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He’d purchased a few caltrops years back, finding them another way to hinder prey in certain areas. To date, trips to areas unburdened by a high human populace had always been peaceful and contemplative for him. Tossing a few road spikes down on forest roads didn’t always result in a chance to practice his catharsis, but it had happened enough to institute some general success. People disappeared all the time in the high country and he was good enough to cover any trace of his encounters. He would then be able to return to his life and his pretense, thanking his prey for the peace they’d provided him. But things were changing.
Now he’d used them on his home turf, more as an experiment than an actual attempt to hunt. He dropped a couple spikes on the southbound side, just before the wide patch on aptly named Central, and had retreated to the turn off leading to the North Beach Trail Head. From there he could watch the road from almost perfect darkness. Cell phone coverage ranged from spotty to non-existent on this side of the island, which he counted as another gift.
Not many people traversed the road after sundown. He presumed it had something to do with the high percentage of old people on the island with shit eyesight, but it worked to his advantage. He didn’t want anyone old.
He sat up straight when the little SUV passed him, his night vision glasses peeling away layers of darkness to see the vehicle jerk when one caltrop blew out a tire. He’d been careful in his placement. One blow out could be seen as an accident, two would be too suspicious.
Excitement rushed his blood. Despite this being an experiment, he had never been the type to turn his back on a gift. He hoped it was a woman, but once or twice, he’d been gifted a man. They weren’t as satisfying, but still managed to do the job, even if the satisfaction didn’t last quite as long.
He waited several moments to give the driver time to access the damage before he brought his grumbling vehicle back to life and pulled out, leaving his high beams on, but stomped the brakes fifty yards later when he saw who’d been caught in the trap.
He wasn’t sure who he expected, but it hadn’t been Klahanie Bishop. She’d straightened from a crouch by her front left tire, and squinted in his direction, one hand rising to block his headlights. Puzzlement stamped itself into her pretty features, while her long, dark hair danced in the night wind. She took a second to push it behind one ear and the simple motion ignited the beginnings of an erection.
A jagged shard of rare panic pierced him.
No, it wasn’t supposed to be her. She was too high profile these days, even if it was by default. People would flip.
He threw his vehicle into reverse, hit the accelerator, and whipped into a three point turn a few moments later. It didn’t take long for the moment of panic to be replaced by disgust at himself, which didn’t last for long either. A sly realization shoved it all away.
People would flip.
He’d been rethinking how to direct his need, but maybe he was ready for something new. Maybe it was time to incite people. Hunting within one’s own was reckless, but, God, what a challenge! This new bit of enlightenment stomped on his earlier resolution. A slow smile bared teeth as he drove south. He turned right into the obscured lot leading into the state park and waited for Klahanie to pass. She’d already started to change the tire, so he’d figured it wouldn’t be long.
When she did pass in her little blue SUV, he’d been sure to retrieve the spikes.
He’d never been the sloppy sort.
Chapter Seventeen
Gram and Sunny held breakfast for our guests between 7:00 and 10:00. Some chose to eat in their bungalows, while most ate in the small dining room off the kitchen in the big house. It could be accessed through the rear door, but Gram and Sunny had taken great care to isolate this section from our private quarters years back when they’d hired a contractor to build a sunroom on the back deck. Double paned windows and heavy insulation kept our guests toasty despite the weather. The view, while not one of the ocean, consisted of rolling pastureland with mighty pines serving as a natural privacy fence.
This morning, several guests finished up their full country breakfasts, courtesy of Sunny’s cooking and my egg gathering. I hoped everyone enjoyed the fresh eggs while they could. The ladies in the hen house had been prolific, but they’d soon be heading into a winter rest. In the back corner, Carl sat drinking coffee, nodding when he saw me. I returned the courtesy and crossed toward the small pocket door leading to the kitchen, hoping for my own cup of joe before I had to drive out to the ferry landing. We had a guest who’d opted not to bring a car, which was not something we encouraged. It was a small island, but not exactly walker friendly. Nevertheless, it happened on occasion. She mentioned bringing a bike, so I decided to take Gram’s van, instead of my cramped CR-V.
I slipped through, careful to shut the door behind me, and stopped short.
Sunny sat at the breakfast bar nibbling on a piece of toast, but she smiled at my expression. “It arrived when you were finishing up number 5.”
A brightly wrapped package the size of a shoebox sat on the counter. An envelope with my name written in gentle cursive had been taped to the top, along with a mylar balloon reading “Welcome Home!” It floated around on its ribbon-leash and bumped up against the hanging cookware.
“So, did a tall guy with brown eyes deliver it?” The quiet excitement in my voice annoyed me. My “date” from the other night had stayed platonic, but Noah and I had parted on relaxed, friendly terms. And nowthis. This wasn’t supposed to happen. Old, childish feelings weren’t supposed to reemerge in adulthood and inch toward evolution.
“Maybe.” She sipped her tea, her hazel gaze meeting mine.
I pulled the card from the envelope and ran one finger along the inner edge to open it. Lavender fields spread across the front, while hiding Noah’s short note inside: ‘I was going through some old boxes of Mom’s and found some stuff you might enjoy. For the first time in my life, I’m happy the woman doesn’t throw away anything. Maybe we can hang out again soon.
—Noah.’
“And?” Sunny smiled, and rose to gather her dishes.
“Um…” I peeled the wrapping away, always careful not to rip anything. It was a trait my brother had always abhorred, which of course perpetuated my behavior.
Crumpled tissue filled the box, but from underneath, Noah’s treasure revealed itself to me. A rubber banded stack of photos, a tiny teddy bear modeling a heart-filled sweater, several decorative pins, a lump of glittering quartz, one frayed second place ribbon, and another card, this one with a Beagle puppy. Astonished, I poked through the items, both familiar, yet surreal at the same time. He’d managed to collect a snippet of our childhood and teens. I’d given him the puppy card and teddy when we were in third grade, if my memory wasn’t faulty, the pins were from middle-school, the rock from a 5thgrade field trip, the ribbon from a spelling bee. Warm buoyancy lifted within and I knew I was smiling without being immediately aware of it. I reached for the photos, careful to remove the rubber band without damaging the prints, and sifted through them. Lots of tooth-filled cheesy grins shining from parties, the beach, tree-climbing expeditions, a shot of us leaning against one another flashing peace signs at the 9thgrade formal, such as it was. Noah had been the first kid to reach out to me as a friend after I returned to the island to live with Gram. We’d been in 1stgrade. Mixed in were even photos of some of the rest of our class, including one of Dani and me sticking our tongues out at the photographer. The picture served as a quick reminder that the tiny woman had invited me to this Tuesday’s karaoke night at Salty’z, which I’d accepted in a moment of weakness. Seconds later, I’d decided to try to make Noah go, too, which seemed completely fair in my mind. I just needed to talk Noah into it.
Things had begun to shift, but I tried hard to keep from thinking on it. My boss had touched base earlier to see how things were going and if there was a concrete window developing for my return. I’d been purposely vague. Gram would be heading to the mainland soon for her next checkup, and although things looked promising, we wouldn’t know until then. My boss had outwardly been okay with it, but I couldn’t help but sense some growing impatience. The company had introduced some new products with the holidays in mind and I wasn’t there to help promote them and likely wouldn’t be.
Shaking myself off, I glanced at the clock, grimaced, and restacked the photos with care.
“Everything okay?” Sunny poured coffee into a thermos, not looking my way.
