The Magic Of Halloween Night

Chapter 11

By the time I arrived at the shelter, Cass was already there. After I kissed him on the cheek and greeted Milo, the three of us set off to find a dozen or so dogs to play with. It was part of Naomi’s strategy that all the dogs in her care receive as much people-time as possible during their stay. Those with behavior problems were given one on one training, and all the dogs were matched up with volunteers for play sessions.

“So, how was your day?” Cass asked after we’d corralled a dozen dogs into the indoor play area. We like to take the dogs outdoors when the weather cooperated, but the storm that had been predicted was already beginning to blow in, which meant that it was both cold and windy.

“It was great except for the fact that Harrison failed to show up at his appointed time this morning. Talk about throwing a wrench in the works. The director was mad, the schedule needed to be shuffled around, and everyone who wasn’t working on the set was sent out to look for him.”

“Did they ever find him?”

I shook my head. “It looked as if he hadn’t slept in his bed, so the assumption is that he hooked up with someone and forgot to set his alarm. Of course, if that had been the case, he would have eventually shown up, so I really don’t know what’s going on.”

“Maybe he tied one on and will show up tomorrow.”

“I guess. There’s a big storm blowing in, so filming has been paused until Monday.”

Cass smiled. “So, does that mean you have the whole weekend off?”

“I do.”

Cass picked up a handful of balls and tossed them in quick succession. The dogs took off, each appearing to try to outrun the others in order to come up with one of the half dozen balls Cass tossed.

“How is your investigation into Bill’s accident coming along?” I asked.

“I’ve pretty much decided that there wasn’t any foul play involved, although I do have this nagging feeling that everything isn’t exactly as it seems. I’m really not sure why I even feel that way. I’ve had the guys go over the car, and they couldn’t find any sign of tampering. There were no skid marks on the pavement other than those created by Bill once he realized he was in trouble and tried to stop. I’ve gone over his phone and bank records. I’ve talked to his friends and neighbors. Other than the fact that no one can explain why he was out on the old highway so late at night, I really have nothing to suggest that anything other than driver error occurred.”

“What about the black paint?”

Cass shrugged. “That is odd, but that particular lead hasn’t gotten me anywhere. The scratch marks on Bill’s arm could very well have been there before his dinner with Robert and Jennifer. There are patches of mud out along the old highway, so the fact that Bill had mud on his shoes isn’t a reason to open a case, and the red and green stones in the tire tread could have been picked up in any number of locations. For now, the accident has officially been attributed to driver error, and the unofficial file I opened has been closed. If new evidence comes along, I can always take a second look.”

It sounded like Cass had done what he could. Maybe Bill had just swerved to avoid hitting something, and, in the process, lost control and hit the tree.

“So, where should we have dinner tonight?” I asked, deciding to veer the conversation away from work-related topics.

“Do you need to get back to the house at any time in particular?” he asked.

“No. Paisley is spending the weekend with Anna again, and Tom and Aunt Gracie decided to take a little trip. I need to be around to feed Alastair twice a day, but other than that, I’m free for the weekend.”

Cass grinned. “I like the sound of that.” He paused and appeared to be thinking something over. Eventually, he spoke. “What would you think about heading out to Gracie’s place, feeding the cat, and then heading up to my place to make dinner and watch the storm roll in?”

Oh, I was tempted.

“I have some steaks in the freezer I can defrost in the microwave and then grill. I have fixings for salad and potatoes for baking.”

“That does sound nice, and you do have an awesome view of the lake and the summit from the boathouse.” I knew it was there even though it hadn’t been voiced — the unspoken invitation to spend the night with Cass in his home while the wind howled and the clouds gathered all around us. I could imagine laying in his bed, listening to the rain falling on the roof. I could imagine sleeping in his arms. I could imagine finally giving in to the longing I knew both of us felt. Sure, there was the curse to consider, but Gracie was off with Tom for the weekend, and nothing had ever happened to either of them in their forty-plus year relationship. “I suppose that with the storm and all, it might be best to just bring Alastair out to the boathouse. I’d hate for him to be alone if it starts to thunder.”

Cass smiled. “I think that would be fine. Milo will enjoy having a roomie.”

I laughed. “I’m not sure how Alastair will feel about sharing space with Milo, but the two animals do know each other, so I think it should be fine.”

Once the play hour was over, we returned the dogs to their pens and then headed over to Gracie’s house. I packed a bag for myself, which included clean clothes for the weekend, as well as the cat box and food for Alastair. I called Paisley and told her that I was going to be working for most of the weekend and wouldn’t be home. I supposed that was a lie, but I wasn’t sure I wanted her to know that I planned to spend the weekend with Cass. I told her to call or text if she needed me. She assured me she’d be fine, but I could tell she appreciated the fact that I’d checked in with her. Once I had everything I’d need to spend the next two days with Cass, we headed toward the narrow road that led to the north side of the lake. I really couldn’t remember the last time I’d been this nervous. Taking a deep breath, I willed myself to relax.

When we arrived at the boathouse, Cass headed to the kitchen to start the steak and potatoes while I got Alastair settled. Initially, he wasn’t happy that his litter box was in a strange bathroom, and his food and water bowls were perched on the counter in the laundry room just above Milo’s bowls, which were on the floor, but after he’d had a chance to look around, he began to relax. Eventually, he jumped up onto the back of the sofa and looked out the window. The clouds were so dense that the light from the moon and stars couldn’t get through, which made it dark, dark, dark.

“It’s really windy out there,” I said as the small house shook after a gust of wind slammed into it.

“I heard we can expect wind gusts over sixty miles an hour tonight. The wind is supposed to die down once the rain starts tomorrow. According to the news report I listened to earlier, they’re predicting that we could get as much as five inches of rain in our area.”

“There will be flooding.”

“There will be,” Cass agreed.

“I suppose the area up near the resort will be fine. It’s high enough up on the mountain that even a lot of rain should do little more than swell the river. But the lakes and ponds at this elevation will be vulnerable. I guess we should keep an eye on things.”

“We will. Wine?” Cass asked, opening a bottle.

“Please.” I slipped onto a stool at the counter. Cass had built a fire in the fireplace while I’d been settling Alastair, which gave the room a warm and cozy feel despite the wind pounding on the side of the boathouse and the waves from the lake crashing onto the deck outside the patio door. “Do you ever get floodwater inside the boathouse?” I wondered.

“No. At least I haven’t so far. There have been times when the wind and rain will get the surface of the lake churned up to the point that large waves roll onto the decks and walkways, but the boathouse itself seems to be able to withstand the pounding.”

The potatoes would take a while to bake, so we settled onto the sofa with the wine. The large picture window that normally allowed for a fantastic view of the lake was marred with water that had blown up from the lake. I supposed it didn’t really matter since it was too dark to see anything anyway.

Alastair jumped down off his perch and curled up in my lap. He seemed content now that he’d gotten the lay of the land. I suspected he’d rather be home where everything was familiar, but he was the adaptable sort, so I was sure he’d be fine.

“So tell me about the actors and actresses you’ve met this week,” Cass asked.

I was pretty sure he was more interested in easing my tension by making causal conversation than in learning about my impressions of the men and women who’d been cast in the movie, but it felt like a safe topic that wouldn’t stretch my nerves any further, so I began to describe the people I’d spoken to. By the time I’d filled him in the best I could, the potatoes were done, so Cass got up to grill the steaks. I topped off both wine glasses as he tossed a salad and suggested we sit at the table near the window rather than the bar where he normally ate.

The food was probably delicious, but I really didn’t taste it. I tried to relax and not overthink things, but no matter how hard I tried, the only thing on my mind was what might or might not happen after dinner. When Cass suggested a movie, I was both disappointed and relieved. We picked out a good horror flick and settled in to watch it as the storm raged outdoors. When Cass pulled a blanket over the top of us and then settled an arm around my shoulders, I snuggled up next to his warm side. The movie took place in a haunted house during a storm, which seemed appropriate given the storm that was building outside the window. I half expected Cass to bring up the subject of the curse and where this night might or might not lead, but instead of talking, he simply kissed me, holding back just a bit and allowing me to set the pace. I knew I should pull back, but to be honest, I was tired of holding back. I deepened the kiss, and he responded. When we were together, it felt so right. I’d believed in the curse and had lived with the devastation it could cause, but in that moment, I couldn’t understand how something that felt so right could be wrong.

“We should stop,” I whispered against his mouth.

He pulled back just a bit. “Is that what you want?”

“No.” I reached up a hand and ran it down his face. “But I would die if something happened to you.”

“It won’t. Curses only have the power to hurt you if you believe in them, and I don’t.”

“But...”

He put a finger over my lips. “I love you. I want to be with you. To build a life with you. We don’t even know if our being together will act as a trigger.”

“We don’t know that it will, but it might,” I argued despite the fact that my heart yearned to give up the struggle and test the limits of the curse once and for all.

Cass put both his hands on my cheeks, pulled my face forward, and devoured my lips with his. I knew I should stop him. I knew that letting go and loving him both physically and emotionally was a risk. But in the end, my will to fight the inevitable ending Cass and I had been heading toward since the moment I returned to town somehow got lost in my urgent need to take a chance and explore the possibilities a life with Cass might provide.