As he walked down the hall, the unusual rapidity of his thoughts struck him as odd. He also knew without looking back Andy had taken his sister into his arms, kissing her. He even picked up on Andy’s stirring erection. Too much Viagra. Closing his door, he shut his eyes and visualized a brick wall. The vibes from the couple began to fade.
He ran his hand across the roughness of his nubby chin. Part of his intelligence felt expanded and enhanced, while the more sentimental side intimated that something had somehow changed forever.
After they finished lunch, Andy announced, “Well, I think we’re just about set. Just need to throw in another rod – I’d already packed most of the stuff. Want to take the ice chest with some further refreshment?”
“Of course – although too much refreshment may interfere with our hook baiting skills. By the way, Jen, while we’re gone could you make a run into town and pick up some things for supper?”
“Only if you’ll make a detailed list of what you want. I hate to shop for YOU when you’re not there because you have such definite tastes. What I would buy might not be good enough. And don’t forget – plan for five – I’ll call Karin and tell her too, I think she’ll get off before five tonight.”
He fished on the counter for a paper and pen. “Okay, okay . . . details, details. I’ll be as specific as I can. Just get the best and you’ll do fine.” She held out her hand for his wallet.
She watched from her deck as they unattached the boat from its mooring. “Have fun,” she waved, “and bring Chris back in a better mood, will you?”
They waved her off as they plowed a lazy path through gentle ripples.
She went to her room to change into something more suitable for shopping. Opening her closet, she pulled out the new sweater and jeans Chris had bought. Aloud she said “Maybe there’s something Suzanne can do for him,” as she pulled on the sweater. She finished dressing and glanced around her room, checking its order. She stopped in the hall at the linen closet and grabbed a fresh set of sheets.
She went into the guest room and stripped the old sheets, laying out the fresh. As she worked, she passed the dresser and noticed Chris and Donna’s photo lying face down. Picking it up, she frowned as she ran her fingers over the finely cracked glass. Shrugging, she set the frame on the shelf over the computer, picked up the soiled linens, and headed for the washer.
She frowned again when she discovered the load of damp laundry in the tub. She let the sheets she’d been holding slide to the floor and offloaded the wet things to the dryer. Closing the door of the machine, she twisted the timer and pushed a button. The dryer hummed, wet fabric thumping and tumbling. She loaded the machine with the new arrivals and started the washer. Adding detergent and softener, she closed the lid.
Into the kitchen for her purse and keys, she headed outside to her SUV. Trooper instantly dashed to her side. He’d been lurking, waiting patiently, after his master had ordered him away from the boat with a stern ‘not this time’. She saw that he was completely forlorn. “Okay, since you couldn’t go with them, I guess you can come.” She opened the passenger door and he leapt onto the seat, panting contentedly.
She grimaced as she waved away a cloud of hovering dog hair.
Chapter Twelve
They motored around the fringes of the lake. Andy manned the rudder, and Chris found Andy’s sporadic commentary about landmarks annoying. As they cut a path through the water Chris contented himself with wind rushing through his hair and the tingling caress of the overspray.
The boat slowed and puttered in a small circle. “I think this is the hot spot that Dave told me about the other day. Didn’t know if I could find it.” Chris nodded agreement and tossed Andy a beer, opening one for himself.
Even before they left, Chris felt that Andy was out to prove something. In a manner similar to the transmission of Jenny’s feelings he’d received, Andy’s frustrations interrupted Chris’s privacy. While Andy had been nothing less than politically correct toward him, underlying emotions poked through the mental fabric. Chris knew one of the things Jenny and Andy enjoyed most was their privacy; he’d intruded as a result of the accident. Jenny did not seem to him to feel quite as displaced – after all, they were flesh and blood. However, he sensed very real frustration at Andy’s displacement in his sister’s life. Thankfully, as he started his third beer, he found that he truly DID care less.
Andy dropped anchor and busied himself with selecting the perfect rod and lure. He poked a lesser rod at Chris and advised him to choose his own poison. Andy attached a state of the art lure to his line; Chris grinned as Andy copped the optimum casting spot. A simple red and white bobber and a large hook with juicy worm satisfied Chris, simple and yet effective. Andy settled into a religion of casting out and reeling in, casting out and reeling in. Chris settled his line on the opposite side of the boat and propped the rod between his crossed legs. He settled back into his seat watching his companion, absorbing Andy’s frustration, mulling it over, nursing a beer.
Andy’s adrenalin surged, and the feeling brushed Chris like a rush of air as Andy yelled “Get the net!” He vigorously worked the reel as something ran with the line. The fish broke the surface with a rush of whitewater. “Help me get him in!” Chris poised the net, scooping up the valiant bass at the climax of its struggle.
Now Andy radiated joy – he’d landed a fine specimen, nearly eight pounds. “Yes! Son of a bitch! Yes!” Chris opened the lid of the holding tank while the hapless creature flopped on the floor of the boat. Andy unhooked his lure from the gasping mouth. He was so exultant it was all Chris could do to keep from laughing.
“That’s a beauty,” Chris offered.
“Yeah! Abso-fucking-lutely!” Andy settled back to rework his line. He failed to notice the instant Chris picked up the fish it stiffened in shock and died.
“Check your line yet?” Andy grabbed a fresh beer and a half sandwich left from lunch. Chris reeled in his line and they laughed as they saw the worm had been pilfered.
“Probably happened while I was helping you.”
“Too fucking bad.”
“Yeah, well, I’ve probably caught half the fish in this lake over the years.”
“Mmmm-hmmm,” Andy garbled through a full mouth. “By the way, remember the waitress who had her eye on you that day you and Jen and I had breakfast?”
Before Andy finished his sentence a nagging feeling of dis-ease bubbled to the top of Chris’s mind. He sensed what Andy was going to say; a couple of sparks passed through his eyesight, a flush to his cheeks. His eyelids narrowed, his vision filtered through slits. Oblivious, Andy took another large bite and spoke with his mouth full. “They found her yesterday down under the Johnson Creek bridge.”
Chris focused on total self-control. Outwardly he took a long swig of beer while inwardly he wrestled with the knots in his belly. He knew there was a connection between him and the waitress; images spun though his mind – the morning of his bloody bath, the scratches, the stained clothing.
blood
“Really? What happened to her?”
The sincerely concerned tone of his voice made Andy stop chewing to look at him. “Well, I really don’t know all the details. Seems she was raped and strangled, or something. Also thrown over the side of the bridge.” He tossed the waxed paper from the sandwich into the end of the boat. “She was sort of special to a lot of us.”
Chris gazed out across the lake, the opposite shore of sudden interest. “I’m sure she was,” he said. “I only met her that once, but she seemed to be a nice person.”
whore
Andy cast his line.
Chris assimilated Andy’s thoughts. Something was conflicting with what Chris had said just now. The trooper remained silent, fishing with purpose. One obvious word transcended all others that drifted Chris’s way, and he retained it solidly. DAVE.
The boat bobbed, riding the gentle waves. Andy cleared his throat. “Jen doesn’t know yet – but I’m sure she’ll hear soon.
I just hate to have to tell her about it. She’ll want details,” he said as his voice trailed. He flung out his line.
During the course of the afternoon Andy landed three more admirable bass and Chris contented himself with assisting as he was called upon and making sure the beer in his hand was always fresh. He vacillated between ‘listening’ to Andy’s feelings and sorting his own. He found he was impatient with the fact the other man’s emotions ran such a gamut – one minute Andy was obsessed with catching prize fish and the next with his irresponsible mutt, or truck, or work. He grew weary of being bombarded by his companion’s projections and was about to visualize a well-built brick wall when Andy shifted his unspoken attention to Jenny.
This was one subject Andy was able to bring into sharp focus.
Involuntarily Chris ‘listened’ as Andy fantasized about his sister, everything from her delightful anatomy to the way she came when they made love. Chris felt his self-control slipping, and tenaciously resisted the urge to reach out and relocate Andy’s teeth. Andy continued to revel in Jenny’s endowments, and as Chris tried to distract himself by reaching into the ice chest he happened to look directly at the trolling motor on the front of the boat.
fuck me baby
The small electric engine suddenly whined to life and the boat shifted with a jerk. “What the hell?” Andy leaned forward to shut it down, but it shut itself off before he reached it. Chris glanced at the little motor and then looked at Andy and shrugged. Andy scowled, “Shit. Must still be a short in the starter or something. Throw me another beer, will you?”
He returned to fishing and soon hooked another nice bass, around five pounds. Chris pitched his beer bottle toward the shoreline brush. “I concede victory, man. Today, at least, you are a better fisherman than me.” He stowed the prize with the others and added, “Let’s pack it in. Jenny’s friend is probably in from Portland by now and I did promise I’d cook.”
“Yeah. You’re probably right. Let me just tie down a bit.” As he worked, his thoughts drifted to Jenny’s reaction about his fine catch of the day. Drifting quickly turned into fantasy about her later reward for him and Chris again became irritated. The trolling motor started buzzing again, this time full tilt, and Chris sat idly by as Andy moved to shut it off. “Fuck! Don’t know what could be wrong with it!” About the time he sat back down it buzzed again. He rose and yanked the cable from its battery, fraying the wires.
Chris disguised a grin by squinting at the afternoon sun as they motored back across the lake.
He watched the house as they approached, trying to make out details of the woman who was outside with his sister. It wasn’t Karin as the hair color was wrong. The boat nudged the deck with a bump. Chris hopped out to help Andy tie down, and turned and yelled, “Wait till you see what this guy caught!” He lifted the ice chest and set it on the deck.
Once the gear was removed and the boat secured, they walked over to Jenny’s deck to join the ladies. Andy displayed the stinger of fresh bass, while Jenny fussed over him and his fishing prowess to such an extent Chris thought he would puke. He tried to retreat into the house, but Jenny grabbed his shirt. “Not so fast, I’ve got someone I want you to meet.”
She led him to her friend, sitting in a deck chair. “Chris, this is my wonderful friend, Suzanne Andersen. Suzanne, my brother Chris Rawlins.” She struggled to rise from the chair. “Oh, here – sorry – let me help you!”
They laughed together as Jenny grasped her hands and pulled her up. “I’ll be glad when that’s over!” Suzanne laughed. “Hi, Chris, I’m happy to meet you. I’ve heard Jenny speak of you, naturally.”
Chris shook her hand and smiled – but found himself completely captivated by her presence, her enormous breasts and belly, her amazing energy. She was wearing a flowing dress of lightweight fabric; the weave was loose, gauze trimmed in tiny silver threads. It shimmered and settled around her as she moved. He finally managed to respond, “Hi Suzanne. I’ve heard Jen speak of you often, also – although I don’t recall her telling me you were expecting.”
“As a matter of fact, it’s become an accident with a happy ending. Andy you must be Andy?” She extended her hand and the dress swished around her legs as she stepped forward.
Chris followed her every movement with his eyes, her maternal essence a magnet. He leaned against the railing, riveted as his sister chatted with her friend. He found himself attempting to tune out the familiar and zero in on something much more fascinating. He could feel strong protective feelings from Suzanne, but the real tug for him came from the baby, its needing, its loving and immaculate energy. It was the most pure feeling he’d ever experienced. He was overwhelmed and totally amazed.
Jenny led Suzanne toward the house. “We’ll leave you two to clean those fish while we start the rest of the stuff. I’ll bring out some drinks too – except for you, that is.” She patted Suzanne’s belly and they giggled. Chris’s eyes left Suzanne’s figure only after the last of her dress glided through the door.
He completely tuned out Andy and Jenny for the rest of the evening. He continued to pick up their feelings for each other but easily overrode their impulses with his own desires. Karin came home from work in time to join them before dinner, and she worked with Chris in the kitchen. He appreciated her help and attention but mentally kept her in the background. Even while involved in frying the fish, he had difficulty in not searching out Suzanne. His mind absorbed the look of her, the movement, even the unfamiliar scent of her to which he was very much attuned. The familiarities of the other couple did not even annoy him; he shut them out as easily as if he closed a mental door, and nothing troubled him. As his work permitted he sat near Suzanne and talked with her. He found her intelligence captivating. He found the draw of her child absolutely magnetic.
After dinner, he worked at putting up the leftovers and condiments. Suzanne ferried dishes to the counter and chatted as he rinsed and put them in the dishwasher. “Jenny mentioned that you might be thinking of moving here permanently.” She looked out at the deck, where Jenny, Andy and Karin were in a deep discussion about Sally Todd’s macabre death. Suzanne had chosen to leave them to their speculations.
He smiled without looking at her. “I’m not sure how much Jen’s told you about me. I have missed the Northwest very much since I’ve been gone.” He dried his hands. “My accounting position was mainly good for making a lot of money quickly. I think I’ve made enough to last a while.” He hung the towel on its rack. “Some things are just more important. The accident has rearranged my priorities.”
She placed her hands on her belly and smiled. “I too have learned about rearranging priorities. Say – I usually walk every day, and I think now I’d better walk off some of your wonderful meal. Care to join me?”
They strolled the quiet road that meandered along the lakeshore. The air was balmy, fading daylight filtering through the delicate spring greenery. As they walked, he questioned her about her life, her interests, her loves. She related the background of her pregnancy, a lover who simply disavowed her entire existence when she’d told him. Chris admired her strength – he’d rarely found women he could like and respect. He was interested in learning about her intuitive capabilities, and her massage therapy practice. Although he could sense she operated on a highly spiritual level, he felt comfortable in his own powers. Relaxed in her company, for the first time he consciously reached out and connected his feelings in a specific area. He was delighted to find he absorbed her quite readily – as well as the aura of the baby.
His senses basked in relaxing warmth.
They found the house quiet when they returned. Chris saw that a couple of lights were now on next door and music filtered across the adjoining yards. “I believe the gals have found something to occupy themselves.”
“I did notice Andy and Jen couldn’t keep their hands off each other. Seems to be agreeing with both of them.”
Chris ran water into a mug and placed it in the microwave to heat. He rummaged i
n an upper cabinet. “I don’t really know – they seem happy with each other, but I haven’t heard how seriously.” He retrieved a small box tucked away in a deep corner. She watched him from her vantage point at the table. “I don’t mind telling you,” he continued, “I’ve always been surprised she’d never married. She’s a beautiful woman, a good woman, even if I am a little prejudiced.” He got the mug out and sifted powder into it. “I guess Andy’s okay too – forthright and upstanding and all that. Although being a state trooper doesn’t necessarily cure all ills.”
“True, they’re human just like the rest of us.” She craned her neck. “What are you up to in there?”
“Good things come to those who wait.” He gently stirred his concoction and topped it with whipped cream. He carried it to the table with theatrical flourish. “For you my dear. Heaven in a cup.”
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