Upstate Uproar (36 page)

Wendy nodded. “Tracy might’ve overheard
something. We still had the files in the house. Damn, they’re
burned to a crisp now.”

The Talking Heads song “Burning Down the
House” popped into Vivian’s head, which had begun to pound behind
her eyes. “I think I need an aspirin.”

Larson had her follow his finger with her
eyes, then he shined a small flashlight in them.

“You should probably come home with me
tonight and let me do a more thorough examination.” He grinned.
“Just to make sure.”

Her heart and parts further south fluttered
at the prospect. She nodded. “That sounds like a very good
idea.”

V
ivian heard water
running. She stretched and slowly opened her eyes, taking a look
around in the daylight. Larson’s bedroom was pretty much what she
expected.

Flat-screen TV across the room, a large oak
dresser, a bookshelf piled high with
Sports Illustrated
, a
couple of classics and a dictionary. She pulled the plaid flannel
sheets up under her arms and rolled onto her side, fluffing her
hair behind her on the pillow trying to look pretty and peaceful
all at once. She checked for sleep in her eyes, then heard his
footsteps and couldn’t help but smile as she played possum.

“I see someone is awake.” Larson sat on the
bed and stroked her blonde curls. “Good morning.”

She opened her eyes. “What do you mean? I
smile in my sleep all the time.”

“I bet you do.”

She ran her fingernails up and down his
muscular biceps, then smoothly transitioned to his thigh, playing
with the hem of his boxer-briefs. “You know, you could make me
smile a little bit bigger this morning.” She let her fingers slide
upward.

“Haven’t you had enough yet?”

Vivian laughed at that and tucked her fingers
underneath his waistband, then tugged. “This girl is from Texas
where we like things bigger and better. You’ve got both, now get
back in here.”

He let his underwear drop to the floor. “Is
this what you’re looking for?” he asked, showing off his “bigger,”
then slid underneath the covers, covering her body with his. His
warmth and strength enveloped her and he kissed her passionately,
letting his tongue linger. He smelled amazing, a mix of Irish
Spring and sex.

He moved from her mouth, kissing and nibbling
down to her neck, then nuzzled her breasts but didn’t stop there.
That’s when he really got going with the “better.”

Two hours later they both were glowing from
their morning romp. The covers and pillows were thrown all around
the bed, and Vivian’s head was hanging over the side.

“You’re pretty flexible,” Larson said.

“All those years in dance class, at least I
have that to show for it. Not sure I should tell my parents that’s
where their money went.”

He laughed and stood up. “It’s almost 10, and
we’re supposed to meet the combustion crew at the diner in 30
minutes. What time is your flight today?”

She groaned. “Around 3.”

“You can borrow one of my shirts for
breakfast, so people don’t think the diner’s on fire, but then
after that I suggest you hit one of the shops in town.” He reached
for her hand and helped her sit up. “Want to hop in the
shower?”

“Are you going to be there?”

“What do you think?”

“Then heck, yeah.”

They jumped in his tiny shower, taking turns
with each other’s backs and other hard-to-reach places. He had
two-in-one shampoo and conditioner, which her hair did not like.
She needed more moisture for the curls, but it was the only option.
She looked under the sink and found some hair gel, squeezed it into
her palm, then ran it through her wet hair.

Larson carried a clothes basket into the
bathroom and pulled out Vivian’s freshly laundered clothes. “I’d
rather see you naked, but you’re going to need these.”

“I’d rather you see me naked, too!” Vivian
laughed. “Thanks for washing my super sooty, stinky duds, I was
dreading putting these on.”

“I couldn’t let you go home like that.”

She got dressed, then Larson wrapped a
flannel shirt around her shoulders. “You’re going to need this,
too. It’s chilly out.” He snuggled into her neck. “Mmmmm.”

She didn’t want to mess up the moment, but
they were already 15 minutes late to the diner. “We better go.”

“Yeah, we better.”

They got in his truck and headed to town. The
others had stayed at the Crowne Plaza, which was within walking
distance of the diner.

Larson found a spot on the street and they
hustled inside, finding Wendy, Kate, Lucy and Pierre already
eating.

“Good morning,” Vivian chimed as she sat down
and picked up a menu.

“Sorry, we were starving,” Kate said, taking
a bite of a strawberry-smothered waffle.

“No worries. We overslept,” Vivian said and
buried her head behind her menu.

She and Larson ordered, and pretty soon
everyone was sitting back, full and happy.

“I see you’ve already been shopping,” Vivian
said to them.

“Pierre treated us since everything we had is
now ashes.” Lucy squeezed his hand. “And he gave us some cash for
the trip home.”

“I have my wallet and keys,” Pierre said,
“but lost my new Philipp Plein sneakers.”

“Uh oh,” Vivian said. “You don’t have an
expensive shoe habit like Lucy, do you?”

He smiled and shrugged. “I might have
splurged on those.”

“We ran to a five and dime last night,” Wendy
said. “Not high falutin’ but we picked up some sweats to sleep in
and a few toiletry items. I needed contact solution like nobody’s
business. My contacts were practically glued to my eye balls.”

“Then this morning we found a little boutique
that opened at 10 and made the clerk very happy,” Lucy added.
“Probably met her day’s quota in the first 30 minutes.”

“Larson had everything I needed,” Vivian
rumpled his hair. “He even washed my clothes for me.”

“I’m kinda digging your lumberjack-lady
look,” Kate said. “It’s very Lake Placid.”

“It’s cool outside and I needed his flannel
shirt to keep warm.”

Pierre paid the tab and Larson threw down a
tip. “What time are you heading to the airport?” he asked.

“My, Viv’s and Kate’s flight is at 3,” Wendy
said. “Lucy’s not until 3:40. We probably need to head to Albany
around 12:30 so we can return our perfectly intact, beautifully
undamaged rental.”

“Third time’s the charm,” Vivian said, but
then she thought about everything they’d lost in the fire. “Aw, my
souvenirs I bought for the kids. And how are we going to get on a
plane with no ID?”

“At least we won’t have to check bags.” Lucy
laughed.

“I’m serious! What are we going to do?”

“You’ll probably get an extra pat-down,”
Larson said, then winked. “You’ll like it, I’m sure.” He pulled a
couple of twenties out of his wallet and shoved them in Vivian’s
front pocket. “Here’s some travel money, don’t let them grab your
cash when they pat you down.”

The group ran in and out of stores on Lake
Placid Village’s Main Street, getting souvenirs and a secret group
gift for Kate’s baby.

At 12:20 they hiked uphill to the Crowne
Plaza and began their goodbyes.

Pierre hugged Vivian tight. “I wish you the
very best, Vivian. I’m happy to see you so happy.”

“Thanks, Pierre, that means a lot. I’m so
grateful you were here for Lucy, and for us. We might be in a much
different condition if it weren’t for you.”

He smiled and kissed her on both cheeks.
“Until next time.” He turned to Lucy and scooped her into his arms.
He kissed her like he might not see her again, or at least for a
very long time. She kissed him back just as passionately.

“Get a room!” Wendy shouted.

Vivian laughed and ambled up to Larson. “So I
guess this is it for now.”

He nodded yes. “Keep in touch.” He put his
arm around her waist, then kissed her gently. “And stay out of
trouble.”

“Never,” she whispered.

The four girls climbed into the rental and
waved goodbye as they headed down the hill. They hadn’t gone two
blocks when Wendy turned around from the front seat.

“This may sound morbid, but I’d like to run
by the B&B. You know, maybe check on Brandon.”

“Why?” Vivian said. “He was kind of a
jerk.”

Wendy shrugged. “He wasn’t the nicest guy I
ever met, but I feel sorry for him. He lost two wives at the hands
of someone who supposedly loved him. Talk about betrayal.”

“We probably should go by and ask about
insurance taking care of our stuff,” Lucy said. “I lost four pairs
of expensive shoes in that fire, and by god, somebody’s paying for
that.”

Kate took a right, pointing them in the
direction of Turlington Farms. “Okay, but we can’t stay long. We
don’t want to miss our flights.”

A
s the girls pulled
up to the bed and breakfast, a man in khakis and a white shirt
carefully stepped through the rubble snapping pictures while
another man in navy pants and a polo shirt took notes. The
blackened remains of the house provided stark contrast to the
bright, sunny day.

A few singed rose bushes outlined where the
front porch used to be, and the yard was a muddy mess. The garage
was still standing and looked untouched. The right side door was up
and Brandon walked out.

Vivian was surprised. “I guess we should get
out and say hello.” She opened her car door.

Kate grabbed her door handle. “You mean,
goodbye?”

Vivian felt so bad for Brandon. She gave him
a hug. “How you doing?”

“Called the insurance company. The adjuster
should be here any time.” He hitched his thumb toward the guy
walking through the rubble. “That’s Dan, the arson investigator,
and John, the fire chief.”

“Where are you staying?” Wendy asked.

“We — ” he stopped for a second. “I have a
garage apartment. It will do until I can rebuild.”

“Are you going to reopen the B&B?” Kate
asked.

“I think it’s what Mary Beth would want me to
do.” Brandon cleared his throat and looked away. After a moment he
looked back at the group. “I’m going to do things a little
differently, though. I’m going to hire the help, not marry
them.”

The tension broke, and Lucy laughed.
“Speaking of, any news on Tracy?”

“I’ve already talked to deputy Stokola this
morning.” Brandon shook his head. “Tracy was caught in the middle
of the night at the Canadian border. She had a bag of cash and a
U.S. passport with a fake name.”

“Where did she get the cash and passport?”
Lucy asked.

“I have no idea,” Brandon said. “She must
have had it stashed here in the house.”

“Did she get booked for murder or attempted
murder?” Wendy asked. “It should be four counts of attempted for
sure.” She looked at Kate. “No, make that five!”

“Six if you count Pierre when she ran us off
the road into the lake,” Lucy said.

Brandon looked at Kate and nodded. “They’re
holding her on suspicion of arson and attempted murder. That’s why
the arson investigator was here at first light. They’re getting
enough evidence to book her. She hasn’t said a word since she was
taken into custody.”

“Any chance she’ll go down for drowning Mary
Beth and killing Rebecca?” Vivian asked.

“I doubt she’ll ever confess, and I don’t
know how they’d prove it,” Brandon said. “The best we can hope for
is she goes to prison for what happened here last night.” He rubbed
Vivian’s arm. “I’m sorry she did that to you.”

Vivian grabbed his hand and gave it a
squeeze. “It’s not your fault. She’s nuts.”

Brandon shoved his hands in his pockets. The
fire chief and arson investigator said goodbye on their way to
their car. “It was arson,” the investigator said. “I’m fairly
certain we’ve got enough proof to nail her.”

The fire chief looked at the girls. “You are
all lucky to have escaped.”

Brandon watched the men leave, then turned
his attention back to the girls.

“Best of luck to you,” Wendy said and
extended her hand.

The girls took turns wishing him well and got
into the rental.

“I don’t know if we’ll ever be back,” Vivian
said, “but I hope something good can come from all of this.”

Kate looked at the smoldering house. “It
already has. Two women have found peace because their murderer is
behind bars. Even if she’s never tried or convicted, the world will
know this story now and what truly happened. Come on, Girlz, let’s
go home.”

V
ivian’s four-day-old
cellphone buzzed on her desk. She read the display, not recognizing
the area code. “Hello?”

“Hey, Vivian, it’s Nicole.”

“Nicole, hi! How are you?”

“Fully recovered and back at it.”

“That’s great to hear.” Vivian put her on
speakerphone, then stood up and closed her office door. “So what’s
up?”

“Just wanted to see if you had any comments
on Tracy being indicted on arson and attempted murder. Not only do
they have the fire investigation, but they pulled evidence off the
truck she used to try to run you girls off the road.”

“Wow, I hadn’t heard that.” Vivian drew
doodles on her giant desk calendar. “All I have to say is that
Tracy needs serious psychological help.”

“Anything else you’d like to add? This is
front-page stuff.”

“Not really. We trust she’ll get what she
deserves.”

“Okay.” Nicole’s voice trailed off and Vivian
heard the clacking of a keyboard.

“I saw your fireman the other day,” Nicole
said after a moment. “He had a very cute, red golden retriever
hanging out of the side of his truck, enjoying the wind whipping
around his ears.”