Love on the Horizon (A Northern Woods Novel)

by Roberts, Charliann

  “What happened? Is something wrong?”

  “I heard sirens heading north on the county road. They sounded close by. I turned on the scanner in my office. Apparently, they stopped at the Larson’s house.”

  “Oh no, I hope Nattie is okay. Sarah and I saw her in town a week ago. She was in a hurry and looked very frightened. She wouldn’t even talk to us.”

  “I’m going to ride down and make sure there hasn’t been an accident. I’ll be back.” He kissed Mariah on the cheek and went out the door.

  That evening, while the children were sleeping and Bess had retired, Mariah relaxed on the sofa. The television was on and the volume down low, when the ten o’clock news came on. Nick stepped into the house and removed his Stetson, as a breaking news alert appeared across the screen. He moved around to the end of the couch and quickly grabbed the remote to turn up the volume. The newscaster had shown a recent photo of Natalie Larson.

  “Natalie Larson was reported missing this morning, by her husband, Carl Larson. The Pinewood Hills Police stated that her husband had last seen her one week ago today when he asked her to go to the grocery store on Main Street, in Pinewood Hills. She never returned. The police brought Carl Larson in for questioning. She’d been missing for seven days, and he waited until today to report it to the police. After two hours of inquisition, he was released. He is the prime suspect at this time. If you’ve seen this woman, please call the Pinewood Hills Police Department immediately.” The newscaster then moved on to the next story, and Nick turned the television off.

  “So that’s why they were over at the Larson’s today,” Mariah said, and looked up at Nick, worried as to what might have happened. “I told you several times, that Sarah and I thought she was being abused.”

  “Mariah, they don’t know anything yet. Perhaps she’d been abducted on her trip to the store. They’re still gathering information.”

  “We saw her, Nick. The same day her husband had last seen her. She was in a hurry and wouldn’t talk to us; but Nick, she wasn’t at a grocery store. She may have been to one, but we saw her just as she was leaving the mall.”

  “You’re going to have to report that to the police, Mariah. They need to know. I’ll drive you over in the early morning, and you’ll be back before your riding class begins.”

  “Okay,” she said, and he reached out to help her up from the couch.

  “Let’s get some sleep. We’ll both be quite busy tomorrow.”

  * * *

  “Yes, I told them.” Mariah stood from the kitchen table and dumped what was left of her coffee in the sink. “I had to, Sarah. They said they wouldn’t need to talk to you since we were together.”

  “Good. I don’t like the idea of saying anything. I’m afraid of her husband. If he knows we saw her, he might come after us for information.”

  “I mentioned that to the police, and they promised that the information I gave them won’t be revealed to anyone. So don’t worry, we’ll be fine.”

  “So we can stay out of it? No more questions?”

  “Yes, we can stay out of it and no, there won’t be any more questions. I told them everything we knew, including the way I saw her looking at me from behind the bedroom shade. I also let them know about Carl telling us she had Alzheimer’s, and that he told us she didn’t want visitors. They’re going to locate her doctor. They told me they’d be getting a search warrant. They saw the awful state of the home and the backyard filled with garbage. They’ll probably condemn that place. It’s hideous. I don’t know how anyone could live in such filth. I can’t forget that day I went to their house. It was so obnoxious when he opened the door, it turned my stomach.”

  “Well, I have to get my hair cut in an hour. Thanks for the update, Mariah.”

  “Yes, they didn’t think they’d need any more from me. I’ll talk to you later.” She said goodbye, then stood in front of the sink and stared out the window. She heard the twins awaken and headed to their bedroom to help Bess with their baths.

  * * *

  When the babies were down for their afternoon nap, Mariah made a ham sandwich, grabbed a can of Pepsi and sat on the sofa. She turned on the television to watch the news while she ate her lunch. She had one hour before she’d need to head out to her riding class. The newscasters were showing a horrific scene of an accident in Duluth, on a road that runs along Lake Superior. The reporter was pointing to a two-hundred-foot cliff where a car had plunged. “We don’t have the details at this time, but it appears as though another automobile ran into it from behind, causing it to plummet over the edge. They don’t know how many passengers were in the vehicle, if any.”

  She shook her head and felt bad for the family members. Finishing her lunch, she turned off the television. It was getting late, and she hurried out the door to meet with her students.

  Chapter Thirty-three

  Mariah dialed Sarah’s phone number, then sat at the kitchen table and sipped her fresh lemonade. She was about to hang up when Sarah finally answered.

  “Hey girl, you sound like you ran a marathon.”

  “Practically,” Sarah answered, breathing heavily. “I was on my treadmill. What’s up?”

  “Nick finished packing the camping gear. They’ll be over to your place soon. Would you like to come over and spend the night again?”

  “Sounds like fun. It gets too boring with them being gone. The boys were excited when the men decided to take them once more before the cold temps roll in.”

  “So was Nicky. He’s been running around like a wild animal since Nick mentioned it. They should be there within the hour. Bess is off for the weekend. We’ll have another sleepover. It’ll be four girls, just like our younger days, the house will be full of women.”

  “Don't forget about the stinky diapers,” Sarah muttered.

  “Hey, you don’t have to change them!”

  “I’m kidding, Mariah. They’re sweethearts – and the quietest babies I’ve ever seen. I’ll be over as soon as the men are on their way.”

  Mariah shook her head with a smile and closed her cell phone.

  “Okay honey,” Nick said when he and Nicky came back into the house. “The truck’s all packed and ready to go.”

  “Yes, Mommy, we’re off!” Nicky said excitedly, and gave his dad a high-five.

  “Okay, I want the two of you to be very careful now, you hear? I want you back safely. Oh, and bring lots of fish home for daddy to clean.” She hugged and kissed each of them.

  “Mommy, I help daddy catch the fish and clean them too,” he said proudly.

  “That’s good. I’m glad you’re learning, because I don’t like to do that. I cook ‘em.”

  “It’s not so bad, is it Daddy?” Nicky looked up at his dad with a grin.

  “Nah, kind of fun actually,” he said, and kissed Mariah goodbye when she wrinkled her nose. “We’ll see you on Sunday.” He told her to enjoy her weekend with Sarah, and they went out the door. Mariah followed them to the end of the deck and waved goodbye as they drove away.

  * * *

  Sarah helped Mariah feed the twins, and then they bathed and dressed them in their look-alike sleepers. Mariah and Sarah quietly left the room and went out to the kitchen.

  “How does a pepperoni, sausage and onion pizza sound?” she asked, after she searched through the freezer.

  “Delicious; I’m starving. I haven’t had a chance to eat all day. I was too busy packing everything for the boys.”

  “Okay, I’ll get started while you check to see what’s on TV. Maybe there’ll be a juicy romance.”

  Lucky watched Sarah flip the channel from one station to another. He found it boring and fell asleep on the braided rug near the fireplace.

  When the pizza was ready, Mariah slid it from the oven, sliced it with the pizza cutter, and placed it on a large plate. Sarah pulled two cans of Pepsi from the refrigerator and together they carried their dinner into the living room. They’d been watching the news and about to take a bite of their pizza
when a special bulletin appeared. The cameras showed live coverage of the automobile pulled from Lake Superior.

  “Oh my God… that looks like Nattie’s car, doesn’t it?” Mariah looked at Sarah, both appalled at what they saw.

  “That is hers, Mariah! Turn up the volume, quick!”

  “… When lifted from the deep waters of Lake Superior there was no one in the vehicle. Divers have been searching the area where the car subsided, but no bodies have been located at this time. The search will continue tomorrow morning. Stay tuned for the weather forecast, coming up next.”

  They looked at each other, and both felt a sudden chill by the frightening possibility that Nattie had drowned.

  “Sarah, we don’t know for sure if that’s her car. Maybe they’ll announce it on the ten o’clock news.”

  “I’m positive it was hers. It showed the same large dent on the hood.”

  “That doesn’t mean anything. There were dents all over that car, from going over the rocky cliff. We’ll find out more later, now let’s eat this pizza before it gets cold. I'm famished.”

  When the late news came on, the newscaster reported that the vehicle retrieved from Lake Superior belonged to a woman by the name of Natalie Larson, a resident of Pinewood Hills, Minnesota.

  “Oh God, that really is her car. I knew the minute I saw it, that it had to be hers.”

  “Listen,” Mariah whispered.

  The newscaster continued, “Her husband was notified. When reporters went to his home, he was unavailable for an interview. Natalie has no other immediate family members. The search will resume at daybreak tomorrow.”

  “I wonder if they’ll find her body, Mariah.”

  “I don’t know. Lake Superior is huge, and so deep. If they don't find her soon who knows how long they’d keep diving. You heard the weather forecast. They predicted heavy winds for tonight. Her body could drift a great distance by morning.”

  “Thank God it’s only for Duluth. Our boys should be safe in Grand Rapids. Nick said they’d be at a campground not far from town. Now let’s watch something funny, to pick up our spirits.”

  “Do you like Three’s Company?”

  Mariah laughed, “Okay, that’s a pretty good one. It should put us in a better mood.”

  * * *

  The twins woke up immediately at the break of dawn. After feeding them breakfast, Mariah put them in their playpen and retrieved the Sunday Tribune from the porch. Sarah sat at the kitchen table and Mariah poured them each a mug of coffee. She laid the paper on the table before them. When she removed the rubber band holding it together, it fell open to the front page displaying a four by six inch photograph of Natalie’s car.

  Mariah remained standing and placed the palm of her hands on each side of the newspaper. Looking down, she read the article aloud. “With high winds reaching gusts of up to fifty miles per hour, the divers who had been working with the Duluth Police Department were unable to continue in their search for the body of Natalie Larson, the owner of the automobile. It had been located at the bottom of a two-hundred-foot cliff in Lake Superior by a young couple who had been hiking on a trail close by. They spotted the trunk of the vehicle in the water Friday afternoon, and immediately reported it to the police. The officers discovered skid marks alongside the south end of the guardrail where Mrs. Larson’s sedan evidently plummeted over the cliff. The police are still looking into the cause of the accident. The vehicle had bounced against the rocks along the cliff. It was demolished, and left little evidence for them to work with. They may never know whether a hit-and-run driver forced Mrs. Larson off the road or if she’d taken the curve at a high speed and skid over the gravel on the parking lot, causing the car to plunge over the edge.

  “Mrs. Larson had been reported missing one week ago by her husband. They reside in the town of Pinewood Hills, Minnesota, which is located sixty miles west of Duluth.”

  Mariah sat in the chair across the table from Sarah and looked at her. “I can’t believe this. We may never know what actually happened.”

  Sarah shook her head then took the paper and read on. “Her husband informed the police that she had Alzheimer’s and could have driven off the cliff purposefully. He let them know she was very upset after learning of her disease, and she shouldn’t have been driving. He said he looked out the window and noticed the car was gone, and she never returned.”

  “He lied to them, Mariah. We both know that he sent her out to pick up his beer.”

  “Don’t worry, I told the police everything. They already knew he wasn’t telling the truth. I’m going to hop in the shower and get dressed before our men come home. If you'd like to take one, go ahead and use the guest bath.”

  “Thanks. I hope they’re wrong, and she wasn’t in the car at the time it went over.”

  “So do I Sarah, so do I."

  Chapter Thirty-four

  “Okay Art, you ready to go?”

  “Just have to fill the thermos.”

  “Bess packed a lunch in my insulated saddlebag. It’ll be enough to hold us over ‘til we return. I brought plenty of water for both of us. Forecast said it would be sweltering today.”

  “Won’t be for long; I heard this morning they predicted winter to arrive early this year.”

  “Well I hope they’re wrong. We have a hell of a lot more preparation now that we took on the rescue horses.”

  “You wouldn’t have turned them down. We’re both too softhearted to pass up those poor animals. You’ve been doing a good job with it."

  “It’s Jake who’s been handling it all, and quite well, along with Garrett. He’s proven he’s the best horse whisperer in the entire state. Billy also turned out to be a godsend.”

  “Yup, it’s been working out much better than I thought it would. I was worried at first, but Jake has proven to be quite a manager.” Art put the thermos in his saddlebag. The horses were ready to go, and they led them out of the stable.

  Nick looked up and saw Mariah driving toward them. She was taking Nicky shopping for new school clothes. In another week, he’d be starting kindergarten.

  Mariah rolled down her window. “We’re off to Huntington.”

  Nick walked over and looked into the backseat. “Hey cowboy, you’re going shopping?”

  “We’re getting me new clothes, Daddy! I’m gonna be a grown up next week!”

  Nick raised his eyebrows at Mariah.

  “I told him he was growing up so fast and already starting school next week,” Mariah said, and laughed softly.

  “Oh,” Nick chuckled. “He has the words a bit confused.”

  “I didn’t want to hurt his feelings by correcting him,” she whispered.

  “Well, you pick out some real nice clothes, cowboy. You’ll have all the girls following you home.”

  “Daddy! I’m not gonna play with girls!” He wrinkled his nose. “They’re sissies!”

  “Oh, you’ll change your mind one day, sport.” Nick kissed the tip of Mariah’s nose and lightly touched her cheek. “We should be home by dusk, honey. Art and I have rescue horses to check on, and we hope to cover an area of fifty acres of land on horseback. We need to inspect the fencing for any needed repairs before winter approaches.”

  Art was ready to go. He tipped his hat to Mariah when Nick climbed into his saddle.

  Nicky turned his head to look out the back window.

  “So long cowboy!” Nick and Art both waved before they turned their horses to the north and headed across the pasture, toward the building where their rescue team was located.

  * * *

  They came to the stretch on the northeast corner of their land, when they noticed a police car approach from the south. It raised a cloud of dust as it barreled along the dirt road toward Carl and Natalie’s property.

  Nick and Art stopped and watched. A short distance from the Larson’s, they were able to observe everything quite clearly.

  “I wonder if they found Natalie,” Nick said.

  “I was thinki
n’ the same thing.” They watched while an officer knocked on the front door.

  “Carl’s truck is there, but it looks like he’s not in much of a rush to open up.”

  There were two police officers. One of them walked around to the side door, climbed the three steps leading to a large porch, and knocked. The other officer rounded the corner from the front and stood on guard.

  “Here comes another police car.” Nick motioned his head toward the turnoff from the county road. He pulled his handkerchief from his back pocket and wiped the sweat from his face and neck. “You ready for lunch? We may as well eat right here.”

  “Yeah, the horses need a break anyhow.” They climbed down. The horses roamed around the pond while the men sat on a gentle slope, facing the activity a half-block away.

  When the second police car pulled into the yard, two more officers climbed out. One of them stood near the front entry and the other stood at the gate leading to the backyard.

  “What the hell is goin’ on,” Art muttered.

  Nick glanced over at the horses; they grazed in the grassy area. When he looked back at the roadway, yet another car pulled up with two additional officers. They climbed out, walked over to the area close to the side entry and stood in the gravel, a few feet from the house, their weapons drawn. The officer who stood at the side door stepped back a couple of feet and raised his gun, held it with both hands, then lifted his heavy boot and kicked the door in. Guns still drawn, the four officers bolted through the open doorway.

  “A while back, Mariah told me she and Sarah suspected that he was abusing Natalie. Maybe the police finally found some evidence. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. You can bet there’ll be something about it on the news.” Nick paused to take a swig of his Pepsi when they saw the officers coming out of the house with Carl in handcuffs.

  “He looks drunker ‘n a skunk and it’s not even noon yet.”

  Nick shook his head. “Who knows, but we’d better be on our way.”

  They stood, gathered their containers and walked over to where the horses were grazing. They climbed into their saddles and headed back on the trail.