Horse With No Name (25 page)

The boat didn't flip over entirely, but the
rocking was enough that Julia heard a splash on the far side as
both men hit the water.

Thirty-two

In the end it was
Hunter that Julia had to save from drowning.

Julia swam around the stern of the boat and
found Anker making a lot of noise and flailing his arms about, but
he was moving toward shore decisively and Julia could tell he was
in no danger. Hunter though, was another story. With his hands
still tied, he was doing his valiant best to tread water. Despite
all his effort, his face was barely peeking above the waterline.
Julia, who was herself exhausted, swam to him, her waterlogged
dress threatening to pull her under. Her breathing, as ever,
constricted by her corset, she focused on staying calm and taking
long smooth strokes. When she reached Hunter, he looked at her with
fear in his eyes, though he tried to sound brave when he spoke.

"Go catch Anker. He'll get away."

"Don't be ridiculous. You're going to
drown."

She swam up close to Hunter and put one arm
around his chest. "Lean back," she said. "Try to relax."

Hunter was stiff with fright, and when he
tried to do what Julia suggested he panicked as he felt the water
rush up over his ears. He began to sink and Julia grabbed him,
pulling him up by his jacket collar. Her legs were working madly,
trying to keep them both afloat. Her teeth were beginning to
chatter.

"James," she gasped, "you're going to have to
trust me. Do you know how to float?"

Hunter spluttered and said something but
Julia couldn't hear him.

She grabbed Hunter by the shoulders and
turned him around, so that he was facing away from her again.
Scissoring her legs back and forth, she managed to keep both their
heads up above the water. Into James' ear she said, as calmly as
she could, "It's okay. We're going to make it. Take a deep breath
for me."

The man did and Julia tried to as well, but
caught a small wave in her mouth.

Coughing, she waited a beat and then said,
"Can you lean back? Can you just relax a bit and float?"

She felt Hunter hesitate and then felt him
relax slightly.

"Good. Good, you're doing great. Keep doing
that. See if you can lean back toward me, and let your legs rise up
to the surface as well."

Hunter did so, but when he let his head fall
back toward Julia the lake water again climbed up his face and over
his ears. He startled and dropped his legs again and began to
flail.

"No, James you were doing great," Julia
continued to hold onto the man's shoulders. Her legs were beginning
to fail her though, and she felt herself getting weaker. More and
more small waves caught her in the face, because she wasn't as able
to hold it up above the waterline. She knew she had a very limited
time until both she and Hunter succumbed.

"Listen," she continued, trying to stay calm.
"When you lie back, the water is going to come up on your cheeks.
It's going to feel like your face is going to go under. But it
won't. I promise. If you stay relaxed and just float, I'm going to
tow you to shore. Okay?"

Hunter grunted, but Julia wasn't sure if the
noise was agreement or just physical effort. He did as she asked,
hesitating at first. He leaned back and Julia could see his bound
hands resting on his belly. This time, when the water encroached on
his face, he stayed still.

"Great," Julia breathed, more to herself than
Hunter. "That's good. Okay, let's go."

With one arm, she held onto a handful of
Hunter's suit jacket. With the other she made long sweeping
movements in the water, pulling them forward. She was fading fast
now. The weight of her clothes and Hunter's clothes was pulling her
down, almost as if someone was holding onto her waist and pulling.
Her face was numb. She risked a glance back at Hunter and saw that
his lips were blue.

Taking long strokes with one hand, and making
them as smooth as possible, so as not to jostle Hunter, she slowly
made her way toward the shore. The lake knocked her in the face now
and then and she'd stop to cough and splutter. Every once in awhile
she pushed her legs down and tried to find the bottom of the lake,
but each time she was disappointed.

Her breath started to come in ragged gasps.
She tried to lift her head to see the shoreline but couldn't focus
and gave up. How was it possible they'd come out this far in the
boat? It had felt like they'd only floated out a few feet but now
it seemed like miles back to shore.

And then Julia began to doubt herself. It
felt like they weren't making any progress at all. Her legs felt
like jelly and each kick they gave was weaker than a brand new
kitten's. Her dress felt like it weighed several hundred pounds.
She couldn't go on. She dropped her head to the side, submerging
one ear and half of her face, trying to breathe above the
waterline.

"Miss Thom?" Hunter said in a weak voice.

"Yes?"

"You can let me go if you need to."

Water splashed over Julia's face. She closed
her eyes and felt herself sinking.

Suddenly the water around her was roiling and
churning. Her eyes flew open but she couldn't see because her face
was slapped by a wave. Arms came toward her and grabbed her. She
held onto Hunter, and lashed out at the figure with her free hand.
It must be Anker trying to finish them off.

"Let him go, Miss Thom. It's okay. We've got
you."

Her eyes cleared and she looked up. Theodore
Cranna's pale skin and shock of red hair filled her eye line. She
heard grunting beside her.

Cranna was in the water with her, pulling her
up from below the surface. Beside her was a rowboat. She glanced
right and could see Arthur Sullivan, the steamship captain, leaning
over the side of the vessel and pulling Hunter out of the water.
Cranna treaded water, holding onto Julia. When Sully had Hunter
safely in the boat, he reached for Julia. There wasn't much
elegance about it but with Sully pulling from above and Cranna
pushing from below they got Julia into the boat as well. She fell
onto the floor of the vessel coughing, her chest rattling with
water.

Cranna pulled himself up into the boat, all
gangly limbs and sharp elbows. When he got himself settled on his
knees in the bow Sully began pulling mightily for shore.

"Well," Cranna said, looking thrilled and
excited. "Now there's a story for a dinner party."

Thirty-three

The fire in the stove
was roaring, and Julia was sure that the dry inhabitants of the
room must be roasting. But she and James Hunter were very grateful
for the warmth. Julia was still shivering and her dress was fairly
steaming.

They were in the parlor above the general
store, and Betty had gone to get a dry dress from Julia's house.
Julia sat on a wooden chair from the kitchen, a towel wrapped over
her hair, and another over her shoulders. Her boots were off and
her feet had made a wet spot on the hardwood floor.

Christopher Mitchell was digging around in
his wardrobe, finding another suit for James Hunter to wear. James
was standing awkwardly beside the stove, soaked as well, his hair
flattened against his skull, his newly altered suit looking like a
burlap sack. He cradled his injured arm in the opposite hand. It
had not been helped by the rough handling by Anker and the dunk in
the lake. His face was drained of color but at least his lips
weren't blue any longer.

"This way, Mr. Hunter." Christopher emerged
from the hallway and led Hunter back to the master bedroom to
change. As he returned to Julia, they heard noises in the shop
below and then footsteps coming up the stairs. Betty came onto the
stairway landing, carrying a dress and an old pair of boots in her
arms. Up the stairway behind her came Merrick and Walt.

"These were the only shoes I could find,"
Betty said, setting them down beside Julia.

"They're fine. Thank you, Betty," Julia
smiled at her friend.

Hunter came into the room at that moment, dry
and dressed in a suit that was at least two sizes too large for
him.

"Well, now that I've got you both here,"
Merrick looked from Julia to Hunter, "would you mind telling me
what the hell is going on?"

"Not yet," Betty admonished him. "Julia is
going to get into some dry clothes first." She took Julia's arm and
led her out of the room.

Anker was safely locked up in Merrick's jail
cell.

"He's soaking wet too, of course," Merrick
said, "but I put the fire on. He'll dry out."

Hunter refused to sit. He paced up and down
at one end of the room.

When Julia returned from getting changed into
dry clothes, Merrick's eyes followed her to where she sat. When she
was settled, on the love seat this time, she felt his gaze and
looked up at him. His expression was hard and she sensed impatience
from him. If he had been angry the night before at Finnegan's about
her interfering, he must be fuming now.

He pulled his gaze away and looked at Betty.
"May I talk to Miss Thom and Mr. Hunter now?"

Betty made a small movement with her head.
"Please do, Jack. I'm going to get the kettle from the
kitchen."

Julia and Hunter looked at one another. Julia
had no idea where to begin. Neither, it seemed, did Hunter. They
looked away from one another. The room was silent.

Merrick looked, once again, back and forth
between the two of them. "Well then, how about you clear something
up for me, Mr. Hunter? Why don't you tell me why Gerard Anker had
you in a rowboat with your hands tied?"

Hunter stopped pacing and met Merrick's eyes.
Julia could see him thinking. She wondered where he would begin. He
surprised her by starting at the most dangerous place. "Because I'm
a woman," he said.

If Merrick, Walt and Christopher were shocked
by this they hid it well. Walt, as usual, remained almost
impassive. Christopher stood up out of his chair, "Let me help
Betty with the tea."

Merrick took a breath and leaned back in his
chair slightly. Julia could tell he was reflexively going to tilt
the chair back, as he always did with the wooden chairs at his
office and the livery. The front legs of the chair started to lift.
Julia leaned over and tapped him on one knee. The legs dropped to
the floor again. "Is that so?" he said.

Hunter gave Merrick the shorter version of
his explanation about growing up feeling like he was in the wrong
body. Julia watched the constable's face and saw that he was
working hard not to look shocked. And mostly succeeding.

When Hunter finished, Merrick sat
thoughtfully for a few minutes. Finally he said, "That doesn't
explain about Anker though. Why was he trying to drown you?"

Hunter, unburdened now and without anything
more to defend against, sat down. He looked at Julia, almost as
though he was seeking her permission. Then he turned back to
Merrick. "He was attracted to me."

Merrick nodded slightly. "Go on."

"He was attracted to me and it bothered him.
He couldn't understand what was going on." Hunter waggled his head
a bit, searching for a way to explain. "I think that his body, or
some part of him, was responding to the fact that I am in a female
body. But of course, Anker didn't know that. All he saw was a man
who fixed his watches and clocks, and someone to whom he was
attracted."

"Did he," Merrick searched for a word,
"...proposition you?"

Hunter shook his head, emphatically. "No.
Nothing like that. It was just this weird, unspoken feeling between
us. I'd often see him looking at me on poker nights. Watching me.
And fighting with himself."

The kettle had boiled and the tea was
steeped. Betty poured a cup for everyone and passed them around,
creating a moment of distraction. Hunter accepted his tea cup and
drank thirstily. Julia smiled, watching Merrick and Walt with their
big paws wrapped around Betty's china tea cups.

Merrick hadn't stopped thinking. As soon as
everyone was seated with tea and a biscuit he addressed Hunter
again. "Was it Anker who beat you up in the shop?

Hunter began to shrug and Julia leapt in.
"Yes."

Merrick raised his eyebrows at her. "Why do
you say that?"

"The glove. I figured it out this morning.
That's why I went to James' shop at noon." Suddenly, Julia's eyes
grew wide and she looked around for somewhere to put her tea cup.
"Oh my God!" She started to stand up out of her seat. "The school
children."

"Sit down," Betty said, patting her friend's
arm, "Millie Jones is over there, keeping an eye on them. And no
doubt torturing...I mean, regaling them with tales of her summer in
Paris."

"Thank goodness." Julia sat back down.

"You were saying?" Merrick took a sip of
tea.

"Right. Yes." Julia gathered herself
together. "Remember I found that glove in the shop?"

Merrick nodded.

"I finally realized it was Anker's. When we
saw him and Mrs. Anker at the hotel last night, I noticed he was
wearing a brand new pair of gloves. It didn't register at the time
but something was bothering me last night while I slept and then
again this morning at school. I finally put the pieces together
when one of the students was fiddling with his gloves while talking
to me."

"Anker had new gloves because he'd lost one
at Hunter's shop."

Julia nodded.

"And the fire and the rabbit." It wasn't
really a question. Merrick was thinking out loud, but Julia
answered anyway.

"I suspect he is responsible for those, too.
The fire to try to get rid of Mr. Hunter and the rabbit to get me
to stop trying to find out who beat Hunter up."

Hunter nodded, adding, "He told me today when
he was driving us to the lake that he set the fire. He asked me why
I hadn't made plans to leave town after the fire. That was his
intention. That was why he burned my house down. To get me to
leave."