Chapter Seven
It was dark by the time we made it home and mom was on the deck, desperately trying to figure out the grill.
“Step aside before you blow us all up,” ordered Nathan, handing her the package of steaks.
“No arguments here,” she answered. “I prefer cooking on the stove myself, but the steaks taste so much better on the grill. Thanks for picking them up, by the way.”
“No problem. Just don’t give the sheriff mine, it’s the thirty-ouncer,” he replied.
“Of course not, you bottomless pit,” she said. “But we’re also having potatoes, pasta salad, and corn on the cob. So pace yourself tonight, if you can.”
He snorted. “That’s it? No dessert?”
“Cheesecake,” she said. “But let’s make sure our guest gets a piece before you get your mitts on it.”
“You should have made two, and then you wouldn’t have to worry about it,” he joked.
She raised her finger. “I’m not going to worry about it because you’re going to wait until everyone else has had a piece before you devour the rest.”
“Okay, I can live with that.”
“You look nice,” I told her. She was wearing a lilac colored blouse and a new white skirt I’d never seen before.
“Thanks,” she smiled. “So, how was your trip into town?”
“It started out a little strange but got better,” I answered.
“What do you mean?”
Nathan interrupted. “Oh, she applied for a job at the local diner and some waitress slipped her a note with an ominous warning.”
“What?”
I showed her the piece of paper and she shrugged. “That is pretty odd. Maybe she knew the deceased girl? Who knows, she may think there was foul play involved.”
“Maybe there was,” I said.
She frowned. “The sheriff didn’t seem to think so. We’ll ask him about it again when he gets here.”
“Okay,” I said, putting the note away. I didn’t think he’d tell us much, however. Having a father for a cop taught me that they weren’t keen on divulging information like that.
“So, did you guys make it to Duncan’s boat shop?”
“Yeah,” said Nathan. “And his dad is hiring for shop help, so I filled out an application.”
Her eyes widened. “Wow, that means both of you might have jobs before the end of the summer? That’s amazing!”
“Yeah, I know. I need money and a car, badly,” I said.
“If you get a job, I’ll help you find a car and you can pay me back in installments. But, don’t expect anything fancy,” she said.
“Seriously? Thanks, mom,” I replied, throwing my arms around her. I’d never owned my own car before, although I had my license. I started thinking about all of the possibilities and became giddy.
“You bet. I know it’s tough not having a car; especially, now that you’ll be a senior.”
As I pulled away, my eyes caught a movement in the woods. At first, I thought it was a deer or some other wild animal, but then in a blur, it shot up into the trees. I wasn’t sure, but I could have sworn its eyes were glowing, too. Just like the so-called “Peeping Tom.”
“Something’s in the woods,” I whispered hoarsely.
“What?” asked my mother.
Nathan stepped off the deck and began walking slowly towards the trees.
“What the hell are you doing?” barked mom.
He raised his hand. “Calm down. It’s probably just a deer or something.”
I pointed up towards the top of the trees. “It flew up there, and I doubt it was a reindeer.”
My mom released a heavy sigh. “Then it was just a bird. Don’t scare me like that.”
I shook my head, vehemently. “No, it wasn’t a bird.”
Nathan walked back onto the deck. “Of course it was a bird. Or maybe a flying squirrel.”
I put my hands on my waist. “It wasn’t a small animal, okay? It was big! Bigger than you,” I told him.
“The shadow probably looked a lot larger than the animal. When it’s dark like this, your eyes can play tricks on you. Think about it, nothing my size would be able to fly up into a tree,” he said. “It’s not possible.”
“I know what I saw,” I snapped, glaring at him, “and it was big. I’m going into the cabin. This place is really starting to give me the creeps.”
“It’s been a long day,” said my mom, as I opened the patio door. “Caleb should be here in another hour. If you’re hungry, Nikki, eat some of that pasta salad I made. It’s in the refrigerator. Oh, and put these steaks in there too, will you?”