by Davis, SJ
“Lena,” Jake said, “this is Pam. Pam, Alex’s wife, Lena.”
Lena took the woman’s hand and smiled. “I think we went to school together. It’s nice to see you again. Jake’s been telling us good things.”
Pam Desjardin rolled her eyes. “I can just imagine,” she said.
Jake tousled her hair. “I’m glad you finally showed up,” he said. “We were afraid we’d have to go before you got here. What the hell took you so long?”
“I had a bunch of errands to run,” she said. “It took me longer than I thought.
“Speaking of errands…” Jake pushed his chair away from the table and helped Pam to her feet. “Sorry to ditch on you, but we have stuff to do this afternoon, too. Maybe we’ll stop up to see you in a week or two. I told Pam about the camp and she’s dying to see it.”
Pam nodded. “Jake says the view’s gorgeous.”
“It is,” Lena said. “I’d love to show you the place. Come up anytime. If I’m not there the key’s in the outhouse.”
Pam laughed. “How original.”
Across the table, Jake stood and grasped Alex’s hand. “Great to see you, dude. Call the next time you’re up and we’ll take the boat out. I bought a new motor and she flies. I can make it from here to Rockwood in fifteen minutes, dock to dock.”
Alex whistled. “What is it, a Yamaha?”
“Merc 250. Buy American. Anyway, I’ve got the skis out so call me. We’ll make an afternoon of it. It’s the least I can do after robbing your wife of all your hard-earned cash on that camp of hers.”
“Sure thing,” Alex said. “See you later, Pam.”
Lena watched them push their way through the crowd to the door. “She seems nice.”
“Jake picked a good one,” he said. “Speaking of which, why didn’t you tell them the truth? That you were over at Jane Janson’s place?”
“It’s a new relationship…best to leave Annie out of it for the time being, don’t you think?”
Alex nodded. “Speaking of which, how did things go? What did you find out?”
“Let me get a beer first and I’ll tell you.”
Lena flagged down Patty and ordered a Budweiser. When it arrived, she took a long swallow and sank back in the chair with a sigh. “That was one afternoon I don’t care to repeat. Once Jane Janson starts with the local gossip, she doesn’t quit.”
“I take it you got the dirt on Annie then.”
“Nope. I got the dirt on everybody in Greenville except Annie. She’s been gone for almost three months, Alex, and her own mother hasn’t heard a word from her.”
Alex frowned. “That’s strange. She was always one to keep an eye on Jane. Didn’t she eat dinner with her once a week?”
“Uh huh. Every Wednesday night, come hell or high water.”
“What do you make of it?”
“Jane’s worried and I am, too,” Lena admitted. “At first she figured Annie just needed to get away for a while, but it’s been well over two months now since anyone’s seen or heard from her. She thinks something might have happened.” She tapped her bottle on the table, absently. “Alex, she went to file a missing persons report twice, but both times the cops talked her out of it.”
“Why?”
“There’s a rumor going around that Annie was dating a guy from out of town. Now, you and I know it’s true, but no one else knows for sure. Apparently, the cops believe it though. Jane said they think she ran off like she did a couple of years ago. You remember that, right? The time she left town with the guy Lenny hired to play music on Sundays?”
“The loser with the rhythm machine who thought he was Jimmy Buffet?”
“That’s the one.” Lena took another sip of her beer. “Anyway, they told Jane to give it a few more weeks. She’d probably turn up by then.”
“You know how lazy the cops are around here, Lena. It sounds to me like they don’t feel like doing the legwork to check up on Jane’s complaint.”
“That’s what I was thinking.” She finished her beer and ordered a second. “Do you think I should go over to the police station and talk to them?”
“What good will it do? You don’t know anything.”
“I know that she actually was seeing someone else. Other than that, you’re right. I probably don’t have any more information than they do.” She played with the corner of the cocktail napkin as the rain pattered against the window. “But Alex? What if Jane’s right? What if she really is in trouble?”
“If it makes you feel better, we’ll stop by the station on our way out of town. Two complaints are better than one, and if something actually is wrong, it’s time the cops got on board.”
She smiled. “There’s no need for you to go with me. Stay here and watch the game. I’ll talk to them right now.”
Alex’s attention shifted back to the screen. The score was tied at six apiece with Big Popi at bat. “Are you sure you don’t want me to come?”
“No, I can handle it. It shouldn’t take more than a few minutes.” She pulled on her raincoat and grabbed her purse.
“Call me when you’re done and I’ll pick you up on the way out of town.”
Lena shook her head. “It’s only across the street. I’ll walk back and we’ll have dinner here… unless you’re in a hurry to get back to camp.”
“Dinner sounds good,” he said. “I wanted to watch the rest of the game anyway.”
Lena left her beer on the table and walked across the street to the Greenville Police Station. Inside, there was one officer on desk duty; he sat flirting with the dispatcher, a chubby woman in her early twenties who looked vaguely familiar. Lena thought she might be the middle Marks girl. She had that “Marks” look about her. They both glanced up when she pushed through the door. “Looks like a slow day for crime,” she said.
“Can I help you with something?” Middle Marks said. Her expression mirrored her annoyance at the interruption.
“Yes,” Lena said. “I’d like to speak with an officer.”
The cop on duty unfolded himself from his chair and motioned her toward the door. “Come on in,” he said.
Lena pushed it open and entered the inner sanctum of Greenville’s Finest.
“Have a seat, please,” the cop said, pulling out a chair. “I’m Detective Spaulding. What can I do for you?”
He was about her age, slightly heavy, with the standard issue crew cut and a high voice that was unusual in a man so large. Recognition registered immediately. Lena forgot the uniform and clapped him on the arm. “Stinky? Stinky Spaulding!”
The detective frowned. “Lena Johnson?”
“Yes,” she said. “Well, no. I’m Lena Walker, now, actually.”
“I heard rumor you were back in town. Jimmy Jenkins says Jake Morris’s been working for you up on Breakneck Ridge. You bought a camp up there, didn’t you?”
Lena nodded. “My dad left me some money. It seemed like the thing to do.”
The cop sank into the chair opposite hers. “I’m sorry about your father,” he said. “He was a good man. Town’s not the same without the local color.”
“Local color.” She shook her head. “That’s a kind way to put it, Stan. The local drunk’s more like it.”
“Hell, Lena,” he said, “almost everyone in Greenville drinks a bit.”
“It wasn’t just a bit,” she said. “We both know what pop was at the end. I had to pay off his bar tabs after he died.”
“He was harmless and generous to a fault. Everyone liked him. He just fell apart a little after your mother died, that’s all.” Stan Spaulding cleared his throat. “Now, you said you wanted to talk with an officer so I take it this isn’t a social call. What can I help you with today?”
Lena hesitated, choosing her words carefully. “I’m probably jumping to the wrong conclusion, but Annie Janson seems to have disappeared and I’m worried about her. I went by her mother’s house earlier this afternoon and Jane hasn’t seen or heard from her in close to three months.”
Stan Spaulding cracked his knuckles. “As a matter of fact, I had this exact talk with Janie just last week. She mentioned she was worried. I told her to relax.”
“Why shouldn’t she be worried?” Lena said. “It’s not like Annie to pack up and leave town without a word to anyone. She’s been pretty reliable lately from what I’ve heard.”
“Reliable, eh?” He laughed. “Somebody’s been filling your head with stories, Lena.”
“What are you talking about?”
“In the past five years Annie Janson’s disappeared no less than three times, all unannounced and short-lived. The first time we took it seriously and went all-out to find her. There was a statewide search, including an amber alert that ended when she showed up at her mother’s house for her birthday. Turns out she’d met some guy at The Swan and was shacked up with him at his place in Rhode Island.” He leaned back and rested his hands on the arms of the chair. “Pretty much the same thing happened six months later.”
“And the third time?”
He shrugged. “We never bothered to look for her. She disappeared with some hokey guitar player and showed up a month later, just like we figured she would. Len forgave her for leaving him in the lurch and she was back behind the bar like nothing ever happened.”
“From our conversations lately, I thought she’d gotten more reliable,” Lena said. “It seemed like she was finally settling down.”
The detective shook his head. “You, of all people, should know better, Lena. Annie Janson’s about as reliable as the weather. One day she’s all calm and sunshine, the next she’s a frickin’ tornado.”
“So you think she decided to take off this time, too?”
The cop nodded. “That’s exactly what I think. Rumor has it she was seeing some new guy. My guess is, when he left town, Annie left with him.”
“The botanist,” she murmured.
“Botanist?” He shrugged. “I don’t know what the guy did. From what I heard, he was up here on vacation and Annie took a shine to him.” He stood and slouched against the back wall. “I wouldn’t worry if I were you, Lena. My bet is she gets sick of him before long and finds her way back home. For all her wanting to get away from here, she always ends up coming back.” The detective smiled. “At least Jake’s finally put her behind him. That’s one good thing that came from her leaving.”
“Alex and I just met Pam. I haven’t seen her since she was about fifteen. She seems to have turned out well.”
Stan Spaulding shook his head. “She’s the best. I have to say I’m more than a little jealous she hooked up with him, but after what he went through pining away for Annie Janson, I guess he deserves it.”
“You really don’t think there’s anything to worry about?”
“No, Lena, I don’t.” He walked her to the door with a wink at the dispatcher. The girl scowled before returning to her email.
Definitely Marks.
“Like I told Janie, let’s give it another couple of weeks. If no one hears from Annie by then, we’ll hunt her down for everyone’s peace of mind. If I’m right, and I assure you that I am, you’ll see her back here before we ever get that far.”
“Thanks Stan,” Lena said.
“No problem.”
The detective held the door as Lena pulled her collar up against the rain. Dashing across the street, she dodged the puddles, negotiating the slick wet board of the dock with care. Inside, Alex had moved to the bar, leaving the table free for a larger group. He stood when she approached, offering her his stool.
“How’d it go?”
She shrugged. “Detective Spaulding thinks she ran away with a new boyfriend. He said she’s always been unreliable and her disappearance is in keeping with her character.”
Alex frowned. “Not entirely. Annie’s never closed you out before.”
“That’s what I told him, but he wasn’t listening. What do you think I should do?”
“What can you do? I suppose you’ll have to sit back and wait for her to either get in touch or come home, just like he said.”
Lena shivered and rubbed her hands against her arms, chilled despite the heat of the room. “I’m starting to get a really bad feeling about this. If I hadn’t talked to Jane this morning--”
“Don’t let that old bat put ideas in your head,” Alex said. “Everyone but Janie Janson thinks Annie’s disappearance is typical, even you! Give it a couple of weeks. Like the detective said, she’ll get sick of the guy and be back before you know it.”
Lena frowned. “But Alex, what if everyone’s wrong? What if Annie didn’t leave Greenville on her own and she’s in trouble? What if she wants to come home but she can’t?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know what to tell you, honey. I don’t see that there’s much you can do about it at this point.”
A cheer erupted and Alex turned back to the television. Dustin Pedroia had just hit a two run homer to put the Red Sox up nine to six over the Yankees. Lena watched the runners round the bases, her forehead creased.
“Annie, Annie,” she muttered, taking another sip of her beer as cheers resounded from Fenway Park. “Where the hell are you?”
Chapter 19.
After Alex’s departure, Lena’s days took on a repetitive pattern. She woke at dawn, made coffee, and straightened the cabin. Cup in hand, she stretched out on the couch and read until she heard Odin pull up to the dock. After another cup, coffee for her, tea for him, and a short discussion about their route, they’d take off to explore the roads and trails of Breakneck Ridge. Often, they finished their treks with a swim from her dock, after which Odin paddled back to his cottage to paint leaving Lena with her “to do” list.
She made the drive down the ridge every afternoon to check in with Alex, strategically neglecting to mention her burgeoning friendship with the man across the pond. Whenever he asked about the Norwegian, Lena lied, telling him she hadn’t seen him.
It’s only for the summer, she told herself. He’d be gone in September and she’d never see him again. Besides, it wasn’t as though there was anything inappropriate about their relationship…they were just friends. In fact, when it came right down to it, she felt lucky to have such a well-schooled companion.
Odin seemed to know a little bit about everything. Lena was amazed by the things she’d learned from him on their daily walks across Breakneck Ridge. He recognized every plant in the forest and knew the habits of moose and beaver as well as the migratory patterns of geese, ducks, and loons. When his knowledge of Maine’s flora and fauna was exhausted, their conversations turned to art, books, politics, and the weather…whatever was topmost on either’s mind.
When he finally asked about her work, Lena opened up with uncustomary candor, telling him about the deal she’d made with Alex to support the two of them while he worked on his career as a writer. “I left a job I loved, teaching history in the public school system, to teach at a private academy,” she said. “I hated it, but the pay and the benefits were too good to pass up. It was the only way we could make ends meet while Alex worked on his first novel. And his second…and his third.”
Odin reached for her hand and helped her over a rocky place in the path. “It paid off for you, didn’t it? Ultimately, he was successful.”
“Ultimately,” she repeated. “The Seasons Trilogy came way down the line, though. It took him six years to get an agent and another year to sign a contract. In the meantime, I had the extraordinary pleasure of teaching at Deer Run Academy.”
“Was it so bad?” he asked.
Lena nodded. “I tell people it wasn’t, but in truth, it was awful. The kids all came from wealthy families and were spoiled rotten. Daddy was a stockbroker or a lawyer and mommy spent her days getting manicures and playing golf at the club. Fortunately, Alex finally found success so I was able to tender my resignation in June.”
“What will you do when you return to Connecticut?” Odin asked.
“I think I want to get my doctorate,” she said, blushing
under his scrutiny. “Ideally, I’d like to teach at the university level.”
“Have you applied to go back to school yet?”
“No. I’ll look over my options when I get home and decide then. If I decide to go for my PhD, I’ll start in the spring.”
He smiled. “There’s more to you than meets the eye, Selene. You’re very special.”
Lena looked away, heart racing. There was something about the way he said it that made her certain he meant every word.
***
The day that Odin broached the subject of the gods was the day that marked the turning point of their relationship. It was the last day in July, midway through what the forecasters were calling a major heat wave. By seven o’clock, the temperature had surpassed the 80-degree mark with a high predicted of 95. Lena slipped an extra water bottle into her backpack and waited on the dock with Zephyr by her side while Odin tied up his kayak.
“Sunna will rule today,” he said, gazing at the pale morning sky.
“Sunna?” she said.
He nodded. “In Norse Mythology, Sunna is the Goddess of the sun. She rides through the sky in a chariot pulled by two horses. Today, I think, she brings with her the heat.”
It wasn’t the first time that he’d mentioned gods and goddesses. They seemed to occupy a special niche in his psyche.
“You know a lot about mythology, Odin,” she remarked, wishing she’d paid closer attention to her ancient Greek and Roman classes. It wasn’t her forte; she preferred early American history, in particular, the Civil War era, when her great-great grandfather had died on the battlefield in Gettysburg.
He pulled on his knapsack and belted it around his waist. “I’ve studied many deities, Lena. The gods and goddesses are a source of mysticism and legend that appeal to my nature. Quite often they appear in my paintings.”