Page 37 of Sound and Deception

Whether or not Fred Ramirez lifted a cow would remain forever in island lore. He’d never actually admitted it, nor did he deny it. I guess it was between him and the bovine in question, but either way, Fred looked capable of it.

And then there was his brother.

Bill Ramirez was roughly the size of a small tank, and I could feel a neck crick settling in, just by looking up at him. He shook my hand, his grip gentle, his voice even gentler. “Thank you for putting us up for a few days, especially with this early check-in. You don’t know how much we appreciate that. Fred said this place is beautiful, and he wasn’t wrong.”

“We’re happy to have you.” And several of his family members. Each bungalow was normally just furnished with one queen sized bed, so I’d had to haul cots out to make room for a couple of extra people in each unit. As it was, some folks still had to stay at one of the B&Bs closer to the village. I’d heard that Fred and Becky had nixed the idea of a big wedding, and figured this was a mighty bone to toss to friends and family.

Gram, Sunny, and Noah had already begun their three-hour trek toward Seattle, and agitation crept up my spine and buzzed in my head. I hated that my emotions wanted to trump my logic and mess up my balance. We’d agreed to wait until she was back on the island before discussing the results, regardless of the positive or negative. All I could do was stay distracted with the day’s work and plans. I was pretty sure all twelve of our new guests were good to go, but I’d also agreed to speak with our writer guest about my experiences on, off, and back on the island. I also needed to drop by Noah’s place—he’d prepared his evening program, but had forgotten to set the timer. I’d jotted down instructions and hoped I didn’t screw anything up. Then I still had plans with Dani for a late lunch, early dinner, or whatever a meal at 4:00 was called. Staying busy should keep me focused, although today I had my doubts. It was going to be a long one.

“I hope you all enjoy yourselves. There are maps and a list of local businesses on the table inside each bungalow, but if there is anything else I can do, please feel free to call.” With a smile, I left him to his family and friends.

****

The man had been keeping tabs.

Because of Noah’s broadcast, he knew the best opportunity to ease all this pent-up pressure, had landed in his lap. But he needed to be patient a little longer. Making a move before the moment was perfect could fuck everything up. Despite this firm internal reprimand, excitement bounced around inside him like a child eyeing that big birthday gift.

He vaguely wondered how McLeod would react when a huge chunk of blame for Klahanie’s death landed right on top of him. But he didn’t think about it for long. It was about as important to him as the wanderings of a small animal before it took a fatal step and became roadkill.

The man kept his ears and eyes open, happy to indulge island gossip if it meant acquiring information. The fact that folks were so friendly and open reminded him how stupid people could be, but it was an advantage for someone like him. He’d parked his vehicle off the main road in one of many hidden spots he’d discovered. Through his binoculars, he had a good view of the Holt farm driveway. Once Klahanie’s Honda appeared, depending which direction she headed, he’d follow from a respectable distance. There were only so many places to go on the island, and he could almost predict her destinations. He just didn’t know when, and that’s what now drove him crazy. He’d already been forced to piss back in the trees once so far.

Patience.

As he watched and waited, an interesting idea buzzed around his brain. It wasn’t something he’d considered before, but he’d been forced to wait too long. The more he thought about it, the more the idea appealed to him. It would also be useful in disconnecting himself from previous kills, if any bodies were ever discovered. He didn’t think it would happen, since he was so careful, but he was human. Excitement zapped through him, and his cock stirred from flaccid to semi-hard. Thankful he always carried condoms, he almost laughed in delight. Yeah, this would be perfect. He’d kill her while inside her. Give her a good one for the road.

This time, he did giggle, the sound more an elevated harshness of breath, than a real laugh. Buoyancy of a good decision filled him with delight, but he tamped it down.

Patience.

He pulled in a full breath, topped it off with another quick inhale, and then released in a slow whistle. The man repeated his calming breaths several more times until he found his control.

Yeah, it was all good. He could wait.

Chapter Forty

I spent close to two hours in the guest dining room of the main house, drinking hot cocoa, nibbling on a fresh scone, and talking with Diane about my life on and off the island. Her interview techniques were impressive, showing loads of intuition within our relaxed banter. We hit it off enough to agree to keep in touch after she returned home.

A few minutes later, she’d wandered off to bike to the village, and I glanced up at the wall clock to grimace. I needed to get over to Noah’s place before flipping around to head south to the village to meet Dani. Up to now, I’d received a few texts, including a cute photo, from Noah, just to let me know where they were, where they’d decided to stop to eat, and what time they planned to catch the ferry back. Weirdly enough, it sounded like they were having fun, and I took that as a good thing. I admitted to myself a certain amount of envy, but squashed it. It was good for them. All of them. Especially Noah.

I headed for the front door, stopped to give Asta a scratch, and followed it up with a dental bone when she gave me accusatory puppy eyes. I took advantage of her distraction, and slipped out when she was busy chewing, and headed for my little SUV.

The day had crept close to 50 degrees, so I just wore a t-shirt and hoodie, choosing to toss my heavier coat on the back seat as a just-in-case measure. It would seem I hadn’t taken long to re-acclimate to the climate, but I reminded myself that there were still people on the island who’d wear shorts year-round. Yes, I’d acclimated, but I wasn’t insane.

Heavy clouds stifled the sun, but rain wasn’t expected until tomorrow. By that time, I’d know whether or not Gram would be able to walk again.

I pushed the sudden oppressive worry from my head and reminded myself that I couldn’t do a damn thing about it. We’d all deal, one way or another.

Like almost every other time I’d driven to Noah’s, there were few other cars. I almost increased my speed, but remembered Jay’s admonishment, and slowed.

I wove through the countryside, turned, and turned again. When Noah’s place loomed ahead of me, I let out a little sigh, and parked on one side of his empty carport. He’d left his truck at the farm in order to drive Gram’s van. I grabbed my purse, and jogged up the walkway to let myself in, too aware of the time. I hated being late. I thought about sending Dani a quick text, but figured I should just be in and out, in theory.

Noah’s instructions had been spot-on, so it didn’t take long to set his recorded program to start in a couple of hours. A little pride filled me. It wasn’t as much of an issue as I’d feared.

I dropped the keys inside and tossed my purse back over my shoulder, stopping only to relock the front door, and began my power walk back to my SUV.

I startled, when a man stepped from behind the vehicle, his face hidden in the shadow of the carport. The darkness bled away a moment later when he walked toward me.

My heart had sputtered, but now calmed. I had time to feel stupid. “Hey, you! What’s up?”

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