by Laura Singer
Chapter 6
She was a bit achy from a night spent on a thin sleeping pad, on lumpy ground at a slight angle but otherwise Jenni was ready, more or less, to face the day. After a trip to the toilet, she discovered the inflatable washbasin Matt had set up on a stump. and washed her face without a facecloth or towel. Since she hadn't expected to be out overnight, she hadn't brought even a comb. If this doesn't send Matt running for the hills, she decided, nothing would. The Witch of the Woods. The Phantom of Poplar Lake. She brushed her hair with her fingers as best she could and went to face Matt and Saundra. Somehow she felt she didn't quite get all the twigs and leaves out of her hair, but she knew that was an illusion. Still, she would have liked a mirror to confirm it. Her first priority was borrowing that comb Saundra had.
Saundra was, of course, looking a heck of a lot better than Jenni was. I'd be glad of a bear attack right now, Jenni thought. Then she remembered the hug in the night and felt guilty. "Hi," she said cheerfully, interrupting a conversation about the role of the classics in dramatic theatre in Toronto. Or something like that.
Someone had already got a pot of beans and stew on the grate. Someone had already pumped enough water through the filter to give everyone a drink. Jenni began to think she'd been skipping out on some obligations, foolish as that thought might be. Both Saundra and Matt offered her their lawn chairs, but Jenni declined, sitting instead on a log that wasn't quite dry or quite level or entirely without knobby parts. With a sharing of cutlery and eating pots, they managed to finish the breakfast. Jenni pulled out her phone and called Lonnie. After a lot of "sures" and "no problems", she told the others, "Lonnie will be at the portage with the boat at eleven or so, assuming he gets the motor fixed and a couple of new guests set up for fishing. I told him that would be alright. Is that okay?"
"No problem," Saundra said "Gives me more time to imagine a real bed and real food." She looked at Matt. "What about you? You coming back to civilization? Or you going to stay here and try to reclaim the delights of a woman-free existence?" She paused. "Like you planned in the first place."
Matt laughed. "I've still got a few hours to make that decision." He scratched himself in a few places and tipped his hat back. "I think I'll spend an hour fishing this morning and decide after that."
"We might get fish for brunch?" Jenni asked.
Matt thought about it. "It could happen. Maybe the fish bite better after a storm."
"They often do," Jenni said. "The rain washes food into the lake and the fish get into a feeding frenzy." Then she added. "Not so much in the fall, though."
"But we wish you luck anyway," Saundra said. "Take your canoe and get away for an hour or so."
"That," Matt said, "sounds like the best idea I've heard in a while." He began to whistle as he went to his tent.
"Do you know The Shadow of Your Smile," Saundra asked, raising her voice to catch Matt's attention. Jenni froze.
"Not one I've ever done," Matt said, collecting his fishing gear. "Maybe I'll learn it some day. What brought that up?"
"I thought I heard it in the middle of the night," Saundra said.
"Maybe from whoever's across the lake," Matt said, as he put the fishing gear carefully into his canoe. "I saw a campfire over by the portage to Bass Lake after the fire died down. Didn't hear any whistling, though." He got into the canoe hesitantly and not well, rocking it back and forth before backing away from the shore.
"You might want to put your life jacket on," Jenni found herself saying.
"I like to live dangerously," Matt said with a smile. "Besides, I'm a good swimmer, if not much of a canoeist." He waved goodbye over his shoulder, rocking the canoe again, and paddled out of the bay and out of sight around the trees.
Saundra saw the expression on Jenni's face. "Problems?"
"No. Maybe not. I hope not." Her heart was racing. "Julio, my husband. He used to whistle that song. He said it was his song for me."
"You think he's here?" Saundra looked concerned. "Would that be a problem?"
"We're getting a divorce," Jenni said. "All done in a few days ".
"Is he likely to make trouble?" Now Saundra was getting concerned, too.
"No. I hope not. Probably, not anyway. I don't know how he'd find me here anyway." Jenni did some deep breathing and tried to calm herself. "Maybe we can pack up the camp."
"Good idea." But Saundra was keeping one eye on the lake and occasionally surveying the woods.
All Jenni could see on the lake was a family of mergansers along the edge of the bay, mother duck followed by six almost-grown offspring. "You know what I'm grateful for?" Jenni said, as they started dragging the sleeping bags out of Saundra's tent. "I'm grateful I don't have a mirror with me right now."
"Amen to that sister," Saundra laughed. "I was going to look at my reflection in the lake, then I decided it wasn't fair to scare the fish like that. I'm glad nobody's taking pictures that could end up on the Web."
"Scary thought. Glad Matt didn't comment."
"He's either very tactful," Saundra said, "or he's like most men at a campsite; just happy to be there. I can't imagine a man ever bringing a mirror out camping." Together they rolled and tied the sleeping bags, then started pushing air out of the sleeping pads. "You two seemed to have a long conversation last night. For a while, I began to wonder whose tent you'd end up in."
"It wasn't that cold last night; I didn't need to share a sleeping bag." Jenni managed to tie her sleeping pad before it could spring back. "Besides, you have to remember that both Matt and I are married people."
"Doesn't sound like that should be a problem on your part, if I can believe the look on your face when Julio's name comes up."
"Well, I'm waiting for the papers to come through, then I'll be free of the bastard." Jenni stood up, her hand on the part of her back that ached most. "Then we'll see what I do with my life, if I don't become a recluse and go live on a mountain or something."
"You say Matt's married. Were you by chance thinking of his wife, last night?"
"Bingo. I can remember the pain when I found out Julio was cheating on me the first time. I wouldn't wish that on any other woman. Ever." Jenni surveyed the camp, then began untying ropes from various trees, while Saundra began scooping miscellaneous things into various bags.
"So we won't see you back here next spring with Matt? Unless you found out something about him that you can't live without?"
"Oh, aside from the usual male attitudes, he seems like a nice guy. But I don't think he's going to remember this experience positively. We got a bit crabby at each other last night." Jenni stood and watched the lake for a few minutes. The bay stayed quiet. "How did you end up here?"
"Allen and Liza were going camping and they invited me. I invited Clayton. It seemed like a bit of freedom and adventure before classes at the university got us too busy. I used to go camping with my family before mom died, and thought I'd try it for myself."
"Obviously, you could have chosen a better weekend."
"Comes to that, I should call Clayton and see if there's anything new. Can I borrow your phone again?"
"No problem." Jenni surveyed the site. Aside from the lawn chairs and Matt's stuff, they were almost done. She was just deciding to sit down and pretend she had a coffee, when she saw the look on Saundra's face.
Saundra put the phone on pause, and pointed. "That isn't your Julio, is it?"
Jenni turned. "Shit! You might want to find a place to hide."
"Kinda muscled, isn't he? And likes tight clothes."
"Probably on steroids, now. I don't think all those muscles came from lifting weights."
Jenni walked toward the water. She looked back, to see that Saundra had taken a long piece of branch designed for the fireplace and had pulled Matt's knife out of the stump where he had left it. She then started sharpening the end of the branch. I should have done that, Jenni thought. She considered picking up a rock, but even in a canoe Julio could dodge anything she threw.
Jenni watched as Julio stopped paddling, letting the canoe's inertia bring it in closer to shore. The world seemed to grow quiet. The osprey and the heron had disappeared.
Julio spoke first. "Jenni!" he called, "I love you."
Saundra appeared beside Jenni, holding her makeshift spear beside her. "He says he loves you," Saundra commented.
"It was never love and it was never any me that I ever knew," Jenni said, then shouted, "Go away, Julio. Leave!" At that moment, just when she thought the tension couldn't get any worse, she saw Matt's canoe come around the point and enter the bay. He was paddling as fast as he could, but she could see the canoe tended to wander a bit.
"I need you!" Julio shouted.
"Ain't that sweet?" Saundra said.
"None of his needs were very sweet," Jenni said. "And he didn't care if he met any of mine." She put her hands on her hips. "You need a new girl," Jenni shouted. "I can't think of one of your expectations I ever met."
Julio was getting closer so he didn't have to speak as loudly. "I spent a long time thinking about it. About us. I've lowered my expectations. I'm ready to love."
"Nice compliment," Saundra laughed. "He figures you'll do if he lowers his expectations enough."
Jenni said, "Judging by the women you were sleeping with, you lowered your expectations a long time ago." Jenni could see Matt's canoe closing in quickly. She hoped Matt wouldn't say anything.
"I don't like to beg…" Julio said.
"He doesn't like to beg?" Saundra asked.
"He doesn't," Jenni acknowledged. "He prefers to apologize after he's done his damage." She looked Julio in the eye. "It's over. Go away."
"Jenni," Julio said, plaintively, "I want you. You complete me."
"I don't think so," Jenni said. "You were a pretty complete asshole long before you met me."
Into the silence that followed, Matt spoke up, firmly and loudly. "Hey, fella, I think you'd better leave now."
Julio twisted around in the canoe very quickly, to see Matt's canoe come alongside and bump into his own.
"Matt!" Jenni shouted, but Julio had grabbed the side of Matt's canoe with one hand and pulled up. Both canoes rocked violently, but it was Matt's canoe that rolled over, upside down. When it rolled back up, Matt wasn't in it, and Matt's paddle and lifejacket floated away. I told him to wear a lifejacket, Jenni thought. I told him.
Julio waited a moment, but Matt didn't appear.
"That's it," Julio said. "That's it. I'm through arguing." He reached into a packsack ahead of him and hauled something out.
"Saundra," Jenni said, "that's a sawed-off shotgun. Run!"
Saundra flung her makeshift spear at Julio, but it wobbled in flight and bounced off the front of Julio's canoe. However, she allowed the momentum of her throw to topple her sideways, where she crawled behind a rock, only her feet showing past it.
As Jenni stood there, trying to do something, anything, Matt's head abruptly appeared beside Julio's canoe. He put both hands on the gunnel, and pulled down. The shotgun went off as the canoe rolled over, covering both Matt and Julio. Jenni ran to the water as Julio's canoe rolled back upright. I hope he drowns, she thought, I do. Serve him right not to wear a lifejacket.
She watched as a light wind slowly pushed the paddles, lifejackets, and canoes, half filled with water, away. a couple of pebbles rolling by her announced the presence of Saundra, who was now carrying a piece of wood like a club.
"You okay?" Saundra asked. "He missed?"
Jenni explained. "Judging by the branches that came out of the trees over my head, Julio had that gun loaded with heavy shot. He really meant to kill something today."
The upper bodies of Matt and Julio, as far as the shoulders, popped out of the water, side by side. Both men took a couple of deep breaths before Matt pushed Julio back underwater, then disappeared after him.
For a long minute or more there was only the motion of the canoes, then Matt's head broke the surface again. He gasped, then hauled up Julio by his hair. Jenni ran to the shore as Matt found his feet on the rocks, then the two of them dragged Julio up and onto the bank. She breathed a sigh of relief as her husband coughed up some water for a bit before closing his eyes and just breathing.
"I thought I'd killed him," Matt whispered, looking shaken, as he sat himself onto the ground. " He wouldn't stop fighting." Water dripped off both men.
"That's Julio, for you," Jenni said. "The bugger just won't give up when he should." She was still shaking. "You were down there a long time."
"Long?" Saundra said, seating herself on a stump. "Jenni and I paddled back to the lodge for a beer while you were under." The others looked at her. She added, "Seriously, guys, we're glad to see you."
Matt caught Jenni's look. "I did mention that I was good at swimming." He looked almost apologetic, but he was still gasping for air.
"Not a problem," Jenni said. "You kept me from getting shot."
Matt looked up. "I thought I heard a noise."
"Sawed-off shotgun, Jenni says," Saundra noted. "Don't know what kind of life she's been leading that she knows one, but that's what she says it was."
"What kind of shot?" Matt watched Jenni.
"From what it did to the branches over my head," Jenni said, "probably buckshot." She found her hands shaking uncontrollably. "He was certainly trying for a kill."
"We call the police on this one," Matt said. He turned to look at a noise from the water's edge, but Julio was already up and running at them. Jenni backed up a step and Matt put himself in front of her.
Matt said something that Jenni couldn't understand, then Julio was on him, two hands around Matt's neck. Matt was taller than Julio but Julio was far more muscled. Jenni could see Matt struggling. He tried and failed to remove Julio's hands, then tried kicking and hitting. Nothing seemed to work.
Turning, Jenni stepped to the fire and pulled out a log as long as her arm, still burning. Three big steps brought her back to the two men. Julio had backed Matt against a pine and Matt's eyes were starting to glaze over. She pulled the back of Julio's wet pants and stuffed in the burning end of the branch.
Julio's clothes were still wet, and steam escaped, but she could see him flinch from the contact with the hot embers. He screamed and let go of Matt.
Jenni gave Julio a push that sent him halfway down the bank. He was still trying to get his balance when Saundra bounded over to him, then head-butted him on the chest. Julio lost his balance, waved his arms, and went into the lake, one arm hitting Matt's canoe on the way. He came up almost at once, amid a small cloud of steam. By that time Matt had found a paddle and was stepping down to the water. Jenni and Saundra found more paddles and followed him. Julio climbed ashore, then looked up at the three facing him.
"On the ground, face down," Matt said. "Saundra, can you bring some rope?"
"This is all a mistake," Julio said as he got down. "I would never hurt Jenni."
Matt tied Julio's arms behind his back, then his feet together. Finally, he tied Julio to a tree. It all looked, Jenni thought, like something out of a bad western movie. When he was satisfied with his knots, Matt spoke. "I think the police will decide that."
"We don't need the police. I was just trying to make a point." Julio was getting angry and straining at the ropes.
Matt simply ignored him, and walked back up to the firepit, still dripping water. It was September cool and there was enough of a wind that he was shaking. At least, thought Jenni, he's most likely shaking from the cold. He could also be so full of adrenalin that he'll need to wait till some burned off. "Do you have dry clothes?" Jenni asked, walking after him.
"One set, and a jacket. No dry shoes, though. I'm going to change now. Keep an eye on that man of yours, would you?" Matt crawled into his tiny tent and zipped the door closed. "Oh," he said, from inside the tent. "Would you phone the lodge and get them to call the police? Thanks."
Down the slope Julio, guarded by Saundra and a paddle, was getting louder, trying to convin
ce everybody that this was all a mistake.
Jenni noticed that her phone was low on power, even with Matt's juice pack attached. She wondered just how much texting and phoning Saundra had done.
Emilia answered. "Jenni? Is everything okay?"
"Not bad at the moment." Then Jenni gave her an account of the last half-hour's events.
"Holy crap! Are you sure everybody's alright?"
"Except for some bruising on the guys and a big burn on Julio's backside, I think we're just shaken up. Can I ask you a favor?"
“You want me to call a counsellor and paddle him out to talk to you and Matt – I mean you and Julio? Or ship some underworld hit guy out to adjust your current husband? I warn you, those guys can’t paddle well carrying a violin case.”
“Matt thinks the police should get involved about now.”
“No shit. That’s the most sensible suggestion I’ve heard in a while. I’ll give them a call.”
Jenni had another thought. “Tell Lonnie, too. He might have to give the cops a ride up the lake.”
“You’re a couple of portages in. Should I suggest Lonnie tow another canoe?”
Jenni laughed. “I count five canoes out in front of me. No, we’ll figure a way to get Julio over the portages somehow. We’ll meet Lonnie and the cops at the lake.” She’d already disconnected when she suddenly realized she wasn’t at all sure how that would be done.
Matt was over by Julio, holding him face down. “Can you hold your husband steady while I get a dressing on him. The burn we put on him must be a bit painful.”
“Emilia’s going to call the cops,” Jenni said. “It might mean waiting a bit longer for Lonnie.”
Matt nodded as he sat on Julio’s shoulders and exposed the burn. “Thanks, Jenni. Can you put the dressing on; this guy wants to wiggle a lot.”
“No problem. I had some first aid training a few years ago.” Jenni dumped a fair amount of alcohol onto the wound, waited till Julio finished screaming and bucking, then carefully covered the wound with a bandage. “You always bring a first aid kit with you?” she asked Matt, as Julio was tearfully thanking both of them.
“Naturally clumsy I am. It's best to be prepared.” As soon as Jenni was well away, Matt let go of Julio, who lay panting on the pine needles.
"Are we sure we want the cops involved?" Jenni didn't know why she said that.
"Too late now," Saundra said. "Besides, it did look as if he was trying to kill you both, you know." She scratched a couple of places on one ankle. "And I'd say he came pretty close to doing just that. When neither Matt nor Jenni said anything more, she added. "Let's get this show on the road."
That seemed like such a logical and positive thing to do that Jenni immediately started packing things into bundles, with help from Saundra. Saundra tried to make conversation, but Jenni was getting more depressed by the minute. She kept her back to both Julio and Matt, and found herself at a loss for words.
Matt came to help move the last branches off the one wet and flattened tent. Since most of the tent frame was broken, they just wrapped everything into a big loose roll. Jenni decided they were doing this more to leave a clean campsite behind them than for any other reason. A blue jay overhead began haranguing them for no apparent reason.
"I guess we'll try to get all this in the canoes," Saundra said, but Matt raised his hand. "There's one thing to do yet," he said.
"Put the lawn chairs back where they came from," Jenni said. She realized part of her wanted to leave no evidence of anything related to herself or the events of the morning.
"Two things, then," Matt acknowledged. Into the silence, he said, "There's a very good fishing rod down underwater. It was hand-built for me by a close friend when he was recovering from a very serious illness." He looked up at the jay. Out on the water a loon laughed briefly. "These are my last dry clothes and I don't want to get them wet." He was holding a towel.
Saundra began to laugh. "We'll keep our backs turned, won't we, Jenni?"
Jenni smiled, too. "We'll take our time putting the lawn chairs back in the woods."
"I'll be quick. The water's colder than I'd like."
Saundra turned to Jenni. "He's trying to tell us some things shrink in cold water."
"Ah," Jenni said.
Matt shook his head. "Your phone, please," he said to Jenni. He walked down to the water, set the two phones by the water, and began removing his clothes. If he said anything else, it was lost in the sound of Julio starting his pleading again. Matt started into the water with his back to the campsite, but looked around to check on the women. They were sitting on the lawn chairs with their feet up on a log, watching him. Saundra waved. Matt slipped in and slid under the surface.
"Does your man ever stop talking?" Saundra asked?
Jenni shook her head. "He used to be quieter, but not much. He's probably been taking steroids for a while and he's used to getting his own way."
Matt's head reappeared shortly. He was holding a fishing rod, which he put on the shore. Then he went back under.
"I think he's gone back for the fish he didn't catch," Saundra said. But Matt came up with Julio's shotgun, which he set beside the fishing rod. "Turn your backs, now," he called.
"When hell freezes over," Saundra shouted back.
Matt sighed and came out of the water, wrapping a towel around him as soon as he could. When he looked up, the women were going into the woods, carrying the lawn chairs. As they put plastic bags and pine branches over the chairs, Saundra remarked, "I guess that water wasn't as cold as he thought it was."
Jenni just laughed.
"You owe him a kiss," Saundra said on the way back.
"Pardon?"
"He saved your life, risking his own. Your husband could have drowned him."
"I saved his life, too."
"Then he owes you a big kiss."
Jenni was still thinking about that when Saundra added. "I understand some of your conflicts here. Give him a kiss that will keep him awake for a couple of days."
"You know," Jenni said. "You're right."
And so it was that while Matt was getting dressed and trying to solve the problem of how to transport Julio Jenni walked up to him, wrapped her arms around him, pulled his head down and kissed him on the lips. For just a moment, she thought he'd panic and maybe make a leap for the lake, but he turned out to be quicker than that, and returned the embrace and kiss long enough for Saundra to get a picture and Julio to roll his eyes like he knew it all along.
Jenni pulled loose, looked Matt in the eyes, and said, "Thanks for saving my life; we'd better get going."
"Yeah," Matt said, "Yeah. I'll have a word with, ah, Julio, and tell him his options." He was still shaking his head as he sat down by Julio.
Jenni looked around. Saundra was holding her hand over her mouth to cover a laugh. She held up the phone and shook it. Jenni felt like laughing, too, but didn't want to take the chance anyone would misinterpret it. She tried a scowl but an inner glow prevented it.
Twenty minutes later they were crossing Poplar Lake. Jenni and Saundra paddled the canoe Saundra and Clayton had come in, towing Jenni's canoe. Matt and Julio came next, in the canoe Allen and Liza had brought, with Matt paddling at the stern and Julio, somewhat more loosely tied, sitting on the front seat. They were towing Matt's canoe and Julio's canoe.
It took them half an hour to do the portage to Bass Lake, and another half hour to get across that lake and onto the portage to Hawk Lake. Jenni was leading the group, carrying her pack, when they finally got to Hawk Lake. The first thing she saw was the lodge's boat, with Lonnie in it. Just beyond that was a larger boat, with a couple of police in it.
***