Chapter Seventeen
Leah sat across from her grandma and Magnus Lindgren, sipping the last of her coffee and feeling like a third wheel. She was pretty sure the two were holding hands beneath the table, and Gram had made several suggestive comments indicating they held a whole lot more than that in private. Leah wasn’t sure if she should be shocked, offended, or give them both an A for effort. Admiration for her grandma’s spunky determination to live life to the fullest filled her. She should take lessons.
“You’ve been quiet, dear. Are you missing that nice young man, Ryan? Maybe you should have brought him along with you to brunch.”
Leah pushed aside her empty plate and planted one elbow on the table. “He took a quick trip up to Portland on Thursday. Some problem at his company headquarters, but he called earlier to tell me the complication had been ironed out, and he’s on his way back now.”
Magnus set down his cup. “Evie mentioned the man you’re dating is the founder of Crossroads. That site is far superior to its social media predecessors. Much smoother to navigate and more functional. Your friend must be a genius at coding.”
Leah smiled at the man who, it seemed, knew his way around a computer. “Ryan is a genius, period.” She paused as the waitress approached the table with their check. “The pancakes were delicious.”
The woman shot her a quick grin as she cleared their plates. “I’ll be sure to tell our chef her efforts were appreciated.”
“We all like to hear that.” Gram wiggled her brows, sending color rushing to Magnus’s cheeks.
He slicked back his silver hair and coughed. When Leah reached toward the bill, he swooped in to grab it from the tray. “No, no, brunch is my treat.”
She withdrew her hand. “Well, thank you. The meal was lovely, and I certainly enjoyed meeting you.”
“The same. Evie talks about you all the time.” He pulled out his wallet. “Shall we go? We don’t have much time before our scuba session.”
Leah slung her bag over her shoulder as she rose to her feet, then turned to stare at her grandma. “You’re taking scuba lessons?”
“This is our third one. At my age, squeezing into a wetsuit is no easy feat, but the view underwater is worth the effort.”
“I’m impressed.” Leah followed the pair to the cashier at the front of the coffee shop. “Sounds like fun. By the way, I like the purple. Very chic.”
Her grandma patted her curls. “Flo did a terrific job.” She hooked her arm through Magnus’s after he returned his wallet to his jacket pocket, then led the way outside. “Oh, that nice policeman came by with sketches the other day to see if I recognized the other two men who robbed foolish seniors like me.”
“Not foolish, Gram, just a little too trusting.” Leah pulled her bike out of the rack near the door. “Did you?”
“No, just Thomas Woodward. I told Officer Long one of the other names sounded familiar, but I can’t put my finger on why.”
“Which name?”
“Anthony Benedetto. I looked in the phone book after the officer left, but no one named Benedetto lives in Siren Cove. Maybe he used to and is dead now.” Her grandma shrugged. “When you get to be in your eighties, old acquaintances start dropping like flies.”
Leah winced at her matter-of-fact tone. “I suppose so, but the man who swindled you was around my age.”
“Could be a relative of the one I’m remembering.” She patted Leah’s arm. “Well, I won’t worry about it since I know everyone is doing their best to find that asshat Woodward and recover my money. I have great faith in the system.”
Which is a whole lot more than I have. Leah smiled despite her doubts. “I’m keeping my fingers crossed. At this point, we’ll take all the luck we can get.”
Magnus gave her a sympathetic look. “I know you’re worried, but everything will work out for the best.” He slipped an arm around her grandma’s waist. “Come along, Evie, or we’ll be late for our class.”
“I’ll see you soon, Gram. Bye, Magnus, and thanks again for brunch.”
“You’re very welcome.” He opened the door of his smoke-gray Bentley for her grandmother and gave a toot on the horn a minute later as they pulled away.
Leah couldn’t help grinning, even though she wasn’t nearly as optimistic about the future as her grandma and her new beau seemed to be. Straddling the bike, she pushed off and headed for home, enjoying the breeze blowing off the ocean as she rode.
Life wasn’t all bad. No one had tried to brain her or rob her in the last few days. Definitely a plus. And Ryan would be back soon. She couldn’t believe how much she’d missed him in the forty-eight hours since he’d left. Imagining what it would be like after he went home for good made her chest ache. She forced the thought away and pedaled harder. By the time she reached her house, she was breathless.
Barney greeted her with shrill barks of joy as she wheeled her bike into the carport. Pushing the dog away when he continued to dance around like a lunatic, she dug her keys out of her bag to unlock the back door. Her lips tightened at the reminder that leaving her home unsecured was no longer an option.
Once inside, she dropped her bag on the counter and rubbed her dog’s ears. “I love you, too. We’ll go for a walk later, but first I need to work in the garden.”
With a moan, he followed her up the stairs and waited while she changed into old jeans and a sweatshirt. Amusement curled her lips at his woebegone expression while she braided her hair into one long plait. Returning to the kitchen, she glanced around and frowned. Dishes filled the sink, and somehow a pile of junk mail, jackets, and shoes had accumulated in the corner. She really should clean up . . .
“Later.” With a smile at the dog, she sorted through a basket of odds and ends to locate her gardening gloves. “Got them. Let’s go, Barney.”
The sun shone warmly on her shoulders as she knelt in the dirt to dig up potatoes, but there was a bite to the wind. The weatherman was forecasting a hard freeze. She needed to get the tubers out of the ground, not to mention hauling in the squash and pumpkins. Beside her, Barney dug furiously and stuck his nose in the hole.
“If only I could harness all that energy into productive gardening.” She unearthed the first hill of potatoes, then glanced over at her dog. “Hey, what do you have there?”
Barney clamped his jaws around something small and black and scurried backward. Making a lunging grab, Leah caught hold of his collar and pried his mouth open.
“Ha, got it!” She held up a plastic container dripping slobber. “Oh, good grief. So, that’s what happened to the film from the time capsule. You buried it!”
When an engine rumbled louder before cutting off, Leah stood and stuck the container into her pocket. A car door slammed, and footsteps crunched gravel.
“I’m back here,” she called out.
A few moments later, Ryan rounded the side of the carport. His smile grew when she jerked off her gloves and ran toward him.
“You’re back!”
He caught her in his arms and swung her around, then bent to kiss her. She responded with enthusiasm, turning a simple greeting into a whole lot more.
“I missed you.” He cupped her face and kissed her again. “You taste good. Sweet.”
“Probably maple syrup. I had brunch with my grandma and her . . . gentleman friend.” She grimaced. “What the heck am I supposed to call the man my eighty-two-year-old grandmother is sleeping with?”
Ryan grinned. “Go, Evie. Does this dude have a name?”
“Magnus Lindgren.” She leaned against the hands he linked behind her back. “He seems nice. I’m just thankful you’re here because it would be downright embarrassing if Gram was getting more action than me.”
“You crack me up. What else have you been doing?”
She shrugged. “The usual. Work and . . . I guess just work. Right now, I’m bringing in the last of my fall vegetables. If you like, you can help me dig potatoes and gather squash.”
“Sure.” He glanced down at his button-up shirt and khakis. “Am I going to get filthy?”
“You do look a little dressier than your usual jeans and a T-shirt.”
“I had a breakfast meeting with my management team before I left. I guess it wouldn’t kill me to get dirty, but—”
“Are my less than tidy habits rubbing off on you?”
He grimaced. “I wouldn’t go that far. Dirty knees are one thing. Clutter, on the other hand—”
“Stop right there.” She pressed a finger to his lips. “You may want to avoid my kitchen.”
“Good to know, but what I was going to say is I can change. I have clothes from my trip in the Jeep, since I haven’t been back to my mom’s yet.”
Knowing he’d come straight to see her the minute he arrived in town filled Leah with warmth despite the cold wind. She kissed him again and stepped back. “Go change.” She paused to pull the film canister from her pocket. “On your way through, can you please put this on the table? Barney buried it in the garden.”
“What have you got there?”
“The film roll we found in the time capsule. I couldn’t imagine what had happened to it. Now I can get the pictures developed.”
He took it from her and popped the lid. “There’s some corrosion on the casing. Dampness might have damaged the negatives. I’m not sure a technician would want to touch this.”
“No? That sucks. I was looking forward to seeing those photos. Do you think they’re all ruined?”
“I really don’t know. Some of the roll might have survived.” He frowned. “I could try to develop the film. I’ve done a little photography, including the technical side, but I don’t have access to a darkroom here.”
“There’s one at the high school, and I know the woman who teaches the photography and art classes. I could ask her if she’ll let you use their darkroom.”
“Sure. I’m curious to see if any of the negatives can be salvaged, too.”
“Then I’ll call her. In the meantime, go change. I need to finish in the garden, and I promised Barney a walk later.”
“Sounds good. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
Leah did a happy dance down the row between the pumpkins and the squash before dropping to her knees beside the potato hills. Slowly her smile faded. She couldn’t deny her feelings for Ryan had escalated far beyond friendship and attraction. His presence made her day complete. And his absence, well . . .
She picked up the trowel and stared blankly at the loosened earth around the plants. He cared about her. A lot. But she couldn’t help wondering if all those dirty dishes in the sink would be a deal breaker. Nor did she have any desire to start making her bed every morning. She couldn’t change who she was any more than he could.
Did something as petty as cleaning habits even matter? She had a job in Siren Cove, one she enjoyed most days, one she had no intention of quitting. Not that she could afford to, anyway. And Ryan had made no mention of staying in town after his mom got her cast removed.
She glanced over at Barney, tail waving as he stuck his nose down a gopher hole, not a care in the world. Right now, all she wanted was to be like her dog and bury her head in the sand—or more accurately, the dirt—and pretend the problem didn’t exist. So when Ryan returned, wearing faded jeans and a smile, she pushed her worries to the back of her mind as her heartbeat quickened. She’d ignore her fears, at least for today . . .
* * *
Ryan stared at the row of prints laid out on the counter in the high school darkroom. Only five had been salvageable, and the quality of those was pretty horrible after twenty years buried in the ground. Blurry and distorted, he tried to make out the images in the dim light. Maybe photos from a Halloween party? Figures dressed in costumes stood around a bonfire. Not kids, though. He was pretty certain they were adult-sized. He picked up one picture by the edge and held it closer to the light. Strange, all the figures seemed to be dressed in long robes. Not white like ghost costumes. Gray, with a single man—or possibly a woman—garbed in black in the center of the group.
When a rap echoed through the room, he laid the photo down with the others and stepped around the center island to open the door. “Hey, Britt, come on in.”
Britt Forsythe didn’t look old enough to be a high school teacher. Hell, she barely looked old enough to be one of her own students. The photography teacher pushed heavy, horn-rimmed glasses up her nose and snapped her gum. “How’d it go?”
“Only five negatives from the center of the roll came out. The rest weren’t salvageable.”
“That’s too bad. Anything good on the ones you printed?”
“They’re sort of odd.” He waved a hand toward the counter. “Come have a look.”
“I would, but I’m running a little late. If you’re finished . . .”
“Sure. Sorry to keep you waiting.” Ryan gathered up the prints and slid them into a folder along with the negatives. “I really appreciate you letting me use your lab.”
Britt gave him a shy smile. “Happy to help out our most successful alumnus to date.” She flipped off the light in the darkroom and walked beside him between groupings of tables. “Old Mr. Anderson, the computer science teacher, uses you as an example of what can happen if students apply themselves to their studies.”
Ryan grinned back at her. “That’s hilarious since I seem to remember spending more time in his class daydreaming than listening to his lectures.”
“Apparently all that dreaming paid off.” She shut the classroom door behind them and locked it.
“I like to think so.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded check. “Here’s a donation for photography and art supplies for your classes. Thanks again for helping me out.”
“You don’t need to—”
“I want to. I appreciate your time.”
She took a quick peek at the check, and her eyes widened. “Oh, my. You can use my darkroom anytime you want.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” He followed her outside and headed straight to his Jeep. After starting the engine, he pulled out his cell to call Leah. “Are you home from work yet?”
“Just got here. Did any of the photos turn out?”
“A few of them. Can I come over?”
“Of course. I’ll just straighten up . . .” Her voice faded.
He frowned then shifted into gear. “Okay. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
“Great.”
Ryan dropped the phone on the seat as he cruised slowly over the speed bumps in the parking lot and headed out to the main road. Leah had been acting a little odd since he’d returned from Portland. Jittery. He’d love to chalk it up to nerves after having been clocked on the head, but he had a sinking feeling the problem was more personal. Almost like she was afraid of . . . something. He didn’t have a clue what. Or maybe his imagination was working overtime. She’d certainly seemed happy enough to have him around.
A few minutes later, he turned down her driveway and stopped in front of the carport. After grabbing the folder off the dash, he got out, slammed the door, and greeted Barney. “Hey, bud.”
The dog licked his hand before running off toward the back of the house.
“Over here, Ryan.”
He changed directions to approach the front porch, where Leah leaned against the railing. “How was your day?” He took the steps two at a time and pulled her close to drop a kiss on her upturned lips.
“Good.” She pointed toward the rattan couch. “It’s such a nice afternoon, I thought we’d sit outside. I can’t wait to see those photos.”
He followed her over to the seat and dropped down beside her. “The pictures aren’t of our classmates. They’re actually pretty weird.”
Leah pushed a long strand of hair behind one ear and frowned. “What do you mean?”
“See for yourself.” He opened the folder across his knees. “The images are a little difficult to make out, but it looks like some sort of costume party in the woods. There are trees in the background.”
She picked up the top photo then glanced through the others. “These are strange. They look like adults or teens, not kids. What’s that dark shape in the center? A table of some sort?”
Ryan pulled out one of the other photos. “This one has a slightly better view. It’s definitely something large and flat. Is there someone lying on top of it?” He touched a whitish blur. “Those look like legs.”
“I’m getting a little creeped out here.” Leah shuddered. “You can’t see any faces. Those hoods cast shadows that distort their features in the dark.” She touched each figure and counted. “Eight in gray plus the one in black. Then whoever was taking the pictures.”
“Unless the camera was set up on a tripod. The angle is exactly the same in each photo. Only the people have moved.” He touched one hooded figure. “This guy is a little taller than the others, and that one is beefier. Their positions shift from shot to shot, so maybe they were taken over time.”
“I wonder why one person is dressed in black.”
“Haven’t a clue.” Ryan held up a picture. “In this one, it looks like there’s something shiny in his hand, but the photo’s so blurred it’s hard to tell what it is.”
Leah rose to her feet. “I’ll get a magnifying glass. Maybe that’ll help, although I’m not too sure I want to see exactly what they’re doing.” Her eyes widened. “Some kind of frat house initiation ceremony?”
“Could be, but how would film belonging to students at the university wind up in our time capsule? That’s over an hour’s drive from here”
“Good point.” She turned away. A moment later, the screen door slapped shut behind her as she entered the house.
Standing, he laid out each photo on the porch railing where the setting sun cast direct rays on the pictures. When Leah returned, she handed him an old-fashioned magnifying glass with a long black handle.
“Let’s see what we have.” He focused on the photo with the clearest view of the black-robed figure. Enlarged, the object in his hand appeared to be—
“Is that a knife?” Leah’s voice rose. “The firelight reflects off it the way it would on shiny metal.”
“Yeah, I think you’re right.” He studied each hooded figure in turn. “I’m not sure why, but I’d say they’re all men.”
“It’s the way they stand. Anyway, I’d swear this one has a beard.”
“Yeah, there’s a dark shadow on his chin. No way to identify any of them, though.”
“What about the person lying down? Maybe with the magnifying glass . . .”
He held it over the center of each photo in turn. “Yeah, those are legs and feet. You can see them clearly between the two figures on the right in this shot.”
Leah gripped his hand. “Here.” She positioned the magnifying glass above the third photo. “Check the gap between the guy in black and the tall one. Is that what I think it is?”
“Looks like a bare breast.”
“Yeah, it does, and I’d swear that’s long, pale hair hanging down over the edge of the table or whatever it is.”
“There’s some kind of cloth draped over it. Too bad you can’t see the woman’s face in any of the photos.”
Leah jerked back and rubbed her hands up and down her arms. “Ryan.” Her voice broke. “What are they doing to that poor woman?”
He dropped the magnifying glass and pulled her against his chest. His heart pounded as he held her close. “Nothing good.”
She pressed her face to his shoulder. Her words came out in a whisper. “Something . . . evil.”