He raised the rifle to his shoulder. He peered through the scope, settling on a target. He fired and the bullet slammed into the metal letterbox inside the boathouse. The sparks were visible in the darkness of the room. The gasoline vapors ignited. A fireball billowed upward and the boathouse exploded.
Shards of wood and other scraps flew through the air. Eyes closed, Jake stood motionless on the fringe of the maelstrom. Nate did his best to protect Clare from the falling debris. She was curled up, sandwiched between his body and the dog. Her body shook with wave after wave of tremors. Nate shook his head to clear the echoes of the explosion from his ears.
The fire was still burning where the boathouse used to be. Bushes and shrubs had been singed by the blast but the clearing behind the boathouse kept the fire from spreading farther into the woods. There was no sign of Bianca and he assumed she was buried beneath the pile of smoldering rubble.
Waldo woofed hoarsely and lumbered to his feet. He nuzzled Clare then limped over to stand beside Jake. The old man’s face andhands were dotted with blood and dust from the storm of wood chips that had cut his skin like a million razor blades. Jake placed a bloody hand on top of Waldo’s head and the dog leaned against his leg.
“Is she gone?” Clare asked.
“Yes,” Nate said. The one word said it all. “Let me see your leg.”
The mention of Clare’s injury brought Jake out of his state of shock. He put the rifle down on the ground and hurried over to look down at Clare, sitting on the grass.
“God, Clare, I’m sorry we didn’t get here earlier,” Jake said.
There was a bloody gash on the outside of her thigh where Bianca had shot her. Jake reached in his pocket for a folded handkerchief at the same time that Nate brought out his.
“Your choice, Clare,” Nate said.
“I’ll take them both,” she said, smiling through her tears.
Nate folded the handkerchief and placed it on the wound, then tied the second one tightly around her leg to stop the bleeding. The muscles beneath her skin rippled and he leaned over and kissed her on the lips. In the distance he heard the high-pitched wail of the fire trucks, grateful that someone had heard the explosion or seen the smoke and called it in.
“The paramedics will be here soon,” he said. “Stay as quiet as you can, Clare.”
“How’s the shoulder?” Jake asked, his voice gruff with suppressed emotion.
Nate pealed back his sports jacket to look at his shoulder. His knit shirt was soaked with blood.
“Oh God, Nate,” Clare said. “How bad is it?”
Nate moved his arm gingerly. “I don’t think the bullet hit anything vital.”
The sirens appeared to be getting closer. It occurred to Nate that he should have called Jon Fogt. He rose to his feet and reached in his pocket for his cell phone. He was just about to punch in the code when he noticed the expression on Jake’s face. Theolder man was staring down at Clare with such longing in his eyes that it brought home to Nate how much Jake had lost.
“Clare, I’d like to be the one to officially introduce you to your father.”
Like the child she once was, Clare held her arms out. Jake knelt down beside her and folded her into his embrace. Head against his chest, she closed her eyes. Jake bent his head and spoke quietly into her ear.
For a moment Nate felt a stab of jealousy seeing the glow of pleasure on Clare’s face. In such a short time she had become so much a part of his life that he wanted to be the one to bring joy into her life. As if she were privy to his thoughts, she opened her eyes. The look she gave him told him all that he needed to know about their future together. She had broken through the conspiracy of silence to find her identity. She would have the family she had always sought. He, Jimmy, and Erika would be a part of her new life.
His mouth widened in a grin as he keyed in the police chief’s number. Sirens shrilled closer. Waldo lumbered to his feet, standing protectively beside the two figures on the ground as Nate raised the phone to his ear.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
To Bob and Pat Gussin and Sue Greger for their continued support and encouragement. It’s an honor and a pleasure to be a part of the Oceanview Publishing family. Special thanks to Mary Adele Bogdon and Maryglenn McCombs for all their help with promotion and publicity. You make me look good. To Margaret Watson for veterinarian advice and a sense of humor. To Principal James T. Smokrovich and Mary Eidelbes of Grand Rapids High School for their help getting the details right. To all the people I met in Grand Rapids who were so friendly and generous in helping me learn about the area. Although I’ve changed some of the details of the town, I hope I’ve given a sense of the beauty and hospitality that I found there. And always to Bill who is responsible for so much joy in my life.
Conspiracy of Silence Page 34