The Seasons of the EmmaLee: One grand ship. Two love affairs, decades apart. An idyllic summer resort town torn apart by betrayal, murder and shattered dreams. (The Charlevoix Summer Series Book 1)

by Michael Lindley

  She heard her name and looked up to see George Hansen standing beside her. He placed his hand on her shoulder.

  “Can I join you?” he asked.

  “Of course, George. How are you?” she managed.

  “Sally, I saw Alex this morning down at the docks. He told me a bit about last night. He’s very worried about you and Gwen.”

  Sally squirmed a bit in her chair. “How much did he tell you?”

  “Only that he was afraid he’s come between you and Gwen. He feels terrible about it.”

  “Gwen is gone, George,” she said with a slow and heavy sadness in her voice.

  “What do you mean, gone?”

  Sally sighed deeply. “She’s gone back to New York. I’m not sure when she’ll be back, or if she plans to ever come back.”

  A young girl was cleaning the tables around them and she asked George if he would like some coffee. He gave her his order and then turned back to Sally. “Tell me what’s happened.”

  “Alex invited us both to dinner on the EmmaLee last night. I gave Alex some sketches for the painting of his boat he’s asked me to do. He wanted to go over the drawings with us and finalize plans for his new painting.” Sally took a sip from her coffee. “Gwen is no fool. She knows Alex and I have been spending a lot of time together and that something is happening. I’m not sure exactly what, to tell you the truth.”

  George reached over and took Sally’s hand in his. “Honey, no one can ever blame you for falling in love with this man. From what I’ve come to know about him these past days, he’s a fine man.”

  “Falling in love with him…?” Sally shook her head. “I don’t know what it is, George. I haven’t felt this way in so many years, I can’t begin to understand it. I know how much I enjoy being with him and with Megan. I’ve definitely grown close to both of them in these few short days.”

  “What have you said to Gwen about all this?” he asked.

  “She is being either incredibly noble and understanding, or she’s doing a great job of hiding her emotions,” Sally said. “At times, I think maybe she’s had enough of all this and of me. This is her chance to get away and get back to the city and her old life.”

  “That may well be the case.” His coffee came and he blew on it to cool it before he took a sip. “You should feel real fortunate to be loved by two such wonderful people.”

  Sally turned and looked at her friend. His wise old eyes sparkled. She squeezed his hand tighter.

  She left George, promising to call later and walked across the busy traffic into the park and down the grassy slope to the boat docks along Round Lake. She saw the EmmaLee was away from her dock and nowhere to be seen in the small lake. She couldn’t remember which day Alex had said they were leaving.

  George’s words continued to play in her head…to be loved by two such wonderful people.

  Was he gone now before they had a chance to really find out what was happening between them? She stood at the gangplank where the boat had been tied up for the past week. She thought of last night, the kiss and embrace they had shared. She thought of Megan’s smile and the incredible energy and joy of the little girl.

  As she turned to head back up to go home, she saw a large ship coming in through the channel from Lake Charlevoix. She could tell right away it was the EmmaLee. She felt frozen for a moment. Should she run before they saw her, or stay and see where all of this might lead? She reached in her purse and pulled out her cell phone and address book. Looking up the number for Alex’s phone, she walked up through the crowd in the park and dialed the number.

  He answered after two rings.

  “Alex Clark.”

  “Alex, this is Sally.”

  “Good morning… how are you?”

  “Honestly, I’m not sure.”

  “We’re out on the boat. We took a breakfast cruise to watch the sun come up. Can you meet us down at the dock?”

  Sally hesitated. “Why don’t you come to dinner tonight at my house? I would ask you to bring Megan, too, but I think we need some time together to talk, don’t you think?”

  “I think it’s a great idea. What time?” he asked.

  “How about seven?”

  “I’ll bring some wine. Sally, about last night?” He paused.

  “Yes?”

  “I’ve obviously been thinking a lot about what happened, about… about what happened with us.”

  Sally interrupted, “Let’s talk tonight.”

  She heard him take a deep breath on the other end of the line. “Okay, I’ll see you tonight.”

  She heard the line click and she closed her phone and placed it back in her purse.

  Sally’s doorbell rang and she looked at the clock in the kitchen. It was five minutes before seven. She pulled a tray out of the oven and placed it on the granite counter top, then went out to answer the door.

  She saw Alex standing on the porch through the sidelight window to the front door. He was dressed in tan slacks and a black short-sleeve shirt. He held a small cooler at his side. She opened the door.

  He looked up and smiled. “Hi.”

  “Hi, come on in.” She moved back to let him in. She had put on a simple white sleeveless dress that buttoned up the front. She had leather strap sandals on her bare tanned feet and her hair was pulled up on top of her head and held loosely with a blue ribbon.

  He reached out with his free arm and put it around her and kissed her on the cheek. “It’s good to see you. Thank you for calling and for dinner.”

  She returned his embrace and led him into the kitchen.

  He put the cooler on the counter and took out two bottles of wine, dripping in an icy sweat. “Would you like a glass?” he asked.

  “Yes, please.” She got two glasses down and watched as he opened the wine and poured. “Let’s go out on the porch,” she said. “I’ve got some chicken in the oven. Let me get these appetizers on a plate.”

  He helped her with the food and they walked together out through the back of the house to the sun porch. The sun was still showing high in the western sky out over the lake. It sent shimmering sparkles back across the water. A few sailboats were still out and a large freighter was making its way south with a heavy load.

  They sat in two wicker chairs, looking out at the lake.

  “Do you ever take this incredible view for granted?” he asked.

  “I suppose I do at times,” she answered. “It gets pretty cold and bleak up here on the bluff in February.”

  “Sally.” She turned and he held up his wine glass and she touched it with hers and they both tasted the wine. He paused a moment, looking again at the lake. “I’ve been thinking over and over again about last night.” He turned back to her. “Is Gwen alright?”

  “She’s gone back to New York for a while. I’m not sure how long.”

  “Sally, I’m so sorry if I’ve done anything…”

  “You don’t have a thing to be sorry about.” She took another sip from her wine. “Alex, I don’t know any other way to get at this than just come out and be as honest with you as I can.” She looked into his eyes and felt her resolve starting to fade.

  “Alright,” he said.

  “You know this past week has been a roller coaster of emotions. Meeting you and Megan and the ship coming back, sparking all of the old memories of my family and … and of my daughter, Ellen.”

  He reached over and put his hand on her arm. “I know.”

  “Then, Gwen and I… well, there’s a lot of history there as well.”

  “Sally, I…”

  She stopped him. “I’d better get all of this out, or I know I won’t be able to later.”

  “Okay.”

  She took another sip of wine. “Alex… it’s been a long time for me, but I may well be falling in love with you…”

  She felt him squeeze her arm more tightly.

  “Sally, you don’t have to say anything more…”

  “Well, yes I do.” She stood up and walked over to the ed
ge of the porch, looking at the water, holding the wine glass in both hands. “Gwen and I haven’t spoken since last night, but I think she’s had enough of me and this town, and the business. She’s gone back to New York and I don’t think she’ll be back.” She turned to face Alex. “I don’t even know how you feel about what Gwen and I have been to each other.”

  “All I know is you cared for each other very much and I’m sorry if I’ve come between you.” He walked over beside her and took her hand. “Sally, I’ve been fortunate to meet an incredible person this week. I haven’t felt this way about someone in a very long time.” He looked away out over the lake for a moment, trying to gather his words. “When we kissed last night and I held you, I felt this sense of comfort and peace. It felt absolutely right… and I think you felt that same thing.”

  Sally just nodded.

  “We both have a past and we’ve loved before, but that shouldn’t stop us from finding someone again.”

  She saw in his eyes how deep and sincere his words were. She moved forward and put her arms around his neck. She felt his arms enclose her and she put her face on his shoulder and just let the feeling of the two of them together linger. Looking up into his eyes again, their lips came together slowly and they kissed almost motionlessly for a time. She pulled back and smiled.

  “So, you think you’ve fallen in love,” he said, and paused, returning her smile. “I know I’ve fallen in love with you.”

  They kissed again, this time with more urgency.

  “I want to be with you and spend more time with you,” she said, “but you’re leaving soon.”

  “I want you to come with us.”

  Chapter Twenty

  The passing of Jonathan’s father was a terrible blow for the family, but particularly for his youngest son. Jonathan loved his father and was deeply affected by his death. He also found himself caught in the difficult situation of having to take control of the family and the business, as his older brother Luke was going to be no help in either regard. With considerable guilt, he struggled with the priorities of his own ambitions and dreams and the realities he and his mother were now facing.

  All of this was compounded when another tragedy struck our small town. A summer of so much promise and expectation, suddenly turned to only sadness and fear.

  The sounds of the gulls first woke him. Jonathan sat up quickly as the birds flew overhead, screeching at one another over some important bird issue. At first, he wasn’t sure where he was. His hand knocked over several beer bottles sitting next to him, then he saw he was sitting in a boat down at their docks at the boatyard. As he tried to sit up, his head revolted and a searing pain shot from his temples, back through to the inner core of his brain. His mouth was so dry it was nearly stuck shut and he tried several times before he was able to swallow.

  Fragments of memories from the past evening began to come back to him. Then, he knew his father was gone. He remembered the final scene with the doctors at the hospital and his mother and the quiet ride home. He recalled the talk he had with his brother down at the bar. From there it was all a haze of blurred images.

  He stood and took off his clothes, down to his shorts and walked out to the end of the dock. It was so early that no one was around and he honestly didn’t care. He looked down into the clear green water and then jumped out and slid head first down into the icy depths. The sudden shock of the early summer water temperature cut through him like a thousand little knives, but it worked quickly to help cleanse the past evening’s overindulgence. He came back up to the surface and allowed his body to float up horizontally. He floated motionlessly on his back, looking up at the early morning cloud cover and letting the cold chill work through the ache in his brain.

  His ears were underwater, but he thought he heard someone yelling. He looked up and turned back to the dock. A woman was standing there alone. He rubbed his eyes to clear them of the lake water. As he was able to focus, he saw it was Emily Compton.

  “Jonathan, is that you?” she yelled.

  He began swimming slowly toward her.

  “Jonathan, I heard about your father this morning. I was up in town early, taking a walk and getting some coffee when I heard some people talking about it. I’m so sorry. I wanted to find you to see how you’re doing.”

  How am I doing? He made his way back to the stern of the boat he had slept in and stopped there, treading water. Finally, he said, “Hi, thank you for coming. It’s been a hell of a night. What are you doing here? I thought you had school this summer.”

  She came over and sat down on the dock just above him. “I decided to take one more summer for myself. There is still plenty of time for school. What happened with your father?” she asked.

  “Pop had a bad heart and I guess he just tried to do too much getting all the boats ready for the season.”

  “If there is anything I can do to help…” she said.

  “Yeah…thanks. God knows what we’re going to do at this point. I was talking to my dad just yesterday about starting school in the fall, but now…I really don’t know.”

  She looked down at him and her face and hair shined bright, even in the dull morning light. She had on shorts, white sneakers and an old gray sweatshirt with “University of Michigan” imprinted in blue.

  He finally realized his teeth were chattering and his limbs were going numb in the cold water. “I need to hop out before I freeze to death. Sorry, but I only have my skivvies on.”

  “I’ve been working as a nurse, remember?” Emily said. “I’ve seen more than you can imagine.”

  “Yeah, I suppose.” He climbed the ladder on the side of the dock and walked, dripping, past her to the boat to retrieve his clothes. He used the shirt to dry himself as best he could, then slipped on his jeans and the damp shirt. He noticed Emily watching him, unashamed. “So, you’re going to be up here all summer?” he asked.

  “Yes, school starts again in late August. I have some papers to work on before I get back, but I’m planning to take some time for myself before I get back to the grind in the fall.”

  Suddenly, it just seemed right to ask, “I’d sure appreciate it if you’d come to the funeral with me.”

  She didn’t hesitate, “Of course, I’d like to be there with you.”

  They both turned when they heard steps coming down the dock. It was George Hansen. He seemed a bit surprised to see Emily. Immediately, they both could see he had been crying and was very upset.

  “Jonathan, I’ve been looking all over for you since last night when I heard about your dad, then this morning…” He couldn’t continue.

  “George, this is Emily Compton. I don’t think you two have ever met.”

  He just nodded at her. “Jonathan, I’m real sorry about your Pop, but something else… something terrible’s happened.”

  “What’s going on?” Jonathan asked.

  “It’s Catherine …Catherine’s dead!” He sat on the edge of the dock by the boat.

  Jonathan felt like he’d been hit by a sledge hammer and he was too stunned to even reply. He came up out of the boat and went over to his friend, sitting next to him. “Catherine? What in hell happened?”

  Emily kneeled next to the two men and put her hand on George’s shoulder.

  “An old man and a boy walking on the shore found her this morning. She was washed up on the beach, out near North Point. She’s dead, Jonathan. Godammit, she’s dead!”

  “But, what happened?” Jonathan asked again.

  “The sheriff came by the house about an hour ago to talk to my parents and to have someone come down to identify the body,” George said. “I went with him. My folks were just too shook up. God, Jonathan, I’ve never had to do anything harder in my life. The War was a goddamn piece of cake compared to going into that room with my sister’s body.”

  “Did she drown?” Emily asked in a quiet voice.

  George tried to control himself. “She was pretty badly beaten and they think she was…” he had to pause, “they
think she was raped.”

  “Oh no…” was all that Jonathan could manage to say. “Do they know who did this?”

  George looked up at his friend with a frightened look. “They’re looking for Luke… and…”

  “For Luke!” Jonathan interrupted. “No way he could do something like that!”

  “Jonathan, you know they’ve been having a bad time,” George said. “The thing is, she was pregnant.”

  “Pregnant?” Emily said.

  “Jonathan, there’s something else. The sheriff also wants to talk to you.”

  “I don’t know where Luke is,” Jonathan said, “unless he’s down at The Helm already.”

  “No, they want to talk to you about where you were last night after you left the hospital,” George said.

  Jonathan looked at his friend with a dazed expression, then he looked over to Emily. Her face was immediately a comfort to him.

  “Jonathan,” she said, “there must be some mistake.”

  Jonathan’s mind raced in a panic. After dropping his mother at the house last night, sometime around 1:00 a.m., and after all the drinks, he had no recollection of anything until he woke up on the boat this morning. A sick feeling churned in his stomach and a new terror he could never possibly have imagined surged through his brain.

  He sat at an old wooden table with six chairs around it. The walls were a dull gray and there were two narrow horizontal windows that reached up high toward the ceiling. Jonathan sat facing the County Sheriff, Willy Potts. The air smelled old and stale. Sheriff Potts’ coffee cup and a pad of paper were the only things on the table.

  The sheriff had come by the house at around nine that morning and asked if Jonathan could come with him to answer some questions. He had been sitting alone in this room for over an hour before the sheriff had finally come back.

  “Jonathan, we found Luke this morning over at Darlene Wilson’s place. He spent the night there. Guess he’s been seeing her on the side, along with Catherine Hansen,” the Sheriff said in a slow steady voice.