Cypress Lake

by Graysen Morgen

  Kristen sat back down on the couch with her head in her hands. She had just put her life in Dani's hands, hoping she believed her. She thought about taking off in the middle of the night and forgetting about the old possessions in the attic that she'd been slowly packing up.

  "This has to stay between us," Dani said, walking away from the window and back towards her. "If anyone in the sheriff's office finds out about what you just told me, I won't be able to protect you."

  Kristen nodded. She knew Dani was putting her career on the line for her.

  "I should get going. I need to get some sleep." Dani yawned. Although she was definitely tired, she needed to digest all of the information swirling around in her head.

  "Okay," Kristen replied, walking her to the door.

  Dani pulled Kristen into her arms, kissing the side of her head at her temple. "I meant what I said. I'm not going to let anyone hurt you ever again."

  Kristen closed her eyes, sinking into the woman holding her.

  Chapter 19

  Dani spent the next two weeks working the crazy schedule of rotating shifts. She tried to see Kristen as much as she could, but most days, she went home and fell asleep on the couch before she could eat dinner. The mysterious car hadn't been spotted and she was beginning to wonder if it ever would again. She walked into her office, tossing the trash she'd cleaned out of her SUV into the waste basket.

  "You look about as tired as I feel," Sheriff Fisher said, leaning against the wall in the hallway with his arms crossed.

  "I think we're wasting man hours. We may never see that car again and honestly, I'd be happy with that."

  "What about the unsolved murders?" Sheriff Fisher asked, pursing his lips.

  "I understand that no murder goes unnoticed and I took the same oath you did, but these guys weren't exactly upstanding citizens of Cypress Lake and they obviously got themselves into a lot of trouble. Now, we're potentially wasting our time and our budget for something that could easily be nothing."

  "I agree with you there. I have a feeling we'll never see that car again." He pushed off the wall. "We're going back to our regular schedule after next week."

  Dani nodded. "What about Mayor Olsen?"

  Sheriff Fisher shrugged. "If he doesn't like it, then he can fire me."

  *

  Dani walked into her apartment, wiping the sweat from her forehead. The summer heat had finally begun. She peeled out of her uniform and pulled on shorts and a t-shirt as she perused the refrigerator.

  "I need to teach you how to grocery shop," she said to the cat who was standing on the small kitchen table, meowing at her. "You'll have to settle for a can of tuna fish. You're out of food." She opened the can and lumped the slightly pink contents into his bowl. The cat hopped down and turned his nose up at his bowl before walking away.

  "That's why I named you Asshole!" She growled at him as she pushed her wallet and cell phone into her pockets and snatched her keys off the counter.

  After a few knocks on the back door of the store, Dani's father finally let her in.

  "Hey," he said, hugging her.

  "Hi, Dad."

  "Any news on those murders?" he asked, sitting back down at his desk.

  "No. The suspect is probably long gone. I still think it's drug related. Those guys weren't worth a shit to anyone and probably screwed over a dealer in the city. We're going back to our regular schedule next week."

  Her father shook his head. "Your mom's been happy to see the extra patrols, so I wouldn't mention anything about that to her. You know how she worries about you."

  Dani grabbed one of the extra baskets from the back. "That damn cat won't eat tuna fish," she exclaimed when he raised an eyebrow.

  Her father laughed. "Get him something from the deli."

  "He's lucky he's not homeless and rummaging through the trash for scraps," she huffed, pushing through the double doors and walking out into the store.

  Dani walked down the animal aisle and picked out a dozen cans of cat food before going down a few more aisles to get some extra things for herself. Her mother was checking in a frozen food order, so Dani said hey to her quickly and headed up to the cashier.

  "Hey, stranger."

  Dani felt the presence behind her before she heard the voice. She spun around to see Kristen standing there with an adorable smile on her face.

  "Hi. What brings you out this evening?" Dani asked, wanting to kiss her so badly, but thought better of it since they were standing in the checkout line with people around.

  "The same thing as you, groceries," Kristen replied, peering into her basket as Dani began putting her items on the conveyer. She raised her eyebrow. "What's with all of the cat food?"

  Dani rolled her eyes. "That damn cat of mine is a picky eater and thinks he's some kind of feline God or something and I should bow down and kiss his hairy paws."

  "Cat? I didn't know you had a cat."

  "Long story."

  "What else don’t I know about you?"

  Dani shrugged.

  "You live upstairs, right?"

  "Yes." Dani handed the cashier her bank card from her wallet and leaned closer to Kristen, trying not to be overheard. "Do you want to come up?"

  "Sure. I'll see you in a bit," Kristen answered as the cashier began scanning her items. She was glad she hadn't picked up anything that needed to be refrigerated as she watched Dani walk away with her bags.

  Kristen hadn't planned on rekindling her relationship with Dani, or even seeing her again at all for that matter, but she couldn't deny the strong attraction and resurrected feelings. She'd learned weeks ago that avoiding the yearning deep inside of her only made it worse. She was falling all over again, fast and hard and she didn't know how to stop or if she even wanted to.

  *

  Dani showed Kristen around her studio apartment and they made a spaghetti dinner together, after feeding the cat, of course. Kristen didn't act at all surprised to see Dani's neat and tidy lifestyle. She'd never been a flamboyant person to begin with, so the cozy apartment fit her.

  "I can't get over you having a cat. You were never a cat person," Kristen said while petting the cat.

  "I'm still not, but I couldn't leave him to die of hunger or get run over by a car."

  "Well, who names their cat, Asshole Cat?"

  "People who get bitten by their asshole cats," Dani answered, walking up behind her. She brushed Kristen's hair to the side and kissed the back of her neck softly.

  Kristen moaned and leaned back into her.

  "Since you like petting cats so much, I have another cat you can pet," Dani teased. "It's nowhere near as hairy and doesn't bite," she finished, wrapping her arms around Kristen's waist as she placed more kisses along her neck and near her ear.

  Kristen could no longer take the assault on her sensitive skin. She spun in Dani's arms, pushing her back towards her bed on the opposite side of the room. Dani landed on her back and Kristen crawled up on top of her, straddling her hips. She grabbed Dani's hands and held them down on her own thighs.

  "Where is this going?" Kristen murmured.

  "Hopefully, to the land of naked orgasms and rather quickly," Dani answered, trying to moved her hands.

  "I'm serious, Dani. We need to talk about what's going on between us."

  "I don't know, Kristen." Dani sat up. "Having you back in my life has been a blessing and a curse."

  "Why?"

  "I love having you around. You make me feel complete, but I know you're not back permanently and eventually you will leave again, shattering my heart to pieces again when you do."

  "Wow." Kristen slid off her and sat to the side.

  "I accepted this a while ago, when I knew I couldn't control my attraction to you. It is what it is."

  Kristen looked stunned, like she'd just been slapped across the face.

  "I'm not trying to be mean, Kristen, just honest…brutally honest, with myself and with you."

  "So where does this leave us?"

&
nbsp; "I don't know. I guess we'll cross that bridge or burn it down when we get there," Dani replied.

  "Have you ever thought of moving to the city?"

  "No. Duplexes, Walmart, and thousands of people, really aren't for me."

  "How do you know if you've never tried it?"

  "I went to college, Kristen. I lived in the city for four years and I hated it. I came home every weekend and moved back the day after graduation."

  Kristen backed away slightly. "You went to the university in the city?"

  "No. I went to the private college," Dani explained, referring to the large private institution in another outlying city that was slightly smaller than the one Kristen had moved to. "I've been to the city you live in though. Two hours isn't that far of a drive."

  "When were you there?"

  "When I first left for college. I had to make sure you were okay."

  "What do you mean? How did you know where I was?" Kristen raised an eyebrow, swallowing the lump in her throat.

  "I was so torn when you left and I didn't know what to do. I went to your parent's house every day looking for you and they finally told me everything."

  "Everything?"

  "About the attack and said you moved to the city with your mom's sister."

  Kristen stood up. Her parents had always said no one knew and that they left without giving a reason to anyone. She stared at Dani, confused and visibly shaken.

  "Are you okay?" Dani asked, standing up and going to her.

  "Yeah. I'm a little shocked I guess. I don’t feel well. Maybe I'm coming down with something."

  "Do you want me to get you something to drink?"

  "No. I should probably go home and lie down. You have to be up early for work anyway."

  "Are you sure?"

  "Yes. I'll be fine." Kristen hugged her. "I'll call you tomorrow."

  *

  Kristen knew something wasn't right about what Dani had said to her. She dialed her parents' number as soon as she got into her car. Her mother answered on the second ring.

  "Hey, darling."

  "Hi, Mom. Do you remember I told you I ran into Dani recently?"

  "Yes."

  "When everything happened and I moved away, did you or Dad ever tell her about it before you left?"

  "No. We didn't say anything to anyone. In fact, we barely saw Dani. She came looking for you and we told her you went to visit a sick relative and left it at that. We were gone the following week."

  "Okay, thanks."

  "Did she say anything about it?"

  "No. I was just thinking of telling her."

  "Why stir up the past, honey? You two are both better off. You have a great life now up here. I wish you'd leave that old place alone and come home."

  "I'm almost done. In fact, I'll probably be leaving soon."

  "Good. Let's plan for dinner when you get back."

  Kristen pulled into the driveway of her lake house, ending the call as she walked inside. She felt deflated, like the last eight weeks had been one huge blur. She didn’t know who was lying, Dani or her mother, but one of them wasn't telling her the truth and she had no idea why either one would lie to her in the first place. Her mother had nothing to gain or lose now if she'd told her daughter's secret twelve years ago. Then again, why would Dani have a reason to lie about knowing what had happened? The entire situation made her head hurt.

  Chapter 20

  The next afternoon, Dani was sitting at her desk, writing up the new schedule for the following week since they were going back to their regular hours. She looked up from her computer when she heard a knock on the wall. Sheriff Fisher was leaning against the door frame.

  "Nyman and Wagner both called out for second shift. Apparently, they picked up a nasty stomach bug and are puking and shitting everywhere."

  Dani grimaced. "You could've spared me the details."

  He laughed. "Figure out who you can put on the second half of the overnight shift, and then take off after you finish what you're working on so you can get some sleep and cover the first half tonight."

  "Dewitt is available. I'll call him in."

  "Alright." He nodded, walking away.

  *

  A half hour later, Dani had made the call to the deputy and finished filling in the boxes on the schedule spreadsheet. She was headed home when she decided to take a detour across town. Kristen's blue car was parked in the driveway and Dani pulled her SUV in behind it.

  Dani barely knocked on the door before it swung open.

  Kristen looked slightly shaken. Despite all of the thoughts of lies swirling in her head, she couldn't stop the instant arousal she felt from seeing Dani. "Hi…what are you doing here?"

  "You don't look very happy to see me. Is something wrong?" Dani asked, pushing her sunglasses up on her head.

  "I'm fine. Aren't you supposed to be working?"

  "No. We have some guys out sick, so I switched my schedule around to help cover the shift."

  "Oh."

  "I can go if you're busy. I was thinking about you, so I thought I'd stop by. I should've called first," Dani sighed, sensing something was bothering Kristen.

  "It's fine. I'm glad you're here." Kristen kissed her lips softly, and then backed away, walking into the kitchen. "I talked to my mom this morning. Are you sure she's the one that told you about what happened to me? She said she and my dad never said anything to anyone."

  Dani raised an eyebrow as she sat down on one of the bar stools on the opposite side of the counter that Kristen was leaning on. "Maybe she forgot. It was a long time ago. Anyway, it doesn't matter."

  "It matters to me, Dani."

  "I think the fact that three of the guys are dead and you're the prime suspect is a little more important at this point. Don't you?" Dani countered, watching the shadow cross Kristen's face. "No one in town knows what happened then and now, except for the two of us. If the sheriff finds out, you'll most certainly get the death penalty."

  "I…I didn't kill those guys," Kristen's voice cracked with fear. "This is crazy."

  Dani slid off the stool and walked around the counter, pulling Kristen into her arms. She closed her eyes, inhaling the scent of light perfume mixed with shampoo. "You don't have to convince me, Kristen. I know you didn't kill them and nothing is going to happen to you. I won’t let it."

  Kristen wasn't sure what she meant, but she was too distraught to question her.

  Dani kissed the side of her head and backed away. "Don't worry, everything will be fine. I promise."

  Kristen mustered a smiled.

  "I need to go so I can grab something to eat. I have to be back on shift in a few hours."

  Kristen walked her to the door, kissing her tenderly before she left. She watched through the window as Dani climbed into her cruiser and drove away. She wished she could listen to her and believe what she was saying, but something didn't feel right and she trusted her gut instinct. Dani wasn't being completely honest and the more she thought about it, the more it scared the hell out of her.

  *

  Kristen spent the rest of the day and most of the night trying to rationalize the thoughts in her head, but nothing added up. She knew there was more to the story. Dani somehow knew what had happened to her and now, she was the one investigating the murders of three of the guys involved. Dani held all of the cards. Kristen's mind began to wonder.

  "Oh my God," she whispered as she ran a trembling hand through her hair.

  She ran upstairs, quickly grabbed her suitcase and spread it open onto her bed. The clock on the nightstand flashed twelve-fifteen a.m. in big red numbers. She began throwing her clothes into the bag in disarray. The more she thought about the dead guys and Dani, the more she wanted to get as far away as possible. A few minutes later, Kristen tossed her bag into the backseat of the car and set her phone in the cup holder.

  "Shit," she said, smacking the steering wheel when she saw that she only had a quarter of a tank.

  She turned off Lake Drive and
headed towards the nearest gas station to fill up. The eerie roads were dark and empty in the middle of the night. She hastily grabbed a large cup of coffee from inside the store as the gas pump automatically filled her car up. She then sped off towards the main road that would take her out of town and towards the interstate. She kept the radio off as she drove.

  She watched the woods thicken on either side of the road as Cypress Lake slid further and further behind her. She was just about to the town limit when she saw headlights in her rearview mirror, then blue lights flashing.

  "Fuck!" she yelled, pulling over. She pushed the button to roll her window down as she nervously watched the side mirror as the deputy walked towards her car. She knew who it was by the fit of the uniform. Damn it.

  "Kristen?" Dani appeared stunned. "What are you doing out here in the middle of the night?" She looked around inside of the car, noticing the bag in the back and the coffee in the console.

  "There's an emergency at home," Kristen said, avoiding the eyes she knew could see right through to her soul.

  Dani raised her eyebrow and cocked her head to the side. "What happened?"

  "I don't know."

  Dani nodded. "So, you're heading to the city in the middle of the night for an emergency, but you don't know what it is?"

  "Just let me go, Dani. Please," Kristen pleaded.

  "Why are you running away? Don't do this. I love you, Kristen. I don't want to lose you again. Don't go," Dani urged.

  Kristen felt a tear roll down her face when she finally met Dani's eyes. "I can't take all of the lies, Dani. I don't know what's real anymore."

  "Whose lying?"

  "You are!"

  "I've never lied to you, Kristen."

  Kristen wiped her tears away angrily. "You're keeping things from me. I don't even know who you are anymore."

  "What do you want from me?" Dani asked.

  "I want the truth, Dani. I have all of these questions and you keep talking in riddles."