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Shadow in the Pines

Page 2

by PJ Nunn


  Chapter Two

  Eager to get started on her gardening chores before the temperature got too hot, Dani plunged in, trimming and cleaning the flowerbeds. Withered weeds and cracked dry ground gave way to freshly turned earth, darkened by the generous sprinkling of a new hose. Slowly, but surely, the yard took on the appearance of a prized possession in process, complete with a growing pile of debris that Dani planned to eradicate with her first incineration effort when the evening sun sank behind the wall of trees.

  By the time the panel van from the nursery rattled down the asphalt drive, it was almost noon and Dani was more tired than she’d been in years. Typing papers and examining microscope slides didn’t do much for muscle tone. Fortunately, the driver, probably a student all of twenty years old, seemed captivated by her smile and happily carried the railroad ties she’d bought to border her gardens, placing them, and waiting while she stood back, considering whether their location was exactly what she had in mind or not. Once she was satisfied, he cheerfully positioned the heavy bags of soil and peat moss in the appropriate places with a lopsided grin that told her he was glad to do it. Smiling, she shaded her eyes and watched as the truck pulled away.

  Tomorrow, she’d have to show up at the college for late registration, and then check in at the lab for her work schedule. From here on out, she wouldn’t have much opportunity to spend all day working in the yard. As she looked around at all she had yet to do, she knew it was too soon to give up. Funny, it didn’t seem like such a huge chore when she selected the plants yesterday. But now, surrounded by piles of soil with shrubs and plants all over the yard, it looked like an interminable task.

  Thinking the vegetables would be the fastest place to start, she dug in, emptying the bags of soil and peat, then mixing them by walking through it all in bare feet, enjoying the squishy feel of mud between her toes. An hour later, her small plot of vegetables actually looked like a garden and she took a minute to congratulate herself before moving to the shrubs that lined the front of the house beside the porch. She’d already spent most of the morning clearing the debris and, with the ground dry as dust, it didn’t take too much effort to just pull the dead ones up by the roots. Grateful that the huge trees protected her from the glare of the afternoon sun, if not from the heat, she plunged ahead. There were only two shrubs remaining with any signs of life, so Dani used the pruning shears to cut them back to nubs, then started mixing the potting soil and peat into the newly vacant areas. By the time the sun set, she had all the new shrubs firmly planted and surrounded by seedlings of blue phlox that the nurseryman assured her would spread quickly, covering the ground and effectively preventing the re-growth of weeds.

  She still had a variety of flowers to plant around the yard and in barrels that bordered the porch stairs but she was too sore to do it and too tired to care. For a moment, she sat, rocked back on her heels, and surveyed her handiwork. There was nothing but trees as far as she could see on all sides. As she surveyed the tree line, a glimpse of color caught her eye in the trees across the road. Shading her eyes with one hand, Dani squinted and thought she saw movement. Was someone watching her from the woods across the street? Suppressing a shiver despite the heat, Dani got up and dusted her hands.

  With frequent glances across the road, she gathered her tools and got things ready to go inside. Standing at the front door, she looked over her shoulder once more, then shook herself. She was surely imagining things. Washing her hands in the kitchen sink, she put a potpie in the oven then trudged up the stairs for a therapeutic soak in the tub.

  Marginally revived an hour later, she sat down at the kitchen table with her dinner, a University of Texas catalog, and her day planner. After making a careful list of everything she needed to accomplish on campus, and adding notes to stop by and open a local bank account and change the address on her driver’s license, she trudged wearily up the stairs to bed. So far, that bed was the thing she liked best about her new home. For the third night in a row, she fell almost immediately into a deep sleep, with lingering thoughts of how nice it would be to actually talk to someone again.

  ***

  A medley of chemicals, disinfectants, and caged animal smells met Dani at the door of the lab, completely overriding the cheerful, professional decor of the office. Had she been away from it too long, or not long enough?

  “Hi,” she said, hoping her voice would prompt the gum-chewing receptionist to look up from her Glamour magazine. Academic fervor. “I’m Dani Jones, here to see Dr. Abraham,” she forced a smile, staring down at the girl until she looked up.

  “Oh, sure…down that hall and to the left,” the girl shrugged, pointed, and went back to her reading. Dani raised her eyebrows and bit her tongue. It was all coming back to her now. She could only hope the students she worked with here were a little more enthusiastic about their work than the ones she remembered from UT in Austin. Their careless attitude about lab procedures was one of the reasons it was so easy for Mark to convince her to leave school and go to work. Since most of her coworkers in the lab were headed for medical school, she didn’t want to know if their neglectful behaviors followed them into their chosen profession. In some cases, ignorance really is bliss.

  The hall was narrow and undecorated, probably a back entrance to the labs that opened to student halls on the other side. She passed several doors, hoping to find one marked with Dr. Abraham’s name, then paused and stuck her head into a lab filled with students.

  “I’m looking for Dr. Abraham,” she whispered to a nearby young man who was diligently trying to open a mussel shell. Amused, she watched as he tried to hold the shell still with a pair of dissection tweezers while he attempted to slide a scalpel inside. It slipped out of the tweezers twice while she watched, skidding across the tabletop like he was skipping stones.

  “Huh?” he squinted up at her through glasses that slid halfway down his nose after his second unsuccessful endeavor.

  “Dr. Abraham?” she said again.

  Using the back of his gloved hand to shove the glasses back up on his nose, he nodded in a manner that looked more like a twitch, not daring to let go of the mussel he’d just retrieved. “That’s him.”

  “Thanks,” Dani smiled as she spied a tall, slender man in a white lab coat, leaning over a table across the room. “You’ll have better luck with that if you’ll just hold it in your hand and pop it with the probe,” she suggested before she moved on. She’d never tried opening a mussel with tweezers, but doubted it would ever be successful.

  “Probe?” the boy parroted with the blank stare typical of severe ignorance or insurmountable boredom.

  “Here,” she reached for the needed tool and handed it to him. “Just slide this in at the joint, it’ll pop open,” she instructed. Must be a freshman lab, her least favorite.

  Making her way carefully between the tables, the looks of intense concentration and occasional aversion on the students’ faces as she passed made her feel right at home. She stopped and stood watching as the doctor leaned over and helped a studious young man crack open his specimen.

  “Dr. Abraham?” she interjected when he straightened up.

  He turned toward her, a pleasant face with piercing blue eyes behind wire rimmed glasses, probably not a day older than her own.

  “Yes, and who are you?” A smile softened the blunt words.

  “Dani Jones, sir, one of your new lab assistants,” she offered her hand.

  “Oh, thank God!” he said, waving gloved hands to decline her handshake. “Two of my new assistants backed out! I didn’t know if I’d have anyone this semester.” He cocked his head as if to say ‘follow me’ and started weaving his way through the tables toward a desk at the end of the lab.

  “Nice to know I’ll be needed, then,” she answered. “Do you have a schedule ready for me, or should I come back for it?”

  “Well…” he searched through stacks of papers scattered randomly across the desk. “I did have one, but I’ll probably have to change it…
labs are always in the afternoon…”

  Dani waited patiently, well acquainted with the absentminded mode of her previous lab instructors. When he started going through the same stack for the third time, she said, “It’s okay. I’ve made sure all my classes are in the morning. Want me to just come in at one tomorrow?”

  He looked confused for a moment, then nodded. “That would be great. Why don’t you do that…”

  “Okay,” she smiled. He was kind of cute, but definitely existed in another realm. “I’ll see you then.”

  “Thanks,” he said, still nodding as he wandered off toward a student who’d called his name.

  Feeling a little washed out after a long day on campus, Dani fixed a quick sandwich when she got home and rewarded herself by ignoring the awaiting chores and heading for the porch. At least in the front yard there weren’t boxes and stacks of papers screaming for attention. She’d just settled in when she was interrupted by a smooth, deep voice floating across the yard.

  “Danielle Jones?”

  Dani looked up from the book she was reading on the porch swing and felt a twinge of apprehension at the sight of a strange man strolling casually down her driveway. Against the backdrop of trees, he reminded her of a lumberjack, tall and brawny. Shaggy light brown hair and a three-day growth of beard made it hard to see his face in the shadows, but the tank top displayed muscular arms and shoulders and tight blue jeans left little to the imagination. Self consciously running a hand through her hair, Dani stood up, eyes fixed on a black band strapped around his right thigh. As he moved closer, she saw it was part of a holster that held a large gun.

  “Yes,” she said uncertainly, suddenly feeling incredibly isolated and vulnerable.

  He stopped at the foot of the stairs and handed an envelope up to her. “Guess they delivered this to me by mistake.”

  “Oh,” she took the envelope from him. It was something from the realtor’s office. “Thank you.”

  “I’ve been out of town. Didn’t know I had a new neighbor,” he continued. “Looks like you’ve been busy,” he glanced around the yard.

  “Yeah,” she agreed. Up close, he was disturbingly attractive, but her eyes didn’t stray far from the gun on his hip. “You live next door?” There was a house on the next lot, the only one for at least a mile in either direction, but she hadn’t seen anything to make her think it was occupied since she’d been there.

  “Sorry! I guess I forgot my manners,” he smiled sheepishly, extending his hand. “I’m Noah Russell, I live next door.”

  Her hand felt small clasped inside his big one, but she couldn’t help noticing how strong and warm it was. “Nice to meet you, Noah,” she smiled awkwardly. She didn’t know what to do. She wasn’t about to share the close proximity of the swing with this stranger and his gun. “I’m Dani. Have you lived here long?”

  “Mind if I sit awhile?” he asked, easing down on the porch steps before she answered.

  “Not at all,” she lied, sitting back down on the swing. The neighbors she’d pictured were a nice retired couple that might occasionally send a home baked pie her way. Not someone who looked like he belonged in a biker gang. Just her luck, her one and only neighbor might be some kind of armed felon.

  “I moved here in March,” he said. “Transferred in from Austin.”

  “Austin?” That got her interest. “I came from Austin, too.”

  “No shit!” He looked at her curiously. “Small world, huh?”

  “Yeah, it is,” she said, wishing she knew why she found him so intriguing. “Very different.”

  “It’s good different, though,” he said. “It grows on you,” he smiled, causing her heart to skip a beat. As if sensing her discomfort, he got to his feet. “It’s good to meet you, Dani Jones. Don’t get up,” he looked at her intently before he turned to walk away.

  “You too,” she said, watching him go. His gait was slightly uneven, with just a hint of a limp. She jumped when he turned to look at her again and caught her still staring.

  “Hey,” he said. “I have no food in my house. Would you consider getting a burger or something with me?”

  The thought of having dinner and an actual conversation with a neighbor she couldn’t afford to offend overrode the qualms she had about the gun strapped to his thigh. In Austin, she’d been surrounded by people, and three days of solitude was enough. “Sure, if you’ll give me a minute to change.”

  His face broke into a smile that made him look a lot less intimidating. “Great! I’ll pick you up in fifteen minutes, how’s that?”

  “Great!” she answered, hoping she was right.

  Less than an hour later, she followed him between the tables in a heavily populated diner called “Pop’s.”

  “It’s a little loud, but the food’s great,” he spoke loud enough to be heard above the dull roar of conversation and country music. Dani smiled, sliding into the red vinyl booth directly across the table from him.

  She couldn’t help noticing the waitress, who patted Noah on the shoulder fondly and offered him a smile that livened up her tired face. “Whatcha want tonight, big guy?”

  “Why don’t you give us some menus and I’ll try to act civilized for company?” Noah winked up at the woman who cackled at that.

  “You? Civilized? That’ll be the day!” She was still laughing as she went in search of menus.

  Noah turned his attention back to Dani and offered her a wry smile and a shrug. Dani returned the smile, but wondered again what kind of neighbor she’d inherited.

  “There you go,” the waitress returned, dropping menus in front of each of them. “What can I get you to drink? You on duty?” Dani was surprised to hear her voice drop to a whisper.

  “Nah,” Noah shook his head. “Beer, straight up and cold,” he smiled at her.

  “I’ll have the same,” Dani said when she looked over at her. “On duty?” she asked when the waitress walked away.

  Noah shrugged again. “She knows I don’t like it broadcast.”

  Dani wondered what she’d missed. “Don’t like what broadcast?”

  He looked genuinely surprised. “I’m a cop.”

  It was Dani’s turn to look surprised. She’d imagined all sorts of reasons why he might have a gun strapped to his thigh, but somehow that wasn’t one of them. “Oh,” was all she could say.

  “Guess I … forgot to tell you, huh?” he grinned sheepishly.

  “I guess,” she smiled again. “I hate to tell you what I was thinking…”

  Noah laughed out loud. “I’m sorry. It’s a small town. Even though I do some undercover work, I just assume most people know.”

  Unconsciously, Dani breathed a sigh of relief. By the time they’d finished their meals, the two were chatting like old friends.

  “You know,” Noah pushed his plate back and slumped down more comfortably in the booth, “I’ve always been interested in the details of biological warfare but I just never took the time to study. Barely passed college chemistry,” he chuckled.

  “You either love it or you don’t,” she mused, with a growing awareness of just how attractive this man was and how long it had been since she’d felt like that. Too long. Too risky, she straightened up in her seat and warned herself not to get too comfortable.

  “You ready to go?” he asked, as if sensing her mood.

  “I hate to, but, yeah,” she said. “I’ve got to go in early tomorrow.”

  Dani spent the ride home in his truck trying to remember the best way to end a first date when she didn’t want to get too close, but needn’t have worried. Noah pulled into the drive but didn’t turn off the truck.

  “Need me to walk you to the door?” he asked, watching her from behind the wheel.

  “No,” she answered, feeling a little let down as she reached for the door handle. “Thanks for dinner.”

  He smiled at that. “First of many I hope.”

  The next few weeks were hectic as Dani readjusted to campus life. She hated to admit she wasn’t
as young as she used to be. Even though the graduate classes had several students who were considerably older than she was, she was keenly aware that the majority of the student body was at least ten years younger. Even so, she was enjoying the freedom and making a few new friends.

  The last student had exited the lab, leaving her with nothing to do but clean up and get ready for tomorrow’s activities. Dani looked up with a smile as one of the other lab assistants burst through the door with exaggerated exhaustion.

  “All done for the day?” Dani asked.

  “Finally!” Beth said in her own unique melodramatic manner.

  Dani grinned. Beth was like a breath of fresh air.

  “So, how’d it go last night?” Beth asked with a knowing grin. She’d joined the Biology Department as a last minute addition a few weeks ago and Dani took an immediate liking to her. With a smile as perpetual as her frizzy, reddish brown halo of curls and a laugh that reminded Dani of Tinkerbell, the two had fallen into the habit of policing the labs together after the last class each day. It meant each of them cleaned up in six labs instead of three, but it really didn’t take any longer with two of them working and the time passed much faster with someone to talk to. As ditzy as Beth seemed sometimes, she was twenty-four and in her second year of grad school, working on a degree in zoology.

  “It was nice,” Dani said non-committally, spritzing the table with disinfectant before wiping it up.

  “Details!” Beth demanded, doing the same. “I want details!”

 

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