Darkness Follows (10 page)

“Oh nice.”
Kyle nodded and
took a sip of his drink. “Blake’s a great guy.
Got my first car
from Holloway’s.
It was his dad’s then.”

“Nice.”
Ryanne wished she had more to add to the conversation, but an awkward silence
followed. “What are you drinking?”

“Oh,
water. I’m the DD for my friends up there.” Kyle pointed to a younger group
sitting in front of where Anne Marie and her band were set up. “I guess I
should probably get back to them. Care to join us?”

Ryanne
smiled and shook her head, realizing Anne Marie had just finished her set, and
the house music played as the band disassembled. Kyle passed Anne Marie as she
made her way down the stairs slowly in her red high heels, and headed straight
for the bar. Ryanne saw her talking to Bill for a moment, and then she moved on
to Jake. At first Ryanne thought they were flirting again, but she could
faintly hear them yelling.

"Don't
lie. You weren't even watching." Anne Marie shouted. Their conversation
had escalated quickly. Jake tried to put a hand on her arm, but she yanked it
away.

"Oh
come on Annie." Jake yelled as she brushed past him into the back room. A
few people at the bar were watching the scene with Ryanne. Jake went in after
her, and that was when Ryanne noticed Bill O’Leary was watching her. He gave
her a friendly smile, and then continued to wipe the bar top; laughing at what
might have been one of the regular’s jokes.

The
bar was getting more packed, and another server came in to start her shift.
Bill was alone behind the bar, and kept checking the door for Jake. Ryanne
looked around for Max again, and as she turned her attention to the jukebox
right beside the stairs, she noticed a man with dark hair heading toward her.
He looked vaguely familiar and she wondered if he was in the last time she came.

He
made eye contact with her as he quickened his step, and then put his head down,
roughly pushing through the crowd. Ryanne felt someone behind her grab her hand
and when she turned around, it was Jake.

"Come
on, let's get out of here before my dad realizes I'm gone." he yelled in
her ear above the music and she followed him through the bar quickly.

"Where
are we going?" she asked, but he didn't respond. He probably couldn't hear
her, she thought, and then realized she didn't really care anyway. As Jake led
her out the door, she saw the man who had been approaching her watching them
leave. He looked way too old for her, and after slipping in between a couple
near the door, she could no longer see him.

Jake
needed a break and so did she. Ryanne thought he was the perfect distraction
until she could see Max again.

"Ryanne's
gone!" Aurina cried into the phone.

"Hold
on, I'm coming over." Blake told her and hung up abruptly.

Aurina
had woken around midnight feeling groggy, and needing to use the washroom. She
thought about the questions Crawley had asked them and the fuzzy picture of
Jeremy kept seeping into her thoughts. She knew it was affecting Ryanne more
than she had let on, so on her way back from the bathroom she went to check in
on Ryanne, and realized her bed was empty and her window was open. Her first
instinct had been to phone Blake, and when he got to the house in jogging
pants, and an undershirt, he was wide awake.

"Are
you sure she's gone?" Blake asked, as he rushed through the front door.
Aurina hadn't checked outside yet, but the house was small, and she knew she
wasn't inside. They both went back out the front door towards the road, looking
everywhere as they went.

As
they approached the police car, Aurina realized Jenkins was sleeping in the
driver’s seat. Blake pounded on the driver’s side window, and Jenkins was
startled awake.

"Were
you seriously sleeping?" Blake shouted at his window. Jenkins got out of
the car quickly.

"I-I'm
sorry, I just shut my eyes for a moment." he told them.

"How
long have you been sleeping for?" Aurina asked, and Jenkins’ eyes widened
when his searching eyes found their way to his watch.

"I
uh..."

"Ryanne's
gone." Aurina turned to the fields across the street, and called her
sister's name.

"Hold
on now, are you sure..." Jenkins began, but Blake paid him no mind and
jogged back toward the house.

"Shit."
Jenkins ducked into the car and grabbed the hand held radio. He hesitated, and
looked around after Blake and then to Aurina by his side.

"Aren’t
you going to call the Chief?" Aurina yelled.

"Yes
Ma'am." Jenkins nodded, and wiped his brow with his jacket sleeve. Aurina
turned and followed Blake back into the house.

She
found him pacing the living room, stopping when she entered.

"Where's
Jenkins?"

"Calling
Crawley." she told him. "Blake, you don't think she...was taken...do
you?" Aurina had assumed that Ryanne had snuck out, she wouldn’t put it
past her, but as the vision of Jeremy came back to her, tears came to her eyes.

"Oh Aurina, no.
Don't think
like that okay?" Blake rested his hands on her shoulders. "You know
Ryanne,
she's like a critter in a cage, looking for a way
out. She hates being pent up in here." Blake's attention turned to the door
as Jenkins entered, looking pale.

"The
Chief told me to stay put...well he told us to stay put. He’s goin out with Max
after Ryanne." Jenkins told them and bowed his head, as if it was an
official statement.

"I'm
going." Aurina said, as she headed for her room. She grabbed her purse,
and stormed past the men toward the front door.

"Ma'am,"
Jenkins said, "I'm afraid you'll have to stay put.
Chief’s
orders."
Aurina turned to Blake.

"I
want to help too, but if the Chief wants us to stay here, we should. It's for a
reason." Blake said.

"I
need to find my sister." Aurina yelled, and started to cry again. Blake
went to her and held her in his arms. At first Aurina struggled, but when she
finally held still, she wept harder into Blake’s shoulder.

"She'll
be alright. So will you. Come on," Blake guided her toward the couch and
they sat down together.

"I
can't just sit here Blake."

He
took her hand, and held it in both of his.

"If
we haven't heard from them in an hour, we're going." Aurina looked up and saw
that Blake was telling Jenkins this as much as he was reassuring her. “We’ll
take the truck and look all over this damn town if we have to.
Orders or no orders.”

Jenkins
turned and left without any retort. Aurina saw him walking to his car, and her
tears began to dry on her hot face. She had put her trust in the hands of the
police and they had failed her miserably, regardless of how or why Ryanne had
gone, Jenkins was the one to blame.

Jake
led Ryanne to the parking lot behind the pub, and she glanced at Blake’s bike,
hesitating for a moment, before hopping into the open door of Jake's truck. She
knew that Aurina had taken sleeping pills, but when Jake started driving north
towards her house, Ryanne couldn’t help but look for lights.

"Will
you tell me where we're going now?" She had her window rolled down, and
Jake passed her the small cigar he had been smoking. She shook her head, and
when he tried to put in in her hand, he almost dropped it as they sped down the
bumpy road.

"Nope,"
he told her, finally smiling,"still a surprise." He changed the radio
to a local rock station, and turned the volume up.

After
ashing the cigar out his window, he took another puff, and offered her a drag
again. The smell was strong and smoky, and mixed well with his cologne. He
laughed as she shook her head, turning her attention to the road ahead.

"So,"
Ryanne asked, yelling above the music, "Why were you arguing with that
girl?" If Jake heard her, he made no attempt to answer.

They
were approaching Maple Lane quickly, and to Ryanne’s delight, Jake did not slow
down. They passed it as quickly as they came, and Ryanne breathed a sigh of
relief.

“How
often do you visit Blake?”

“Not
much.”

“Out
of school for summer, or do you work?”

“Summer break.”
The questions
were unexpected, but the rest of the drive was silent.

After
another fifteen minutes passed, Jake turned down another bumpy back road
surrounded by trees and bushes, and slowed the truck.

Ryanne
saw a huge, dark blue lake through the clearings in the trees. The full moon
reflected off of the water, which looked relatively still and Ryanne couldn’t
remember seeing anything as beautiful in person. Jake pulled over on the side
of the road, and jumped out of the truck. Ryanne quickly followed, and ran down
a small foothill after him. He jumped onto a long dock, and when Ryanne stepped
on, it rocked and creaked, threatening to send her into the water if she wasn't
careful with her footing. Jake stood at the edge of it, looking into the sky.

"This
is beautiful." She said looking at the stars. Jake finally turned to her,
and smiled as he sat down on the edge of the dock, dangling his feet just above
the still water. Ryanne sat cross legged and leaned against one of two end
posts. She noticed a small rusty fishing boat floating in the water attached to
the dock.

“I
don’t see stars like this in the city.” Ryanne’s voice trailed off as she
realized she was talking about Toronto.

"Love
this spot." Jake said.

"Come
here often?"

"I
do. You're the first girl I've brought here though, scouts honor." His
eyes were both innocent and mischievous.

"Oh
I doubt that.
How about the girl from the bar tonight?"

"Hmm?
Which girl?"
Jake pushed her arm, and she shoved him
back harder. They locked eyes, and for a moment it seemed like Jake wanted to
kiss her. She wasn't sure why, but she turned her head looking back out onto
the lake. Something caught her eye, but whatever it had been was gone.

"You two together?"

"Me and Anne Marie?
Nope."
Jake scooted over, inching closer to
Ryanne." She's a friend, and co-worker. That's all."

Ryanne
knew the fight seemed more like a lover’s quarrel, either that or Anne Marie
thought things were more serious between them than Jake did. Regardless of
their situation, Ryanne noticed many of the girls, both co-workers and patrons
at O’Leary's vying for Jakes attention.

"Seriously,"
The dock swayed as Jake swung his legs and feet back and forth, "I come
here when I need to think, or just get away from everything. My dad used to
take me fishing out here when I was younger.”

“Is
that your boat?”

“It’s
actually the towns,” Jake laughed as she raised her brows, “It’s there for
whoever wants to use it. Must sound like a funny concept to someone from the
city.
Okay, Miss twenty questions, my turn. What brought you
to the pub alone tonight?” Ryanne didn't expect the tables to be turned on her
and she brought her legs up to her chest.

"A bike."
Ryanne smirked
and Jake continued to stare. "I needed to get out of the house."

"Hmm."
Jake fussed
with his plaid shirt. "I see."

"What?"

"I
thought I was the reason you came." He looked at her for a moment, and
then out to the water.

She
shook her head. "You don't believe I just needed to get out for a
bit?"

"Yeah,
must be bored outta your mind here, right?" He looked back at her,
smiling.

"I
like Dersten."

"I'd
like to live in the city, someday." He told her without meeting her eyes.
Ryanne did not believe she was the first girl to be brought up to this lake by
Jake O'Leary, but she could believe she was the first he'd spilled this secret
to.

"But
won't you own the pub? Isn't it a family business?"

"Yeah,
well, it's supposed to be. I think I deserve a choice in the matter though.
It’s just me and my dad there taking care of it." Ryanne wondered if there
was a Mrs. O’Leary.

"So
you don't want to own O’Leary’s?" Ryanne inched a little closer to him
now. "I think it's a great bar."

"I
don't know." He ran his fingers through his short hair, and then over his
well-groomed beard. “I just wanna see if there's something better out there for
me than this town. Most people here are content to just stay working on the
farm or at a Mom and Pop business, but I don’t know. So we are out here on this
lake for the same reason.” He shrugged, and looked at her smiling.

She
turned her attention back to the sky, leaning back on her hands to steady
herself. "I can't get over this view."

“The
way I see it --stars are bright no matter where you’re watching them from.
Sure, different places have different views, without interference from other
lights, but it’s who you’re with that determines how much you enjoy them.”

“That’s
deep Jake.” Ryanne nudged him and laughed, which made the dock sway slightly.

"Looks
like I get to ask a few more questions now. Why did you come to the pub with
Max in the first place?"

"Way too complicated."
Ryanne laughed,
and hoped she could dodge the subject. Jake shrugged again, and allowed her
more privacy than she had given him.

"Okay,
I don't think I'm getting the fair end of the deal in twenty questions, so
let's move onto truth or dare." Jake gave Ryanne a devious smile.

"Dare."
Ryanne said quickly, and Jake raised his brows.

"He
looked around for a moment
. "
I dare you to...go
for a boat ride with me."

“Okay.”
Jake helped Ryanne up and held her hand. She was surprised at herself for not
hesitating, but the drinks at O’Leary’s made her feel more carefree than she
had in a while, and the stress she felt seemed to fall away for the moment.

"Right here."
He told her and
pointed to a spot in front of him on the dock. He pulled the boat in toward
them, and then steadied it while helping her step in. “Just hold onto the dock
now.”

"Like
this?" Jake hopped into the boat and it wobbled a bit as he sat down across
from her. They stared into each other’s eyes, and when Jake leaned in to kiss
her, she let him. His mouth was cooler than hers, and when they met, she felt
her lips tingle. As fast as their lips parted, they were together again, this
time rougher. Ryanne’s head began to feel light, and before she lost all
control she pushed him back away from her.

They
slowly drifted away from the dock, and towards the middle of the small lake.
She knew his eyes were on her, but she avoided him, looking out to the path in
front of them.

“How
deep is it here?”

“Oh probably not more than ten feet
here, and no more than twenty where we're headed.”

Ryanne
searched inside the boat, and realized there were no paddles.

“How
do we get back?”

“Oh
shit
…” Jake felt around the bottom of
the boat, “The paddles are gone. I guess we’ll have to swim.”

Ryanne
looked at Jake, who shrugged, and she realized there was really no other way.

“You first.”
She yelled, and
tried to push him out of the boat. They laughed, and as Jake fought back, the
boat tipped over in one prolonged smooth motion, and they both fell into the
water.

Ryanne
felt the cold water envelope her as her clothing weighed her down.

"I
saw that coming." Jake laughed and wiped the water from his eyes. “It’s
freezing.
You alright?”

Ryanne
let her teeth chatter together as she swam closer to the dock.

“I
can warm you up.” Jake smiled and stopped to tread water where he was. Ryanne
laughed nervously, and kept her distance. “I don’t bite.”

“I’m
good over here.” Ryanne smiled, and turned around to grab the side of the boat.
She looked across the lake to the pine trees on the other side and noticed a
white light shining toward the dock. She thought it was coming from behind the
trees, and swam closer to shore to get a better look. It must be a flashlight,
she thought, wondering who would be coming to the lake at this time of night. A
creepy feeling washed over her, and suddenly she felt trapped in the water.

“You
gunna let your guard down any time tonight?” Jake called over to her. Ryanne
turned back to him, trying to catch her breath, and watched his arm muscles
flex as they moved through the water to keep afloat,
She
was mesmerized by his tattoos for a moment, trying to figure out what shape the
twisty lines made. He had removed his shirt, and was holding it in his right
hand as he swam.

“Not
sure what you mean.” She focused her attention back around the shore line,
trying to find the light again, and at the same time hoping nothing had been
there in the first place.

“I
can’t figure you out.” Jake smiled as he swam closer, and Ryanne forgot all
about the movement in the tree line by the road as he approached.