Coming Home (Norris Lake Series) (13 page)

Chapter 9

The sun blazed down from the clear blue sky painting shadows over the deck and across the forest floor.  It was unseasonably warm for mid-September.  Caitlyn sat on the in a lawn chair reading Jesse’s book.  It was really very good she had to admit.  A little outrageous but then again it was a romance novel.  The most unlikely of all the types of fiction novels, she thought to herself.  In her opinion she had a greater chance of meeting up with a vampire or the creature from the black lagoon than ever meet a man who was as devoted and romantic as those Harlequin novels led you to believe.  No matter.  Jesse’s book was still well written. 

She looked at her watch and squinted up at the sun.  She needed to return her library books today before the library closed.  Now was as good of a time as ever.  Procrastination was one of her pet peeves, so she tried to be as proactive as possible with her own responsibilities.  Folding down a page to mark her place, she stood up and went inside the lake house.  Gathering her keys, she located the books and headed for the door. 

"Bye Pattycake.  You guard the house while I am gone, she said bowing to hug the little dog. 

After she dropped the book off with Julia, she turned down Main Street on her way back to the house.  On an impulse Caitlyn stopped at the convenient store to pick up a newspaper and a pack of wine coolers.  She sat for a moment waiting for a parking spot and pulled in next to a deputy’s patrol car. 

The mini-mart was very busy for a Saturday afternoon.  There were all types of patrons including lake-goers who were gassing up their boats and collecting items for picnics, locals picking up small sundry items, and a group of children from the nearby neighborhood exchanging candy next to a group of colorful bicycles. 

She grabbed a newspaper on the way into the store heading for the glass refrigerators at the back of the shop.  Selecting a six pack of Seagram Margarita coolers and a bag of Cheetos, she walked towards the counter.  As she approached, Caitlyn glanced at the deputy for a moment, an impression prodding her memory like a finger poking her in the side. 

“Remember. Remember. Remember,” she whispered to herself. The individual looked familiar somehow.  Stepping into line she dug into her wallet to get her money.  Wadding her money into a ball instead of keeping it neat was one of her bad habits; one that nearly always earned her a snide remark from Dominic.  Subconsciously she started unbunching her dollar bills and smoothing them out, ordering them from smallest to highest, then laughed and then wadded them back into a ball. 

The man in front of her turned around to look at her a moment like she warranted a strait jacket and then turned back to wait in line, his eyes returning to the newspaper he held in his hand.  The deputy was momentarily forgotten.  After a few minutes it was her turn and she set her items on the counter.  The deputy leaned against the counter to her left, drinking a cup of coffee and staring out the window at the kids gathered around the bicycles. 

"That will be ten thirty-seven,” the young woman behind the counter said as she rang up the sale.  Caitlyn handed her a twenty.  The deputy turned around to refill his coffee cup from the coffee machine and glanced in her direction.  He then turned and walked out the door strolling over to the group of children.  As he walked around the front of the building she saw his face and an explosion of recognition hit her like a locomotive running head on into the side of a brick building.  It was Die Hard all over again when the subway ran into the middle of the station.  Boom!  Stuffing her money back into her wallet in a messy wad, she grabbed her bag. 

"Are you all right?" the young cashier asked her.  "Oh yes I am fine.  I just realized that I forgot something in town,” Caitlyn lied trying to hide her reaction. Stopping, she put her hand on the checker’s arm to gain her attention. 

"Do you know that deputy?"   

"Yes, he’s a really nice guy.” The young blonde female attendant said moving to back away from Caitlyn towards the cash register and look out the window.  “His name is Ben O’Donnell.  He moved here about a year and a half ago from somewhere out west, but he was originally from Knoxville.  He’s some kind of military veteran or war hero.  I know all about him.” She chewed her gum, watching Ben through the picture window, just as Caitlyn was.  "He is dating my sister’s best friend who is a dispatcher at the sheriff’s office.  And boy is she a knock out.”  The young woman prattled on willing to share all kinds of information with Caitlyn even though she didn’t know her at all.  "Do you know him?"  

"Uh. No, I just thought he looked like someone that I knew a long time ago, but the young man I knew is dead,” Caitlyn whispered.  

"Well I am sorry to hear that." Caitlyn looked around and found that she was now the only customer left in the store.  The young attendant reached over and took a drink out of a can of diet mountain dew, then she put Caitlyn’s purchases in a brown bag, not in much of a hurry. 

"Have you heard about the disappearances?" the young woman asked.  Caitlyn’s attention jumped back to the teen focusing on her with all her willpower. 

"No what disappearances? Caitlyn asked wanting to turn and watch the deputy who was in deep conversation with a young man obviously about his bike. 

"Well you can’t really say that they are just disappearances, I guess, they may be murders, just like on CSI.  That is so my favorite show. 

“Disappearances?” Caitlyn prompted the youngster.

“Well, just one disappearance that I know of, really.  It’s a young woman.  She is missing, probably drowned in the lake.  That is usually what happens.  I am sure it isn’t going to be anything exciting like a serial killer or something like that.  Not around here that’s for sure."  Caitlyn looked at the young woman, now truly interested in what she was saying.

"Do the police really think that there was a murder?" Caitlyn said intensely. 

"That is what Ben thinks.  He told me himself.” She twirled her long hair around one finger and leaning on the counter towards Caitlyn.  "You know he talked to the family of the young woman who disappeared last week and he is convinced that she didn’t drown or just run off.  The only thing left is murder." 

"Well, you never know in this day and age,” Caitlyn agreed glancing out the window. 

The deputy had turned around and was walking back towards the store. She saw he deputy’s face clearly now.  He’d matured and looked like a man, not the boy she’d known.  He was different, but it had to be him.  Now, though, there was a large red burn-like mark on the left side of his face.  His left arm was also scarred and he walked with a limp. 

“What happened to his face?” Caitlyn asked. 

“He was in some sort of an accident while he was in the army.  It had something to do with a helicopter during a training mission in Afghanistan.  Other than that, I don’t know.  You’d have to ask him,” she said.  “But you’d like him.  He’s dating my sister, Deann, and he’s much better than her first husband.  He was so boring.  Do you want me to introduce you?  I could you know but you can’t hit on him or nothing like that because then my sister’s friend might get mad…”

  "Oh no, that’s okay.  I was just being nosy…Jenny,” Caitlyn said as she read the young woman’s name off of her name tag.  “I really have to go now." 

"Bye.  Come back any time.  It’s so so boring here with no one to talk to,” Jenny called still leaning on the counter. 

Not turning to look at the deputy at all Caitlyn shoved open the door almost knocking down the young man who had pulled it towards himself to enter the store.  She bumped into him, excused herself and hustled back to her truck. 

Climbing in, she started the motor and pulled out of the parking lot hurrying towards the lake house.  She realized as she drove down the road that she had been holding her breath ever since she came out of the convenient store.  Her heart was beating like crazy and her hands shook. 

“What is this?”  She thought to herself, another attack of some sort.  I must be either really sick or going crazy.  It had been almost fifteen years since she had seen Ben.   At that time he wasn’t a deputy though.  He was an idealistic young man attending the University of Tennessee, as a student, just as she was.  He wanted to be a black hawk helicopter pilot in those days and was working his way through school as an electrician, a profession that he had acquired as a youngster learning at his father’s side. 

“My God, how can this be?  How can I possibly still feel so much for him after eons of time has gone by?  I wonder if he recognized me.  I am sure I just feel this way due to the shock of seeing him again,” she lied to herself.  An inner voice told her that she knew she was lying and for a few moments she actually fought with herself about how she felt for the deputy.    She honestly didn’t know.

At home she picked up Pattycake, hugged her close, and put her groceries away in the refrigerator.  She sat down at the computer and when she flipped on her email she found a note from Dominic imploring her to come home.

Chapter 10

He knocked on the door peering through the glass at the edge of the door.  “Where was she?  He asked himself impatiently. He stood for a few more minutes in front of the door to the lake house.  He knew she was there.  Her truck was in the driveway and he could hear her dog barking in the foyer. 

Rapping once again on the front door he began to worry.  Maybe there was something wrong.  Maybe something had happened to her.  Who knew with all of the crazies around these days?  Maybe she’d been attacked especially with that nutso violent husband of hers out there lurking.  Michael had never liked Dominic.  He was too slick and too manipulative.  

It was just after dawn and he knew that Caitlyn was an early riser so he sat down to wait on her front steps.  He pulled out a pack of Marlboro Lights and lit one savoring the sweet taste of nicotine.  He sipped on a container of coffee.  It wasn’t the Starbuck’s frapaccino that he was used to but it would do. The hot caramel flavored coffee made him feel warm inside. 

He missed life at the university.  He’d spent the past six years there without declaring a major.  The guidance counselors in the Career Placement office said he would eventually find something to do for the rest of his life, but he hadn’t. 

He’d had interests, but never found anything he was really passionate about.  His largest interest had been finding every young thing he could get his hands on, getting them drunk and having sex; the younger and rougher the better.  The best times were with two or three young girls at the same time, but that took lots of money, drugs and booze. 

There had been one time that he’d gotten too rough and been dragged down to the police department to answer questions then forced to talk to the dean of the school to defend himself against potential assault charges and expulsion.  It was then that his father had pulled the rug out from under him and told him that he was cut off.  He’d held out a while on his savings.  Now he was being forced to come home, shamed again, just like that time before with Beth. 

Just as he was crushing out his cigarette on the steps of the cottage, Caitlyn appeared in the distance in a pair of gray sweatpants, an old orange football jersey and brand new white rebooks. 

He stood up and walked toward her. “Hey Cat!” 

His sister walked to the edge of the driveway.  She leaned over and put her hands on her knees breathing heavily again as if she had just run a mile.  Of course she had, since he knew she was an avid runner. 

“What you up to?” He called walking towards her.

She looked up and smiled and waved still breathing heavily her face red and her hair all damp around her brow.  “Hey big brother what’s going on”?

“I just thought I would come over and see how you were doing since you were in town.  I had a visit from your husband.  It was pretty unpleasant.”

She looked at him curiously.  “I kind of heard, but not the details.  What did he do this time?” 

“He nearly beat down my door and barged in searching the apartment for you.  You know it’s only a matter of time before he figures out where you are staying and I wouldn’t want to be you when he does.”

She wiped her hand across her sweaty forehead and then pulled the neck of her shirt up to wipe the perspiration off her face.  They walked toward the house shoulder to shoulder.  He was a little taller than her but they looked very much alike except for the coloring.  Anyone would have known they were related.   

“What do you think I should do?” Caitlyn said.

“I don’t know.” He paused.  “Don’t ask me. I am the black sheep of this family.  I can’t seem to do anything right these days.” 

“What do you mean?”  

Michael and she hadn’t spent much time together over the years. 

“Cat, there was too much partying and not knowing what I wanted to do at college….well after six years Dad decided I needed to come home. It wasn’t my fault, but it really sucks.” 

She put her hand on his shoulder and squeezed. “I know what you mean. Sometimes it’s hard to know what you want to do.  Why don’t you come work for me?  Dad has asked me to oversee the condo project.”

“Maybe I will do that for the winter, but I plan on going back to school next spring and finally finishing my degree once I get some money together.  Until then I need to figure out what I want to do with my life. He paused.

More importantly what are you going to do? That husband of yours is really upset and boy is he ever acting like he’s going to kill you.”

“Don’t worry.  I will take care of it.  We’ll work it out somehow. We just needed a break.  We both needed some time to decide what is important.” She put her hand on his arm.  “This is not about me is it?  What’s wrong?”

“It’s everything. Dad’s always been disappointed in me ever since that time in high school.  He’s never forgiven me for all that trouble.  I didn’t do anything but it sure seemed that way.  Every time he looks at me I know down deep inside he is thinking here’s my son the troublemaker.  That’s been hard to live with.  I didn’t mean for any of that to happen” he said looking at his shoes as they stood in front of the porch. 

She put her hand around his waist and squeezed a little bit but didn’t say anything.  She knew her dad felt that way but there wasn’t much she could say about it.  There had been many arguments and incriminations and tears while her mom was still around.  Now the family was all talked out.  They didn’t discuss such things any more, but she knew her family had suffered greatly because of the strife.  It was as if everyone in town thought there was a cover-up, though no one was ever able to prove it. 

“I just wish he wouldn’t look at me that way or there was something I could do to made it up to him,” Michael said holding back a sob.   

She and Michael stood for a moment.  “You want to come inside and have some breakfast?  We can talk some more about the condo project and your summer job.” 

“No I think I will go on home. Someone broke into my apartment the other day.  I’m missing my watch, some clothes and my tennis shoes, to beat all. They didn’t touch my television, computer or stereo.  Isn’t that strange.  The neighbors think it was just kids pulling a prank or it was someone who was surprised before they could take more.” 

“Michael, I am sorry.  I didn’t know.  If there is anything I can do?”

“Did you report it?”

“Naw, it would be too much trouble and whoever it was didn’t take much.”

“No, there’s nothing to do. I just wanted to stop by and tell you about Dom’s visit.  I have some things I need to do at home.” He touched her hand. “You be careful.” 

She sat on the steps taking off her tennis shoes listening to the little dog barking inside.  Michael went out to his car and got in and drove away. 

As he drove away his thoughts turned inward. “Why couldn’t I have been someone my dad was proud of?” He mumbled to himself.  “I could have managed that condo project as well as Caitlyn if he’d have just given me the chance.  It’s not fair.”

He would convince his father that he was capable. He’d show up every day at the condo project and work hard. He’d make sure that his Dad knew how dedicated he was.  He wanted his father’s respect and praise and he would get it, no matter what he had to do.