The Obituary Society (5 page)

Chapter 8

 
Old Spice
 

“
Back behind the house?”  Ada's voice squeaked slightly and she paused, her hand in mid-air as she reached to put a clean breakfast plate in the cupboard.  

“
Yeah,” Lila said, eying Ada curiously as she dried another plate and handed it to her.  “Since I own the property, I thought I should see what's on it.  All of it.”

Ada put the plate away and closed the cupboard, then bustled over to the counter without looking at Lila.  She picked up a pile of mail and sifted through it.  “You don't want to go back there, dear.  That pond is dirty and stagnant.  There are leeches and all sorts of nasty—” 

“But—”

“
I meant to talk to you about Max.  I don't know what Gladys was thinking.  That boy's not the least bit interested in dating after what his wife put him through.  And so much of his time is devoted to that little girl.  She's a bit different, you know.  Needs a lot of attention.  I'm sorry to see you get thrown into the middle of that situation.  It could be very awkward.”

“
Don't worry.  There's not going to be a date.  Did you say pond?”

Ada patted her hair in a nervous way.  “Did I say—?” she twittered. 

“How big is it?  That property must be larger than I thought.”

Ada looked up, a steely glint in her eye.  “Stay away from there.  Please,” she added, but Lila knew it wasn't a request.  The silence between them was as thick as custard.

A horn honked outside, and both of them jerked their heads toward it.  “Oh,” Ada said brightly.  “There's Betsy.  I certainly hope Goldie can fix what she did to my hair.  We'll be back in an hour or two.”

Ada grabbed her purse and hurried out the kitchen door.  As soon as Lila heard Betsy's car drive away, she slipped outside.

Ada had an air of authority, and it was clear she wasn't accustomed to being challenged.  Lila didn't mean any disrespect, and certainly wouldn't dream of offending Ada.  But it was her property now, and she'd convinced herself she needed to be familiar with the whole of it.  Since she'd been too overwhelmed to step foot back in Isaac's house again yet, not even to clean, she considered this checking off her first item of business.

That was what she told herself, but Ada's high pitched voice, her attempt and failure to sound casual about it, the look in her eye, made Lila determined to see the pond as soon as possible.  It couldn't be all that dangerous.  She knew Ada and her friends were so afraid of falling and breaking a hip like Cousin Alma that they tended to err on the safe side.  But why did Ada want to keep her away?

Lila searched behind the old house for a path.  She was about to make her own way through when a bird flapped it's wings in the bushes nearby.  She turned her head toward the movement and noticed the shrubs parted slightly.  She pushed through to a neglected path.              
Apparently, Ada’s authority really was unquestioned.  Regardless of it being private property, and there were several threatening signs along the way stating as much, one would think there were kids nearby who would be tempted to search for a cool pond on a sweltering summer day.  It was obvious that no one had walked this path for some time, as the bushes grew so far into the path that Lila wished she had worn pants rather than a light dress.  Already there were scratches all along her bare arms and legs.  She gingerly touched a wound that ran up her calf.  Blood welled up along it.  She searched through the tall grasses until she found a large stick.  Waving it before her, she held back the branches blocking her way.

The path began to thin, and she saw light glinting off water through the trees.  The sight of the pond surprised her.  Ada had told her it was dirty, and that would have explained why no one trespassed here.  True, it was no brilliant oasis, but water ran in and out, and overall it looked like a refreshing alternative to the heat. 

Everything was in shade, except for the dappled light which broke through the leaves here and there.  The air still hung heavy and warm, but it was cooler in amongst the trees;  cool enough that she had to slap a few mosquitos that left stinging welts on her shoulder and arms. 

The locusts were in full force.  The metallic, buzzing sound swelled and pulsed, like an alien army.  The maddening noise grew louder until it almost threatened sanity, then broke off suddenly.  It was eerily quiet.  She’d never heard anything like the strange insects before coming here, and she wondered if she’d ever get used to them.  She expected them to start their
raucous
chorus again any moment, but inexplicably, they remained silent.  

Lila walked to the edge of the pond and stood teetering on one foot while she removed a flip flop.  Then she removed the other, holding them in one hand as she stuck a toe tentatively into the water.  It was cool but not frigid, just as she'd expected.  Lila bunched her skirt up in one hand and waded further in.

Suddenly she froze and looked around her.  It was still perfectly quiet, but she felt as though someone was watching.  She tried to shake the feeling, telling herself that she was just spooked, and that the whiff of Old Spice cologne that floated across the water was only her imagination.  She didn’t know when she'd ever felt so isolated before.  Country living would definitely be an adjustment.

She pulled a foot up, about to take another step, when something swooped down at her, wings flapping wildly in her face.  She shrieked in surprise, throwing her arms over her head, then laughed at herself when she realized it was only a bird;  a gigantic, creepy bird, but not life-threatening.  She couldn’t help wondering what had spooked it.

Lila looked out over the pond and wondered how deep it was.  There was a darkness, suggesting that it was fairly deep in the middle, but she doubted that a little pond like this could be very deep.  As she stared, she thought she saw the darkness shift, as if it were alive. 

Her own voice broke through the silence, and it was comforting to hear something real and sensible.  “If you’re going to get spooked at every little thing, you might as well call it a day.”

Lila had turned to go back, when the water churned around her.  Bubbles tickled her legs and popped at the surface, as if some great creature had just exhaled from the depths of the pond.  Then something wrapped around her ankle and pulled her off her feet.  As her body hit the water she screamed, this time loud and hysterical.  The sound that echoed around her was nearly unrecognizable;  it seemed neither real, nor sensible. 

She had only waded up to her knees, so her head was still well above water, but the thing wouldn't let go.  She grabbed at her ankle, but she couldn’t feel what held her.  It began dragging her toward the center of the pond.

She flailed her arms and her free leg.  Water splashed into her throat, gurgling her screams.    Panic seized her chest, and time seemed to slow.  The force that held her began pulling her down.  She had barely a second to suck in air before she was completely submerged in the water. 

Lila finally struggled to the surface to gulp in air before she was pulled down again.  She fought hard, but couldn’t make it to the surface again.  She wasn’t sure how much longer she could hold her breath.  Her heart thumped hard against her ribs.

An image flashed through her mind.  Although she couldn’t place it, she knew the face.  It was accompanied by a curious burst of anger that started in her chest and crept outward like ice in her veins.  The animosity wasn’t coming from her, but felt as if it was.     The hate swelled inside of her, heavy and black.  She stopped fighting.

Suddenly something poked at her side.  She jerked away, then her mind became hers again.  She wrapped her hands around the object and hoisted herself out.  Whatever had been pulling her must have released its hold.  As Lila's head emerged from the water, there was a splash at the edge of the pond. 

Gasping and coughing, she clamored toward the edge of the pond.  With bleary eyes she saw a small figure pull itself up.  It stood watching her, delicate and still.

As soon as she reached dry ground, Lila bent and wretched.  Her stomach clenched as it emptied its contents into the grass.  Then she rolled onto her side, gasping as she blinked the water from her eyes, trying to focus on the small person standing a few feet away.

Finally, she recognized the impish brown eyes of the girl from the grocery store.  She was dripping wet, but curiously calm.

“
I’m Juniper,” she said.  “We don’t swim here.”  Her face was expressionless, her tone matter-of-fact.

Lila tried to calm down enough to form her thoughts into words.  What was that thing in the water?  Did the girl know what had happened to her just now?  Before the questions could swim their way from her murky mind to her lips there was a rustle in the bushes and the girl’s father broke through.

“Juniper,” he shouted, crouching down to her level.  “What are you doing back here?”  His brows were lowered, like the first time she'd seen him, but when he wrapped his arms around his daughter they pulled together, reshaping beautifully into a concerned expression she couldn't help but wish she was on the other end of. 

“
Are you okay?  You’re all wet.”  He stroked her hair, pulling it away from her face.  She nodded.  His eyes followed her gaze to where Lila lay on the ground.  He stumbled over to her, and Lila pushed herself up.

“
I’m all right.”  She held a hand out in assurance, but couldn’t control the shaking of her splayed fingers.  She tried to relax her breathing.  “Thanks to your little girl.  Sorry, honey.”  Lila's chest tightened.  Her eyes found Juniper, and she paused to catch her breath again.  “I didn’t mean to pull you in.  I just felt the branch and held on tight.”  Then she looked at Max, her voice pleading.  “I didn’t know there was a child on the other end.”

She cringed, expecting the intense expression to shift again to the heavy scowl she'd seen at the grocery store.  She hated to let an arrogant man like him intimidate her, but she was afraid she deserved it.  This time she had not simply hurt his daughter’s feelings, but had inadvertently endangered her life. 

Instead he crouched down, putting a hand on her back.  The intensity of his concern and his close proximity made her shift uncomfortably.  She looked down and cleared her throat as she peeled the wet fabric away from her skin and repositioned her dress, which had slid up and clung to her thigh. 

His eyes darted away.  “Um —You don't look—are you all right?”

“Yes.  I'll be fine.”  She tried to stand, but her legs were still unsteady.

“
WHOA.”  He grabbed her arm, then the smirk she'd seen the other day returned to his lips.  “I think you may need to consider safer modes of transportation.  Looks like driving and swimming are out.”

She lifted her chin and pulled her arm away, shooting a toxic look his way.  “I said I'm fine.”  She took a step and winced as a twig stuck into her foot.  She glanced at the pond, and caught a glimpse of one flip-flop floating around in the center.  There was no way she was going after it.

Max looked down at her bare feet, then removed his own large shoes and handed them to her.

“No, don’t do that.  I can manage,” she said stiffly.  He stared quietly, the moment expanding uncomfortably until she gave up.  She took the shoes and slipped her feet in.   

Lila crossed her arms over her chest and clumped silently behind Max and Juniper along the path.  Adrenaline still pumped through her system.  Her legs felt unsteady, and most of her attention was absorbed in pushing her way through the path in what she estimated to be size eleven shoes.

When they left the wooded area he turned to her, crossing his arms over his Led Zeppelin t-shirt.  “I’m Max,” he said awkwardly, as if he wasn’t sure if he had missed the appropriate time for introductions. 

“
I know.  I own you.”

His brows shot up.

“F—for one evening anyway.  Does this count?”

Max laughed nervously.  “Um, I guess, if you want.  But don't tell Grandma.  She paid good money to fix us up.”  He motioned to the girl.  “This is Juniper.  I guess you met her the other day, more or less.”  He ducked his head, then adjusted the thick-rimmed glasses and glanced back up.

“Lila Moore,” she said to Juniper.  Warmth rose in her cheeks at the mention of the grocery store encounter.  She glanced at Max.  “And, um, sorry about that.  No filter.”

He grimaced.  “Not one of my best days, either.  So you're staying with Ada?  You were, uh, driving her truck.”

“Yeah.  I guess I’m out of practice with a stick shift.” 

“
I came by to set up a new computer for her.  I was just getting my things out of my truck when I saw Juniper running off.”  He shot the little girl a warning look.  Her expression darkened and her sharp chin shot up in a defensive position. 

“
She knows she’s not supposed to go back there, but I guess we’ll let her off the hook this time, since she saved a life.”  He gave her shoulder a squeeze, pulling her closer to him, and she relaxed.  Lila gave the girl an apologetic look, hoping she hadn’t gotten her into trouble. 

“
Can we come back to the house with you?  I should get that work done for Ada.”  His voice was stiff, strained, and Lila wanted more than anything to release both of them from their discomfort.  But she nodded her head and they turned toward the house.