We made conversation about the elevation for the new house and interior design, until a SUV with the boat pulled in. I was surprised when the two men climbed out. I had been expecting a backwoods, Florida good ol’ boy, but these men had an unmistakable look to them—they looked like gangsters. They looked completely out of place as they unstrapped the airboat from the trailer.
“Aren’t they going to put it in the water first?” That worried feeling starting to mount.
“It is an airboat, Leese; they do not need it to be in the water to launch it.”
I moved closer to Jonathan, “Where did you find these guys? They don’t look like they belong running an airboat.”
“You are safe, Leese. Maybe they do not look the part, but they know what they are doing. You are not afraid, are you?”
“I don’t like the looks of these guys.” I knew Micah would not like the looks of these guys, either.
“You are perfectly safe. I know them. They look a little rough, but they are okay. If you really are worried, I do not have to show you the house today, we can—”
“No. We’re here,” I said, trying to be brave. “You’re sure they’re okay?”
At that moment the airboat blades began to turn and then proceeded to get louder and louder. The other man gave the boat a push and it came off the trailer as if it floated to the ground. The motor lowered in speed and the men motioned us to approach.
“Is this safe? I mean the ride—for the baby.”
“Other than being very loud, you are basically moving in a burst of air.”
The men said nothing as they watched us. Jonathan helped me up onto the boat and into my seat, handing me a headphone set to put on. Jonathan seated himself beside me and the boat began to move. He was right about the noise, it was loud, but within moments we were on the lake and moving toward the opposite shore. It was actually beautiful to be out on the water as we moved effortlessly along the surface toward the northwest end of the lake. It didn’t take long and we were moving up onto the other side of the shore. The driver only moved fifteen or twenty feet onto the opposite bank when the motor slowed and Jonathan signaled to me that it was safe to get down. To my surprise the boat motor sped back up and they moved onto the water.
“Where are they going?”
“They will be out on the lake while we look at the house. Come on, this way,” he said leading me toward a path that was somewhat overgrown.
“So how did you find the house out here? I knew there was one on the property, I’d just forgotten about it.”
“I was looking up information about the property on the tax collector’s site and noticed there was an improvement. After studying the aerial photos and finding out where it was, I came out here two days ago, hiked around the lake to be precise, to find it. I did not think you would appreciate the hike. It is long enough when you cross the lake.”
“How far is it?”
“From here, perhaps a half kilometer.”
“In American?”
“I think that would be equivalent to a third of a mile. Do not worry, it is all level terrain and we will be there in a few minutes. I would not have suggested you doing this if I thought it would be too difficult in your con—pre—in your expectant state.”
“Nice save,” I laughed lightly. Glad to pause my train of thought—but not for long. I followed silently, wondering what I was doing. I started my morning with making a bad decision and it was only getting worse. I rode in a noisy boat driven by men who made my skin crawl, and now I was hiking through the woods with someone my husband didn’t trust and I barely knew. Okay, it was time to pull out my cell phone and let my husband know what I was up to.
Jonathan’s head turned as soon as he heard the electronic sound.
“What are you doing?”
“Letting Micah know where I’m at.”
“I do not think so,” he said slowing his walk.
My heart began to pick up speed. “Why not?” I snapped.
He appeared to be reaching for my phone as I snatched it away.
“Leese, I am sorry but there is no signal out here once you cross the lake, unless you have a booster.”
I studied my signal indicator—I had zero bars.
“I hope I am not making you nervous. There is the house,” he said pointing just ahead of us.
I took a comforting breath. Okay, he was on the level, the house was charming. It had a tin roof and the exterior was unpainted cedar clapboard siding. The windows were double hung with sharp peaks above them. There was a covered porch that appeared to go all the way around the house, and a porch swing not far from the front door. “What kind of architecture is this?”
“I have no idea. But, if I was guessing, I would say American country-cabin, with a tiny amount of New England cottage thrown in.”
“You say there is furniture inside?”
“Yes. I have a feeling once they managed to haul it all back here they did not want to haul any of it out of here. I was just surprised that no one had broken into it—well, until I did anyway.”
“You broke in?”
“Picked the locks actually. They were fairly simple,” he said as he turned the front door knob. “I left it unlocked. I assumed with the fence up now around the property and the fact that no one has broken in here in the five years since it was built, it was safe.”
“Wow,” was the only thing I could say. The floors were polished wood, the furniture was white oak. The main part of the house was a great room with a large stone fireplace. The kitchen was in the center of the room and was an open design. The appliances were astonishing. “Are those antiques?”
“No, they are reproductions, but they are expensive reproductions. I have the power on. I put some bottles of water in the refrigerator the other day, would you like one?”
“Definitely. August, pregnant, and just walked a half mile through the woods—yes, I want water.”
He laughed easily as he opened the refrigerator and removed the lid from a water bottle and handed it to me and then took one out for himself. “It is not a half mile, but August and pregnant I will not argue with. Come on and I will show you the rest of the house.”
There were two bedrooms on the lower floor that shared a bath and then up the stairs had a large balcony hallway looking down into the living room, and a master bedroom with a private bath and an exceptional view of the lake. He showed me the fuel cell behind the house and the solar panels that ran all along the back of the roof. We finished by going up the porch and following it back around to the front where he invited me to relax on the swing for a little while before starting the hike back to the boat.
“So what do you think?”
I gave a tremendous yawn and relaxed against the back of the swing as I polished off my cold water. “It’s fantastic, but the walk wore me out.”
“I did not make you over do it, did I? I thought it would be pretty easy for you, but you are, how shall I say, getting more expectant every time I see you.”
“I think there is only one degree to expectant; you either are or you aren’t. But I am getting bigger every day.”
“I would think if I said that, you would say I was being rude again.”
I closed my eyes and smiled as I recalled telling him that asking about my hair color was rude. He was babbling on about having the road pushed through or building a bridge across the lake (which I thought was a bit extreme) as I listened to his voice. “You have a nice voice, Jonathan—your accent, I mean.” I reluctantly opened my eyes, “Time to head back. I’m taking a long nap as soon as I get home.”
“You are not too tired to drive, are you?”
“Nah,” I said, reclosing my eyes for one final moment of relaxation. As soon as I got my lazy butt out of this swing, I was going to go home and beg Micah to forgive me for driving my Aero. If I was bad, I’d make it home just as fast as I made it here this morning. I would be in trouble with him anyway, so I might as well enjoy the drive.
> PLAY
CHAPTER eleven
Micah made it home around three thirty and hit the button to open the garage door. Nadia’s Lexus was there, but the Aston Martin was gone. Immediately, he began to wonder where was his wife? He thought about dialing her cell, but Nadia was home so perhaps she would know where Leese went.
Kimmy greeted him as soon as he came through the door. She threw her arms around him for a big hug and told him she missed him while she and her mother had been in Louisiana visiting David. “I got to go to grandma and grandpa Gavarreen’s house,” she happily announced. “I had to make sure I didn’t touch anything.” She sounded a little disappointed on that last line.
“That’s because,” Nadia said as she came around the corner from the kitchen and gave Micah a hug as well, “I told you their things are very old and very special, and I didn’t want you to accidently break something of theirs.”
He ruffled Kimmy’s hair and then smiled back at Nadia, “Where’s Leese?”
“She left a note on the kitchen counter about going out to the property to see something Jonathan wanted to show her. She said she thought she’d be back by four.”
His brow furrowed.
“Don’t worry, Micah,” she stated, anticipating his thoughts.
“I just don’t trust him.”
Nadia smiled as she gripped the back of his hand, “I’m sure she’s fine, but call her if you’re that worried.”
He didn’t need any more urging to grab his cell and dial her number. It went to voicemail. His teeth ground together as he dialed Jonathan’s number. Within two rings it was answered. He dispensed with the greeting, “Where’s my wife?”
The question was met with brief silence. “Micah? I’m sorry, I didn’t recognize the number.” That wasn’t surprising since he hadn’t called Jonathan from his cell before, but he had saved the information in his phone from Leese’s, just as a precaution.
“Where’s Leese?” he repeated, a little more sternly.
“She left the property around one-thirty, one-forty-five. She should be back at your house any time,” he replied.
“What the hell? I’ll call you back if I need to,” Micah said, snapping his phone shut without waiting for a response from Jonathan.
“What is it, Micah?” Nadia asked as she watched the color drain from his face. She turned to look out the window and she saw what had taken him by surprise. There were two highway patrol cars in their driveway, and the troopers were approaching the front door with their hats in their hands.
Micah reached the door before they could ring the bell.
“Can I help you?” he asked, but there was a quiver that had started in his throat that he couldn’t mask.
“Mrs. Winslett, Mr. Gavarreen, may we come in? We need to—”
“What’s wrong?” Nadia interrupted, “What’s this about?”
“We’re sorry ma’am, but there’s been a car accident and we believe your daughter—”
Nadia’s hand immediately covered her mouth as she asked what she was afraid to know, “Is she okay? Where is she?”
“Please,” the other officer asked, “could we sit somewhere for a moment?”
The officers stepped in through the doorway as they were led in silence to the couch. Kimmy was already in the living room playing.
“I don’t know if it’s a good idea for her to be in here,” The officer began, motioning toward Kimmy.
“She stays,” Micah said numbly. “What happened?”
“Approximately twenty minutes ago witnesses saw a Shelby Aero moving at a high rate of speed heading south on I-95, driven by a young, blonde woman matching your daughter’s description. She lost control of the vehicle near the 76 mile marker.
“Sweet Jesus, no.” Nadia began to crumple as the trooper reached to take her hand.
“I’m very sorry, but there wasn’t anything anyone could do.”
“No,” Micah growled, rising from the couch, “she’s not driving her Aero. She’s in her Aston Martin.”
“She’s the only person in this county that has—”
Micah was already moving for the garage, with one of the troopers close behind him. Kimmy was also trailing wanting to know why her mother was suddenly so upset.
“What’s wrong, Micah?” came Kimmy’s frightened voice. “Who had an accident?”
He tore open the door into the garage as he stared at the Lexus and Corvette and then continued walking toward the door that connected the other three car garage. When he opened the door, you could hear the air leave his lungs as if someone had hit him in the chest with a bullet. Parked in the second garage was her Aston Martin—the Aero was gone.
“Oh, God… Oh, God, no… It can’t be true,” he said as his body hit the door frame and collapsed down to the floor.
“Micah,” Kimmy cried out, thrusting herself against him and holding on tightly. “What’s wrong? Where’s my sister?”
The trooper was down on his haunches, resting his hand on Micah’s shoulder, “I’m very sorry. People tried to get to her, but…” The officer stopped, he couldn’t finish telling the rest of the horrific story.
With tears streaming down his face, he rose shakily from the floor, still holding Kimmy against his chest and he carried her back into the house. He could hear the television. He could hear Nadia’s incessant wailing. He could hear the trooper trying to console her. What he wasn’t prepared for was the image on the television. A news helicopter was shooting footage of a car, still engulfed in flames as emergency crews attempted to put it out. Her car had a carbon fiber body; you could take a blow torch to it and not destroy it. Although the paint had burned away, it was Leese’s car, Micah was sure of it. His beautiful wife and his unborn son were gone.
All the colors from Micah’s world turned to shades of gray. He had witnessed the deaths of hundreds of people, but nothing ever affected him the way losing Annalisa was doing. She was gone and it was so unbelievable to him that she would never draw another sweet breath of air. She would never sing another song. Her beautiful smile had been removed from the world. And, the heart that she helped him discover beating inside his chest had such a gapping, massive wound that he knew it had to be fatal; it couldn’t possibly keep beating without the reason for its rhythm.
Nadia was becoming hysterical, but he couldn’t comfort her. He could only watch as the officers tried to console her. He couldn’t move. He was holding Kimmy and she was clutched against his chest shivering in her sobs as the realization that her sister, just like her father, would never come home. He found the strength to wrap his arms around her. He was shushing her as he rocked her ever-so-slightly as he held her.
He didn’t know how long he sat there in his state of shock, but eventually the officers calmed Nadia and she began to compose.
“We’re so very sorry. We have to go, but someone from law enforcement will be getting in touch with you as soon as—”
“I have to see her,” Micah spoke the words, but his lips felt numb.
“Could we speak with you outside for a moment?”
Nadia tried to take Kimmy, but she began to scream and grip Micah with a tenacity and tensile strength of a full grown adult. He smoothed her hair away from her soaked cheeks and kissed her temple. “Please Kimmy, just for a few minutes. I promise I’ll be back inside after I speak with the policemen.”
Her eyes had a vacant glaze as she stared at the place where her head had rested on his shoulder.
“Look at me, sweetheart,” he said, turning her chin toward him and kissing the tip of her nose. “I have to do this and then—”
“Don’t leave me,” she cried out. “Promise me you’ll come back—don’t leave—I can’t—stand for anyone—else to—leave me.” Her sobs were punctuating her words.
“I won’t leave. Please, stay here with your mom until I come back inside. I promise I’ll hold you for a while after that, okay?”
She nodded and released him and slipped onto Nadia’s waiting
lap. They latched on to each other like magnets pulling together as Nadia broke down once more.
Micah’s walk felt stiff and mechanical as he followed the officers out onto the driveway. “When can I see the—the body?” he asked, trying not to choke on the words.
“I’m afraid that won’t be possible until the investigators—”
“Was it an accident or not?” Micah’s question was clearer than his last.
“We don’t know right now. But they did want us to ask what kind of fuel she ran in her car. Did she run on methanol or nitromethane? Did she carry nitrous tanks in the vehicle?”
“No. It ran on regular, premium gasoline. Please, tell me why they wanted to know that.”
The older of the two officers rested his hand on Micah’s shoulder, “You saw what they showed on the television—it was an unbelievable explosion, and the fire was… Well, it wasn’t a normal gasoline fire. They couldn’t seem to get it out. I wish I could soften this for you, but I’m afraid there isn’t going to be anything left to identify. I’ve never, in my nineteen years on the force, seen a fire that hot. The carbon body on her car absorbed a lot of the crash impact, but it also absorbed a lot of the impact from the explosion. The doors blew slightly out, but because of the way the hinges are designed, they didn’t blow off. The damn thing was like a crematory. We’ll have an investigator get back with you as soon as they determine what exactly happened. They’re still reviewing all the interstate camera footage.”
“I—I have some experience—in this sort of thing. I’d like to work with the investigators. I’d like to see the car and—”
“I’m sorry, but this is strictly for law enforcement. You understand we can’t rule anything out right now, so allowing you to handle anything that could be considered evidence just can’t happen.”
Things were adding up quickly. It was no accident. Leese had been murdered and he would be listed among the suspects. But he knew someone who could get him the information he needed.
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