“Why do you need to go to town to make a call?” Simon asked, breaking the silence.
“That’s my business.”
“Do you want to call the agent in Little Rock?”
“What for?”
“To find out if I’m lying to you about owning the camp.”
For a couple of miles, they rode in silence. Finally, she turned back toward him. While he watched the road ahead, she looked at his profile and decided that she might have seen someone that looked like him in a movie. If she had seen him in person she surely would have remembered him. It was hard to admit to herself, but he was an attractive man.
A car pulling a small trailer approached and then passed them going in the direction of the camp.
“It looks like you may have more fishermen. If you want to go back and fix my car, I can go to town by myself and you can take care of them.”
“No, sir! I’d have to be out of my mind to leave a pretty woman and spend the afternoon with smelly fishermen. Russ is more than capable of giving them what they need.”
Neither of them uttered another word until they reached the outskirts of Home.
“You can drop me off at that phone booth on the corner,” Nona said and waved her hand in that direction.
“I have a few calls to make myself. I’ll just go with you.”
“I thought you might,” she observed. “Are you afraid I’ll take off down the street?”
“If you did, you’d have to walk all the way back to the camp.”
“Not necessarily. There was a man in town the other day that wanted to get acquainted. If he’s in town, he’ll give me a ride.” The thought of being alone with the bald-headed man fairly scared the daylights out of her, but she would use him to get a rise from Simon.
Simon’s head jerked toward her, his smile gone and his gaze more intense than she’d ever seen before. “What man? What did he look like? What did he say? Did he know who you were?”
“My, my! That put some life into you.” Nona smiled, happy that her ruse had worked. “The answers to your questions are ‘a man,’ ‘handsome,’ ‘nothing,’ and ‘yes.’”
“Be serious. I want to know who he was and where he tried to pick you up.”
“I didn’t say he tried to pick me up. I said I talked to him.”
“Good Lord. You don’t have the sense God gave a goose. Don’t you know any better than to talk to strange men when you are alone in a town like Home?”
“Well what do you expect? A woman with a college degree to manage your run-down camp in the woods?”
“A little common sense wouldn’t hurt,” he shot back.
There was not much activity along the main street of Home; a couple of cars were parked in front of the cafe and a lone man stood staring at the goods in the hardware store window. Simon stopped his truck in front of the telephone booth. Nona was still fumbling with the door handle when he pulled the door open. She wanted to hit him. Instead she let him take her arm and help her out of the truck. At least his easy smile had returned.
“I’ll meet you at the store,” Nona explained. “I want to buy a few things.”
“I’m in no hurry. I planned to devote the entire afternoon to you.”
She blinked hard at him, snarled under her breath, and tossed her head. Red hair blew in the breeze and she reached up and smoothed the unruly curls behind her ear.
“Don’t be mad, honey,” Simon said quickly. “Be glad that I came along with you to keep you company. Let’s go make your call.”
Nona hurried into the small booth and attempted to close the door, but Simon’s foot blocked it.
“Do you mind?”
“Do you have the right change, sweetheart?”
“Yes,” she said bluntly. “I’m not your sweetheart.”
Ignoring Simon, Nona fed the coins into the money slot. The air in the booth was stale and she knew that it would soon be swelteringly hot. She didn’t care. She would endure it to keep Mr. Know-It-All from hearing her conversation. As she dialed the number, she peered out of the booth to see where he was and was relieved to see that he was over by the truck.
“Hello?” A woman’s voice sounded over the other end of the line.
“Hello. This is Nona Conrad. May I speak with my brother, please?” Only silence met her request. Nona momentarily worried that the woman had hung up; but when she listened carefully, she could hear voices in the background. Suddenly, the woman’s voice came back on the line.
“Miss Conrad! I’m sorry to say, but your brother left here almost three weeks ago.”
“Three weeks? What are you talking about?”
“Haven’t you read the paper lately?”
“Not really. My sister and I are vacationing for a few weeks.” Nona lied slightly.
“Where are you?”
“We’re at a camp in the southern . . .” Before she could say another word, a hand reached into the booth and severed the connection.
Chapter 5
FURIOUS, NONA GLARED DIRECTLY INTO SIMON’S EYES. Her heart thumped and her pulse raced. Her voice was sharp and angry.
“What in the world do you think you’re doing?! You’ve got a lot of nerve!”
Simon grinned sheepishly. “I thought you’d finished.”
“You know damn good and well I hadn’t!” Nona fed money into the slot and dialed the number again and got a busy signal.
Simon stood next to the booth. The smug look on his face made her mad enough to spit!
After she had sat a few moments in the booth fuming, the operator came on. “Line’s busy, miss.”
“I’ll try later.”
Simon grabbed her by the arm. “Come on, honey.” He grinned and tipped his hat at two women standing beside a car. “Let’s get our groceries. We don’t want to leave the kids too long by themselves.”
Nona stomped off down the street ahead of Simon, passing a family sitting on a bench in front of the barbershop. Her face felt as red as a ripe tomato. “You’re a horse’s ass!” she hissed when he caught up with her. “Why did you cut me off? And what’s the idea letting those people think we’re a couple and have kids?”
“Don’t you like the idea, honey?”
“Stop calling me that. I’m not your honey.”
“Are you Lester’s honey?” It surprised her that he had remembered Maggie telling him about Lester Graves. Rather than reply, she decided to ignore the question and continued down the street toward the store at a fast clip.
“Hold on.” Simon hurried to catch up with her, his long legs eating up the distance between them. “What’s got you so ticked off?”
“As if you didn’t know!”
“Now, now. Let’s not argue.” Simon chuckled. “What do you need at the store?”
Nona’s mind wasn’t thinking about what she needed at the store; she was thinking about the words spoken by Harold’s secretary. What she’d said had been mighty peculiar. What had she meant when she’d asked about reading the newspaper? Had Harold had an accident? If it were something serious, surely she would have told me. “A newspaper,” she answered after a moment’s hesitation. “I need to find a new job.”
“You’ve got a job.”
“Not for long. My contract says that I only have to stay until the end of fishing season. By the way,” Nona said belligerently, “I may need to take a week off to go looking for permanent work. But don’t worry, Mabel will take over my duties while I’m gone.”
“Didn’t you hear me when I said you’re not leaving the camp unless I’m with you?”
“You can’t hold me out there.”
“Yes, I can.”
It suddenly struck Nona that Simon was unbalanced, maybe even dangerous. Was he threatening her? Her eyes searched the street for a policeman or the county sheriff’s office. She didn’t see either. She decided she needed to speak with a policeman as soon as possible. A clerk in the grocery store would surely know where she could find one. Clamping her mouth shut so as to
keep from saying something that would provoke Simon, Nona hurriedly walked down the street. At the grocery store, she opened the door and prepared to enter, but before she could, a voice called out to her. “Miss Conrad?”
Turning on her heel, Nona was surprised to see a tall, thin man with sparse gray hair standing beside a plain-looking middle-aged woman. From their appearance, they seemed to be down-and-out. The man’s face and hands were work-worn; the woman wore a faded dress with several visible patches, and had a worried look on her face. Nona had never seen them before, and the fact that they knew her name was surprising.
“Go on in, honey,” Simon said with a gentle push. “I’ll talk to them.” The way that he grinned at her, combined with his use of a term of endearment, infuriated her.
She stepped through the door, letting the screen slam behind her.
The clerk was a pudgy little man with a white apron tied around his ample middle. His jowls hung far below his chin but the smile that he flashed was still friendly. “Good afternoon, ma’am. What can I do for you?”
“I need a few things,” Nona said as she returned his smile. “But first, could you tell me where I can find the police station?”
“I’m afraid we don’t have a police station. Home’s not quite big enough, I suppose. If you want the law, you can call the sheriff and he’ll come over from the county seat.”
Nona opened her mouth to speak but said nothing. What was stopping her? What if she were wrong about Simon? “That’s all right. It’s not an emergency,” she finally said. Forcing a smile, she took out the list that Mabel had been compiling and picked up a basket. Quickly she gathered the supplies, and was checking out when Simon came into the store.
“About ready, honey?” he asked.
“If you call me that one more time . . . I’ll . . .”
“You’ll what? Kiss me on the way home?”
“You’re the most irritating . . . ,” she exclaimed, in a low voice so that the grocer wouldn’t hear.
“Now, is that any way to talk? You should be nice to me, honey.”
“Why should I be nice to you? I won’t be here in another week. I’ll call my lawyer in Little Rock and tell him to get me out of this contract. As soon as I find another job, I’m gone.”
“Liar. You’ll do no such thing.” Simon’s green eyes sparkled in amusement. He acted like this was all just a game, but Nona didn’t feel like playing.
As the clerk was totaling up the bill, Simon interrupted by asking, “Do you sell cases of pop?”
“Sure do. Both six-packs and by the case. What kind do you want?”
“A case of mixed flavors and a case of Coke. Oh, and where can I buy a Seventeen magazine?”
“We have magazines at the back of the store.”
Nona rolled her eyes and was about to complain that he was spoiling Maggie, but Simon cut her off. “Now, sugar,” he said. “The kids need a treat once in a while. They’re on vacation, too.”
Try as she might to show no anger on the outside, Nona’s insides were boiling. Forcing another smile, she asked the clerk, “What do I owe you for what I had in the basket?”
“Add it all together,” Simon said.
“No. Absolutely not,” Nona interjected. “I’ll pay for my things.”
“Now, love. Don’t be contrary. I know you have a budget for groceries, but we’re on vacation and can afford to splurge a little.” The clerk merely shrugged his shoulders and went to answer the phone.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Nona growled when the man was out of earshot.
“Just getting the squirt a treat.”
Nona bit her tongue and waited for the clerk to reappear. The sooner they were out of the grocery store, the better. Simon had already embarrassed her enough for one day.
The man gave Simon the receipt from the cash register and Simon handed him his credit card.
“Sorry about all that hullabaloo,” Simon said with a wink at the grocer. He threw his arm around Nona’s shoulder and pulled her hard against him. “She’s a bit temperamental now that’s she’s over her morning sickness.”
“Congratulations, ma’am,” the man said with an uneasy smile. At first, all that Nona could do was stare ahead, openmouthed. When she’d regained a bit of composure, she dug an elbow into Simon’s midsection so hard he grunted.
“Usually, she’s as gentle as a lamb. This pregnancy’s taken her by surprise.”
With those words, Nona had heard enough. She turned and nearly ran for the door.
“Wait up, honey. The car’s too far for you to walk in your condition. Stay here where it’s nice and cool while I go get it. On second thought,” he said as he hurried after Nona, “I’ll walk with you in case you feel faint.” When he neared the door, he called out over his shoulder to the grocer, “I’ll be back with the car and load up.”
Nona’s back was stiff as a board, her face red with anger. When Simon finally caught up with her, her blue eyes sparkled with rage.
“How dare you embarrass me like that! You have some nerve!” she hissed for his ears alone. “Maggie and I have been attending the Baptist church here. The people I’ve met know I’m not married! When they hear I’m pregnant, and I’m sure they will, what will they possibly think?”
“Nothing, probably. Women get pregnant every single day.”
“Not unmarried women in a town this size.” Simon reached out and placed his hand on her elbow. At his touch, her skin crawled and she jerked loose. “Don’t touch me, you lying shyster!”
“Why would you call me that? I’ve laid my cards on the table.”
Nona refused to answer the question and instead swept her eyes from one side of the street to the other. If she could only find another way back to the camp that didn’t involve riding with him!
“Let’s go back to the car,” Simon said.
“I’m going back to the phone booth,” Nona countered confidently. “I want to try my call again.”
“Nona, wait,” he said sincerely. The joking tone of voice was gone. His gaze pierced her in its intensity and she couldn’t help but wait for his next words. “I’m sorry if I upset you with what I said. Sometimes I speak before I think. There are some things I want to talk to you about. Let’s load up the groceries and head out of town.”
As angry as she had been with him, his words, as well as the way he said them, dampened her anger. Nodding her head, she silently followed Simon back to the pickup.
They returned to the store and loaded the groceries. As they were pulling away from the store, they saw the older couple that Simon had talked to standing next to an old beat-up car. The old man waved and tipped his hat as they went by.
“Who were those people?” Nona asked.
“The Hogans. He’s a carpenter. I hired him to help with the remodeling on the cabins. We’ll have to let him and his wife stay in one.”
“That’s great. Maybe she can take over for me and we could leave.”
“Oh, no! I’m too used to Mabel’s cooking now.”
They drove for many miles in silence. Nona could only stare out the window as trees whizzed by. When they were only a couple of miles from the camp, Simon slowed the truck and pulled to the side of the road, stopping beneath the shade of a large cottonwood tree. Nona’s body tensed in anticipation of his pouncing on her, but he sat silently for a few moments before speaking softly.
“There’s something that I need to tell you. Something that you should know.”
“What?” His tone of voice was strange, nearly frightening.
“It’s about Harold,” he continued. “He’s my cousin. His father was married to my mother’s sister.”
“What?” Nona exclaimed.
“I know this is strange, but listen. When we were kids, we were thrown together a lot. After Harold’s mother died, his father married your mother and I lost track of him for a while. I’m sorry to say, I never really liked him much.”
“I can understand,” Nona agreed. “
I’ve always felt the same way. Because his own mother had died, my mother tried extra hard to be good to Harold, but he seemed to resent her and then later me and Maggie.”
“Harold has sticky fingers,” Simon said flatly, with no apology or hesitation.
“That’s a fine thing to say about your own cousin.”
“It’s true. He’s been stealing things since he was a youngster. I don’t think your father ever knew. Now money and jewelry are missing from the bank where he worked. Harold is also missing. It’s believed that he made off with five hundred thousand dollars in cash and about that much in jewelry.”
Shock crowded the anger from Nona’s face and she stared at Simon openmouthed. A piercing pain filled her head and a tightness grabbed at the pit of her stomach. “Oh, no! I can’t believe it! Harold wouldn’t do that.”
“It was in the newspaper two weeks ago. I’m sorry.”
As surprised as she was, Nona could believe that there was some truth in what Simon had told her. The idea that Harold had sticky fingers wasn’t a new one; several pieces of her mother’s jewelry had been missing from her jewelry case after her death. No one else had had access to the box but Harold. She’d never leveled any accusations at him, but the suspicion had lingered. Now she was being told that the suspicion could be true.
After a long silence, she asked, “What does this have to do with me?”
“You and Maggie are Harold’s next of kin, his family. If he’s disappeared, it would be logical for people to think that you would know where he is.”
“Well, I don’t. The reason I called him had nothing to do with any of this business. It was about a piece of my father’s property.” Looking hard into Simon’s face, Nona could see no trace of the joking character who had often embarrassed her. His face was deathly serious. “Why are you telling me this?”
“I don’t want to see you or Maggie hurt.”
“Who would want to hurt us?”
“I’m quite sure Harold was involved with some shady characters who were in the business of fencing valuable jewelry. He may have originally stolen it for them, then changed his mind and decided to keep it all. They might decide to come after you or your sister and try to force you to tell them where Harold is hiding. They’ll want the jewelry and the money before the insurance detectives, or the law, catch up with him.”
On Tall Pine Lake Page 5