Pine Lake Read online

  He didn’t know what to make of the splash or the light. People had been known to use the lake as a dumping site. If caught, the offense carried a stiff penalty, but back in Jack’s day, the area around the bridge had rarely been patrolled. Which was undoubtedly the reason Anna’s killer had chosen to dump her body from the deck.

  That splash...

  What were the chances another body had been thrown from the bridge on the very night he’d returned to Pine Lake? Slim to none, Jack decided, but he knew the sound would niggle at him all night. Might as well take the boat out and have a look.

  * * *

  A FEW MINUTES LATER, Jack maneuvered away from the dock and headed into the channel. It was even darker on the water. He didn’t want to turn on his running lights, much less the spotlight in case someone lurked nearby. But it was dangerous to be on the lake blind. Dangerous for others, dangerous for him. If he strayed from the middle of the channel, he had to worry about cypress knees below the surface and those thick mats of aquatic vegetation that could entangle the boat’s propeller.

  He turned on the spotlight, keeping the beam concentrated on the water ahead of him. As he neared the bridge, he shifted into neutral and drifted as he trained the light along the banks where ground mist thickened. Cypress trees rose from the shallows like bearded sentinels, obscuring both ends of the bridge. Beyond the lake was the pine forest and all along the water’s edge, a creeping carpet of lily pads and lotus.

  He made a pass underneath the first span of the bridge, once again searching along the banks and in the deeper water of the channel before returning through the second span. Clouds blocked the moon so thoroughly he had to rely solely on the spotlight. Even through the mist, he could pick out turtles and frogs and the red glowing eyes of an alligator, but he saw nothing unusual in the water.

  If someone had thrown a body off the bridge, they would have more than likely weighted it. It could take days or even weeks to surface. He was wasting his time and he knew it. All he’d heard was a distant splash. All he’d seen was a bobbing flashlight. He had no reason to believe that anything untoward—

  She was there in the shallows, floating on her back among the lily pads.

  Jack used the trolling motor to navigate through the strangling vegetation and then a paddle to hold the boat steady as he observed the body. He didn’t attempt to drag her from the water. She was dead and had been the moment the bullet passed through the back of her skull and exited between her eyes. During his time as a cop, he’d seen that jagged, X-shaped wound before, usually in drug-related executions. The facial damage was extensive, but the best Jack could tell, she was young, probably no more than early twenties, with long blond hair floating all around her.

  He sat for a moment, awash in memories before he took out his phone and called Tommy Driscoll’s number.

  The phone rang five times before Tommy finally answered. He sounded annoyed and winded. “Driscoll.”

  “Tommy, it’s Jack King.”

  “Jack? It’s a little late, isn’t it, buddy?”

  “Not for this.”

  “You heard from Nathan?” he asked anxiously.

  “I’m calling about something else.”

  A long silence. “Where are you?”

  “Sitting in my uncle’s boat on Pine Lake. I’m about fifty yards south of the old bridge. You’d better get out here. There’s a body in the water.”

  He heard the sharp intake of Tommy’s breath. “Do you know who it is?”

  “Female Caucasian. Blonde, slim build from what I can tell. She’s young. Early twenties, I’m guessing. Looks like someone shot her in the back of the head and then dumped her body off the bridge.”

  “No need for an ambulance, I take it.” Tommy’s voice seemed oddly hushed.

  “No, but you’d better send for the coroner. I’ll stay with her until you get here.”

  “Jack?”

  “Yeah?”

  “What are you doing on Pine Lake?”

  “I don’t think that much matters right now, does it?”

  “It might,” Tommy said. “I’ll see you in a few minutes. We’ll talk then.”

  Jack dropped the phone back in his pocket, his gaze still on the body. He cut the spotlight. The garish brilliance somehow seemed offensive. As darkness slid over him, he had the uncanny feeling that he wasn’t alone. He told himself it was just the situation. The similarities to Anna were bound to unnerve him. But he couldn’t shake the notion that someone was near. Someone watched him.

  Turning on the spotlight, he raked the powerful beam all along the banks and then into the shadowy corners of the bridge. He almost expected to see someone at the guardrail staring down at him. No one was there. He was alone on the water with the dead woman.

  He made one more sweep, this time slanting the beam up in the trees. As he shifted the light, he caught a glimpse of something white through the cypress branches. A barn owl, he thought, or a snowy egret. But as he focused the light, he realized the shimmer of white wasn’t in a tree, but at the very top of the bridge. For a moment he could have sworn someone was up in the rafters.

  He shook his head and moved the light away. Crazy notion.

  He sat in the gently rocking boat and let the night sounds settle over him. Then he angled the beam back to the truss. The white object was still up there.

  Pushing off with the paddle he let the boat float back into the center of the channel before he started the motor. The outboard hummed throatily as he navigated toward the bridge. Backing off the throttle he aimed the light up through the Spanish moss. Whatever he expected to find was not what he saw. Never in a million years could he have imagined such a sight.

  The floor of the bridge was a good fifteen feet above the water and from the deck, a series of braces and struts climbed another twenty feet to the iron beam that ran the length of the bridge.

  On top of that narrow girder, a woman lay curled in the fetal position.

  * * *

  OLIVE’S EYES FLEW OPEN. She had been dreaming again about falling. Down, down, down into that misty abyss. The nightmare had been so real that she still had the smell of the swamp in her nostrils. She could even feel a breeze on her face.

  She lay for a moment, breathing deeply as she tried to calm her racing heart.

  What was that creaking sound? She couldn’t place it. The ceiling fan, maybe?

  “Don’t move,” a male voice said nearby.

  That brought her fully awake. She started to sit up, but a hand on her shoulder eased her back down and she realized another hand had clamped around her wrist. Panic exploded. Her instinct was to lash out at the intruder, to fight him off with every ounce of strength she could muster, but she was suddenly aware of her surroundings. That creak didn’t come from any ceiling fan. She wasn’t even in her bedroom. She was—

  “Where am I?” she gasped, as her whole world tilted.

  “Don’t worry. I’ve got you.” The voice was deep and silky smooth. Olive found it at once soothing and terrifying.

  “Got me...where?”

  “You know the old bridge over Pine Lake?”

  “Yes, I know it...” She trailed away as she tried to peer through the darkness. A light glimmered somewhere below her. She felt compelled to turn and stare into the beam, but the swaying sensation and the hand on her shoulder kept her immobile. “I’m on the bridge?”

  “More or less,” the voice said.

  Terror surged as she pictured the gaping holes in the rotting floorboards and the unstable framework towering over her. The image dizzied her and she had to suppress the urge to flail her arms, searching for a handhold.

  Now she understood the creaking and swaying.

  “You have to stay calm, okay? I’m not going to let you fall, but you need to do exactly as I say.”
>
  “Fall?” She started to tremble.

  “We’re going to get you down, but it’ll take some maneuvering.”

  “Why can’t I just stand up and walk off the bridge?” she asked in a quivering voice.

  “You’re not exactly on the bridge. You’re on top of it.”

  “On top of it?”

  “On top of the truss.”

  “That’s impossible.” But even as she protested, she realized the feathery forms all around her were the tops of cypress trees. She could feel the night air on her face and the hardness of the support beneath her. The nightmarish sensation of falling gripped her again and she said in a terrified whisper, “Please don’t let go of me.”

  “I won’t,” he promised.

  Somehow she believed him. “How did I get up here?”

  “You tell me.”

  “Sometimes I sleepwalk. I have these falling dreams—”

  “You’re not going to fall. If you go, I go and I’m not in the mood for a swim. So here’s what I need you to do. Right now, you’re lying on your left side facing out toward the water. Take a moment to get your bearings.”

  “I can see cypress trees. There’s a light somewhere below us—”

  “Don’t look down. Stay focused on the task at hand. Listen to me carefully. I need you to roll to your stomach, but there’s not a lot of space to operate. I’d say about a foot, give or take.”

  She put out a hand and felt nothing but air. “I can’t. There isn’t enough room.”

  “If there’s room enough for you to curl up and sleep, there’s enough room for you to roll over. Besides, you’re small. You don’t need much space.”

  “I can’t. Please don’t make me.”

  He was silent for a moment. “What’s your name?”

  “Olive Belmont.”

  “Olive? As in Nathan Bolt’s cousin?” He sounded surprised.

  “Yes. You know Nathan?”

  “We go back. Listen to me, Olive. We’re going to do this together, okay? I’m right here with you. You’ll be able to see me in a moment. Put your right hand on the support and clamp your fingers around the edge. Do the same with your left as you slowly position yourself facedown.”

  Olive clutched the edge, but she didn’t roll over. Not for the longest time. Then drawing a breath, she slowly shifted her body. The rafter rocked and the whole frame seemed to shimmy. She froze. “I can’t.”

  “Yes, you can. This bridge isn’t going anywhere. Just take your time. That’s it. Nice and easy.”

  Olive tried to ignore the metallic screeches and the disorienting sway of the structure beneath her. Instead, she let that soothing voice guide her as she maneuvered her hands and body until she lay face down on the support, still breathing hard and trembling.

  “Good job. Now you’re going to get on your hands and knees and slowly crawl toward me. Got it?”

  “Yes.”

  “Don’t look down, look at me. Whenever you’re ready.”

  Olive rose on hands and knees, balancing herself on the precarious beam. The light from below provided enough illumination so that she could see the silhouette of the man facing her.

  “Follow me, Olive. Nice and slow. We’re in no hurry. We have all night.”

  His voice flowed over her, so honeyed, so comforting in the dark. She could see the gleam of his eyes, the curve of his jaw. He seemed very steady on the rafter. Not the least bit afraid.

  She drew a deep breath and released it. “I’m ready.”

  They began to move slowly, inch by inch toward the end of the bridge. He had the more difficult job because he was maneuvering backward on the unsteady support. He didn’t look over his shoulder or down at the water. He kept his eyes trained on Olive. She tried to do the same. She didn’t dare look out over the lake. She didn’t dare peer down into that misty abyss.

  “Almost there. You’re doing great, but I need you to stay focused, okay? I need you to stay calm.” He came to a halt and she did the same. His eyes gleamed in the dark as he held her gaze. “Now comes the tricky part.”

  “The tricky part?” she echoed faintly.

  “We’re going to lower ourselves over the side. The braces form a sort of ladder at the end of the horizontal beam. I imagine that’s how you got up here.”

  “I don’t remember.”

  “It’s not as hard as it sounds. I climbed this thing more times than I could count as a kid. Nathan did, too.”

  “That doesn’t sound like Nathan,” she said.

  “It took a lot of double-dog daring.”

  She heard a smile in his voice and shivered. “I’m ready.”

  He went over the side first, finding his footing and then clinging with one hand as he waited for her. Olive counted to ten and then eased into position, lowering her legs and grappling for a foothold. The movement must have put too much pressure on the rusty bolts. She heard a loud snap and then one end of the beam dropped out from under her. For one heart-stopping moment, she found herself in a free fall.

  Then a hand clamped around her wrist. “Easy now. I’ve got you.”

  “Don’t let go!” she pleaded.

  “Not a chance,” he said as he tightened his grip.

  Chapter Three

  He pulled her up to the ladder and then his arm came around her, holding her close as she found her footing. Now that one end of the beam had popped free, the integrity of the structure was even more compromised. The struts clanged ominously as Olive and her rescuer began their descent. At deck level, he climbed over the guardrail and helped her through. She clutched his arm, mindful of all those missing planks and the glisten of water far below.

  “Let’s get off this thing,” he said and took her hand, leading her from the bridge. When they were safely on the bank, she stopped and bent double, catching her breath.

  “Are you okay?”

  She drew in air. “I just need a moment.”

  “You did great,” he said.

  She sucked in several more breaths before she straightened. She could see him more clearly now. He was tall and slim with broad shoulders and long legs. Dark hair, dark eyes. Tantalizingly familiar.

  She could see him so well, in fact, she wondered if the moon was up, but then she realized the light came from a bobbing boat at the edge of the water.

  “I don’t know how I can ever thank you. If you hadn’t found me when you did...” She trailed off on another shudder. “How did you even know to look for me up there?”

  “I didn’t. It was just a lucky break.” He paused. “You really don’t remember how you got up there?”

  “I don’t even know how I got to the lake. I have no memory of leaving my house.” She glanced down at her bare feet, realizing for the first time that she was in her pajamas. The fabric was summer-weight cotton. Sheer if the light hit her just right, but modesty was the least of her worries. She pulled a leaf from her hair and watched it swirl to the ground. “I don’t remember anything.”

  “What about sounds?” he asked. “Did you hear any loud noises? A car engine maybe?”

  She shook her head. “I don’t think so. But sleepwalking occurs in deep sleep. I never remember anything.”

  He stared down at her for a moment. “Do you do this often?”

  “No, not in years. I had a sleep disorder in my early teens, but I thought I’d outgrown it. Anyway, the point is, it’s like having amnesia. I don’t even know what awakened me.”

  “Maybe you sensed my presence up there on the beam or felt my hand on your shoulder. I did my best not to startle you.”

  “Thank you. That could have been disastrous for both of us.” Now that she was on solid ground and the danger was over she found herself growing curious about him. He still seemed familiar and very cap
able. “You said you and Nathan go back. Did you go to school together?”

  “From kindergarten on.”

  “Wait. I know you,” she blurted as recognition dawned. “You’re Jack King.”

  She saw a frown fleet across his face. “My reputation precedes me, I guess.”

  “It isn’t that. I remember you from the year my mother and I moved to Pine Lake. We stayed with Nathan and his dad until we got our own place. You used to come by the house with Tommy Driscoll and some of the other seniors. You’d hang out by the pool. I was invisible to most of Nathan’s friends, but you were always nice to me.”

  “Was I?”

  She gave an awkward laugh. “I guess I was invisible to you, too. You don’t remember me, do you?”

  “I do now, but you’ve changed. No glasses, no braces.” He canted his head, peering down at her in the light. “I think I can still see some freckles, though.”

  A thrill chased up Olive’s spine at his scrutiny. She’d never told anyone—had barely admitted it even to herself—that she’d had a crush on Jack King that year. Nathan’s other friends were rude and boisterous, but Jack was different. To a hopelessly romantic fourteen-year-old, he’d seemed deep and introspective. And devastatingly handsome. “You haven’t changed a bit,” she said.

  “I’d wait for better lighting to make that assessment.”

  “I can see you just fine.”

  Car engines sounded on the road. Doors slammed and male voices carried in the dark.

  “That’ll be the sheriff.” Jack turned toward the trees and called out to the newcomers. “Down here!”

  Olive scanned the woods anxiously. “You called the police? Why didn’t you wait for their help to get me down?”

  “I didn’t think it a good idea to leave you up there any longer than was necessary. Besides, I didn’t call the cops because of you.” He hesitated, his eyes going past her to the water. “No easy way to say this. I found a body in the lake before I saw you on the bridge.”