambrose followed him into the parlor. ‘‘You seem upset.’’

  ‘‘Close the door. I don’t want Annie to hear this.’’

  Eyebrows lifted, Ambrose quietly shut the parlor door.

  ‘‘I know what you and Dorcas are doing, Ambrose. Stop it. Stop it right now.’’

  ‘‘I don’t know what you mean.’’

  Jeremy clenched his hands, wanting to hit something or someone. But he wasn’t the kind of guy who punched people out, so he kept his hands at his sides. ‘‘Oh, yes, you do. Just how far were you planning to carry this matchmaking scheme, anyway?’’

  Ambrose looked startled. And guilty as hell.

  ‘‘The scary monster,’’ Jeremy said. ‘‘Which one of you dreamed that up? I’m not even going to ask how you built it, but I’m thinking there’s evidence down in the basement.’’

  ‘‘There’s no evidence because we didn’t build it. The monster is real.’’

  ‘‘Bullshit. How dare you toy with Annie like that? How dare you dangle the prospect of a story that could make her career as a reporter, when the whole thing’s a fake?’’

  Ambrose cleared his throat. ‘‘Jeremy, it’s not fake. I know that’s hard to believe, but—’’

  ‘‘Oh, come on! This is me you’re talking to, not Annie. Give it up, Ambrose. Stop the charade. I figured it out the minute Dorcas suggested Annie could stay on longer to get a better picture. You’re using the monster to get us together, aren’t you?’’

  Ambrose scrubbed a hand over his face. Then he gave Jeremy a resigned look. ‘‘Sort of.’’

  ‘‘Aha! I knew it!’’

  ‘‘We did think the lake monster would help keep Annie around, which would further your cause. You two belong together, Jeremy. Anyone can see that. You both need more time to find it out.’’

  Pain sliced through him. He thought they did, too, but not like this. Not if she had to be tricked into it. ‘‘I’m telling her.’’ He started toward the door.

  ‘‘No, wait.’’ Ambrose caught his arm. ‘‘I swear we didn’t create that monster.’’

  Jeremy shook him off and opened the door. ‘‘So you bought it on eBay, instead. Who cares? You’re manipulating her, and that’s about to stop.’’ He hurried down the hall. ‘‘Annie!’’

  ‘‘Jeremy, hold on.’’ Ambrose followed quickly behind him. ‘‘Don’t go ruining—’’

  ‘‘Annie.’’ Jeremy stood in the kitchen doorway, breathing hard. ‘‘Dorcas and Ambrose are using this monster thing as a way to keep us together. Ambrose just admitted it.’’

  Dorcas leaped up. ‘‘He what?’’

  ‘‘I’m sorry, my love.’’ Ambrose edged past Jeremy. ‘‘He figured it out when you suggested Annie stay on a while longer. I couldn’t lie to him.’’

  Annie looked stricken. ‘‘The monster’s a fake?’’

  ‘‘Yes!’’ Jeremy shouted.

  ‘‘No!’’ Dorcas and Ambrose said together.

  Annie stood and turned to Dorcas. ‘‘I trusted you.’’

  ‘‘And you can still trust me. It’s true that I was hoping the investigation would keep you in Big Knob a while longer. I’d like to see you and Jeremy get together.’’

  Annie’s body grew rigid. ‘‘So you built a lake monster? I suppose I should be flattered that you’d go to all that trouble, but instead I feel stupid that I fell for it.’’

  ‘‘Annie, let’s go home.’’ Jeremy stepped into the kitchen. ‘‘No need to prolong this.’’

  ‘‘Wait.’’ Dorcas put out her hand and touched Annie on the shoulder. ‘‘Annie, please believe me. There is nothing fake about that lake monster. You saw it. Jeremy has never seen it. Trust your gut on this one.’’

  Annie gazed at Dorcas for a long time. Then she sighed. ‘‘I probably should go home. I’m supposed to be here to help my sister get married, not carry on an affair and chase after lake monsters, real or imagined. ’’ She walked toward Jeremy.

  He started to put his arm around her, but she waved him off and left the room. His heart ached in a way he’d never thought it could, as if someone had carved a hunk out of him. He glanced back at Dorcas and Ambrose. ‘‘Thanks a whole hell of a lot.’’

  Chapter 21

  Dorcas loved her husband, but at the moment she wanted to stick his head in a steaming caldron. "What in Hades did you think you were doing, telling Jeremy we were using the lake monster for matchmaking purposes?’’

  ‘‘But we are, Dorcas.’’

  ‘‘He didn’t have to know that!’’

  Ambrose sighed. ‘‘Yes, he did. The guy’s smart, and he was already suspicious about Dee-Dee. He’s drawn the wrong conclusions about her, but the right ones about us. He confronted me. I couldn’t lie about it.’’

  Hands on hips, Dorcas fac
ed him. ‘‘Oh, for Hera’s sake, you don’t have to lie. You just avoid telling the truth. Don’t you pay attention to the news? Politicians do it all the time.’’

  ‘‘Which means I’d better not run for office.’’

  ‘‘Now, there’s a true statement. You wouldn’t get elected in a million years.’’ Dorcas blew out a breath and walked over to the window where Sabrina still sat looking out at the lake. As Dorcas stroked her cat, she tried to rein in her temper. Fighting wouldn’t help anything.

  ‘‘I’m sorry, Dorcas.’’ Ambrose sounded miserable.

  ‘‘I’m not as quick on my feet as you are. That’s why I like the Internet. I get to think about how I want to say things before I actually have to say them.’’

  Just like that, her anger melted away. She’d known it was a bad idea the minute Jeremy had asked for a private conversation with Ambrose. She should have used a bit of magic to create a diversion. A stack of plates could have tumbled out of the cupboard or she could have opened the kitchen window and invited in the bat who had made a home under the eaves.

  ‘‘It’s okay.’’ She turned back to her husband. ‘‘I probably shouldn’t have told Dee-Dee to wink at Annie. I thought it would be endearing, but the wink is exactly why Jeremy thinks the lake monster’s not real. It’s not all your fault, Ambrose.’’

  ‘‘Right,’’ he said eagerly. ‘‘Like if you hadn’t suggested to Annie that she might want to stay longer, Jeremy might never have come to the conclusion that we—’’

  ‘‘But it’s mostly your fault.’’ Dorcas had thought Jeremy would be delighted with her suggestion that Annie should hang around. She’d thought he’d either agree or have the good sense to keep his mouth shut.

  Instead he’d assigned himself the role of protecting Annie from being misled. Noble, maybe, but in the process he’d truly shot himself in the foot. When she’d left a few moments ago, Annie had sounded as if romance was the last thing in the world she wanted to think about.

  ‘‘What do we do now?’’ Ambrose asked.

  ‘‘I’m not sure.’’ Dorcas walked over to the kitchen table, tasted her tea and made a face. ‘‘Cold.’’