“That’s cool,” said Nathan as he got back on the boat after Duncan left. “Now I can check out some nice boats while Nikki checks out Duncan.”
“Very funny.”
He smiled. “Come on, I saw the way you were drooling over him!”
“I was not!” I retorted, scowling at him. “I was just checking his boat out.”
He threw his head back and laughed. “Right! Since when do you have an interest in boats?”
“I always have.”
My mom smiled and added her two cents. “Actually, I also noticed that you were checking out more than the boat.”
“Whatever. You guys are seeing things. Anyway, you both should talk, what, about that redhead in the parking lot yesterday, and… Sheriff White Strips?”
My mom looked confused. “Sheriff White Strips?”
Nathan nodded. “Yeah, Caleb. His teeth were whiter than your pasty skin, mom. Bleached white.”
She snorted. “You’re funny.”
“Sorry, couldn’t resist,” replied Nathan as he started the engine. He grabbed his bottle of water and took a swig. “I say we go back to the cabin now, I’m starving.”
“Sounds good,” she replied. “I’ve got plenty to do.”
Nathan set his water in the cup-holder, turned on the engine, and we started back across the lake. A few seconds later, he grinned like a little kid and told us to hold on.
I grabbed the handle next to my seat right as he punched it down and we took off across the lake. I squealed in delight as we sped over the calm waters, the wind practically blowing my hair dry as we flew. Soon, we were near our neck of the woods and I pulled my beach-dress back over my bathing suit. As we slowed down, I noticed a middle-aged woman sitting on her dock, fishing. She smiled and raised her hand in greeting.
“Must be our neighbor,” said mom, waving back. “Ernie mentioned that she was recently widowed. I think he said her name was Abigail. Very nice woman, I guess. Maybe it would be a good idea if I stopped by later and said hello.”
I stared at the woman and nodded. “I would. She’s probably sad and lonely.”
She nodded. “I’m sure.”
Nathan docked the boat near the end of the dock and we helped him secure it to the posts.
“That should be good enough for now,” he said, testing the ropes. “I’ll leave it out here in case we want to take it out again, later.”
I stood up and looked down into the brown water. “So, um, it must be pretty deep, right here.”
“Yeah,” replied Nathan, grabbing his shirt from the boat. “That’s why they built the dock this distance from the shore. It’s safer for the boat if the lake ever gets low.”
The water was so murky looking and I wondered if there were any more dead bodies below. I imagined someone’s dead eyes staring up at me from below the surface and started to feel sick to my stomach.
“I’ll meet you guys on shore,” I said, getting up quickly.
“Are you okay?” called my mom.
“Just a little too much sun,” I shouted back as I raced towards the cabin, feeling dizzy and anxious. As I passed the area where the body was found, I averted my eyes and tried not to panic any worse than I already was. When I made it to the cabin’s porch, I closed my eyes and took a couple deep breaths.
“Hey,” said my brother as he climbed the steps a minute later.
I smiled weakly.
He stared at me with concern. “You’re really freaked out about that girl, aren’t you?”
“Well, yeah. Aren’t you?”
He sighed. “I’m trying to forget about it. She made a huge mistake when she started drinking that night, and hopefully her friends have learned from it. But I’m not going to dwell on it, and neither should you. Heck, you didn’t even see the girl, I discovered her. I should be the one freaking out about it.”
I nodded. “I know. It’s just so… creepy.”
He put an arm around my shoulder. “It is, but you have to let it go. Or mom will send you to a shrink, which, actually, she should have done a long time ago.”
I pushed him away. “Ha-ha.”
She met us on the porch and took out her keys. “Whew, it’s getting hot out here. Thank goodness for air conditioning.”
“Summer’s almost over, mom. Then you’ll be complaining about the cold. In fact, I’ve read that it gets very cold here,” I said.
“That’s when the fireplace will come in handy,” she replied.
Nathan put the boat keys on one of the end tables. “Nikki, go get dressed and we’ll drive into town to check it out. I need to start looking for a job, too.”