Текст книги "The Secrets of Lake Road"

Автор книги: Karen Katchur

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Текущая страница: 17 (всего у книги 20 страниц)

CHAPTER FORTY

Jo kept walking. She hadn’t meant to turn away from Caroline, but she didn’t know what to say to her. She made a promise to herself to find her daughter later and talk with her once she’d had a chance to figure out how to explain to her the decisions she had made so long ago. But right now the only thing she could think to do was to keep moving.

The more distance she put between herself and the cabin, where she had left Gram wringing her hands in the kitchen and after Johnny had stormed out on her, the more relief she felt. There was freedom in having the burden of a secret lifted. Johnny finally knew the truth about Billy being his father. He was angry, but he’d get over it. He’d finally understand who he was, why so many of his interests and mannerisms were the opposite of Kevin’s. And maybe he’d finally understand why Kevin wasn’t as accessible as a father should be to his son, especially in his younger years when he had needed Kevin most. There had always been an invisible divide between them that neither knew how to cross. The secret had become bigger than both of them, expanding into every aspect of their relationship until one day the distance was too large to bridge. It was what happened to lies over time.

Yet there was one lie, a bigger secret, she kept.

She picked up her pace, a thread of fear pulling at her thoughts. She imagined Johnny was going straight to Chris, his best friend and newfound cousin, but also to Chris’s mom. Jo believed Dee Dee always suspected Johnny was Billy’s, but Jo had promised Kevin she wouldn’t tell her the truth. He was adamant people believed Johnny was his son for reasons Jo could no longer remember. It had something to do with protecting her, hiding the truth about what really happened the night Billy drowned.

She had to get to Kevin first before he heard part of their secret was out. She wasn’t sure how he would react. They had to get their stories straight. She wound her way to the lake, taking the long way so she wouldn’t bump into Johnny. He needed space. She understood that.

The sun was starting to set by the time she had reached Lake Road and the Pavilion. The water sparkled in the diminishing light. The beach crowd was thinning as families made their way home. The parking lot was emptying of the men who had worked to pitch the tents all afternoon. The festival was moving forward as planned, and by the looks of things, it would be ready for the crowds tomorrow.

The sound of metal clanging drew her attention to the docks. Stimpy and two of his men were pulling the cages from the water, the traps once again filled with snappers. They were removing the larger of the turtles and tossing the smaller ones back. Her gazed shifted to the tents and the stand with a newly painted sign reading SNAPPER SOUP. She had a sinking feeling in her gut. Stimpy was abandoning the search for Sara. She ground her teeth. This was Heil’s doing.

The recovery team was on the lake on the other side of the floating pier, but there wasn’t much movement on the boat. She wondered if perhaps they were giving up too. The three-man team had to be exhausted.

The entire scene, the feel of it, the stands and tents, the signs posted promising homemade pies and funnel cake, the red flags flying around the docks for the fishing competition, all of it reminded her of the night they had pulled Billy from the lake. She half expected the recovery team to signal her, letting her know they were bringing up a body.

She walked toward the beach, the strength of the memory pulling her forward. For the moment she forgot about the urgency to find Kevin. SWIM AT YOUR OWN RISK, written in big black ink glared at her. She opened the gate of the chain-link fence and stepped onto the sand. It was something about the way the recovery team lingered next to the floating pier, the way the light from the setting sun flickered across the waves that pulled her onto the beach and to the water’s edge.

It was an accident, she caught herself saying. She hadn’t meant for it to happen.

In her mind, she was back on the pier, lying down looking up at the stars. Drops of lake water covered her skin. She shivered in the chilly night air. Billy and Kevin were racing toward her, arms and legs kicking in a frenzy to reach the pier first. The splashing water and the hum of crickets on the shoreline were the only sounds she heard. The bar on the second floor of the Pavilion had closed. The three of them were alone on the water.

Billy climbed the ladder first, beating his chest in triumph. He reached down and pulled her up, wrapping his arms around her waist. “To the victor go the spoils.” His lips tugged her ear.

She tossed her head back, exposing her neck and thrusting out her chest, encouraging him to take it a step farther, thinking this was how it was supposed to be. Billy was the first to have her then, and it was no surprise he was the first to have her now. He nibbled her neck and collarbone, kissing the swell of her breasts spilling out the top of her bikini. Her body responded with pleasure, but all the while she was thinking about Kevin, strangely disappointed he didn’t make it to her first. But he was on his way, she reminded herself. He was still swimming toward her. Her heart beat a little faster.

Kevin made it to the pier and climbed the ladder. She could hear his heavy breathing from the long swim, could feel his eyes on her, watching her. She closed her eyes and moaned, enjoying the attention, the longing, the physical pull from both boys. Oh, how she loved the power, the way every fiber in her body pulsed, alive and electric.

“Tell him about us,” Kevin said.

“Oh, Kevin,” she teased, thinking he was enjoying this as much as she was, watching her, playing his part in her game.

Billy pulled back. “Tell me what?” he asked her.

“Nothing, silly,” she said, and pulled Billy to her again. He continued kissing her shoulder.

“Tell him or I will,” Kevin said, his voice deepening, pleading with her.

“Hey, Kevin,” Billy said between kisses. “Why don’t you swim back to the beach? We’re busy here.”

“Tell him!” Kevin hollered.

Billy dropped his arms from Jo’s hips and stepped back. “What’s your problem?”

Kevin kept his eyes on Jo. “Tell him or I will.” His nostrils flared.

Maybe she had taken things too far. He wasn’t messing around, playing her game, but she figured she could smooth things over by showing him a little affection. She stepped toward him and put her hand on his cheek, whispering, “It’s okay.”

Kevin grabbed her and kissed her hard. She didn’t expect it, and for a second she didn’t try to fight him off. His mouth smashed into hers. He was hurting her. She put her hands on his chest to push him away, but he wouldn’t let her go.

Billy hesitated. Confusion crossed his face. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” He pulled Kevin off her. “What’s gotten into you, man?” He shoved Kevin in the chest, not too hard, but hard enough to let him know he wasn’t joking around.

Jo wiped her wet mouth and neck from both boys’ kisses. The two of them fighting over her wasn’t the thrill she thought it would be. In fact, it wasn’t even close. She was overcome by an awful, horrible feeling, not wanting either one of them to be hurt. “Leave him alone,” she said to Billy, and touched his shoulder to get his attention. “It’s not his fault.”

“You’re defending him?” Billy turned on her. “What the hell is going on?”

“She’s with me now,” Kevin said.

“What do you mean, she’s with you now?” Billy asked.

“She’s with me. Tell him, Jo.” Kevin straightened up, and by the look on his face he was enjoying sticking it to Billy.

It pissed Jo off. “Shut up, Kevin,” she said.

“What is he talking about?” Billy asked her.

She couldn’t look at him, and she turned away.

“What’s going on? Wh-what are you saying?” He stuttered. “My best friend and my girl?” He shook his head. “No way.”

“It’s true,” Kevin said. “I’m sorry, but it’s true. I love her.”

Billy got up in his face. Kevin tried to step away from him, but Billy moved right back in his space. His chest was puffed out and his shoulders squared.

“Are you screwing my girl? Is that what you’re telling me?” he asked, bumping him with his chest, pushing him back toward the edge of the pier.

“Stop it, Billy.” Jo had never seen this side of Billy before, and it frightened her.

“You are, aren’t you? You son of a bitch.” He cocked his arm and swung, but Kevin was quick and moved away. Billy’s fist only grazed Kevin’s jaw. Billy went to throw another punch, but Jo rushed in and grabbed his arm.

“Stop it!” she shouted. “Just stop it.”

Billy turned and shoved her. She flew backward and landed hard on her right hip.

“Oh, shit, Jo, I’m sorry,” he said, and immediately went to help her up.

Kevin lowered his shoulder and rushed Billy, hitting him in the stomach like a linebacker. Billy’s right forearm took the brunt of the fall, hitting the pier with a crack. The two of them started wrestling, their arms tangled around each other’s waists. Billy landed blow after blow to Kevin’s kidneys. Kevin tried to roll away, holding his side. Billy jumped up and kicked him. Kevin curled into a ball. Billy went to kick him again, but before his foot made contact, Jo pushed him square in the chest, sending him over the edge of the pier, his body striking the water with a splash.

“Are you hurt?” She knelt by Kevin’s side and placed her hand on his shoulder. His skin was slick and warm under her fingertips.

After a few long seconds he caught his breath. He lifted his head. “I’m okay.”

“I’m sorry,” she said. Her nose was running. “I didn’t think he’d hit you. Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah.” He sat up, cradling his stomach where he had been punched and kicked.

She put both hands on his cheeks and kissed his forehead. “I’m so, so sorry.” She sat back on her heels and looked around for Billy, wanting to tell him off, and yet needing to explain she hadn’t meant for any of this to happen. She loved them both.

But Billy hadn’t surfaced.

He wasn’t climbing the ladder. He wasn’t on the pier. She looked toward the beach to see if he was swimming toward the shore. The lake was still and silent.

“Where’s Billy?” she asked, and looked over the edge where he had fallen into the water. Panic gripped her chest. “Billy!” she called, and frantically looked around, spinning in circles, searching.

He wasn’t anywhere.

Please, please, please, she silently begged. Please let this be a game.

“Billy!” she shrieked, her voice echoing across the lake.

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

After Patricia’s shocking news, Dee Dee paced the kitchen, pulling at her lip, deep in thought for the rest of the afternoon. The sun was setting. Long shadows cut across the old wooden floor. Dust floated in the remaining slivers of light.

Patricia had fallen asleep again in Dee Dee’s old bedroom. Dee Dee had moved into the master bedroom not long after her folks had passed. She had taken over the cabin, the upkeep, and the bills. Although the position at the hospital didn’t pay much, she didn’t need much to make ends meet. When money was tight, the lake provided her with food and water, the cabin with shelter. And then there was Chris, the lone heir to the Hawke name. He was a good boy for the most part, growing into a fine young man. Who could ask for more?

But she did want more. If she couldn’t have her family back, then she at least wanted the truth so she could finally have some kind of closure.

The old scar pulsed with the beat of her heart. She opened a can of beer, the last in a six-pack, and lit a cigarette. She had the fractured bone, and now she had a witness. She thought about what Patricia had said, wondering how much she should believe. Patricia was clearly a woman on the edge, suffering from a traumatic loss.

Dee Dee pulled in a long drag and exhaled slowly. She could talk with Heil, make sure he was doing everything possible to find Patricia’s little girl. But knowing Heil, he wouldn’t listen. Drownings weren’t good for business. Heil was a heartless man.

She continued another lap around the kitchen table, mulling over her options. If Heil called off the search, she would step up and demand the fishermen continue. She didn’t have much faith in the recovery team. Too much time had passed for their scanners and whatever other equipment they were using to find such a small body in the expansive lake.

But what should she do about Patricia’s version of the night Billy had drowned? Patricia might have misunderstood what she saw at ten years old. It was possible. She was a kid.

But she couldn’t discard the fact that her version also made a lot of sense. There was a full moon that night. The floating pier would have been visible to anyone looking out at the water. And if anyone were on the pier under a moon that bright, they would have been recognizable.

Many times Dee Dee had peeked out the curtains and caught teenagers messing around on that very same pier. It was as though a spotlight had been turned on and the teenagers were caught in the act of being teens. She had done it herself when she was younger.

So it was possible Patricia was telling the truth. Besides, she had never known Patricia to lie. As a child, she had been honest. She wouldn’t even lie about the number of cookies she had eaten when asked. Where most kids would confess to eating two or three, Patricia would look Dee Dee in the eye and say, “I had fourteen.”

And then there’s the fact that Billy’s body was found near the pier, the exact spot Patricia had seen Jo with him. Kevin had been there too, the voice inside her head whispered, but she silenced it by pushing it away. She didn’t want to believe anyone was to blame for what had happened to Billy other than Jo.

Billy and Kevin had been best friends every summer since they were boys. And later they had both become victims, targets of a manipulative teenage girl who flaunted her sexuality, tossing it around as though she were free for the taking, teasing them until neither boy could think straight.

Jo was beautiful, sexy, and careless with what she had been blessed with. She knew how to use her body and good looks to her advantage. She didn’t care who she hurt as long as she got what she wanted. She was out of control. Dee Dee had wanted to shake her, to warn her to be careful with how she used the weapons she had been given. But she didn’t dare touch her because of Billy. He was smitten with her. And Dee Dee didn’t have the heart to say a bad thing about her for fear of hurting him. So she bit her tongue, hoping he’d outgrow what had started as puppy love, and praying he would lose interest, or Jo would.

Neither had happened, and there wasn’t a day that went by that Dee Dee didn’t curse herself for not opening her mouth and exposing Jo for what she really was, a selfish tramp. Although in the end, she wasn’t sure it would’ve mattered.

*   *   *

Patricia walked into the kitchen, dragging her feet. Her blond hair fell in tangles around her face. She looked like a child in the waning light, standing in an oversize T-shirt and underwear. If it wasn’t for the healthy bumps underneath the shirt or her wide hips, she could’ve passed for her ten-year-old self.

“How long have I been sleeping?” she asked.

“A few hours.” Dee Dee dropped the empty beer can in the trash. She had smoked half a pack of cigarettes. She fingered the lighter, contemplating firing up another one.

Patricia shuffled to the table and sat down. She pushed her messy bed hair behind her ears. “Thank you,” she said. “For letting me stay here and for giving me your bed. I haven’t been able to sleep at the Sparrow. All Sara’s stuff is there and … I just don’t know what I’m supposed to do now.”

Dee Dee poured a glass of lake water and handed it to her. “There hasn’t been any news.” She was certain she would’ve heard news about Sara had there been any.

Patricia nodded. She sat quietly for a long time. The clock on the fireplace mantel ticked off the seconds one by one. A couple of ducks honked on the lake. The squirrels rustled in the trees behind the cabin.

“Listen,” Dee Dee said, and sat across from her. “I want to talk with Sheriff Borg about what you told me about Billy. I know now might not be the best time to bring this up, but I think it’s important. Sara’s drowning was an accident. You’re not to blame for an accident. But Billy’s drowning might not have been. We owe it to him to find out the truth.”

Patricia didn’t say anything right away. Her face was drawn. She stared at nothing. Dee Dee worried her hands in her lap, waiting, wondering if Patricia would hold up in an interrogation by Sheriff Borg even if she could convince her to talk with him.

She cleared her throat, scratchy from the dozen cigarettes she had smoked throughout the day. “What do you think?” she asked. “Do you think you’re up to talking to the sheriff?”

Patricia nodded. Someone knocked at the door.

Dee Dee turned. “Who could that be?”

Patricia’s hand shot out and grabbed Dee Dee’s wrist. “Sara,” she whispered.

She patted Patricia’s hand. “It’s going to be okay.” She went to the screen door and pushed it open to find Jo standing on her front porch.

CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

“Well, well, well,” Dee Dee said. “Look what the cat dragged in.”

“We need to talk,” Jo said.

“You bet we do.” Dee Dee stood aside to let her in. The door bang closed behind them.

Jo was somewhat surprised to find Patricia in Dee Dee’s kitchen. “I’m sorry to barge in,” she said to her. Patricia gave her a weak smile. Jo turned toward Dee Dee. “Is there somewhere we can talk in private?”

Dee Dee leaned against the countertop and crossed her arms, taking her usual defensive position. “Oh no, I think Patricia should be here for this.”

Jo hesitated. “Fine,” she said. “This really can’t wait.”

“No, it can’t.” Dee Dee pulled a chair from the kitchen table. “Sit,” she said.

Jo did what she was told and sat, leaning forward and resting her forearms on the table. Her leg bounced up and down. By the look on Dee Dee’s face, she thought perhaps Johnny had already been here. She had wanted to be the first to break the news to her about Billy being Johnny’s father. On some crazy level, she supposed she had hoped Dee Dee would help her make the situation easier for Johnny. But seeing Dee Dee’s stiff jaw and the anger in her eyes, she knew she had made a mistake. Dee Dee wouldn’t behave rationally about anything.

“So,” Dee Dee said, “Patricia told me some very interesting news today.”

“Patricia?” she asked, confused. How would Patricia know about Johnny? “What news?”

“She has proof you’re a lying bitch.”

Patricia flinched.

Jo rested her head in her hands. “Can’t we have a civil conversation?”

“Patricia saw you on the pier with Billy the night he drowned.” Dee Dee pushed off the counter, taking on a fighter’s stance.

“I don’t understand,” Jo said. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I came here to talk about Johnny.”

“Forget Johnny. Patricia was here at the cabin that night. I was babysitting her. And you know we have a clear view of the floating pier from here.” She pointed her index finger in Jo’s face. “She saw you with Billy. He wasn’t alone on the beach like Kevin said. Kevin’s been covering up for you this entire time.”

Jo glanced at Patricia cowering in the chair, clutching Sara’s dolly. She looked like a scared child. “What did you tell her?” Jo asked her. Her tone was harsher than she had intended. But what could she have seen? She had been a child when it had happened.

“I…,” Patricia began, but Dee Dee cut her off.

“Leave her alone,” Dee Dee said. “She’s been through enough.”

Jo ignored Dee Dee and reached across the table toward Patricia. In a more soothing tone she asked, “What do you think you saw?”

“Hey.” Dee Dee poked Jo in the shoulder. “You talk to me.”

“Whoa.” Jo raised her hands. “Back off.”

Patricia still didn’t say anything.

“What did you do to my brother? What are you hiding?” Dee Dee asked.

Jo pushed back in the chair and stood. Her legs wobbled and her arms shook. “I don’t have to listen to this.” She took a tentative step, but before she could get any farther, Dee Dee moved in front of her, pushing her, getting up in her face.

“What did you do to him?”

“Nothing,” Jo said, and tried to step around her, but Dee Dee’s body was big and strong, like Billy’s. Yes, just like Billy’s, and she was certain this was how Kevin had felt when Billy had thrust his chest at him, intimidating him with his physical strength. “Get away from me,” she said in a voice much too weak to have any impact.

“Did you kill him?” Dee Dee grabbed Jo’s shoulders.

“No,” Jo said, panicking. “No.”

“You’re lying.” Dee Dee wrapped her hands around Jo’s neck. “Tell me the truth or I swear, I’ll kill you myself.”

She clawed at Dee Dee’s fingers, gasping for air. Black spots marred her vision. Her head felt light. Patricia sat there, staring at them as though she was in shock, never having seen this side of Dee Dee before. Jo reached for her. “Pattie,” she croaked. When it was clear Patricia wouldn’t be of any help, Jo returned to scratching at Dee Dee’s hands, trying to pry them open. “Let go,” she managed to say.

Dee Dee loosened her grip ever so slightly. Her cold dead eyes glared at her. “Not until you tell me what happened.”

“Okay,” she said, and coughed.

Dee Dee dropped her hands and stepped back. Jo bent over, gasping, trying to catch her breath.

“I’m waiting,” Dee Dee said.

When the air moved through her lungs and she could talk, she blurted, “It was an accident.”

Dee Dee blinked several times. “You’re going to tell Sheriff Borg my brother didn’t just slip and fall. You’re going to explain exactly what happened to him. And you’re going to pay for what you’ve done.”

“No,” Jo said, shaking her head. Her body trembled. She needed Kevin here to explain how it had happened, how it was nothing but a terrible horrible accident. Where was he? She had looked for him everywhere: the Pavilion, the bar, Eddie’s. It wasn’t like him to disappear. Vanishing was her talent. Not his.

“If you won’t talk, then I will. With everything Patricia told me, you won’t stand a chance, not against the two of us,” Dee Dee said.

Jo shook her head. “I don’t think you want to do that.”

“Oh, you see, that’s where you’re wrong. I’ve been waiting a long time for this day to come.” She pushed Jo’s chest, sending her backward until she had her pressed against the edge of the countertop. Dee Dee placed both hands on either side of her. She smelled of body odor and adrenalin.

Jo was no match for Dee Dee’s strength. “You’re not going to hurt me,” she said, pleading to the kinder, softer side of Dee Dee’s temperament. It was there, buried beneath her tough exterior, but she knew it was there. Dee Dee hadn’t always been a brute. The little kids had adored her in the past, and parents at the lake used to fight over her for babysitting. Once upon a time Dee Dee had laughed and joked. She hadn’t always been the bitter woman she had turned into. Jo needed to use this to her advantage to save herself. And she had one weapon to do it. Maybe it was the real reason for keeping the secret about her son, Billy’s son. “You really don’t want Johnny to lose his mother, too, do you?”

At first Dee Dee’s brow furrowed, and then her eyes widened. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying Johnny is Billy’s son.”

Dee Dee pulled back. Her face softened. The corners of her mouth turned up. She nodded. “I always wondered.” In the next instant, she brought her arm back and slapped Jo hard across the face.

Jo grunted. The table and chairs went out of focus. Her ear was ringing. She covered her stinging cheek where the skin burned hot.

“That was for not telling me I had a nephew,” Dee Dee said. “And that Chris had a cousin.”

Jo’s mouth hung open, shocked at the forcefulness of the hit. She tried shaking it off by standing up a little straighter.

“Does Johnny know?” Dee Dee asked.

She dropped her hand from her cheek, opened and closed her mouth, testing her jaw before she spoke. “He found out today.”

“How?”

“It doesn’t matter, does it?”

“Where is he now?” Dee Dee asked.

“I don’t know. He needed some space, but if I had to guess, he’s with Chris.”

Dee Dee slapped her again, sending her to the floor. The pain radiated across her cheek and temple. Spots floated in front of her eyes. She thought she might black out.

“That was for Johnny,” Dee Dee said.

“Please stop,” Patricia said, and reached for Dee Dee.

“Yes,” Jo managed to say. “Please stop.” She didn’t think she could take another blow, although she was sure she had another one coming. She inched her away across the floor and put her back against the bottom cabinet for support. If she stood up, she might pass out.

“It wasn’t Jo’s fault,” Patricia said, her eyes steady on Dee Dee. “I saw her dive off the pier.”

“Yeah, after she pushed my brother into the lake,” Dee Dee said.

“Yes,” Patricia said. “That’s true.” She put her hand on Dee Dee’s shoulder. “But Billy climbed onto the pier after she left. He was with Kevin. I thought they were messing around, playing rough like boys do. It was Kevin who pushed Billy into the water.”