“N…no, thanks. It’s not important.”
Riley was aware that property boundaries in the countryside weren’t sacrosanct in Newfoundland, or elsewhere in Canada for that matter. If property owners wanted to keep people off their land, they were expected to erect notices with “Private” or “Trespassers will be prosecuted” on them. There were no such notices along Riley’s fences. Only John Kelly and his superior would recognize the potential danger of what she had seen. Her state of mind was such that she didn’t feel up to convincing the inspector, who was a stranger.
Her heart still racing, Riley went to the end of the lawn. She nosed around the tree where the man had been standing but there was no sign that anyone had been there.
Paul arrived home an hour late looking tired and a little drawn.
“It was one of those days when the visibility’s always shifting,” he explained as he took off his jacket. “You really need extra people when it’s like that. We have to send minute-by-minute observations to the control tower so they can be passed on to incoming aircraft.”
She went over and kissed him. “Poor darling. It must be quite stressful.”
“You don’t seem so good yourself,” Paul observed as they cuddled on the sofa. “Is there anything wrong?”
“Yes, there is, but I was going to leave it until you had a chance to unwind. I saw a man lurking in the woods off the end of the lawn, but by the time I went outside he’d gone. I don’t mind telling you it scared the shit out of me.”
“Oh, no! I thought all that stuff was over with. And you were alone as well.” Paul pulled her head to his shoulder and began to stroke her hair.
Riley looked up at him and fought back tears. “Paul, my sweet, I think it’s time we moved out, don’t you?”
“Definitely. You’re absolutely right. As soon as possible. If anything ever happened to you, I’d—”
Riley put a finger across his mouth. “Ssh! It won’t. I know it. We’ll start checking the paper today. Come on, it should be delivered by now. Let’s walk to the store. A bit of fresh air will do us both good and I can tell you what happened on the way.”
There were few classified advertisements for apartments and other kinds of accommodation in the paper. None of them was worth following up. Perhaps it was because university students were returning for the upcoming semester. They had no luck on Wednesday either.
On the Thursday morning, Riley found that she had run out of numerous food items and set out for the nearest supermarket. Halfway down the driveway, she remembered that her wallet was still on the dining table. Rather than turn the car at the bottom and drive back up the hill, she decided to walk along the narrow footpath through the woods to the kitchen entrance. The fir trees were dense so it was impossible to see the house until she was quite close. Even then, it was partly obscured by two small birch trees.
Riley had just drawn level with the first when something moved under the deck. She caught her breath and froze. In the blink of an eye, whatever or whoever it was seemed to vanish into thin air. As quietly as possible, she moved ahead to the second birch, peering around the trunk. As she did so, a man came into view at the corner of the house. The first thing she noticed was the hair and the second, the face. It was Jonathan Hynes. He turned for a moment as if checking to see if there was anyone following. As he did so, Riley caught a glimpse of his back. There was a tear in his jacket.
Her fear was instantly replaced by anger. There was little doubt that this creep had been spying on her. Now he was trying to get into the house and do what? Rape her?
Riley broke cover and strode toward the parking area. “Hey! Jonathan! What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
He stopped dead, total surprise on his face. When he opened his mouth, nothing came out.
Riley didn’t have a weapon, of course, but her subconscious knew there were keys in her hand. In a fury, she threw them at him. Needless to say, they missed, striking the clapboard siding of the house with a clatter. Jonathan remained frozen as Riley drew near.
She stopped a few feet away. “Answer me, you rat! What are you doing?”
He seemed to sag. “Trying to get a glimpse of you. I didn’t mean any harm.”
“I don’t believe it. You were going to rape me, or try to.”
“No, Riley! No! I’d never do that. All I wanted was to see you again, to be reminded of the day you lay in the sun with your lovely breasts bare—”
“I’m calling the police!” Riley spotted her keys and backed up a few feet, ready to bolt. She fumbled for them without taking her eyes off Jonathan, then ran to the back door.
On the way to the phone, she glanced through the kitchen window and stopped dead. Jonathan was running across the lawn. In a second or two, he disappeared down the narrow path leading to the property boundary.
She stood panting for a few moments to let her anger subside. “Simmer down, Riley-girl,” she said aloud, then smiled at her choice of words. The question now was what to do next. If she called the police, the absence of any evidence that a crime had been committed would mean it was her word against Jonathan’s. The last thing she needed was to open that particular can of worms. Never mind, Paul would be home in a few hours. He would know the best course of action.
Taking a deep breath, Riley exhaled slowly. She collected her wallet and returned to the car. The sky opened just as she reached it.
On the way to the supermarket, Riley realized that this latest event was a positive thing. There was absolutely no doubt that the snooper she’d seen in the woods on Tuesday was Jonathan. This meant that the characters who had tried to get into the basement hadn’t returned after all; there was no need to move into town.
Later that afternoon, the intermittent showers dissipated so Riley went onto the deck to wait for Paul. She leaned on the still damp rail, mulling over the implications of what had happened. Hopefully, he would be pleased.
Soon, the sound of the Mustang’s engine filtered through the trees as it turned into the driveway. Paul pulled up in his usual spot behind the Toyota.
Riley waved as he got out. The weight on her shoulders seemed lighter already.
He walked over and looked up at her. “To what do I owe this honor?”
“Having you home,” Riley replied.
She hurried through the house to meet him. In fact, it was more of a collision than a meeting. Riley burst out of the front door and threw herself into his arms when Paul was still a few feet away. She kissed him hard, at the same time pressing against him in the special way that she knew he loved. Finally, breathless, they separated.
She took his hand. “Let’s relax for a while. Something happened today, something good for once.”
Paul threw his jacket over an arm of the sofa and drew her down beside him.
“I’m all ears,” he said.
Riley left nothing out, which made the story clearer in her mind.
“That guy’s a menace,” Paul commented. “However, the most important question is how certain are you that the person you saw on Tuesday was actually Jonathan?”
“A hundred percent. Remember, I had a good look at the guy through the binoculars? Apart from having the same hair color, there was that tear in the back of his jacket, exactly like the one in Jonathan’s.”
Paul put his arm around Riley’s shoulders. “Which means those crooks haven’t come back after all. In my opinion, they’ve been scared off. How about we give the old house another chance? The place is growing on me and I don’t want to leave.”
“That’s what I needed to hear,” said Riley. “We’ll have to tell Jean, though. If we don’t and she heard about it later on, she’d never forgive us. It’s bad enough that I chickened out on the bikini incident, but that’s almost ancient history. How about if I give her a call and ask her to pop over this evening? All in all, it’s been a good day, hasn’t it? Not much fun, but the end result’s worth it. Let’s celebrate with a beer and lunch. Guess what I bought?”
“A piece of local smoked salmon.”
“Oh, yum! And can I have you for dessert?”
“I was hoping you’d ask,” said Riley.
The two of them ate an enormous lunch and agreed that dinner should be reduced to a light snack. Riley called Jean around five o’clock. Without preamble, she told her what had happened on Tuesday and this morning.
“I know it must be upsetting,” Riley concluded, “but I thought you should know. Did I do the right thing?”
“Most certainly,” Jean replied.
“Your thoughts on what we should do about Jonathan would be most welcome. You’re involved and should be in on it. Would you like to come over for dessert?”
“You bet. Would about an hour be okay?”
“Perfect.”
Paul emerged from the kitchen as Riley hung up. He was wearing a Rolling Stones T-shirt with his blue jeans. Riley had noticed it in a store near the supermarket and bought it for him.
“I overheard about dessert,” he said. “There’s ice cream in the freezer and we could pick some blueberries to go with it.” He patted his stomach. “That will do me instead of a late snack.”
“Clever you,” Riley answered. “I feel like a bit of fresh air.”
Each of the blueberry patches scattered across the meadow had its own special flavor and appearance. Paul and Riley went to a particularly lush one with fat berries that tasted deliciously tart.
Riley put an empty bowl on the ground beside it and they started to pick.
“Speaking to Jean again reminds me how upset you were when I told you about Jonathan and the bikini,” she said. “I still feel bad about that.”
“You shouldn’t, Riley-girl. I admit I was very jealous at the time, but it’s all over now.”
“Anyway, I’m not going to tell Jean. There’s no reason to.”
“I’ll remember to keep my mouth shut. The question is, what should we do about this morning?” He stuffed a handful of blueberries into his mouth. “Nothing, I guess.”
“I think we have to do something, Paul. After all, Jonathan may have committed a crime—like trying to enter our house.”
“Our house?”
“Of course. I’ve always thought of it that way since…well, since you moved in and showed me how much you love me.”
Paul took her face in his hands and kissed her. There were blueberry stains around her lips, but he didn’t laugh. “You’re unbelievably sweet. How lucky can a guy get?”
“The girl’s even luckier,” said Riley. “And as far as I’m concerned, you and I are for keeps.”
Paul didn’t reply. He turned and gazed out over Conception Bay where the lowering sun was casting shafts of gold through the broken overcast.
“What is it, Paul? Did I say something wrong?”
He looked at her again and Riley saw that his eyes were moist.
“No,” he said softly. “You said everything right.”
As they held each other, one of the shafts of gold slid up the green slope of the meadow and bathed them in bright warmth.
When they got back to the house, Riley’s thoughts returned to Jonathan and his nastiness. He mustn’t get away with it, even if Paul felt otherwise.
She had just drained the fruit in a colander, when he appeared in the doorway.
“Jean’s arrived,” he said. “I’ll let her in.”
Riley was drying her hands with a towel when she heard Paul ask Jean how she was, but didn’t catch the reply. When she entered the dining room, there was a serious-looking Jean sitting at the table. She was wearing a navy blouse, which set off her blonde hair.
“Let’s have dessert before we start talking,” said Riley. “And there’s coffee, of course.”
“That would be nice. Decaf if you’ve got it.”
“No sooner said than done.” Riley returned to the kitchen.
As soon as everyone was settled, Jean in an armchair and her hosts on the sofa, Jean said, “Do you plan to go to the RCMP about Jonathan?”
“We’d rather not,” Riley replied. “At one point, we thought he may have committed a crime like stalking or something, but the only evidence is his word against mine. Personally, I think it’s doubtful that the RCMP would even charge him. However, they would have to investigate my complaint. Both of us would be questioned—you about his character and the way he treated you, me about the incident itself. It wouldn’t be worth the stress, would it?”
“You’re very considerate,” Jean replied. “And I agree we should keep quiet. It’s not as if he had anything to do with the other incidents or even the break-in attempt.”
“I was coming to that,” said Riley. “We think the same.”
“Break and entry’s simply not him. Remember, I know him quite well. When I look back I see him as a bit of a coward behind that facade of desirable bachelor. Anyway, he was probably in bed with Lucy Miles when those people tried to get into your basement. That will mean he has an alibi. But surely you’re going to do something.”
“We were hoping you’d have some ideas.”
“I’ve been thinking about it since you called.” Jean glanced at Paul. “How about we scare him off? All three of us could go to his apartment and confront him at the same time. We’ll tell him to let you alone, Riley, or else…and we’ll tell him that if you see him anywhere near your house, you’ll go to the police and accuse him of stalking.”
“That’s a serious charge,” said Paul. “It should be enough to keep him away.”
“What a fabulous idea,” said Riley. “Let’s do it soon, like tomorrow.”
“Is lunchtime okay?” Jean asked. “Paul, can you get away for half an hour at one o’clock?”
“No problem. How far’s his apartment from the airport?”
“Five minutes.”
“Great,” said Riley.
Jean drained her coffee mug. “There’s usually plenty of street parking outside the building. Let’s meet there at ten past one. I’ll give you the address.”
Riley found paper and a ballpoint and wrote it down.
“What if he’s at work?” she asked.
“Jonathan always goes home for lunch.”
Unfortunately, although it was simple their plan came to nothing. Not only was Jonathan not at home, but Jean’s call to the Public Health Labs from a nearby pay-phone revealed that he had been away from work all week. In fact, it was rumored that he was going to be fired. During the afternoon, Jean phoned several of Jonathan’s friends. No one had seen him for some time. She was also unable to contact Lucy Miles.
That evening, Jean took it upon herself to check out several of the bars that he frequented, but still no luck. On the way home, she drove past Jonathan’s apartment again in the hope of spotting his car, but it wasn’t there. She concluded that he had probably gone off with Lucy for the Labor Day holiday. Jean called Riley as soon as she got home. It was agreed they would try again during the following week.
The first days of September arrived with an unusually hot blast of sunshine, the last of the short Newfoundland summer, perhaps. Luckily for Paul, he had the Labor Day weekend off, a welcome break from getting up at five a.m. This meant that on Saturday, he and Riley slept in very late and were able to take their bacon and egg brunch onto the deck and enjoy it at the picnic table.
By the time they had tidied the kitchen and washed the dishes, it was early afternoon.
“There’s something I want to show you,” said Riley, as she dried her hands on a towel.
“Oh. What is it?”
“Not telling. It’s on the other side of the meadow.” She stood and took Paul’s hand. “Come on! Let’s go now.”
Paul glanced at his Riley-girl. She was wearing beige pants and a white, summer blouse with nothing underneath. While they were getting up, he had watched her dress. Every movement of her body had intoxicated him with admiration and desire.
They headed across the lawn, along the path through t
he trees and up to the top of the meadow where Riley took his hand. She led him to the far side where young spruce trees as high as a ceiling were beginning to colonize the grass of the ancient farmer’s field. They pushed aside the branches and emerged into a small clearing. The edges were defined by a blend of spruce, chuckley pear and a couple of young dogberry trees. On the far side, maybe fifty feet away, a mature larch provided some shade, the sun filtered out by its slender branches with their tufts of delicate green needles. It was a picturesque place.
“Isn’t it lovely?” Riley exclaimed.
“It’s truly amazing,” said Paul. “Like it’s specially made for picnics or camping or simply lying around. The grass looks nice and soft too. No blueberry bushes or anything else to stick into you.”
“I thought you’d like it. There’s something else I want to show you.”
“Okay, where is it?”
“Right here. You can stand under the larch tree and watch.”
Paul was getting curious, but did as she asked. By the time he had reached the larch’s shade and leaned against its trunk, Riley was standing in the middle of the clearing, the sun shafting down to cast her slender shadow on the grass.
She took off her sneakers, then turned and faced Paul. He guessed what was coming and his heart began to race.
Riley unbuttoned the blouse, then slipped it from her shoulders and pulled down her pants. Paul was entranced as she pushed a lock of hair from her eyes. Somehow, the beauty of her body was immeasurably enhanced by the green of the trees and the grass and the bright sunshine bathing her with its late summer radiance.
She smiled. “How do I look?”
“I…I…” Paul was quite taken aback for a moment and didn’t know what to say. “You’re fantastic! No, more than that. I can’t begin to tell you—”
“Paul, darling, I brought you here because I want to…well, consecrate it, specially for us. I know it sounds silly, but it will be our very own place to remember for ever. Will you make love with me here, now?”
Paul was about to walk over to her. He had guessed right, more or less. Then he froze. “Don’t move, my sweet. Don’t even breathe. A dragonfly just landed on your breast. God! It’s totally stunning!”
She Came From Away Page 17