Lilah

by Marjorie DeLuca

  The other two pushed open the door of The Beanery and walked in. None of this seemed unusual until another lone figure approached the coffee shop. Cole Schuler, head down, hands thrust into his pockets took a look first one way then the other and then stepped inside. Nick felt a sudden urge to get a large latte and a seed bar.

  The coffee shop was busy. A couple of guys in business suits who looked like traveling salesmen sat at the window seat. A mom with her baby sleeping in a car seat, sat sipping at her latte and reading a magazine. The two kids were sharing a cold, red drink and a large cookie. Nick scanned the room for Schuler but he was nowhere to be seen.

  “Not your usual time,” said Danny, wiping the milk steamer. “Have you come to fill me in on the wedding rehearsal?”

  Nick remembered with a jolt that they’d asked Danny to be a witness at the ceremony. Lilah had convinced Nick that Brad would be in no shape for the job and it was a good thing they hadn’t actually asked him. Tray Olson was stepping in as best man and Cari was due to arrive on Thursday. The wedding was set for Saturday.

  “You gotta keep quiet about it,” said Nick, his voice lowered to a whisper. “It’s a secret. Afterwards we’ll make an official announcement.”

  “My lips are sealed,” said Danny, pulling an imaginary zipper shut across his mouth.

  “Changing the subject - where’s Schuler?’ said Nick scanning the room.

  “You seeing things?” said Danny, his face glowing red as he scrubbed the sticky circles off the counter.

  “I saw him coming in here just a couple of minutes ago.”

  “I guess love does some weird things to your mind,” said Danny. “Schuler’s a teacher. He’s at school where all good teachers should be.”

  Out of the corner of his eye, Nick saw one of the kids get up and head to the bathroom. Of course. That’s where Schuler was.

  “I’ll take an extra large latte. Non-fat milk,” said Nick, “just gotta take a leak.”

  When he opened the bathroom door the kid was already on his way out, his mouth set in a sly grin, his eyes obscured by the long hank of straight black hair that hung across his eyes.

  “Is there anyone in there?” said Nick, trying to peer beyond into the darkness.

  The kid’s mouth twisted into a sneer. “You some kind of sicko?”

  Nick pushed by him, snapping on the light. Two empty urinals glared white against mud-brown walls. The door to the only stall was open. He peered inside, noting the lid had been taken off the water tank and now leaned against the wall. The kid had been sloppy. He’d left a corner of masking tape on the inside of the tank when he’d come in to pick up the bag that was taped there. But where was Schuler? There was no way out of the bathroom. He had to have used a back door.

  Nick burst out of the bathroom. The kids were gone. Danny watched silently from behind the counter.

  “What’s going on?” he said, his hand on the catch of the counter door.

  Nick looked around. “Which way did those kids go?”

  Danny shook his head. The mom looked up from her magazine. “I heard them talk about a barn.”

  Nick nodded his thanks and flew out the door towards his car. Danny’s face was visible, pressed against the window as Nick drove away.

  Why would Danny lie? He considered the possibilities. Maybe Schuler had scared him somehow. Ike Dewar had tried to beat the crap out of him at the New Year’s party. But how were Dewar and Schuler linked? Unless they were using The Beanery as a convenient drop-off point for their dope smuggling operation and they didn’t want Danny to talk.

  Nick was just approaching the high school when he caught sight of Schuler’s hunched figure ahead, his hand holding a phone close to his ear. Maybe Danny had alerted him already that Nick was on the rampage. Nick screeched the brakes so hard the car slid up onto the kerb. He cursed silently at the prospect of an expensive wheel realignment as he slipped out of the car so quietly he was able to sneak up behind Schuler and tap him on the shoulder. Schuler almost jumped out of his skin like a kid caught looking at dirty magazines.

  “What the fuck?”

  “Leave something behind at the Beanery?” said Nick, racing to keep pace with Schuler who’d picked up speed and swerved away from the school.

  “You’ve got a wild imagination, Hendricks. Too bad you can’t capture it in that shit newspaper of yours.”

  “Where are we headed, Mr. Schuler? Afraid somebody at the school might get wise to your little dope operation?”

  Schuler didn’t even glance at Nick. “I told you once. I’ll tell you again. I left all that behind twenty years ago.”

  “Sure – I’d believe you if your under age customers hadn’t left the tape on the water tank when they picked up their stash.”

  “Fuck you, Hendricks. You got nothing on me.”

  Nick had overtaken Schuler and stood directly in his way. Schuler swerved around him. “I saw you go into The Beanery. Then a kid goes into bathroom, comes out smiling. I go in and find the water tank cover off and a brand new piece of tape hanging off the inside. Weird though. You were gone. Which exit did you use?”

  “I told you. You got nothing. Danny would swear I wasn’t there.”

  “Already discovered that. I’m just wondering what a sad sonofabitch like you has over a guy like Danny.”

  Schuler stopped. A weird grin cracking his face. “A guy like Danny. What do you know about anybody in this town? You’ve been here eight years and you’re still a fucking dumb outsider.”

  “I’ve been finding out a few things. Megan Bauer, Chris’s sister talked a whole lot about a really kind and caring teacher who spent a lot of time with Chris just before he got mixed up with the druggie crowd. And Emmie Lindahl. You gave her special music lessons. Probably taught her how to blow a meth pipe. You’re always there, Schuler. Right when kids are at their most vulnerable.”

  Schuler shot out his arm and shoved Nick aside. “You have no clue who you’re dealing with, Hendricks. You’re a wet-eared loser. For the last time I’m telling you, quit nosing around where you’re not wanted.”

  “Or what?” said Nick, pushing his body into Schuler’s path. “Or what? You’ll do what you did to Gorman.”

  Schuler’s face went white. “I’m warning you, Nick. Leave this alone.”

  “You have kids, Schuler. If you’re mixed up in something you can’t control, you’re putting them in danger too. Or are they already on your customer list?”

  Schuler grabbed Nick by the throat so quickly, Nick almost choked up his coffee. “Last time, Hendricks. Leave me the fuck alone.”

  With an unexpected shove he pushed Nick backwards so he fell butt first into the snow bank. “Consider yourself warned,” he said, turning back towards the school and striding away.

  Nick got back to the house that evening, burning to tell Lilah about everything. But she was out. Her coat and boots gone and the car in the driveway. He figured she’d gone out for a walk.

  The smell of meat cooking led him to the slow cooker. He was starving and thirsty, just craving a chilled glass of wine. Sure enough she’d chilled a bottle of Pinot in the fridge. He poured himself a glass and wandered into the living room.

  The sun was sinking over the lake and the sky burned with crimson, orange and purple streaks. The lake was a wide expanse of bluish-white ice and a small, black figure in snowshoes crossed the right corner. It had to be Lilah. His heart beat fast, its rushing echoed in his ears. She had no idea how dangerous the ice was at this time of year. One wrong move and a low grinding sound might signal the start of a massive crack.

  He put down the glass, clambered into his boots and threw on his coat, then ran outside. She’d stopped and seemed to be looking through binoculars. First in the direction of Ike Dewar’s place and then the other way towards Danny Johnson’s, then she lifted her phone and snapped some pictures. What the hell was she doing? Nick stepped down from the deck, almost sliding down the last couple of steps which were slick with ice. He caug
ht himself just in time to see another figure moving through the trees to the far right of him. He strained his eyes to see but the trees were so dense he could only make out a blur of movement.

  By now Lilah had spotted him and was smiling and waving. Her mouth moved but the sound was swallowed up by the sudden sound of a gunshot that exploded out into the silence. A torrent of ice shot up into the air. Nick’s blood raced as he flew across the snow, adrenalin pulsing through his legs. She was still standing there her legs planted apart, trying to keep her balance as a dull booming sound echoed across the ice. The whole thing was splitting. He had to get to her before she went through.

  “Keep low,” he yelled. “I’m coming for you.”

  He grabbed the loose branch of a nearby tree and yanked it so hard he fell backwards. It hung by a thread. Three more pulls and it came free. He looked up and saw the massive crack snaking its way across the ice towards her. He had to act quickly or she’d go under.

  Falling to his knees, he leaned forward and slid to the edge of the ice on his stomach, his cheek burning with the cold.

  “I’m gonna slide the branch to you. Ease yourself slowly onto your stomach until you can grab it.”

  His breath came in short gasps that burned his insides with cold. Stretching out his arm, he felt the icy water seep through the sleeves of his coat. “Just breathe easy,” he shouted.

  She stretched herself out on the ice and reached her arm out. Deep popping and cracking sounds echoed underneath him. Water gurgled far below. The branch was at least two feet away from her. He had to get closer. Keeping his breathing as regular as he could, he slid forward, conscious of the ice surface lurching below. Now his entire body was soaked in frigid water. It burned as if he was lying across a white hot barbecue. Keep moving, he thought, before his body shut down. Two more inches and he’d be there. Suddenly the branch jerked. He had her.

  “Hold on and just let me pull you,” he hissed, the sleepy feeling of fatigue beginning to spread through him. He couldn’t feel his legs any more.

  Inching backwards he told himself if she survived – if he was able to pull her out of this, they’d get married and leave this frigid place. He’d take her somewhere warm and beautiful and love her forever. That vision of crimson bougainvillea dripping petals into a warm turquoise ocean kept him focused. Back, back, back until his foot touched the solid ground just as the ice suddenly heaved, snapped and black water gushed upwards. He threw himself backward and yanked her with all his might out of the water and onto the snowy shore.

  She was blue with cold. He stumbled to his feet on legs that were paralyzed like frozen blocks of ice. Somehow he had to get her back to the house before she went into shock. Half running and half staggering, he dragged her back to the deck. “Try to help me,” he whispered into her ear. “We can get up the steps.”

  Slithering like seals out of water, they half-crawled, half dragged themselves up the steps and across the deck. From there he could pull her easily into the warmth of the house. He lay her on the floor. Her teeth were chattering so hard, they ground together in weird spasms.

  Within minutes he’d ripped off her clothes, picked her up and carried her to the bedroom where he wrapped her in the duvet. She lay there shaking as he ripped his own sodden clothes off and climbed into the bed, wrapping his body around hers so they could warm each other. Gradually the shaking subsided and she nuzzled her face into his neck until sleep engulfed them like a warm blanket.

  The lights of the cop car blinked on and off, throwing reddish streaks across the walls. Nick stood at the window watching as Brad Brenner’s team directed their flashlights towards the smashed ice. Lilah was still sleeping, her breathing slow and regular, while Nick had stumbled from the bed and put in a call to Brad right away.

  “The ice is so broken we can’t really tell what shattered it, but it’s clear someone intended to put Lilah in danger,” said Brad, taking off his boots and nodding towards the coffee pot. “Any chance of some?”

  Nick poured him a cup and pushed it across the counter. “Why did they pick on her? Why not me? She’s got nothing to do with it.”

  Brad stirred cream into his coffee. “You’re not twisted enough to think like them, Nick. What’s the best way to silence you? Threaten the person you love the most. What’s the best way to warn me? Get to my Dad. These people don’t feel things the way we do.”

  “I should’ve gone after the guy,” said Nick. “Before he took a shot.”

  “My guys are checking the tracks out. See if we can figure out where they came from.”

  Nick shifted in his chair. “Looked like the guy was close to Ike Dewar’s place. Maybe you should talk to him – or Cole Schuler. He threatened me today.”

  When Nick had told Brad about the incident with Cole Schuler, the cop sat back on the stool and ran a hand through his hair. “I’m gonna tell you something, Nick – and I don’t want you to repeat it. Not even to Lilah. I’ll personally lock you up if you do.” He leaned forward, his voice dropping to almost a whisper. “We’re not gonna touch Schuler yet. We have evidence that suggests his brother, Sam is back on the scene and is orchestrating the entire drug scene from somewhere in the state. Maybe Minneapolis.”

  “You think Sam Schuler is the guy who kidnapped all those kids?”

  “We’re not sure. But if he isn’t, he sure as hell has a good idea who did. That’s the missing piece and that’s why we haven’t made a move on Cole Schuler. We’re waiting to see what happens next, so we don’t want you kicking up a fuss about this – yet.”

  “Deal,” said Nick, stretching out a hand. “But we need protection in the meantime.”

  “I can post an officer here for a couple of hours a day. That’s all I can spare. I can also get the patrol cars to drive this route more often. Just tell Lilah no more country walks alone.”

  “What’s the time frame?” said Nick. “When d’you think this thing’s gonna break?”

  “Week or two,” said Brad. “Then watch out. The shit’s gonna hit the fan.”

  Lilah looked fragile the next day. Wrapped in a soft grey blanket, she sat at the breakfast counter cradling a giant cup of coffee almost larger than her face.

  “I feel so stupid,” she said, putting the cup down and giving Nick such a plaintive look he gathered her into his arms again. “To go out on the ice at this time of year. I should know better.”

  Nick caught her chin in his hands and looked down at her clear eyes. “You didn’t know some gun slinging maniac would be taking pot shots at you.”

  “They’re sure it wasn’t just a hunter who made a mistake?”

  “Lilah – I saw him coming through the trees. He took aim at the ice. There’s no question he wanted to give you a fright.”

  “What if you hadn’t been there?” she said, putting her arms around his waist and leaning her face against his chest.

  “I thought I’d lost you and I couldn’t bear that,” he said, burying his face in the tangle of soft curls. “From now on I’m gonna keep a close eye on you.”

  She pulled away quickly, smiling. “How about I call Cari and tell her to come earlier? We could have some fun. She’d be good company.”

  “Great idea. I could do with something to take my mind off all this investigation shit.”

  “You’re not getting cold feet, are you?” she said, clasping both of his hands.

  “I’ve never been more sure of anything. Nick the player is history. I’ve found my soul mate.”

  She smiled and leaned forward to kiss him and Nick was lost again. All doubts and questions swept from his mind

  24

  Cari couldn’t make it until Friday, so that morning Nick left Lilah alone for the first time since the ice incident and headed to the office realizing that the next day he’d be a married man. It still blew his mind to think he’d soon be Nick Hendricks, husband. That he’d finally found the one person he knew he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. His heart raced at the thought of t
he possibilities that lay ahead of them. He hadn’t broached the subject yet, but he was keen to get clear away from Silver Narrows. The West Coast – Northern California, Oregon, Washington – was a definite possibility and he’d already started scouting out the opportunities and one night, after drinking half a bottle of Cabernet, had fired off resumes and writing samples to The Seattle Times, The Oregonian and in a fit of drunken enthusiasm – The New York Post.

  He remembered doing the same thing three years ago when winter temperatures dipped way below zero and the wind chill was enough to freeze the hairs off your face. Nothing had come out of it. Not even a form rejection letter. He imagined some unpaid intern with a drawer full of unfinished short stories at home, gleefully pressing the delete button without even reading his application.

  Once the wedding was over they’d head to Minneapolis and fly away on Sunday. He’d planned a three day stay at a luxury resort in Phoenix where they’d break the news to his Mom and also have some quiet time to plan out their future together. He could barely wait to get away from Silver Narrows and all its dirty secrets and had already put an ad in the paper to sublet his house for the remainder of the lease. All that remained was for him to pack up the rest of his belongings and move them over to Lilah’s.

  Cari was due to arrive around noon, then they’d planned to hit Rusty’s for a celebratory drink at four. Nick planned to spend the morning and afternoon organizing his manuscript, as well as the rough notes and the charts which had to be taken down and rolled up without disturbing the pinned on pictures and sticky notes.