Justice Overdue: A Private Investigator Mystery Series (12 page)

He got back in the pool and shaved—something he hadn’t done in years; he had sported a full beard for as long as he could remember. He rubbed his smooth face with the back of his hand and admired his reflection in the water. He looked, and felt, like a new man.

He soaked awhile longer, scrubbing the filth from his skin, then lay on a patch of grass on the bank, leaned his head against a rock, and closed his eyes, enjoying the late afternoon warmth of the sun.

He dozed off and was startled awake by the sound of something coming up the bank, from downstream, heading his way. He sprang to his feet, gathered up his clothes, and dashed up the bank in the opposite direction, where he hid behind a large cedar. He peeked out from behind the ragged bark and waited for the intruder to come into sight.

It was a girl—the same girl he’d seen that morning, the pretty one, and she was alone.

Boy, would he be glad when the weekend was over and all these trespassers would get out of his hair.

He struggled with his clothes and managed to get them on without making any sound that would betray his presence. They were still a little moist, but they would do. At least they were clean, and he felt much better.

The girl took off her running shoes, rolled up her pant legs, and sat on the bank of the river. She dipped her feet in the water, splashed them around awhile, and then leaned forward, dropped her elbows on her knees, her chin in her hands, and gazed into the bubbling stream.

He heard her singing softly to herself. He couldn’t make out the words, or recognize the tune, but could tell she had a nice voice—a sweet voice, and seemed to fit in well with the beauty of this place, a place filled with both loveliness and ugliness. It was life and death at their best, survival of the fittest, and a place that guaranteed him his survival—if he was careful, and smart.

He continued to admire her. She looked young and innocent—not like the other girl he’d seen her with earlier, and not like the ones he knew when he was growing up. He felt somewhat ashamed for his earlier thoughts of having his way with her. This girl didn’t deserve that. Maybe the other one, but not this one.

But he had no time for that now and no inclination. He just wanted to be left alone.

His eyes popped a moment later as he watched the girl stand and undress, and then step into the water and begin to bathe. He fought with his earlier decision to leave her alone. He hadn’t seen a sight like that for a good long time and it stirred his memory of better days.

He watched awhile, entranced and unable to move, unable to make a decision whether or not to act on his instinctual desires.

He chose not to, and before he could change his mind, he fled from the spot and arrived at his cabin, panting for breath, unsettled and confused.

Chapter 26

Friday, 8:00 PM

ANNIE FLICKED OFF the television and tossed the remote control onto the coffee table. She yawned. She wasn’t tired, just bored—and lonely. Sure she was having the quiet, peaceful weekend she planned, but she missed the guys, and missed the quiet noise that always surrounded and comforted her when they were here.

It was too much of a good thing.

She couldn’t even call them on the phone. She glanced at her watch. They wouldn’t be home for two more days, and at just about this time of the evening. She might die of boredom by then.

She made herself a cup of coffee, sat at the kitchen table, and picked up her phone. She dialed her mother’s number; there was no answer. Her parents had probably gone out somewhere for the evening, something they often did on a Friday night.

It didn’t matter anyway. She didn’t care to talk to her mother all that much. Their conversations usually evolved into a one-sided discussion about Jake, about what a bad example he was, and what a lousy father. And then she realized; she must be bored to consider it.

She yawned again, and as if on cue, an idea popped into her head. It was a crazy idea to be sure, but so what?

She would leave early in the morning, drive up north and surprise them. Maybe bring them some real food. They’d probably be ready for that by now.

She’d spent the afternoon with Chrissy, gossiping, laughing, and catching up. Perhaps Chrissy would like to come north with her. That would give her someone to drive home with as well.

She picked up her cell phone from a basket on the counter and dialed Chrissy’s number. “I’m going north early tomorrow to surprise the guys and wondered if you want to come with me,” she said, when Chrissy answered.

“Gee, I’d like to, Annie, but I’ll be busy for the rest of the weekend. I’m taking the time to drive out of town to visit an old friend while Kyle’s away.”

“That’s ok,” Annie said. “It was just a thought.”

“Have you talked to them today?”

“Not since this morning. No cell coverage where they are and it’s a bit of a drive to town.”

“I’m sure they’ll be glad to see you,” Chrissy said.

“Jake maybe. The boys probably won’t care much either way.”

Chrissy giggled. “I thought Kyle might be a little reluctant to go away for the weekend without me. Boy, was I wrong. He didn’t hesitate a moment.”

“When those two are together, they forget all about us.”

“Guys might stray for a while,” Chrissy said with a laugh. “But they always come running back.”

“That’s true enough,” Annie said. “And now I have a few things to do here. I’ll talk to you again when I get back.”

She ended the conversation and hung up. She had to get ready for tomorrow’s excursion and she wanted to get at it.

She spent the next hour putting together a homemade macaroni and cheese casserole, one of Jake and Matty’s favorites. They could easily heat it up by the fire and have a nice lunch tomorrow.

She wasn’t all that tired but she went to bed early, setting her alarm for 6:00 am. She wanted to be there before noon.

~~*~~

THE SUN HAD SET some time ago, but the full moon lessened the blackness of the night, shining on the water like a pale band of silver, dimming the stars that speckled the summer sky. The fire on the beach had died to a bed of glowing embers.

Jake glanced across the darkened waters. The backpackers at the far end of the lake had a campfire blazing as well. He could vaguely make out figures moving about, lit up by the glow. He felt concerned that their lack of respect for nature exhibited earlier might result in a brush fire, or worse, a raging forest fire.

He and the boys wanted to do a little hiking in the morning, heading out after an early breakfast. He planned not to wander too far away in case someone came by with a vehicle. He preferred to get the RAV4 fixed up and running the next day if possible. That would save a lot of headaches.

He stretched and yawned, tired and ready to hit the hay. Whether they knew it or not, the boys would be worn out from the day’s events as well, and welcome the early retirement.

Much of nature had calmed down. The occasional wolf howled far away. Somewhere, an owl screeched, hidden and rarely seen during the day, now announcing its presence by night. It was echoed by a soft, low hoot, perhaps a mate calling her answer.

Jake looked over at Matty and Kyle, sitting on the sandy beach a few feet away. They giggled and scared each other, telling spooky stories in whispered tones.

“Are you boys ready to pack it in?” he asked.

“Can’t we stay just a bit longer?” Matty asked.

Jake stood. “I’ll go pack up the campsite and be right back. That’ll give you a few more minutes.” He pointed to the dying campfire. “You can douse that while I’m gone.”

“OK, Dad.” The boys went back to their storytelling and Jake climbed the slope.

He wandered around the campsite, gathering up anything that might attract wild animals, especially scavenging bears. He put any leftover food and snacks in a plastic bag and packed them into the SUV.

By then, the boys had wandered up on their own and in a few minutes, the camp was asleep.

Chapter 27

Saturday, 6:00 AM

WHEN ANNIE’S ALARM clock startled her awake, her plans for the day rushed in to fill her thoughts. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes, stretched, yawned, and rolled out of bed. She padded to the bathroom, eager to get started as soon as possible.

She had a quick shower, fixed her face, pulled on her favorite blue jeans and a t-shirt, and went downstairs. After a soothing cup of coffee, she felt fully awake and ready to get the day under way.

She reheated the casserole she’d made the night before and put it in a small cooler, suitable for not only keeping food cold, but keeping it warm as well. That way it would be easier to reheat it and feed her hungry guys.

She found another cooler, a larger, empty one, and then grabbed her keys and packed everything in her car. She pulled from the driveway; pleased she’d made this decision.

Traffic was usually light on Saturday mornings, and at this time of the day, it was even lighter. She liked to drive and made it to the main highway leading north in no time flat, Randy Travis’s easy, mellow voice keeping her company.

An hour later she pulled into a truck stop, filled up with gas, and went inside the restaurant for a light breakfast. As she ate, she watched a big-screen TV perched on a nearby wall.

Her attention was drawn by a news story about the escaped convict, Varick Lucas. The police booking mug shot of Lucas sporting a full beard, taken when he was arrested, appeared on the screen. His head was raised in a cocky, rebellious manner, his expressionless, dark eyes watching her from the TV screen.

The view switched back to the commentator, on the scene of the hunt. Police officers and emergency vehicles could be seen in the background.

“Law enforcement officials have picked up the trail of Varick Lucas, the fugitive accused of killing three people in a murderous spree.

“Lucas, 27, who escaped Wednesday afternoon, allegedly killed a guard along with the prison warden. At least one other murder since has been attributed to him as authorities continue to track his movements. He’s considered armed and dangerous, and a massive RCMP manhunt across Ontario and to the east has ensued.

“Lucas was serving a life sentence at Haddleburg Maximum Security Penitentiary when he escaped, allegedly with the aid of a fellow prisoner.”

The commentator continued, giving some history of the case and the facts surrounding his arrest. A video of a craggy, rugged man appeared on the screen and a banner at the bottom introduced him as RCMP Sergeant Lance Brewer.

His voice was grim, yet he spoke with a calming tone that inspired confidence.

“I want to assure you we will track down and apprehend this dangerous criminal. We’ve brought in aerial support as well as troops on the ground, and the search will continue as long as necessary. He may or may not still be in the area, but until he’s found, we urge residents not to answer their doors except for people they know or uniformed law enforcement.

“Lucas is still out there and we don’t know what he’s going to do. We know what he’s capable of doing, and we won’t stop until we find him. This hardened, convicted felon being on the loose causes me great concern, and I pledge to never give up the hunt until he’s back behind bars. As Lucas is on the RCMP’s most wanted list, police have been authorized to use deadly force if they identify Lucas and he refuses to surrender.

“We’re interviewing those who assisted in his escape and along the way we’ll be looking closely at those who may have helped or harbored this fugitive.”

The commentator came back on the screen and the view switched to an overview of a pretty little town, nestled in a lush valley, proud Victorian homes lining the streets.

“Sources have confirmed Lucas has ties to the eastern part of the country, specifically, this small town in Nova Scotia. The search remains a topic of conversation for residents. In this small community, most people have friends or relatives affected by the manhunt, and many said they know the Lucas family.

“We were unable to gain access to any of the family members but have been told by certain sources they are staying away from the public eye, declining to comment, apparently not leaving their home. Friends of the family are shocked a man many of them knew since his childhood is now the subject of this massive manhunt.

“Police said they could not provide information about possible sightings, but he had allegedly told witnesses he was heading home to stay. Authorities are considering that information but will continue their nation-wide manhunt, now in its fourth day. We’ll continue to bring you breaking news as this story unfolds.”

Annie finished her coffee and the waitress brought her the bill. “Been watching that most of the day,” the waitress said, pointing a finger toward the television. “I’m glad he’s not in this neighborhood.” She shuddered. “I hope they get him before he hurts anyone else.”

Annie nodded and smiled. “I hope so too.” She’d had enough of killers lately and didn’t want to hear any more about murderers and criminals right now. This was her weekend off and Varick Lucas was not going to spoil it for her.

She left the friendly waitress a nice tip, paid the bill, and left the restaurant. Traffic had increased somewhat but it was still easy going as she turned back onto the highway.

She looked forward to seeing the guys and realized how much she’d enjoyed their camping trips in previous years. This one would be short, at least for her, but it would still be a good, relaxing time away.

Chapter 28

Saturday, 8:25 AM

THE BOYS MUST have been exhausted. Jake had gotten up without waking them, grabbed his fishing equipment, and went to his favorite perch by the lake, allowing them to sleep.