by Joan Rylen
Wendy directed Kate off the interstate and onto Highway 73. “Yeah, Shaun introduced me to Bruce’s sweet potato pancakes. Those are the bomb dot com with blueberries and pecans and smothered with agave nectar.”
“I realize you’re only on your first drink, but can you talk about Jake yet?” Kate asked.
The sun peeked through a break in the clouds as Wendy stuck her drink in the cup holder and pulled a tissue from her purse. “As y’all know, when we were at the New Orleans airport, I got the call that Jake had been in an accident. I changed my flight and went to Vegas instead of home to Houston. That morning the police found Jake’s rent car burned up in the desert. There was a body inside, burned beyond recognition.” Wendy wiped a tear and took a breath before continuing.
“The hotel’s security camera showed Jake leaving his room around 4:45 a.m., then getting the car out of valet. He headed east out of the casino, and the police were able to get footage from a gas station about a mile away. He filled the tank, paying at the pump, and left.” Tears ran down her face, and she didn’t bother to wipe them away.
“What was he doing driving out into the desert at that hour in the morning?” Kate asked.
“No one seems to know why he’d be out there at all. The police talked to his friends and they have no idea about any of it.”
Lucy took Wendy’s cup and mixed her a second vodka and cranberry. “Were the police able to identify who was in the car?”
Wendy took the drink and gulped, then said, “Telling everyone the wedding was off was hard enough, but telling the Las Vegas PD who Jake’s dentist was so they could get his dental records was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do in my life.” She took a ragged breath. “Then, finding out there wasn’t enough left of the teeth for the forensic dentist to identify the body, that was torture.”
Vivian patted Wendy’s shoulder. “It might not have been him, Wendy. Stay positive.”
Wendy shrugged. “But who else would it have been? And why were they in Jake’s car?”
“I’m so sorry you had to go through this,” Kate said, slowing down as they approached town.
Wendy sniffled. “Right as I walked out the door for the airport on the way to New Orleans, Jake gave me a kiss and told me he needed to talk to me about something when we got back from our bachelor and bachelorette weekend. He was pretty serious and I thought maybe he wanted to talk about finances, but I’ve been wondering about this ever since he disappeared. What did he want to tell me? What?”
They were quiet while Wendy stared out the windshield, still crying. Kate drove past the Olympic complex and Wendy gave Kate directions to the bed and breakfast.
Kate stopped at a red light beside a police car. “Uh, girls, drinks down. I don’t want to be the pregnant lady in jail.”
This made Wendy laugh, and she looked toward the lake. “Look, a rainbow. You can see both ends.”
“It’s the most vivid rainbow I’ve ever seen,” Vivian said. Every color was clearly defined against the next and almost seemed to glow and the yellow, orange and red of the trees made the scene all the more beautiful.
“The air is cleaner here,” Lucy said, putting away her Solo cup. “And look, there are two rainbows.”
Vivian rolled down her window and snapped a couple of pictures. “The kids will love this. And it’s got to be a good sign for this trip, don’t you think?”
Wendy, too, snapped a picture. “I’ll take just about anything as a good sign right now. I need Jake to come home.”
Kate squeezed Wendy’s shoulder. “He will.”
A stop sign and a few turns later, Kate pulled onto the dirt drive of Turlington Farms Bed and Breakfast. The humble, two story nineteenth-century farmhouse stood proudly in a grassy field, its cedar shakes long coated in a pleasant butter yellow hue. The house was trimmed in white and capped with a steep pitched roof and brick chimney. High in the gabled end of the attic, a narrow, arched window punctuated the siding. Lean-to porches flanked both sides of the house, and double-hung windows marched around the facade in a simple pattern.
A man in jeans and a red and black plaid shirt stepped out of the house and walked toward the car. He looked in his late 30s, in good shape, with unruly brown hair and a goatee. Once the car was stopped, he flashed a smile and opened Kate’s door. “Welcome, I’m Brandon Holt, proprietor, wood chopper, sometimes cook, always handyman.”
Kate got out of the SUV. “The cook part of that sounds really good right now.”
Brandon helped Vivian out of the back seat, which was no easy feat with all the groceries in the floorboard. A Dos Equis bottle fell to the ground and rolled between his work boots. He laughed and picked it up. “I see you girls have had some refreshments, but come inside and we’ll get you some more. You’re here just in time for our afternoon wine and cheese.”
“I’ll drink to that,” Lucy said and popped open the back hatch.
Brandon helped the girls get unloaded as they made introductions. “My wife, Tracy, is inside and will get you fixed up while I take your luggage to your rooms.”
The girls walked up the steps to the porch and the painted deck creaked under their feet. White rocking chairs and a small wooden bench promised a restful and much needed getaway spot. Vivian pulled open the screen door and they stepped inside. The living and dining were on either side of the foyer and stairs led up immediately from the door.
A woman with bottle blonde hair and a gymnast’s physique popped the cork on a bottle of red wine. “Hi, I’m Tracy Holt. Come on in, warm yourself by the fireplace. I’ll be right over with goodies for you.”
“Just water for me, please,” Kate said, looking around the house. “Where’s the restroom?”
The woman pointed under the stairs. “It’s right down there.”
A couple sat on the loveseat flanking the fireplace, and the man introduced themselves as Mitzie and Wendell Fincher, newlyweds. They wore matching pink polos with tan Dockers, except she wore the capri version. Mitzie’s perfectly placed hair was cut into a bob with the ends curled up. Her sunglasses rested atop her baby blue visor. Wendell’s sunglasses were tucked into the front of his shirt. They were from Wayne, Pa., and planned to stay five more nights before venturing to Vermont.
Vivian walked around the room, stretching her legs after the car ride. She stopped in front of the wooden sofa table covered in pictures and picked up a framed image of a younger Brandon with a tall, slender brunette holding hands on the front porch.
Brandon walked by on his way out the door.
Vivian showed him the picture and asked, “Who’s this?”
He smiled ruefully, “My first wife, Mary Beth. This was her family’s estate. It was her dream to open the bed and breakfast.”
“Oh, what happened to her?”
He took the picture from Vivian and cleaned off an invisible piece of dust before setting it down. “She died.”
4
Brandon walked out the front door and Vivian looked for Tracy but didn’t see her. She turned to the girls, who were seated around the fireplace with the newlyweds. “Oh my gosh, did you hear that? Brandon’s first wife died. How sad.”
Kate, who had just returned from the restroom, looked at the picture and said, “Poor thing. She was so pretty.”
Tracy walked out of the kitchen with three glasses of wine and Kate’s water. “So happy to have you with us for the week. Let me know if I can help you arrange any activities.”
Vivian took her wine glass and looked at the picture of Brandon and Mary Beth again. “So sad to hear about Brandon’s first wife.”
“I’ve tried to get him to put that picture away,” Tracy sighed and put the picture back into place, “but he insists.”
“How long ago did she die?” Lucy asked, swirling her wine.
“Guess it’s been over six years ago now. She drowned out in the lake.”
“That’s horrible,” Wendy said. “I’ve always had a fear of that.”
“Yeah
, and she loved to swim. It was a bad accident.” Tracy turned away and went into the kitchen.
The girls chatted with the Finchers about what they’d been doing in Lake Placid since their arrival. The newlyweds recommended touring the Olympic complex and raved about the Michelin-rated restaurant in town. “Their escargot is phenomenal,” Wendell said.
“And there’s the cutest little boutique next door,” Mitzie said between sips of her wine. “I bought the most amazing silk scarf there.”
Vivian didn’t take the Finchers for outdoorsy types and didn’t ask about hiking trails. She asked them about spas instead.
The Finchers told the girls all about the Placid Place Spa until Brandon came in carrying the cooler. He set it down and asked the girls, “Do you want to keep this in your room, or would you like us to keep this stuff in the refrigerator?” He pulled out the bottle of vodka and wiggled his eyebrows.
“In the fridge is fine, or the freezer for the vodka,” Lucy said.
“Will do. Now let me show you to your rooms.”
The girls followed Brandon to their adjoining rooms.
“This is pretty,” Wendy said, tossing her purse into a high-backed chair in her and Kate’s room. “Is there anything going on tonight?” she asked Brandon.
“We’ve got great star gazing off the dock out back with an Orion StarSeeker II you can use. There are a couple of bars in town, but otherwise, it’s pretty quiet around here. Let me know if you need anything at all,” he said and walked out of the room.
“We can’t sit here for hours,” Kate said.
“Let’s toodle around the lake,” Vivian said.
Wendy looked out the window. “There are some kayaks down by the water.”
Lucy walked up beside her. “Those are canoes. Kayaks are flat.”
Wendy shrugged. “Whatever. Details.”
“That sounds fun,” Vivian said. “I could use an upper body workout.” She jiggled the skin where her triceps should be.
“Indeed.” Lucy laughed and flexed her bicep. Living in Colorado for the last several years, Lucy had become an athlete and outdoor enthusiast. From aerobics to Zumba, hiking fourteeners to rafting class fives, she embraced it all, and her muscular physique proved it.
Wendy turned to Kate. “You okay going out there being preggo and all?”
“Definitely. I swim at my gym all the time. And these arms could use some working out, too. I need to build up my mom arms.”
“You look fantastic,” Vivian said. “What’ve you gained, two pounds?”
Kate looked in the mirror and lifted her boobs. “I’ve gained seven, and I think it’s mostly here.” Other than her pooch and her bigger than usual breasts, Kate was as slender as ever. Her long, straight, light-brown hair was extra shiny, and her cheeks were extra rosy. Her almond-shaped brown eyes reflected her Taiwanese heritage and sparkled with happiness.
“So not fair,” Vivian said. “I gained 53 with the twins! I looked like a submarine.”
Wendy pulled a sweater over her head. “You were ginormous, it’s true, but you did a good job losing it. Your submarine sank.”
Lucy then slipped on her Northface jacket and stuck a brown newsboy hat on her head. “Let’s grab some paddles and get up a creek!”
The girls traipsed downstairs, found Tracy in the kitchen and inquired about the canoes Wendy had seen from the window.
Tracy wiped her hands on a kitchen towel. “They’re for you to use any time, but let me get you the life jackets.”
“We’re all strong swimmers,” Lucy said. “And I don’t think any of us plan on going for a dip, it’s too chilly.”
“I’d prefer you wore them, or at least had them in the boat. I don’t want to lose anyone else I know to a drowning.”
Vivian felt a little bad. “Okay, we’ll take them with us.”
One canoe was ready to go on the shore, two life jackets already inside. Tracy walked to the wooden rack that held three additional canoes. She picked up the end of one and set it down, grabbed the other end and got it off the rack, then flipped the canoe over and pushed it alongside the other. She went into the boathouse and grabbed two paddles off the wall.
Wendy admired the Chris-Craft powerboat resting on a lift, hovering five feet above the water. “Too bad it’s too cold to ski, that’d be fun.”
“I don’t know why Brandon bought that thing. He prefers to go out in a canoe.” Tracy looked at the boat in distain before getting two life jackets out of a built-in storage cabinet.
Ready to roll, the girls got the canoes close to the water before Kate and Vivian each jumped in and Wendy and Lucy shoved them off, then hopped in themselves.
Wendy started paddling and looked out over the lake. “Which way?”
The lake was surrounded by short, stubby mountains, the opposite of the Rockies and their sharp, dramatic peaks. The fall foliage and tall pine trees reflected a multitude of yellow, orange and red along the edge. The wind blew gentle ripples across the water, but with the occasional gust, the ripples turned into small waves.
Vivian put down her paddle and zipped up her neoprene jacket.
“Hey, no slacking up there,” Lucy joked and smacked her paddle in the water, which splashed Vivian.
“You better watch it!” Vivian said, picking up her paddle and splashing her back. “I’ll rock this boat and send you overboard.”
“Yeah, yeah, good luck with that,” Lucy said and looked around. “Let’s go against the wind to start and head that way.” She pointed to their right. “That way, if we get tired, we’ll at least have the wind at our backs to return.”
They paddled around the lake, taking silly pictures and admiring the beautiful colors.
“This is so peaceful and the leaves are gorgeous,,” Kate said, laying her paddle across her knees. “So opposite of Texas where everything goes from green to brown quickly. Hardly any brilliant shades of red, orange or yellow for us.”
“Last Thanksgiving when Jake and I went to North Carolina I was super impressed with their fall foliage,” Wendy said. Their canoe drifted along next to the other. “Guess I won’t have a reason to go there any time soon.”
“Don’t give up,” Kate said.
Lucy asked, “Could Jake have gotten carjacked?”
“Maybe, but then where is he?” Wendy said. “They had no John Doe’s that fit his description in any of their ERs or hospitals. He’s not in jail. He just disappeared.” Tears welled in her eyes. “He’s not the kind of guy to just up and walk out of his life, leave his family and me. We were about to get married. I know him and something’s not right.”
Vivian leaned over and grabbed their canoe, pulling it even with Lucy. “Of course he isn’t that kind of guy, Wendy. Somehow, he’ll turn up.” God, I hope I’m not lying! Vivian thought.
Wendy covered her face with her hands, crying. “I met his parents for a week in Vegas after it all happened, but there was nothing we could do. They stayed for a month, and nothing new turned up. It was so sad when they left. They felt so helpless, and so did I.”
Lucy pulled her hat down, fighting with the wind. “This is going to sound crazy, but I’ve been to Roswell. Could he have been abducted by aliens?”
“Lucy!” Kate gave her a stern look.
“I know, but come on! How far is Vegas from Area 51? I mean, he just disappeared. That doesn’t just happen. What other explanations can there be? Haven’t y’all ever seen the X-Files?”
“I doubt it was aliens,” Vivian said.
“Why would someone else be in his rental car?” Kate asked. “Maybe he picked up a hitchhiker?”
“I have tried to come up with a zillion different scenarios and have shared them all with the police,” Wendy said. “No one seems to know anything.”
The sun dipped low, getting closer to the mountain peaks, and the air was getting chilly.
“We better head back to the house,” Vivian said. “It’ll be dark out here soon. Don’t want to run into the boogeyman.�
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Just then, a gust of wind blew across them, blowing Lucy’s cap off her head. Instinctively she reached for it and flung herself right out of the canoe.
Vivian clung to the sides, desperately trying to keep the entire thing from flipping. She looked at her empty canoe and screamed, “WOMAN OVERBOARD!”
5
Lucy broke the surface of the lake, sputtering and shrieking. “Holy shit, it’s cold! Vivian, hurry, get me out of here!”
Vivian leaned forward, reaching for Lucy’s hands. “Don’t pull me in with you!”
“Wait, I can touch,” Lucy said, and she stood up. The water was above her waist and she was able to fling herself inside the canoe.
Kate was busy snapping pictures while Wendy took off her jacket, then tossed it to Lucy. Vivian followed suit.
“Have a nice dip?” Wendy asked.
“I’m freezing,” Lucy said, grabbing both jackets and wrapping them around herself.
“You should get naked,” Vivian said between laughs. “That’s what Bear Grylls does.”
“Who?” Kate asked.
“He’s a survivor guy on TV. Any time he falls in cold water he gets naked. It’s the only reason I watch the show!”
Lucy squeezed the water out of her hat. “Let’s get moving before I become a cryogenics experiment.”
They hustled across the lake, happy the wind was pushing them along. Lucy paddled like a mad woman, working to get warm.
As they passed the boathouse, Wendy indicated to the Chris-Craft perched above the water. “I wonder who Becky Lou is?”
The canoe hit land and Lucy jumped out. “Who cares!” She ran toward the house, leaving the other three behind.
Vivian carefully maneuvered herself to the front of the canoe and stepped out, then dragged it up the shore a bit so it wouldn’t float off. “Becky Lou what?”
“That’s the name of their ski boat,” Wendy said, helping Kate onto land.
“I hadn’t noticed,” Vivian said. “Do you think we need to re-rack these things?”