The 45th Parallel

by Maureen Hands

  The deli was next to Mary’s shop. As Kat went by, she waved to Aunt Mary and Carl. The deli was owned by Denise Sakal. Based on her size, Kat guessed Denise had been sampling more than a few of the bakery items she sold. Her face was round with a row of freckles running across the bridge of her upturned nose.

  “Hello Kat. What can we get for you today?” Denise asked.

  “I’ll have three turkey sandwiches on wheat and a large bag of chips.”

  “Are you getting lunch for Mary and Carl?”

  “Actually, I’m meeting Anna and Helene at the beach. They are in charge of drinks, and I’m in charge of lunch.”

  “It’s a nice day to be at the beach. Do you know if Mary is coming to the Night Hike this Friday?”

  “I don’t think so. I’m not sure she can stay up that late. She is usually in bed by ten.” Kat laughed.

  Denise smiled, washed her hands, and began making the sandwiches. “Bon appetite,” she said as she handed Kat the chips and the sandwiches. Kat paid, thanked Denise, and walked another block down to the public beach.

  “What happened to your knee and your elbow?” Helene asked as Kat approached. Her cousins had three beach chairs set up in the sand.

  “I had a little biking accident today,” Kat settled in and handed Anna and Helene their sandwiches.

  “Would you stop exercising obsessively,” Helene said in an exasperated voice. “You have such gorgeous legs, and now you have cuts all over them.”

  “Thanks…I think.” Kat took a bite of her sandwich.

  “What’s up with all the exercise, anyway?”

  Kat paused to consider the question. “It helps me to control my thoughts. Right now I have a lot of things I don’t want to think about: my ex-boyfriend, finishing my degree, college debt, bad dreams. Now I’m even seeing things when I’m awake.”

  “Like the woman in the lake?” Anna asked.

  “I know you will both think I am crazy, but I have seen her before,” Kat said. “The first time I saw her was the day of my mother’s funeral. I was in my room sitting on my bed and I began to hear the sound of Indian drums. I looked up and she…materialized in the corner of the room. She wore a gray dress that, based on the style, looked like it was from the early 1900s. She reached out to me but I couldn’t hear what she was saying. It was like watching an old, silent, horror movie. The most disturbing thing about her is the long black slashes across her wrists and throat, and the strange symbol carved into her chest.”

  “What kind of symbol?” Helene asked.

  “It looks like this.” Kat drew a crescent shape in the sand with her finger. Above it she drew a counterclockwise spiral.

  “It looks like a boat with a spiral above it,” Helene said.

  “Do you know what it means?” Anna asked.

  “I have no idea. I have never seen it anywhere before.”

  “That would be very frightening for anyone to see, especially a child who had just lost her mother,” Anna said softly. “How many times have you seen this woman?”

  “I’m not sure exactly. I eventually learned to…push her out of my mind. Since I have come back to Northport, I no longer seem to have that control. I was hoping by coming back here, I could prove to myself those dreams and visions were just childhood memories. Apparently I was wrong.”

  “Maybe you shouldn’t try so hard to control your visions, Kat,” Anna said.

  “And end up like my mother? No thank you,” Kat said.

  They all ate in silence for a few minutes. Finally, Anna said, “How about a cup of lemonade?”

  “That sounds great,” Kat said, happy for the change in subject. Anna poured three cups and handed them out.

  “To a summer filled with fun and good memories,” Anna said as she raised her plastic cup.

  “Cheers,” Helene and Kat replied as they touched cups and took a drink.

  “You didn’t tell me this was spiked lemonade. I have to work later today,” Kat said as she squeezed her eyes shut and made a face.

  “One cup of special lemonade won’t kill you.” Anna laughed.

  “I stopped by the book store to pick up some books and Dora asked me about John. She saw him dropping me off Friday morning.”

  “Oh great, it will be all over town what a hussy you are,” Helene joked.

  “She said John was a suspect in his parent’s disappearance,” Kat continued.

  “Don’t pay any attention to her, Kat,” Anna said. “John has been obsessed about finding out what happened to his parents. He even hired a private detective to investigate their disappearance.”

  “By the way,” Helene chimed in, “how was your date?”

  “It was very nice. We went to the Grille in Traverse City, had dinner, then he brought me home.”

  “You didn’t go back to his house?” Helene asked.

  “No, he said he had friends in from Chicago for the weekend.”

  “Well, that’s true. He did have some friends in this weekend,” Anna said. “Are you going out again?”

  “He said he would call me when he got back from Chicago. I think we are going to go sailing. Maybe I should get a refresher course from Patrick. Better yet, maybe you guys could come along with us?”

  “I don’t think that’s what John had in mind, Kat,” Helene said.

  “It’s been years since I have been sailing. I’m a little nervous,” Kat said.

  “About sailing, or about John?” Helene asked.

  “Both! My dinner with him on Friday night was the first date I’ve had with anyone other than Daniel since freshman year of college.”

  “You know what they say, the best way to get over someone is to get under someone else,” Helene said.

  “Nice Helene. No wonder you have a new boyfriend every month,” Anna said rolling her eyes.

  “Variety is the spice of life,” Helene said with a smile.

  “If you want to know the truth,” Kat said, “John scares me. I don’t ever remember being so intensely attracted to anyone in my life, but I’m just not sure what he wants from me.”

  “I’m sure he wants what every guy wants.” Helene laughed.

  Anna swatted Helene’s arm to shut her up and said, “If John is okay with the three of us joining you on your sail, we will be happy to come and chaperone.”

  “I appreciate that.” Kat gave Helene a dirty look. They all relaxed in the sun and Kat started her new book. She lost track of time until she glanced at her watch. “I better go so I have time to jump in the shower before work.”

  “Thanks for bringing lunch,” Anna said.

  “Let us know when you get a break from your work schedule. Maybe we can get Patrick to take you out on a sailboat before your next date,” Helene said.

  “That would be great,” Kat said as she stood and gathered up her towel, book, and lotion. When she was ready to go, she looked over at her cousins and said, “I’m so glad you are all here this summer. You were the best part of my childhood.” Anna and Helene smiled and they all hugged before Kat went back to Mary’s to get ready for work.

  When Kat got home, she showered to wash off the lotion and put on a pair of jean shorts and a Muldoon’s T-shirt. She pulled her hair back in a ponytail and inspected herself in the mirror. Her left knee and elbow had scabbed over but were painful reminders of the frightening animal she had seen by the lighthouse. Kat thought about letting the authorities know about the animal, but she figured they would find her story as believable as the bikers had. Did I really see an animal?

  If she could just concentrate on other things, maybe she could get the visions under control. It was Saturday night of Memorial Day weekend, so Muldoon’s should be busy. Kat hoped work would help keep her mind off the past forty-eight hours.

  When Kat got to Muldoon’s, she was not disappointed. Every table was full. A group of boaters, who had come up from Ludington, Michigan, on their way to Mackinac Island, took up half the bar. They had their arms around each other and were singing alon
g with the jukebox. Captain Bob and the other regulars filled up the rest of the bar.

  “How was your date last night?” Captain Bob yelled across the bar as soon as he saw Kat.

  “You guys leave her alone and mind your own business,” Sarah, Kat’s co-worker, said. Then Sarah leaned in and whispered in Kat’s ear, “You can fill me in on all the details later.”

  “Looks like it is going to be busy tonight,” Kat said.

  “It’s been busy all day. Do you mind taking table ten? I haven’t even been able to get their drink orders yet,” Sarah said.

  “No problem.” Kat looked over to the table. It was Dora Samson, Denise Sakal, Rose Fellow, and two other men Kat did not recognize. The five of them looked deep in conversation as Kat approached the table. “How is everyone this evening? Can I get you something to drink?”

  “How about a round of ice tea?” one of the men said.

  “Five ice teas coming up.”

  “Kat,” Dora said. “Have you met Robert West and Jerry Nelson?” Dora turned to the two men. “Kat is Mary Tanner’s niece.”

  “It’s nice to meet you both,” Kat said.

  “Nice to meet you too,” the men replied.

  “Robert is the local president of the Bank and Jerry is a private investigator. In fact, he did some work for your friend, John Warren,” Dora continued.

  “You know John?” Jerry asked.

  “Actually I just met him Thursday. He is a friend of my cousins.”

  “I was a friend of John’s parents,” Jerry said.

  “We are on the fundraising committee for the GLCG and we were just discussing the Night Hike next Friday. You should come. It will be lots of fun,” Dora said.

  “I’m sure I’ll be working until closing that night, but I will try to make it if Jack lets me off early.”

  “There is nothing like being in the woods on a beautiful summer’s night,” Denise said.

  “I’m sure you will have a great turn out,” Kat said.

  “Did Mary mention the Full Moon Celebration? It’s a fundraiser put on by the Ladies Group of Northport,” Dora said.

  “I know she has been spending a lot of time working on it. It’s the last weekend of July, isn’t it?”

  “Yes, it will be at the park down by the marina.”

  “I will definitely attend that one,” Kat said as she turned to go back to the bar to get their drinks.

  As she walked by the bar, Kat heard a man ask, “How’s your knee?”

  Kat turned to see one of the men from the biking club. So much for forgetting about seeing the animal in the woods.

  “It’s healing up. Thanks for asking.”

  “My name is Steve Wilson,” the man said as he stuck out his hand.

  “I’m Kat.”

  “I know. I remember from this morning.” Steve smiled. “I was the one with the first aid kit.”

  “Oh yes, I didn’t recognize you without your bike helmet and sunglasses.” Steve had a sweet face with closely cropped light brown hair. He was slender and muscular.

  “You should bike with us. There is safety in numbers. We meet in front of the bakery every Monday through Saturday at six-thirty,” he said.

  “Thank you, I think I will take you up on that. I better get back to work. It was nice meeting you…again.”

  Steve nodded and turned back to the bar. Kat wondered if he thought she was a nut or if she had just hit her head too hard. The rest of the night was busy until midnight, when the bar started to clear out. Kat got off work about one in the morning and started walking home, exhausted. Northport was not exactly the place to party like a rock star, so the streets were virtually deserted.

  As Kat turned up Main Street, there was a steady breeze blowing off the harbor. The only sounds were the clang of the halyards against the sailboat masts, and an occasional car in the distance. The night was cloudy so the moon and stars offered little to light Kat’s way. As she got halfway up the main drag, Kat got the feeling someone was walking behind her. She felt a chill creep up her spine as she took a deep breath and forced herself to turn around, only to find the sidewalk empty.

  Kat picked up her pace and chastised herself for being jumpy. As she turned down the street to Mary’s house, she slowed her pace. She thought she could hear the sound of nails clicking along the sidewalk behind her. She turned to see a big, black dog following about twenty feet back. There was something about the animal that wasn’t right but she couldn’t put her finger on it. She quickened her pace, careful not to run for fear it would start to chase.

  As she reached Mary’s porch her heart was pounding in her chest. She turned to see the dog sitting on the sidewalk in front of the house. The dog watched her carefully with dull, impenetrable black eyes. There is something unnatural about those eyes. Kat could smell the foul odor of decay carried on the breeze. She quickly opened the door and went inside. When she looked out the window a moment later, the dog was gone.

  Chapter Thirteen

  The rest of the week was uneventful. By Friday, Kat felt up to biking again. She woke up at six a.m. with a sense of relief. It had been another night of disturbing dreams. She tiptoed to the bathroom to brush her teeth and comb her hair, being careful not to wake Mary. She dressed, made her bed and went downstairs into the kitchen for a bowl of cereal.

  Kat hoped the bike club members were faithful riders. If she got down to the deli and there was no one there, she would be very disappointed. She would not have the courage to ride by herself after her last trip to the lighthouse.

  When she arrived at the deli, Kat was happy to see five other riders. She recognized Steve and Lisa, but did not remember the other three.

  “Good morning Kat,” Lisa said. “How is your head?”

  “It’s fine. I promise to keep my helmet on today.”

  “Glad you could join us,” Steve said. “This is Cole Harris, and Griffin and Jennifer Lang. We are the core of the bike group.”

  “Nice to meet all of you,” Kat said.

  “Are you just here for the summer?” Griffin asked. Kat thought Griffin and Jennifer looked to be in their fifties and Cole in his late thirties or early forties.

  “I am working here until I save enough money to pay for my last semester of school,” Kat said.

  “Be careful, that’s what I said twenty years ago. I never did finish that engineering degree,” Cole said. Kat couldn’t help but notice his T-shirt which had the words “I pass gas,” in large letters and a picture of a man on a bicycle riding by a gasoline pump.

  “I know what you mean,” Jennifer said with a laugh. “After vacationing up here ten years ago, Griffin and I chucked our jobs in corporate America and decided to open a coffee shop in Suttons Bay.”

  “And we’ve never looked back,” Griffin said. “Sometimes you just have to follow your gut and take a chance.” Griffin and Jennifer both had short white hair and stocky builds, Jennifer’s being decidedly more feminine. Kat thought they were probably one of those couples who started to look alike after living together for a long time.

  “Why don’t we get going? You will all have plenty of time to sell Kat on the benefits of living up North while we are riding,” Lisa said.

  “Are we riding to the lighthouse today?” Kat asked.

  “We are going to head west a couple miles, then south. We should be back here in an hour,” Steve said.

  They turned down a familiar road and Kat got a sinking feeling. They were going to ride by Crowley’s farm. As they rounded the bend, Kat noticed Steve slowing down.

  “Why don’t we take a water break?” he said as the rest of the group stopped behind him. Kat opened her water bottle and took a long drink. She glanced over at Crowley’s farm and felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.

  Although Crowley had only been dead a week, his property had already begun to decay. Like Crowley. She shook her head as if to ward off that thought.

  “I hear Crowley donated the development rights to the GLCG,�
�� Griffin said motioning to the house.

  “Good, the Conservation Group will ensure the land is only used for farming,” Lisa said. They all stood in silence looking at the house.

  “I hear there’s an old Indian burial ground on the property,” Cole said.

  “Maybe that’s why Crowley was such a recluse. Do you know he was once a suspect in a young girl’s disappearance? They never found enough evidence to convict him,” Lisa said.

  “You shouldn’t speak ill of the dead. It’s bad karma,” Jennifer said warily.

  “Hey, speaking of the Conservation Group, is anyone going to the Night Hike tonight?” Cole asked as he looked around the group. “How about you, Kat?”

  “I have to work.”

  “Too bad. I think I’m going to go, I hear they are serving wine.”

  “That’s a great idea. Load people up with wine then send them stumbling around in the dark woods,” Lisa said.

  “A night hike sounds interesting,” Griffin commented, “but that is way past our bedtime. You’ll have to fill us in Monday morning since I doubt you will make the ride tomorrow.”

  “You guys have no sense of adventure,” Cole said.

  “Shall we head back?” Steve asked as he started out onto the road. They all followed in single file.

  Kat glanced back at Old Man Crowley’s house. Now that Crowley is dead, if I looked, would I see him in the barn window too?

  Chapter Fourteen

  Helene got to work at ten on Friday morning. She put her purse in Greg’s office and went out to the tasting room to restock the wine bins. Anna arrived a short while later and began to put the clean wine glasses behind the tasting counter.

  “Here comes Greg. He’s probably been out checking on the grapes and pruning the vines,” Helene said as she looked out the glass doors to the vineyard. Greg’s jeans were smeared with dirt, and he was carrying pruning shears over one shoulder. There is a primal, sensual quality about Greg when he was working in the vineyard.

  “Why don’t you just go out with him?” Anna asked as she turned to see Helene watching Greg through the window. “He’s asked you out several times and I know you have the hots for him.”