On Monday, she’d have Milo help her with the internal examination of Lindsay’s body, while Jamie and George could do the external on Aaron. She’d go in tomorrow afternoon and do her own. While Michelle was sure Lindsay had died before she’d gone into the water, she’d need to prove it before she could say anything. “Sorry, but this one isn’t talking to me,” would create more questions than she wanted to answer. As it was, Milo thought she was nuts. The answers to how Lindsay had died were in the girl’s heart, liver, lungs, bladder, and brain. You couldn’t hide organ failure. And if she’d been dead before going into the water, there’d be no lake water diatoms in her lungs.
Once she revealed Lindsay’s cause of death, the question on everyone’s mind would be how and where had Lindsay been exposed to that low a temperature? The bundling made sense if Aaron had tried to share his body heat with her. Finding the shoe could be key to locating where they’d been attacked. Understanding how and where they got into the lake might be harder. She seriously doubted the canoe had anything to do with it. Proving it was murder and finding the killer was going to be a lot harder than she’d expected. She focused on her driving once more.
The storm had passed. The night was clear and the moon, almost full, filled the sky as it rose out of the east. A full moon on Halloween, only four days away, always seemed fitting. She missed seeing the trick or treaters. Before her parents died, she’d go home and hand out the candy. Maybe someday she’d consider getting a house instead of an apartment. A vision of dark-haired children played through her mind, and she sighed. Never going to happen.
She looked up at the moon and stars. If only wishing could make it so. She thought of all the things Aaron had told her—things she wasn’t supposed to know—things she couldn’t let slip, no matter what. Lissa and the baby, the mysterious lights in the marsh, ammonia hydroxide. She needed to talk to Professor Steele and somehow, make friends with him. She needed information only he could provide—a real-live source for everything Aaron had divulged to her.
While she’d programmed the resort’s location into her GPS before leaving the hospital, woolgathering as she was, she managed to drive past it.
“Drive thirty feet and make a left turn.”
Fiona, as she’d named the voice on her GPS, didn’t like it when you didn’t follow directions and missed a turn. Michelle did as she was told. She was in a parking lot atop an escarpment. With the moon hanging above the horizon, the view was spectacular. Instead of reversing as she’d intended, she parked the car and got out to have a closer look. Fresh air would clear her mind and get the kinks out. She stretched, aware of the stiffness in her shoulders. Her body ached from hours of driving, bending, and examining, and all she had to show for it were questions without answers.
She had to decide what to say to the professor, and how she was going to get to the topic of pollution and toxins. She didn’t doubt that aspect of the case was related to both the deaths and her mission for The Three Sisters. Before she could do anything, she needed to get a handle on her muddled emotions.
She walked to the front of the car and looked out at the Bay of Quinte far below her and the mainland in the distance. The sense of déjà vu she’d experienced earlier in the day returned. She knew she’d been here before in another life, but it still felt strange to be thirty-two and have two hundred years old memories. She chortled.
Good thing I don’t feel my age.
Michelle strolled along the waist-high stone wall designed to keep tourists from slipping down the steep slope, until she stood beneath a government sign. She’d seen the heritage signs before and recognized their shape and color. There wasn’t enough light to read the fine print, but she could read the title. This was the scenic lookout, part of the Lake of the Mountains Provincial Park, facing the Bay of Quinte some two hundred feet below her.
Michelle shuddered. According to what she remembered from last night’s vicious dream, she’d climbed down there and back up again. No doubt there’d been paths and trails. Things change in two hundred years. The waterfall she’d gone over couldn’t be much farther along, and yet she couldn’t hear the water because it now travelled through a pipe to be harnessed down below at the fish hatchery. Jamie was a wonderful source of information. He’d been raised in Prince Edward County. His reaction when she’d mentioned Ron had surprised her. Jamie had said the mayor’s popularity depended on which side of the breadline you found yourself. Some liked the man, others thought he was too slick. She hadn’t gotten negative impressions from any of the people she’d met earlier—well, unless you counted Tony, and he seemed to have an agenda of his own.
Her stomach grumbled reminding her she hadn’t eaten since lunch. She hoped the kitchen was still open. She’d have to go shopping tomorrow. Since the cottage had a kitchenette, she’d make her own breakfast and pack lunches for the days she’d be at the hospital. She was a grazer, and liked to have something to eat to carry her through when she was working late. Right now, she’d be happy with almost anything.
She took another look at the bay far below her shimmering in the moonlight and turned to retrace her steps. A man stood just a few feet behind her, and she gasped. She recognized the shape of his body and the way he held his head.
“You scared me, Dr. Steele. I wasn’t aware there was anyone else here.”
The catch in her voice betrayed her nervousness. Her heart pounded with both fear and excitement. She’d wanted to talk to him it was true, but not here, in this lonely place. She trembled at the memory of the anger and animosity he’d shown toward her this afternoon. Added to that, his body shape in the dark more closely resembled that of her dream lover, and her body responded. Heat suffused her.
“Don’t be afraid, Dr. Thomas. I didn’t mean to scare you. I was just out walking the grounds trying to clear my head and figure out how to get both my size tens out of my mouth. I don’t know how I’ll ever apologize for making such an ass of myself this afternoon. I can’t even explain it to myself.”
He walked over to the stone parapet and leaned against it looking out as she’d done earlier.
“You don’t have to apologize.” Empathy filled her at the genuine sorrow and dismay in his voice. She considered what this man had suffered in the past twenty-four hours. No wonder he’d lost his cool. “You’ve just experienced a loss. I can imagine you feel powerless and if someone has been playing a trick on you, then I’m sure your anger toward them is justified.”
She’d turned and stood beside him looking out. Perhaps finding common ground wouldn’t be so hard after all.
“It’s a beautiful view, isn’t it?”
The moon, now a large glowing ball in the star-filled sky silvered the surface of the water below. The bushes and trees on the steep slope, devoid of leaves, rattled their skeletal branches in the breeze. The air was clean and crisp after the storm, but Michelle could smell wood smoke in the air.
“Since you probably already think I’m nuts, I’ll share this with you. When I come here, especially at night like this, I get this incredible sense of déjà vu. It was so strong when I was a boy that I insisted on hiking down the slope just to prove to myself it could be done. I was positive I’d done it before. I found a deer trail to follow and made it all the way down. Coming back up was harder.”
He laughed wryly. “The lake empties down the hill farther along, but that’s been changed by modern technology. It’s been redesigned to drain into a sewer-like culvert running under the road. No one can get swept over it and down the escarpment anymore.”
“How did you know someone had been swept over the cliff?”
“It’s a Mohawk legend. Doomed lovers died here. Think of it as the Mohawk version of Romeo and Juliet. Enemies fall in love, but tribal laws keep them apart. Dad plans to marry her off to someone else, she’d rather die than marry. She throws herself into the lake and is swept over the edge and falls into the water below. He tries to save her, but drowns and is trapped within the stone bowl of the lake.
They couldn’t be together in life, and they were kept apart in death. The Mohawk legend was born long before any of its storytellers would have read the Immortal Bard. Pretty tragic, if you ask me.”
Michelle shivered. It was as if he were condensing her past life into a concise cue card.
“I never thought of it that way. I suppose there are examples of similar tragedies in all cultural stories. Who told you the legend?”
“A short version is written on the sign near the boardwalk across the street, but Joseph Smoke, one of the elders from the Tyendinaga reserve told me the longer tale yesterday.”
“Joseph Smoke? His name is on my list. I have to speak to him about a ceremony.” And you.
“Joseph’s a great guy. He mentioned needing your permission for a purification ceremony. Since the traditional Mohawk believe the lake is sacred, the deaths have defiled it. They need to make amends to the spirits they believe live there.”
“The Three Sisters.”
“Yes! How did you know?”
She shuddered. “I did some research before coming here.” Well, Audra is as good as any research I could have done. Better in fact.
“You’re cold.” He must have noticed her tremor.
“A bit. Hungry too. I need to check-in and get something to eat.” She looked at her watch. It was almost ten. “I don’t suppose the kitchen will be open?”
“No, but I can make you some soup and a sandwich. Allow me to as my way of apologizing to you.”
Michelle smiled. “That would be nice. I’d like to speak to you about your students, and it probably would be best to do so in private. Can I give you a lift back?”
Tony chuckled. “No, I can walk. Park behind the registration building next to the black SUV. I’ll meet you at your car and help you carry your things to your cabin.” He pulled away from the wall. “See you in ten minutes or so.”
He turned, walked across the parking lot, crossed the road, and disappeared into the night.
Michelle returned to her Camaro, exited the parking lot, and drove back to the resort’s lot as Fiona demanded. She turned off the engine, grabbed her purse off the seat, and entered the resort’s administration building. She’d called earlier from the hospital and had been assured someone would be there to meet her when she arrived. The office normally closed by eight.
She opened the door and entered the pleasantly decorated room. It looked more like someone’s living room than a hotel lobby. A young girl sat in a stuffed chair in front of the gas fireplace. She was reading and looked up at the tinkling bell, a welcoming smile on her face.
“Can I help you?”
“Hello, I’m Michelle Thomas. I have a reservation.” She pulled the wallet and her personal identification out of the leather purse Tasha had given her. The green and brown calf hair camouflage print tote zippered on top, had two rounded handles, and brown crocodile-style detailing.
“Welcome Dr. Thomas. I’m Kara. I offered to wait up for you. It’s such a shame about those kids. I really liked them. I see you’re going to be with us right up until the inn closes.”
“Unless I can finish the investigation sooner. Unfortunately, these things take time.”
“They found the bodies on the edge of the beach. The area’s still marked off with crime scene tape. There was a really bad storm the night before. Isaac, our handyman—he’s my uncle, a bit weird but I love him—claims he heard the spirits of the lake cry out in pain. The next morning he was walking down to the shed and saw the bodies. He had me call nine-one-one. Have you seen any pictures?”
Could the man have heard Aaron cry out? I’ll have to talk to him in the morning.
“Yes, I have. It’s proving to be an interesting case. I’m tired, and I still have work to do tonight.”
“Sorry. I get a little chatty.”
“No, it’s fine. I’ll need to talk to everyone involved at some point.”
She waited patiently as the girl finished checking her in and handed her a large brass key.
“I’ll take you down. Where did you leave your car? You might be able to put it closer. This cottage is one of our most popular in the summer.” The girl reached for a fleece jacket similar to the one Lindsay had worn.
“That won’t be necessary. Dr. Steele is waiting for me at my car. I’m sure he can find the proper cottage for me. That’s a nice jacket. Where did you get it?”
“Dr. Steele’s cabin is right beside yours.” Kara smiled. “The jacket’s okay for a freebie. One of the wineries gave them out as a promotion, see?” She pointed to the crest on the jacket. “Pretty much everyone around here has one of these now.”
Michelle looked at the crest on the jacket. She hadn’t paid much attention to Lindsay’s jacket since she hadn’t realized it wasn’t something the girl had always owned, and the front of it had been covered in mud and slime. She could clearly make out the logo and the lettering now. The stylized brown bird had the words Whippoorwill Winery written on it—that was the winery she’d be visiting with Ron tomorrow.
“Thanks, Kara. I’ll see you in the morning.” She stepped toward the door, stopped, and turned around. “Oh, when you toured the winery, did they show you the corking room?”
“They did. They explained why so many wineries are going to screw tops or artificial corks. Apparently the cork trees got sick.”
Michelle nodded. “Interesting. Well, I’ll see you tomorrow. Thanks for waiting for me.”
“No problem, doctor.” Kara walked to the door with her. “I’ll just lock up now. If you need anything, dial seven on your room phone. It connects to the bar. That stays open until one. A few of the locals come by to hang out, especially on the weekend. Goodnight.”
“Goodnight.”
Chapter Ten
Michelle pulled her coat tighter as she retraced her steps to the car. Tony’s shadow moved away from the utility vehicle on which he’d been leaning. An older model Chevy was parked beside it.
“All set?” he asked as she approached.
“Yes. I’m in Cottage Four. Kara says that’s right next to yours. Should I move the car?”
“No. That’s your cottage right over there. You’re probably as close as you’ll get. That’s my SUV.” He pointed to the utility vehicle. “Nice car by the way. How old is it?”
“Just over a year. I love it. It handles really well too.”
“Stick or automatic?”
She laughed. “Has to be four on the floor, right? Anything else would just be wrong. Is that Aaron’s car?” The vehicle reminded her of the one she’d seen in Aaron’s memory.
“It is. I don’t know what to do with it.”
“Why haven’t the authorities impounded it?”
“That’s a good question. I don’t know. Maybe they don’t think it’s relevant to the case.”
“I do.” Her voice was abrupt, but whenever evidence was ignored, it always angered her. Of course she’d be the only one to know Aaron hadn’t driven his car back to the resort. She had to remember to keep what she knew close to her chest, but that might be difficult if there were a lot of blatant errors made like this one. “I’ll call and have it taken to the station in the morning. The techs should go over it. There might be evidence of where they’d been.” Damn. I need to keep my mouth shut.
“Well, they didn’t go into Picton like they were supposed to. Pop the trunk and I’ll help you with your gear.”
She pressed a button on the keypad in her hand, and the trunk opened. She reached in to pull out her computer, and her cosmetic bag. She’d left her autopsy bag at the hospital, but carried a standard M.D. emergency bag in her car, minus any opiates.
Tony reached for the midsized suitcase and the medical bag. “Is this it?”
“Yeah. I travel light. Let me get my briefcase from the back seat. I have a bag of shoes and my rubber boots, and some computer parts, but I’ll get those in the morning. This is good for now.”
Tony reached for the briefcase. “This way then.” S
he followed him toward the cottage and around to the front to the door. Michelle saw two wooden Adirondack chairs on the grass in front of the house, a small picnic table, and a full sized gas barbecue. She doubted she’d use it in this weather.
“Key?” Tony held out his hand, and Michelle handed him the large brass key Kara had given her.
“The outside lights are photoelectric and come on and go off with the sun, so you won’t have to worry about forgetting to leave it on when you go out.”
He slipped the key into the lock and opened the door. He pressed the switch flooding the room with light. Light pine wood paneling added to the room’s warmth and charm. The furniture consisted of a large sofa, two rocker recliners, a coffee table, and a couple of end tables on which stood the lamps activated by the wall switch. A Franklin-style electric fireplace in one corner and electric baseboards in the other half of the room housing the kitchen/dining area provided the heat necessary at this time of year.
Two doors opened off the main room. The first one was a small bathroom without a soaking tub. Michelle stared at it in horror until she realized the shower was a hand-held one. The last thing she wanted to do was repeat last night’s argument with the shower curtain. She lifted her hand and rubbed her temple. Farther along the hall, the second room held a queen-sized bed, a desk, and a dresser. It would do nicely. She appreciated the option of having a separate room in which to meet and interview people. While she could do it in the restaurant, this would be far more private, and she preferred that. She remembered Jamie’s comments about Ron and the number of people he’d spoken to in the restaurant today. She didn’t want anyone reporting her investigation to Ron. She’d keep him in the loop as necessary. It would help not to have to invite him into her bedroom in the morning when he came for her.
Although there’s nothing wrong with being in a bedroom with Tony. She felt her cheeks redden at the thought. Where had that idea come from? Michelle placed the computer on the dining table and carried her cosmetic bag into the bathroom. She tried not to look at the shower. She came out into the main room at the same time Tony came out of the bedroom.
Echoes of the Past Page 14