No one spoke for a moment. Rain searched Jason’s face for a sign that he had mentioned the kiss, Allie’s dream, or the apparition. He answered her silent question with a slight shake of his head, and Rain breathed a sigh of relief. “Not much,” she lied. “Anything on the agenda today?” she added, quickly changing the subject.
“I think we should go to Candlewood,” said Allie. “A.J.’s description of it yesterday has me intrigued. I mean, not enough to want to learn how to scuba dive, but the guys can. Maybe they can take some underwater pictures. And Rain and I can hang out on the beach and talk.” She wound a blonde curl around her finger and gave Rain a meaningful look.
Rain’s eyes flew to Jason, but he didn’t seem to pick up on Allie’s desire for more girl talk. He just shrugged. “I’m in for whatever the group decides.”
“I would love to,” A.J. commented, “but only if you girls are sure you don’t mind. We could go another day and see about getting you two a quick certification in the meantime.”
“Pass,” said Allie firmly. “You have about as much chance of getting me to scuba dive as you have of getting me to skydive. Besides, those suits are terribly unflattering. You guys go for a few hours, and we’ll explore the trails if we get bored. Then afterward, you can fill us in on all the underwater ruins.”
“Rain?” asked A.J. “What do you think?”
She plastered a wide smile on her face. Although she didn’t want to be a captive to Allie’s relentless interrogations, it was better than spending the day trying to avoid being alone with Jason. Now that she was face-to-face with him in the bright, unforgiving daylight, the idea of discussing their midnight kiss seemed too mortifying to consider. “I definitely think we should go. A change of scenery would be fun. Allie and I will be fine while you guys are on your adventure.”
“We could go to dinner at Down the Hatch afterward,” suggested A.J. “My treat.”
“That’s so nice of you, A.J. But I already defrosted a bunch of steaks for tonight, and I was going to go pick up some fresh lettuce for a salad,” said Rain. “How about just drinks and appetizers at the restaurant, then back here for dinner?”
“I can’t argue with that. But I’ll be in charge of clean-up. Jason can help.” He slid a roguish grin in Jason’s direction. “That reminds me—I think a pipe in the kitchen sink may be leaking. There was a big puddle on the floor this morning, and I cleaned up one yesterday as well.”
“Oh,” Rain managed, her throat suddenly dry. “I’ll call the rental agent if it happens again.” She stared out across the lake to avoid meeting anyone’s eyes.
Chapter 18
Rain sat stiffly in her beach chair at Dyke’s Point Park, ignoring the beautiful surroundings in favor of staring hard at the red and white dive flag floating on Candlewood Lake’s surface. A.J. and Jason had descended moments ago, after swimming out to a buoy and attaching the inflatable marker. There wasn’t much boat traffic on a Monday afternoon, which was helpful in terms of the safety of the divers currently below the flag; in addition, the guys had pointed out that less boating activity equaled better visibility in the murky depths of the lake.
Those facts did little to ensure their wellbeing in Rain’s mind, however. Her hands twisted nervously as she kept her gaze trained on the diver down flag. For the next 45 minutes, the guys would be investigating the remains of old homesteads on the bottom of the lake, completely cut off from the rest of the world. Rain’s panic had set in the moment they began deflating their vests and disappearing below the surface. The outing had seemed like a good idea this morning, but now she realized she would gladly trade an uncomfortable conversation with Jason over the anxiety she was currently feeling.
“I’m sure they’re fine, Rain,” Allie commented as she spread a towel on the sand. “It’s not like Brandy can do anything here.”
Rain’s eyebrow lifted behind her sunglasses. “Why do you think that?”
Allie frowned in confusion. “Huh. I don’t really know. I mean, I guess I only associate her presence with our lake. But all four of us are here together, so I guess it’s possible…”
“I think I’m going to be sick,” Rain moaned weakly.
“I’m sorry,” Allie said quickly. “I’m so tired, I don’t know what I’m saying. But the guys are together, and they have tanks of air strapped to their backs. They’re fine, really.”
“Why were you up so early, anyway?” Rain asked, trying to distract herself.
“I never really got back to sleep, even with Jason on the couch. No big surprise, considering everything that happened. Eventually I gave up trying around 7 a.m.”
“Maybe you could get a nap in right now?” Rain suggested. She picked up the phone lying on top of her bag. Having forgotten her own phone, she had taken temporary ownership of Jason’s cell in case of emergency. She shielded the screen from the sun to check the time. “The guys aren’t due up for another 40 minutes.”
Time was passing so slowly she almost wished Allie would go back to analyzing her love life. But Allie deserved some rest and relaxation on her vacation, especially after last night. Taking a deep breath, Rain fought to keep the stress out of her voice. “You close your eyes for a bit, and I’ll read and keep an eye on the clock.”
“Are you sure? I’ll feel guilty if you’re just sitting here worrying.”
Rain opened her book determinedly. “I’m positive. Like you said, they’re fine.”
A yawn escaped as Allie stretched out on her towel. “Thanks. I really am exhausted. I did want to tell you one thing, though, before I fall asleep. I should have mentioned it earlier this morning, but I was too caught up in the kissing action.”
Rain rolled her eyes and shook her head, an exasperated smile playing across her lips as she waited for Allie to continue.
“So, while I was lying in bed tossing and turning all night, I had a dream or a memory or something. It was about a conversation I had with Brandy. I had forgotten all about it, but for some reason it popped back into my head last night, and now I wonder if it was significant.”
Nodding encouragingly, Rain flicked her gaze to the water before returning her attention to her friend. “What was the conversation about?”
“Well, it happened one night when I was driving Brandy home from your house. It was shortly after you all had snuck off to the lake together without me, and I was still feeling kind of bitter about that. And of course I was racing to drop Brandy off and get myself home before my stupid curfew. So I said, ‘It must be nice not having anyone care what you’re up to every second of the day.’” Allie sat back up, her expression revealing her shame and regret. “I wasn’t thinking.”
“I’m sure she knew what you meant. Your parents
were
a pain back then. What did she say?”
“She said, ‘Not having anyone care about you isn’t as great as you might think.’”
Allie grimaced and continued, “So I tried to assure her that A.J. cared and that she was lucky to have such a great guy, but she pointed out that the one person who cared about her the most was leaving her behind next fall. I told her that it would be hard, but she would live through it. She answered, ‘No, I won’t.’”
Rain pressed her lips together and shrugged. “I’m sure she didn’t mean anything by that. She was always kind of dramatic, it was just her nature.”
Allie nodded in assent. “I know. So I told her that she didn’t have much choice. And her reply was, ‘There’s always a choice.’ You don’t think she was trying to tell me she was going to commit suicide, do you?”
“If that conversation happened shortly after the time the four of us went to the lake, it would have been months before she disappeared. You’re probably reading too much into it.”
“Maybe,” Allie allowed. “But why am I just remembering it now? I never even mentioned it to the police.”
Rain stole a quick glance at the cell phone. Less than 10 minutes had passed. She silently willed time to move faster. “You remembered it last night because of the dream and the…apparition. But you couldn’t be expected to recall a short conversation the two of you had on a night in September when we were all being questioned in February. I mean the five of us spent so much time together there was no way we could have all remembered everything we ever said to each other. The detectives knew that.”
Allie shrugged sadly. “I guess. I just hope I didn’t miss a clue to her intentions.”
“If she killed herself, she planned it carefully enough to keep her body from being discovered. I don’t think the conversation you two had would have helped uncover anything.”
“What if that’s what she’s trying to tell us now? Maybe she killed herself in some horrible, desolate place, and she’s ready for us to find her,” Allie said softly as she reclined on the towel.
Rain shuddered. “Anything’s possible, at this point. Unfortunately we just have to wait for her to give us more clues. We’re doing everything we can, Allie. I know she appreciates that. Now get some rest, okay? Maybe when the guys are done diving, we’ll take a quick walk on the trails. Get a little exercise before happy hour at Down the Hatch.”
Allie nodded drowsily, her eyes closed against the sun. “Last time we went there we were with A.J.’s parents. I hope they still serve that coconut shrimp.”
****
The mouth-watering aroma of grilling steaks and the sound of male laughter drifted from the backyard of the lake house into the kitchen. Another wave of relief surged though Rain as she carefully minced garlic cloves. It was a faint echo, however, of what she had felt when Jason and A.J. emerged from the depths of Candlewood Lake. She had jumped up from her chair and run to meet them on shaky legs, a ridiculous smile plastered on her face. As they waded out of the water, black flippers dangling in their hands, Rain had to resist the urge to throw her arms around their dripping bodies.
After giving Allie another half hour to sleep, they walked a shady trail that took them in a meandering loop through the woods before depositing them back on the beach. Then they had packed up, deciding they had earned drinks and appetizers at the iconic waterfront restaurant.
Boats pulled in and out of slips at the busy dock in front of Down the Hatch. But on a weekday, it hadn’t been too difficult to get a little table on the lower patio, and they had enjoyed the view as they sipped their drinks. Jason and A.J. described the underwater treasures they had spotted on their dive: crumbling foundations, farm equipment, old bottles and broken ceramics. Rain savored her frozen strawberry daiquiri as she listened intently, the last of her tension fading away.
Now she worked happily on preparing the Caesar salad dressing, scraping the garlic from the cutting board into a glass jar filled with olive oil and an egg. Allie watched her doubtfully as she washed the Romaine lettuce in the sink. “You know,” Allie said quietly, “you shouldn’t eat any of that salad. You don’t want garlic breath for later.”
“Quiet!” Rain hissed, looking toward the porch. The guys were outside manning the grill, but a moment later Jason entered the great room. Rain gave Allie a warning glare.
Jason slid onto a stool and grabbed his water off the island. “The steaks look great. A.J.’s keeping an eye on them.” He paused and lowered his voice. “I don’t feel right about keeping all of last night’s events from him, really. He’s an adult, and he’s our friend.”
Rain shot him a pleading look. “Please, Jason. Remember, this is harder for him than for any of us. He was in love with Brandy. It took him a long time to recover when she disappear—died, I mean.” She closed her eyes briefly and bit her lower lip.
Jason took a swig of water and shrugged. “Well, if this continues, we have to tell him. One more appearance from Brandy and that’s it.”
The sudden unexpected crunch of tires on gravel made both women scream. Jason automatically jumped up, knocking the stool over. “Jesus Christ,” he muttered, shaking his head and rolling his eyes. “It’s just a car.” He righted the stool and made his way to the front door. A.J. appeared in the porch, holding tongs, a questioning look on his face.
Rain peered out the window and felt her stomach seize. There was no mistaking the blue BMW in the driveway. Jason opened the door, and she heard his surprised and unenthusiastic greeting. She hurried to the door, Allie right behind her murmuring various swear words.
“Rick,” she said flatly, silently ordering her hands to stop shaking. “What are you doing here?”
“Well, I heard about your little reunion. My invitation must have gotten lost in the mail,” he said sarcastically. No one spoke. A.J. came into the hallway as well, instinctively ready to back Jason up. Rick glared at the two of them for a moment then turned his attention to Rain. “I need to talk to you. It’s important.”
Rain shook her head. “We have nothing to say to each other, Rick. Please just leave, okay?”
“It’s about your family, Rain.”
Trying to fight the panic rising within her, she pushed past Jason to stand across from Rick in the doorway. “What’s wrong? What happened?”
Jason put a calming hand on Rain’s shoulder. “Rain, your family wouldn’t call Rick if there was a problem. He’s lying.”
Rick’s eyes burned with hate as he shot Jason a withering look. Then he bent his blond head to look into his ex-wife’s face. “Why aren’t you answering your cell phone?” he asked softly, but with a hint of suspicion.
“Oh my God, it’s still in my car! I realized I left it in there earlier today, but I forgot to get it when we got home.”
“We’ve all been trying to reach you,” he continued accusingly.
“Please, just tell me what’s happened!”
“Your mother called me when she couldn’t get a hold of you. Your niece—Ella—had a bad accident; she fell off her bike and ruptured her spleen. She’s stable right now, but she may have to have surgery to remove it.”
Dizziness overcame her and she wobbled unsteadily. Rick took the opportunity to wrap his arm around her waist and try to steer her outside, since the hallway was blocked by her friends. “Let’s get you some fresh air,” he said.
Jason kept his hand firmly on her shoulder and moved with her. “She’s not going anywhere with you. She should sit down.”
“Just let me go outside for a minute. I need to talk to Rick. I need to get my phone. I’ll be fine,” she said, glancing back and nodding at the little group. She let Rick guide her down the front steps despite the smug smile on his face.