There were not many people around. There was a chill in the air making people go inside early, he thought. Motorcycle tires peeling out of the gravel driveway broke the eerie silence that engulfed the whole area.
As he removed his helmet and stroked his hair, he noticed eyes on him. His hand slid down his back to check for his pistol in a reflex action. He gave a grunt not finding it and then turned around to check.
As his eyes met his pursuer, he knew there was no need to be alarmed. It was a young woman standing on the front porch of her cabin. It was just opposite to his, the road separating the two cabins. The fading sunlight was reflecting from her face. Jake scanned her immediately: late twenties, brunette with a figure to die for. As he looked up and his eyes met her, she gave him a courteous smile. Though Jake had never been in a relationship, he knew what that inviting smile meant. Spying on rich suspects had helped him learn a lot about lonely women and their inviting smiles. She was lonely and needed company.
He smiled back while running his fingers through his hair. Kiara had told him that he looked stupid doing that, but it had always worked for him. He was not that great looking but he had always been ahead of the game with his attitude. He looked at her one more time and turned around. He kept looking at her with the corner of his eyes till he reached the main door. As expected, she kept checking him out till he entered the cabin.
“You were right, Kiara. This is going to be fun,” he murmured while turning the lights on.
It was good that he had met her outside, because the cabin was a mess from inside. He had not visited it for a year and it smelled like a rotten egg. Aunt Mary had suggested several times to put it on rent, but he was perhaps too lazy for that.
He made a space for himself on one of the corners and threw his bag to the other one. He lay down for a while. The cabin was around a three-hour drive and he felt a bit tired. He closed his eyes for a while when he heard a knock at the door. He got up hurriedly and covered the rotten wood and old bottles with a blanket.
He brushed his hair with his fingers and opened the door. It was the same woman from the opposite cabin. She was carrying a box with her.
“Forgive me for being upfront. I brought you sandwiches,” she said softly. “All shops must be close by now and no one seems to have visited your cabin in a while, so …”
Jake was grinning in his mind, but he did not let the happiness reflect on her face.
“That was not necessary,” he said and paused for a moment. “Actually, you’re right. I’m a little short on supplies,” he said sheepishly.
The women smiled back. There was an awkward silence for a moment. Jake pretended to go ahead with the awkwardness.
“Well …” He tried to act short on words and gave a sheepish smile again. “Are you here for the summer?”
“No … no. I’ve moved permanently, and have been here for three months,” she said.
Again, there was a moment of silence.
“I am Jake by the way,” he tried to take the conversation further.
“I’m Natalie,” she replied back and held her hand out. He shook it immediately. It was much softer than he had anticipated. However, he noticed something else on her other hand. There was a mark made by wearing a ring. He shrugged the thought for a moment.
“I’m sorry for being impolite,” he said. “The house is a mess. I would have surely asked you in.”
“It’s alright. You’ll be here for some time, won’t you?” she asked with question-filled eyes.
“Yeah … at least a month,” Jake answered promptly.
There was again the awkward silence.
“I better get going now,” she said and looked at him. He just nodded. Jake kept looking at her till she entered the porch. As expected, she looked at him one last time before getting inside. Jake looked at the box of sandwiches and gave a beaming smile.
Chapter 2
Far from all of this, Brendon Jones was dealing with the biggest problem of his life. He was about to switch off his phone when it rang. He looked at the number and gave a loud grunt. He opened his apartment door and checked for any presence. Once assured, he walked to the bedroom and bolted the door from inside.
He closed his eyes once and heaved a sigh.
“Jones,” he said with a brittle voice.
“How the hell did they get to know about the package?” a voice from the other end roared.
Yes, it was him: the man without a face whom they called Chief, and he sounded angry. Brendon had never seen him, but he seemed to be present everywhere.
“The … the courier made the mistake, Chief. We’ve eliminated him,” Brendon tried to assure him. “Don’t worry, everything is under control.”
“Eliminate our man also once he’s out of police custody,” the Chief thundered.
“No need to worry about him either. He got hit on the head. He can’t even remember his name,” Brendon said. “He even got the officer suspended.”
“Don’t think I would let this slip,” the Chief said. “Next strike will be your last. Eliminate anyone if needed. Don’t wait for my orders. Is that understood?”
“Yes, Chief.”
Brendon threw the phone on to the bed and dragged a chair. He held his head in his palms. Sweat drops rolled down his face.
Jake looked around as he kept the sandwich box aside. The cabin really needed a lot of work. The furniture was broken, the rugs had stain marks, and the smell definitely meant some dead animal or rodent. The only good thing among the ruin was that the electricity worked. He dragged one of the chairs and made a place to eat, though it was pretty difficult to eat in such a condition. However, he had seen worse in his profession. He mustered all the courage and finished it somehow.
“This sucks. I hope she’d offered a stay over at her house,” he said opening the door to the bedroom. The mattress had been torn apart and the window panes were broken. He put a shirt over the window. He lay down, but the pungent odor from the wooden walls made it difficult. He pulled perfume out of his bag and sprayed it on all corners of the room.
As he lay down again, he started thinking about Natalie. She looked nice and welcoming, but there had to be some catch. From the look of it, she had inherited the cabin or maybe got it as alimony. This reminded him about the mark of the wedding ring on her finger. She must have been married long to have such a visible imprint. That also meant that she was a recent divorcee. Well, he was here for a month-long fling and not some serious relationship, so all of this meant nothing to him. Also, if there was something fishy, he’ll be able to find out immediately. With that thought, he closed his eyes.
He was woken by the screech of tires coming from the driveway of Natalie. He got up and walked to the porch. A man entered the porch of the cabin, holding a box. Jake could not see his face, but he looked quite strong with broad shoulders. Maybe she’s a businesswoman and the cabin is really hers, Jake thought.
By the time he was nearer, sipping water out of the bottle, the man was about to leave. From the point Jake was standing on, he could only see the man throwing his arms in the air as if in some sort of argument. There were no sounds from the other end, though the reflection on the floor was definitely Natalie’s.
In a moment the argument was over and the man was about to leave. He was still carrying the box. Jake moved immediately and sat on the steps, pretending to be working on his cell phone. The man glanced at him, covered his face under the hood of his sweatshirt, and put on his glasses. Jake could see only the scar on his right cheek. It looked familiar from a distance. But then, he had dealt with so many scarred faces, any pattern looked familiar to him.
He put the box in the back of his truck and got inside in a hurry. Jake kept looking at the truck till it disappeared in the woods. He was about to get inside when Natalie came out. He waved at her, but there was no response. She ignored him and went inside immediately. He stood there for some time trying to relate her to the man. The way she was upset meant he had some relatio
n to him. Maybe he was the ex-husband.
The next day, Jake got up early. He had lots of work to do on the cabin. Before the clock hit nine, he was out in the local market.
After finalizing the help for getting the house back in shape, he thought of checking the local produce. There was a two-hour period before the work started, enough time to know the place, he thought. The market was not big, but the local goods were something to look out for. Most of the shops had local herbs and spices and their aroma filled the whole area.
At the end of the market from where the lake started, he saw a gift shop. Though he had nothing to buy, he thought of killing some time.
The shop had the usual stuff, but something attracted him. There were antiques that looked authentic from a distance, though the prices indicated otherwise. He was really impressed and pulled out a jewelry set.
He took the ring out and scratched his nails across the pearl. It indeed was an imitation, but a really good one.
“Can I help you?” A young boy tending the shop approached him.
“No … no, that’s fine,” he said and put the ring back in the box. “Where do you get these from?”
“Ooh … these are locally made,” the boy replied immediately. “You want to buy in bulk. I can help you with that.”
Jake nodded. “No, just asking out of curiosity. These are pretty good. For a moment, I thought it to be real.”
The boy had noticed how Jake was checking the authenticity of the pearl earlier. Maybe this man was interested, but just trying to act reluctant.
“Wait a minute,” he said and walked towards the counter. “She makes them,” he said, handing out the business card.
As Jake was about to take it from him, the boy held it back. “Don’t forget to mention about me.”
Jake took the card and smiled. “How will you come to know I have contacted her?”
The boy smiled back. “This is a small town; everyone knows everything.”
Jake pushed the door while looking at the card. He was surprised by the name mentioned in it: Natalie Underwood.
“There is more than what meets the eyes,” he murmured while putting on his helmet.
By the time he reached home, the cleaning guy was waiting for him. Jake heaved a sigh of relief and took out the house keys. He was about to open the door when he heard a familiar voice.
“Did you like the jewelry?”
He gave the keys to cleaning guy and walked towards her.
“Someone’s keeping an eye on me,” he said playfully.
Her face turned red, understanding what he was implying.
“No … not like that,” she said while looking down.
“Oh … I didn’t mean to offend you,” he said apologetically.
“It’s nothing. Don’t worry,” she said softly. “Pablo … the kid who works at the gift shop called.”
“And how did you know it was me? I didn’t tell him my name,” Jake asked immediately with surprise.
“The description that he gave was enough for me to know that it was you,” she said with a smile.
“Oh really? What did he say, a stranger with less than average looks?” Jake teased her.
She looked at him with surprise. Jake looked serious. She did not give much thought and replied instantly, “You are not less than average …”
There was a moment of awkwardness. Jake looked back. The cleaning guy had gone inside.
“Give me a second. Let me check if he needs something,” he made an excuse.
Natalie just nodded and looked at him till he disappeared inside the house. Jake on the other hand jumped in exhilaration once he reached inside. He had never met anyone so beautiful and innocent. And, above all, she felt he was an above average–looking guy.
Natalie on the other hand was fiddling with her fingers in nervousness. She ran a successful business and dealt with so many men, but Jake had that wildness, that spontaneity that had swept her off her feet.
Jake waited for a couple of minutes till he composed himself. He came out pretending that everything was normal.
“I must be going,” Natalie said as Jake came to her.
“Can I walk you to your house?” Jake offered and looked in anticipation.
Natalie nodded and walked quietly beside him. It was already three in the afternoon, but a slight chill was mixing with the warmth of the sunlight. Natalie’s presence was making the crispness in the air feel welcoming to Jake.
“So you stay alone?” he asked.
Natalie looked at him. “Yes … mostly.”
Jake looked at her while trying to understand what she meant.
“I mean … I travel, at least for a week every month for business. That time I leave one of my subordinates here.”
“But I thought you ran your business from here?” Jake inquired.
“Actually, it’s based out of Seattle. I used to live there too. Once I visited here during the summer and liked the place so much that I thought of having a place of my own. That time no cabin was up for sale. I even inquired about yours, but without any luck. Then this year I got an offer and bought a cabin for myself. My business does not need my presence all the time. I can operate from anywhere. My factory is in Seattle. I visit there once in a month to keep a check on the things.”
“So you’re having best of both the worlds?” Jake smiled.
She smiled back and nodded. “What do you do?”
“I … I work for a corporation … as a legal advisor,” he said at once, though he knew what the next question was going to be.
“You’re a lawyer?”
“I am. But I have more experience in the corporate world rather than fighting cases publicly. So you can call me a law consultant,” he replied back with a smile. Natalie just nodded.
They had reached the front entrance of her cabin.
“Why don’t you join me for a cup of coffee?” she offered and looked at him longingly.
“Sure … it sounds great,” Jake hesitated, but it actually was an offer he was looking for.
As they entered the porch, Jake stopped for a moment. The view was mesmerizing. The lake looked gorgeous with the golden hue of sunlight at the far end, adding to its beauty. Though it was the slow hour of the day, still some enthusiasts were enjoying sailing. This was the time of summer vacations so kids were running across the docks and pushing each other in the lake. He remembered how he yearned for all of this as a kid and when he had come here, he had thought his dreams had been fulfilled. But the dreams had been shattered with equal speed. The thought made him squirm.
He realized that the sunset was beautiful, but there was someone else who needed more attention that the fading sun. He turned around and found Natalie admiring the view herself.
“Isn’t it divine?” she said looking at the pink and orange rays bouncing off the mountain top.
“It sure is.” Jake smiled. “Why don’t we sit on the dock for some time?” he suggested.
It was as if he had read her mind, or maybe he had enough practice—she agreed in an instant. As they stepped out of the porch, a puff of air hit Natalie’s face, making her dark, black hair fall on her face. Without giving any thought, he lunged forward and removed the strands off her face. As his fingers touched her face, she closed her eyes. Her breathing increased and her face turned red. Jake kept looking at her as if the time had stopped; his finger froze where they were. He thought of hugging her, but he did not want to be too forward. He used all the strength that he had and forced himself to step back. As his shadow left her and sunrays hit her face again, she opened her eyes. He turned his gaze towards the lake immediately, but not before she had noticed.
“How … how did you get into this business?” Jake asked while sitting down.
“I … I learnt it from my grandmother.” She was still in her thoughts.
There was a momentary silence. Jake kept looking at the water, trying to avoid any eye contact.
“My grandparents were immigrants. Gr
andpa worked various jobs and finally started a small construction business. Though the business was not big, he spent a lot of time in it leaving Grammy at home. She learnt about creating imitation jewelry and started selling it to neighbors. Soon, it became popular and she started getting bigger orders. Finally Grandpa left his business and got a place from where Grammy could work full time. My father expanded it and opened a store and then another one. I inherited it from him once he was gone. Now we have ten stores and we also sell to other retailers.”
She paused for a moment. Jake was about to admire her when he noticed her saddened face thinking of her family. He put his hand over hers and gave a smile. She nodded and smiled back. Her smile assured him further and he did not remove his hand.
“What about your mother?”
“She … she died six months back. That’s why I moved here. Too many memories, you know.” Her voice cracked.
“Well, that is something we have in common,” Jake said, pressing her hand. She looked back with tear-filled eyes. Jake smiled back with his own eyes filled with sadness.
There was a momentary silence. The only sounds were coming from the breeze hitting the water. Unknowingly, Jake started moving his fingers across her hand, though she didn’t mind at all. However, his fingers stopped as he noticed the impression of a ring and without much thought, he ran his fingers across it. Natalie noticed that and removed her hand at once.
“We should go inside,” she said while getting up.
Jake cursed himself and followed her.
“I did not mean to offend you. I’m really sorry,” he apologized, but she did not stop. He ran behind her and pulled her by her arm. He used more force than he had anticipated and she lost her balance. While trying to stop her fall, he pulled her further and caught her against his chest. She hugged him tight as a reflex action. She felt so safe in his arms that she closed her eyes. She wanted the moment to never end. All the sounds emanating out of the lake subsided at that moment under the sounds of the pounding of their hearts, as if the time had stopped.
Mystery: Double Cross - The Davenport Mysteries (Suspense novel series of adventure mystery books and Crime mystery thrillers) Page 2