I knew it was true, though. It had been a long day and I was ready to sleep for the next two.
Chapter Four
I slept until almost eleven the next morning. Mom was already up, drinking coffee and working on her computer, when I padded downstairs in my bare feet.
“Morning,” I said, pouring some coffee for myself. Normally, I wasn’t a coffee drinker, but I really needed something stronger than orange juice to perk me up. Especially after the last few hours.
“Good morning,” beamed my mother, who was always a morning person no matter how late she stayed up.
“Where’s Nathan?”
“He’s outside by the boat. We were thinking about taking it out on the lake within the hour.”
I yawned. “I’ll eat something and get ready.”
“Good.”
I took a drink of coffee and walked over to a large window facing the lake. The skies were blue and it looked like a beautiful day. Then I thought about the dead girl from last night.
“Um, did you really actually find her in the lake?” I asked. The idea of swimming in the lake when there’d been a floating body in it the night before was harrowing. I seriously doubted that I could even put my foot in the water.
“Why?”
I could tell from her expression that she knew where this was going.
I shrugged. “It’s just kind of gross to think about swimming in it.”
My brother entered the kitchen. “Don’t worry, Nikki, that lake is so freaken big, I’m sure there are plenty of other bodies lost somewhere beneath the surface. People still swim in it all the time.”
I shot him a dirty look. “That’s gross.”
Mom groaned. “Thanks, Nathan. Listen, people drown and it’s just a fact of life. I’m sure every lake has stories of people disappearing in it, including the ones you’ve swam in the past.”
I walked towards the doorway with my coffee. “That doesn’t make it sound any more enticing. I think I’ll just enjoy the view on the lake and try not to think about what’s under it.”
“Just make sure you’re ready to go in an hour!” hollered Nathan as I stepped out of the kitchen. “Or we’re leaving you behind.”
~~~
An hour-and-a-half later, I’d changed into my new orange and pink bikini, and we were racing across the lake in a twenty-five-foot Stingray. Nathan was grinning from ear to ear, my mom was also smiling and desperately trying to hold her straw sunhat onto her head, but I was still thinking about the girl in the lake. I just couldn’t shake the horror of knowing there’d been a body near the cabin we were now staying. I had to admit, the fact that my mother and brother were able to push it aside was a little disconcerting, too. It was almost like they’d forgotten all about it.
“This is great!” yelled Nathan over the motor as his light brown hair whipped in the wind. “There’s hardly anyone out here and we have the entire lake to ourselves!”
It was true, but it was also early in the week. From the look of all the boats docked near the shoreline, this place was pretty busy on the weekends.
Nathan slowed down after crossing the entire lake and set the anchor. “Okay, I’m going for a swim,” he said, smiling eagerly.
“Sounds good,” said mom as she pulled out a book from her tote. “You know what I’m going to do – read and work on my tan.”
I handed her some sunscreen. “Not without this. You’ll be a lobster tonight as it is.”
She smiled and began rubbing some of the coconut scented lotion into her skin.
“Coming in, twerp?” asked Nathan, removing his bright red T-shirt.
“Quit calling me that,” I snarled. “Maybe later I’ll come in and drown you.”
He dove into the dark water. When he surfaced, he yelled, “Wow, it’s really nice! Come on out, Nikki. Don’t be such a wimp!”
The sun was shining, it was already eighty degrees and as I stared at him in the water, I had to admit, it did look very enticing.
I let out a long sigh and stood up. I lifted the white beach dress over my head and dove into the cool water.
“See,” said Nathan when I popped my head back out. “It’s not so bad.”
I wiped some water away from my eyes and smiled. “Yeah, I guess not.” It also didn’t hurt that we were on the other side of the lake from where the girl had been found. For some reason, that comforted me quite a bit.
A small fishing boat was trolling towards us and I strained to see who was driving it, half expecting the sheriff who’d been making eyes at my mom earlier. Even today in her bikini, she’d caught the attention of a couple fishermen we’d passed by on the lake. Heck, I couldn’t deny the fact that she looked pretty fit for someone reaching forty.