by SK Wee
“I’m sure he can take care of himself, Joan. Come on, I promised Mom I would help her with dinner. Come along and tell me what kind of dress you’re planning to wear to the prom.” She happily regaled me on all the current fashion trends and what she thought would look the best on her.
The subject of Rich wasn’t brought up at all that evening, which I’m quite sure I can thank my mother for. Somehow she always knew how to handle the people around her. I sat and helped Em with her geometry assignment before going back upstairs to go to bed.
Though I woke up early the next morning, I waited until I heard the bus go by before I ventured down the stairs. Mom was cleaning up from breakfast and handed me a cup of coffee. There was something so comforting about sitting here with her even though I knew she would want to know what was going on. I decided to take the initiative and began my tale.
“Almost three years ago, when Lizzie was just a baby, Rich started having an affair.” As my mother continued with her chores, I spilled all of our dirty laundry. I told her about Cal coming to the house and how I now realized that it was possible that Rich could have left the house that evening when Bonnie was killed. Then, I told her about what I walked in on at the store. I told the whole story without any sort of feeling at all and realized that I really didn’t feel much at all. Not anger, not betrayal, nothing.
She sat down opposite me, and I could see the compassion in her eyes. Love, understanding, and concern were all evident in her face and tone. “Sweetie, there’s probably even more you don’t know about. I heard of two young women that quit the store in recent years because of him. I didn’t have any sort of proof and was not going to spread unproven rumors, but I think you should know now. I truly didn’t believe them myself until hearing what you have said. Now, I think they probably were telling the truth. What I don’t believe is that he had anything to do with that murder. We stayed with him for quite a while after you went to bed and I really doubt that he left that night.”
“I don’t believe it either, Mom. I went for counseling with Pastor Dale yesterday, and some of the questions he asked made my mind travel in that direction. But you’re right, I can’t believe that he is capable of anything like that. Rich tries to validate all his bad behavior but he’s doesn’t hide from it.” I believed Rich felt justified in all of his choices and would never actually hurt anyone to keep them quiet.
Rich called about mid-morning and wanted to talk about my coming back. He said that Lenore would be leaving in another week and he had no one else trained to do the accounting. I told him that I would not be returning to the house, but I would try to work something out with the bookwork. I thought that I could stop by and pick up the paperwork every day and do the actual work at my parents’ house so I wouldn’t have to spend any time with him.
When I went to town for my appointment with Tara, I stopped at the store to discuss the possibility with Rich. He got angry with me and accused me of sabotaging the business. By the time I got in to see Tara, I was frustrated and upset.
“Tara, I feel like I should get a total make-over. Hair, makeup, the works. I hate my life right now, I just hate it.”
“Then you shouldn’t do anything at all, sweetie. Wait until you calm down and can think things through. I know that soon everything will look much better for you.” Tara was probably right, I was not in any condition to make rational choices right now.
“You’re right, of course. Someday though, my friend, someday.” I told Tara about everything that happened since I last talked to her. She was outraged about what I caught Rich doing and was very happy that I was no longer living with him.
“He doesn’t deserve you. He’s a rat and a lecher. I’ll bet Deputy Wagner will be getting his DNA also. He came by the Landing and got everyone’s, including mine. Everyone who worked there, so I guess that proves that Bonnie was murdered. Why else would he want it? He won’t say anything about the case though. I tried to get information from him, but he wouldn’t say a thing.”
“Cal’s a professional and I think he truly loves his job. I doubt he would make any mistakes.”
“Well, he certainly didn’t seem professional when he swabbed my mouth. He made me feel like he wanted to swab something else.”
“Tara! Cal’s not like that at all. You must be imagining things. Though you must admit that most any living, breathing man must look at you and sigh.”
“Ha, not hardly. Come on, I’m done here. Let’s go get some lunch. I have to get back to the Landing by four.”
Chapter Eight
Tara
Lunch with Fee was enlightening, I really felt sorry for her but at the same time, I knew she was a strong woman and would be all right. Just thinking about what she had gone through with Lizzie and then her lecherous husband made me want to curl up in a ball. I don’t know what I would do if Raine ever treated me like that.
When I got back to the Landing, I noticed that Vince was already drunk. He was drinking even more since they found Bonnie’s body. Some nights he didn’t even make it upstairs to his apartment. Instead, he would pass out on the bar, and we would need to get him into his office and onto the sofa.
Since I stopped to pick up a few things for the kitchen, I went to Vince’s office to put the receipt in the bin. That’s when I found Logan at Vince’s desk working on the laptop.
“What are you doing in here? Does Vince know you’re in here?” My suspicions of Logan were still strong and seeing him in there made them skyrocket.
“Huh? Oh yeah, I took over the accounting. Evidently, Bonnie was doing it before, and Vince wasn’t sure how to work the program she was using. I’m familiar with these programs and offered my services. What do you have there? Oh, I can take care of this right away for you.” Logan took the receipt from my hand and started clicking away on the laptop. I didn’t know Bonnie was doing the bookwork for the resort so I was somewhat skeptical, but he did seem to know what he was doing.
Since I mentioned to Cal about checking out Logan’s background, I had never heard anything back from him. Of course, even if he did find something suspicious, it wasn’t likely that Cal would tell me anything. I thought maybe I could do some of my own research, just in case Cal had forgotten about it.
Marge was helping in the kitchen when I walked through. I rarely saw her since Bonnie went missing. “Hello, Marge. It’s good to see you up and about. Doris said you had a terrible cold the last couple of weeks.”
“Hello, dear.” She still sounded congested. “I’m still sick, but I was getting even sicker of that apartment upstairs. I needed some different scenery. Doris won’t let me touch anything in the kitchen though. Says I still have too many germs.” Marge sniffed loudly but then started a coughing fit that sounded terrible.
“Maybe you should go to the clinic, Marge. I’ll take you over there if you want. That cough sounds really bad. I’m sure they have something that will help.”
“No.” She was cut off by more coughing “No thanks, dear, I’ve got more medicine upstairs than anyone would ever need. It just takes some time is all. I’ll be fine, but now I’m ready to go back upstairs and lie down. Oh, here’s Logan.” Logan walked into to kitchen from the office. “Logan, could you please help me back upstairs, sweetie?”
“I sure can, Marge. Want me to carry you?” Marge chuckled at that and started coughing once more.
“I just need to lean on a big, strong man.” Logan took hold of her around her waist and helped her over to the staircase, which was located between the kitchen and the office.
“What a wonderful young man that Logan is.” Doris went back to work with a long sigh. My suspicions felt like pinpricks up and down my spine. Why couldn’t everyone else see that the man was up to something?
There were a few people already coming in to eat as I found a clean apron and got to work. I didn’t expect a full house, but now that the news was out about Bonnie a few curious customers were coming in. They were usually disappointed that we really didn�
�t know any more than they did. As the evening continued, the business was steady. Logan came back down and was helping in all areas—bar, clearing tables, and helping in the kitchen. He seemed to get along with everyone but I knew he was just putting on a show. There was more to Logan Tate, much more, and I was going to find out what it was.
Vince sat through it all, one drink after another. I knew this would be another night he wouldn’t make it up the stairs. Somehow we would need to get him into his office. Doris cleaned and left the kitchen by eleven, but I didn’t want to go back to my apartment until I knew Vince was safe somewhere sleeping it off.
“Vince, are you ready to call it a night?” I sat down next to him at the bar. Logan was still there helping Alan behind the bar. There were still three guys sitting at the other end of the bar arguing about some sporting event, but they looked like they were nearly ready to leave also.
“Jush one more, then I’ll go. One more for my Bonnie.” Though he didn’t say it very loud, the men at the other end all stopped talking and were now looking at him.
“Hush, Vince. Okay, I’ll have one with you, and then we’ll get you tucked in for the night.”
“That’s my girl, Tara. Raine is one lucky bastard!” Vince ordered us each a double, which was enough to help me sleep through the night and he had been drinking them all night. The three customers left, probably disappointed they wouldn’t hear any good gossip about Bonnie. Once we finished the whiskey, I got up and took one of his arms, with Logan on the other side to help me steer Vince to the other end of the building. Alan looked at me to see if I needed help but I shook my head.
Vince was wobbly as we escorted him to the back of the building and toward his office. He turned to start up the stairs, but Logan kept him going to the open office. “Come in here, Vince. We’ll set you up on the sofa.” Logan tried to coax him on but Vince had stopped.
“No, I want to go upstairs, that sofa isn’t nearly big enough for me. The last time I slept on it . . . my back . . .” Vince stopped mid-sentence and swung his arm out of my grasp. He was gasping for breath.
“Logan, do something! He can’t breathe!” Logan still had his other arm and tried to drag him into the office.
“Vince! Get in here and sit down.” I ran around the other side of Vince and through the door to get his big office chair. Hopefully, if he sat and rested, he could catch his breath. When I turned with the chair, Vince fell to the floor and it looked like he was clutching his chest. “Tara, call 9-1-1! Hurry! I think he’s having a heart attack.”
As I ran for the phone, Logan sat across Vince’s chest and started CPR. I got the 9-1-1 operator and told her everything that was happening. There was an ambulance available through the hospital in town and it was dispatched right away. She wanted me to stay on the phone so I ran with the phone to tell Alan to go outside and watch for the ambulance. When I got back to the office, I could tell Logan was not having very good luck. He was swearing and yelling at Vince to hang on. I really didn’t think Vince heard him or anything else by that time.
It took all of us to get Vince out to the ambulance. They sent two big, strong men but they still needed some help to get Vince loaded up. They immediately got the paddles on him and tried to shock his heart but everything they tried was unsuccessful. They declared Vince dead as soon as he arrived at the hospital. Both Logan and Alan stayed to help Marge through the night. We contacted the Red Cross so they could get in touch with Raine’s unit in Turkey and I called Raine’s sister, Abby, who was married and living in the Chicago area. Ever since she married and got out of the area she seldom had any contact with her family. But she was glad that I called and said she would be there as soon as she could.
By the time we got everything settled, it was mid-morning and I hadn’t been to bed yet. To his credit, Logan was still there also. Alan had gone home hours earlier, but he had small children at home he needed to care for.
“Tara, go get some rest. I’ll wake you if we need you for anything. You look exhausted.” Logan looked concerned, and I couldn’t help but feel a little guilty for my earlier suspicions.
“Wake me if you hear anything from Raine, please. You should get some rest also, Logan. You haven’t been to bed yet either.” I left them and trudged up the stairs to my little apartment. It seemed so strange that I would not hear the heavy footfalls of Vince stomping up the stairs ever again.
Because I didn’t want to sleep too soundly, I plopped down on my small sofa fully clothed. It seemed like seconds passed when I was roused from sleep.
“Tara! Wake up! Raine is on the phone.” Logan was kneeling next to my sofa with the phone. He looked like he still hadn’t slept at all.
“Thanks.” I grabbed the phone and tried to swallow so I could talk. “Raine?”
“Hey, baby. I’m on my way home. I wish I would have been there. Damn it! But I’m on my way. The flight leaves in just a few minutes Then I have to switch planes at JFK to get to Chicago. I’m going to meet Abby in Chicago and drive up from there. It’s almost a full day of travel time, but I’m on my way, baby.”
“Oh, Raine. I wish it was under better circumstances but I sure will be happy to see you. How I miss you, baby.”
“Hey, did you hear that? We’re boarding! I’m on my way! See you soon, baby!” I heard the click, Well, at least I’ll have Raine with me soon.
When I looked around, I noticed that Logan must have leaned back against my other chair and was fast asleep. I decided he earned his nap and set the phone down and went back to sleep. The next time I woke up, Logan was gone and I knew it was late in the day. There was no way Raine would be home until the following day, so I decided to go see how Marge was coping. Their apartment was much larger and at the end of the hallway. There were two more small efficiency apartments between mine and theirs, but they were not being used. During peak season they would be made available for their summer help.
As I neared the door, I could hear Marge’s coughing. She was still ailing and now she also had to deal with all this other stuff. I knocked lightly and opened their door. Marge was sitting in the living room with Doris, at least she had one good friend nearby.
“Tara, I was wondering how long you were going to sleep. You needed your rest though. Thank you for everything you did last night. Logan told me how great you were through the whole ordeal.” His praise surprised me. I didn’t think Logan liked me any more than I liked him.
“Marge, I just wanted to make sure you were all right. I know you’re still not feeling well and then to have to deal with everything else . . .”
“We’ve closed the bar and restaurant until further notice. I can’t continue to run it, and I’ll have to wait until Raine and Abby get here to see what they want to do. Don’t you agree?”
“Yes, that’s a good idea to close it for now. Business has been slow anyhow. I know I talked to Raine this morning, but I don’t know what time it was or how long he’ll be in the air. I hope he calls once he gets to New York.”
“I spoke with both of my children this morning. I’m glad they will be arriving together. They haven’t seen each other for years, and now they will be forced to spend an eight or nine-hour drive together.”
“Is Abby bringing her family along?” I knew Abby had a couple of children and her husband had a corporate job with some software company.
“No, she’s leaving the children with the nanny and her husband is too busy.” Marge discussed some of the arrangements, which were already made. The Purton funeral home was handling the cremation and burial. Vince had made it known that he only wanted a small graveside memorial service.
Once I left the two women, I returned to my apartment and started to clean. I wanted to make sure it was spotless before Raine got there because I didn’t think I’d get too much of a chance once he arrived. My thoughts probably should have been with how he would handle his grief, but I could only think about other more romantic moments that I wanted to share with him. I hadn’t spent a night wit
h him in nearly a year, and the thought had me twitching and squirming. I decided I needed a long, relaxing soak in the tub.
Later in the evening, Raine called. He had landed in New York and was ready to board a plane to Chicago. He didn’t sound quite so devastated, I think he was sharing similar thoughts like mine. Our prolonged celibacy was nearing the end. I didn’t hear from him again until I heard someone running down the hall and up and down the stairs. I opened the door of my apartment, it was nearly noon, and I could hear his voice down below.
When I ran down the stairs, there he was. What a wonderful, beautiful sight. Raine was a very good-looking man and looked even more mature and sexier if that was even possible. I used to love his long straight hair, but the military cut suited him well. He seemed to have flourished since he was gone, but now, here he was standing in front of me.
“Raine, oh, Raine! How I’ve missed you!” He took me into his arms and we kissed and kissed some more. His family was standing there watching so the kisses didn’t go quite as deep as I would have liked, but I still was beyond flustered when he let go of me.
“Well, let’s get situated and then we can sit and talk.” Raine and Abby brought their suitcases upstairs. Raine brought his into my apartment, and I followed him in and shut the door.
“Raine.” That was all I got out as he grabbed hold of me and within seconds had all of my clothes on the floor. I might have aided in that accomplishment, I was so very excited I could hardly stand it as I tore at his clothes. He laughed at my attempts to get his uniform unbuttoned. How many buttons were on it? If it wasn’t everything I had envisioned it would be, I felt sure it was because it had been so very long. Raine seemed to express some of his pain during the process. It seemed like there was a sense of violence just beneath the surface that I didn’t remember ever feeling from him before.