A Dark and Twisting Path

by Julia Buckley

  “Do you have a boat?” Doug asked.

  “I figured I’d rent one,” Sam said.

  “You can borrow mine. Assuming that you go out while I’m on duty. If not, I’m thinking I should be in the boat, too.”

  Sam grinned. “You’re more than welcome.”

  Camilla smiled at Cliff. “Have you and Sam had time this last week to do some catching up?”

  Cliff nodded. “Nothing to catch up on in terms of shared memories, but Sam told me a lot about our mom, which I appreciate. And soon I’m going to take him to Saint Louis to meet my adoptive mom and dad, who want to adopt him, too.” He said this with a grin, and Sam punched his arm with an affectionate expression. “And we found out we have a lot in common. We’re pretty much on the same page philosophically, I guess you’d say. We both appreciate art. We like similar music. And we have the same middle name, isn’t that wild?”

  Doug raised his eyebrows. “What’s your middle name?”

  “Edward,” the brothers said in unison, and we laughed.

  Camilla speared a strawberry with a toothpick and said, “Cliff, I am a mystery writer, and I have plotted many books. But in this real-life story, I never saw you coming.”

  “None of us did,” Sam said. “But I sure am glad he showed up.”

  Cliff put a brotherly arm around Sam, and I smiled, then spied Doug, who was stealing a glance at his watch.

  “Do you have another meeting with the mayor?” I asked.

  “Not exactly.”

  Camilla turned her gaze on him. “Lena tells me you are faced with a decision.”

  “I was. I made it.” Doug’s face was suddenly shy.

  “And?”

  “Bill Baxter has two years till retirement, and he is highly qualified. He’s going to be chief until he retires, at which point I will once again be offered the position. Gives me some time to think about it, right?”

  A flood of relief washed through me. I realized for the first time that I had not wanted Doug to take the position because I had not thought it would make him happy. “I’m glad, Doug. I think you’re great at doing what you do right now.”

  “Me, too,” Sam said. “Except for your early work on the Sam West investigation, which you botched horribly.”

  Doug laughed. “That West guy was a pain in the butt from day one. Thank God that whole case is closed for good. Wife found, baby found, perpetrator found.”

  “Sam West exonerated,” I said.

  Doug took a sip of his coffee and leaned back with a satisfied expression. “I’ve got to tell you—I am sleeping better at night knowing Nikon is in a cell.”

  “It’s all over now, for good!” I said. “No more enemies can crawl out from under rocks. No more mysterious antagonists from distant Greek islands with ancient vendettas. No more missing wives or babies, no more tabloids chasing Sam wherever he goes. Right?”

  Camilla was gazing out her kitchen window at the lake, which tossed in the summer wind. “How could there be anything else, Lena? Blue Lake is just a quiet little town. What possible secrets could people be hiding here?”

  She looked back at us and we all burst out laughing.

  Doug held up his cup. “To Blue Lake!” he said.

  Outside the sun dimmed slightly as a silvery cloud partially obscured its light. “To Blue Lake!” we said, clinking our glasses against his.

  Keep reading for a preview of the next Writer’s Apprentice mystery!

  DEATH WAITS IN THE DARK

  Coming soon from Berkley Prime Crime.

  “At the risk of appearing forward, I must tell you this: when I met you,

  I realized there were no other women in the world. Not for me.”

  —from the correspondence of James Graham and Camilla Easton, 1970

  GRAHAM HOUSE WAS a respite from the July heat, especially in the air-conditioned office of my collaborator and hero, Camilla Graham. I was there now, sitting on the floor and telling an amused Camilla the story of my first date, which had involved much awkward conversation and an even more awkward attempt at a kiss, and I had reduced Camilla to a giggling fit more than once as the story progressed. It was amusing to both of us to contemplate my fifteen-year-old self, pretending to be a sophisticated woman while being scared to death. Camilla’s German shepherds, pleased to see me at floor level, had immediately demanded petting, and Heathcliff was starting to lean on me as he relaxed into my massage. “Heathcliff, get off! You giant rug. You’re making me hot. You too, Rochester.” They smiled at me with open, panting mouths, remaining exactly where they were.

  Camilla laughed. “You’ve spoiled them, Lena. They get much more attention now that there are two of us in the house—double the walks and the petting. Clearly they are smug about it.”

  I sniffed and looked into the brown eyes of each dog. “What’s in it for me, you guys?”

  They had no suggestions. A crash sounded from above us, followed by some loud swearing. “Oh no,” I said. “That doesn’t sound good.”

  Camilla stared up at the ceiling, as if trying to see through it. “I hope no one is hurt.”

  “I hope the air conditioners are still intact,” I said, perhaps selfishly. Camilla had central air, but somehow it only cooled the ground floor of her big old house. When the heat wave began, Adam Rayburn, Camilla’s steady boyfriend, enlisted the help of a group he called “The Three Amigos,” namely Doug Heller, Sam West, and Cliff Blake, to install window units in the bedrooms upstairs. The younger men had spent a great deal of time together since the spring, and they did in fact seem to function well as a group of three—at least when they were doing “guy” things. At other times they invited me to join them, along with Doug’s girlfriend, Belinda.

  “It will be nice to have those window units,” Camilla said. “They should make for better sleeping. Adam assured me that they are not loud.”

  “It will be wonderful. Up until this last week I never had a problem with the temperature. I slept with the window open and always had a nice breeze. But now the air is just—stagnant. I thought it was always cooler by the lake.”

  Camilla nodded. “We mostly have mild summers, but we’ve always been prone to heat waves in July. I know you’re more of a fall person, aren’t you? And you do look a bit like a wilted flower there on the floor.”

  “I’ll perk up now that I’m in here. But walking to town this morning wasn’t a good idea. It’s incredibly humid out there.”

  We heard loud footsteps descending the stairs, and Doug’s blond head poked into the room. “Camilla, where might I find a tool box?”

  Camilla pointed. “The closet in the kitchen hallway. Bottom shelf.”

  “Great, thanks!” he said, darting into the next room.

  “Everything okay up there?” Camilla asked.

  “Fine,” Doug said. “A minor emergency, but we handled it.”

  “You taught me some new swear words,” I called to him, winking at Camilla.

  Doug appeared in the doorway with a guilty expression. “You heard that? It wasn’t me, anyway, it was Cliff. Something fell on his toe.”

  “Oh my gosh! Is he okay?” I asked. The dogs became alert at my tone; their ears stood at attention.

  “He’s fine. He’s looking forward to the cold beer Camilla promised.”

  “I’m chilling the glasses as we speak,” Camilla said. She stood up behind her desk and moved toward the kitchen. She wore a light summer dress of pale pink and a pair of white sandals. “Let me go check on them.”

  Doug went in with her, and I was left alone with the dogs. “I mean it, you guys, that’s enough petting. I’m too hot to be surrounded by fur.” I gave them each one last pat and then pushed slightly on their flanks. They got the message and ambled over to Camilla’s desk, under which they liked to sleep during the day.

  The doorbell rang. I managed to
pull myself upright, feeling languid still, and walked to the entrance hall. I peered through the window to see an elderly woman on the steps, looking like a mirage in the hazy heat; I did not recognize her.

  I opened the door. “Hello.”

  She studied me for a moment. She was tall and thin, with a halo of white hair, and she wore a black cotton dress that draped down to her ankles; it looked severe in the heat, almost punishing. Her hazel eyes were narrowed in a quizzical expression. “I’m here to see Camilla,” she said.

  “May I ask your name?” I said. I had no idea if this woman was a friend or a determined fan—Camilla did get unwelcome visitors now and again.

  She jutted out her chin. “Tell her it’s Jane Wyland. She knows who I am,” she said. “But it’s been a long, long time.” She didn’t smile when she said this.

  I knew it would be polite to invite her in, but I didn’t want to admit anyone to Camilla’s house unless I knew Camilla wanted them there. “Excuse me for just a moment,” I said. I left the door slightly ajar, so it didn’t seem as if I were closing it in her face, and then I jogged to the kitchen.

  Camilla was peering into the freezer, where the glasses were nicely chilled and waiting to be filled with beer. “Lena, can you call up to the boys and ask when they think they’ll be down?”

  The boys. This made me smile, but something about the woman at the door distracted me from my amusement. “Yes, in just a moment. I don’t know if you heard the doorbell, but there’s a woman here to see you.”

  She closed the freezer and looked at me, brows raised. “Oh? Who is it?”

  “I don’t know her. She said her name is Jane Wyland.”

  Camilla blinked at me. “Jane Wyland? I—my goodness. I haven’t seen that woman in more than forty years.”

  “Should I—?”

  “I’ll talk to her. Thank you, Lena.”

  I lingered near the doorway and heard Camilla greet the woman in a rather stiff voice. The woman said something, and Camilla said, “Why don’t you come in? We can talk in my study.” And then, in response to a question, she said, “That was Lena. She is my friend and writing collaborator. She lives here with me, actually.”

  They were closer now, and I heard Jane Wyland say, “You probably didn’t think you’d ever hear from me again, did you, Camilla?”

  Camilla’s voice was smooth, unruffled, when she said, “I confess I didn’t imagine our paths would cross, but then again I encounter very few people these days.”

  They went into Camilla’s office, and Camilla closed the door.

  A shadow moved on the wall, and I jumped when a pair of hands touched my shoulders. “Hey,” said Sam West.

  I turned and whispered, “Hey.”

  He leaned in to give me a warm kiss. “Hey,” I said again, appreciatively.

  “Why are you whispering?” he asked, smiling at me.

  I spoke a bit louder, though still quietly. “Camilla has some woman in there. She hasn’t seen her in decades, and they went in the office and closed the door.”

  “Do you think we should call the police?”

  I poked him in the chest. “Very funny. But I’ve got a weird vibe. And it’s not like ominous things haven’t happened around here before.”

  “That’s for sure.” He looked around the kitchen. “I’m supposed to make sure that beer is in the offing.”

  “Oh, right. I’ll help you pour.” We retrieved the chilled glasses from the freezer and I pulled three bottles of Corona from the fridge. As we worked, I asked, “Everything okay up there?”

  He was pouring carefully, trying to avoid too much foam. “Your chamber shall be cool and pleasant, my queen.”

  “Oh, thank goodness. I just cannot sleep when it’s this hot.”

  He took a sip of his drink. “If you were awake, you should have walked down the hill to your boyfriend’s house and told him you couldn’t sleep. He has all sorts of ideas for night activities.”

  I laughed. Doug and Cliff came in and practically dove on the refreshments. Sam said, “Do you guys have time to sit for a while?” They nodded, and our group of four moved to Camilla’s sunroom.

  I flopped into a chair near the window. “Thank you so much to all of you. I am not a creature who thrives in the heat. Camilla said I looked like a wilted flower, and I felt like one this past week.”

  “You need to go down and jump in the lake when it gets this hot,” Doug said, shrugging. “Belinda and I have been in the water constantly.”

  “You just want to see her in a bathing suit,” I joked.

  Doug grinned. “She has some great bathing suits, but we’ve also opted for the au naturel experience. She rocks that, too.”

  Sam’s eyes met mine. “We should swim more, Lena.”

  Cliff sighed. “Have a heart. Some people at this table have no significant other.”

  I touched his arm. “Why is that? How does a handsome guy like you end up coming to Blue Lake all alone?”

  Cliff took a swig of beer and sighed. “Sam has already heard this whole story. There was someone. Beth. We lived together for several years. It didn’t work out, but we parted on good terms. I think she’s married now.” He looked out the window at the lake, which was still as glass on this windless day.

  “Maybe she just wasn’t the right one for you,” I said.

  Cliff shrugged. “I’ve always been a little too devoted to the job. And I was—kind of obsessing over Sam West in those years. Following up on every little thing I could learn about my little brother here. Beth told me to just contact him, but I was stubborn.”

  We thought about that for a while. Cliff had finally taken a job in Blue Lake just to be closer to Sam, who hadn’t known he had a half brother in the world.

  Doug pointed at his fellow cop. “We’ve got to get this guy back into the dating pool. Lots of attractive women in this town.”

  I studied Cliff and had a sudden inspiration. “You know what, Cliff? I know someone I think you would really enjoy meeting. And I know she would like you. You meet several of her criteria for what makes a good man.”

  Sam laughed. “And how do you know this woman’s criteria?”

  “She went to high school with Allison and me. She graduated a couple years before we did; she pursued law school, and she got a job at a law firm in Chicago, but they ended up cutting her loose because the firm was downsizing. Allison’s been trying to get her to Blue Lake—you know Allison. She wants all her friends to come here.”

  “It worked with you,” Doug said. We exchanged a smile, both recalling the day that I came to town, lured by a phone call from Allison Branch.

  “Allison’s been sending her clippings of job openings at law firms in this area. Allie is hilarious in her enthusiasm, as always. But Isabelle really is considering coming out for some interviews.”

  “Isabelle,” said Cliff appreciatively. “That’s a pretty name.”

  “Yes.” I studied him. “Isabelle’s the whole package: smart, pretty, fun. Like you, she was with someone, but he ended up revealing his true character, and Isabelle dumped him.”

  “Good for her,” Sam said.

  Cliff shrugged. “Well, if she ever comes to town, I’d be happy to meet her. Meanwhile, I’m on duty in about an hour and I need to get home and put on the uniform.”

  Doug’s face changed; he always looked serious when he thought about cop things. “I’m off today, and I have plans to take Belinda to Warrenville for a movie and dinner. But if you hear any more about our vandal, let me know.”

  “Blue Lake has a vandal?” I asked.

  Doug and Cliff both took on that shuttered look that law enforcement people get when they can’t share information. “Don’t we always?” Doug said lightly. He stood up, and so did Cliff.

  I turned to Sam. “I think your playmates are leaving.”

 
Sam stood, too, and joined the other two as they walked to the kitchen door. The men exchanged some of those hearty man-hugs and thumped each other loudly on the back. I darted in and hugged them all, too. “I appreciate your help, and I always love your company. Come back soon, and we’ll play a board game in Camilla’s nice cool house.”

  “Invite Isabelle, too,” Cliff joked.

  Doug put a hand on my shoulder. “Belinda wants to have a little get-together at her place soon. She’ll be contacting you.”

  “Okay! Sounds fun,” I said.

  I waved and watched from the kitchen doorway as Sam walked them to the front door and saw them out. He turned to say something to me but was interrupted by a loud voice.

  “Of course you would protect him! You were in love with him!”

  Camilla’s study door flew open and the woman named Jane Wyland came stalking out, her fists clenched at her sides. Camilla emerged as well, her face paler than I had ever seen it, her eyes desolate.

  The Wyland woman moved to the front door without saying a word, but when she reached the place where Sam stood, she pointed at him and said, “The notorious Sam West. It figures he would be your friend. That says a lot about your family, doesn’t it? The whole Graham family. I’ll be back tomorrow, Camilla. So make your decision.”

  She scowled at me, and then at Sam, and then she swept out of the door.

  Shocked, I turned to Camilla, who seemed on the verge of tears. “Camilla? What in the world—?”

  She held up a hand. “Lena, would you call Adam and cancel my lunch date with him?”

  “Yes, if you want, but Camilla, are you all right? That woman—”

  She covered her face with her hands for a moment, and then moved swiftly to the stairs. She spared me one quick glance; her eyes were full of tears. “I can’t talk about this right now,” she said, and she ran up the stairs toward her room.

  Sam and I stared at each other across the space of the foyer, our mouths open in disbelief.