Larkin's Landing_A Tombora Springs Mystery

by SK Wee

  “I know that friends or relatives should never become business partners,” Tara explained. “But I truly believe the problem comes from lack of communication and fighting over control. I know deep down that I’m not cut out to run any sort of business. I will consider your offer if you buy both Marge’s half and another percent of mine, thus, you will have all the control.” Though Tara proclaimed to have zero business sense, her rationale was quite businesslike.

  “Okay, but we’ll still be partners, and I think you’re right about the communication issue. We need to discuss everything.” And we did. We talked about the campground, landscaping, bar specials, restaurant changes, and everything in between. When we met with Charles, our lawyer, we already had an agreement lined up. He went through all the items that we hadn’t thought about, but we agreed on every single point.

  Marge and Abbey left soon after, and I took over Marge’s old two-bedroom apartment. We brought back the employees and opened the bar and restaurant with limited hours, mainly just the weekends. When Logan returned to work, I will admit I found it hard to ignore him. I had truly believed the one time experience with him would be enough, something I could always savor, but I was wrong. Every time he was near, I felt the sparks fly. I needed him to show me the bookkeeping system he had been using and sitting so close to him while he tutored me on an accounting program I was already familiar with became almost painful.

  “You’re not paying attention to what I’m saying.” I could tell he wasn’t irritated as the statement was laced with humor. “Do you have something else on your mind? I wonder what that could be.” He started moving his hands up and down my thighs and I felt a tingling sensation deep inside my core, with pressure building. All I could do was moan as he once again managed to divest me of all my clothing. This time I didn’t even think to stop him. I wanted—no needed—him inside of me. He cleared off an area of the desk and took me there. Once again, for the second time in my life, I experienced what I could only describe as an explosive orgasm.

  “Does that happen every time? That’s not possible, is it?” I thought if I had such an enlightening experience every time I had sex, I would never leave my bed. I didn’t receive any answer but hadn’t expected any, though I did hear his chuckle.

  Just as I grabbed my clothes and went to the small adjoining bathroom to get cleaned up, I heard the door to the office open. Logan must have left the office. I was humming happily while I dressed so when I came out the door, I was surprised to find Tara standing beside it, arms folded, with a severe-looking frown marring her face.

  “What’s wrong?” I felt so happy and fulfilled at that moment that I don’t think anything could have upset me.

  “You, Fee, that’s what’s wrong. I can’t believe it! I saw Logan leave the office and came to see how you were doing. I can smell sex, for God’s sake. I know what happened in this office. Fee, he’s a married man! What are you thinking?” Her disapproval was quite apparent, and I couldn’t figure out myself why I felt no regret or any guilt. I was too happy.

  “Oh, I know he’s married, but for some reason, he sets a fire inside of me and I can’t do anything about it. I’m twenty-eight, Tara. I was married for seven years and only recently have I ever experienced any sort of pleasure with sex. I know he’s not for me, but I don’t regret how he makes me feel.”

  “I just don’t want you to get hurt by that man. There’s something strange about him that I’ve yet to figure out and I think you are pretty naïve with men.”

  “Don’t worry about me. I thought one time would be enough, but the second time was even better. It’s not my heart involved, Tara, just the rest of my body.” That wasn’t exactly true, Logan did melt my heart but he sure set the rest on fire.

  “Two times?” I explained about the first time when I ran out of the Landing because Mel was in the kitchen. Tara seemed satisfied with my explanation and even expressed her surprise that I never experienced a climax prior to Logan. When he came in a couple of days later saying his wife was being transferred and they were moving, I wasn’t upset. It was actually a relief that I no longer had contact with him.

  Details trickled in about what was behind Bonnie’s murder and Pastor Dale’s role in it. He was probably offered a lighter sentence if he provided all the details of the operation. Bonnie, whose real name was Valerie, had been doctoring the accounts of the Landing for over two years. When she tried to end her association with Pastor Dale, he ordered one of his flunkies to take her out. Cal had been suspicious of Bonnie’s neighbor all along because he was the one who swore he saw Rich near Bonnie’s cabin on that evening, even though he had a strong alibi. Dale not only incriminated Russ Hughes as Bonnie’s murderer, but six others were also arrested and charged with crimes related to the prescription drug bust.

  With all these nasty details behind us, both of us immersed ourselves into running the Landing. There was one item I hadn’t discussed with Tara at all. It was one of the improvements I wanted to make with an old garage that was attached to the north side of the building. I still had a portion of my savings left and decided I wanted to set her up with her own little beauty salon. She no longer rented a chair at the beauty shop in Tombora Springs and I knew she missed the work. My two older brothers owned and operated a construction company together, and I hired them to do the renovation. I told Tara I wanted the garage for outdoor events and she didn’t question me at all.

  Once the work was completed, Tara was thrilled when I unveiled the remodeled room. She now had a couple of salon chairs, an attached bathroom, plus everything she needed to get started. I was sure many of the campers would love to spend some of their money getting their hair done. In fact, I was one of her first clients. I even let her cut my hair, which had not been cut since I was a toddler. New beginnings.

  The maintenance men who worked the campground returned to their jobs in mid-May. Our grand opening was Memorial Day weekend. There were many seasonal sites for campers, and we were about eighty percent booked from the previous year. The rest of the sites were on a first-come basis and we began to receive reservations for them before the first of May.

  My sister, Joan, graduated high school at the end of May and needed a summer job. I was happy to hire her for kitchen help, and she moved in with me for the summer in my two-bedroom apartment. I used many of my old family recipes for the new menu. I worked with Doris to come up with a daily special. We tried to have some home-cooked meals that would tempt the campers. They could have burgers anytime at their campsites. We also decided to offer delivery service to the campsites. Many of the campers were delighted with this added amenity.

  As the summer started and business grew, we kept busy. Many men came through—rugged, good-looking men, many of whom attempted to ask me out but I wasn’t interested in any of them. There weren’t any of the sparks I had found with Logan. I originally believed that once he was gone from my life, I wouldn’t think about him but I was wrong. Every night I lay in bed thinking about what it would feel like to have him beside me.

  By mid-summer, with parties in full swing and the business booming, I realized another truth, I was pregnant. I wasn’t sure if it was our first encounter or the second, those days were so foggy in my memory. At first, I was scared to bring a baby into this world by myself, but the more I thought about, it the happier I was. I had Tara and together we could do anything.

  When I broke the news to Tara, at first, she was furious. “You mean that lecher didn’t even use protection? He could have given you all sorts of diseases.” I know she thought I was inexperienced but I truly believed fate had stepped in and this was meant to be.

  “We’re going to be fine.” I reassured her. “You’re going to make the best aunt in the whole world.” Her eyes lit up when I said that and I knew she was on my side. We really would be fine.

  Most of my family stayed away from the Landing, except my second oldest brother, Dave, and his wife, April. They came by nearly every week to see how we were doing
. I was confident that he related everything back to my mother.

  We set up a family picnic just before Joan left for college. I used one of the outdoor pavilions for the feast. That way none of them could complain about being near where we served alcohol. I was just beginning to show in my pregnancy and wanted them all to hear the news directly from me.

  My sister, Marsha, was due in October and already looked like she was ready to deliver. Her husband, Travis, didn’t seem all that happy with any of it, though, and I had to wonder how they were getting along. I didn’t see any sort of chemistry between the two. I was reminded of Rich and me when we were together.

  When I greeted my parents, my mom immediately looked from my shortened hair down at my growing abdomen with a question in her eyes. I’m not sure how she could have picked up on it so quickly. Most of the customers still did not know.

  “Yes, Mother, I’m excited to inform both of you that I am pregnant and due early January. No, Rich is not the father, and no I’m not going to tell you who is. This was my choice, and I’m very happy with all my decisions and my life as it is.” My father looked angry, he shook his head and walked away. My mother took me aside to try to get more details, but I just repeated that the father was out of the picture but I would happily raise the child on my own, and in fact was getting very excited about it.

  Marsha wasn’t all that thrilled either, but I think it was more because she no longer held everyone’s attention. She mentioned something under her breath about the devil’s spawn and sins of the parents. I wasn’t too interested in what any of them thought. This was my life now and if they couldn’t accept it, they were the ones who would lose out.

  Right after Labor Day, Joan left for college down in Madison. I was happy she was about to embark on a new journey in her life and felt she was much more prepared than I had been. One thing I realized as I got older was that being locked away from certain aspects of daily living did not help you cope with life. Joan now had experience dealing with obnoxious drunks and sweet-talking young men. She would be better able to handle college life than I was at her age. We had grown very close over the summer, and I would truly miss her.

  Though the campground was still open through September, we began operating at reduced hours. We only opened for dinner during weekdays and full days on the weekends. I loved the fact that I could sleep in during the week and was surprised one late morning by someone knocking on my door. Assuming it could only be Tara, I yelled for her to come in while I grabbed my old, worn-out robe. I was stunned when I entered the kitchen and it wasn’t Tara standing there, but Logan.

  He still took my breath away, even after the months I had not seen him. I could feel my heart beating wildly. He looked just as devilishly handsome as always. Old, washed-out jeans, ripped, sleeveless T-shirt, a couple of days worth of beard growth, his hair wildly shaggy, and his eyes a brilliant emerald that could stop any woman in their tracks. One new characteristic was that he had his left arm in a sling and I could see a portion of a bandage on his left shoulder.

  “Logan. Umm . . . what are you doing here?” I was suddenly conscious of my old threadbare robe, bare feet, and I had yet to shower.

  “Sweetheart, what did you do to your beautiful hair? Why would you cut all that off?” I reached up and felt my hair. It was so much easier to take care of that I really didn’t miss my long hair at all. I heard his gasp when my arms went up to straighten out my short mop and could tell that he noticed my waistline. “Are you . . .?”

  Though I wanted to discuss the issue with him, I had other ideas first, just in case the baby thing changed that initial desire I saw lurking in his eyes. I wanted to take full advantage of that. After months of picturing this man in my apartment and in my bed, that was where I wanted him. After all, the damage was done.

  “We can talk later.” I put a finger to his lips to stop his next comment. “Right now I have something else I’m more interested in.” I took hold of his good arm and pulled him into my bedroom. I was a little embarrassed that I had yet to make the bed, but it would get some use anyhow. I impatiently started pulling on his shirt to get it removed. Logan helped by removing his sling. Both times I was with this man, I was completely naked and he had never removed any of his clothing. The tables were turned now—I wanted to see everything, touch everything. My dreams would become a reality.

  “I’ve dreamt of you naked in this bed for months and you will not deny me, not this time, Logan Tate.” I got his jeans unzipped and was yanking them down. He had already removed my robe and the nightgown I wore beneath it. I’m not even sure when that happened, but he plopped down on the bed with me on top of him.

  “What exactly did I do in these dreams of yours? Was it something like this?” I never would have believed it possible that he could improve upon our last encounter, but I was once again proven wrong.

  Once I caught my breath, I looked down to study the tattoo that I could never figure out before. Of course, I never had the opportunity to study his whole chest. I could now see that it was all one large viper. The viper’s body encircled his right arm three times and then the snake curved over the left side of his chest with the massive head with split tongue depicted over the right side. The artistry was amazing.

  I had barely caught my breath and was still cuddling comfortably when I heard a knock on the door. I quickly got out of the bed and grabbed my discarded robe from the floor.

  “Hold on, I’m coming!” This time when I opened the door, Tara was standing there. She looked a little upset and even more surprising was Cal standing right behind her. “Ahh . . . what’s up? Come on in.”

  “I just wanted to make sure you were all right.” Tara had that mother hen protective look. “Cal told me he sent Logan up here.”

  “Yes, I’m here.” Logan walked casually out of my bedroom. He had thrown his jeans back on and was fastening them as he came into the kitchen where he set his cell phone on the counter. “You got any coffee?”

  “I’ll put some on. I don’t drink any these days, but I still keep it around. Why don’t you all go sit in the living room, and I’ll get it started.” I didn’t know why Tara would be upset, and I was still wondering why Logan was back here. Maybe Tara was right to be suspicious of him. I got the coffee started and then heard a noise on Logan’s cell. When I picked it up, I saw a text from Nessa, which stated, She’s pregnant?

  Though it was an invasion of privacy, I couldn’t help but see the message and was near speechless. Nessa was his wife . . . why would he tell his wife? “Umm . . . Logan? Why on earth would you tell your wife that I’m pregnant? I’m sorry but this text came while I was walking by, I couldn’t help but see it. What is going on? Do you tell her everything? I don’t understand.” I could see the incredulous look on Tara’s face, though Cal had a sly smile on his face, which was interesting.

  “Where is your wife?” Tara sounded suspicious. “Why isn’t she with you? That looks like a bullet wound in your shoulder. Were you shot?” I could tell that Tara’s protective instincts were coming alive.

  “Well, why don’t we all sit down and I will explain everything. I planned to have this talk with Fee in private, but I guess you should hear it also. To begin with, Vanessa is not, nor ever was, my wife. She is my partner and my best friend. We started training together for the FBI and have worked together ever since. We were sent here mainly to prove ourselves and also because I happened to own property here.”

  “If you’re with the FBI, can I see some proof?” Tara was still not sold, but then I thought how easy Logan could lie about it. He took out his identification and showed it to both of us.

  “I would appreciate it if this didn’t become common knowledge. Cal, of course, knew about it, but not many others. Nessa got into the hospital to retrieve the records of the illegal prescription drug operation and I got a job here to get hold of the accounting records. Everything was going smoothly until Tara decided to get involved in the investigation and another little minx bec
ame a major distraction, but we managed to pull everything together and make our case.”

  Tara turned her frown toward Cal. “You knew all about this and didn’t say anything? When I asked you to investigate Logan you already knew, didn’t you?”

  “Yes, but you insisted I check him out and so I told you I would. Tara, I think we should leave these two alone. They have some more issues to discuss. Come on, I’ll fill you in on anything else.”

  “You gonna be okay with him?” Tara took hold of my hand and I smiled at my fierce protector. I didn’t need any protection from Logan, though he might need some from me.

  Once they left, I was still wondering about several details. The partnership between Logan and Nessa came to mind. I wasn’t jealous that they were so close, just curious about their friendship. “You lived with Nessa in that house. She is a very beautiful woman so it’s hard to believe you never wanted her.” Any red-blooded man would want a woman like that.

  “Well, to be perfectly honest, there was a time, years ago, when I would have killed for a relationship with her.” He had a faraway look as he recalled the details. “One night after we finished a job we went out and tipped a few back, got a little drunk, and ended up in bed together. I have to admit that the experience wasn’t all that satisfying. Less for her, I think. Vanessa doesn’t really care for men in that way. But, I can tell you she was hot for Tara. She often tried flirting with her, but Tara was clueless.” I had to laugh at the picture, Tara definitely liked men, in fact, I noticed her longing looks at Cal lately and wondered what was holding them back. They would be perfect together.

  I knew we also needed to talk about our impending parenthood. I didn’t want him to feel obligated to us, but at the same time I didn’t want to leave him out if he did want to be a part of our lives. “I’m sorry if the baby upsets you. I’m more than thrilled about it and planned to never let you know of its existence. I’m afraid I knew little about protection, never having been with anyone other than my ex-husband. I don’t know if you thought I was on the pill, but I had no reason to be.” As long as it was confession time, I wanted everything out in the open. I didn’t need anything from him, but if he wished, he could be a part of our life.