Secrets at Spawning Run

by Sally Roseveare

  Luke raised his glass to Aurora. “You warned me she wasn’t what she seemed, but I was in love.” Taking Carole’s hand, he added, “Or so I thought. Now I know what love really is.” Carole leaned over and kissed his cheek.

  Charlie pulled out a worn pipe from his shirt pocket, then extracted a half-full pouch of Sir Walter Raleigh pipe tobacco from his pants pocket. “Do y’all mind if I smoke?”

  “No, you go right ahead,” said Aurora. Charlie lit his pipe.

  “The aroma from your pipe reminds me of the Sunday evenings long ago when you, Aunt Annie, and Mom and Dad would gather in the living room and sing along with the records all y’all had collected over the years.” She closed her eyes, blocking out the present, and smiled at the memories of melodies from the ‘40s and ‘50s and the four adults harmonizing perfectly with one another.

  “I’m sure that’s why I love the Big Band sound, rock and roll, and beach music so much.” She looked at Sam. “Not many people my age appreciated music from older generations, but you did. That’s one of the things I love about you, Sam.” He reached over and squeezed her hand.

  “What will happen to Clyde, Sheila, Harold, and Vanessa?” asked Aurora.

  “Sheila will probably get ten to twenty years. Clyde is another story. He’ll probably get life, but since he played an important part in your survival,” Charlie nodded at Aurora, Sam and Luke, “his sentence could be less. My guess is that Harold and Vanessa will get the death penalty. I certainly hope so.”

  Sam put his arm around Aurora’s shoulder. “So who was the third victim? I know about Jack and Lampwerth. But who was number three?”

  “Actually,” said Charlie, “number three was number two, a fellow known as Snake. Don’t know how he acquired that name, but some folks around here say it’s because he couldn’t be trusted. Anyhow, Snake helped kill Jack. He’s the man who hit Jack in the head with a paddle and knocked the necklace and the other jewelry in the lake.” Charlie puffed on his pipe. “But he got drunk in the Bucking Stallion Lounge and bragged about the killing. Lucky for Johns, everyone Snake bragged to was also drunk and either thought Snake was bluffing or didn’t remember it. Unlucky for Snake, his best friend and drinking buddy Jimmy Ray heard him and shot him in the head the next day per instructions from Harold. Snake’s body was the one we first thought was Lampwerth.”

  “That’s the one I fell on in the lake.” Aurora rose and gazed out at the shimmering water. “All these murders! How can I ever enjoy the lake again?” No one answered.

  Sam stood and put his arm around her. “Your lake didn’t kill them, Susie-Q. Greed, evil, hate, and madness are what took them. Don’t let Harold Johns win by taking your lake away from you.”

  The others nodded.

  “Thank you, Sam. He will not win.” King whined and gazed up at Aurora with adoring eyes. She put her hand on his head, then sat back down at the table.

  “I hope all this talk didn’t dampen anyone’s desire for dessert. If so, raise your hand.” Aurora waited, but no hands shot up.

  “Because we live in the South, and in honor of our soon-to-be-married Yankee neighbors Jill and Robert, tonight we’ll celebrate the South with Crème de Menthe parfait.”

  “I’ll help you.” Carole followed Aurora to the kitchen.

  “Me too,” said Jill.

  “I’ll use this tray to take the parfaits to the porch. Carole, you can carry the platter of cookies and Jill can open the door.”

  “Yum! This is delicious, Aurora,” Jill said when they were seated at the table. She spooned another bite into her mouth. Everyone agreed.

  After dessert, Sam helped Aurora clear the table. He popped a beach music DVD into the DVD player. The sultry sounds drifted out to the porch and Aurora looked at Sam. He smiled and winked.

  Carole nudged Luke. “Time for us to be going.”

  Charlie looked at his watch. “Where has the time gone? I had no idea it was getting so late.”

  “We should go, too, Jill.” Robert stood up. “Sam and Aurora, this was a wonderful evening.”

  “We’d love for y’all to stay a while longer,” Aurora said. Sam covered a yawn with his hand and jabbed her with an elbow.

  “No, I think it’s time for all of us to get some sleep.” Uncle Charlie hugged Aurora. “Thanks again for a nice evening. Don’t you kids stay up too late.”

  CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

  Sunday, May 30

  At twilight Aurora set the picnic basket on the dockside table. She folded back the red and white checkered cloth to reveal shrimp salad, boiled new potatoes, crisp-cooked broccoli sprinkled with a lemon and dill dressing, and crescent rolls. From another basket, she withdrew a bottle of Hickory Hill’s Chardonnay, two crystal wineglasses, antique gold-rimmed china, sterling silver Strasbourg flatware, and a white Irish linen tablecloth and napkins.

  “You outdid yourself this time, Aurora.” Sam set the DVD player on the dock.

  “The last two weeks without you have been awful. I wanted this night to be special, Sam.” She put the cloth on the table, and set a sterling candelabra in the middle of the table. Uninterested in the elegance, King curled up on the dock near them, content to be with the two people he loved most in the world. Little Guy sniffed King and stretched out beside him.

  “Any night with you is special, Susie-Q.” Sam uncorked the wine and filled their glasses. “A toast to my incredible wife. May we share a long, healthy life together.” The high-pitched clink of their glasses echoed across the water.

  “Happy anniversary, Aurora. Ten wonderful years with the only woman I’ve ever loved.”

  “You haven’t been bored?”

  He moved his chair beside her so they both faced the lake. “Bored? Are you kidding? You’re an exciting woman.” He smiled. “But let’s cut back on the excitement of the past few weeks. Deal?”

  “It’s a deal. Sorry I nearly got you killed. Twice.” She filled his plate and set it in front of him, then served one for herself.

  “They nearly killed you, too. So we’re even.”

  “Remember the first time we sat on this dock together?”

  “Of course. Thirteen years ago, and our first date. I knew then that I adored you, Aurora. I wanted to marry you, spend the rest of my life with you. I hoped you felt the same.”

  “Sam, I loved you the first time I saw you, when you were lost and asked me for directions.” She popped a spoonful of shrimp salad into his mouth. “By the way, whatever happened to the gorgeous brunette who was hanging all over you—and hanging out of her bikini—that day?”

  “I’ve no idea, can’t even remember her name.”

  Aurora touched the slight scar on his forehead and leaned her head against his shoulder. “I couldn’t stand it if anything happened to you. And you came so close to dying.”

  “Hey, I’m tough. Besides, I had too much to live for to give up without a fight.”

  “I’m glad.”

  “This shrimp salad is delicious. I’ve missed your cooking, Aurora.”

  “I’ve missed cooking for you.” She sipped her wine.

  “Susie-Q, how would you like for 210 Spawning Run Road to be our address?”

  “What?”

  “Would you like to move here, Aurora? Permanently.”

  “It would be a dream come true. Why do you even ask?”

  “While in Augusta this week, I talked with a real estate agent. If you say yes, she’ll put our house there on the market next week. It’s up to you, Aurora.”

  “But what about your job? We can’t just live on love.” She grinned. “Although we could try.”

  “I talked with the president of the company. He’s thought a lot about expanding and thinks the Roanoke, Lynchburg, and Bedford area could be the perfect spot to open another engineering office. He’s asked me to run it.” He dished some broccoli onto his plate. “You’ve earned a national reputation with your travelogues. Couldn’t you produce them right here?”

  Aurora threw her arms a
round her husband and kissed him passionately. “Is that the answer you need? If not….”

  He nodded and pushed the “Play” button on the DVD player. “Let’s dance,” he said in a husky voice as “Only You” by the Platters mingled with the night air.

  “Sam, I think I’m ready to try for another baby.” He smiled and hugged her closer to him.

  As they slow-danced on the dock, Aurora thought, “What a perfect evening.” King whined and Little Guy barked.

  Sam pointed to the churning water. “Look. The stripers are spawning.”

  A light breeze ruffled the water’s surface. Under a full moon, Aurora and Sam embraced at the edge of the dock and watched the dance of the stripers in Spawning Run.