Coming Home (Norris Lake Series) (25 page)

Chapter 23

Knock, Knock, Knock.  The door sounded hollow against the emptiness of the lake house. Stacattto barks filled the air as Pattycake announced a potential intruder at the door.  It was almost midnight and Caitlyn heard the pounding from the comfort of her kitchen. 

She moved the tea kettle from a red hot burner to a cool one and turned off the stove.  Ignoring the cup with the Earl Gray teabag, she picked up the phone ready to dial 911 if necessary.  Phone in one hand, she pulled the drapes next to the door to one side and looked out.  Her heart leaped in her chest beating furiously with anticipation, love and fear, all at the same time. 

It was just like the first time she’d seen him; love at first sight, something she couldn’t ignore.  Where Ben had been a logical choice for marriage, Dominic was not.  He was the one totally illogical, impulsive choice in her entire life. 

Prior to Dominic, all decisions in her life had been well thought out logical balanced decisions made in her head.  A pragmatist at heart, it was her very nature. Dominic wasn’t her type, or what she’d thought was her type, average, studious and boring. 

Instead Dom was a dark and neither studious nor boring.  In fact, where she was dependable and predictable, Dominic was totally undependable, exciting and entirely unpredictable.  Dominic was the one time that she had thrown caution to the wind and went with her heart. 

Since then, she’d had a tumultuous life full of excitement, terror, run-ins with the law, drugs, controversy, pleasure, terror and pain.  It wasn’t the life she’d planned nor expected, but it wasn’t boring. 

Where she’d been spoiled, protected, selfish and narrow-minded when she was young, the multitude of experiences had made her very independent, strong, patient, selfless and road wise with an overall view of the world. 

Once she’d gotten over the shock of dealing with the underworld and the law, which took years and Prozac, she learned to deal with anything.  In fact, she was known to be extremely laid back and unruffled no matter what happened. She knew inside it was because she’d already experienced much of the dark side of life. 

Her hand poised on the door knob, she steadied herself with one deep breath and then opened the door.

“Hello, Dominic,” Caitlyn said slowly.

“Hey, baby.  How are you?” Dom said without a smile.

“I am good. You?” she inquired without really wanting an answer.

“Not so good,” he said hanging his head and running his hand tousling his black hair.

“How are the horses?”  Caitlyn said with concern. 

“They’re okay. The barn girl, dang what’s her name?”  Dom stuttered.

“Shelly,” Caitlyn whispered.

“Yeah, her. Shelly’s taking care of them every day, like she normally does, but I didn’t come to talk about the horses. I am not going to ask to come in but I wanted to come by to make sure you were okay.  I heard about the accident.  Your buddy, the sheriff thinks I had something to do with it.  Do you?” he stood square and stared straight into her eyes.

She thought for a moment, looking at him for confirmation.  “No, I don’t.  I told him you’d never do it.” 

He walked over and sat on the first step of the porch.   “I don’t think he believed you.  Come sit next to me.” 

She sat with a foot between them, keeping her eyes on him, like a doe would watch a lion, potentially lethal and ready to pounce.

“How did we get here?  I mean, we’ve had tough times. I know I have put you through a ton of grief.  I know that I am not the man you want me to be.  I am not even sure I can be the man you wish for.  It’s not in my nature to do what’s right, to be dependable, and to plan.  Now that we’re apart, maybe this is where we need to stay.  I personally think the idea sucks, but I also want you to be happy.  I know now that you haven’t been happy for a long time.  I was mad at you at first for leaving, but this separation has made me realize that I love you more than anything else in this world.  I can’t guarantee that I will be worthy but I will try harder than I have before….that is, if you’re willing to take me back.” 

A tear ran down her cheek. “What do you want from me?” Caitlyn asked.

“I want you to come home.  Please come home,”  he pleaded.

“I can’t.  I promised my dad that I would finish the condo project for him.”  Caitlyn stood, stepped to the ground and then turned to face Dom. “Truthfully, I am not ready to come home.  I want us both to do some hard thinking and make sure that we still want to be together.  I don’t want to be second in your life.  For once I want to be first.  I want to come before work, your friends, and your computer.  I can’t afford to take a backseat anymore.  I want to be loved the way that I think I should be loved.  I have given you leeway, stepped aside, and forgiven you for missing out on our life for too many years.  I feel unwanted and alone.  It’s not enough anymore to say you love me but not show me.  Saying I’m sorry the day after you’ve said you hate me won’t work anymore.  People have limits, Dom, and breaking points.  I think I’ve reached mine.  If you don’t want to be there for me, I want to have the opportunity to find someone who will.”

“You mean someone like Ben?”  He growled grasping his hands tightly together.

“No, not Ben,” She affirmed.

“Did you come here to meet that bastard?  If you did, just tell me so.  I don’t want to be someone you settle for because you can’t have Ben.” His temper started to climb and he stood facing her.

“I didn’t even know Ben had moved to Norris.  The relationship he and I had years ago is not relevant to anything that is between us, Dom”   Caitlyn protested.

“I saw you two together.  I’ll bet you didn’t know that.   I can even forgive you Ben if you come back to me.  I know I deserved everything I got.  I have ignored you and taken you for granted. I am truly sorry.”  His temper subsided and he re-took his seat on the steps.

“He doesn’t mean what you think to me.  It’s you I have loved all these years. It’s you that I wished loved me.”  She turned her back to him, tears flowing freely.  She didn’t bother to wipe them away.  The pain was so intense that she thought she might be having a heart attack or stroke.  She grasped her chest with one fist.

“So if you love me, come home he continued, trying his best to sell her on the idea.  Come with me now.  I will take time off work and we can go away to Cabo San Lucas – remember when I won that trip and we went there?  We can renew our vows on the beach and be in love again.  We’ll get a new house and I’ll even buy you that Karman Ghia you always wanted.”  He put his face in his hands.

“It’s not about a vacation or a new house or a new car.  We live a very wealthy luxurious life and I appreciate how you have worked so hard to provide so much for us.  But all of the hard work is leaving us with no time to be together.  I would rather be poor and have more time together than be rich and never see you or spend time with you.  Right now the only time we spend together is the time we are asleep.  By the time you get home, it’s time for bed and then I leave before you wake in the morning.  You even work on the weekends and when you aren’t working, you are talking to work about deals.  I am alone and so very tired of it.  I just don’t want to be alone anymore.  I don’t want to face the rest of my life by myself.”

“So what do you want of me?  What can I do to make you come home?” he implored.

“I don’t know.  That’s something you’ll have to figure out for yourself.  We’ve been together for almost five years.  If you don’t know me by now, you never will.” 

He put his face in his hands. He looked up and there were tears in his eyes. 

She looked at him completely astounded.  In all the years they had been together, she’d never seen him cry - for any reason.  Through deaths, pain, and anger, nothing had touched his heart enough to bring out this type of emotion.  It startled and confused her.  Here was someone who she’d never seen cry, feeling so deeply for her than he went against his primary character.

He looked up his eyes red and tears rolling down his cheeks.  She steadied herself against the pure sentiment emanating from the forlorn figure.  Her resolve was steeled.  If she wanted him to dedicate more time to her and to change, she’d have to be strong.

“I am sorry.  I don’t mean to cry.  I have never felt this way before.  I don’t know what do to. You are breaking my heart,” he whispered.

“You’ve broken mine many times in the past.  I can’t count how many times I have gone to bed comforted only by my own tears, ridiculed by you because I was crying.  I don’t mean to hurt you, but you’ve hurt me too,” she vowed standing her ground.

“This isn’t all my fault,” he objected.

“No it’s not.  The blame is on both of us.”  Cat held back the tears her heart breaking.  She just wanted to hold him and to have him hold her.  She wanted everything to be right again. She turned away from him and looked up forcing the tears back.

He sighed and stood.  “I can see this is hard on both of us.  I am going to leave now.  I just wanted to see you.  Can I come back and see you later?  

“That’s up to you, but until I know you understand what I want, my answer about coming home will be the same.”  

“Can I have just one kiss?”  She looked in to his eyes for what seemed such a long time then spoke a single word.

“Yes.”

He stepped forward and pulled her into his strong arms.  They wrapped around her holding her tight.  His lips were warm, familiar and tasted sweet with a hint of cigarette smoke.  He smelled of Polo.  She let her arm rise up to pull his head in close kissing him back.  His tongue probed her mouth and down deep in her core she could feel the heat build as it always had when he kissed her like this.  His kisses made her dizzy, hot and lustful.  She felt the love without question.  She tamed the ache and held it at bay.  She pushed herself away from him. 

He sat down on the porch and pulled her on to his lap.  He drew her face to hers and lip to lip delved into the velvet of her tongue.  He pulled her shirt up over her chest exposing her breasts. Her breaths were coming fast and hard.  A volcano was building in her chest.  She loved it when he held her close an demanded her body like this.  He pulled her thighs close to his own forcing her down on the hard wood of the porch under him.  With one hand he unsnapped her shorts and shucked them down below her knees parting her thighs with one hand.  Next he then reached for his own pants and parted them pulling them, too below his knees.  She lay back on the porch panting with desire. Thankful for the inky darkness of the night, she allowed him to part her thighs with one hand feeling for the warm wetness between her lips.  She was wet and wanted him.  He ran his hand over his hard male erection back and forth.  His erection was as hard as it had ever been with desire for her.  He’d always known that she was the best lay he’d ever had but not known why.  It was something between them that made their love making explosive.  He penetrated her with a forceful thrust. Time and time again he plunged into her.  Like a volcano, he pulsed himself into her.  It was a religious experience.  He was spent. 

“I love you, Cat.  You are everything to me.  I can’t live without you.”

“Go, now,” she choked.

He stood up straight and put one hand through his thick dark hair.  “One of these days, you are going to send me away and I am not going to come back.  You know I am a pretty desirable catch.  Maybe some young thing would like to replace you.  Maybe I should just let you go.”  

Without another word, he left the house and climbed into his black convertible viper and with a roar started the engine.  The high powered performance vehicle that was his prized possession rumbled slowly down the driveway.  She stood on the steps and wondered if she would ever see him again.  How could she believe he really loved her when she had to listen to callous talk like that.  He deliberately wanted to hurt her.  She could
picture him driving away never to return without even looking back.

Chapter 24

The sheriff’s office occupied one of the narrow brown stones.  Its walls were still a mixture of old unpainted red brick left over from the original structure.  Forty-foot wood beamed ceilings accented both levels of the 100 x 50-foot two storied structure.  The only visible window was the barred plate glass from floor to ceiling that fronted the building to the town square. 

Two wide front doors faced a three foot counter blocking entrance to the rearward rooms.  On the right side of the counter was a half-door normally unlocked but created to block visitors.  Two long wooden church pews faced the front counter, though the benches were seldom full.

Behind the counter, the room was divided into three areas, a small office, an interview room and an open area with several large wooden desks all facing the front of the building.  Each desk held a blotter, green shade lamp, and phone.  Paper, pencils and files were haphazardly stacked on available surfaces.  Two dozen tall gray file cabinets back to back created a second wall at the back of the room and contained every case both current and cold from the past 50 years.

In the back of the building, behind the cabinets was a set of wooden stairs leading up to the second floor which housed more files and two barred cells each with a single bunk, sink and urinal, both currently empty.  A single desk sat facing the upstairs cells. 

Jesse and Ben sat across from one another in the sheriff’s small office.  It was the only office on the first floor with a single mirrored window overlooking the interview room.  Few personal memorabilia were visible except for a college diploma on one wall and a photograph of the entire staff at last year’s Christmas party taken, formatted and framed by his dispatcher, Deann.  

A steady hum of country music could be heard in the background as Brooks and Dunn played Only in America on the local radio station while a sultry female voice sung along.  Ben hardly heard anything but Alan Jackson, Brooks and Dunn, and Tim McGraw these days since he’d hired Deann to replace a retiring Mrs. Schwartzendruber, who’d decided to leave when Sheriff Springer retired.

Deann had an unquenchable love affair with each of the country music stars and knew all of their songs by heart.  Sometimes Ben missed the old lady who knew everyone and everything about the town. She may have been a prim old puss, who looked down her nose at him for being too young and too citified, but at least she’d been a bit more quiet.

He liked Deann and had even dated her now and again, but hoped she’d get that assistant manager job at Family Dollar.  A little distance would make their relationship a little easier for him to deal with.  Working together was never a good situation for dating, especially when he was the boss.

“Deann,” he said as he stood in the door way “Tone it down a little and keep an eye on the volume”. He smiled at her and winked.

“Yes, sweetie,” Deann answered lowing the volume but still humming along.  Turning Ben closed the door. Returning to his chair, he leaned on his desk once again.

“So what have you pieced together so far?” he asked Jesse.

“Not much.  I am suspicious that there may be a link between the fire and Caitlyn’s accident.  I don’t have any evidence but also feel there must be a connection between the recent disappearances and what happened on the houseboat years ago.”

“What do you base your assumptions on?”

“I don’t have any hard facts yet, but feel it here in my gut.”

“Well, unfortunately, I need more than that to go on than your aching stomach.”

“I know. I’m working on it. I would like to talk to some of the individuals about the Kane family, especially Stephen. Who would you recommend?”

He thought for a moment and then started to jot an address down on a sticky note. “You could ask George
Springer for the details.  He took over as sheriff here when sheriff Kane left and before I took the job.  Stephen wasn’t originally a Kane. He was adopted by the Kane family when he was very young.  I didn’t know the family myself. 

From what I hear, though, Stephen was odd in looks and mannerisms, so was the target of much ridicule.  Stephen was tried and convicted of his sister’s murder in a public forum by the press but there was never a trial.  According to most of the townsfolk I’ve talked to, Stephen never stood a chance.  It was the word of the son of a well-respected business man against a boy who was never well accepted and was generally a troublemaker.  The well-respected business man you know as Robert Tarlington, Caitlyn’s father and the son is Michael, her older brother.  Getting away from the public scorn and insinuations about his son’s involvement in the disappearance, was the prime reason that Sheriff Kane moved away his family from Norris. 

As the years went by, I hear it was a tragedy all around.  Stephen was hospitalized, an asylum of some sort.  He was pretty broken up about his sister.  Sheriff Kane’s second son ran away from home the day after his sister disappeared and his wife died of a broken heart.  I never asked Caitlyn about her recollection of the incident when we were together.  Hell, she never even brought it up and now, well, there just hasn’t been an opportunity nor the need to ask her about it.  You of course, as her friend, could ask.” He reached across the desk and handed Jesse the post-it note.

“That’s all very interesting,” Jesse said tapping her pencil on a notebook she’d been writing in.  That’ll give me some background on the Kane’s. Tell me again who I can talk to about Beth’s disappearance.  I’d like some more background about the night she vanished.”

“I looked at the file after our last meeting.  You can touch base with Sarah Jackson and Rodney Keith.  Sarah and Rodney were girlfriend and boyfriend at the time.  They were on the houseboat that night. 

Rodney lives over on the south side of the lake near you.  He’s the caretaker for his family’s lake house.  His family has a summer house here and a more permanent residence now in New York.  I heard that Sarah is coming in from Nashville this weekend to visit.  She’s probably going to be at their summer house.  Either person should be able to recount to you what happened that night.  The only others involved that night were Caitlyn, her brother Michael and Curtis.  

Unfortunately, Curtis was killed a few years back while he was a student at UT; an unsolved hit and run.”

             
“Where did Stephen go to school?”

             
“University of Tennessee.  They all went there.”

“So what would you suggest as my next step?”

“If I were you, I would start with George.  Sheriff Springer lives next to the lake house where Caitlyn is staying.  It’s the one with the blue shutters.  If you don’t get the information you need from him, I’ll personally take you over to see John Kane, Beth’s father.”

“I’ll take your advice. How will I know Sheriff
Springer?”

“He’s about 60 with a white hair and a full mustache with a pronounced limp.  He uses a cane.  Think grumpy old walrus and you’ll have the right guy.” 

“Thanks.  I’ll give you a call if I turn up anything interesting.”

“You do that and tell him I sent you.  He may be more forthcoming if he knows you are linked with his old department.”

“Well, sheriff.  Wish me luck.” Jesse said, stood and waved at Deann as she left the office.

About 30 minutes later, Jesse stood on the wrap around front porch of a large white cottage house with blue shutters.  It was built on the north shore of Norris Lake. The circa 1840 post and beam house mixed the treasures of the past blending seamlessly with the comforts of today. 

The deck wrapped around the house from back to front, so the user could enjoy both morning and afternoon sun. 

From the porch she could see a well-manicured flower garden with a arbor and a swing.  The garden was encircled with a low brick wall.  A covered held a white patio set and was enveloped with thick green ivy.  The water came up to the bank lapping quietly against an embankment of stones the size of softballs.  It was a man-made embankment endeavoring to forestall the effects of ongoing waves. 

At a weathered wooden dock squatted a bright blue wooden dinghy with white trim.  At its bow was a trolling motor and on the back a small black and red evinrude.  The aft end of the boat boasted the name, Bluebell.  On the wooden seat was a battered green tacklebox, well-worn, and two fishing poles rigged and ready for the next cast. 

The cottage was about 200 feet from the cove.  The water’s gray mirrored surface reflected the surrounding green pines and echoed the lake homes on the near shore. A set of stairs from the deck led down to the dock.  Below that was about 50 foot of lovely brown pea pebbled beach.

Jesse leaned in to ring the bell, the door opened and a tall white haired man stood in the door opening.  “May I help you?”

“I am Jesse James. I am looking for George
Springer.”

“I give up. Is this a robbery?” his brow furrowed in concern and he held his hands up in mock surrender.

“That’s an old joke,” Jess said smiling.

“Some people say the same thing about me,” George quipped lowering his hands.  “What can I do you for, lovely lady?”

“Sheriff O’Donnell gave me your name.  He thinks you might be able to share some information with me. 

“Yes, well, well, well, I knew I liked that boy!. Look what Ben sent me; a beautiful woman to share my afternoon.”

“Are you George Springer?”

“That would be me.”

“Ben said you might be able to help me with an incident that happened over twenty years ago; a disappearance, or maybe a murder.  It involved the Kane family, Mr. Springer.”

A frown marred his brown face, “Come in Ms. James. I served this town for 30 plus years, first as deputy and then later as sheriff.  I took the sherrifin’ job right after the Kane family left town.  My best friend was John Kane.  I can share with you what I know, but you’ll have to decide if there was or was not a murder.  I for one am still not sure.  And you can call me George or Jo-Jo.”

”Thank you.  And please, call me Jesse,” she said as she entered the cottage. “You have a beautiful home.” 

“I appreciate your opinion.  I spent a great deal of my life here.  After my wife died 10 years ago, I had no reason to live close to town and moved on over here so I could fish every day.  It’s relaxing.”

“Yes, I have a home on the south side of the lake much like this one.  I like looking at the water.  It brings me peace.”

“When I retired I thought the same thing; that the lake would bring peace.  That was before happenings of the past year’s disappearances.  I can’t help but feel continued responsibility to the town.” He lowered himself into a brown leather rocking chair and reached for a pack of coronas. “But back to your business; please have a seat,” gesturing to a worn blue and brown plaid sofa. 

“Cigar?” He offered.

“No thank you, but you go ahead.  I like the smell of a cigar.”  

“A woman after my own heart.  Don’t tell me you also like to fish?” 

“Actually, I do. Now, what can you tell me about the Kane family?” she said sitting back in her chair and taking out a white notebook and pen from her bag.  “Do you mind if I take notes?”

“No ma’am, but I am trusting you not to misquote me.  You’re not one of those big city reporters are you?” George queried taking a long draw on his cigar.

“No, but I am a writer. This information may one day become material for a book.  If that happens, I promise I will share it with you first.” Jesse assured him.

“That’s your word? Well that’s good enough for me.  Now what can I share?  Let’s start with the basics.  There was John Kane, his wife, Marie, two boys and a little girl.  You know about the daughter, Beth.  She was 17 when she disappeared which was about 20 plus years ago this fall.  The law and the townsfolk assumed that she was dead.  Her remains were never found.”

“Tell me about the rest of the family.” 

“Soon after Beth disappeared, Stephen, his oldest boy was hospitalized for depression.  John moved to Johnson City, which is north of Norris.  John was the town sheriff until his wife died.  Her car was hit by a drunk driver.  After that, his son, Jeremy, ran off.  We heard later that the boy ended up in California.  He was just a child when his sister, Beth died and then when the older boy was gone, the young one took the brunt of the grief from both his parents.  Jeremy was a lonely angry boy full of anger and resentment.  It was his sister dying and his family breaking up that drove the boy off.  The last I knew, John never heard from the boy again.