The Keeping (7 page)

“Every single
female below seventy, and a few who aren’t, have tried to catch
Ryne’s attention.” She grinned mischievously. “He’s a looker, I’ll
say that. And he knows how to charm the ladies.”

“Beth.” Josh gave
the woman a warning glare and she responded by hitting him lightly
on the arm.

“Josh, you know
I’m still smitten with you even after twenty-five years. I just
look at the man. It’s strictly hands off.” The two exchanged a
look, and Josh pulled Beth into a one armed hug. Mel felt
uncomfortable, as if she was intruding on a private moment. She
turned to study a poster on the wall, trying to ignore the emotions
zinging through the air between the two.

Josh cleared his
throat and Mel shifted her gaze back towards him. Beth, who must be
his wife or at least a long-time companion, was returning to her
desk. It was easy to see that she had a light blush on her cheeks
and her eyes sparkled.

Mel felt a twinge
of envy over their relationship, but forced herself to focus on the
matter at hand. “If you could draw me a map to his house, I’d
really appreciate it.”

“No problem, Ms.
Greene. If you just watch carefully for the names on the mailboxes,
you should find Ryne’s place without too much trouble.” Josh pulled
out a piece of paper and began to sketch a simple map, pointing out
landmarks along the way. By time he was done, Mel felt she’d be
able to find Ryne’s house easily.

“Thanks.” She
folded the paper and carefully tucked it into her purse. “I was
also wondering if anyone had rooms to rent. I’m planning on staying
in the area for at least a week and was hoping I wouldn’t have to
do the two hour commute from Timmins every day.” Timmins was the
nearest community of any size that offered much in the way of
accommodation.

“Actually, we have
a few cabins we rent out in the summer. They’re not fancy, but
since it’s off-season we can give you a good deal.” Josh looked
over his shoulder and spoke to Beth. “We could open up a cabin for
this girl, couldn’t we?”

Beth looked up
from her work. “Sure. I could take her out there right now. There’s
no rush on this article.”

Mel grinned,
pleased at her good fortune. “I’d really appreciate it. Is there a
grocery store where I could buy some supplies?”

“Brown’s General
Store probably has everything you need. I’ll show you where it is
on the way to the cabin.” Beth grabbed her purse and coat, and soon
they were on their way.

The Kennedys’
cabins were about five miles outside of town, located at the back
of their property, but secluded from view by a thick woodlot and
backing onto a forest. There were three of them; each set a nice
distance from the others. Made from logs, they sported a stone
fireplace located in a cozy open-plan kitchen and living-room, a
small bathroom, and a bedroom.

“The fireplaces
are safe to use and there’s wood stacked beside the cabin. I’ll
turn on the electricity for you, but I’m afraid there’s no phone
hooked up.” Beth explained as she dug out a set of keys for her
guest.

Mel peered into
the small bath area, pleased to note a refurbished claw-foot tub,
complete with a rainforest shower head. The kitchen had a
microwave, stove and fridge and the bed appeared to be comfortable.
“This will be perfect. Thank you so much.”

“I should be
thanking you. These cabins sit empty for a good part of the year.
We get a few vacationers in the summer, some spring fishermen, and
some hunters in the fall, but that’s about it. You’re a bonus.
Because of you, I might be able to convince Josh that we can afford
that new dishwasher I’ve been eyeing up in the catalogue.”

Chuckling at the
woman’s practicality, Mel bid her goodbye and went back to the car
to get her suitcase and laptop computer. It would be nice to have a
temporary home base. She’d flown into Toronto two days ago, taken a
smaller flight to Sudbury yesterday and had spent the day driving
to Timmins and doing some sight-seeing. The area really was
beautiful with incredibly blue skies, a myriad of waterways and
miles upon miles of forests.

Inhaling deeply,
she appreciated the cool crisp air that seemed to contain more
oxygen than her urbanized lungs had ever thought possible. Used to
the staler air of city life, she found this to be almost
intoxicating and eagerly looked forward to taking a few walks in
the forest during her time here. Mel eyed the heavily treed area
situated behind the cabins and wondered how safe it was. Were there
many dangerous wild animals in there? She’d have to ask when she
stopped in town to get groceries.

Glancing at her
watch, she saw that it was almost noon. Quickly, she finished
emptying the car, locked the cabin door, and drove back to town.
The small diner she’d seen earlier would probably serve a good
lunch; the thought of food was rather appealing at the moment.
After that, she’d drive out to Taylor’s, introduce herself to the
man, and maybe even arrange an interview schedule. Once that was
done, she’d get some groceries and head back to her cabin.

*****

Standing outside
the locked gate, Mel furrowed her brow and considered the
situation. While at the diner, she’d checked a phone book and there
was no listing for Ryne Taylor. Contacting him at his house seemed
the next best solution, but it wasn’t going to be as easy as she’d
thought. Signs stating ‘No Trespassing’ and ‘No Hunting’ hung in
clear view, but so was the mailbox with the name Taylor printed on
it. The man she wanted to see was somewhere behind that gate and
she needed to get to him. She could leave a note in the mailbox,
but making personal contact with him seemed important.

She got out of the
car and approached the gate, giving it an experimental shake. It
creaked slightly and the ‘No Trespassing’ sign slipped a bit to the
side. Hmm... Chewing her lip, Mel considered the idea that had
popped into her head. What if the ‘No Trespassing’ sign fell off
the gate? If it was lying face down in the mud, then she couldn’t
see it and no one would be able to blame her if she went on the
property, would they? Her conscience pricked her, but she firmly
ignored it in favour of achieving her goal. Glancing up and down
the road to ensure that no one was about, she grabbed the sign in
her hands and pulled.

At first it was
resistant to its imminent removal and she pulled even harder.
Leaning back, she used her weight to aid her efforts. There was a
screeching sound as the nails began to give way, then suddenly Mel
found herself stumbling backwards, the sign clenched in her hands.
Unable to regain her balance, she felt herself falling and
scrunched her face in anticipation of the pain that would surely
accompany her sudden stop. Surprisingly enough, the impact with the
ground was softer than she thought it would be, probably due to the
fact that she’d landed in one of the few remaining snow-banks that
were heaped along the side of the road.

Mel lay on her
back and stared up at the sky, regaining her breath before easing
herself into a sitting position. Bits of snow were sliding icily
down the back of her neck and she reached around to pick them out
of her collar. Well, at least the sign had come off. Gingerly, she
stood and moved about, checking for injuries. Besides a slight
tenderness around her backside, and some bruising to her ego, she
felt all right.

Checking again to
make sure no one was around, she approached the gate once more and
dropped the ‘No Trespassing’ sign face down on the ground. Her
rental vehicle was pulled to the side of the road already, so she
wasn’t blocking traffic if she left it there for a little while.
Not that there was much chance of traffic in such an out of the way
location. She hadn’t passed a single house on her way here. It
really was an isolated area. Still, if Taylor specialized in
photographing nature, she supposed it made some sense for him to
immerse himself in his subject.

Shifting her purse
onto her shoulder, Mel studied the gate. It was made of wood and
almost a foot over her head. She considered going around it, but a
fence extended from each side for about fifty feet in either
direction. Beyond that, a large ditch filled with water from the
melting snow formed an impressive barrier to keep people off
Taylor’s property. There was a slight gap along the bottom of the
gate, but Mel knew she’d never be able to wriggle underneath. Going
over it appeared to be the only option.

She jiggled the
gate once more in the vain hope that the lock would pop open. Of
course, it didn’t and she made a mental note to learn how to pick
locks, before taking on another such assignment. Then, giving a
resigned sigh, she began her ascent. Grasping the top of the
structure, she pulled herself upwards, while trying to gain a
foothold on the latch. It wasn’t the most dignified sight she was
sure, but at least she was wearing jeans and not a dress. With a
good deal of huffing and puffing, she finally managed to pull
herself to the top of the gate and sat astride the structure,
catching her breath and savouring the sweetness of success.

The feeling only
lasted a moment however, since the top of the fence was decidedly
uncomfortable to sit upon. Cautiously, she swung her leg over and
stared at the ground below. It suddenly seemed much farther away
now that she had to jump down. Mel wasn’t overly fond of heights
and while six feet wasn’t that high, her stomach still gave a funny
little lurch as she contemplated her next move. Realizing that
delay wouldn’t make things better, she took a deep breath and
jumped.

The landing was
less than stellar and she wouldn’t get any points for form or
grace. She ended up on her hands and knees in a muddy patch on the
driveway. Wincing, she got to her feet and brushed ineffectively at
the mud on her pants. Her hands were filthy and her efforts at
removing the mud were only making matters worse. Looking around,
she decided to make use of the remaining snow and scooped up a
handful using it to wash off the mud. It was cold and stung, but at
least the filth was gone from her palms.

Drying her hands
on her coat sleeve, she hitched her purse over her shoulder and
happily set off down the driveway. At least the hard part was over.
Walking to the house and talking Taylor should be a breeze in
comparison.

Chapter 5

Twenty minutes
later, Mel hobbled over to a fallen log and sat down not even
caring if the crumbling mossy surface stained her pants or not. Her
optimistic spirits were seriously flagging. The fashionable knee
high boots, which had seemed eminently suitable in that they made
her look taller, were not designed for long walks down an unpaved
driveway. She couldn’t even begin to count the number of times she
had twisted and wobbled as her four-inch heels made contact with
lumps of gravel, throwing her off balance.

Rubbing her sore
ankle, and wiggling her protesting toes, Mel frowned, wondering how
much farther she’d have to walk before reaching the house. She
peered ahead but the drive twisted around yet another bend,
obscuring her view of what might be ahead. Compressing her lips,
she shook her head. There was obviously something strange about
this man. No one in their right mind had this long of a
driveway.

When she had first
started walking, Mel had taken interest in her surroundings. She
had no great knowledge of nature but even she knew that the trees
were mostly evergreens with a few deciduous varieties thrown in for
good measure. They grew close together, their branches stretching
and blending, partially blocking the view of the sky and shading
the ground below. Because of this, the temperature seemed much
cooler than it had in the more open, sun-drenched space of the
road. Still, her coat, combined with the exercise of walking along
quickly, had kept her sufficiently warm.

Now that she was
sitting, the cold was beginning to seep in, rising up from the cool
surface of the log she was perched on, while the dampness of the
air began to penetrate through her layers of clothing. Mel rubbed
her hands together briskly as she looked around and tried to gain
her second wind. Now that she was deeper into the forest, there was
considerably more snow lingering on the ground, though some bare
patches did exist. Little animal footprints could be seen here and
there and she wondered what type of wildlife lived in the area.
Nothing too large, she decided based on the size of the tracks.

It was quiet, and
beyond the occasional chirping of a bird, the only sound Mel could
hear was her own breathing. She inhaled deeply, appreciating the
crispness of the air, the scent of pine, and the faint mustiness of
the damp ground. The peacefulness seemed to engulf her and she
could feel her earlier tension and frustration slipping away. Maybe
Taylor wasn’t so crazy. There was a certain sense of calmness, of
being one with nature, when you sat in a place like this. She
wondered if he’d taken many pictures of the woods yet and if this
was where the wolf photograph had originated.

This thought
reminded her that she had a job to do and Mel heaved herself up
from her temporary seat. Her feet protested, but she promised them
a nice long soak in a hot tub if they’d just carry her a little
farther. She’d only walked a short distance when she sensed
something different. A feeling of unease washed over her; a certain
prickling of her skin, an awareness that the atmosphere of the
forest seemed to have changed suddenly. The birds were quiet now
and the air seemed charged.

It was a
ridiculous thought, considering she was in the middle of nowhere,
but it felt like something was watching her every move. Looking
around, she peered into the depths of the trees, but only saw
trunks and underbrush, patches of snow and muddy ground.
Nonetheless, she hurried her pace. Years of living in the city had
ingrained in her the idea that walking alone in deserted parking
lots or alleys was a bad idea. The concept probably transferred to
forests as well.