Traces of Guilt
ONE
Joshua Thane
“Catch anything this morning?”
Josh Thane turned at a woman’s friendly call, smiled as he stood, and promptly decided to leave the fishing gear in the boat for later. “Hey, friend. It’s good to see you.” He stepped onto the dock holding his bucket and a stringer with two fish. “I’d give you a hug, but you don’t want to smell like me.”
Ann Falcon laughed. “Appreciate your thoughtfulness.”
“Paul with you?” he asked as he moved toward her.
“He’s tied up in meetings, so today it’s just me. I flew down from Chicago with some case files for a state cop, have plans to take her aloft to see the area this afternoon. I’ll fly back tomorrow after I touch base with a few friends.”
“Then what do you say to fresh fish for a late breakfast? A hot grill, some lemon slices, and a nice plate in front of you in about thirty minutes.”
“I’d say wonderful.”
Pleased, Josh nodded and stopped beside her. “You get prettier every year, you know. Marriage suits you.”
Ann smiled. “It’s got nice benefits. I haven’t been this relaxed about life for as long as I can remember. How about you? Seeing anyone in particular these days?”
“Can’t say there’s anybody specific, though Will seems to have settled on a girl since you were last down.”
“I heard. Karen Joy Lewis. She’s one of those friends I’m stopping by to visit.”
“Oh, really?” Josh mentally recalibrated just who Karen might actually be. “I did hear she’s from Chicago. What are the odds, you two being friends, that she just happens to end up in the small town of Carin . . . ?”
“Well,” Ann said, grinning, “I might have mentioned she would like this town when she was considering a move.”
Josh had been around Ann long enough to know the top layer of that answer was only the beginning, but he’d leave it for his brother Will to sort through the details. Will and Karen’s dates over the last year had morphed into a pretty sizable crush on his brother’s part. Given Ann’s comment about her relocating, Josh idly wondered if Karen Lewis was actually her real name.
Ann had worked mostly homicides before she retired as a cop, but she’d had her hands in a lot of different matters since then. The fact she was a pilot had her on call for just about any kind of situation needing to move people quickly out of trouble . . . or toward it. Josh had been out on several ground searches with her over the years, his two dogs being part of the statewide K-9 responders. He couldn’t say walking fields looking for a buried body was anything but grim, yet the hours spent walking with Ann had cemented a good friendship.
Ann followed as he went to the cleaning station and with deft strokes filleted the two bass, tossing the remains down the sluice chute into the lake. The gulls would have the scraps picked clean before the meal was ready.
“You do that with such skill.”
“A lot of practice.” Josh finished rinsing his knife and returned it to its holder. “It’s easier to clean a fish than dress out a deer. I’ll leave the hunting to others in the family.”
“What’s the latest on sightings of wildlife around here?”
Josh loved the question. Carin Lake and its surrounding woods covered enough territory to attract a broad array of creatures to this central Illinois area. “There’s a cougar I hear occasionally, one ranging wolf—big, beautiful silver-gray pelt. We’ve got some fox, a lot of deer, wild turkeys, rabbits, birds of all kinds. Hawks are thriving, and four nesting pairs of eagles at the north end of the lake soar this way most days.”
Josh led the way from the pier across the parking area to the trail back to his place, a comfortable five-minute walk.
“I see you’ve added on the study you’ve been talking about,” Ann noted, taking in the house as they approached. His multilevel home fit into the landscape, showcasing the skilled touch of a good designer who understood nature.
“I’m threatening to now actually write that book I’ve been talking about—Photos and Stories of Carin Lake as told by its most distinguished fisherman.”
Ann didn’t chuckle at his offhand remark. She swiveled half a step to view his face, then nodded to herself, looking pleased.
He knew that look. “What?”
“You’re settling down.”
“Bite your tongue,” he shot back.
She laughed. “It’s a fact, Josh. The youngest of you Thane brothers is no longer darting hither and yon—you have a business, a boat, a house, and now an interesting project in mind that will require time, thought, and reflection.”
Joshua Thane
“Catch anything this morning?”
Josh Thane turned at a woman’s friendly call, smiled as he stood, and promptly decided to leave the fishing gear in the boat for later. “Hey, friend. It’s good to see you.” He stepped onto the dock holding his bucket and a stringer with two fish. “I’d give you a hug, but you don’t want to smell like me.”
Ann Falcon laughed. “Appreciate your thoughtfulness.”
“Paul with you?” he asked as he moved toward her.
“He’s tied up in meetings, so today it’s just me. I flew down from Chicago with some case files for a state cop, have plans to take her aloft to see the area this afternoon. I’ll fly back tomorrow after I touch base with a few friends.”
“Then what do you say to fresh fish for a late breakfast? A hot grill, some lemon slices, and a nice plate in front of you in about thirty minutes.”
“I’d say wonderful.”
Pleased, Josh nodded and stopped beside her. “You get prettier every year, you know. Marriage suits you.”
Ann smiled. “It’s got nice benefits. I haven’t been this relaxed about life for as long as I can remember. How about you? Seeing anyone in particular these days?”
“Can’t say there’s anybody specific, though Will seems to have settled on a girl since you were last down.”
“I heard. Karen Joy Lewis. She’s one of those friends I’m stopping by to visit.”
“Oh, really?” Josh mentally recalibrated just who Karen might actually be. “I did hear she’s from Chicago. What are the odds, you two being friends, that she just happens to end up in the small town of Carin . . . ?”
“Well,” Ann said, grinning, “I might have mentioned she would like this town when she was considering a move.”
Josh had been around Ann long enough to know the top layer of that answer was only the beginning, but he’d leave it for his brother Will to sort through the details. Will and Karen’s dates over the last year had morphed into a pretty sizable crush on his brother’s part. Given Ann’s comment about her relocating, Josh idly wondered if Karen Lewis was actually her real name.
Ann had worked mostly homicides before she retired as a cop, but she’d had her hands in a lot of different matters since then. The fact she was a pilot had her on call for just about any kind of situation needing to move people quickly out of trouble . . . or toward it. Josh had been out on several ground searches with her over the years, his two dogs being part of the statewide K-9 responders. He couldn’t say walking fields looking for a buried body was anything but grim, yet the hours spent walking with Ann had cemented a good friendship.
Ann followed as he went to the cleaning station and with deft strokes filleted the two bass, tossing the remains down the sluice chute into the lake. The gulls would have the scraps picked clean before the meal was ready.
“You do that with such skill.”
“A lot of practice.” Josh finished rinsing his knife and returned it to its holder. “It’s easier to clean a fish than dress out a deer. I’ll leave the hunting to others in the family.”
“What’s the latest on sightings of wildlife around here?”
Josh loved the question. Carin Lake and its surrounding woods covered enough territory to attract a broad array of creatures to this central Illinois area. “There’s a cougar I hear occasionally, one ranging wolf—big, beautiful silver-gray pelt. We’ve got some fox, a lot of deer, wild turkeys, rabbits, birds of all kinds. Hawks are thriving, and four nesting pairs of eagles at the north end of the lake soar this way most days.”
Josh led the way from the pier across the parking area to the trail back to his place, a comfortable five-minute walk.
“I see you’ve added on the study you’ve been talking about,” Ann noted, taking in the house as they approached. His multilevel home fit into the landscape, showcasing the skilled touch of a good designer who understood nature.
“I’m threatening to now actually write that book I’ve been talking about—Photos and Stories of Carin Lake as told by its most distinguished fisherman.”
Ann didn’t chuckle at his offhand remark. She swiveled half a step to view his face, then nodded to herself, looking pleased.
He knew that look. “What?”
“You’re settling down.”
“Bite your tongue,” he shot back.
She laughed. “It’s a fact, Josh. The youngest of you Thane brothers is no longer darting hither and yon—you have a business, a boat, a house, and now an interesting project in mind that will require time, thought, and reflection.”