Lethal Affair (32 page)

“
Good enough for me. Call me
when...”

“
Wait a second. There's a
van pulling into the lot.”

“
I'm right here, Rosemary.
Where are the boys?”

“
They're in sight but out of
earshot. A man is getting out of the van. He's... hold on, he's got
a dog, putting it on a leash. Yappy little thing. It's one of those
furry mops. Doesn't look like it wants to go for a walk. He's
having a hard time with it.”

“
What's the man look
like?”

“
He's got a hat on but it's
not like the one I saw on that guy in your yard. His hair is a
different color and longer. Maybe we're just being
paranoid.”

The man finally got his protesting dog
under control and with a casual nod in her direction, walked past
her and the boys onto the park trail. He disappeared from view
within seconds.

“
That's that,” said
Rosemary. “I'll let you know if anyone suspicious shows up. Don't
worry, Will. The boys are having the time of their lives. I'll have
Max back by six, alright?”

“
Thanks Rosemary. You have
no idea how much I appreciate this. Max would be bored to tears
here at the diner all day.”

“
No sweat. Talk to you
later.”

She got her camera bag out with its
tripod and lenses and slung it over her shoulder, then handed each
boy a backpack filled with drinks and snacks.

Off they went, the boys running
ahead.

“
Hey you two! What did I
tell you?”

Reluctantly they waited for her to
catch up.

“
You're too slow, Mom,”
complained Bobby.

“
This trail is full of tree
roots. What if one of you takes a dive? I won't be there to catch
you.” Couldn't very well tell them the real reason, could
she?

“
Aw Mom.”

“
It's stick with me, or we
go back home. You choose.”

Max gave Bobby a nudge. “We'll be
right in front of you the whole time.”

They kept moving through the forest
with its towering firs and curvy arbutus trees. Below them down a
cliff lay the bird sanctuary where ducks, geese and blue herons
nested. Hawks flew overhead, their sharp cries eerily contrasting
with the soft hoots of owls hidden deep within the woods. Afternoon
light filtered through the trees in long slanted streams that
seemed filled with fairy dust.

It was idyllic, a place to commune
with nature and cleanse the soul. Rounding a curve, a squirrel ran
up a tree and perched on a low limb, feeding on its nutty
prize.

Rosemary stopped and set up her camera
gear.

*

“
Damn stupid mutt,” Drew
mumbled, jerking the dog's collar and forcing it to climb the slope
with him. It dug in its heels, determined not to go.

“
That's it, I'm done with
you.” He grabbed a large rock and as he raised it, slipped on some
moss and landed on his rump. The dog jerked the leash free and took
off at a run.

Nursing a scraped palm, Drew watched
the mutt take off down the trail. He was beginning to develop a
real adversity to dogs, and now he felt cheated; he'd wanted to
crush its skull. If he hadn't needed it alive when he'd yanked it
from its tidy, safe little yard two blocks down from Rosemary
Meesler's house, he might have relieved it of its overactive
tongue.

At least it had provided him with the
cover he'd needed. Somebody would find it, see its tag, wonder how
it had gotten so far from home. Lucky for him, dogs couldn't
talk.

He had only moments left to prepare.
Choosing his spot, he pulled off the itchy wig and hat combo he'd
donned and tossed it under a log.

He got out his knife.

*

Rosemary snapped off several pictures
of the squirrel with her telescopic lens. An amateur photographer,
she used her photos as a guide for her paintings.

She'd signaled the boys for silence so
the squirrel wouldn't run off. Now as she stowed her gear they
giggled and joshed each other as good pals do. She felt the worry
that Will and Crane had spilled onto her fade, replaced by the
simple joy of doing what she loved. After all, how could anything
bad happen in such a glorious place?

As they resumed their walk the little
mop dog from the parking lot came running at full speed toward
them. Between Bobby and Max, they managed to grab its leash and
stop the creature in its tracks. It stood, panting and glancing
back up the trail nervously.

“
What happened little guy?”
Rosemary asked. “Did you lose your master?”

“
What should we do?” Max
asked her.

“
I guess we'll take it with
us, try to find its owner.” She bent and looked at its tag.
Strange. The address was on the street where they lived. Odd
coincidence? A shiver ran through her as her little window of joy
dissipated. The woods closed in encasing them in a long narrow tree
lined passageway that she felt compelled to get out of now, and
quickly. Not sure why, the small hairs on the back of her neck
began to stand up. Her sixth sense went on high alert as a hush
seemed to fall over the forest.

The dog quivered and
whined.

A twig snapped to their right and a
man stepped out from behind a wide tree, blocking their path. In
his hand was a serrated hunting knife.

The dog tugged hard and Bobby dropped
its leash at the sight of the knife. The mop ran while the three of
them stood stock still, paralyzed with fear.

Rosemary felt an eerie familiarity
creep over her. His stance, the way he moved toward them now, up
close and personal; it was the same man who had entered Will's yard
the other day.

“
Toss me your cell phone,”
the man told Rosemary. Heart thumping, she complied. She heard
Bobby whimper behind her and push his body against her back. Max
stood stock still as though in doing so he might blend into the
fabric of the forest.

Without warning the man stepped in
close and thrust the knife. It happened fast but her reflexes were
sharp as she twisted away, her camera case partially deflecting the
stab as it went in shallow. She clutched her side in shock, dark
red blood seeping through her fingers.

He stepped in again aiming for the
femoral artery in her upper leg.

Max didn't process, didn't hesitate.
Using all his force he rammed their attacker with his body, but the
man's superior weight and height easily overpowered him as he was
gripped in a head lock, the knife held to his throat.

Eyes wild, Max bucked against the
serrated edge of the knife.

Drew's blood boiled. A black rage
whipped through him and it took all his might not to dig the knife
into the kid's soft flesh. He needed him alive.

Rosemary sank to her knees as pain
lanced and her vision blurred. “Run,” she yelled at her son, but
Bobby was rooted to his spot, unable to respond.

Voices sounded in the distance. People
were coming up the trail from the beach end.

Drew grabbed Max by the hair and
pulled him, grunting, kicking and pummeling, up the slope and into
the dense forest beyond.

*

Kylie's work mostly enthralled her.
Today was not one of those days. The greenhouses were stifling and
her back ached. Margie had told her to take a break, but with her
mind reeling with the events of the night before, she'd preferred
to keep going.

Despite the chaotic events, last night
had been the most incredible time of her life. Relationships could
be complicated, but Will had made theirs succinctly straight
forward. They simply fit, and on so many levels. She'd felt a
shift, as though she was exactly where she was meant to
be.

The mixed feelings were draining her.
Remorse, joy, fear. They were all there. Remorse for having pushed
the envelope with Drew. Joy for the life that grew inside her. Fear
that Drew had killed those two women.

Love comes in many
forms.

Drew's view of love seemed to be all
about bending her to his will.

Being pregnant by another man, her
relationship with Will should be fragile. Contrarily, it felt solid
and fortified. Will didn't care that the baby wasn't his. He had a
generosity of spirit that went above and beyond. Had he acquired it
by co-raising Max with Julia, or was it something in his intrinsic
nature?

She supposed it ran both ways; her
acceptance of Max would be part of it. Max being a lovable kid made
it easy.

Her cell phone vibrated with a number
she didn't recognize.

“
Hello?”

“
Kylie. What a pleasure to
hear your voice again. I've missed that melodious thing you do when
you speak. How are you?”

Her insides instantly roiled with
acidity.

“
Drew,” she croaked, her
throat suddenly parched. “What do you want?”

“
Now you sound like a frog.
What's the matter, not the prince you were hoping to hear from? And
speaking of which, I've got a little prince right here with me now.
Let me put him on.”

Silence. Then a child's frantic plea:
“Help! He hurt Mrs. Meesler! Tell my Dad...”

Kylie's knees buckled and she melted
to the sod floor. It was Max. Drew had Max.

Drew came back on. “That's enough. You
get this, right? Why I'm calling?”

She swallowed, willing her voice to
work. It came out a whisper. “What do you want?”

“
Speak up woman! I can
barely hear you. Piece of shit phone. You can tell Mrs. Meesler
that she definitely needs a better piece of equipment. Really, the
range on this thing is pathetic.”

A trickle of anger seeped in. “What do
you want?”

“
Much better. I hear some
fight now. Wouldn't want you to go all female on me right now. I
need you to come and get Max. I mean, as far as kids go he seems
like a pretty decent one, but I'm getting tired of all this whining
for his Dad. Might have to shut him up.”

Kylie gritted her teeth, fought for
calm, got pissed off instead. “Now you listen to me, you shit.
Don't you dare touch a hair on that boy's head, or
I'll...”

“
You'll what? Call the cops?
Sick Ethan Crane on me like a rabid dog? Ooh, I'm scared. I'm
shaking in my boots here.”

There was a yelp in the
background.

“
There, I plucked a hair out
of his head. What do you have to say now, Miss
I-fuck-men-and-then-I-fuck-them-over?”

Kylie's nerves stretched taut. This
was the nightmare of all nightmares. Couldn't be happening. She
looked up and saw Margie coming toward her. About to speak, Kylie
held up a hand to stop her. The fierce look in her eyes had Margie
taking a step back. Kylie put a finger to her lips cautioning her
into silence.

“
Okay Drew,” she said,
keeping her tone even, “tell me where you are.”

Hearing the name, Margie tensed. A
building separated them from the parking lot where the cops were
and she looked in that direction. Kylie shook her head.

“
Is there someone with
you?”

“
No, I'm alone.”

Margie watched intensely, her eyes
bright with concern.

“
I'm gonna trust you on
that. You know how important trust is, don't you Kylie. You're good
at following directions. Here's your first one: leave the property
by way of the fields. Go to that little country store that's on the
other side.”

“
Country
Cupboards?”

“
That's it. There's a pay
phone on the south side. Wait for it to ring. Go now and come
alone. I'm not a patient man. Don't try to call anybody for help or
there will be hell to pay, and I have the devil's next installment
right here.”

He clicked off.

*

Despite his bandaged paw, Dino paced
the kitchen, nearly driving Kim and Lyle mad.

Feeling edgy, Will came in and added
his own agitation to Dino's. He was trying hard to ignore
it.

“
Listen guys, I want to run
something past you. I've been thinking about incorporating a buffet
into the Langford location. There's still time to work it into the
plans and...” He stopped and watched Dino cross the floor for the
tenth time since he'd come in. “Does he need to go out?”

“
Just went,” said
Kim.

“
He wants a walk,” supplied
Lyle. “Hasn't had one for a few days. You know he gets antsy. His
paw needs to heal so I haven't taken him.”

Kim shook his head. “Carrie's sister
has an old hound that doesn't move unless it's dinner time. Never
met a dog that didn't want to go for a walk until that
hound.”

Something at the edge of Will's mind
tickled like a bothersome feather, infringing on his thoughts. He'd
completely veered off his mental track.

It rushed in, a stark premonition.
Rosemary Meesler had told him the man from the van had struggled
with his dog, that it didn't want to go for a walk. Dogs acted on
instinct. Had the man been a stranger to that dog?