by Joan Rylen
A shadow passed across the table in front of Vivian and she looked up.
Tracy stood in the doorway, a concerned look on her face. She quickly wiped it away as she locked eyes with Vivian. “Having a nice time?”
30
Tracy walked in and glanced at the files spread out on her dining room table. “Hello, Nicole, good to see you,” she said with a smile.
Nicole waved her hand around the room. “Hi, there, I love what you’ve done with the B&B. Very quaint.”
“Thank you,” Tracy said. “Can I get anyone anything? A little lunch? We have pimento cheese, lunch meat, peanut butter…”
Vivian was horrified Tracy had walked in on them but tried not to let it show on her face. How much has she heard? If it’s just the last part that Nicole said, then we might be okay. Try to act normal. “You don’t have to do that, it’s a B&B, not a B&B&L.”
“I don’t mind,” Tracy said. “I like to take care of our guests.”
“Okay, you talked me into it. I’ll just have a sandwich and some hot tea.”
Wendy smiled at her. “I could use a pimiento cheese sandwich and a glass of water.”
“I could use something stronger, but I’d better not,” Kate joked and rubbed her belly. “I just had a BLT. Do you have something sweet back there?”
“How about some oatmeal raisin cookies?”
“Oh, yes, please, and thank you. With milk!”
Tracy looked at Nicole, smile still plastered to her face. “Anything for you? I made a batch of peanut butter cookies yesterday.”
Nicole shook her head. “Hot tea sounds nice, thanks.”
“Sure you don’t want a bite?”
“No, thanks. I’m allergic to peanuts, so I’m pretty cautious.”
“Oh, goodness,” Tracy said and put a hand to her heart. “I’d die. I love peanut butter cookies!” She walked toward the kitchen.
The girls exchanged nervous glances before Wendy asked in a low voice, “Any other important people we ought to know about?”
Nicole slid a file to Wendy and another to Vivian. “Just these two, and I don’t think it’s much. A football coach who worked with Mary Beth at the school. Brandon and he had a falling out, a jealousy thing. Also, the town recluse, Otto Treadwell. Grandpa tried to talk to him about Mary Beth, thinking that even though Otto was quiet and odd, he might be more attentive than anyone realized and therefore might know something. Other than those two, there are a few sex offenders in town, but not many.”
“Are the coach and recluse still around?” Kate asked.
“Coach Stubbs moved out of state years ago, and Otto passed away.”
Vivian wanted to talk to Tracy and try to see how much she’d heard. “I think I’ll go see if Tracy needs any help.” She walked into the kitchen. Food was on the counters and sandwiches were in the process of being made, but Tracy was nowhere in sight. Brandon had set some groceries on a small kitchen table and was just walking in the side door with another armful. “Let me help you with those,” Vivian said, reaching for a bag.
Brandon didn’t release it. “That’s okay, I’ve got it. You need something?”
“I was just coming to see if Tracy needed any help getting our lunch together.”
Tracy walked in the side door drying her hands on her jeans, then grabbed a paper towel. Her grey sweatshirt sleeve was wet and she began to pat it dry. “Go relax with the girls. I can make a couple of sandwiches and cups of tea.”
“I know this is bed and breakfast, no lunch and dinner included. Are you sure we aren’t imposing? I don’t mind helping.”
“No imposition.”
Vivian walked back into the dining room and whispered, “They’re both in there.”
Kate nodded. “Nicole was just telling us some ghost stories from around here. Great stuff, you gotta hear this one.”
Nicole started over. “I haven’t seen it, but lots of people swear it’s true. Not far from here, a young couple, still in their wedding garb, left the reception and headed toward Canada on their honeymoon. They never made it. Their car went out of control and plunged into a creek. Both the bride and groom died instantly.
“People say they’ve seen the husband walking the road at night, searching for his bride, calling out to her. Others have seen the bride wandering the road alone, still wearing her bloody, torn wedding dress. People say she jumps out at cars, trying to make them crash. A few reported that they’ve glanced in their rearview mirror and found her crying bloody tears in the back seat, but when they turned around, she had vanished.”
Vivian shivered. “I don’t know if I want to be driving around here at night anymore!”
Tracy walked in with a tray loaded with sandwiches and drinks. “You should be careful driving at night out here. If it’s not ghosts, its deer, raccoons or the occasional bear.” She set the tray down and then headed for the back door. “Enjoy.”
“Thanks,” Wendy said as the door swung closed. “Lots of strange and creepy stuff.”
“No kidding,” Vivian said and picked up her cup of tea. “And speaking of strange and creepy, what do y’all make of Brandon, Rebecca and the money?”
Nicole looked at Vivian with questions in her eyes, so the girls quietly filled her in on what they’d found in the crawl space.
“Wow, I knew he was loaded, but I didn’t realize to what extent,” Nicole said and then took a sip of hot tea. “Any idea what tea this is? It’s different.” She reached for the sugar and dumped some in.
“No idea,” Vivian said, “but I like it okay. I use Sweet ’N Low.”
Kate swallowed a bite of cookie. “Back to the money. It’s certainly incentive to kill her, but their sex life looked exciting so it makes me think he’d want to keep her around.”
“Maybe he got too rough, or just flat out abused her and accidentally killed her?” Wendy suggested. “He seems like a rough guy, and he bullies Tracy.”
“He’s definitely short-tempered,” Vivian said, “but how did he accidentally kill her in the woods? What were they doing out there, getting au naturel in nature, or did he kill her here and haul her out there to bury her? How did no one see him? I’m not sure I buy the accidental death theory.”
“Confirmation of Rebecca’s death does make me question Mary Beth’s drowning,” Wendy said.
“And you can bet the cops have been questioning the same thing,” Kate added.
“I’ll see if I can find out anything from the sheriff deputies,” Nicole said, then took another sip of tea. She made a face. “This takes some getting used to, kinda like Swiss chard or Brussel sprouts. It’s an acquired taste.”
The girls laughed, and then Kate told her about the message she’d received in her dream the night before. Nicole wrote it down. “No doubt she’s talking about the murders. Do you have dreams like this all the time?”
“Nowadays, only when I’m on vacation.”
Nicole closed her notepad. “Maybe the senior moment she’s talking about is my grandfather? I’ll see what I can come up with.”
They talked about lighter subjects while finishing lunch, then Nicole started gathering her files. “I know you girls have a hot date with a hot fireman, and I’ve got a story to write on Ms. Pumpkin Patch getting arrested for drunk and disorderly last night.”
“Uh oh, somebody might lose her prized carving knife.” Vivian laughed.
“And the kicker, she was with ‘Captain Carver’ himself, one of the judges!”
Everyone got a big kick out of that.
“I’m going.” Nicole closed the chrome briefcase and the girls walked her to the front door. “Have fun with your hose dragger.” Nicole winked at Vivian as she stepped onto the porch.
Kate closed the door, then looked at her watch. “Larson will be here any minute. I want to pack a small bag. I’ll meet you two out back in a few.”
Wendy, a.k.a. the walking pharmacy, also wanted to take a few things, so she and Kate ran upstairs. Vivian rocked on the back porch, enjoying the crisp air
. The smell of smoke blew her way, and it had her craving roasted marshmallows. She noticed Brandon and Tracy on the far side of one of the leaf piles in deep conversation. He clenched a fist before storming off toward the garage. Tracy stood still, staring after him.
Hmmm, wonder what that’s about?
Kate and Wendy walked out of the house just as Larson cruised up to the dock in a white, older Bayliner deck boat.
“He’s here!” Vivian yelled and hopped off the porch. She jogged down to the dock, trying to look sexy, skinny and athletic all rolled into one. Don’t be out of breath! Don’t be out of breath!
He waved and skillfully pulled alongside the dock.
Vivian pointed at the name of his boat, the Aqua Holic. “Nice,” she said.
He smiled at her. “Hey, sexy, grab this line, will you?” He tossed her a thick, white rope.
I guess my jog was successful!
31
Larson hopped off the boat, grabbed the line from Vivian and tied off. His brown hair was windblown but he looked warm in jeans and a brown flannel shirt. “Hi, ladies, everyone looks ravishing today.” He gave Vivian a hug, letting his hands linger at her waist. Then he took a step back. “You ready for some fun?”
“Mmm hmm,” she said. “So you better deliver.” She played with the button on his shirt.
He leaned down to her ear, nuzzling her neck a little. “Oh, I will.”
Goosebumps broke out over her whole body.
He broke away and shook hands with Wendy, then Kate. “Do we need to get or do anything special for you, little Mama? I want to make sure you’re taken care of.”
Kate smiled and patted a bag she had packed. “Got everything I need right here.” She took one more step and stumbled a bit. Vivian grabbed her arm and steadied her.
Kate looked down at the dock. “There’s an uneven board here. Y’all watch out.”
Larson took Kate’s bag, helped them aboard and got them situated. He opened a hatch along the port side. “I doubt we’ll need them, but lifejackets are in here. Anybody want one? Safety first!”
They all shook their heads no.
He pointed to a cooler in the bow. “I’ve got beer, a few sodas and bottles of water, along with grapes, sliced cheese and strawberries.” He looked starboard to Wendy. “Crackers are in the compartment underneath you. And then I’ve got a surprise for later when we stop for our picnic.”
“Wow,” Vivian said as she sat down in the captain chair opposite him. “Fancy-shmancy. Were you a Boy Scout? Or a chef in another life?”
He grinned and fired up the engine as Brandon walked out of the garage toward the dock. “Hey, Larson! Where you taking these girls? Not party cove, I trust.”
“I thought I’d cruise up to Moose Island,” Larson shouted over the engine. “Show ’em the hot spots.”
Brandon gave the man nod. “Gotcha. Take good care of my guests. Have fun!” He turned and headed back toward the garage, not bothering to look at Tracy as he walked by her.
Larson untied the line and pushed off the dock, then put the Bayliner in reverse and slowly headed to the center of the lake. The yellow, orange and red of the trees reflected in the ripples of the water. Vivian wanted to reach over the side and touch it but instead got herself and Wendy a beer; she handed Kate and Larson bottles of water.
Larson set his in a cup holder beside the wheel. “Too bad it’s not bikini weather. I’d take you three to Pulpit Rock. That, or we could at least ski or tube.”
“What’s that?” Wendy asked.
“Where we all go to cool off in the summer. Jump off the cliff, swim around.”
“No cliff jumping for me these days,” Kate said. “Not even in my younger days, but being hauled around the lake in a tube, that’d be fun.”
“It’s just nice to be out here,” Vivian said and gave him her best smile, “with you.” She was feeling flirtatious and a little naughty. He was adorable, single and lived far enough away, not to mention a fireman. How could this get any better?
“What’s on Moose Island?” Wendy asked, then took a sip of her Moose Island Ale. “This is pretty good.”
“In addition to being one of my favorite beers, it’s an undeveloped island in the middle of the lake,” Larson said. “There are two others, Buck and Hawk, but Moose is the largest and has a great camping spot where we can build a fire and cook an early dinner.”
“I love a man who can cook,” Vivian said.
Larson smiled and pushed the throttle down. He cruised around awhile, finally noticing the girls had all put on jackets. Wendy had brought Vivian’s.
“Sorry about that,” he said. “You’re all probably used to 110-degree weather. I love the cold and the wind and forget other people don’t.”
“The cold? Really?” Vivian took a sip of her beer, set the bottle in a cup holder and stuck her hands in her pockets. “I would have thought you like the heat, being a fireman and all.”
“I love the snow. I’m big into all the winter sports around here, but don’t get me wrong, I love the heat.” He winked at her. “But I worked this fire one time.” His gaze drifted across the lake and he paused. “It was so intensely hot that I’m surprised my insides didn’t boil.”
“What happened?” Kate asked.
Larson pointed to his left. “That’s Buck Island, quite a few nice homes on it.” He rubbed his chin. “We got called to a fire in a two-story, wood-framed house that the homeowner tried to extinguish himself instead of calling 911 right away. By the time it got called in and we got there, the house was gone. We saved his cat, but even Sparky had burns on a couple of paws and singed fur. We had to give him oxygen.” Larson shook his head and sighed as he steered left, going around the northern edge of the island.
The water was choppier and Vivian grasped the side of the boat to hold on. “I take it the guy didn’t get out since you named his cat.”
Larson looked over at her as she bounced along, grinned, then slowed a bit. “Shelter Straight is always rougher than the rest of the lake. Doesn’t take long to navigate, though.” He pushed the throttle down and got back to his story. “The homeowner, Derrick, was a single guy, a handyman, worked on everything from cars and tractors to kitchen sinks and houses. And he was a smoker.”
“I feel a public service announcement coming on,” Kate said and grinned.
“He’d done a few things for my parents over the years, and I even worked for him for a few months one summer as a teenager. I swear, he had every tool known to man. I had been in his basement a couple of times, and in addition to a ton of tools, I knew he had piles of wood, stacks of Sheetrock, paint cans, gas cans, car parts. He was down there, probably working on something, and a spark from his cigarette landed on a gas can. He was a four-pack-a-day smoker, and he drank a lot, too. Great guy if you could stand the smell of cigarettes, but he wasn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer.”
The boat bounced on a bigger wave, making Kate yelp. Larson slowed again, the current creating gentle rocks instead of the pounding slap just moments before. He looked back at her. “Sorry. You okay?”
She repositioned herself and gave him a thumbs up. “Just no more mega-bumps.”
“So what became of Derrick?” Wendy asked as she redid her windblown ponytail.
“Instead of getting out of the basement, he pulled his garden hose inside and tried to fight it himself. There was so much crap down there to feed the fire, he never had a chance. The carbon monoxide got to him, and he passed out before he knew what hit him. Stupid mistake. The smoke always kills before the fire.”
They rounded the southern edge of Moose Island and Vivian took in the scene across the lake. Geese were flying south in a V formation, and they reflected on the surface of the lake. Peaceful, except for the topic at hand. “How awful. He sounded helpful to have around.”
Larson shook his head again. “He was, and he could have made it if he’d just gotten out of the house. Trying to fight a fire yourself is never a good idea. Call in
the experts.”
As they cruised up the right side of the densely covered Moose Island, Wendy reached for a bottle of water, then tried to hand one to Vivian, who waved it off and pointed to a beer instead. Wendy got her another and then said, “When I was a kid, the oven at our house caught on fire. Mom had left for work, and my brother and I were cooking biscuits. All of a sudden we smelled smoke. Simon was a quick thinker and grabbed the fire extinguisher Dad had hung by the garage door years before. He put the fire out, no problem, but the house stunk for days.”
“I didn’t know that. Way to go, little brother!” Vivian clinked bottles with Wendy.
“He’s a pretty good brother. Saved the day there, worked on the car, drove us home from parties in high school.”
“I did not contribute to his corruption.” Kate laughed as Larson steered to the right, around the northern edge of Moose Island, and then pointed to a three-story log home. “That is exactly what I think of architecturally when I think of the Adirondacks.”
“It’s beautiful. We need to rent one of those next time,” Vivian said, taking it in. “That way we can stay away from may-be-murderers.”
Larson waved to a man sitting in an Adirondack chair on a balcony. “I see you’ve heard about Lake Placid’s biggest mystery.”
“Uhm, hello, we lived it, remember? I TOUCHED it, for goodness sake.”
Larson grinned. “I know, but I’m glad. I might not have met you otherwise.”
Vivian couldn’t complain, he was right.
He changed the subject. “I love the great camps. Perfect way to spend a vacation.”
“Camps?” Vivian asked. “I could fit three of my 2000-square-foot house in there.”
“That’s what we call them. Some of the houses date to the 1800s.” Larson turned south and soon pulled up to a dock on the island.
He held on to the dock while also helping the girls out of the boat. Once Kate was on solid ground he handed her bag over. Vivian grabbed bags of groceries and Wendy helped him with the cooler. He set down his end of the cooler and opened his arms in a grand gesture. “Here we are, Hopping Bear Point. One of my all-time favorite camping places.”