"We have a new shipment." Bob reached for a few bills and came up with a bunch of twenties. "But you're not going back there. By now the cops are all over the place."
"What do you mean?" Cody frowned, then leaned back and took a long drink.
"I mean that I talked to the sheriff at the store just before I came home, and he told me they planned to hit the grange tonight after midnight. I tried to call you on your cell, but couldn't get through."
Cody pulled a cell phone out of his pocket and peered at it. "Needs recharging."
"That's sloppy work, Cody. You could have still been there when the cops showed up."
Cody set the bottle down on the table. "Lucky for us, I wasn't. I left a few minutes before midnight."
Bob glanced at his watch. "And you're just now getting here?"
Cody put his hands behind his neck and arched back with a yawn. "Stopped to get some food. Selling this stuff works up an appetite."
"You're sure no one spotted you?" Serena reached into the briefcase for a handful of bills.
"Not a chance." He paused to light up a cigarette, then inhaled and blew out a gray billow of smoke.
The three of them sat there hunched over the table while they counted and stacked the bills.
I wasn't sure what I should do next. I'd heard enough to know these guys should be in jail, but I doubted my say-so would be enough for the police. Max and I had learned that much when we'd called Detective Johnson about the gift shop. The only thing a call to the cops would do now was to stir things up and send Bob, Serena, and Cody underground or possibly out of town— something I wanted to prevent.
I sat down on the back step. What did I really have on them?
Probably not enough to bring the police in. They have a briefcase full of money they'd earned selling something. You don't even know what they were selling. They never said. Could be M&Ms for all you know.
Discouraged, I decided to go back home. Maybe I'd talk to my parents about what I'd found. They'd be upset that I went out by myself, especially after all their lectures about not going out alone at night. I hadn't worried about that on the way here. Now their words haunted me. Suppose there was a stalker out there. Suppose someone had seen me and was waiting in the shadows.
I shook my head to clear it. I was safe enough here in Chenoa Lake. Wasn't I?
I headed back to the main road. The temperature had dropped, so I zipped up my sweatshirt and pulled the hood farther down on my head.
For a while, I wasn't sure I would have enough strength to make it back to the boat. My arms and legs felt like 50-pound weights. But I did get to the boat and into it. I pushed off and started rowing back to my house. The wind had picked up again, making all my hard paddling worthless. Cold and relentless, the wind swooped down from the mountain. Too late I realized the gusting wind had been pushing me away from shore. I rowed as hard as I could to get closer to land, but the lights kept getting farther and farther away.
Fifteen minutes later, I stopped rowing. My arms ached and I felt sick to my stomach. I lifted the oars and set them in the boat. Just for a minute, I told myself. Have to rest. Just for a minute.
I curled up in the bottom of the boat, using my life jacket as a pillow, and closed my eyes.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
When I woke up it was light and warm. The sun was shining, turning the back of my closed eyelids orange and red and yellow. I brought my arm up to shade my eyes and gasped at the pain the small movement made. Why is the sun shining on me? Why is my bed so hard? Why do I ache all over?
The thoughts tumbled around in my head before finally settling into an answer. All too soon, I remembered sneaking out of the house at midnight to spy on Bob and Serena. I'd stopped fighting against the wind and fallen asleep in the boat.
When I sat up the boat began rocking. I gripped the sides, praying I wouldn't be dumped overboard. Not that I was in any real danger of that. The water was smooth and clear now. As the boat settled, I looked around, expecting to see the familiar shoreline off to my left. There was nothing familiar about the land surrounding me. I was in some sort of cove with land on three sides and an inlet off to my right. I had no idea where I had drifted to. All I knew was that there were no houses and no sign of people anywhere.
I heard the flutter of wings behind me, and when I turned around I came face-to-face with a seagull. It started pecking at my bag, which I'd set near the prow.
"Shoo!" I waved a hand and he cocked his head from side to side as if expecting a handout. The trouble with seagulls is that once someone feeds them, they come to expect it. The scavengers could be a real nuisance.
I grabbed my bag and set it next to me. "Go!" I shouted this time, waving my arms at him.
He squawked in protest and fluttered his wings.
"You are not getting my granola bars."
He must have finally gotten the message because he flew away, coming to land on an outcropping of rocks. He eyed me with the same wary expression I gave him.
With the sun beating down on me, I was getting too warm. I pulled off my sweatshirt and stuffed it into my bag, then decided I'd better head for shore. I needed to find some shade so I wouldn't burn. I also needed to have a look around to see where I was. Hopefully, I'd be close enough to town so I could row back home.
Mom and Dad would be up now and wond ering what had happened to me.
With every muscle in my body aching, I rowed to shore and pulled the boat up and out of the water. The cove was sheltered and heavily treed. Once the sleepiness had gone, I realized that I must have drifted out to one of the islands that spotted the lake.
Hooking the bag on my arm, I climbed up some rocks to a level spot where I could see beyond the cove. I saw land all right, but nothing remotely resembled the three small towns that crowded at the upper end of Chenoa Lake.
The land I did see was about half a mile away and I could have rowed to it. But I wouldn't. There was nothing there to greet me but trees, shrubs, deer, bear, cougar, and whatever other wildlife occupied the old-growth forest.
The wind had been blowing hard the night before. It, along with the current, must have swept me to the far side of the lake. Just be glad the wind was blowing, or you might have gotten caught in the current and taken over the falls. I shivered just thinking about it.
"I'm an idiot." I pulled up my knees and rested my arms on them, then used my fist to rest my chin. Mom and Dad would be way beyond worried. I thought about the note I'd written. No doubt they would have called Max by now. She'd be furious with me. They'd all be mad at me. And for what? I imagined myself telling them, "I saw this guy pull into Bob and Serena's place at 1:00 a.m. He and Serena and Bob hung out together, drinking, eating, and counting drug money . . ." I had nothing but my own suspicions. I knew they were dealing drugs, but had no way to prove it. And now I'd gotten myself lost.
I moved back to the tree line, away from sun, and sat down under a maple tree. "At least you brought some food," I told myself in a disgusted tone.
Sliding the bag from my shoulder, I pulled out one of the granola bars and peeled back the wrapper. I'd no sooner taken a bite when the seagull returned.
"Go away." I took a bite and chewed slowly, savoring the sweet, nutty taste.
The gull squawked at me and tipped his head from side to side, his beady eyes watching every move in case I dropped a crumb or something. I half expected him to take the bar right out of my hand. I started feeling guilty for eating in front of him and finally gave in. "Oh, all right." I broke off a small piece and tossed it at him.
He fluttered about for a minute capturing it and gulping the morsel down, then stared at me again.
"No more. This is going to have to last me until I get rescued. Which shouldn't take too long," I added, remembering the cell phone in my sweatshirt pocket.
I'm not sure exactly what happene d then. I reached to my side to get my bag, when the seagull lunged at me. I screamed and put my arms up to shield my head. He screamed back an
d batted his wings against me, then fluttered wildly beside me. I managed to get up and back away. The gull tugged at my bag and I realized he'd gotten his beak caught in the net.
I watched him struggle, frantic to free himself. "If you'd hold still, I could help you. " I softened my tone and reached toward him.
Wrong move. The bird lifted off and flew out over the water. The weight of the bag must have pulled him down, because he plunged into the lake. Just when I thought he had drowned, he came up sputtering. He'd manage to free himself, but in the process he'd lost my bag.
I couldn't believe it. I'd been here ten minutes and the bird had stolen my food, my sweatshirt, and my cell phone. I sat back down under the tree, stunned. Panic rose in my chest, and I could almost feel it race through my veins.
Stay calm, Jessie, I told myself. Think.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
I thought about Mom and Dad and how frantic they must be. By now, they had called Max, who had told them she hadn't seen me and had no idea where I was. Would she help them look for me? Mom and Dad would have called the police. They'd know the boat was missing and probably comb the shoreline. Why hadn't I just rowed to shore when I knew I couldn't make it all the way home? Then I remembered how the wind had blown me farther out into the lake and how tired I'd been.
You should have been able to make it home. Max would have . . . I stopped the thought right there. I was not Max. I was Jessie. Pathetic, bald, weak little Jessie. What had I been thinking? I should have known my limitations.
"Please, God, let them find me," I pleaded. "I'm sorry I went to Bob and Serena's. I'm sorry I took the boat out. Just please let them find me."
I felt better somehow. Praying did that to me sometimes. It was like handing my troubles over to God and letting Him worry about them. With renewed hope, I climbed off the rock and went back to the boat. There I grabbed the life jacket I'd been wearing and set it in plain view. Chenoa Lake was huge. Dad would most likely start the search near the shore, then spread out from there. If the sheriff sent up search-and-rescue planes or a helicopter, there was a good chance they'd spot the life jacket. I went back up to my perch under the tree, where I'd be able to see any boats in the area. Weekends brought out a lot of tourists and fishermen, but with a lake this big, what were the chances of anyone coming way out here?
Looking toward the sky, I made an amendment to my prayer. "Please let them find me before nightfall. One of Your stupid seagulls took my food and my sweatshirt. "I sighed. "But then You already know that."
I sat for a long time, waiting, hoping, and praying. Finally, around noon, when the sun was directly overhead, I got up and walked around. My arms and legs were stiff and sore from the rowing and the walking I'd done the night before.
I had no idea how big the island was or if it was truly an island. I decided I should probably do some exploring. Maybe someone was camped nearby or even lived here. One or two of the islands were occupied during the summer. Of course it wasn't summer yet. Sitting on the rock all that time, I realized the only way anyone would see the boat was to fly directly over it. So far I hadn't heard or seen any planes. But then, probably no one expected me to be this far away from civilization. If I were looking for someone on the lake, I'd probably go to the islands closer in and do a thorough search there before fanning out.
Going through the woods seemed like a bad idea. I wanted to stay out in the open in case a search plane or boat came close enough to see me. That meant only one thing: I'd have to take the boat out of the cove and row around the island. Unfortunately, I didn't have the strength to do that.
For the first time in a long while I felt myself getting mad at God for giving me leukemia. Even as the thought entered my head, I could almost feel Mom's arms go around me. She'd start crying and hold me close and say something like, "Oh, Jessie, God doesn't want bad things to happen to us. But sometimes they do. Leukemia is one of the diseases people get." One time she told me that diseases are like the rain that comes into our lives. Rain doesn't discriminate, getting one person wet and leaving another dry. Of course, sometimes people suffer because of the choices they make. In my case, leukemia was just an ugly rain.
At the moment, all I wanted to do was lie down and take a nap. Only there was no place to sleep except on the ground. To be honest, I'd seen a few bugs and spiders and wasn't about to lie out on the bare ground. I shuddered just thinking about it. I could have laid out the other life jackets. I had four in all, but I didn't dare cover any part of them in case a plane flew over the area. I went back up to my tree and sat down. Then, leaning my head against the tree, I closed my eyes.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
I woke up sometime later. A long time later. The sun had slipped behind the mountains, and I could see the dull pinks and reds and yellows of a dying sunset. It would soon be dark and I was starting to get cold. And scared. Really, really scared. Being so skinny, I got chilled way too fast. I wondered how cold it would have to get and how long I would have to wait before hypothermia set in.
About the only thing I had to use as a covering were the life jackets. I hurried down to the boat and climbed inside and started rearranging the bright orange jackets. I placed two in the bottom of the boat to use as a mattress. Then, picking up a third, I put my head through the opening and secured the straps. I folded my arms in as far as I could. At least I hadn't worn just a tank top. I'd put a long-sleeved cotton knit shirt on over the tank. The last life jacket I placed against my right side, thinking I could move it to the other side if I got too cold.
My stomach growled, and I had a few not-so-nice thoughts about the seagull who'd stolen my snacks. At least I had water. A whole lake full of it. I wasn't sure how clean it was, but the tourist brochures claimed it was clean enough to drink. Only boats with small motors were allowed on the lake at all except for half-adozen licensed fishing boats and two cabin cruisers owned by the sheriff 's department.
I filled my water bottle and drank half of it, then set it beside me. The back part of the vest served as a pillow as I lay down. I couldn't believe how tired I was. I knew my white count was up again, but I didn't want to think about that. I just wanted to sleep.
It wasn't quite dark when I closed my eyes, but it would be soon. The search would be called off about now. Not much chance of my being found today. I listened to the water lap against the boat. Frogs croaked and an owl hooted.
The hooting brought me straight up. I saw a light bumping up and down through the trees. A flashlight, I decided. My heart hammered as I caught sight of the figure behind it. He was coming this way. I ducked back into the boat and held back a scream, hoping whoever it was wouldn't see me.
My prayers came too late. The guy with the flashlight had seen me and was running toward the boat. I ducked farther down, but he shined the light on my face.
"Jessie?"
I relaxed a little. He knew my name and the voice sounded familiar. "Cooper,"I guessed. "What are you doing here? Where are the others? Did the search-and-rescue team come?"
He lowered the flashlight then. "What are you babbling about? Why would I need rescuing?"
"Not you. Me. I got caught in the wind last night and ended up here. I'm stranded."
"Oh." He took another step toward me. "No kidding."
"Well, for once, Cooper, I'm really glad to see you. Where's your boat?"
He shook his head, apparently still trying to figure out why I was there. "I don't have a boat."
"Then how did you get here? I know you didn't swim."
"My grandpa brought me out. I have a camp—somewhere."
"You're camped here on the island, but you don't know where?"
He sighed. "Okay, I got lost. I got bored and decided to walk around the island, but you can't walk all the way around. There are some cliffs. Anyway, I came inland and got lost."
"Wow." I wasn't sure what to think. "Your grandfather just left you out here? Alone?"
"Yeah, alone. I've been watching Survivor and started learni
ng all kinds of stuff about survival skills. I decided it was time to try out all the neat things I've learned."
"When is your grandfather coming back?"
"Sunday afternoon."
"But you could call him, right? And he could come and get you sooner?" I asked hopefully.
"Nope. He asked me if I wanted a cell phone, but I told him I didn't. I'm roughing it. " He smiled as he said it.
"Could you row my boat back to Chenoa Lake?"
His face scrunched up. "Are you nuts? Do you have any idea how far that is?"
"I take it you can't?"
"No way. And even if I could, I wouldn't go out at night." Cooper folded his arms. "You're really stranded?"
"Unfortunately."
He licked his lips, deep in thought. For a minute I thought he might turn on me—do something really mean—but he didn't. "You look like you're cold. Don't you have a jacket?"
"N-no." I explained about the seagull.
Cooper scratched his head. "Bummer. They can get pretty aggressive. There's a few hanging around over at my camp—been bugging me all day. I got my food covered though. No way are they getting into my stuff." He hesitated. "I'd give you my sweatshirt, but I left it at camp."
"Um—do you have any idea where your camp is?" I asked.
"Sort of. I think it's on the other side of those rocks, maybe half a mile from here."
"You have to go through the woods?"
He nodded. "I came out here to this clearing, thinking I'd found it, but . . ." He shook his head. "I know it can't be very far. Do you want to come with me? I have an extra jacket and some food. You look like you could use something to eat."
"Thanks, but I'd better stay here with the boat. " I sighed. "Besides, I can't walk very far right now."
"Okay." His gaze traveled to my bald head. "I might have a hat too."
"That would be nice."
"Tell you what. You wait here. I'll go back to my camp and get some food and a jacket. I'll be back as soon as I can."
"Thanks. I'll be here."
Max & Me Mysteries Set Page 7
