Upstate Uproar (3 page)

Kate got out of the SUV. “The cook part of
that sounds really good right now.”

Brandon helped Vivian out of the back seat,
which was no easy feat with all the groceries in the floorboard. A
Dos Equis bottle fell to the ground and rolled between his work
boots. He laughed and picked it up. “I see you girls have had some
refreshments, but come inside and we’ll get you some more. You’re
here just in time for our afternoon wine and cheese.”

“I’ll drink to that,” Lucy said and popped
open the back hatch.

Brandon helped the girls get unloaded as they
made introductions. “My wife, Tracy, is inside and will get you
fixed up while I take your luggage to your rooms.”

The girls walked up the steps to the porch
and the painted deck creaked under their feet. White rocking chairs
and a small wooden bench promised a restful and much needed getaway
spot. Vivian pulled open the screen door and they stepped inside.
The living and dining were on either side of the foyer and stairs
led up immediately from the door.

A woman with bottle blonde hair and a
gymnast’s physique popped the cork on a bottle of red wine. “Hi,
I’m Tracy Holt. Come on in, warm yourself by the fireplace. I’ll be
right over with goodies for you.”

“Just water for me, please,” Kate said,
looking around the house. “Where’s the restroom?”

The woman pointed under the stairs. “It’s
right down there.”

A couple sat on the loveseat flanking the
fireplace, and the man introduced themselves as Mitzie and Wendell
Fincher, newlyweds. They wore matching pink polos with tan Dockers,
except she wore the capri version. Mitzie’s perfectly placed hair
was cut into a bob with the ends curled up. Her sunglasses rested
atop her baby blue visor. Wendell’s sunglasses were tucked into the
front of his shirt. They were from Wayne, Pa., and planned to stay
five more nights before venturing to Vermont.

Vivian walked around the room, stretching her
legs after the car ride. She stopped in front of the wooden sofa
table covered in pictures and picked up a framed image of a younger
Brandon with a tall, slender brunette holding hands on the front
porch.

Brandon walked by on his way out the
door.

Vivian showed him the picture and asked,
“Who’s this?”

He smiled ruefully, “My first wife, Mary
Beth. This was her family’s estate. It was her dream to open the
bed and breakfast.”

“Oh, what happened to her?”

He took the picture from Vivian and cleaned
off an invisible piece of dust before setting it down. “She
died.”

B
randon walked out
the front door and Vivian looked for Tracy but didn’t see her. She
turned to the girls, who were seated around the fireplace with the
newlyweds. “Oh my gosh, did you hear that? Brandon’s first wife
died. How sad.”

Kate, who had just returned from the
restroom, looked at the picture and said, “Poor thing. She was so
pretty.”

Tracy walked out of the kitchen with three
glasses of wine and Kate’s water. “So happy to have you with us for
the week. Let me know if I can help you arrange any
activities.”

Vivian took her wine glass and looked at the
picture of Brandon and Mary Beth again. “So sad to hear about
Brandon’s first wife.”

“I’ve tried to get him to put that picture
away,” Tracy sighed and put the picture back into place, “but he
insists.”

“How long ago did she die?” Lucy asked,
swirling her wine.

“Guess it’s been over six years ago now. She
drowned out in the lake.”

“That’s horrible,” Wendy said. “I’ve always
had a fear of that.”

“Yeah, and she loved to swim. It was a bad
accident.” Tracy turned away and went into the kitchen.

The girls chatted with the Finchers about
what they’d been doing in Lake Placid since their arrival. The
newlyweds recommended touring the Olympic complex and raved about
the Michelin-rated restaurant in town. “Their escargot is
phenomenal,” Wendell said.

“And there’s the cutest little boutique next
door,” Mitzie said between sips of her wine. “I bought the most
amazing silk scarf there.”

Vivian didn’t take the Finchers for outdoorsy
types and didn’t ask about hiking trails. She asked them about spas
instead.

The Finchers told the girls all about the
Placid Place Spa until Brandon came in carrying the cooler. He set
it down and asked the girls, “Do you want to keep this in your
room, or would you like us to keep this stuff in the refrigerator?”
He pulled out the bottle of vodka and wiggled his eyebrows.

“In the fridge is fine, or the freezer for
the vodka,” Lucy said.

“Will do. Now let me show you to your
rooms.”

The girls followed Brandon to their adjoining
rooms.

“This is pretty,” Wendy said, tossing her
purse into a high-backed chair in her and Kate’s room. “Is there
anything going on tonight?” she asked Brandon.

“We’ve got great star gazing off the dock out
back with an Orion StarSeeker II you can use. There are a couple of
bars in town, but otherwise, it’s pretty quiet around here. Let me
know if you need anything at all,” he said and walked out of the
room.

“We can’t sit here for hours,” Kate said.

“Let’s toodle around the lake,” Vivian
said.

Wendy looked out the window. “There are some
kayaks down by the water.”

Lucy walked up beside her. “Those are canoes.
Kayaks are flat.”

Wendy shrugged. “Whatever. Details.”

“That sounds fun,” Vivian said. “I could use
an upper body workout.” She jiggled the skin where her triceps
should be.

“Indeed.” Lucy laughed and flexed her bicep.
Living in Colorado for the last several years, Lucy had become an
athlete and outdoor enthusiast. From aerobics to Zumba, hiking
fourteeners to rafting class fives, she embraced it all, and her
muscular physique proved it.

Wendy turned to Kate. “You okay going out
there being preggo and all?”

“Definitely. I swim at my gym all the time.
And these arms could use some working out, too. I need to build up
my mom arms.”

“You look fantastic,” Vivian said. “What’ve
you gained, two pounds?”

Kate looked in the mirror and lifted her
boobs. “I’ve gained seven, and I think it’s mostly here.” Other
than her pooch and her bigger than usual breasts, Kate was as
slender as ever. Her long, straight, light-brown hair was extra
shiny, and her cheeks were extra rosy. Her almond-shaped brown eyes
reflected her Taiwanese heritage and sparkled with happiness.

“So not fair,” Vivian said. “I gained 53 with
the twins! I looked like a submarine.”

Wendy pulled a sweater over her head. “You
were ginormous, it’s true, but you did a good job losing it. Your
submarine sank.”

Lucy then slipped on her Northface jacket and
stuck a brown newsboy hat on her head. “Let’s grab some paddles and
get up a creek!”

The girls traipsed downstairs, found Tracy in
the kitchen and inquired about the canoes Wendy had seen from the
window.

Tracy wiped her hands on a kitchen towel.
“They’re for you to use any time, but let me get you the life
jackets.”

“We’re all strong swimmers,” Lucy said. “And
I don’t think any of us plan on going for a dip, it’s too
chilly.”

“I’d prefer you wore them, or at least had
them in the boat. I don’t want to lose anyone else I know to a
drowning.”

Vivian felt a little bad. “Okay, we’ll take
them with us.”

One canoe was ready to go on the shore, two
life jackets already inside. Tracy walked to the wooden rack that
held three additional canoes. She picked up the end of one and set
it down, grabbed the other end and got it off the rack, then
flipped the canoe over and pushed it alongside the other. She went
into the boathouse and grabbed two paddles off the wall.

Wendy admired the Chris-Craft powerboat
resting on a lift, hovering five feet above the water. “Too bad
it’s too cold to ski, that’d be fun.”

“I don’t know why Brandon bought that thing.
He prefers to go out in a canoe.” Tracy looked at the boat in
distain before getting two life jackets out of a built-in storage
cabinet.

Ready to roll, the girls got the canoes close
to the water before Kate and Vivian each jumped in and Wendy and
Lucy shoved them off, then hopped in themselves.

Wendy started paddling and looked out over
the lake. “Which way?”

The lake was surrounded by short, stubby
mountains, the opposite of the Rockies and their sharp, dramatic
peaks. The fall foliage and tall pine trees reflected a multitude
of yellow, orange and red along the edge. The wind blew gentle
ripples across the water, but with the occasional gust, the ripples
turned into small waves.

Vivian put down her paddle and zipped up her
neoprene jacket.

“Hey, no slacking up there,” Lucy joked and
smacked her paddle in the water, which splashed Vivian.

“You better watch it!” Vivian said, picking
up her paddle and splashing her back. “I’ll rock this boat and send
you overboard.”

“Yeah, yeah, good luck with that,” Lucy said
and looked around. “Let’s go against the wind to start and head
that way.” She pointed to their right. “That way, if we get tired,
we’ll at least have the wind at our backs to return.”

They paddled around the lake, taking silly
pictures and admiring the beautiful colors.

“This is so peaceful and the leaves are
gorgeous,,” Kate said, laying her paddle across her knees. “So
opposite of Texas where everything goes from green to brown
quickly. Hardly any brilliant shades of red, orange or yellow for
us.”

“Last Thanksgiving when Jake and I went to
North Carolina I was super impressed with their fall foliage,”
Wendy said. Their canoe drifted along next to the other. “Guess I
won’t have a reason to go there any time soon.”

“Don’t give up,” Kate said.

Lucy asked, “Could Jake have gotten
carjacked?”

“Maybe, but then where is he?” Wendy said.
“They had no John Doe’s that fit his description in any of their
ERs or hospitals. He’s not in jail. He just disappeared.” Tears
welled in her eyes. “He’s not the kind of guy to just up and walk
out of his life, leave his family and me. We were about to get
married. I know him and something’s not right.”

Vivian leaned over and grabbed their canoe,
pulling it even with Lucy. “Of course he isn’t that kind of guy,
Wendy. Somehow, he’ll turn up.”
God, I hope I’m not lying!
Vivian thought.

Wendy covered her face with her hands,
crying. “I met his parents for a week in Vegas after it all
happened, but there was nothing we could do. They stayed for a
month, and nothing new turned up. It was so sad when they left.
They felt so helpless, and so did I.”

Lucy pulled her hat down, fighting with the
wind. “This is going to sound crazy, but I’ve been to Roswell.
Could he have been abducted by aliens?”

“Lucy!” Kate gave her a stern look.

“I know, but come on! How far is Vegas from
Area 51? I mean, he just disappeared. That doesn’t just happen.
What other explanations can there be? Haven’t y’all ever seen the
X-Files
?”

“I doubt it was aliens,” Vivian said.

“Why would someone else be in his rental
car?” Kate asked. “Maybe he picked up a hitchhiker?”

“I have tried to come up with a zillion
different scenarios and have shared them all with the police,”
Wendy said. “No one seems to know anything.”

The sun dipped low, getting closer to the
mountain peaks, and the air was getting chilly.

“We better head back to the house,” Vivian
said. “It’ll be dark out here soon. Don’t want to run into the
boogeyman.”

Just then, a gust of wind blew across them,
blowing Lucy’s cap off her head. Instinctively she reached for it
and flung herself right out of the canoe.

Vivian clung to the sides, desperately trying
to keep the entire thing from flipping. She looked at her empty
canoe and screamed, “WOMAN OVERBOARD!”

L
ucy broke the
surface of the lake, sputtering and shrieking. “Holy shit, it’s
cold! Vivian, hurry, get me out of here!”

Vivian leaned forward, reaching for Lucy’s
hands. “Don’t pull me in with you!”

“Wait, I can touch,” Lucy said, and she stood
up. The water was above her waist and she was able to fling herself
inside the canoe.

Kate was busy snapping pictures while Wendy
took off her jacket, then tossed it to Lucy. Vivian followed
suit.

“Have a nice dip?” Wendy asked.

“I’m freezing,” Lucy said, grabbing both
jackets and wrapping them around herself.

“You should get naked,” Vivian said between
laughs. “That’s what Bear Grylls does.”

“Who?” Kate asked.

“He’s a survivor guy on TV. Any time he falls
in cold water he gets naked. It’s the only reason I watch the
show!”

Lucy squeezed the water out of her hat.
“Let’s get moving before I become a cryogenics experiment.”

They hustled across the lake, happy the wind
was pushing them along. Lucy paddled like a mad woman, working to
get warm.

As they passed the boathouse, Wendy indicated
to the Chris-Craft perched above the water. “I wonder who Becky Lou
is?”

The canoe hit land and Lucy jumped out. “Who
cares!” She ran toward the house, leaving the other three
behind.

Vivian carefully maneuvered herself to the
front of the canoe and stepped out, then dragged it up the shore a
bit so it wouldn’t float off. “Becky Lou what?”

“That’s the name of their ski boat,” Wendy
said, helping Kate onto land.

“I hadn’t noticed,” Vivian said. “Do you
think we need to re-rack these things?”

“Nah, let’s just drag ’em over.”