“You were also at the camp, weren’t you?” Reese inwardly cringed when her inquiry came out more like an accusation. This was not how she thought she’d spend her morning. “I’m sorry. That came out sounding wrong.”
“It’s okay. I figured I was pretty high up on your list of people to talk to anyway,” Chad said somewhat wryly, leaning back against the counter. He had work boots on with a pair of faded and ripped jeans. There was already a grease stain on the front of his t-shirt from an earlier call. He must start work at the crack of dawn. “I was at the camp, and I do remember Sophia. She taught Emma how to swim, which was quite a feat, as I remember it. Not even Emma’s sister could coax her into the water. Those two hung out for most of that week, but I don’t recall Sophia ever coming back to Blyth Lake at any point.”
That’s what Calvin Arlo had said, as well. Reese knew that to be true, but she hadn’t realized Sophia had grown so close to Emma.
“What do you think happened to Emma?” Reese asked quietly, pushing aside her empathy in her quest for answers. She needed answers.
“It really depends on the day, sometimes the time of year, and who I’m talking to at the moment.” Chad stared into his coffee as if the magic brew held the key to one of the town’s most tragic mysteries. He finally gave up his search and set his gaze on her. “You won’t find what you’re looking for here, Ms. Woodward. There are a lot of residents in Blyth Lake who would give just about anything to know what happened to Emma. Me included.”
Reese thought she knew what she’d hoped to gain from her vacation here, but now she wasn’t so sure she found what she wanted. Chad silently got to work, setting his untouched coffee down on the white laminate counter. The clinks and clanks of his tools from underneath the sink gave her time to think about what to say when he was done.
Should she apologize? It was more than apparent she’d dredged up memories Chad Schaeffer would soon rather forget, but he hadn’t been able to even with all the time that had passed. At the same time, she understood what everyone in town had undergone when Emma went missing. The same thing had occurred in Heartland, only with a different girl a year later.
How could it be that she was the only one seeing a connection here?
“Do you think Emma ran away?” Reese asked, unable to leave well enough alone. She stood from her chair at the kitchen table while Chad unfolded his large frame and lifted the lever of the faucet. The water flowed smoothly, but more importantly stopped when the lever was pushed down. “Was she upset with her parents, her sister, or maybe one of her friends?”
“Emma was the most well-adjusted girl in Blyth Lake High.” Chad pulled out the rag that he had stuffed in his back pocket before wiping his hands on the somewhat clean material. “No one ever believed she ran away from home, nor did the sheriff ever push that story. There wasn’t a resident in Blyth Lake who didn’t join the searches, my brothers and I included. We systematically searched the entire town and the surrounding area. Nothing was ever found.”
Something else was bothering Reese that she wanted to clear up, or else she might go crazy out here in the country by herself.
“How did you know how old I was?”
Her question elicited a chuckle from Chad as he began to put away his tools.
“You rented a house from Rose and Tiny.” Chad didn’t have to explain further. Reese nodded in understanding as she recalled the rental form she had to fill out a couple months prior to arriving in town. “Rose uses Harlan Whitmore to do her background checks. Beth Ann Mason is Harlan’s secretary, and Beth Ann is dating Molly’s son, Jack Stuart.”
Reese was actually quite proud of herself that she followed Chad’s little gossipmonger corn maze. The only thing that had taken her by surprise was the name of Molly’s son.
Jack Stuart. The name was on her list, but she’d never made the connection to the waitress at the diner.
“I guess you’re right,” Reese conceded with a shrug and a half-smile. “It was pointless of me to try and come here asking questions without being completely upfront with everyone involved.”
“You have nothing to be sorry for. You have every right to seek answers.” Chad appeared to truly empathize with her position. He closed the cabinet doors below her sink before picking up his metal toolbox. “You’re searching for closure because you lost a family member. Don’t ever apologize for doing what needs to be done.”
Chad lifted the mug of coffee he’d left on the counter and took a heavy draw. He gave her a smile of appreciation as he set the empty cup into the sink after rinsing it out.
“The faucet is good to go, though these old pipes have a way of becoming loose with just a knock or two. Feel free to call me. I’m on Rose’s speed dial—twenty-four seven.”
“I thought I saw your last name listed in the notes she left, though another first name was written down. Wesley, maybe? Regardless, I didn’t want to bother Rose for something so minor.”
“Wesley is my brother, but he’s moved on to bigger and better ventures.” Chad rolled his eyes good-naturedly, apparently thinking differently than his brother. “Speaking of which, I do hope you find some closure here. Emma’s family moved away from the area years ago, but there are still townsfolk here who know what you’ve been through and can relate. Talk to them. Find some peace. It’s what we all want.”
Reese came very close to giving Chad Schaeffer a hug for his advice, because it was very sound. This little excursion away from her everyday life wouldn’t bring Sophia back to her, just as it was doubtful she would find any answers as to what truly happened all those years ago.
“You mentioned you were headed next door?” Reese followed Chad out to the porch. He made his way down the wooden steps. He paused long enough to look at the one plank that she constantly avoided, though he didn’t break stride. “Are you the contractor?”
“Contractor?” Chad seemed surprised that she would think he would be the one renovating the house, but she wasn’t sure why. His truck read Schaeffer’s Contracting & Flooring. “Noah Kendall wouldn’t have anyone other than his brothers, sister, and him touch that place if it wasn’t for the state mandated inspections. I can get him some items on discount, so I’m heading over there to get measurements and fill out the permits.”
Chad loaded his toolbox in the bed of his truck and then lifted the gate until it was securely latched. He reached into the front pocket of his jeans and pulled out his keys.
“I’ll be back in a day or two to fix that rotted board in your porch and to check over the rest of it. If you have anything else to add to the list, just give me a call.” Chad gave her a wink before he slid in behind the steering wheel. The engine came to life as he leaned an elbow out of the open window. “By the way, you might want to talk to Rose. She wasn’t listed as a counselor at camp the year Emma went missing, but she was there the whole time. In fact, she was the one who gave Sophia her assistant swim coach badge at the closing ceremonies. Maybe she has some insight on Emma and Sophia that will help you find what you are looking for.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
Noah tilted the water bottle and downed the rest of the contents. He’d need to get a kinetic water softener with an ionizer for filtering the water coming from the well.
Since Blyth Lake was on the Great Lakes water table in this region. The sulfur smell when he used the water heater would be overwhelming if he didn’t use an ionizer to filter out the heavy metals, iron, and sulfur. He would need the Reverse Osmosis filter for drinking water, too. Otherwise, he’d have to get used to the taste of well water all over again.
It was close to ninety degrees in the sun today, but it wasn’t anything near the temperatures he and his unit had to endure during their time in Afghanistan. Ohio was a paradise in comparison. Civilians would never know just how good they had it every day with running water and electricity that was working ninety-nine percent of the time.
Even Europe had rolling blackouts regularly. Third world countries might only have po
wer for a few hours a day, and even then, it was surging in frequency. The available current was impossible to predict. Quite often, when the power was turned back on each day, something would catch fire or the draw would blackout half the city.
Noah wouldn’t miss those places, but he would certainly miss bitching about them with his fellow Marines.
“We should break for lunch. They’ve got a pulled pork sandwich on a Kaiser roll at the diner on special that will knock your socks off. Oh, and don’t forget to get the seasoned fries with it.”
Gus used his handy blue handkerchief to wipe his forehead as he walked down the porch steps. Noah had been keeping a close eye on him, not wanting his father to overexert himself. Regardless of what Doc Finley or the Cleveland heart specialists said about him being cleared for light duty, it was always better to be safe than sorry.
“You go ahead.” Noah screwed the white cap back on the plastic bottle before throwing it into the large trash can he’d set at the bottom of the porch for scraps. “Would you mind bringing me back a club sandwich with steak fries? I want to stay and finish clearing out the drywall on that false wall and open up the kitchen for a little more light.”
“Don’t even think of starting on the kitchen cabinets.” Gus meticulously folded his handkerchief back up into the standard square and shoved it in the back pocket of his tan nylon work pants. His dad never wore jeans, but instead preferred the Levi khakis that gave him more leeway when working. “Those granite countertops the Andersons had installed need two people to move.”
“Don’t worry. I won’t go near the counters. I think I’ll take a sledge hammer to that dividing wall. I can clear a decent path to the kitchen, which will make it easier to remove the counters and maybe I can keep the cabinets that I want for storage downstairs in the basement.” Noah heard the rattle of an engine, automatically distinguishing the truck as Miles Schaeffer’s beat-up old Chevy. His son stopped by earlier to take measurements for some much-needed supplies, but to also bring some specialty tools for Noah to borrow instead of buying then for one-time usage. It appeared Chad had gotten hung up at another site. “I didn’t know Miles was still in the business.”
“Miles had no choice after Wes and Clayton started that huge construction company in Cleveland. They got twenty-plus trucks and fourteen full-time crews working.” Gus shook his head in disappointment. Family was everything in these parts. “I’ll be back in around an hour. Call me if you need me to pick anything up from Calvin’s shop before I drive all the way back out here.”
“Gus,” Miles said as Gus waved in his direction. “Save me a seat at Annie’s. I’ll be there in around ten minutes, give or take.”
“I appreciate you lending me the electric pipe threader and the power bender. Those damn things cost a fortune to buy and the manual ones are a pain in the ass. I’m going to have to run all new natural gas lines, and I’m going to want a generator for storms and such. I wouldn’t be surprised if I end up putting a hundred and fifty feet of new half-inch black pipe in this place.” Noah walked over to Miles’ truck and helped unload the supplies. “I hear you have a pretty big job coming up with the renovations on those two Hanover cottages out by the lake.”
“It’s a blessing to have the work, that’s for sure,” Miles grunted as he unloaded a bunch of the schedule forty PVC that Noah wanted for the sewage lines and to vent the water heater. He carried it over to the bottom of the porch and set it on the ground. “Brynn has worked at Tiny’s from the moment she was of age. It only seems right to see the Cavern transfer into her hands after all that she’s put into it.”
“I heard about that while I was at the pub last night,” Noah confessed, passing Miles as he transported a couple of new sledge hammers to add to the growing pile. “It’s not going to be the same without Tiny.”
“Who are you trying to kid?” Miles barked out a laugh as he sidled up to the other side of the pickup’s bed. They both grasped an edge of the first of five four-by-eight sheets of blueboard Noah was going to use for the main bathroom. They lowered it so that it was easier to carry over to the porch. “Tiny might be giving up the reins, but everybody in town knows he’ll be there every evening keeping an eye on things, as if he still ran the place. He always was protective of that girl.”
Noah didn’t pretend not to know Miles was talking about Brynn. She’d practically been raised by Rose and Tiny after her parents died. Everyone knew the story and it wasn’t pretty.
“So when does your big project start? Chad was saying in the next couple of weeks.”
“First week of July,” Miles offered up as he stepped away from the pile of supplies. He nodded his approval at what was in front of him before focusing on Noah. “We’re doing the renovations for both those cottages already standing, though. Rose thought it would be a good idea to bring in someone else for the construction of the additional outbuildings.”
“Let me guess,” Noah suppressed a groan, feeling for the man standing in front of him. “Rose reached out to Wes and Clayton for a crew.”
“Can’t keep her nose out of anyone’s business,” Miles muttered, giving a dismissive wave toward town. “Busybodies. Every damn one of them.”
“You know Rose has good intentions.”
“She can have all the good intentions she wants, but it’s not going to make me forgive those two bumbling idiots for leaving the family business to start some overgrown handyman company in the city.” Miles raised a hand to his forehead and squinted his eyes in the direction of his truck. Noah glanced that way to see what had caught his attention, truly surprised to find Reese Woodward walking up the drive with what appeared to be a pitcher of iced tea held close to her chest and a stack of clear plastic cups. “Looks like you have company, Noah. I best be heading to the diner, or I’ll never hear the end of it.”
He grimaced when Miles slowly made his way back to his truck. By this time tomorrow, everyone would believe that Noah and Reese were between the sheets. It would appear Calvin was wrong in his assumption that Reese would be leaving town this morning. That alone would make the gossip churn even juicer, because everyone would no doubt believe Noah was heart-torn over the fact that she would be leaving at the end of summer.
Not to mention that every available single woman in town would think that Reese—an outsider from Heartland—was trying to undercut their efforts to snatch up an available bachelor in town. He couldn’t imagine what kind of names they’d be calling her at the hair salon twenty minutes after Miles got to the diner.
It was pointless to yell out to the man that Reese’s neighborly visit didn’t amount to anything as sordid as what was currently running through his mind.
“Ma’am,” Miles greeted with a tilt of his hat as he reached up and touched the bill.
“Hello.” Reese’s smile grew as the decal on the truck caught her attention. “Schaeffer? Are you related to Chad?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Miles opened the driver’s side door of his truck, patting the side of it in pride. “Chad’s my youngest son.”
“He fixed the leak in my sink this morning,” Reese shared, adjusting the pitcher in her hands.
Noah closed the distance between them and took the plastic carafe from her hands.
“Thanks for the supplies, Miles. I’ll get them back to you as soon as possible.”
It wasn’t long before Noah and Reese were standing side by side in silence as Miles used the circular gravel turnaround to head back into town.
“I didn’t mean to disappear on you last night, but I didn’t want to rush you,” Reese explained, though Noah didn’t believe that excuse for a second. He figured it had more to do with Calvin ’fessing up about her real reason for being in town. “I was hoping some sweet iced tea would make up for skipping out on you.”
“I’d invite you inside, but…” Noah let his words trail off, but he’d elicited the laugh he’d wanted. “Don’t worry about last night. I made sure your lights were on when I drove past last night to board
up the broken windows.”
“You didn’t stay the night here, did you?” Reese looked over his shoulder in what could only be considered unease.
“No, not yet.” Noah walked back to the porch, taking a seat on one of the sturdy steps. He made sure to avoid the one that needed replaced. “I’m staying with my dad until I can get the utilities back on and the inside somewhat habitable. I’m done sleeping on floors when it can be avoided. This way, I get a decent bed to sleep on and hot water in the shower.”
Reese tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear as she took a seat beside him, handing over the plastic cups. Her hair was similar in style to how she wore it yesterday, piled high and wild on top of her head. It gave her a carefree appearance, but he could still sense a bit of tension radiating off her shoulders.
A sweet fragrance surrounded him, though it wasn’t heavy in the way to suggest perfume. He figured she was using some type of body wash that had a wildflower scent to it, but it suited her. Lavender or lilacs, maybe?
“I’ve never been this close to the house.” Reese gestured behind her and to the left. “The pond out there is massive.”
“We used to fish it when I was a kid. Bass and bluegill,” Noah shared, recalling memories of when he, his brothers, and his sister would ride their bikes across town. His parents thought they spent time at Blyth Lake, but that wasn’t the case. “My sister was the only one of us who ever caught a good-sized bass.”
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