“Anyone else find that strange?” I asked in the silence that followed her unexpected visit.
“Yep. I mean, I’ll keep an eye on a friend’s place, but twenty years seems like a long time.” Jake murmured, his eyes suspicious.
“She was sincere,” Wade told us, his reading of her aura assisting him. “But something was off.”
“Well, I thought she was nice.” Carly scooped the plate of cookies from my hand and walked back to the kitchen. “I mean she brought cookies and we didn’t have to run the spiders off when we got here. She seems neighborly.” Carly was out of sight and missed our considering glances as she talked about how neighborly our new neighbor was.
“We should probably keep an eye on her,” Jake said in a low tone.
“I have no doubt she’ll be doing the same,” I replied, glancing at the large picture window again, but this time with the knowledge that it let people see in as well as we saw out.
A few hours later I’d unpacked my stuff in the large master bedroom and was staring out at the lake when Jake came up behind me. His arms wrapped around my waist and I leaned back against him.
“Penny for your thoughts,” he whispered as we watched a fish jump. The sun was still high even though it was well after five and it’d be light till close to nine.
“How many pennies do you have, sir?” I replied, with my standard line.
“As many as it takes to get those lines to disappear,” he answered, turning me and smoothing his thumb along my forehead.
“I hope you’ve got a jar full of pennies then.” My smile was tired as I glanced back over the beautiful lake. This place was meant to be relaxing and I knew if I didn’t have the spectator of a woman’s death over me, it would be. “So many unanswered questions here. So much of it tied to my family and I wonder if I want to know the truth.”
“It’s better to know the truth than live with the uncertainty,” Jake stated confidently. “We’ll get to the bottom of it and set the past to rest. Summer deserves it.” He spoke of her as if he knew her and I knew it was his way of humanizing her. She was a victim, one none of us had known but here we were trying to find justice for her. It was easy to forget sometimes that she had dreams and a family that were brutally taken from her.
Jake brushed a kiss against my cheek and I curled my arms around him, pressing against him firmly. He wrapped his arms around me, locking me into a tight hug. I hadn’t realized how desperately I needed his hug until I had it. I could feel his love and support as I held onto him, reluctant to let go. Only the sound of gravel crunching persuaded me to ease my grip.
“Who could that be?” Jake wondered, the words almost under his breath, but I heard them.
“Connor,” I answered without a hint of hesitation. Jake frowned deeply, his eyebrows drawn together with a hint of anger.
“They’re supposed to be on a flight to Mexico. Connor better not have fucked up and she sent him off packing,” he growled, familiar with Connor’s tendency to stick his foot in his mouth. He’d spent more than a few nights on Jake’s couch because of it.
Jake headed for the front door and I trailed after him, amused to see what brought Connor to our door.
“Hey, y’all!” Connor waved from the front seat of his jeep, the top down for the ride up. Jules was in the passenger seat and I could tell from her frown she was not happy. Since she was supposed to be on her way to Cabo and was instead here I could see why.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Jake thundered as he came down the steps. I leaned on the porch railing, fighting back laughter as the reason came to me.
“We’re here to help,” Connor said, managing to look both offended and completely innocent at the same time. “I mean, we couldn’t leave you to solve the mystery without us. The Scooby gang sticks together.” Jake switched his gaze to his sister not believing Connor for a second.
“Why don’t you tell them the whole story, sweetie?” I winced at the sweetie since I’d heard her use curse words in a kinder tone. Wade came up next to me and let out a low whistle.
“That’s one pissed off woman.”
“Uh huh,” I agreed, biting back a grin at Connor’s expression. Jules wasn’t ready to be amused by the story but I was sure in a few decades she would be able to see the humor.
“Well,” Connor started before letting out a deep sigh. Jake waited impatiently, acting the older brother even though he was a year younger than Jules. “See, I didn’t realize you needed a passport to go to Mexico.”
A laugh puffed out of Wade at his words and I fought my own desire to laugh. I had to show support for Jules even if it was hilarious.
“It’s our honeymoon! You couldn’t even leave the damn state for our honeymoon. No, you had to be you and forget you needed a passport. Who forgets that?” Jules shouted irately, waving her arms around.
“Well, I mean,” Connor started before she interrupted him.
“Don’t say it, don’t say you. Because I know you and all I wanted was a romantic honeymoon at an all-inclusive resort, but here I am at a mosquito infested lake two hours from home.” Jules stomped up the stairs and Carly quickly dodged out of her way as she slammed inside.
“We brought the leftovers from the reception,” Connor said in the silence following Jules’ exit.
“Good to see you, man,” Wade went down the stairs to help him unload as Jake stared at me, shaking his head. I let a grin escape and he sighed before letting out a chuckle of his own.
“Only you, Con. Only you.” Jake punched him in the shoulder but grabbed a bag Wade tossed to him.
“Think she’ll forgive me?” Conner gazed at me hopefully and I quickly changed my expression. “Addie? Why do you look so upset? She’ll forgive me, right?”
“I…don’t know what to tell you, Connor.” I ignored Wade’s eye roll as he walked past me. “She…I can’t see the future.” I shrugged and quickly went inside before I lost it and started laughing.
“I hope you gave him grief,” Jules pounced on me the second I stepped through the door, glaring at me suspiciously. My friendship with both of them tended to become a sticking point in instances like this. They both wanted me to take their side and I had a difficult time choosing.
“Of course I did. Give me some credit,” I told her, linking my arm with hers. “You want to see your room?”
“As long as he’s not in it, sure.”
I bit my lip and steered her to the only other bedroom, silently wondering where we’d put Danny since I didn’t think I’d get Carly to share.
Supper was a tense affair as we gorged on the leftover food from the reception. Anytime Connor attempted to speak, Jules let out a huff until he finally stopped. I told them about the odd meeting with Joyce to cover the awkward silence but neither seemed particularly interested. I finally said I was going to bed and the others quickly agreed. Jules glided to her room with her head held high, but when Connor went to follow Wade grabbed him by the arm before I could.
“Dude, I wouldn’t. Not if you want to keep your balls attached.” Connor cringed and Wade nodded. “There’s bunk beds in my room. I’ll even let you have the top bunk.”
“Thanks, Wade.” Connor shuffled after him, glancing back once to the door Jules had disappeared through. Carly escaped to her room and I curled my arm around Jake’s waist as we walked to our room.
“This promises to be a fun time,” he said dryly and I murmured an agreement. “At least we have room for everyone.”
“Oh,” I said, remembering Jake didn’t know about Danny.
“Oh? That doesn’t sound good.”
“Danny’s coming up tomorrow,” I told him, a sheepish expression on my face. Jake sighed and rubbed his forehead.
“Of course he is. What house party would be complete without the whole gang?” He tugged me closer and dropped a kiss on my forehead. “We’ll let that be tomorrow’s problem.”
“I can live with that,” I answered, a tiny grin escaping as I imagined Carly
’s reaction.
Chapter Six
My feet sank into the soft earth next to the lake as I watched the world slowly brighten around me. Sunrise was my favorite time of day. Hope seemed to infuse the air around me as the darkness slipped away. It was the only time I could find a moment to myself.
The snap of a twig had me spinning around, my heart pounding suddenly. It was probably an animal, I reassured myself, but my body remained tense. It was unusual for anyone to come out here this early, another reason I enjoyed the sunrise so much. It guaranteed solitude.
I relaxed slightly as the only sounds I heard were birds chirping and the gentle lap of water on the shore. I needed to go back before I was missed, but I lingered by the water, reluctant to go back to the tense house. Nothing was the same and I was already tired of the fighting. Momentarily, I wondered if he was worth the turmoil he’d brought into my life, but I quickly dismissed the thought. I couldn’t blame him for others’ choices.
Nerves prickled along my spine as the sense of being watched crept over me. I turned slightly, tossing my hair as I peeked over my shoulder. As I turned back toward the lake my heart began to race. It was barely a glimpse, but there was no mistaking the man hidden in the trees watching me. I swallowed, wondering if I should let him know I’d seen him or pretend nothing was out of the ordinary.
Fear trembled through me as I felt the weight of his stare, and suddenly, I knew there was nothing innocent about his presence. My toes curled into the damp grass and I cursed myself for forgoing shoes this morning. My legs tightened and he must have sensed my intention because I heard the loud cracking of branches as I took off. I ran as if the devil himself was on my heels because he was. The sudden pain of a sharp rock embedding into my foot caused me to cry out, but I refused to slow down. There was no one around who would bother to save me. My only chance was to make it home before he caught me.
Gasps escaped me as I ran harder than I’d ever run before, branches scraping along my skin as every fallen limb and rock tore into my bare feet. I heard his heavy steps behind me, his longer legs keeping pace with my fear fueled flight. The dim forest began to brighten as the sun rose higher, every breath coming harder as I fought to get away from the terrifying stranger on my heels.
I cried as I broke from the trees to see him pacing on the porch, his anger palpable but his presence bringing me sweet relief. I spared a glance behind me, but I already knew the man had melted back into the trees, unwilling to chase his quarry in the open.
“Addie!” I jolted at the sound of my name, my heart still thundering in my chest, but as he shook me I realized where I was.
“Addie, wake up.” His words penetrated the fog of sleep and I blinked up at him as he gazed at me in worry. “Hey, I think you were having a bad dream.”
I nodded as he helped me sit up, wincing as I flexed my foot. The pain was so real I expected to see a cut on the ball of my foot as I pushed the covers aside. Jake watched me as I ran my finger over the fleshy pad, the pain fading away as I woke up completely.
“Addie,” my name was an unformed question on his lips as he wrestled with himself.
“It was a dream, but I don’t think it was my dream?” I glanced at him to see if what I said made sense, but he only studied me carefully. “I think it was a memory.”
“It wasn’t a prophetic dream?” He made this a question, needing to know if at all possible I’d had one of my rare ‘future’ dreams, a dream so realistic it usually wound up being a flash of the future.
“No, I think it was a glimpse of her past. She was being chased by a man. She was terrified.” I put my hand over my heart, still feeling the rapid beating. I knew I was right as I spoke, but I didn’t know if he was the one who would kill her or if was the man on the porch. She’d feared them both.
Jake rubbed his hand between my shoulders, his touch comforting me as he took in what I said.
“I don’t think I can go back to sleep. Let’s go get some breakfast.”
I nodded in agreement, positive I wouldn’t be falling back to sleep anytime soon.
We dragged on the first clothes we found and stumbled downstairs to find Wade sitting on the porch with a cup of coffee. I stopped short at the sight of him and Jake bumped into me, steadying me as he saw why I’d stopped.
“I didn’t expect to see anyone else up so early,” he told us, waving to the lake and the barely discernable glow just starting to rise above the trees. “Sunrise is my favorite time of the day. The darkness is disappearing and usually it’s the only time I can catch a moment to myself.”
“Wade, you’re really starting to creep me out,” I muttered, curling up on the empty swing. My words startled him and Jake as they stared at me and I shook my head. “I dreamed of Summer and she felt the same way. Your words almost echo her thoughts.” I wrapped my arms around my knees, ignoring the taken back expressions on their faces as I stared out over the lake. Neither spoke, leaving me to my thoughts as Jake went to pour coffee for us.
After a few minutes of silence, Wade spoke.
“Connor snores.”
I snorted and said, “Yeah, I didn’t tell you because I figured you’d go sleep in your car if you knew how bad it was.”
“I was tempted, but the couch is actually pretty comfortable,” he replied, a smile tugging on one corner of his mouth, showcasing a tiny dimple. “However, they need to reconcile before this whole vacation becomes a nightmare.” He paused after he said nightmare, glancing at me.
I shrugged it off, mostly recovered from the remnants of Summer’s terror. “I should be used to the crazy stuff that happens by now, but it was different feeling her emotions, and her fear as my own. Even though it happened years ago, it feels like it just happened.” I tugged on my hair, unsure how to describe the connection I felt with Summer. “It wasn’t just her fear…I felt everything she felt. It was almost as if I was her.”
“I can’t handle reincarnation, I’ll tell you that right now.” Wade held up his hands as if to stop the very thought of it and the ghost of a smile tried to form on my lips. “Not saying it isn’t possible, but I’m not ready to go there. I’m not even going to ask the question because I really don’t want to know.”
“Know what?” Jake asked, stepping out onto the deck and catching the tail end of our conversation.
“If I’m Summer reincarnated,” I informed him before letting Wade know, “I’m not by the way.”
“Thank the Lord for small favors.” He leaned back in his chair with a gusty exhale. “That would have tipped the weird scales for me.”
“Considering everything, I think it would be more likely if you were the reincarnation of Summer,” I added mischievously and laughed as he spewed coffee all over himself.
“Not amusing,” he bit out, brushing the coffee from his shirt. “I am not the reincarnation of a woman.” Jake opened his mouth, but shut it again without commenting. “And I really would hate to know you were relieving my former life if I was.”
“If you went over the dream you had, maybe we can find a clue to point to her killer,” Jake diverted our conversation with the ease of someone accustomed to psychic debates overtaking normal conversation.
“That’s the weird thing.” I leaned forward and set my mug on the rail. “I think my dream will make it more difficult. There were three men in that dream. One she thought about, one who chased her, and the one on the porch. One she loved and two she feared, but any of them could have been her killer.”
“It seems the obvious choice would be the man chasing her,” Wade stated as he scooted forward. “We have a pattern. Normally, men don’t chase women through the woods unless they mean them harm. It could have escalated later.”
I nodded absently, thinking about her reaction. She enjoyed going to the lake, but she’d hadn’t been worried at first.
“She went there often,” I said slowly. “She didn’t anticipate danger.”
“Then maybe that was the first time. It would be nice if we
knew where,” Jake mentioned staring at the massive lake. “But it’s almost a needle in a haystack.”
“Not necessarily,” Wade countered. “I drew this cabin so her death has to be connected to this place. Your uncle was dating her so maybe she lives around here.”
“But what does my uncle have to do with her death? There was no evidence linking him to the crime. She drowned in the lake,” I said when a voice interrupted.
“Maybe not.”
We glanced up to see Connor in the door, barefoot and wearing only a pair of cargo shorts. He scratched the light blonde mat of curls on his chest and belched before continuing outside. “I glanced over that ME’s report again and took a look at the discrepancies. He wasn’t sure she died from drowning. From what I could tell, he suspected asphyxiation. The body was dumped in the lake to make it appear as a drowning.”
“Summer,” I corrected, unable to hear her referred to as ‘the body.’ He nodded apologetically and I went on, “Someone was covering up a murder? But why was my uncle implicated then?”
“I think your uncle was a witch hunt,” Connor answered sagely. “He fell in love with the wrong girl. It seems Summer was the daughter of a wealthy man around here and your uncle Duke wasn’t good enough for his daughter.”
“That would make sense,” I murmured as I thought about the possibilities. “But why cover up the cause of death?”
“I don’t know, the police chief around here might have a better answer,” Connor replied, slurping his coffee to Wade’s irritation.
“Or we could just ask Addie,” Wade muttered, not quite under his breath.
“Oh, are we asking Addie questions again?” Connor’s thoughtless question caused me to realize Jake had put a gag order on any questions involving cases, and while part of me understood his position the other part was pissed.
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