Murder and Mayhem (24 page)

“Is everything all right?” Nicola asked.

“Oh sure, sorry I had my mind on other things,” he
said as he slipped into beside her. “I couldn’t sleep so I decided to ring home
and check the answer machine in case something important had come up.”

Nicola nodded drowsily. “No problems, I hope.”

“No nothing that can’t wait until I get home.”

“I thought I heard you talking to someone?”

“The office needed some data, so I gave them a call.”

“At one in the morning?”

“It may be one a.m. here but we’re on a different time
zone in Australia. Back home the world is in full swing.” Danny wrapped his
arms around Nicola’s warm body and kissed the top of her head. “Go back to
sleep. It’ll be morning before you know it,” he whispered, his mind already
someplace else...

TWENTY-TWO

I was about to open the door
when Rosie grabbed hold of my shirt, stopping me mid-flight.

“Don’t mention anything to
Chartreuse and Louanna about their nails,” she warned.

I grinned. “Is this like one of
those Fawlty Towers episodes?”

Rosie looked at me strangely.
“What are you talking about, Bubbie?”

“Me? Oh, nothing. I was just waffling on.”

“Remember what I said–and be tactful!”

I raised my hands in a gesture
of surrender. “Hey. You know me. I’m always the epitome of tact and decorum.”

“Yeah, right! Just remember these people are our
friends.” She let go of my shirt and her expression morphed into a smile as I
opened the door and followed her inside.

“Hi everyone. How is everyone doing today?”

Friendly faces looked up and returned our greeting.

I noticed Chartreuse and Lounanna huddled over a box
of Krispy Kreme doughnuts and all caution went out the door.

Rosie had stopped to enquire after the health of an
elderly gentleman but out the corner of her eyes she saw where I was headed,
apologized on the hoof and hurried after me. 

“Hi Chartreuse. Hi there, Louanna. How are you both
doing today?” The saliva in my mouth caused spittle to form on my lips.

“Hey yourself, Bee,” Louanna said and held out the box
of tempting treats.

I was trying to decide between the chocolate one with
blue icing and rainbow colored sprinkles–or the pink one filled with jam and
cream dripping chocolate down the sides, when my sister came up behind me and
dug her boney fingers into my ribs.

“Hi girls,” she said… and dug harder.

“How you doin’, Hon,” Chartreuse asked.

“I’m doing real good Chartreuse, thank you for asking,
how about you?”

“We’s doin’ jes fine. Hep yourself to a Krispy Kremes.
I like dem little itty-bitty ones with jam in du middle and pink icing on top
covered in chocolate sprinkles. Day sure taste good!”

Even though Rosie declined the offer of tasty treats,
my hand dipped into the box and came up with the chocolate dream. I took a
large bite and closed my eyes as the dream slipped down my throat like warm
molasses. When I opened them again I noticed Chartreuse had a new hairdo. It
was parted down the middle with one side crimped and plastered down with what
looked like glue−or possibly even varnish− while the other was
plaited in long cornrows decorated with colored beads.  From what I could see,
the back appeared to be half and half. On her ears Chartreuse wore the largest
hoops I have seen outside a circus. When she moved her head the beads clattered
loudly against the hoops making a clanging noise.

“I see you’ve got yourself a new ‘do, Chartreuse.”

“You like it,” she asked turning her head from side to
side making sure we got the full effect.
Clang, clang
. “I did it
myself.”

“Like is not the word I would use, Chartreuse.”

“And I did the back,” Louanna said proudly. “Turn your
head round, Treuse so the girls can see what a good job I done.”

Chartreuse obliged.
Clang, clang, clang
.

“You did a real nice job, Louanna,” Rosie said.

“When your hair grows back, Hon, maybe I kin see if it
be good ‘nough fo’ me to do a new ‘do for you,” Chartreuse said moving her head
from side to side.
Clang, clang, clang.
It was like the Bell’s of St
Mary’s ringing in Lent!

“That would be real nice, Chartreuse, thank you,”
Rosie said. Then she noticed me eying Louanna’s nails.

“I think we’d better be going,” she said and nudged me
so hard in the back I started to cough.

“Are you all right, Bee?” Louanna asked.

Rosie grabbed hold of my arm and tried to drag me
across the room. “I’d better get her some water.” 

“Maybe another Krispy Kreme would help,” I protested.

*****

Danny woke before the soft gray dawn light crept in
through the window, his mind cobwebbed with dreams he couldn’t remember.

He felt Nicola stir beside him. “Are you awake?” he
whispered.

“Mmm...,” she murmured and snuggled into the warmth of
his body. 

“I think we should get up and make an early start.”

Danny gently unwound Nicola’s arms from his body and
swung his feet over the edge of the bed. “I don’t know how long it will take to
get to Lake Champlain from here. Then there’s the ferry to Burlington and the
drive to St. Johnsbury. I don’t know the area so I’d like to get there while
it’s still light.” He rubbed at the stubble on his face and ran his fingers
through his hair.

Nicola pulled the cover around her and curled up in
the still-warm impression left by his body. “It’s so cozy and warm in bed, I
don’t want to move.”

Danny ran his tongue around her shell-like earlobe,
and whispered in her ear, “I’ll go have a shave and a shower but if you’re not
up by the time I’m finished I’m going to dunk you under a cold shower.”

Nicola sighed and snuggled further down under the
covers.

* * *

The black SUV roared out of the parking lot and headed
down the hill. With no other cars on the road at that hour, Canada Street was
quiet in the early morning stillness where street lamps cast a warm glow over
the soft gray dawn and a cool breeze drifted off the lake. As they drove
through the town, there was dew on the grass, asphalt, and sidewalks. The light
breaking through trees cast a purple haze over the water; the air heavy with
the smell of a new day–and smoke from yesterday’s barbecues. Danny touched the
brake lightly as a small dog stepped off the curb, crossed the road and
disappeared down an alley.

“Look at that magnificent sunrise,” Nicola exclaimed a
short time later. “Can we stop for a minute?”

Danny pulled into a parking lot beside the lake and
cut the engine. A thin line of red bled through the trees where webs of dew
glistened and shafts of light shimmered like glass. Danny slipped his jacket
across Nicola’s shoulders as she stepped out of the vehicle, and took hold of
her hand. The air was crisp and filled with birdsong.

Their tread felt spongy as they walked across the
carpet of pine needles to the safety-rail overlooking the lake where they
watched the sun blush over the horizon, fringing the clouds in pastels of
orange and pink as the sky gradually turned from gray to a soft shade of blue.

Nicola yawned and tucked her body in under Danny’s arm
for warmth and watched the early morning mist rise off the lake and drift along
the bank where deer stood in the shallows, like ghostly apparitions. A flock of
noisy water fowl flew low over the lake and disappeared in the mist that
swirled like tendrils of thick smoke.

Suddenly they heard a roar in the distance. The deer
startled and disappeared in the lush undergrowth; a squirrel scampered up a
tree. A raccoon popped its head out from behind a pile of driftwood, looked
around, and melted into the mist.

Nicola looked up. “Uh-oh,” she said. “That sounds like
thunder.”

“That’s thunder all right–thunder-from-down-under. I’d
know that sound anywhere.”

“What?” Nicola said as she scanned the horizon for
storm clouds.

“That’s the roar of a couple of old dinosaurs. I
figure there’s two, maybe three… definitely no more than three bikes.”

 As the roar increased, three riders on shiny black
motorcycles came around the bend, two carrying pillion passengers.

The air seemed to vibrate as the riders pulled in
behind the black SUV, revved the throttle a couple of times, and cut the
ignition.

When the riders dismounted and removed their helmets,
Danny noticed the lead rider was a large man with a shock of curly red hair and
a scruffy beard. The second, short and stocky was completely bald–whether by
nature or design. The third man had a thick thatch of wavy gray hair, with
diamond studs in his ears and mirrored sunglasses on a broad nose that spread
across his face like a squashed banana. All three were dressed in black leather
pants, solid looking boots and Black Sabbath T-shirts that clung tightly to
well-defined biceps and chest muscles. Each of the men sported a tattoo of
indistinguishable design on the underside of his right wrist.

The pillion passengers, both women, were dressed in a
similar fashion–minus the tattoos and bulging biceps–with plain black T-shirts
that molded over ample breasts. Aside from a dab of lipstick, neither wore
make-up.

From their dress and demeanor, Danny ascertained they
were all serious riders, not trendy yuppies who paraded their Harleys like
fashion accessories.  

The men wandered over to the rail where Danny and
Nicola stood and nodded a greeting, while the women hung back, laughing and
talking.

Danny smiled and nodded in the direction of the bikes.
“Nice rides,” he said.

“Not bad,” answered the large red-headed man. Danny
noticed his sunburnt face was covered in freckles with a lightning-bolt scar
that ran from the corner of his left eye down his cheek and disappeared beneath
a red beard sprinkled with gray.

“Mind if I take a look?” Danny asked.

“Knock yourself out,” the man said as he leaned
against the old wooden rail and watched the sun come out from behind a cloud.

None of the men showed any concern at Danny, who by
now was down on his haunches inspecting one of the bikes. Although nothing had
been said or implied, Danny was acutely aware of the golden rule of the serious
bikers–never lay hands on the machine–unless invited.

After a while, Danny stood up, rubbed the grit from
his hands and wandered over to where the men were leaning against the rail,
talking.

“Those are a couple of nice looking machines you’ve
got,” Danny said, smiling.

“Know anything about Harleys?” the short baldheaded
man asked.

“A little, I’ve got a couple myself,” he said and
instantly the connection was made. The men exchanged names and were discussing
bikes when the two women wandered over to Nicola and introduced themselves.

“Where are you folks from?” Dianna, the blond-headed
woman Nicola estimated to be mid-forties, asked.

“I’m from San Francisco. Danny is from Australia,”
Nicola told her.

“Australia. Wow. He sure is a long way from home.”

“I’ve always wanted to go to Australia,” the other
woman, Judith, said. She appeared to be around the same age as her friend, with
curly dark hair pulled back off her face.

Danny stepped back to include the women in the
conversation. “Whereabouts are you folks from?” he asked.

“We’re all from Green Bay, Wisconsin,” the bald headed
man who went by the name of Rastus said with a boyish grin that seemed out of
character with the shining bald pate, stocky build–and Black Sabbath T-shirt.

“Green Bay. That’s a beautiful part of the country,”
Danny said.

Aside from being home to a famous football team very
few people would know where Green Bay was–let alone an Australian. “Oh, you
know it?” Dianna asked, surprised.

Danny smiled. “I stayed at the Bayview Hotel on
Sturgeon Bay about five years ago. Magic spot right on the lake. I remember it
was about this time of the year and there weren’t a lot of people around so we
had the place to ourselves. It was so peaceful and quiet. At dusk we’d eat
dinner on the balcony and watch the fishing boats head up the lake and in the
morning we’d watch them come into the harbor as the sun was coming up, then
we’d walk down to the dock and watch them unload their catch.”