Why is it that men have such an aversion to cleaning toilets–after all they’re the ones who make the most mess!
“Who was that?” Rosie called from the bedroom.
“Cody.”
“Sounded like he was in a hurry?”
“He was.”
“Why, is there a problem?”
I stood in the bedroom doorway with my sleeves rolled up; my hands encased in long rubber gloves, and grinned. “I think he thought I was going to ask him to brush his hair.”
Rosie laughed. “Oh, that’ll do it every time!”
*****
They drove down the two-lane road with the windows rolled down, the breeze drowsy with the scent of flowers and pine trees, the air filled with the sweet sound of birdsong as they passed through small towns and stretches of forested wilderness.
Around mid-afternoon Danny drove up the hill off Canada Street and found the parking lot of the Lake George Hampton Inn almost empty.
“What do you think?” he asked as they looked across the newly laid blacktop to the hotel bathed in a soft golden light.
“Looks good to me.”
“Well, let’s go see what they’ve got by way of accommodation,” Danny said as he opened the door of the SUV and stepped out.
The gentle tapping of fingers on a computer keyboard and barely discernible sound of piano notes chained into chords that served as background music were all that disturbed the hushed quiet of the lobby. There were no soft footfalls on the shiny new marble floor–and no hushed voices.
A smartly dressed woman, with a perfectly made up face and dark hair pulled back in a neat roll at the base of her neck looked up and smiled as they approached the front desk.
In the lounge, an elderly couple sat in comfortable chairs facing a stone fireplace where orange flames illuminated their faces, creating a feeling of warmth and intimacy. Nicola noticed the gray-haired man appeared to be sleeping, his head resting on his chest, while the stylishly dressed woman, with perfectly coiffured white hair, gazed meditatively into the flames while she sipped rose colored liquid from a crystal wine glass. Aside from the receptionist and elderly couple there was no one else in sight.
“Can I help you?” Even though the receptionist spoke in hushed tones, the elderly woman looked up from the fire to scrutinize Danny and Nicola. She looked at her sleeping companion, sighed and settled back in the chair and in no time at all she was lost in nostalgic reminiscences.
Danny smiled. “I hope so. We’re looking for a room for the night.”
The receptionist smiled back. “What type of room would you like?”
“Oh, queen, king. Whatever you have available would be fine,” he said.
“Smoking or non-smoking?”
“Non-smoking, thanks.”
She checked her computer. “I can do a very nice queen room on the second floor,” she said and quoted the rate.
“Great. That sounds perfect. Thank you,” Danny said as he handed over his credit card. When the transaction was completed, Danny checked the room number and handed the key card to Nicola.
“Why don’t you go on up to the room, Nic, while I get the luggage,” he said then turned to the receptionist, and smiled. “Second floor, you said.”
“That’s right, Mr. Richards. Second floor, right as you exit the elevator. The room’s at the end of the hall on the left. Do you need a hand with your luggage?”
“No thanks, I can manage.”
Nicola hummed along with the muzak as she rode the elevator to the second floor. As she walked down a brightly lit hallway, she smelt fresh paint, new carpet, and fresh floral arrangements in tall vases. When she opened the door and stepped into the room, she let out a gasp of delight.
Danny walked in the room and saw Nicola standing by the window, smiling.
“Wow! This is nice.” He dropped the bags on the floor and flopped onto the bed. “Come over here, Nic and feel the mattress, it’s really, really soft.” He patted the white damask bedcover filled with duck-down.
“We’ve got the whole night to try out the bed. Let’s go and explore the lake before it gets dark,” Nicola said.
* * *
Danny pulled the car into the parking lot of the restaurant that jutted out over the lake. When he buzzed down the window, a gentle breeze drifted in off the water. In the fading light they watched boats cruising past as they listened to the haunting sound of a lone violin drifting out across the lake. And the gentle shushing of water as it lapped against the pebbled shore. From the street they could hear the sound of laughter, and the rise and fall of voices as people walked past.
Nicola carefully placed her sunglasses in their case and dropped it into her bag, flipped down the sun-visor and checked her reflection. Once she’d applied a fresh coat of lipstick and fluffed up her hair, she turned to Danny, and said, “Come on I’m starving.”
“Just waiting for you, kiddo.”
As the hour was still early with only a handful of diners already seated, when Danny requested a table overlooking the lake they were seated beside a large window where the soft glow of lights on the opposite shore reflected on the surface of the water, shimmering in the moonlight.
The restaurant, candlelit and romantic, had polished wood floors and wood paneled walls where photographs of various shapes and sizes depicted the lake during different time frames and seasons.
They placed their order with a waiter who had a knowledgeable acquaintance of the extensive wine list, then sat gazing out the window as a paddle steamer decked out in bunting and bright lights backed away from the dock at the end of the lake, sounding its horn.
When the door to the restaurant opened, a man and woman entered. The hostess offered them the last vacant table by the window but the man declined requesting the table in the corner.
“More romantic,” he was heard to say to his companion as he seated himself with his back to the room. The man removed his sunglasses, clipped them to the neck of his T-shirt and placed his ball cap on one of the two vacant chairs.
Danny looked at them distractedly, his attention drawn to the pendant nestled in the soft curve of the woman’s breast that sparkled and sent out shards of light whenever she moved. Her long auburn hair cascaded over the low-cut crimson top she wore. Danny watched the man reach across and brush a stray lock of hair from her face and hook it behind her ear in an intimate gesture. He said something to the woman that caused her to smile.
There was something about the woman that reminded him of Sara. He swallowed a lump in his throat as he remembered… she always wore red.
*****
Rosie kicked me in the ankle to get my attention. “Can we stop here for a minute?”
“Sure Hon, is there something you want?”
“No. I just want to know if this couple is of any significance to the story?” She hitched herself up against the back of the bed. I leaned over and adjusted the pillow behind her. “Or,” she continued, “have you just added them to the story in case you might need them some time in the future?”
I beamed her a smile. “Any and all of the above.”
She harrumphed. “You are so infuriating!”
“Look at it this way. It’s better to have too many characters in a story than not enough along with a bit of intrigue–to keep the reader interested. Otherwise you’re likely to get to the last chapter and you find that you’re missing key elements because you hadn’t planned ahead. But, by then, the reader has lost interest, and tossed the book aside never to see the light of day again–let alone recommend it to friends!”
“You know, in a strange way that makes sense. I don’t know how you do it but once again you’ve got me flummoxed!”
I grinned. “Always happy to oblige.”
*****
It was still early when they left the restaurant and wandered down to the water’s edge. The moon, hanging low, turned the water opalescent as it undulated around the old wooden pilings, and washed up along the shore.
Danny crouched down and ran his hands through the water, feeling the coolness as it washed through his fingers. A small boat puttered past, and a flock of water birds flew low on their way to their nightly roost.
Danny looked up when he heard the door to the restaurant open. The woman in red stepped outside followed by the man whose face was obscured by the dark stubble of beard and the ball cap pulled low on his head. With the glow from the overhead lights on her face, she looked even more like Sara.
Danny watched as the man helped the woman into a dark blue Ford then look at him over the car hood. He felt their eyes lock for a brief moment and then look away. The man said something as he climbed in beside the woman and pulled the door closed. There was something about the way she laughed that reminded him of Sara.
Nicola reached down and picked up three small round pebbles. As she looked across the lake at the golden glow of lights in a large house with a pier jutting out over the water where a sailboat was moored, she rubbed her fingers over the stones. She raised her arm and threw them one at a time into the lake and listened for the soft plop as they hit the water and watched the ripples disappear, then wandered down the beach softly humming.
The light had gone from the trees as a young couple walked past and offered a greeting. Nicola smiled and offered one back. When she stopped and turned around to say something to Danny she realized he was not behind her, but saw him standing near the restaurant, looking down the road.
“Danny?”
Danny raised his hand in acknowledgement as he watched the blue Ford disappear around a bend in the road, his eyes drifting out of focus to that place where thinking was done.
He wiped his hands down the side of his jeans and wandered down to where Nicola was waiting.
* * *
She was woken by the soft murmur of Danny’s voice as he talked in hushed tones. Nicola lay on the bed trying to get her bearings while she listened to the soft drone of his voice in the stillness of the night, and realized he was talking on the phone. She peered over the top of the sheet and stifled a yawn.
“Danny?”
Danny hastily replaced the handset in the cradle and rubbed his hand across his face as he sorted through the information he had been given.
“Danny, is something wrong?”
Danny raked his fingers through his hair took a deep breath and fixed a smile on his face. “Sorry, Nic. I didn’t mean to wake you,” he whispered.
Nicola squinted at the illuminated hands on clock beside the bed and tried to bring the figures into focus. “It’s after one in the morning. Is something the matter?” When she turned on the lamp, Danny put his hands up to shade his eyes from the glare.
“Sorry,” she said and flicked off the light. In the soft light that filtered in through the partially opened drapes, she saw Danny go into the bathroom and shut the door. She heard the toilet flush and the sound of running water. Nicola waited for him to come out. A short time later the bathroom door opened.
“Is everything all right?” Nicola asked.
“Oh sure, sorry I had my mind on other things,” he said as he slipped into beside her. “I couldn’t sleep so I decided to ring home and check the answer machine in case something important had come up.”
Nicola nodded drowsily. “No problems, I hope.”
“No nothing that can’t wait until I get home.”
“I thought I heard you talking to someone?”
“The office needed some data, so I gave them a call.”
“At one in the morning?”
“It may be one a.m. here but we’re on a different time zone in Australia. Back home the world is in full swing.” Danny wrapped his arms around Nicola’s warm body and kissed the top of her head. “Go back to sleep. It’ll be morning before you know it,” he whispered, his mind already someplace else...
TWENTY-TWO
I was about to open the door when Rosie grabbed hold of my shirt, stopping me mid-flight.
“Don’t mention anything to Chartreuse and Louanna about their nails,” she warned.
I grinned. “Is this like one of those Fawlty Towers episodes?”
Rosie looked at me strangely. “What are you talking about, Bubbie?”
“Me? Oh, nothing. I was just waffling on.”
“Remember what I said–and be tactful!”
I raised my hands in a gesture of surrender. “Hey. You know me. I’m always the epitome of tact and decorum.”
“Yeah, right! Just remember these people are our friends.” She let go of my shirt and her expression morphed into a smile as I opened the door and followed her inside.
“Hi everyone. How is everyone doing today?”
Friendly faces looked up and returned our greeting.
I noticed Chartreuse and Lounanna huddled over a box of Krispy Kreme doughnuts and all caution went out the door.
Rosie had stopped to enquire after the health of an elderly gentleman but out the corner of her eyes she saw where I was headed, apologized on the hoof and hurried after me.
“Hi Chartreuse. Hi there, Louanna. How are you both doing today?” The saliva in my mouth caused spittle to form on my lips.
“Hey yourself, Bee,” Louanna said and held out the box of tempting treats.
I was trying to decide between the chocolate one with blue icing and rainbow colored sprinkles–or the pink one filled with jam and cream dripping chocolate down the sides, when my sister came up behind me and dug her boney fingers into my ribs.
“Hi girls,” she said… and dug harder.
“How you doin’, Hon,” Chartreuse asked.
“I’m doing real good Chartreuse, thank you for asking, how about you?”
“We’s doin’ jes fine. Hep yourself to a Krispy Kremes. I like dem little itty-bitty ones with jam in du middle and pink icing on top covered in chocolate sprinkles. Day sure taste good!”
Even though Rosie declined the offer of tasty treats, my hand dipped into the box and came up with the chocolate dream. I took a large bite and closed my eyes as the dream slipped down my throat like warm molasses. When I opened them again I noticed Chartreuse had a new hairdo. It was parted down the middle with one side crimped and plastered down with what looked like glue−or possibly even varnish− while the other was plaited in long cornrows decorated with colored beads. From what I could see, the back appeared to be half and half. On her ears Chartreuse wore the largest hoops I have seen outside a circus. When she moved her head the beads clattered loudly against the hoops making a clanging noise.
“I see you’ve got yourself a new ‘do, Chartreuse.”
“You like it,” she asked turning her head from side to side making sure we got the full effect. Clang, clang. “I did it myself.”
“Like is not the word I would use, Chartreuse.”
“And I did the back,” Louanna said proudly. “Turn your head round, Treuse so the girls can see what a good job I done.”
Chartreuse obliged. Clang, clang, clang.
“You did a real nice job, Louanna,” Rosie said.
“When your hair grows back, Hon, maybe I kin see if it be good ‘nough fo’ me to do a new ‘do for you,” Chartreuse said moving her head from side to side. Clang, clang, clang. It was like the Bell’s of St Mary’s ringing in Lent!
“That would be real nice, Chartreuse, thank you,” Rosie said. Then she noticed me eying Louanna’s nails.
“I think we’d better be going,” she said and nudged me so hard in the back I started to cough.
“Are you all right, Bee?” Louanna asked.
Rosie grabbed hold of my arm and tried to drag me across the room. “I’d better get her some water.”
“Maybe another Krispy Kreme would help,” I protested.
*****
Danny woke before the soft gray dawn light crept in through the window, his mind cobwebbed with dreams he couldn’t remember.
He felt Nicola stir beside him. “Are you awake?” he whispered.
“Mmm...,” she mur
mured and snuggled into the warmth of his body.
“I think we should get up and make an early start.”
Danny gently unwound Nicola’s arms from his body and swung his feet over the edge of the bed. “I don’t know how long it will take to get to Lake Champlain from here. Then there’s the ferry to Burlington and the drive to St. Johnsbury. I don’t know the area so I’d like to get there while it’s still light.” He rubbed at the stubble on his face and ran his fingers through his hair.
Nicola pulled the cover around her and curled up in the still-warm impression left by his body. “It’s so cozy and warm in bed, I don’t want to move.”
Danny ran his tongue around her shell-like earlobe, and whispered in her ear, “I’ll go have a shave and a shower but if you’re not up by the time I’m finished I’m going to dunk you under a cold shower.”
Nicola sighed and snuggled further down under the covers.
* * *
The black SUV roared out of the parking lot and headed down the hill. With no other cars on the road at that hour, Canada Street was quiet in the early morning stillness where street lamps cast a warm glow over the soft gray dawn and a cool breeze drifted off the lake. As they drove through the town, there was dew on the grass, asphalt, and sidewalks. The light breaking through trees cast a purple haze over the water; the air heavy with the smell of a new day–and smoke from yesterday’s barbecues. Danny touched the brake lightly as a small dog stepped off the curb, crossed the road and disappeared down an alley.
“Look at that magnificent sunrise,” Nicola exclaimed a short time later. “Can we stop for a minute?”
Danny pulled into a parking lot beside the lake and cut the engine. A thin line of red bled through the trees where webs of dew glistened and shafts of light shimmered like glass. Danny slipped his jacket across Nicola’s shoulders as she stepped out of the vehicle, and took hold of her hand. The air was crisp and filled with birdsong.
Murder and Mayhem Page 16