02 Outwitted

by Beth Solheim

  Jane stared out the window as tree after tree after tree disappeared behind them. Her gaze wandered to the rearview mirror. "Quit looking at Aanders. Keep your eyes on the road."

  "I wonder if Jed had any luck today," Aanders said. "He told me about a man at the nursing home who wasn't doing well."

  "Jed hasn't concentrated enough on his declaration. He's not ready to go yet." Relieved Aanders had changed the subject, Sadie added, "It's my fault because I haven't been firm enough with him. I'm going to insist Jed discuss Celeste tonight at our session. I still think his sister is the reason he failed to cross over."

  Jane shifted back and forth in her seat before blurting, "Well if you must know, I'm going for a boat ride after supper."

  "I didn't need to know." Sadie shot a confused look toward Jane.

  "What do you mean you didn't need to know? You forced it out of me."

  Sadie observed Jane over the top of her lime and pink polka-dot rimmed glasses.

  "Are you going with Aanders?"

  "With Aanders?" Jane let out an aggravated sigh. "Not with Aanders. With Bernie Johnson, the guest from Cabin 6."

  Aanders sat back in his seat. His foot beat nervously against the door.

  "That's nice," Sadie said, talking into the mirror.

  "No it's not. I feel terrible. I should never have agreed to go."

  "That's ridiculous." Sadie pulled up under the nursing home portico and stopped in front of the 'No-Parking sign'. "You've got to start dating sooner or later."

  "It's not a date. It's a boat ride. You wouldn't call it a date if I went for a ride with Aanders, would you?"

  "No. I'd call it an Amber Alert. There's no way Aanders will ever go with you in the boat again."

  "Well I didn't mean to tip it over. Are you ever going to let me forget?"

  As Jed and Sally climbed into the shuttle, a nurse waved at Aanders and shouted through the open hearse window, "I saw your dad at the grocery store. I bet you're glad he's back."

  Aanders waved back at the woman before looking toward Sadie.

  Sadie swiveled in the driver's seat. "Did you know your dad had returned to Pinecone Landing?"

  Aanders nodded.

  "Does your mom know?"

  Aanders shrugged.

  "Do you want to talk about it?"

  "No"

  Jed reached across the seat and patted Aanders' leg. "What did your dad say? Did he tell you why he's back?"

  Aanders stared through the window.

  Jed tapped Aanders on the arm. "I'm talking to you. I'd appreciate an answer."

  A tear rolled down Aanders' cheek followed by a second. "He didn't recognize me."

  Jane turned to peer over the seat at the tearful child. "I'm sorry, Aanders. How long has it been since your dad saw you?"

  "Five years. I sent him my school picture each year. I don't understand why he didn't recognize me." He swiped at his damp cheek with the back of his hand.

  "Did you go to his cabin?" Sadie looked at him through the review mirror.

  "No. I ran an errand for my mom and when I walked by Cabin 12 I saw him on the porch. At first I couldn't believe it was him. When I waved and hollered, he looked at me and kept folding the money Kimmer had given him. Then he went in the cabin."

  Sadie looked in the rearview mirror and uttered, "Kimmer? Do you mean Kimmer and Clay were on the porch? Together?"

  "Yup. I saw Kimmer hand him some money."

  "Are you sure?"

  "Of course I'm sure. I saw it."

  "Do you know if your Mom is aware Clay's back in town?"

  "I doubt it. If she knew, we'd have heard about it. She's not going to like that you rented to Dad."

  "Don't worry," Sadie said. "I'll think of a way to tell her."

  11

  "Thanks for filling in, Sadie. One of our clerks called in sick this morning." The resort manager pressed a button on the two-way radio and announced four new guests had arrived and needed an escort to their cabins. A courtesy cart pulled up in front of the lodge. The manager lifted the guests' bags onto the luggage carrier before helping them onto the cart.

  "Whenever you need me, just holler." Sadie watched the cart head for Cabin 4 as the manager rounded up a group of binocular-toting bird watchers and led them down the paved path and into the woods.

  "Welcome to Witt's End," Sadie said, as a man approached the reception desk and pulled out his billfold.

  The man looked at Sadie then swept his gaze around the room. He turned back to the desk, his scrutinizing stare settled on Sadie's tattoo.

  "I'm Sadie. Can I help you?"

  "I'd like to register."

  Sadie pulled the computer keyboard to the edge of the counter. "Name?"

  "Do you work here?"

  "Yes. I'm Sadie Witt and I own the place." Sadie grinned broadly at the man. She patted her chartreuse gelled spikes and gave one of her asp earrings a tug.

  "Wow. You're not what I expected. Who's pictured on the brochure?" He pointed at an acrylic stand next to the cash register.

  "That's my sister. I used to be on the brochure, but our manager suggested I take my picture off. He thought it would look more professional." Sadie pulled her glasses down and looked at the man over the rims. "He's a fuddy-duddy. He thinks he knows all there is to know about marketing."

  The man smiled and handed Sadie his confirmation. "Avery. Dan, Pam, and Chelsie," he said.

  After reading the confirmation number, Sadie entered the Avery's information into the computer and pulled a key for Cabin 9 from the locator board. "Congratulations on the birth of your daughter. When your wife called and said you might not be able to make it because of her due date, we felt bad."

  "We're lucky. Pam delivered early, so the timing worked for us."

  Sadie stretched to look past Dan. "Can I see her?"

  "Chelsie's in the car with Pam. She's sleeping." He lifted the brochure from the stand and fanned it open. "Looks like you've got a lot going on."

  Sadie pointed out some of the resort's featured items. "Let us know if you need anything. Did I mention the marina has several rentals available?"

  "We probably won't do much on the lake. We've waited a long time for Chelsie and want to spend time with her before we go back to work."

  "If you change your mind, I'll watch her for you. I love babies. We also have staff available to baby-sit."

  Dan Avery glanced at the wrinkled tattoo peeking out from beneath Sadie's chartreuse tank top. "Thanks for the offer, but I don't think we'll need a sitter."

  "Do you want to pay with a credit card?"

  "You don't mind if I pay in cash, do you?"

  "Not at all. What the IRS doesn't know won't hurt them."

  Dan's eyes twinkled in agreement as a grin parted his lips. He slid his change back in his billfold. "By the way, nice tattoo."

  The three o'clock ice-cream cone rush dwindled to a handful of patrons who lingered on the deck under striped umbrellas. Sadie wove her way among her guests. She stopped and listened to exaggerated tales of fishing escapades uttered by members of a group who had booked five cabins for a family reunion. The throng clustered on the lakeside deck. Their children ran helter-skelter through the maze of adults while toddlers clutched at available knees and traipsed through a forest of legs. Shrieks of glee echoed over the bay.

  After tweaking a few cheeks on her way through the crowd, Sadie waited until Dan and Pam Avery settled comfortably onto deck chairs. "Quite a hullabaloo, isn't it?"

  Shaded by a heavy pine eave, Dan scanned the crowd. "Looks like a huge gathering. They seem to know each other."

  "It's a family reunion. You're one of the few couples not related to them." Sadie stuck her hand out. "You must be Pam."

  "You must be Sadie. My husband told me about you," Pam said, releasing Sadie's hand.

  "We've actually met quite a few of the reunion crowd." Dan tossed a colorful beach ball back to a child who had kicked it against his deck chair.

  "I thin
k you have the only sleeping child in the whole resort," Sadie said.

  Pam smiled down at the pink bundle in her arms. "I had trouble getting Chelsie back to sleep. The noise doesn't seem to bother her now, so I'm going to enjoy the view while she's sleeping."

  "I won't ask to peek at her, then. How old is she?"

  "She's seven days old," Dan replied.

  A small hand tugged at Sadie. "Can we go out in the boat?"

  Sadie pulled Sally into her hip and patted her head. "Later," she whispered.

  Pam looked up. "Pardon me?"

  Sadie's eyes grew wide as she saw Sally lift the blanket off the baby's face.

  Pam looked down at Chelsie and drew a sharp breath. She quickly pulled the blanket back over the child's face. She looked at her husband. "Don't move the blanket, Dan. I don't want her to wake up."

  "I didn't."

  "Yes you did, you uncovered the baby's face."

  Dan looked toward Chelsie. "No, I didn't."

  Pam looked down at Chelsie's again exposed head. She quickly covered it. She looked sideways at Dan. "I didn't realize the breeze had such strength."

  "It creeps up when you're least expecting it." Sadie reined in Sally's outstretched hand. "It's a lake phenomenon."

  "We're going to need directions to the courthouse," Dan said. "We've got an appointment with Judge Kimmer."

  Sadie's brows shot up. "Kimmer? You know Judge Kimmer?"

  "Not yet. We're looking forward to meeting him. He's an acquaintance of a friend of ours."

  After giving directions, Sadie waved farewell and headed toward the marina.

  Dan waved back. As soon as Sadie disappeared around the corner, he said, "You idiot. You've got to be more careful."

  "Me?" Pam looked around and lowered her voice. "Whose stupid idea made us sit out here in the first place? Yours. How was I supposed to know the wind would flip the blanket?"

  "Be more careful next time."

  "There's not going to be a next time. I'm staying in the cabin from now on. If that weird woman suspects anything, we're in trouble."

  "Don't be an imbecile. We're too close to hitting it big. People don't go on vacation to sit in their cabins. If we don't blend in, she'll get suspicious."

  Pam held the baby close and stood up. "What did Sadie have on her belly? It made me cringe."

  "I don't know. It looked like a worm. I suppose because she owns a fishing resort, she put a worm on her belly." Dan tapped Chelsie's blanket. "Sadie offered to baby-sit."

  "You're kidding. Can you imagine waking up to an old woman with a spiked hairdo? Talk about damaging a child for life. Whatever color that was, they should throw away the bottle."

  Dan leaned back in his chair. "We actually lucked out. Sadie took a liking to us. She might be able to give us information about Judge Kimmer. We need an edge if this is going to work."

  12

  Jed pulled out Jane's chair and sat at the kitchen table. He tapped the urn. "Hi Mr. Bakke."

  Sadie and Aanders joined him and both offered similar words of greeting to their departed friend.

  "I still think I didn't cross over because it's my responsibility to scare Clay straight," Jed said. "If he can't see me, I might have an impact on him by making him think he's crazy. Maybe it will get him to quit drinking. In fact, I'm positive it's why I was held back."

  "Nonsense. Clay has nothing to do with you being held back." Sadie pointed toward the drawer. "Get your list out. Let's see what you wrote about Celeste."

  The screen door banged against the frame. "See you later," Jane shouted.

  Sadie, Aanders, and Jed watched Jane try to keep up with Bernie Johnson's incredibly long strides as they walked toward the marina.

  Jed unfolded two sheets of paper. "I wasn't sure what you wanted, so I wrote what I remembered. Celeste moved here to live with my folks after her divorce. She took a job with Franzen Kimmer as his secretary."

  "I remember," Sadie said. "We all wondered why she'd take a job in a one-man office after she'd worked in a corporation."

  "Your sister worked for Kimmer?" Aanders leaned closer to the table.

  "She took a job in Kimmer's law office because his other secretary left. Celeste welcomed the change. He offered a good salary and an up-front bonus and Celeste liked the idea of a one-boss-one-support-staff office. In other words, no more ass-kissing to compete for a job. She also said Kimmer hired her because of her experience. Of course, it took place before Kimmer became a judge."

  "Her looks didn't hurt, either." Sadie put a check mark next to the first line on Jed's list.

  "Probably not. Celeste was a stunning woman."

  "Then what?"

  Jed wrapped his feet around the chair legs and leaned on the table. "Celeste worked for him for about three months. Then something happened. She became withdrawn. Sometimes tearful, sometimes anxious, but she wouldn't talk about it."

  "You have no idea what caused it?" Aanders leaned forward waiting for Jed's answer.

  "Nope. Something scared her. She said she couldn't tell me because she didn't want me involved."

  "You told the sheriff about this?" Sadie pulled Mr. Bakke's urn close and rotated it back and forth.

  "I did. Because I'm related, they wouldn't give me much information. I dated the secretary at the police station a couple years after Celeste disappeared and she let me see the reports. It looks like the police did a thorough job of checking everything they could. When they talked to Kimmer about it, he said he hadn't noticed anything other than Celeste had been high strung before her disappearance. He told them she had been doing a great job."

  "Think about those weeks leading up to her disappearance again. Are you sure you don't have any idea what frightened Celeste?" Sadie continued to jiggle the urn.

  "Nope. She said the less I knew the better. After a few more weeks of my trying to pry information, she called late one night and said she had something to show me. She didn't want Mom and Dad to know I arranged to meet her."

  Aanders sat forward in his chair. "What did she show you?"

  "I don't know. She never showed up."

  Sadie clearly remembered Celeste's disappearance. The majority of town folk had volunteered to search the rural areas surrounding Pinecone Landing. Then fifteen years slipped away. In spite of Jed's efforts, the crime team's search dwindled to nothingness, resurrected only by a few sporadic sightings of the missing woman. The local newspaper featured a small front-page article the day 'Cold Case' had been stamped on her folder. The folder and evidence box ended up tucked away on a shelf in the courthouse basement.

  "I know you'll disagree, but I have to give Kimmer credit for offering a reward," Jed said.

  "Actually I do agree," Sadie replied. "One-hundred-thousand dollars is quite a reward."

  "Kimmer really came through for my folks. He held off hiring a new secretary because he felt sure she'd come back. They appreciated the gesture. They still sing his praises."

  "I never thought I'd hear Kimmer and praise in the same sentence."

  "At the time he seemed genuine. He figured Celeste had run off with someone she fell in love with. Kimmer thought it might be a guy my folks wouldn't approve of." Jed shook his head. "Her disappearance devastated my folks. Mom never got her spark back."

  "Kimmer doesn't have a kind bone in his body. I'll bet he covered for the man she ran off with," Sadie said.

  An hour of digging into the recesses of Jed's brain passed before the cabin door banged shut behind Jane. "What a nice man." She drew in a satisfied breath. "I'm so glad I agreed to go."

  "What's he like." Sadie pulled a chair out for her sister and patted the seat.

  "A perfect gentleman. We went to his cabin for iced tea instead of a boat ride. You should see how neat he is. There wasn't one thing out of place. Can you believe he likes to clean?" Jane's eyes sparkled.

  "So he's a keeper?"

  "As far as I know, he's only here for the weekend."

  Sadie persisted. "You'd be
willing to see him again?"

  Cocking her head to one side, Jane tugged at her collar points. "I think so."

  "Good. Because Aanders and I got his name off a seniors' dating site and invited him for the weekend."

  "I didn't invite him." Aanders held his palms up and stepped back. "Sadie did. Her idea, not mine."

  "You what?" Jane's words grated like chalk on a blackboard. "You what?"

  "You heard me. I selected him as your date."

  "How could you? Are you out of your mind?"

  Sally closed the inner room door and clacked across the floor in Sadie's orange platform shoes. "Mom said everyone knows Sadie's crazy."

  Jane paced in front of the kitchen table. "No wonder he knew so much about me. What did you tell him?" Before Sadie answered, Jane added, "Now I'll never be able to face him."

  "That's ridiculous. If you like him, what's wrong with seeing him again?"

  "He'll think I'm not capable of finding my own dates."

  "He already knows. I explained it when I posted your photo on the website." Sadie grimaced as Jane let out another shriek. "You don't think men will come here without knowing what you look like, do you? You could be Oinketta the Wonder Pig for all they know."

  Jane planted her fists firmly on her hips. The veins in her neck pulsed. Her lips barely moved as she growled, "What photo did you use?"

  Aanders hugged his arms across his chest and slid lower in his chair. Jed tried to do the same, but his butt cheeks stuck to the chair.

  "The picture of you on the porch swing." Sadie pointed to a photo on the bookshelf.

  "Sadie Witt. I'm never going to speak to you again."

  "Why? Bernie agreed to meet you, didn't he? He must have found something intriguing in your photo."

  "Tell Jane I like her picture," Jed said. "Tell her she looks prim and proper."

  "Jed said to tell you he liked your photo. He thinks you look sexy."

  Jed let out a gasp. "That's not what I said."

  "At least he didn't cancel like the other man did." Aanders looked at Jane.