A Stolen Season

Chapter Twelve

I woke up before she did. It was a Sunday morning, another day of cold mist hanging in the air. But today everything felt different. I stood there over the bed and watched her sleeping. “Don’t go away,” I said softly. Then I headed to Vinnie’s house.

His truck was still where I had left it. I didn’t imagine he had even noticed the cut battery cables yet. I slipped in through the open front door and found him asleep on his couch. His feet were propped up on the table. His face was every shade of red, purple, green, and blue. I knew he’d be looking worse for a few days before he started to look better, but this was one beaten-up face. He seemed to be sleeping all right, though. His breathing was even. So I left him there and promised myself I’d be back later to check on him.

I had one more thing to do before going back to Natalie. I had a reservation for one of the cabins, and as far as I knew, the family was still coming up from downstate. I had called them and left a message, giving them a chance to cancel, but they never did. What they’d do up here if they were still coming, I couldn’t imagine. Who knows, maybe they wouldn’t mind wet, chilly air that feels twenty degrees colder than it really is. Maybe just being away from home was enough to make them happy. If they were still coming, I was going to try to make them comfortable.

I threw some firewood in the truck bed and drove down to the fifth cabin. It was the nicest place left after my father’s masterpiece was burned to the ground. I loaded up the wood stove and started it. I stacked the rest of the wood inside to keep it out of the wet air. By the time I was done, the place was already feeling cozy.

I wrote the family a note, told them to make themselves at home, told them I’d be down in the first cabin if they needed me. I didn’t know exactly when they’d get here, but I assumed it wouldn’t be for a while, unless they were already on their way and were driving most of the night.

When I got back to my cabin, I opened the door and smelled coffee. Natalie had a pot going, and was sitting on my bed looking at her cell phone. She was wearing my sweatshirt again. This time it didn’t look like she was wearing anything else underneath it.

“You’re right,” she said when I came in. “Your cell phone reception sucks here.”

“We make up for it in other ways. Like the perfect summer weather.”

“Yeah, what’s with that, anyway? I can’t believe I have to go back to Canada to get warm.”

“I’ve heard some of the old-timers talk about it. Every twenty years or so, it’s like summer just forgets to come.”

“I need to use your phone,” she said. “This thing just isn’t going to work.”

“Go ahead.”

I poured myself a cup of coffee while she called the Mounties’ office. I could only hear her part of the conversation while she talked to the special operations commander. It was mostly a string of yeses and I understands. When she was done, she hung up the phone and stayed sitting on the bed.

“What’s going on?” I said.

“There’s some disagreement about whether we’re going to pull the plug. As of now, we’re still a go.”

“They can’t be serious.”

“I need to go back, no matter which way they call it.”

“When?”

“Tomorrow morning.”

“So it’s a pretty short visit.”

“Are you sorry I came out?” She had a hint of a smile on her face.

“Uh, no. I think I’ll take it.”

“It’ll be your turn to come out to Toronto.”

“Okay,” I said. “I think I can find the place.”

“I need to call Don. Then we can go do something. You have any plans for today?”

“Lady’s choice.”

She dialed my phone again. “Don,” she said when it went through, “where are you? Keller is looking for you.”

I waited for her to finish the conversation. It felt a little strange, hearing her talk to the man she was spending so much time with in a hotel room. I knew she wasn’t alone with him. I knew it wouldn’t matter even if she was. It was just a gut reaction that I couldn’t quite stop.

“He sounds really weird today,” she said when she hung up. “He must be feeling the stress, too.”

“You know, you made me promise you something last night.”

She looked at me. “I know,” she said. “But I have to go back. You know that. I was just a little freaked out last night.”

“Or maybe it was the voice.”

“Which voice.”

“You know. The cop voice. In your head. The one you should always listen to.”

“Come here.”

“Why?”

“You said it was lady’s choice today. I just thought of the first thing I want to do.”

When we were finally dressed and on our feet, we headed down to the end of my road. I showed her the work Vinnie and I had been doing on the last cabin.

“This is going to be beautiful,” she said. She ran her hand along the staircase.

“I hope it’s half as good as what it was before,” I said. “That’s all.”

“You’re doing all this for your father, aren’t you. You couldn’t bear to see this place destroyed.”

“I don’t know how far I would have gotten without Vinnie helping me.”

“Where is he today? I’d like to see him.”

I hesitated. “Sure, if you want to…”

Vinnie had been with us from the beginning, from the first time I had met her, up at the lake. Through the death of her partner. I knew she must have felt almost as close to him as I did.

“Is he at the casino?”

“No, he’s home. I don’t think he’ll be going to work today.”

“What happened?”

“Well, you remember our little adventure the other night?”

“The one where you ended up in the jail?”

“That would be the one. Vinnie ended up running into those guys again. This time, it was one against two.”

“How bad is he?”

“If I told you he probably looks worse than he really is…”

“I’ll be the judge of that. Let’s go see him.”

We drove down to Vinnie’s cabin, parked next to his truck. “He’s going to be surprised to see you,” I said as we went to the door.

I opened it. The couch was empty now, the blanket folded on one arm.

“Vinnie!” I said. “You’ve got company.”

I went to the bathroom, expecting to find him with his face in the sink again. Or maybe taking a bath, trying to make himself feel better.

He wasn’t there.

“Son of a bitch.”

“What’s the matter?” Natalie said.

“He’s not here.”

“That’s his truck outside, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, I disabled it yesterday. I didn’t want him going anywhere.”

“Somebody else gave him a ride?”

I thought about it. “His cousin Buck,” I said. “Damn it, I bet Vinnie called him.”

“Where do you think they went?”

“I don’t know exactly.” I didn’t think he’d know where to find the vacation house down in Hessel. Unless he got Caroline to tell him. “But I know a few places to start. Come on.”

We got in my truck and rumbled down to the main road. I was about to gun it through town, but at the last moment I pulled into Jackie’s parking lot.

“Why are we stopping already?”

“I want to check here real quick, see if he stopped in. Jackie might know something.”

When we went inside the Glasgow, there was Vinnie sitting by the fireplace. He had a bag of ice pressed to his face. Before I could say a word, Jackie was all over me.

“Alex!” he said. “What in goddamned hell is the matter with you?”

“Jackie…,” I said. “Vinnie…”

“Look at his face, Alex! Look at him! You left him all alone in his cabin all day yesterday, and all last night! You even cut the goddamned battery cables in his truck so he couldn’t go anywhere! What were you thinking?”

“Listen-”

“Listen yourself, God damn it! What were you trying to do, starve him to death? What if he had to go see a doctor? Is this the way you take care of your friend, by leaving him stranded in his cabin? He had to walk all the way down here just to get something to eat and some more ice for his face! I’m waiting for an explanation, Alex. I really want to hear it, because this is the stupidest goddamned thing you’ve ever done. And believe me, that’s saying something.”

“Jackie-”

“What, Alex? What are you going to say?”

“I want to introduce you to somebody.”

That stopped him cold. He finally noticed Natalie standing behind me.

“Hello,” she said. “You must be the famous Jackie.”

“Hello,” he said, his voice suddenly throttled down about twelve notches. “You must be the famous Natalie.”

“Where’s Vinnie?” Natalie said. Then she saw him. “Oh my God, what happened to you?”

He tried to get up from his chair.

“Sit down,” she said. “Who did this?”

“I did. It’s all my fault.”

“I’m serious, Vinnie. Who did this?”

Vinnie looked up at me for some help. “Natalie,” he said, “what are you doing here?”

“I came to see Alex, so I could kick his butt. How come he wasn’t there to help you?”

“Hey,” I said.

“I told you,” Vinnie said. “It’s all on me. It’s not Alex’s fault.”

“We’re supposed to look out for each other,” she said. She touched the side of his face. “My God…”

“You scared the hell out of us,” I said. “We were about to drive all over the U.P. looking for you.”

“What, you think I’d go back for more? Already? How stupid do you think I am?” He tried to smile at Natalie. It was hard to do with a swollen upper lip.

“You should go to the hospital,” Natalie said.

“I’m feeling better already. Seriously. Come on, sit down, tell me what’s going on.”

That’s how we ended up spending the whole afternoon at the Glasgow Inn. Natalie got her chance to totally disarm Jackie and convince him that she was the best thing that ever happened to me. Vinnie kept icing his face and resting by the fire. I brought out some cold Molsons and gave her one, told her I knew which side of the border had all the good beer.

“At last,” she said to me, “you get something right.”

As great as it was, I couldn’t help feeling a little unsettled. Here was Natalie sitting in the Glasgow, pretty much owning the place already. But this was the one place I came to every single day of my life. I talked to Jackie here, I met up with Vinnie here, I watched a game on the television over the bar. Or I just sat here by the fire, all by myself. Now in one afternoon the place had changed. I’d never be able to come here again without thinking of Natalie.

And hell, what about my cabin? What about my bed? I spent the night sleeping beside her, waking up to listen to her, to touch her. To make myself believe that it was really happening. How will I ever sleep in that bed alone now?

If this thing with Natalie doesn’t work out…everything will be different. Everything. It’s like I’m putting all my chips on the table now, making this one last big bet with my whole life. Happy with Natalie Reynaud. Or unhappily alone forever.

That’s what I was thinking that cold July afternoon. But what the hell, right? It was about time.

Vinnie wanted to go back to his cabin, so we drove him up there. All three of us wedged in the front seat of my truck. We got him comfortable on his couch, got his bottle of ibuprofen, got his bag of ice.

“Are you sure you don’t want us to stay?” Natalie said.

“I’m positive,” he said. “Go out to dinner or something. Do something good.”

“We’ll come back later,” she said. “We’ll stop by and check on you.”

“Just go. I mean it.”

“Okay,” she said. “Okay.” She bent down and kissed him on his tired, beat-up face, this man who had once saved her life. And mine. “You rest.”

“Alex,” he said, as we were leaving.

I went over to him.

“Life is smiling on one of us,” he said in a low voice.

“You got that right.”

“Do me a favor. Don’t blow it.”

“I’ll try not to.”

We left him there, closed the door, and went out into the evening. It was still light out, a cold gray light that looked just like November. But I could not have been a happier man.

“Jackie makes a great beef stew,” I said. “How about it?”

“Let’s save that one. I’ve got another idea for dinner.”

I was suddenly picturing something in my cabin, dinner in bed perhaps. But she had something totally different in mind. She wanted to go to the last place on earth I ever would have thought of.

A few minutes later, we were speeding down M-28. “You really want to go to the Freighters for dinner,” I said. “At the Ojibway Hotel.”

“That’s right.”

“Don’t we both have some pretty bad memories of that place?”

“That’s why I want to eat there. So we can banish them forever. If I’m going to be spending a lot of time over here, we can’t go on avoiding one of the nicest restaurants in town just because something bad happened there once.”

“Your wish is my command.”

“Is that a cop behind us? What are you going, about ninety?”

“I’m not sure, actually. I think the speedometer is broken.”

I looked in the rearview mirror and saw the car gaining on us. It was one of the state guys. He closed to about a hundred yards before he slowed down and did a U-turn. In another few seconds, he was just a speck going the other way.

“How come he didn’t ring you up?” she said.

“They all know me by now.”

“Must be nice. Special favors from the police.”

“Speaking of which…Well, we’ll see about that later.”

“You’re buying me dinner first. I’m not that easy.”

The sun was just starting to go down when we hit the Soo. I parked downtown on Portage Avenue, just a few doors from where Vinnie and I had found our friends in the bar a couple of nights before and gotten arrested. Yeah, there were great memories all around this part of town.

We went in through the hotel entrance and walked to the back of the place, where the restaurant overlooked the locks. We could see a freighter moving slowly through, maybe a seven-hundred-footer. We sat down at one of the tables along the window. In fact, it was the very same table we had had on that one fateful night, when a man who seemed to know us said some strange and horrible things to us, and then walked out and died in the snow.

“If a weird old man approaches us,” I said, “I’m leaving.”

“Hey, isn’t that…”

I turned to see who she was referring to, and looked right up into the smiling face of Chief Roy Maven.

“Constable Reynaud,” he said. “What a great pleasure.”

He bent down and took her hand. For one second I thought he was going to get down on one knee and kiss it.

“Chief Maven,” she said. “How have you been?”

“Just fine, thank you.” He gave me a quick nod. “McKnight.”

“Evening, Chief.”

“You’ve been staying out of trouble, right? I don’t want to come in tomorrow morning and find you in my jail again.” He turned back to Natalie. “Did Alex tell you about that?”

“Yes, Chief.”

“Darn. That would have made my night if you hadn’t heard yet.”

“Chief…,” I said.

“Relax, McKnight. We’re all out of uniform here. Those of us who still wear them, anyway. Can I introduce my wife?”

He brought the poor woman over, this woman who had married Roy Maven and conceived his children. She actually looked quite sane and even pleasant. Apparently, she had already heard about me, with Maven bringing home tales from the office, the latest trouble this McKnight character had gotten himself into. We all had some more fun at my expense, and then they excused themselves.

“It’s always good to see you, Constable,” he said to Natalie. He gave me another nod and then they were off.

“Okay, now all I need is a big boat to come plowing through this window,” I said. “That will make the evening complete.”

“I think you secretly like that man,” she said.

“If it’s a secret, it’s one I don’t know about.”

“I think he’s very charming in his own way.”

“You’re just torturing me now. I hope you’re enjoying yourself.”

“Absolutely.”

Later, after dinner, we walked through the Locks Park. It was getting darker and colder by the minute. We stopped at the fountain and threw pennies in for good luck. I kissed her.

When we were back in the truck, I asked her if I could make one more side trip before taking her home. That’s how we ended up going down to Rosedale, to Leon’s house.

“I have to give him back his gun,” I said. “And I think this will raise my stock with his wife.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, she thinks every time I come over, it’s to drag Leon into something dangerous. So imagine if I’m just bringing you over to meet the family.”

“And returning his gun.”

“I won’t let her see that part.”

The house looked empty when I pulled into the driveway. I had the sudden fear that Leon was out looking for trouble like everyone else in my life. But of course that was nonsense, a product of my overactive imagination. Besides, I thought, if he was really out doing that, he wouldn’t have taken his whole family with him.

“I’ll hold on to the gun,” I said. “Maybe I’ll see him tomorrow.”

“Tell him hello for me if you do.”

Because you won’t be here tomorrow. That’s the thought that was running through my head, all the way back to Paradise. It was totally dark now. The cold mist that was settling on us every night this summer was back again, dancing in my headlights, coming together in tendrils and then drifting apart as we passed through it.

It was quiet for a long time. Finally I spoke up.

“You tired?”

“Little bit.”

Her profile in the faint glow of the dashboard. The little scar on her chin.

“You’re really going back tomorrow?”

“I have to, yes.”

“Okay. But you don’t have to go undercover again if you don’t want to. No matter what anyone else says, that’s your call.”

“They’re going to shut everything down because I’m getting cold feet?”

“If it doesn’t feel safe to you, you can’t ignore that.”

“I’ll go back,” she said. “I’ll see what they decide.”

“You can’t do it.”

“Says who?”

“Natalie, you told me yourself you think Laraque can see right through it.”

“It was just the fear talking. I’ll be all right.”

“No, you won’t. You can’t go.”

“It’s not up to you, Alex.”

“You asked me not to let you go back,” I said. It came out with more of an edge than I wanted. “I’m doing what you asked me to do.”

“Well, now I’m asking you to back off. You’re not making this any easier.”

“Fine. I’ll back off.”

“Alex, I’m sorry.”

“Yeah. Me, too.”

It hung there between us as I rounded the bay and headed up to Paradise. I wasn’t sure what else to say. Or if it would do any good.

We passed Vinnie’s place. There were no lights on. We didn’t stop.

“I need to call the station one more time,” she said as I pulled in front of the cabin.

“Go on in. I’m gonna check on the family down the road. They should be here by now.”

I watched her get out and go inside my cabin. Then I closed my eyes and swore at myself a few times. I put the truck back in gear and drove up the road to the fifth cabin. The lights were on. There was a minivan parked outside. I got out and knocked on the front door.

The father answered. He might have been ten years younger than me. Maybe only five. But he had a couple of young kids. The boy looked about eight years old, the little girl about four. They were sitting with their mother by the wood stove.

“Listen,” I said. “I know you reserved this place, but you didn’t have to come up here. I can’t imagine this is what you had in mind.”

“It’s good to get away from everything, Mr. McKnight. No matter where you go.”

“Call me Alex. Please.”

“Hey, why is it so cold?” the boy asked.

“Sorry about that,” I said. “I thought I ordered warm weather for you guys.”

“Don’t be sorry,” the boy said. “We love it!”

“Yeah,” the little girl said. “Is it going to snow tonight?”

“Yeah, snow in July!” the boy said. “How cool would that be?”

I ended up staying there for a little while, getting to know the family. I told them all about Paradise, what they could go out and do the next day, starting with a trip up to the Shipwreck Museum. The boy showed me the remote control car he had brought up with him. The girl showed me her stuffed animals. When they were all settled in, I thanked the man again, wished them all a good night. I told them to come down to the first cabin if they needed anything.

When I was back outside, it hit me.

It could still happen.

I could have something like this. A wife, two kids, all of us happy to go away together, no matter what the weather was. As long as we were together.

It was something I had given up on long ago. Something that had passed me by, something I tried not to think about. But tonight anything seemed possible. Anything. Even this.

It wasn’t too late.

God, Alex. Listen to you.

I got back in my truck. On the way back to my cabin, I practiced a few versions of my apology. I’m just so worried about you. I hate the thought of you being in harm’s way. Sometimes I want to say things to you and they just come out all sideways.

Yeah, something like that, Alex. That’ll do it. Too bad there aren’t any twenty-four-hour florists in Paradise.

The last normal thought in my head, before everything slows down.

Trees.

More trees.

Fog.

I round the corner. The red glow of a vehicle’s taillights. One glimpse and then they’re gone.

Vinnie out, doing what?

But no, his truck is still grounded. It’s not Vinnie.

Somebody else? Who could be here?

The cabin. Front door open. Light streaming out onto the ground, like something spilled.

The door can’t be open. It does not make sense.

Stop the truck. Get out and move. Running now. Natalie. What on God’s earth is going on? Natalie.

Through the open door. Squinting in the sudden bright light.

Phone on the floor. Cord curled around a table leg.

Natalie. Where are you?

Push the table away. Glass breaking. Water on the floor.

Something else. The bright color of it. The shock like something plugged into my spine.

The red. The blood.

Her face, her eyes open. Staring up at me.

My sweatshirt on her chest now. She had put it on again. I was going to give it to her. I was. It’s dark now, stained and wet. Holes in the fabric.

One of them here.

Another here.

One more. Ruined.

Natalie.

On my knees, holding her. Lifting her from the floor, from the blood. Her arms hang. Her hair. Hanging to the floor.

Natalie, please.

Grabbing for the phone, trying to remember how it works, which numbers to press. Somehow I have to keep her off the floor. I can’t drop her. I can’t let go.

Natalie. Hang on.

But there’s nothing there. Nobody to hear me. Her eyes do not move.

The warmth of her gone, her life, herself. She is gone.

She is gone.