Silver Lake (12 page)

The bright daylight filled her with optimism. She wrapped herself in a long sweater and carried a steaming mug of coffee and a notepad out to the porch. Her to-do list for the week took shape as the sun gathered strength.

She filled a water bottle in preparation for a walk to the small town library. That would take care of both exercise and research in one trip. Stowing her purse in a backpack, she set off at a brisk pace.

She enjoyed the outing so much, she made her library walk part of her daily routine. Her first stop was always the computer table, where she checked her emails and grudgingly updated her Facebook status so that everyone would know she was alive. She ran web searches on recipes and ghosts. And then she perused the stacks, reading book jacket flaps and picking out appealing novels.

When she discovered that the larger libraries within the community network would send over specific items, she requested a number of nonfiction titles on the vastly disparate subjects of communicating with spirits and writing children’s books. Upon returning to pick up her books, she quickly explained to the librarian that she was doing research for several different projects. The old woman just gave her a bored nod and sent her on her way.

Meals and breads and desserts were prepared and frozen. There was no more room in the freezer. She went on various hikes through the wooded trails that surrounded the lake with her mp3 player for company. Most afternoons were reserved for the beach, where she would read her books or write quick cards to Mrs. Pierce.

She tried making a list of all the strange phenomena she had witnessed at the house, but it wasn’t very helpful. If there was a clue in there about what happened to Brandy, she couldn’t interpret it. In the time she had been here alone, hardly anything noteworthy had occurred. She was surprisingly disappointed in the lack of activity. A few mysterious noises and opened cabinets were not going to help her find any answers.

The Friday before the Fourth of July holiday finally arrived, and Rain had the house ready. Colorful flowers bloomed from vases on tables and clean beach towels sat in folded stacks. Each bed had been made up with fresh sheets. Groceries filled the refrigerator and lined the pantry.

She came in early from the beach to make sure she had time to shower and get ready before anyone arrived. After selecting a draped sleeveless top and shorts, she dressed quickly and dried her hair.

Hurrying back to the kitchen, she stopped short as she turned the corner, her breath catching in her throat. Every single cabinet door stood wide open, every single drawer had been pulled out as far as it would go. The familiar chill curled around her as she slowly entered the kitchen area.

She gulped and collected herself. It looked chaotic, but it was an easy fix. She reached a shaky hand up toward the nearest cabinet. “I’m excited they’re coming back, too, Brandy,” she murmured, gently closing the doors.

****

Jason slipped the car into cruise control once the holiday traffic loosened up. It had been much easier to leave his studio this time around. Of course, he was only going to the lake for a long weekend, and the studio would be closed on Sunday the 4th as well as Monday the 5th. As usual, Cara would be working. They had hardly seen each other at all when he was home, but she’d seemed pleased that he was going to get away with his friends over the Independence Day weekend.

He had to admit, he was really looking forward to getting back to the lake house. The past year and a half of his life had revolved around his business; these vacation opportunities were giving him a much-needed break. His good mood had nothing to do with seeing Rain again, he told himself firmly.

Although he’d done his best to keep her out of his thoughts, his mind kept returning to her behavior that night on the porch. Was it possible she
did
have romantic feelings for him? Granted, she’d been shaken up by the dream and tipsy from the tequila, but she’d certainly seemed attracted to him.

Not that it mattered. His personal life was confusing enough right now without adding Rain to the mix. He wasn’t going to start making relationship decisions based on the possibility that Rain was interested in him. She was still the girl that had once caused him a great deal of pain.

He couldn’t help worrying about her, however. He’d texted her at some point each day to check on her; that seemed perfectly acceptable, given the fact that she insisted on staying alone in an isolated house that may or may not be haunted. They were friends, and he was protective of his friends.

When he’d ended their friendship in high school, she’d avoided him for several weeks. Then one night she’d shown up at his house, unannounced, begging him to reconsider. She’d quickly broken down in tears as she rushed through her arguments: Allie refused to speak with her, she’d had a fight with Rick, her own family was preoccupied with her sister Mia’s wedding. She needed him.

He’d told her to leave. The memory still made him wince, but it had been his only alternative at the time. His pride was in tatters, and his heart—and body—ached in her presence.

Thankfully, he was a different person now. His pride had recovered, and while his body apparently still wanted her, he was no longer a slave to teenage hormones. He’d already proven to himself that his traitorous physical reactions were no match for his powerful self-control.

He pushed the image of a 17-year old Rain, alone and crying on his doorstep, out of his mind. But when he pulled into the driveway of the lake house behind her solitary SUV, a leftover pang of regret flared through him. He shook it off quickly. They had forgiven each other for the mistakes they had made; the past should stay in the past.

The problem with that, he thought as he cut the engine, was that Rain seemed determined to unravel the five-year-old vanishing of one of their best friends. He sat and studied the house, contemplating her steadfast commitment to solving the mystery. An idea, sparked by his memories, took shape in his head as he reached for his bag. He reminded himself to discuss it with Rain before anyone else arrived.

She opened the front door, a huge smile on her face. He couldn’t help grinning back as he called out, “Hey! How was your week?”

She came out barefoot, waiting on the step where a new pot of flowers was blooming.

“I survived! It was pretty quiet. In fact, it was almost too quiet. I feel like I didn’t get any closer to learning what happened to Brandy.”

Jason didn’t want to discuss his troubling thoughts right this moment, but Rain had brought it up, and he knew he should voice his concerns while they were still alone.

“Well, I for one am glad it was quiet. I was worried about you. And while I was driving here, I thought of something. It’s probably nothing, but I wanted to mention it. Just to you, okay?”

“Of course. Anything could be important. What is it?” She perched on a stool by the island and he tossed his bag near the stairs before joining her.

“I was thinking about that night you came over, um, after we had stopped hanging out.” He watched as Rain’s face fell.

“I am so sorry about that. I had no right—”

He cut her off immediately. “No, stop, that’s not what I mean. You have nothing to be sorry for. I’m the one that should apologize. I really wasn’t trying to hurt you, I was just trying to protect myself.”

Rain caught her bottom lip with her teeth and nodded. She didn’t say anything, just folded her hands and waited expectantly.

“Anyway, it really has nothing to do with that. The only reason I bring it up is because of something you said that night. You said that Allie was avoiding you. I never really knew what happened there, because we didn’t…speak much after our fight. Plus I was preoccupied with my own issues. Now, I understand why A.J. wouldn’t socialize after Brandy disappeared. He was devastated. But you and A.J. knew Brandy best. It’s not like Allie and Brandy were all
that
close—you were sort of the link between them.”

“Yeah, I guess. I’m not sure I understand what you’re getting at, though,” she said, frowning.

He wasn’t exactly sure either. “Well, you lost Brandy, your best friend, and you managed to go on. And then you lost me,” he said, grimacing. “Then even Allie deserted you, but you still didn’t become a recluse. Why would Allie cut you off and stop going out just because Brandy ran away? I mean, that’s pretty much the conclusion everyone came to at the time.”

“Are you suggesting she knows something? I can’t see that. I mean, like you said, she and Brandy weren’t all that close. Brandy would have confided in me or A.J. before Allie.”

Jason nodded. “It just strikes me as odd. Did she behave that way for the rest of the year? Did she ever explain herself?”

Rain drew her brows together in concentration, then bit her full lower lip again. Jason found himself staring at her mouth, and got up and walked to the fridge to distract himself. He pulled out two sodas and gestured to Rain.

She reached for it, saying, “No, she never exactly explained herself. She sort of dropped me, and I just spent all my time with Rick or helping with Mia’s wedding plans. I suppose at the time I figured her parents had something to do with it. Either that or Allie was just so freaked out, she couldn’t deal with seeing me.”

“Well, it might be worth asking about.” Jason looked around the house, slowly noting all the work Rain had been doing. Miniature American flags were tucked into vases overflowing with red and white flowers. Fragrant candles flickered in saucers filled with polished rocks. There was a festive bowl of fruit on the island, and several mysterious rectangles, neatly wrapped in foil, sat on a cutting board.

“Oh, I made banana bread,” Rain said proudly, jumping up when she noticed Jason’s gaze fall on her baked goods. “And strawberry bread too. For dinner I have a chicken and rice casserole defrosting, and I’m going to wash some green beans.” She pulled out a knife and began slicing the bread. “Want a piece?”

“Wow, you’ve been busy. Or did you invite Martha Stewart to stay with you while we were gone?” She raised her eyebrow at him and he grinned and nodded to the offer. “Yes, please. So, do you think it’s worth bringing up? With Allie, when you guys are alone?”

Rain stopped slicing for a moment, worry darkening her blue-gray eyes. “I just got her back, Jay. I don’t want to accuse her of anything.” She sighed and resumed her task. “But I guess I need to at least ask her about it. Allie should get here late Sunday morning. If there’s a time when I can bring it up without it being awkward, I will. And I’ll let you know what I find out.”

He could see she didn’t like the idea of interrogating her friend. He accepted the bread slices on a little plate, touching her hand as she passed it to him. “That sounds good, Rainy. I don’t want us to start suspecting each other. I really just want to help you, because I know how important it is to you to find the truth.”

Rain turned toward the window at the sound of tires crunching on gravel. “A.J.’s here!” She hurried toward the hallway, then backtracked quickly, her eyes shining with excitement. “The door’s wide open. I’m certain we closed it behind us.” She hugged herself and rubbed the goose bumps on her upper arms as she quickly left the kitchen again.

Jason shook his head at her enthusiasm over the small perceived sign. Just don’t hurt her, Brandy, he thought to himself. His mouth formed a grim line as his eyes traveled to the faded red marks on his forearm.

****

“So, Cara had to work?” asked A.J. as the three of them sat down to the dinner Rain had prepared.

“She volunteered. It’s a holiday weekend, and a lot of the senior reporters are away on vacation. Broadcast journalism is competitive; she doesn’t let any opportunity to advance slip by.”

“It sounds like she’s very motivated,” Rain commented, taking a sip of her wine.

Jason nodded. “She is. That was one thing that drew us together in college—we were both very serious about starting our careers. She’s determined to be the next Katie Couric, and she spends every waking moment at the station. Her dedication is admirable, but she’s made it perfectly clear that her job will always come first.”

“What about you?” Rain asked. “Do you spend all your time at the karate studio?”

“I used to, when I was first getting it off the ground. Now I don’t need to be there as much, which is good, because I want to have time for things like vacations, and friends, and a family. Someday, I mean.” Jason shrugged.

“Mrs. Pierce rented the house until the end of the summer,” A.J. pointed out. “Maybe you can convince Cara to come here with you some other weekend for a romantic getaway.”

Jason smiled tightly. “Cara doesn’t like to take time off for anything. Besides, Rain is going to live here for the rest of the summer.”

“I’m sure Rain wouldn’t mind,” A.J. persisted.

“Of course not. That’d be great,” Rain said, thinking it would be the exact opposite of great. Incredibly awkward was more like it. A traitorous blush began creeping up her neck, and she scrambled to come up with a change of subject.

“You know what I thought of the other day when I was checking out books in town with my new library card? That time that I tried to get a fake ID. Do you guys remember that story?”

Jason shook his head, but A.J. nodded in the affirmative. “I think I remember,” A.J. said with a laugh. “You freaked out, right?”

“Oh yeah I did. I thought I had everything under control. I had Mia’s birth certificate, her social security card, a college ID with a very fuzzy picture, and her library card. The plan was to explain that I had lost my driver’s license and needed a new one. Brandy was with me, trying very hard to keep me composed.

“But I lost it when we got toward the front of the line. My face was all red and I was sweating profusely. So Brandy told me to go sit down and she proceeded to use all the paperwork to get a license that said she was Mia Anderson, age 22.”

“Oh, yes, I do sort of remember that story,” Jason said with a grin. “I can’t believe she was able to do that. She could get away with anything.”

“And of course Brandy had never bothered to get a driver’s license under her own name. So, without ever actually taking the test, she ended up with a legitimate license, although of course it was all my sister’s information. And then it occurred to me how much trouble I would get in if my sister ever got pulled over with her now-invalid license. I thought I was going to throw up.