Pecan Pies and Homicides (17 page)

“I guess it's just too cold,” she said and then considered the irony of that statement. The participants would soon be disrobing and deliberately racing into the frigid water. Until then, they probably wanted to stay warm and dry.

There were two vehicles parked close to the lake: an ambulance and a trailer with the fire department's shallow- water rescue boat hitched to a commercial-grade pickup truck. Ella Mae whistled at the number of camping tents dotting the shoreline. The swimmers kept towels and a change of clothes inside. Immediately after their plunge, they'd rush into the tents, strip down, and put on thick wool sweaters and heavy sweatpants. There'd be roaring campfires too. After changing out of their swimsuits, the participants would celebrate by making s'mores or roasting hot dogs over the fires.

“Dozens of campfires,” Ella Mae murmured anxiously. “If Barric's an elemental, he could set this whole beach ablaze. All the tents. The trees. The paper signs along the road. Everything.”

It was easy to envision such a fire. Each campfire would grow brighter and hotter, higher and wider, as people stared in horrified fascination. Next, sparks would leap onto tents and towels and clothes, chewing hungrily. The smells of burning plastic and wool would pollute the air, followed by the first terrified screams. Then the pine needles would catch, just as they'd done during the bonfire when Ella Mae was in high school. Flames would rush up the trees and fiery branches would fall onto the narrow path leading to the main road. There'd be nowhere to go. They'd be trapped. Panicked people would seek refuge in the cold lake water. Water that would quickly wrap them in a fatal embrace. If they didn't stay on the shore and burn, they'd wade into the lake and risk freezing to death.

“Burn or freeze. Fire and ice.” The theme kept repeating in Ella Mae's mind.

Walking closer to the water, she could imagine its mirrored surface reflecting the pine trees as they turned into smoking torches. She saw how the yellow and orange flames would stretch into the sky, searing the snowflakes as they fell.

Ella Mae thrust her fingers into the water, hoping the chill would dispel the images she'd conjured. That's when she noticed something odd resting beneath the surface. It took a few seconds for Ella Mae to comprehend what she was seeing, but she knew that the object, which was about twenty feet from the shore, did not belong in the lake.

It was a boot. A heavy-duty work boot made of tan leather. A man's boot.

Withdrawing her hand, Ella Mae stood up and peered at the spot. She had to wait for the ripples she'd created to dispel, but when the water was still again, she could see the boot quite clearly.

Then she noticed a second boot. The toes of both were pointing skyward, the laces gently bobbing in the invisible current.

“What on earth?” She moved as close to the water's edge as she could and stared, unblinking, certain that her eyes were playing tricks on her. But it appeared as though something was attached to the boots. A pair of legs.

Ella Mae glanced over her shoulder, hoping to spot someone, anyone, on the path. Seeing that she was still alone, she pulled off her own boots and socks. She then rolled her pants up to the knees and waded into the water.

“Damn, it's
cold
!” she cried as the water's sharp chill shot through her feet and up her body.

She moved gingerly, making slow progress. As she made her way deeper in, the tan work boots seemed to recede, as if invisible hands were dragging them away from shore to an even colder, darker place.

Ella Mae wanted to hurry but couldn't. There were slick, uneven stones under her feet, and at one point, she nearly lost her balance and tumbled sideways. Luckily, she was able to windmill her arms and remain upright. She wished she could move faster. The cold sank into her veins and pumped into her heart. She could almost imagine her blood turning a glacial shade of blue.

Her toes grew numb as she shuffled closer to the boots. By now, the water was well past her knees. It soaked her pants, but she barely noticed. Her attention was fixed on the face gazing up at her. She'd found a male Ophelia, floating in a watery grave.

Ella Mae couldn't see his features clearly, because her movements had made too many ripples in the water. Ignoring her shivering hands, she bent down and caught hold of one of the boots. The water's biting cold seeped into her chest and rushed up her arms, but she squatted even lower to grasp the second boot. Tugging, she managed to move the drowned man a few inches, but the rough stones on the lake bottom refused to release their hold on his heavy coat.

“Let go!” Ella Mae commanded, shivering more violently now. She shifted her weight to her heels and pulled again. “Let go!”

The body came free without warning, causing Ella Mae to tumble backward. The water closed over her head, drenching her completely. The shock of it was like nothing she'd ever felt. Her heart thudded wildly in her chest.
Thump thump thump
. An agitated bird trying to escape its cage. Ella Mae tried to get up, but it felt like an iron chain was pulling her down.

I will not drown in three feet of water!

Twisting and pulling, she managed to shrug off her heavy coat and finally push to her feet. The air stung her lungs and snowflakes stuck fast to her wet skin, but she grabbed the man's boots again.

This time his body came willingly, floating to her with the buoyant ease of an empty fishing hook.

What kind of fish is on my line? A magical one? Will I get three wishes
? Ella Mae wondered, feeling strangely distant from her own body.

Ella Mae knew the cold was getting to her. She'd read the hypothermia warnings printed on the Polar Plunge sponsorship form and guessed that she was experiencing most of the symptoms, but all she could think about was reaching the shore so she could rest. Lie down and have a long, long rest. She was so tired, and as she looked back to see how much farther she had to go, the swirling snow confused her. The tents were blurry and too far away.

She focused on pulling again and the man's face bobbed to the surface, jellyfish white and terrifying. Ella Mae recognized his features. She knew whose boots she held. Whose corpse she was dragging out of the water.

“Barric Young,” she whispered, desperately trying to hold on to the lucid thought. “Barric Young, Barric Young, Barric Young . . .”

Suddenly, her muscles turned to liquid. She was just about to drop onto the pebbled shore when she felt herself being lifted. Someone swift and strong carried her into a tent. Ella Mae's eyes were closed, but she sensed the heat of a fire. And then warm fingers were removing her dripping clothes. She forced her lids to open for a second and saw that the person undressing her was Aiden. She tried to talk, to protest that his touch was painful, that he shouldn't be undoing her bra, and that Barric was in the lake, but her tongue was thick and useless.

Groggily, Ella Mae glanced down at her naked flesh. It was covered with gooseflesh and tiny rivulets ran from her hair and over the swell of her breasts. Aiden wrapped an oversized towel around her, unzipped a down sleeping bag, and helped her wriggle inside.

“Barric,” she croaked after he'd zipped her into the cocoon of flannel.

“He's not going anywhere,” Aiden said matter-of-factly. “You, on the other hand, stayed in the water way too long. I'm going to carry you outside to the fire now.” He scooped her up again as if she weighed no more than a child. “I'll make it hot enough to dry your hair quickly. You're losing too much heat through your head.”

Ella Mae murmured a “thank you” into his chest, which had the comforting scent of wood smoke and pine.

Aiden shushed her and kicked aside the tent flap with his foot. He stepped outside, cradling Ella Mae in his arms, and came face-to-face with Hugh Dylan.

To Hugh's credit, he didn't immediately jump to the wrong conclusion. Anger flared in his eyes and his jaw muscles tightened as he realized that the woman he loved was being held in another man's arms. But then his gaze swept over her wet hair and limp body and his frown softened.

“Did she fall into the lake?” he demanded.

“More like waded in. She took her boots and socks off first.” Aiden jerked his head, indicating Hugh should move out of the way. “Listen man, I need to get her to the fire.”

Ella Mae reached out for Hugh. Her arm felt like jelly, but he caught her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze before falling into step alongside Aiden.

“There's a body in the lake,” Ella Mae whispered. “That's why I went in.”

She didn't see Hugh's reaction but heard his sharp intake of breath. “I'll take care of it. You focus on getting warm. And drink this.” Hugh pulled a water bottle out of his coat and wedged it into the snow-dusted ground near the campfire. Ella Mae noted that the bottle had no label. She'd had Hugh's mystery water once before. Back in June, when her mouth and throat were coated with a film of soot and her strength had been completely sapped, he'd offered her a similar bottle. The water inside had tasted like nothing she'd ever known. It was cool and crisp and reminded her of spring rain. After finishing the bottle, the smoke-tinged air she'd inhaled became a distant memory and her flagging energy had been restored. At that moment, Ella Mae had believed that Hugh must be one of her kind, but she'd been mistaken.

“Close your eyes,” Aiden said as he set her on the ground and knelt down beside her. “I need to be quick about this. We can't have your non-magical guy catching a glimpse of what I can do.”

Ella Mae nodded and Aiden slipped an arm around her shoulders and eased her toward the crackling flames. The heat on the back of her head was so intense that she was certain her hair must be on fire, but she didn't smell anything burning.

Less than ten seconds went by before Aiden helped Ella Mae sit upright. She ran her hand over her hair. Every strand was dry and warm. She widened her eyes in wonder. “That's amazing. Can you touch fire without being hurt?”

“I sure can. Made for an awesome party trick in college. I'd hold my finger over a candle longer than the other guys just to get free beer.” Grinning, he opened the water bottle and handed it to her. “Shoot, I could have jumped into the fireplace and sung all the verses of our fraternity song, but that might have raised a few eyebrows.”

Ella Mae took a long drink of Hugh's water. Feeling was returning to her muscles, and the sensation was unpleasant. She winced. “I feel like I'm being poked by a thousand tiny needles.”

“Good.” Aiden smiled and pushed a knit hat over her head. “That'll keep the heat in. Let's hope Hugh doesn't notice how fast your hair dried. If he's like most guys, he won't. Plus, he's got a dead man to deal with.”

Withdrawing a bare arm from the sleeping bag, Ella Mae grabbed Aiden's hand. “You saved my life. How can I ever thank you?”

Aiden looked taken aback. “You already have. By giving Jenny and me jobs and a place to live, you saved us. You treated us like family right from the get-go. Because of your kindness, we'd do anything for you and yours. I'm just glad I happened to come down here when I did.”

“Why were you here?” Ella Mae searched his face. “I thought you hated cold and snow.”

Aiden didn't have the chance to explain, for at that moment, a woman screamed.

Ella Mae turned to see a group of people standing at the end of the path, their mouths forming wide O's of shock. The woman gave another theatrical shriek and pointed at Barric's corpse.

Hugh had dragged the body out of the water and was standing protectively in front of it. He spread his arms and made a “get back” gesture to the civilians. After informing them that he was a fireman, he warned them not to come any closer.

“We'd better get you dressed,” Aiden said. “I can't dry your clothes now. Too many witnesses. So we'll have to scrounge around in the tent for something suitable.” He glanced at the tittering spectators and then pointed at the sleeping bag. “You can't really walk in that. Should I just pick you up again?”

Smiling, Ella Mae said, “Sure. I love being carried like a sack of flour.”

“You feel lighter than that. All thanks to my love of bicep curls.” Aiden made a fist and pretended to kiss the bulging muscle on his upper arm. He then scooped Ella Mae off the ground and brought her back to the tent. “I'll leave you to rummage. In the meantime, I'm going to help Hugh with crowd control.”

Ella Mae had qualms about borrowing another woman's turtleneck, wool sweater, and sweatpants, but she had no choice. She dressed in haste, too focused on what was happening outside to care that her sweater was covered by designs of dancing polar bears or that the sweatpants had the word “Angel” written in glittery pink letters across the rear.

Stepping out of the tent, she found that the crowd had swelled to twice its size. Ella Mae hustled to where Hugh and Aiden stood. The men were staring warily at the fascinated onlookers and talking to each other in low tones. Neither of them saw her move close to Barric. She gazed down at him, at the water pooling beneath his sodden corpse, and felt a rush of pity.

Unzipping the sleeping bag she'd taken from the tent, she gently spread it out over him. She was just about to drop the cloth over his face when she paused. There was something in Barric's hair. At first, Ella Mae assumed that it was mud from the lake bottom, but when she leaned in for a closer look, she saw that his blond hair was matted with blood. The shape of his skull was wrong too. It was caved in at the back, just above his neck. His head appeared deflated, as if someone had let air out of a balloon. Her hand flew to her mouth, stifling a cry.

“Who did this to you?” she whispered hoarsely and glanced at the people milling about by the path's entrance. She scanned their winter pale faces until her eyes fell upon Aiden's broad back. What was he doing by the lake? He hated the cold. And yet, he'd also admitted that he disliked Barric. Had he struck Barric with a rock and then waded in, thigh-deep, and dumped his body in the lake? Was he avenging Eira's death?

Ella Mae's gaze traveled to his boots. They were totally dry, which meant that he hadn't worn them in the water.

Then again, he used the fire to dry my hair in seconds
.
He could probably do the same to his footwear,
she thought. And the blunt object Barric had been struck with could be anywhere
.
Most likely, it rested on the bottom of the lake. Ella Mae pictured tiny fish swimming in zigzags around a crimson-stained rock, agitated by the scent of blood in the water.

The sound of sirens penetrated the crowd's excited murmuring, and Ella Mae turned back to Barric. “I hope you and Eira find each other,” she said softly. “I hope you can dance together again.” Resisting the urge to close the dead man's eyes, she let the sleeping bag fall over his face. She then walked up to Hugh and leaned against him.

He immediately enfolded her in his arms and held her so tightly that she couldn't breathe. “Thank God for Aiden,” he said when he finally let her go. “You were in serious trouble when he found you, Ella Mae. What were you thinking? Why'd you stay in the water for that long?”

“Because I knew him.” She pointed at the shrouded body. “Not well, but I recognized him. I had to get him out of the lake. I didn't think it would take long, but his coat got caught on something and I lost my footing.” She shook her head. “Believe me, I'm completely embarrassed that I had to be rescued.”

“I'm sorry to say this, but the man you knew was dumped in the lake. There's a trail of blood leading from an area near the tents to the water. I only caught a glimpse of the wound, but judging from the angle and the depth, someone hit him hard. There's no way he could have gotten that injury by accident,” Hugh said gravely. “This place will be crawling with cops in under a minute.”

“I saw his head, Hugh. He was murdered,” Ella Mae said. “Someone was either incredibly arrogant or totally foolish to commit homicide with hundreds of police nearby. And the cops won't be happy. The Polar Plunge will be canceled now.”

As if on cue, the sirens grew deafeningly loud. The crowd reluctantly parted to allow passage for Officer Jon Hardy and a small group of uniformed men and women.

“All right folks, show's over!” Officer Hardy called. “Go back inside where it's warm.” When no one moved, he threw out his arms in exasperation. “If you insist on gawking and snapping pictures while you catch your death, then I need you to take twenty steps backward.
Now
.” He turned to a young female officer. “Officer Ross, count for them, will you? Jacobson, rope off this whole area. No one else gets in.”

Striding up to Hugh and Ella Mae, Hardy dipped his chin in greeting and then studied Ella Mae closely. “Ms. LeFaye. Do you need medical attention?”

“No, thank you. I'm fine.” Ella Mae watched as a cop carrying a black duffle bag and a policewoman holding a camera approached Barric's body. “And I know you need to talk to me.”

“Ms. LeFaye exhibited symptoms of hypothermia and should be examined right away,” Hugh said in his official fireman's voice. “Hypothermia can cause lingering effects.”

Hardy glanced at the body and then at Ella Mae again. “I'll get a full statement later, but if you could provide us with a brief description of what happened before you leave, I'd be grateful.”

Putting a hand on Hugh's arm to stop him from protesting, Ella Mae gave Hardy a succinct summary of how she'd spotted the corpse in the lake. Hardy's eyes opened a fraction wider at the mention of Barric's name, and when she described Barric's damaged skull, the lawman stiffened. It was a subtle movement, but Ella Mae knew that he was angry. Hardy now had two murder cases to deal with, one of his prime suspects was lying dead in the mud, and he had an audience of hundreds observing his every move.

“Thank you,” he told Ella Mae in a tone of polite dismissal. “I'll be in touch.” He turned to Hugh. “Would you see that Ms. LeFaye is given the care she needs?”

“Of course.” Hugh slung an arm around Ella Mae's shoulders. “Come on, there's a blanket with your name on it in the ambulance.”

Hardy, who'd started walking toward Barric's body, suddenly swiveled. “Ms. LeFaye?” he said. “One more thing. Where did you get this sleeping bag?”

Ella Mae pointed at the appropriate tent. “From that blue tent. Along with these clothes. Could you tell the owners that I'll return everything I borrowed as soon as possible?”

Hardy waved off her request. He wasn't interested in the clothes. “Did anyone else go into the tent with you?”

“Yes. Aiden Upton. He's right over—” She stopped, her raised arm falling to her side. “He was helping to keep the public away from Barric's body, but he might have gone back to the community center once you and your team showed up.”

Hardy nodded absently in acknowledgment. The pull of Barric's corpse was just too strong. Ella Mae could practically feel the police officer's urgency to lay eyes on the dead man. He wanted to begin unraveling the mystery of Barric's death to reach the starting point of the maze in order to get to its other side. “Aiden Upton. Got it,” he called over his shoulder and then turned his full attention to the body lying on a bed of mud and stone.

Hugh led Ella Mae to the ambulance and asked her to sit on the gurney. He wrapped a wool blanket around her and then knelt on the floor and put his hands on her knees. “I know you don't like being fussed over, but I need to make sure you're all right before I leave to get my truck. As soon as I come back, I'll drive you home. First, show me your fingers. I want to make sure you don't have frostbite.”

“Can I use them to call Reba first? She can bring me a coat and a pair of gloves.” Ella Mae smiled tenderly at Hugh. She could hardly blame him for being upset. He'd been scared because he loved her. And even though the fear had dissipated, he needed to be assured that she was really okay. Ella Mae suspected that Hugh might also be unhappy because he hadn't been there to rescue her. Instead, a burly younger man had taken her from the frigid water, stripped off her clothes, and warmed her.

Hugh returned her smile and handed her his phone. He was starting to relax, to let go of the fear that he might have lost her. “Here. I'll examine your toes while you talk.”

Reba picked up after the first ring. Her voice was shrill. “Where are you?”

“In an ambulance parked near Lake Havenwood. I'm not hurt,” she added quickly. Hugh's reaction was tame compared to what Reba's would be when she found out what happened. “But Barric's dead.”

“Serves him right. He got away from me by knockin' over the Girl Scouts' table. I just couldn't step on their cookie boxes, so I lost the bastard.” Reba was clearly seething. “You stay put, you hear? You can tell me how he breathed his last in about five minutes.”