Читать книгу Deep Secrets - Beverly Long - Страница 11

Chapter Four

The locked door held. And the next sound she heard was a sharp knock.

She was surprised she heard it since her heart was beating so loudly. She didn’t move. Duke continued his low growl.

“It’s Bernie Wilberts. Is that you, Miss Roper?”

She almost dropped her gun. She managed to stuff it under the sofa cushion. Then she grabbed Duke’s collar and hung on tight.

She recognized the voice. It was the man that she’d talked to on the telephone about renting the cottage.

She unlocked the door and opened it just inches. A man, his body lean and tall, with a few lines on his tanned face, stood on the back porch. He had a flashlight but it was pointed down toward the ground. He looked interested, but not terribly alarmed that he’d encountered someone in a cottage that was supposed to be empty.

“Hi,” she said. “Yes, I’m Trish Wright-Roper. I arrived early.”

“I saw the car and figured that was the case. And then I saw the light, so I figured I better check.”

She opened the door a little wider. “You’re out late, Mr. Wilberts. I was going to call you but I didn’t want to interrupt your sleep.”

“Call me Bernie,” he said. “I wasn’t even Mr. Wilberts when I was in the corporate world. Anyway, best fishing is in the middle of the night.”

That made her think about Milo and what had sent her scrambling to the cottage. He’d caught his last bass. She felt a pain in her chest and wondered when it would get easier. “Of course,” she said.

By now, Duke had squirmed his way around her legs and poked his nose out the door.

“That’s a fine-looking dog,” Bernie said.

“He was just about to go out,” she said. “Duke, sit.” The dog, who normally obeyed really well, continued to pull forward, and she knew that she was about to lose her grip.

“Watch out,” she said.

Duke flew past Bernie, almost knocking the man off the back steps. Oh, good grief, she thought, stepping out after him. Her bare feet hit the back step. There was just enough room for her and Bernie. “Sorry about that,” she said.

She could hear Duke, thrashing around, but couldn’t see him. It was very dark outside. “May I?” she said, pointing at Bernie’s flashlight.

“Of course,” he said.

She shone the light around and caught a glimpse of Duke. He was circling a log. “Get busy, Duke,” she called out, her voice soft, aware that even though there weren’t any close neighbors, sound carried at night.

“Looks as if he could hold his own against the coyotes,” Bernie said.

That didn’t scare her. She’d had coyotes in her backyard for years. But even so, she hoped the dog had the good sense to come back in. She didn’t relish looking for him in the dark.

Duke came bounding back onto the steps and she stepped back inside. “Well, I’ll be going, then,” Bernie said. “I’ll stop back at a more reasonable time tomorrow or the next day, and we can get acquainted.”

“Great,” she said. “I’ll be interested in learning about the best fishing spots.”

She watched the man walk down the steps and around the corner of the cottage, presumably toward a car that he’d parked somewhere nearby. She shut and locked the door.

She turned and looked at Duke. “Well, that was exciting,” she said.

He barked once in response.

She turned off the light on the porch. “We made the right decision, Duke,” she said. “We needed this.”

* * *

BERNIE WILBERTS DIALED the number that he knew by heart. “She’s there,” he said. “Early.”

“Why?”

“How the hell should I know?” He hated this. He really did. “I saw a car and I checked. She’s by herself. She’s got a dog. But I suspect a bullet will take care of him easy enough.”

The voice at the other end was quiet for a moment. “Fine. I’ll be in touch.”

* * *

IT WAS CLOSE to nine before Trish woke up. Given that it had been after four before she’d dropped off, she knew she could probably have slept later. But Duke had other ideas when he put his nose in her face.

“Fine,” she muttered, throwing back the sheet.

He ran to the door and then had to wait for her. She walked, scuffing her bare feet on the wood floor. Running was out of the question until she’d had coffee. She snapped on his leash and opened the front door. She took a few steps outside and let the leash out so the dog would have his choice of trees and shrubs to water.

She could hear birds singing in the trees and there wasn’t a cloud in the blue sky. It was a perfect day.

She took a deep breath. Then another, expanding her lungs. The air was already warm and was heavy with humidity. The trees smelled damp and she knew it had rained here recently. There was mud around the log that Duke was once again circling.

If he got dirty, he could wash off in the lake. She might do the same.

However, he managed to stay clean, and once he was done, they went back inside. She checked her cell phone to see if there were calls from Summer. Thankfully there were not. She would have been worried if Trish had not answered.

She dialed her and it rang three times before Summer picked up. “Hey,” her twin said. “I was just about to call you.”

“How are you feeling?” Trish asked.

“Better,” Summer said. “I’m sorry I couldn’t stay last night.”

“If you hadn’t voluntarily left, I think Bray might have had a stroke.”

“He worries,” Summer said. “I’ve tried to tell him that I threw up every day for three months when I was pregnant with Keagan and Adie, but he’s not buying it.”

Her sister was very lucky. She and Bray had loved each other since they were teenagers, but life had intervened and it had taken them fifteen years to find their way to one another.

“I need a favor,” Trish said.

“Of course.”

“Can you take care of the arrangements for Milo’s service? I would help but I drove to the Ozarks last night.”

“In the middle of the night?” Summer squeaked.

Trish almost laughed. “Yes, Mother. In the middle of the night. But I arrived safe and sound. No need to worry. And speaking of mothers, will you let Mom know what’s going on?”

“Of course. But where are you?”

“Near Heelie Lake. I got a recommendation from M.A. She was here recently with her niece. You knew I’d been planning to take a few days off once you were back. After this thing with Milo, I thought about canceling, but I...I just had to get away.”

“I totally get it. It’s so awful. I’m going to miss him so much.”

She could tell Summer was close to tears.

“I’ll be back on Wednesday.”

“Promise me that you’ll keep your cell phone on and charged at all times. And no more driving in the middle of the night.”

“Of course,” Trish said.

There was a pause on the other end. Finally, Summer spoke. “It must be horrible for you, Trish. To have Milo die on the same day as Rafe. It’s just too much.”

“Two good men,” Trish said, her own throat closing up.

“I’m glad you got away,” Summer said. “I’m really glad. Just be safe. I love you. We all do.”

The line went dead. And Trish knew her twin was either crying or vomiting. But Bray would be there to handle either.

Maybe if she’d had someone at home, someone to hold her, she wouldn’t have felt the need to run in the middle of the night. She didn’t begrudge her twin’s happiness. Their lives were just different and she’d learned a long time ago to accept that.

She put her cell phone down and started a pot of coffee. Then she raised every shade on the porch, even the one on the door. M.A. had been right. The view was lovely. From the back steps, there was a little patch of grass that M.A. hadn’t mentioned, maybe twenty feet wide, before one hit the edge of the water.

The wooden dock that extended another fifty feet over the water was faded but in good repair. Bernie Wilberts’s boat, tied at the end, was white with brown panels. The aluminum fishing boat wasn’t new but, like the dock, appeared sturdy. It would suit her just fine.

Now that the blinds were up, she realized that wasn’t enough. She opened several of the windows, happy to see that there were screens to keep the bugs out. Duke rested his chin on one of the sills, looking about as happy as a dog could look.

She could practically hear the lake calling her name. Trish. Trish Wright-Roper.

“Give me ten minutes,” she said to Duke.

She walked back into the kitchen, toasted two slices of bread and slathered them with peanut butter. She grabbed a couple of handfuls of dry cereal and chewed. She washed it all down with the coffee that was now ready.

She hadn’t bothered to unpack the night before. But now she opened her suitcase and pulled out light blue capri pants and a blue-and-white tank. She slipped on a pair of sandals that she’d brought. She loved her cowboy boots but they weren’t good for dangling feet in the water.

On her way out the back door, she grabbed a well-read romance novel off the bookshelf in the living room. Duke bounded ahead of her, racing up and down the dock three times before she made it to the end.

The sun was warm on her face and she could smell the heady scent of the water. There was very little algae and, when she sat at the very end of the dock, it was clear enough that she could see the bottom of the lake through the ten or so feet of water.

Two hours later, she was a hundred and thirty-eight pages into her book, pleasantly warm and, truth be told, a little sleepy. But there were things she needed to do. The idea of more dry cereal was not appealing. She needed to find a grocery store. It was a little early for lunch but she wasn’t on anybody’s schedule but her own. She’d grab a bite to eat and still have the whole afternoon to take the boat out for a little fishing. Bernie Wilberts might like to dangle a line in the middle of the night. Not her.

She stood up and Duke, who had been stretched out next to her sleeping in the sun, immediately woke up. He stayed close as she walked back to the cottage. Once inside, she tossed her book on the slate table and then closed and locked all the windows and did the same for the back door.

Then she grabbed her purse and keys and walked out the front door, making sure that it was locked behind her. She opened up the door of her Jeep and Duke jumped in.

It was fifteen minutes before she got to Heelie. She wasn’t sure which had come first. The town or the lake. But now each was an extension of the other. Every other place on the three-block stretch was a T-shirt shop or a souvenir store. There was one coffee shop, three ice cream parlors and two small restaurants. She parked in front of one. She rolled down the window for Duke. She wasn’t worried about anybody stealing him. He’d bite the person’s arm off who tried that.

The place had fewer tables than the Wright Here, Wright Now Café and there was no shiny pie case in the corner. The menu looked similar but the prices were higher.

Maybe it was time for her and Summer to increase theirs. She ordered a BLT with fries and, to test the young waitress, an Arnold Palmer to drink. The girl smiled and said, “My mom drinks those.”

Trish managed to keep a smile on her face as the young girl trotted off to get her lemonade–iced tea combination. The girl’s comment had been a stark reminder that she was an age where she could have a daughter working behind the counter.

But look at Summer, a little voice nagged at her, as she unrolled and rerolled her silverware, tighter than it had been before. Summer was exactly the same age and she’d be having a new baby in seven months.

You’re not over the hill, she told herself.

But had she crested the peak and was the descent staring her in the face? Suddenly motivated, she pulled out her smartphone and scanned her emails, looking for the last one from the guy that she’d met online. The one she’d told Milo about.

Maybe it was time to fish or cut bait.

Barry North wanted to meet her for dinner. She found his message and, before she could change her mind, sent him a quick note confirming that she’d be available to meet him the following Saturday.

When her BLT and fries arrived, she forced herself to eat. She was moving on. This was good. When she got back to Ravesville, she was tossing out those self-help books about dealing with loss. She was dealing just fine.

She’d just pushed her plate away when her phone dinged, indicating a new email. She picked it up, ignoring that her hand was shaking. So great to get your message. Glad we’re finally going to do this. Where and when? I don’t mind a drive.

She’d told him that she lived about ninety minutes southwest of St. Louis but hadn’t been specific about Ravesville. She wasn’t stupid. She might be new at the online dating game, but she knew enough not to give out her personal information. He lived in Kansas City.

Maybe Hamerton. It was a twenty-minute drive from Ravesville. There were a couple of good places there. She wanted someplace nice but not too fancy. She typed back. Mulder’s in Hamerton. At seven.

Almost immediately came the response. Looking forward to it.

She closed her phone feeling suddenly very warm. She had a date. The idea of it made her BLT rumble in her stomach.

She pushed her chair back, walked to her Jeep and got Duke out to take a little stroll. They went up and down the streets, with Duke stopping frequently to drink out of the dog water bowls that many of the merchants left outside their entrances.

Then it was back to the Jeep for Duke while she went to the grocery store and bought milk and eggs and more fresh vegetables than she probably needed. But hopefully she’d catch a fish this afternoon and be able to cook the fish and the vegetables on the gas grill that was chained outside the cottage.

Back at the Jeep, she shoved the groceries inside the back door and slipped into the driver’s seat. It was a very warm day, and through her capri pants, she could feel the heat of the leather. She leaned back in the seat gingerly, knowing that her tank wouldn’t provide much protection. She’d pulled her hair into a low ponytail, like she usually wore it to work, but it felt heavy on her neck. Maybe it would be cooler on the water.

She checked both ways and then pulled out of her parking space. Duke had his head hanging out the window. There was a lot of traffic that didn’t lighten up until she’d turned off onto the side road that would wind around until it led her to the cottage.

She remembered several of the hairpin turns from the previous night and realized that they were much scarier in the daytime. She hadn’t been able to see how narrow the shoulder on the road was.

Fifteen minutes later, when she was back at the cottage, she let Duke out to do his thing and grabbed the groceries. She held both plastic bags in one hand so that she had a free hand to enter the combination.

She got it on the first try this time. The door swung open.

And by habit, her eyes swept the room. Call her crazy but it seemed different than it had when she’d left two hours earlier. It smelled different. And the handle of the faucet on the kitchen sink was turned to a slightly different angle. And the rug on the floor had one corner flipped up, as if someone had caught it with a shoe.

Trust your instincts.

She could almost hear Rafe’s voice in her ear.

She dropped her groceries and ran for her car. Where the hell was Duke?

She was reaching for the Jeep door when someone caught her from behind. She turned, swinging her fist.

The stranger caught her arm. He was big and beefy and he smelled strongly of garlic. He was completely bald, maybe late fifties.

She opened her mouth to scream and he backhanded her. She fell to her knees.

“Shut up or we put a bullet in you,” he said. “Get the dog.”

She thought he was talking to her but realized that there was a second man. He was standing five feet away, holding a gun. He was much younger, with dark hair that touched his shoulders. But there was no doubt that the two were related, maybe father and son.

Her ears were ringing and she was pretty sure she had a bloody nose. She lifted her head, looking for Duke. He was fifty feet away, his fur raised, on full alert. He was going to charge the man with the gun.

“Oh, no, Duke,” she cried.

The man pulled the trigger, catching Duke as he leaped into the air. She heard his sharp yelp of pain and saw him fall.

Duke’s big body hit the hard ground and he lay there.

She pushed herself off the ground. She had to help him. “You bastard,” she screamed. “You killed him.”

And when the younger man laughed, Trish launched herself in his direction, kicking and screaming with everything she had.

It took both men to subdue her, and she only stopped when they had her on the ground with the gun pressed up against her temple. She turned her head to see her poor dog.

He lay absolutely still.