Out of the Depths Read online

  “How about now? How are you feeling?”

  “Fine.”

  Trudy Lynn could tell he was far from fine but she figured, if he wanted to deny his pain, that was okay with her. Dwelling on it was probably worse for him, anyway.

  “Glad to hear it. Have you eaten?”

  “No. To tell you the truth, I haven’t even brushed my teeth yet.” He rubbed his palm over his cheek. “Feels like I need a shave, too.”

  “And a change of clothes. Did you sleep in those? They look like it.”

  “Sure did. After your friend Will scared us silly, I didn’t have enough energy left to get ready for bed.” He glanced at his dog with affection. “Sailor was a great watchdog. Stood right in front of me and kept the dangerous old codger at bay.”

  “Poor Will,” Trudy Lynn said. “He was really disappointed when he discovered you weren’t the bad guys, come to ransack a cabin.”

  “I hope he put on more clothes before he went to your place to tell you about it. When he showed up here he was dressed in boxers and hiking boots. If he hadn’t been pointing a gun at me I’d have laughed out loud. He has the skinniest, ugliest legs I’ve ever seen, except maybe on a scrawny chicken.”

  “That’s because you haven’t seen mine.” Trudy Lynn was instantly sorry she’d been so glib. Cody was now looking her up and down as if he’d just discovered she was a woman, and she didn’t like the awareness his assessing blue eyes revealed.

  “You look nice in those jeans,” he finally said.

  Flustered, she averted her gaze and unnecessarily smoothed the denim. “Thanks. Now, about breakfast. How soon do you think you can be ready?”

  “Ready? Ready for what?”

  “The best biscuits and gravy in Fulton County.”

  “Are you asking me to go out to breakfast?”

  “No.” Her brow wrinkled. “I’m cooking. Actually, it’s all made. I took the biscuits out of the oven before I came down here.” She brightened. “Oh, I get it. You’re thinking of your sister’s cooking. Don’t worry. Mine has won prizes at the county fair.”

  “That’s a relief. But really, you don’t have to coddle me. I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself.”

  “I know that.” She rolled her eyes. “Look, Cody. You might as well get used to folks being nice to you for no particular reason. Around here, people are friendly, period. It’s not because you have a problem or because we feel sorry for you. Okay?”

  “Okay.” He shrugged. “I am a little hungry. How far is it to your place? Up the hill, right?”

  “Right. But don’t try to walk it.” Trudy Lynn pointed to a squat, green, four-wheel-drive vehicle parked in the drive. “I’ll do a few chores, then bring the ATV back and pick you up. How much time will you need to get ready?”

  “Ready to ride that? About six months should do it.”

  “Cynic. I’ll do the driving. All you’ll have to do is shut up and hang on.”

  His wry expression when he said, “That’s what I was afraid of,” was so funny she couldn’t help laughing.

  Cody managed to shower and shave in short order. He didn’t think it would hurt to humor Trudy Lynn just this once. Besides, he wanted a chance to ask her more about the vandalism before he got Will’s opinion. He knew there wasn’t a whole lot he could do to apprehend whoever had been damaging the canoes but there was no reason he couldn’t at least try to get a description of them for the police. To his surprise, he was looking forward to having something constructive to occupy his mind for a change.

  He was positive that he’d be able to mount the ATV successfully. How he’d stay on it once they were moving promised to be a bit trickier.

  Trudy Lynn arrived in a cloud of dust and slid to a stop right in front of him. “Hop on.”

  “What about my crutches?”

  “We’ll clip them across the rack with a bungee cord. Come on. Gravy’s getting cold.”

  Cody got on easily by keeping his injured leg straight and swinging it around and over, brace and all. Once he was in position behind Trudy Lynn, however, he was faced with the decision of whether or not he should slip his arms around her waist. His balance was off due to the knee brace and he didn’t want to wind up flat on his back in the dirt, yet he hardly knew the young woman.

  “You’d better hang on to me,” she said, solving his dilemma. “This road’s kind of bumpy.”

  “You don’t mind?”

  “Not at all,” Trudy Lynn said. “I trust you.”

  “Thanks.”

  Cody did as she’d instructed, keeping his touch as light and gentlemanly as he could. Only in an emergency would he tighten his hold, he promised himself. Grabbing her like that would be a last resort.

  It was a narrow waist, he noted. Yet Trudy Lynn wasn’t delicate or prissy the way Stephanie had been. She was a healthy, active woman who treated men as equals, neither elevating them to sainthood nor denigrating them for being male. Though her casual acceptance was going to take some getting used to, he found he liked it, liked keeping company with a woman who had no hidden agenda. Trudy Lynn wasn’t the type who picked out an engagement ring and started making wedding plans by the second date.

  Whoa! Where had that thought come from? He didn’t intend to start dating anyone for a while, especially not his sister’s best friend. He’d been cured of any tendencies toward romance when Steph had dumped him. Besides, according to Will, Trudy Lynn was sort of in the same boat. Maybe that was why being with her seemed so pleasant. It was a welcome change to relax and not have to worry about whether or not he should consider a lasting relationship—or try to keep one from developing.

  She broke into his thoughts with a question. “How’re you doing? Am I going too fast?”

  “I’m fine.” Out of the corner of his eye he saw a dark blur. “Uh-oh. I must not have shut the cabin door tight. We have company. Sailor came along.”

  “That’s okay,” Trudy Lynn said, raising her voice to be heard over the roar of the ATV’s motor. “He’s a sweetheart. I’m sure he won’t be any trouble. He might pick up a few bugs if he wanders into the woods but you can always wet him down him with flea and tick repellant if you have to.”

  “Does the stuff come in fifty-five gallon drums?” Her light laughter drifted back to him on the wind, lifting his spirits further.

  “It must. They dip sheep, don’t they?”

  “Guess so. Since I won’t be able to wrestle him into accepting the treatment, I’ll have to leave it to you.”

  “In that case, we’ll get him a flea collar instead. We can always fasten two together, end to end, if we can’t find one big enough to go all the way around his neck.”

  “Clever. Are you always this smart?”

  “Sure am.”

  She stopped the ATV beside a single-story offshoot tied to a larger, log building. “That’s our store, camp office and laundry. I got tired of having to run over here to take care of late arrivals, so I built myself a connected apartment. Might as well live here. I’m on call night and day, anyway.”

  “It’s very impressive,” Cody said. “The whole campground is. No wonder you’re proud of this place.” The small yard bordering the private portion of the building was bursting with color. “I see you like to garden.”

  “Not if I have to fuss much. Those are all wildflowers that I’ve either transplanted from other parts of the property or started from seed. It seems like every day I notice something new starting to bloom.” She shut off the engine. “Do you want to get off first or shall I?”

  “Better hand me my crutches before I try anything fancy,” Cody answered.

  “Right.” She giggled when Sailor galloped up and slurped the back of her hand. “I guess he remembers me.”

  Before Cody could answer, a yipping ball of brown-and-white fur raced around the corner. Teeth bared, it charged straight for the clueless Newfoundland.

  Trudy Lynn screeched, “Widget! No!” and lunged, half on and half off the ATV, to intercept
her little terrier. She’d have been successful, too, if Sailor hadn’t practically bowled her over making his lumbering getaway.

  Cody was hopping on his good leg so he could extend one of his crutches as a barrier between the dogs. When he saw Trudy Lynn losing her balance he redirected his efforts. Unfortunately, he bumped her with the tip of the crutch and removed any chance she might have had of righting herself.

  She twisted in midair and landed on the back pockets of her jeans with an undignified, “Oof!”

  Widget leaped into her lap, barking and growling while she clasped him tightly to her chest and told him, “Hush!”

  Crutches set wide like outriggers, Cody half turned to check on Sailor. “You okay, boy?”

  The big dog had laid its ears back, ducked behind him and was just sitting there, head down, quivering like a bowl of Jell-O in a California earthquake and staring up at his master with soulful brown eyes.

  Cody glanced back at Trudy Lynn. She looked at him and grinned. Widget kept yipping. Sailor kept trembling. In moments, both humans had recognized the humor of their situation and burst into riotous laughter.

  Trudy Lynn laughed so hard tears rolled down her cheeks. She’d almost regained her composure till Cody held out his hand and asked, “Want some help?”

  That set her off again. When she quieted down enough to catch her breath, she answered, “No, thanks. I can manage. The first time you helped me was plenty.”

  “I didn’t mean to bump you. I was trying to keep the dogs from fighting.”

  “I know. Poor Sailor. I don’t think we need to worry about him attacking Widget, do you?”

  “Probably not. I hope you can keep that ankle-biter from harassing my innocent dog. I came up here so he could enjoy a little freedom, not be traumatized by a psychotic terrier.”

  “Widget’s a great watchdog,” Trudy Lynn said, getting to her feet with the wiggly little dog tucked under one arm. She dusted off her jeans with her free hand. “Will told me I should tie him by the canoes at night and let him sound the alarm if we had prowlers.”

  “Did you?”

  “No. Widget barks at everything, even fireflies. He’d keep me up all night, investigating nothing.”

  Cody followed her toward the apartment. There were already customers going in and out of the store. “Looks like business is good.”

  “It’s picking up. This time of year is always kind of slow.” She ushered him inside.

  The place was small but cozy, with a definitely feminine decor, including lace curtains and floral-printed chair cushions. Through an open interior doorway he could glimpse activity going on in the store, proper.

  “This is my kitchen. Guess you can tell.”

  “The stove and refrigerator were a dead giveaway,” Cody teased. “Something smells great.”

  “Fresh biscuits. I told you I was a good cook.” She pointed to another door. “My living quarters are through there. I wanted the kitchen out here so my staff could use it as a break room, too, if they wanted.”

  “You don’t have problems keeping others out?”

  “Not at all. The access is behind the counter so everybody can tell it’s private space. I’ve never had campers wander in.”

  “Amazing. Aren’t you worried about staying here alone at night? I mean, what kind of security does an arrangement like this give you?”

  “All I’ve ever needed.”

  “Till now.” Cody rounded the table and seated himself where he could keep an eye on the open door. “While we eat, I want you to tell me everything strange that’s happened so far. Don’t leave anything out, even if you think it’s trivial.”

  “That might take a long time.”

  “Humph. Suits me. I seem to have a lot more leisure time than I need. If you’ve got the time to brief me, I have plenty of time to listen.”

  Trudy Lynn was carrying their dirty plates to the sink when she finished airing her concerns. “The only person I can think of who might have a grudge against me is a teenager I had to let go about a month ago. Name’s Ronnie Randall. He was pretty upset. His father phoned me the next day and accused me of blaming the wrong person.”

  “What did the kid do?” Cody took a sip of his coffee.

  “Petty theft. He helped himself to a case of sodas. I couldn’t let it slide. It wouldn’t have been fair to Ronnie, or to the others who work here.”

  “I totally agree. What makes you think he may be the one behind the damage to your property?”

  “Mostly a gut feeling. Jim has seen him hanging around here more than once. Ronnie said he was just waiting for his girlfriend but I’m skeptical.”

  “Tell me more about Jim.”

  “There’s not much to tell. He’s a second cousin on my mama’s side. A real math whiz. I hate book work. I’m lucky to have him.”

  “He uses a computer program, you say?”

  “Yes. I used to write everything in a ledger. Boy, do I love letting Jim fiddle with the figures, instead. And is he fast! You should see him work.”

  “I probably will,” Cody said, pushing away from the table and rising. “I’ll want to borrow your Internet connection to do a little work of my own while I’m here. Remember?”

  “Of course. I’ll tell Jim to let you know when he’s not going to be using the computer.”

  “That’ll be fine. I’d also like a list of names and addresses for all your employees, even the seasonal ones, for the past two years. I don’t want to overlook any angle.” He noticed her quizzical expression. “What?”

  “You’re taking this a lot more seriously than I thought you would. What if there’s no big, scary conspiracy? What if it’s just a couple of kids who think it’s fun to break things?”

  “Then we’ll catch them in the act, and they’ll find out differently,” he said.

  “I don’t want you to go to a lot of trouble. I mean, our deal was for you to watch from the cabin in exchange for rent. That’s all I expect.”

  Thoughtful for long moments, Cody finally said, “Look. When I opened my eyes this morning it hit me. This is the first time since my accident that I’ve looked forward to getting out of bed and doing something. Anything. Being useful is a feeling I’ve missed and I don’t want to lose it. Can you understand that?”

  “Yes. Completely. I feel the same way about running this campground. Even bad days are better than my life was before I opened. And the good days are wonderful. The Lord’s blessed me beyond my wildest dreams. That’s one reason why I’ll never sell or quit, no matter what.”

  “Quit? I thought you said business was good.”

  “It is. And believe me, I’m not complaining. I just don’t understand why all the other canoe rentals on this part of the river have closed in the past year or so.”

  Cody scowled. “All of them?”

  “The closest ones,” she said. “There were three others when I opened. I’m a little farther upriver but that shouldn’t make any difference. If a client wants a longer ride, we just drive them to a distant point, launch from there and pick them up when they drift back down.”

  “Makes sense. We used to do the same thing on the Tuolumne. For Class I, II or III rapids we used a different stretch of the river.”

  “You ran Class IV and V, didn’t you?”

  “Usually.” Cody glanced at his knee and gritted his teeth. “I really miss it.”

  “I’m sure you do.”

  He stared at her, waiting. “Well?”

  “Well, what?”

  “Aren’t you going to tell me how lucky I am to be alive? Everybody else does.”

  “Hey, not me.” Trudy Lynn held up both hands, palms out. “You warned me not to preach so I’m not preaching.” She gave him a sweet, knowing smile. “But don’t expect me, or Becky, or any of our friends to stop talking about God’s influence in our lives. This part of the country isn’t called the Bible Belt for nothing.”

  “Yeah. I didn’t think of that when I decided to visit my sister.” He turne
d and started away. “Thanks for breakfast. I’m going to go outside and check on Sailor. Hang on to your ankle-biter when I open the door, will you?”

  “Sure. No problem. Come here, Widget. That’s a good boy.” She lifted her little dog in her arms. “Got him.”

  Though she’d sounded glib and unconcerned, Cody knew she was watching him laboriously making his way across the room and he wished mightily that he had his formerly steady gait. He’d always taken strength and agility for granted. Now that he was having to grit his teeth and work for every step, he realized just how much he’d lost.

  It made him angry. Especially toward God. If there really was a God.

  FIVE

  Cody spent the better part of the day sitting on the porch of his cabin with his heel propped on the railing and Sailor dozing beside him. He’d read the information Trudy Lynn had provided. Everything seemed pretty straightforward. Her operation was small but well run and her seasonal staff members were teenagers drawn from the local community. Good kids. He’d made it a point to talk to as many of them as he could when they’d passed his cabin. One more was on duty in the camp store. He’d observed her working while he ate breakfast and couldn’t imagine any threat originating with such a polite young lady. That only left getting to know Will and cousin Jim.

  Cody smiled. The old man had failed to look in on him that morning as promised. Maybe Trudy Lynn had told him to stay away, or maybe he was embarrassed over their initial confrontation. Either way, talking to Will was going to be imperative. And the sooner the better.

  He hailed a passing young man. “Hey there! You’re Sam, aren’t you? Have you seen Will lately?”

  “Yes, sir. He’s up by the office. You need him?”

  “I’d like to talk to him,” Cody said, “but not if he’s busy.”

  “He always says he’s busy, even if he’s taking a nap.” Sam sported a grin that accentuated the sunburn and freckles on his cheeks. “I’ll tell him to come on down.”

  “Thanks. Make sure he knows there’s no hurry.”