“I’ve got that stomach virus that’s going around and I’m not leaving the house,” said Ted. “Believe me, nobody would want to be anywhere in my vicinity.”
“That’s too bad,” said Lucy sympathetically, cradling the earpiece on her shoulder and pulling on a second pair of socks. “I was kind of looking forward to going undercover.”
“Go ahead without me,” said Ted. “This is an important story and we need to get right on it.”
“I don’t think I should go by myself,” said Lucy, shoving her foot into a duck boot. “It might be dangerous.”
“There’s plenty of cover at the pond,” said Ted. “And these folks are probably pretty focused on contacting the dealer and scoring. They won’t be noticing the scenery.”
“From what I saw the other day it seems they do come and go pretty fast,” said Lucy, remembering that Chief Kirwan had told her the dealer was known to the department and wasn’t considered dangerous. “I’ll give it a try, but if I don’t feel comfortable I’m getting out of there.”
“That’s my favorite investigative reporter!” declared Ted. “Uh, gotta go,” he added quickly, ending the call.
Lucy wiggled her other foot into a duck boot and checked her appearance in the full-length mirror. She looked pretty pudgy, she decided, and no wonder since she was wearing many layers of clothing. She’d started with her usual bra and panties, adding a thermal top and leggings. Then she’d slipped on a turtleneck shirt, a pair of jeans, a sweater and a fleece vest. She’d topped it all off with a pair of camo-print hunting pants she borrowed from Bill, as well as a pair of his thick socks, which were making her duck boots feel awfully tight.
Of course, she told herself, she wasn’t dressing for a fashion show. She was dressing for a chilly morning in the Maine woods. Once downstairs she filled a thermos with hot coffee and put on her warmest parka, as well as a wool hat with a pompom and a pair of lined gloves. She was tempted to add Bill’s big mittens over the gloves, but figured they would be too cumbersome for taking photos.
Libby had watched her every move as she prepared to leave, growing more and more excited every minute, certain that she would also be going on this outdoor excursion.
“Sorry,” said Lucy, patting her on the head. “Next time.”
The nippy air stung her cheeks when she stepped out onto the back porch and she congratulated herself on dressing so warmly. She was going to need every layer if she was going to stay out in the cold for several hours. She felt like the Michelin tire man as she made her way to the car, which she decided was her best option for getting to the pond, and in case she needed to make a quick escape. As Ted had reminded her, there was plenty of cover from evergreens, and she planned to leave the car on the old logging road a short distance from the parking area.
As she drove down the unpaved road, she felt a sense of mounting excitement. This was a lot better than sitting in that awful basement meeting room at the town hall and listening to the local power players argue about authentic historical paint colors or raising the price of a dump sticker. She loved getting out of the office and away from the computer, chasing down stories that really mattered. That was the best part of her job and she didn’t get to do it enough.
She was really getting pretty fired up. Her sunglasses were getting foggy and she was perspiring. No wonder, she realized, glancing at the indicator on the dashboard. Somebody, probably Bill, had set the heat at seventy degrees. She switched it off and opened the windows, letting the cold air blow in for the last quarter mile or so. Finally reaching the spot she had in mind, she pulled the SUV into a small clearing, parked, and got out.
Once standing, she discovered she really needed to pee. She should have thought of this before she left the house, and before she’d pulled on all those clothes, she decided as she struggled to undress enough to relieve herself. That task done and her clothing rearranged, she made her way down the path toward the parking area beside the pond, carrying a big tote bag with her camera, notebook, coffee thermos, and energy bars. As she drew nearer, she scouted for a good observation post and was pleased to discover a bushy young fir tree growing beside a large bulletin board where various notices were posted. It was especially good for her purposes because there was a small gap between the tree and the sign which gave her a good view of the parking lot.
She set her tote bag on the ground and pulled out her camera, checking the battery level and peering through the viewfinder at the empty parking area. Reassured that she could get a clear shot, she looped the cord around her neck, letting the camera rest on her chest, and pulled out her notebook. Flipping it open she wrote down the date, time, and place. Observing there was still no action in the parking area, she tucked the notebook into her pocket and grabbed the thermos. After filling the cup, which felt pleasantly warm in her hands, she wished she’d thought to bring something to sit on. Her back was starting to ache a bit and it would be nice to be able to get off her feet.
Nevertheless, she told herself, it was a lovely morning. Chickadees were flitting around in the trees, some even perching on nearby branches and giving her a once over.
“Dee-dee-dee yourself,” she whispered, taking a sip of coffee. There was nothing like hot black coffee on a chilly morning, she decided, savoring each swallow and promptly draining the plastic cup.
She was beginning to wonder if perhaps
