The Lake

They listened in stunned silence to Leigh’s halting account of her brief affair with Charlie. Afterward, Mom stifled back tears, her cheeks getting redder all the time. She fiddled nervously with the gold cross hanging on a chain around her neck. Dad looked shocked and embarrassed by turns. For the first time in living memory, he had nothing to say to his daughter.

Leigh sank into a bewildered daze, reliving the nightmare of Charlie’s death—the way he’d looked—over and over again. It was the most horrendous thing she’d ever experienced; something she’d never, ever, forget even if she lived to be a hundred years old. Tears streamed down her face, and she just couldn’t face her parents’ wounded expressions.

Just as if it had happened to them.

But they had every right to be horrified.

And so, she told herself, had Charlie’s mom—she had more right to hate her than anyone.

Losing her son that way.

Mom got upset and Mike called the doc, who said it was okay if Mom used a couple of Leigh’s sedatives. No problem. They were just your average sleeping pill, he told them. Nothing too strong. But take them only till the intial shock passes over, you understand.

Dad was grimly stoical. Patient. At least there were no more black looks. Leigh couldn’t bear it when he looked at her as if she were some kind of stranger and called her “young lady” instead of Leigh. Meanwhile, he spoke urgently with Mike in low tones, while Jenny went around making more coffee, filling in the awkward gaps, and trying to keep tension at bay.

By the time Officers Fallon and Henty dropped by to get the story, Leigh had taken to her bed again.

Apologizing for the trouble, they waited for Leigh to emerge. Meanwhile, Fallon confided that Edith Payne had made wild accusations against the young lady who was, ahem… with… her son at the time of his death.

“Not that we’re paying any attention to all that.” He didn’t think now was a good time to quote the words Charlie’s mom had really screamed at them. Like: “Find the whore who murdered my son. Or I will.”

No-sirree. Instead, he gave Mom a reassuring smile, telling her that he himself had an eighteen-year-old daughter and so was no stranger to the workings of a young girl’s mind—

Mom stopped him short with a sour look.

The officers questioned Leigh for half an hour or so and, at the end of it all, went so far as to say that what they had here was a case of Accidental Death. Not, in their opinion, Murder One.

Relieved that this part was over, Leigh returned to her room.

“Thank ya kindly, ma’am,” Henty said, and smiled, nodding briefly at Jenny as she came around with yet more coffee. Fallon turned to Mom and Dad. “We’ve known for some time that old house out on Goon was a death trap,” he admitted. “But,” he went on, “the place is in probate and we can’t do a dern thing about it. However, in the light of… er… recent events, we’ll try for a court order to take the place down. Demolish it. Clear the site. Leave things as they are,” he added, “more kids could get hurt.”

“She’s asking about the funeral,” Mom said flatly.

“Funeral?” Glancing at his partner, Henty decided to lay it on the line.

He did. Confiding that this particular funeral wouldn’t be such a good thing for a young girl to experience.

“Not as if it’ll be your regular funeral,” he said, sending Dad a level look in a man-to-man sort of way. “We’re talking personal tragedy here. Big time. Lotta raw feelings on the loose, that kinda thing. Old Ma Payne’s a weird piece a’ work. No telling what might happen, under the circumstances.

“Yessir. Best take the young lady on home…”

“And so,” the preacher said, “as the coffin sinks slowly into the ground, we bid a fond farewell…”

Leigh’s heart lurched.

Coming here is not the smartest thing I’ve ever done, she told herself with a shudder.

Charlie’s mother approached. She walked around the end of the grave, slowly. Standing apart from the small group of mourners, Leigh held her breath, watching the small, upright figure dressed in black.

She’d known where to come.

She’d heard Mike tell Dad that Charlie’s funeral would be at the Seventh-Day Adventist Church.

Here, on Wahconda.

It services the lake people hereabouts, he’d said.

Keeping her eye on the mother, Leigh shivered some more. No sun reached this desolate plot hidden in the pines just north of Carson’s Camp, and she wished she’d worn something warmer.

I shouldn’t be here at all, she chastised herself. But God knows, I had to come. Needed to be at Charlie’s funeral. I owe him that much. If I hadn’t gone with him to the old house, everything would’ve been okay… Charlie’s death was all my fault.

Stay back.

No, don’t point at me. Oh, my God!

Her heart raced. She took a step backward as the mother approached…

The following day, Leigh and her parents said their goodbyes to Mike and Jenny and flew back to the West Coast. In the days that followed, Leigh waited anxiously for her period.

It didn’t happen that month.

Nor the next.

Tests showed she was pregnant.

NINETEEN

“Mom.”

“Uh-huh?”

“Johnny Depp just called to ask me for a date. That okay with you?”

“Er… what was that?”

“Mom. You haven’t been listening to a word I’m saying. I could sprout wings and fly away, and you wouldn’t even notice. What’s up? Your man Mace playin’ on your mind?”

“Sorry, hon. Sure, I got things on my mind. What with this guy and his ‘unfinished business,’ and everything…”

“Okay. So this guy and his unfinished business. We keep on our guard ’n’ call Macie baby if we get spooked —what else can we do? Detective Harrison seems like a pretty smart cookie to me. He’ll catch that weirdo before we even know it.”

Deana put her arm around Leigh’s waist. Feels like I’m a regular grown-up, she thought. What goes around comes around, I guess. I’m glad Mom was there for me over what happened to Allan—now it’s me comforting Mom.

She liked the warm feeling this gave her. How it should be. Anyway, Mom knows what I’m going through. She’s been there. History repeating itself.

Except, I’m not pregnant.

I don’t think.

Nah.

Didn’t get the chance back there in the woods.

Thanks to that madman.

She caught Leigh’s sigh and frowned a little. “C’mon, Mom. Tell Deana. What gives?”

“What gives? Isn’t all this enough, young lady? Madman on the loose. Nelson sounding off back at the