Out of the Depths Page 17

  “No.” Cody huffed and chuckled. “Something much harder to understand. Women.”

  Logan laughed with him and clapped him on the back. “Terrific. Why couldn’t you have asked me to explain how long eternity lasts or why the world seems to be such a confusing mess these days? That, I could handle.”

  “That’s too easy,” Cody joked. “Why should I make this painless for you when I’m suffering.”

  “You want me to share your pain?”

  “Something like that.”

  “Then I take it this isn’t a rhetorical discussion. Remember, as Trudy Lynn’s pastor I can’t reveal anything told to me in confidence.”

  “Of course not. I wouldn’t expect you to. I just wonder if you think it’s possible to fall in love in a few weeks?”

  “It was for Becky and me,” Logan said. “Then again, people make mistakes about their feelings all the time.”

  “I know. I’ve done it. I guess what I’m asking is, do you think Trudy Lynn would settle for someone like me?” The question came out sounding too negative to suit Cody. He was about to rephrase it when Logan answered, “No.”

  Cody’s heart fell. “I see.”

  “No, you don’t,” Logan said flatly. “She’s not the type to settle for anything except what she really wants. That’s why I think she’d choose a man like you.” He began to grin. “And if you’re planning to ask her how she feels, I suggest you phrase it more tactfully than you just did or she’s liable to stomp off in a huff.”

  “That’s her usual reaction to everything I say.”

  “This time it won’t be,” Logan advised.

  “I don’t want to rush her and scare her away. I’ve never met anyone half as wonderful as Trudy Lynn. I intend to stay right here and spend the rest of my life making her happy.”

  “Well, I’m sold,” Logan gibed. “And judging by the way you two have been staring at each other ever since we got here, I’d say she is, too.”

  “I want it to be special for her when I propose. Really romantic. Women like that.”

  “If you’re such an expert, why did you have to ask for my advice?”

  “Maybe I wanted to humor you,” Cody suggested. “After all, you are my brother-in-law. And the pastor of the woman I love. If she comes to you for guidance, I want to be sure you know my intentions are honorable.”

  “I never doubted that for a minute,” Logan said. “Come on. Becky and I’ll give you a lift back to camp. If you’re planning on a romantic evening you’re definitely going to need to shower and shave.” He wrinkled up his nose. “It might be wise to wash that dog of yours, too. I’m not sure which one of you smells worse.”

  “Thanks for the confidence boost,” Cody teased. “It was just what I needed.”

  “Hey, that’s what spiritual advisors are for.”

  “So, how are you going to get us home?” Cody glanced down at his damp, muddy, canine companion. “In the backseat of your car?”

  “I sincerely hope not. I think I saw Will in the crowd. He’s probably driving the camp truck. Sailor can ride with him.” Logan gave Cody the once-over. “Come to think of it, you might want to, too. So the dog doesn’t worry, I mean.”

  Cody laughed heartily. “Smooth, Logan. Very smooth. We’ll work something out.” He gestured toward the women. “Let’s go.”

  Falling into step beside him, Logan asked, “What’s the hurry? Is your leg bothering you.”

  “No worse than usual. I just want to get back to Trudy Lynn. We’ve been apart long enough.”

  “Oh, man, you do have it bad, don’t you?” Logan was laughing softly and shaking his head. “I’ll pray for you.”

  “While you’re at it, you might want to pray for Trudy Lynn, too,” Cody said. “The most important thing to me is that she be happy. Understand?”

  “With or without you, you mean?”

  Cody nodded soberly. “Exactly.”

  Buford scowled at the wall-mounted pay phone and squeezed the receiver till his knuckles whitened. “No. I’m still in the county hospital. They’re supposed to be lettin’ me out soon.”

  “So, what’s your problem?”

  “The sheriff’s been to see me. Twice. He and I go way back but I don’t like the way he looked at me the last time he was here. Somethin’s up. I can feel it.”

  “There better not be any glitches. I’ve got a bundle invested in your operation.”

  “Then you’d best have my bail ready.”

  “Think you’ll need it?”

  He snorted in disgust. “Who knows?”

  “What about the kid? Is he going to keep his mouth shut?”

  Buford cackled. “Oh, yeah. I’ve got that covered. Little Jimmy’s not gonna be a bit of trouble. Matter of fact, if I don’t get out of here soon he may start singin’ with the heavenly choir.”

  A string of curses erupted on the other end of the line. “What do you mean? I told you to keep this operation clean.”

  “Except for the woman.”

  “Yeah. And that old man who works for her. I wouldn’t mind if Will had an accident.”

  “What about her boyfriend?”

  The cursing intensified. “If you have to get rough, start with him. Think you can handle it?”

  “’Course I can.”

  “You sure? He put you in the hospital once.”

  “Did not!” Buford growled into the phone. “It was that woman. She hit me from behind, when I wasn’t lookin’. It won’t happen again.”

  “Good. See that it doesn’t. And if you do get arrested, call that bail-bondsman in Searcy, the one we used before. I’ll leave word with him that I guarantee your bond.”

  “Hey, thanks, Mr—”

  “Shut up! I’ve told you never to use my name. Anybody could be listening.”

  “That’s why I’m usin’ the pay phone in the hall,” Buford said, scowling. “Don’t worry. Your secret’s safe with me. I ain’t told a soul who you are.” He cackled. “Sure would like to, though. Give ’em a real surprise.”

  “No one who works with you knows who your backer is?”

  “Nope. Nary a soul. ’Specially not Jimmy-boy.”

  “Good. See that it stays that way.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “And Buford?”

  “Yeah?”

  “The kid stays alive. I don’t know what you had in mind for him but forget it. Earlene’s a nice old lady. She doesn’t deserve to have to bury her grandson.”

  “I’ll do my best.”

  “Do better than that.”

  “I don’t know. If I go straight to jail from here it could put me in a bind. I left him…” There was a loud click on the line. “Hello? Hello?”

  Buford held the receiver in front of his face and stared at it in disbelief. His benefactor had hung up on him! Just like that. As if he didn’t matter any more than a cockroach crawling up a wall. Well, he’d see about that. When all this was over, Mister High-and-Mighty was gonna get his comeuppance. Yes, sirree.

  But first, he had a job to do. If Jimmy hadn’t died of fright or thirst by now, he was going to let him go. If it was too late, then the kid would just disappear for keeps. Either way was fine with him.

  Determined, he headed for the nearest room to look for some street clothes he could steal.

  SIXTEEN

  Will had escorted Earlene to the river landing so she could see for herself that Jim was alive and well. Trudy Lynn had felt she’d be intruding if she rode home with the older couple, so she’d asked Becky and Logan to give her a lift while Cody and Sailor hitched a chilly ride back to camp in the bed of Will’s pickup.

  Trudy Lynn had had to drag herself through evening chores. When she’d completed the absolute minimum she’d showered and collapsed into a deck chair on her porch.

  Widget had been acting miffed ever since she’d returned. He started sniffing her shoes again, stiff-legged and hackles raised, when she finally took time to relax.

  “Don’t look at me l
ike that,” Trudy Lynn said with a smile. “I had to associate with Sailor. And I’m going to do it again, so you’d better get used to it.”

  The little terrier cocked its head and pricked its ears, obviously listening.

  “You do understand, don’t you? That’s good. Because maybe you can explain everything to me.”

  She sighed. Deeply. Poignantly. Empathetic, the little dog jumped into her lap and rested his front paws on her shoulders, straining to lick her face.

  Trudy Lynn held him away and smiled. “No kisses, baby. But thanks for forgiving me. I need a buddy like you right now. I’m really mixed-up.”

  Wiggling, Widget struggled to be let go.

  “Okay, okay. I know you don’t like to cuddle.” She turned him sideways so he could sit comfortably in her lap and began to gently stroke his back to calm him. “Humor me and settle down, will you? Please? That’s a good boy.”

  Another sigh whooshed out. “It’s all over, Widget. Jim’s safe in jail, where he belongs, and Will’s commiserating with Earlene. If he doesn’t waste this chance, he might actually have someone special to spend the rest of his life with, which is more than I have to look forward to at the moment.”

  The little dog shifted, wiggled, tried again to lick her and managed one quick swipe at the underside of her chin. She giggled. “Yes, I love you, too, even if you are too full of yourself to be endearing like a certain Newfie I could mention.”

  Thoughts of Sailor’s easygoing temperament reminded her of his master. Some experts insisted that people chose dogs to complement their own personalities. In Cody’s case, that might have been truer in the past. He had seemed laid-back and pretty carefree before he’d been injured. Now, it was hard to tell what he was feeling. Too bad she wasn’t as intuitive about his thoughts as Widget was about hers.

  Then again, she wasn’t sure she wanted to know what Cody was really thinking. She might not like what she learned. She’d already tried to tell him how much she cared for him and he’d reacted like a bear trying to sidestep the jaws of a poacher’s trap. Well, fine. She could wait a little longer to find out whether or not he was still planning to go back to California.

  Or could she? Day after day of not knowing had left her so jittery she babbled incessantly every time she was near him. He’d made jokes about how much she talked but he had to be getting weary of it just the same.

  “What would you do to get Cody to pay attention to you, Widget? Huh?” Trudy Lynn giggled. “Never mind. You’d probably growl at him or bite his ankle.”

  So, what was she going to do? Nothing? Something? The wrong thing? Probably the latter. When it came to Cody Keringhoven she seemed to stick her foot in her mouth on a regular basis.

  “He’d say that’s because my mouth is always open to talk,” Trudy Lynn muttered. Well, when he was right, he was right. It was in her nature to express herself. Period. Even if she did manage to subdue the urge long enough to favorably impress him, she’d be creating an erroneous image of herself. That wouldn’t be fair. If he liked her—even loved her—it should be because of her real self, not some pretend personality she’d created for his benefit.

  She’d told Cody he’d be denying God’s ultimate wisdom if he refused to accept himself. Now that she thought about it, that was good advice for her, too.

  Her eyes closed. “Thank you, Father. I am glad to be me. And I’m glad You sent Cody into my life, even if he isn’t going to stay.”

  She had so much more to be grateful for it was overwhelming. Memories of blessings cascaded through her mind like a raft racing down whitewater rapids. The Lord had taken care of her when her mother had died and her father had offered little emotional support. He’d sent her Will when she’d needed a good hand. He’d removed Ned to keep her from listening to the urging of friends and marrying the wrong man. And He’d revealed Jim’s delinquency in time to not only save him from himself but to rescue her business.

  Those things, and more, reinforced her optimism about the future. All she had to do was trust God as she had before, rely on His wisdom and get out of His way.

  That notion brought a smile. She did trust the Lord. It was letting go and stepping back so He could work, unhindered, that had always been so hard for her.

  “And keeping my mouth shut,” she added, giving Widget a hug. “Think I can ever learn to do that?”

  She giggled as the terrier jumped down and began circling her feet. “There’s about as much chance of me being quiet as there is of you sitting still.”

  Widget was barking. Trudy Lynn opened heavy-lidded eyes. Lightning flashed in the distant night sky. The only other illumination was from red and blue lights atop a patrol car outside her window. How long had she been asleep? What time was it? And how long had it been raining?

  She squinted at the illuminated digital clock by her bedside: 2:00 a.m. Terrific. If she ever got a good night’s rest she wouldn’t know what to do with all the extra energy.

  Getting up, she pulled a terry cloth robe over her pajamas, fastened it, then bent to pick up her little dog. Widget was always on edge in stormy weather. The last thing she needed was for him to get overexcited and nip an innocent police officer.

  Trudy Lynn unlocked the kitchen door, opened it a crack and peered out. She recognized the dripping deputy standing under the porch light and relaxed. “Hi, Nathan. Want to come in out of the rain? I can make some fresh coffee.”

  “Evening, Trudy Lynn.” When he nodded and touched the brim of his hat, the water poured off its plastic cover. “I’ll have to take a rain check on that coffee. We’re real busy tonight. Sheriff sent me over here to tell you Buford’s on the loose. He walked out of the hospital. Nobody missed him till shift change.”

  “Surely, he won’t come here.”

  “We don’t think so, either, ’specially not if he’s on foot. It’s too far. Just being on the safe side. Take care and lock up, okay?” He touched his hat brim again. “Night.”

  “Good night. And thanks.”

  Widget growled menacingly as the deputy turned and headed for his car.

  “Atta boy,” Trudy Lynn said. “You protect me.”

  After watching the police cruiser roll out of camp she stepped back, closed and locked the door. Most of her cabins were empty after the mass exodus of reporters plus all the vacation cancellations. But Will was here. And Cody. They should be warned, too.

  She put Widget down and hurriedly picked up the phone. There was no dial tone. “That figures. One little storm and everything quits working. As usual.”

  The little dog bristled. Concerned, Trudy Lynn watched him sniff the floor, then closely investigate the door she’d just locked. He was growling. His body stiffened, every muscle tense as if he were ready for an attack. When he pawed the door and whined she was positive something was wrong. Widget hated getting wet. He never asked to go out in bad weather. Never.

  “That does it. Come on, boy.”

  Knowing he’d follow, she flipped off the kitchen lights, dashed down the hall to the rear of the camp store, and snatched up the phone there. Dead as a doornail!

  Apprehensive, she ducked behind the sales counter. What now? She couldn’t reach the panel controlling the overnight lighting in the store without passing the display windows. If she did that, anyone watching could spot her. But what else could she do? How else could she hide?

  A silent prayer flickered through her subconscious. The bedroom! Her cell phone was in her purse in the bedroom! She stroked Widget. He was trembling as he always did during thunderstorms but he’d ceased growling. That was a good sign.

  She got an extra jolt of energy when the electricity fluttered, then failed. Lunging toward the doorway, she would have fallen over her dog if he hadn’t been so agile.

  Together they tore down the dark hallway, Widget’s claws scratching the bare floor like mice scrambling to escape a cat. At least the lights wouldn’t give her away. If Buford was responsible for the power outage he’d made a big mistake. Darkness
was to her advantage.

  She caught her bare toes on the leading edge of a crocheted rug and stumbled. Trying to regain her balance she reached for the doorjamb. All she grabbed was empty air! Her ankle wrenched. Her body jerked forward.

  Widget yipped a warning at the last second. Trudy Lynn twisted to one side, barely missing him, and landed with a thud that echoed throughout the entire lodge building.

  She lay still for a moment and took stock of the situation. Her head and arms were fine. Her back hurt but not terribly. So did her hip. When it came to her right ankle, however, there was no question that she had a problem. The slightest movement sent arrows of pain shooting up her leg.

  She bit her lip to keep from crying out. Where, exactly, was she? How much farther to her purse? Had she put it in its usual place or had she gotten careless?

  A tiny green light flashed three times near the floor. Then another answered. A couple of fireflies must have slipped inside when she’d opened the door to talk to Nathan! The little bugs weren’t giving much light but their rhythmic flashes were enough to confirm that she was in the bedroom.

  She held her breath and waited for the next series of green winks. There? Yes! Her purse! She must have knocked it to the floor when she’d been startled awake by the deputy.

  Widget was crowding close. “It’s okay, boy,” she whispered. “Back off. Go on.”

  He refused to leave her side. Trudy Lynn gritted her teeth and pulled herself across the floor on her elbows. She had to reach her cell phone. It was her only lifeline.

  Nausea forced her to pause three times before she reached her goal. Tears trickled down her cheeks, unnoticed till Widget tried to lick them off. His attempts at comfort helped her focus on something besides the knifing pain.

  “It’s okay, sweetie. We’ll be fine. This is one time I wish you were a lot bigger and meaner, though.”

  It took several seconds, several more shuddering breaths, before she could steady her hands enough to retrieve the small cellular telephone and dial 911.

  The dispatcher told her to stay on the line till help arrived. Trudy Lynn was far too preoccupied to comply. If all the landlines in camp were out she knew she couldn’t warn Will, but there must be something she could do.