Shadow by the Bridge

by Suzanne Zewan

  “Let’s go over here,” I said, and we stepped onto the wooden dock and walked out to the end. There were two dead fish floating among the seaweed by the shore. I caught a whiff of the decaying seaweed and rotting fish. I couldn’t wait to head out on the water where the air was fresher.

  “This is my first time on a boat,” Valerie said excitedly.

  “This is my first time rowing a boat… alone.” I smiled.

  “All right you two,” Charlie called out. “I’ll hold the boat steady so you can step in.”

  I climbed in carefully and held Valerie’s hand as she stepped into the swaying boat. We both sat down across from each other. I gripped the oars and began to move the boat away from the dock.

  “Thank you, Charlie!” Valerie looked up at him as she shielded the sun by resting her hand above her eyes.

  “See you in an hour!” I pulled out my pocket watch. “See you at 3:30!”

  I began to row out into the lake, enjoying the sound of the water as the waves gently rocked the boat.

  “It’s beautiful out here! I’m so glad that Hank mentioned it to us!” Valerie said as she gazed into the water.

  “Me too!” Being out on the lake again on a sunny fall day brought back so many good memories. It allowed me to drift away to tucked-away places and experience them all over again. Maybe it was something to do with the water, the gentle waves breaking against the shoreline, the unique scent of the water and seaweed that worked its magic on me.

  I rowed out to the center of the lake. I counted five other rowboats across the water. As I scanned the shoreline, I noticed a few scattered cottages. Some even had their own docks.

  “Wouldn’t it be nice to have a cottage here?” Valerie asked.

  “I was just noticing all the cottages too. Yeah, it would be nice to wake up in the morning to the sound of the water. It’s so peaceful here,” I said as I stopped rowing and carefully stepped over to Valerie as the boat rocked and sat down next to her.

  “What are you doing?” Valerie asked and began to giggle.

  “Kissing you,” I replied with a grin.

  “You’re the most romantic boy I know!” Valerie leaned over, and her tender lips pressed against mine.

  I placed my hand on the back of her head, pulled out the pin that held her hair up, and set it on the bench. We continued to kiss. I kissed her harder as our mouths opened. My body started to heat up. I began to move off the seat and lay back toward the end of the boat. We threw our legs over the seat. As I kept kissing her, our breathing became heavier. I placed my hand on her soft breast. She began to breathe even more heavily.

  “Maybe we shouldn’t have come here today?” I whispered.

  Valerie stopped kissing me and gave me a puzzled look. “What do you mean?”

  “We would have had the whole house to ourselves all afternoon.”

  “Then what would we have done?”

  “Hmmm… I don’t know,” I said and started to laugh before kissing her again. I unbuttoned her blouse to her waist. Then I slipped my hand inside and under her undergarment, gently massaged her supple breasts, and began gently stroking her nipple which turned from soft to erect.

  She slightly arched her back and moaned quietly with pleasure. “That feels good,” she whispered.

  “You feel good,” I said tenderly as I drew my hand out of her blouse, grasped her hand that was resting on my chest, and placed it on top of the zipper of my trousers. She began to rub my manhood. “Mmmm... That feels so good,” I whispered.

  “Good and hard,” she said. “Maybe you’re right. We should have gone to your house instead,” Valerie said and started to giggle as she placed her two fingers, teasingly, on my zipper, zipping it slightly down, then back up. Then she unzipped it all the way and began to move her hand inside.

  I heard voices. The voices seemed close. We sat up. There was a boat not far from us. There was a man, a woman, and a little girl in a rowboat just like the one we rented. They weren’t close enough to be paying any attention to us, but they were rowing toward us.

  “Well, we better stop. I sort of forgot we’re not alone out here.” I zipped up my trousers, grabbed Valerie’s hand, and helped her to her seat. I then carefully moved back over to my seat and grabbed ahold of the oars. Valerie buttoned her blouse back up.

  “So, do you think your mom’s home yet?” Valerie asked.

  “Now why do you ask that?” I stared at her with a playful grin. “I’m sure by the time we get back she will probably be home… unfortunately for us.” I pulled out my pocket watch: 3:12. “Are your mom and dad home?”

  “I’m sure they are. They’re always home, unfortunately. Next time, we’ll plan better,” she said with a chuckle. “What time is it anyway?”

  “It’s almost quarter after three. By the time I row back in, it will be almost time to bring the boat back.”

  “We better start heading back then.”

  The family with the little girl rowed past us and waved as I started to row, and I saw that Charlie was standing on the shore. He walked out onto the dock as he waited for the family. When their boat was lined up with the dock, he picked up the little girl and set her on the dock. Then he held the mother’s hand as she stepped out. Charlie held the boat for the father to step out. By then, I was ready to line the boat up with the dock.

  “Let me move this boat, and then you can bring your boat in,” Charlie called out as he held the rope, moved it to the shore, and tied it up. He walked back out onto the dock.

  “Ready?” I asked.

  “Bring it in!”

  When we had the boat lined up next to the dock, he grabbed Valerie’s hand and she stepped out of the boat.

  “Did you kids have a good time out there?” Charlie asked.

  “Yes, we had a really nice time!” I replied as I picked up Valerie’s hairpin from the floor of the boat and then handed it to her.

  “This is such a beautiful place,” Valerie added.

  “Sure is!” Charlie agreed.

  I stepped out of the boat and grabbed Valerie’s hand.

  “Thank you, Charlie! I’m glad we took Hank’s advice.”

  “I don’t think I got your names earlier,” Charlie said as we stepped down on to the shore.

  “My name is Fritz, Fritz Reynolds. And this is Valerie Kessler.”

  “It’s been nice meeting you both, and I hope to see ya here again.”

  “We’ll be back again.” I smiled at Valerie.

  “We will definitely be back again,” Valerie added.

  As we walked toward the car, Valerie leaned over and gave me a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you. It was a good idea to come here today.”

  “Are you sure about that?” I looked at her slyly and placed my arm over her shoulder. “We could have just stayed at my house. I gather you’d be thanking me even more if we did that.” I smiled and chuckled.

  “You’re probably right,” she said and started to laugh. “But really, I’m glad you brought me here anyway.”

  We drove by the county home, crossed the intersection, and then headed down Linden Road around the bend past Florence Kingsley’s old farm. Her farm now had a new family living in it, which gave it back its life.

  “What’s going on down there?” Valerie pointed.

  “Where?”

  “Nelson’s house, with all the police cars!”

  Then I saw what she was talking about. Suddenly, I felt sick. An ice-cold feeling landed in the pit of my stomach. “What the hell?” I said under my breath as fear gripped my spine with black claws.

  Eighteen

  I felt the heat of Valerie’s eyes resting on me as I stared straight ahead in a dead gaze at all the black touring cars. It was as if the long, dark claws pierced my spine and paralyzed me. My heart began to pound. My bones began to shake.

  “Are you going to stop?”

  Valerie’s question rolled around my brain as I tried to find the answer.What the hell happened?

  “Sto
p! I want to see what’s going on!” Valerie shrieked.

  “Calm down; if we see someone outside, we’ll stop.” Just as the words nervously tumbled out of my mouth, a young officer stepped out of Nelson’s front door. I pulled in front of the driveway, and we both stepped out of the car.

  “Excuse me, Officer,” I called out as he was about to open his car door. Then I realized that it was Deputy Ornsby, the officer who helped me over to the porch the night of Flo’s murder.

  Deputy Ornsby strolled over to my car, holding a small notepad.

  “The Nelsons are neighbors of ours. I live just down the road.” I pointed in the direction of my home. “I don’t know if you remember me or not, but I’m the one you saved from passing out at Florence Kingsley’s house. You helped me over to the porch.”

  Ornsby nodded. “I thought you looked familiar.”

  “Can you tell us what’s going on?”

  “Well.” He paused for a moment and took a quick look back at the house. “While the Nelsons were at church this morning, someone broke into their house and set their bed on fire.”

  Valerie gasped. “That’s awful!”

  “Luckily, the perpetrator wasn’t much of an arsonist, because he shut the bedroom door. The fire just smoldered in there; it never spread to the rest of the house.”

  “Are they okay?” Valerie asked with concern.

  “Yeah, they’re just really upset, and understandably so. I’m just glad that no one was hurt today.”

  “Will they be able to stay in their house tonight?” Valerie asked.

  “Probably by Tuesday. They need to clean up the room and buy a new bed. They mentioned staying with their son for a few days.”

  “I appreciate you letting us know what happened,” I said.

  “No problem. There were a lot of folks here earlier, so most of the neighbors know what happened.” Deputy Ornsby looked around, then turned back to us. “I better be on my way. I need to head back to the station.”

  “Any ideas on who set the fire?” I asked anxiously.

  “No, not so far. But if you two hear of anything, or know of anyone who might have done this, would you please call the station?”

  “I will. Thank you, officer,” I replied.

  We stepped back into the car and drove down the road. I pulled into Valerie’s driveway and saw the front curtains move.

  “I think your mom is waiting for you. I just saw her in the window.”

  “I know. I saw her, too.”

  “Valerie,” Mertie called as she stepped out the front door and rushed over to my car.

  Valerie didn’t wait for me to open her car door.

  “I just came out to tell you two what happened to the Nelsons today,” Mertie said.

  “We already know. We just finished talking to a sheriff’s deputy who was leaving the house,” Valerie said as she shut the car door.

  Mertiestood there with her arms folded for a moment, scanning the surrounding houses. “I’ve been thinking. Thiswasn’tsome vagrant who got off the train looking to set someone’s house on fire. Whoever did thisknowsmost everyone ’round here goes to church Sunday mornings,” she said with a huff as she shook her head and pressed her lips tightly together. “Since I heard about it, I’ve been trying to think of the ones who weren’t there this morning, and I’m not coming up with anyone.”

  “Who would have a problem with the Nelsons?” Valerie asked.

  “I don’t know, but I’m really sickened by the whole thing.” Mertie shook her head. “The thought of someone entering our house who didn’t belong really bothers me.”

  “Maybe someone was mad at Marty and was being vengeful,” Valerie said.

  I shrugged my shoulders. “Could be. Maybe someone didn’t like a decision he made. As Justice of the Peace, not everybody’s happy when they leave court.”

  “You could be right about that, Fritz. It does make sense. I’m sure the sheriff will investigate,” Mertiesaid. “Well, I’m glad they didn’t walk in and surprise whoever was in their bedroom. It may have been avery different story.”

  Valerie’s eyes widened. She glanced over at me. “Yeah, it could’ve been,” she said in a fearful voice.

  Mertie looked over her shoulder at the door. “Well, I have supper on the stove, and your father is sleeping on the sofa, so be quiet when you come in.” She turned away and headed toward the front porch.

  “I better head home,” I said, feeling uneasy about what happened.

  “We know everyone who lives here,” Valerie said with uncertainty. “Even if someone didn’t like what Marty handed down… to break into their house and set their bed on fire? I don’t understand.”

  “It looks like we don’t know everyone as well as we might think.”

  “I’m really angry,” Valerie said.

  I nodded. “I know. And they’ll probably get away with this too,” I said, feeling a little deflated.

  Any confidence I may have had in the authorities to solve a crime faded after Florence’s murder. I could understand how the woman’s murder on Harlow’s farm was never solved. She was never identified. But Florence’s murder was much different. Someone knew she’d go into her fruit cellar at the end of her day. Just like someone knew the Nelsons would be at church.

  “Listen, I’d better go. I’ll stop by Mrs. Adleman’s when I get home from the farm tomorrow.” I grabbed her hands, leaned in, and kissed her soft lips. “I love you,” I whispered.

  “I love you, too.”

  “Remember, make sure all the doors and windows are locked at Mrs. Adleman’s. And don’t forget your gun,” I said, staring directly into her eyes.

  “Don’t worry; the gun will be by my side.”

  “Good!”

  “I better go in and help my mother. She’s probably wondering what’s taking me so long.”

  I nodded and gave her another kiss. “Okay, see you tomorrow,” I whispered.

  When I arrived home, I unlocked the door, stepped into the kitchen, and set the basket on the kitchen chair. The aroma of turkey soup filled the kitchen. My mother strolled in with a bright smile on her face.

  “I was wondering when you’d be home. Did you and Valerie have a good time at the lake?”

  “Yeah, it was really nice. We ended up renting a boat,” I said as I unpacked the basket, setting the glasses in the sink and the small jug of cider into the icebox.

  “How nice. That must have been fun.” She paused and gestured to the chair. “Can you sit down? I have something I need to talk to you about.”

  By the beaming grin on her face, I gathered she didn’t know about the fire at Nelson’s. I didn’t have it in me to tell her the bad news and dust any gloom onto her obvious joy.

  “What is it, Mom?” I sat down at the table and she sat down across from me.

  “Well, I was so excited to tell you. Now, I’m a little nervous.” She paused for a moment. “All right, let me start by asking. How do you feel about Joseph?”

  “I really like him.”

  “That’s important to me. He reallyis a wonderful man.” She anxiously rubbed her hands.

  “He’s always been really good to you. Why, Mom?” I asked, becoming a little impatient.

  “Joseph asked me to be his wife today,” my mother said as tears welled up in her eyes.

  “He asked you to marry him?” I asked, a little surprised.

  She nodded. “Yes.” She pulled a handkerchief out of her apron pocket and dabbed her eyes.

  “Did you say yes?”

  “Yes, but I accepted his proposal on the condition that you will give us your blessing and accept him into our family.”

  “Yes, of course... of course, I will accept him into our family. Mom, that’s so wonderful!” I gave her a tight hug as she began to sob, holding my arms close to her. “Why are you crying?”

  “Well, I’m so happy, and I also don’t want you to think that this means that I don’t still love your father. I really thought that after your father
died that I’d never marry again.”

  I sat back down and stared into her eyes. “I would never doubt that you still love Dad. But he wouldn’t want you to spend your life alone. He’d want you to move on and be happy.”

  “The years have gone by so fast, and you’ve grown into a fine young man. In a few years, you’ll be out on your own, married with your own family… And that would leave me here alone. I’ve come to realize that I don’t want to grow old alone.”

  “You love Joseph, don’t you?”

  “Yes, I do love him. He is a good man. And he’s from a good family; they’ve welcomed me like a daughter. And they are eager to meet you, their future grandson. I know you will grow to love them as I have. They are wonderful people.”

  “Did you two talk about when you’ll have the wedding?”

  “Late April or early May, when the weather is warmer. And it will give us time to plan.”

  “Did you tell Uncle John yet?”

  “No, I wanted to talk to you first. I wanted your blessing before I told anyone else.”

  “Of course you have my blessing.” I reached over and held her hand. “And I’m sure you have Dad’s approval, too.”

  “I’m so lucky to have such a wonderful son.” My mother stood up, gave me a kiss on the cheek, and dabbed her eyes. She stepped over to the counter, opened her purse, and pulled out a round silver ring box. She set it on the table and sat back down. “I told Joseph that I would wait for your approval before I would wear it.” She opened the box, placed a diamond ring on her left ring finger, and set her hand down on the table.

  “It’s beautiful,” I said. “I’m so happy for you, and for us.” I smiled.

  My mother reached over and grasped my hand. “Me too.” She nodded. “Well, I’m sure you’re hungry. Let me get you some soup.” She tucked her handkerchief into her apron pocket, grabbed two bowls out of the cupboard, and filled them to the brim. She set both bowls on the table and sat back down.

  I was so excited for my mom. The last time I saw her this happy was when my dad was alive. An image of her sitting on our sofa next to Uncle John the night my father died flashed in my mind. She was inconsolable. She kept asking, why? At that moment, I didn’t think she’d ever stop crying. I remembered Uncle John’s words: “We don’t know those answers. Only God knows why. But I promise the pain will lessen over time.” John’s promise held true and it was good to see my mom enjoying life again.