Big Noise: A Jo Spence Mystery Page 4

  The rest of the group stayed inside for forty minutes. They finished by showering inside the sauna with a big warm bucket and a pitcher. When it was Zoey's turn, Jo poured the water for her. "You will never be cleaner than after a sauna."

  "So, this is the secret? We do this every day?"

  Everyone laughed. "Once or twice a week," Ree volunteered, looking apologetic. Apparently, she had still not quite adjusted to this lifestyle herself.

  Zoey managed a weak smile.

  "I'll see what we can do about keeping you clean." Jo was thinking about their earlier sponge bath, and she flashed Zoey a grin.

  "Get a room, girls!" Sandy complained. "Oh, that's right, you already have one. Disregard," she added, with a dismissive wave of her hand.

  CHAPTER 9

  They gathered around a table in front of the woodstove for a full night of poker. Jo's eyes wandered about the cabin, taking in the uniqueness of it as they played. Perhaps that contributed to her demise as a poker player. There were coats, hats, long underwear, and all sorts of things hanging about, presumably to dry out. Sandy and Ree had hand-crafted custom nooks and crannies to hold mittens and kitchen things. All were designed to blend into the log cabin theme while maintaining the whole rustic atmosphere.

  They played "winner calls the game and winner deals." Sandy must have dealt over half of the hands and was hooting and hollering after every win. She would start in, and they'd all follow. Each time their voices rose, Cocoa would get up and go over to Jo to see if she was all right, and then look outside to see if they were yelling because someone had arrived. Once she was certain there was nothing to guard them from, she would settle down in front of the fire and begin to sleep. When the next hand ended, the whole thing would start again.

  By the end of the night, Jo was down four bucks, and Zoey was down two. Jo teased, "No wonder our rent is so cheap. I smell a scam."

  As Jo and Zoey left for the guest cabin, Ree turned to Sandy and said, "Remember when we were so new? We used to look at each other like that. I think we were every bit as hot for each other as they are." They watched Jo and Zoey holding hands as they walked away.

  Sandy looked at Ree and said, "Of course I remember. We still have some fun once in a while, and after fifteen years, that's pretty good."

  Ree had moved closer to Sandy and put her arm around her. "Especially on date night."

  Sandy slid her hand under Ree's shirt and felt the warm skin of her back. "And on other nights." She gave her a little nudge toward the stairway. "What do you say we get naked and see what happens?"

  Ree's expression, which Sandy could read without fail after all their years together, was in the affirmative. Sandy pulled her toward the stairway. Once they reached the top of the stairs, Ree turned to Sandy, picked her up, hoisted her over her shoulder, and not so gently, deposited her on the bed. She stood over her, waiting for a response.

  "Oh, you big butch, I could do that to you, too, you know."

  "I have a lot of other moves you've never seen," Ree said.

  "Well then, we have that much more to look forward to."

  Ree got a serious look on her face, so Sandy settled down and faced her on her side. "What, hon?"

  Ree drew a picture of a heart over Sandy's scarred breast area, over her actual heart. "Love is like a heartbeat, you know."

  Sandy scrunched up her nose. "A heartbeat? Is this like a doctor thing? 'Cause we can play that game, if you like," Sandy teased.

  "You know, like a heart monitor where you can see your heart beating. There's a baseline, then a peak, then it drops below the baseline, and then again back up. The baseline is when we met. We didn't know if we would be friends or lovers. Then we peaked for a few years until around year seven, maybe eight. Then we dropped down below. Remember? We didn't even notice." Sandy realized Ree was being serious and nodded.

  "Then one day you said, 'Hon, what happened to us? Did we consciously stop having sex?' I was a little perturbed at you at first because I was watching Northern Exposure. Like it was the most important thing in the world. You waited for the show to end and said, 'I think we need to set up a date night. I want us to keep our passion alive.' Remember that?" Sandy smiled back at Ree and nodded yes.

  "So, that's how it started, and ever since we've been going strong, with our own little rhythm. Once a week, we have a romantic, sit-down dinner, watch a movie, get naked, and sometimes we end up asleep, or laughing, or we make love." Ree paused, and Sandy smiled at her and stroked her cheek. She was touched by how this had meant so much to Ree.

  "I think I know how to bring us back up to baseline tonight, sweetie. I might even try for a few peaks." Ree's eyes had smoked over with desire, so Sandy took her into her arms and kissed her deeply. Ree relaxed into Sandy's embrace, finding that they still fit together like an old shoe. She knew exactly where all of their curves came together. She moved against Sandy and reached to find her clit. She began making slow circles with her hand while moving against her.

  Sandy was so stirred by Ree's earnestness about keeping their passion alive that she quickly found herself moving toward orgasm.

  As Sandy arched up, Ree backed off a little bit, and whispered into her ear, "I love you more than ever." Then she slowly shifted lower and made circular motions with her tongue until she heard Sandy cry out and felt her melt. She moved up quickly and took Sandy in her arms, holding her close.

  "That was quick." Ree didn't want to spoil the moment, but she was feeling an urgent need herself. She managed to wait until she felt Sandy's heart slow.

  Sandy looked at Ree. "What do you need, hon?"

  Ree's answer was to guide Sandy's hand down until she was inside her. Sandy moved her body in unison with her hand until she could feel Ree's arousal. She slowed her thrusts a bit, looked into Ree's eyes, and said, "I love you more than ever, too, my Ree." As she said it, Ree tumbled into orgasm.

  "Hold me."

  "I am."

  "Closer."

  Sandy couldn't imagine how they could be closer, but she placed her cheek against Ree's and allowed her emotions to wash over and through her. She knew that because Ree was so quiet, only letting others into her world through her dry humor, her lover was the only person in the world to know this serious and intense side of her. After they held each other for a time, Ree backed up a bit, looked into Sandy's eyes, and said, "We found some peaks tonight."

  "That we did."

  Ree moved in behind Sandy and pressed her nose and lips against Sandy's warm neck, taking in her scent.

  "I love falling asleep surrounded by the smell of our sex."

  "Mmmm. Me, too."

  Back in the guest cabin, Jo and Zoey stoked the fire with an all-night log, nearly closed the damper for a slow burn, and climbed up into the loft. They had to open a window to cool it down enough to sleep. The walls of the loft were cedar and emitted a distinctive aroma. The bed was a simple futon mattress placed directly on the floor, the ceiling of the loft only five feet above it. Two pine dressers with a hand-built open closet standing in between were all that the space contained. The floor of pine boards was left unfinished. The space was cozy without feeling tight. They lay in silence for a minute reflecting on the day before Zoey turned to Jo.

  "Jo."

  Jo leaned on an elbow and looked at Zoey. She seemed to need the intimacy and recognition, so Jo waited until she went on.

  "I really did a good thing moving here. I love all of it. You, this incredible extended community, the outdoors. I had no idea."

  "I'm the lucky one. What did you think it would be like?"

  "I don't know. I mean, I thought it would be good. I love the outdoors. I guess I never expected to meet so many great people. I mean you, our Valley community, now these two. I love it all."

  "You like these guys?"

  "They're the best. They seem so happy and at ease with their lives, with each other. That Ree, what a hoot! She seems so serious, and then she hits you with her dry humor."

 
"They are great. Sandy and I have been friends for a long time. We've only been able to see each other a couple of times a year lately, but it's always easy. Comfortable. I'm a lucky girl."

  "Yes, my dear, you are."

  Zoey leaned in and finished the kiss she had started on the river. Their kisses had become longer and less urgent as time passed, but no less intense. Jo reflected in her mind that their kisses had evolved from an exclamation point to a paragraph and now sometimes to an entire chapter. She had begun to feel like Zoey was a part of her. Jo felt relaxed from the sauna and the poker game. She pulled Zoey's arm around her tighter. As she did, Java let out a moan down below. Jo ignored her jealous boy and found herself wondering how Sandy's brush with cancer had affected Sandy and Ree's relationship. She suspected that it had only brought them closer together. She was smiling at that as she felt herself drift off into sleep.

  CHAPTER 10

  Although he had been walking for hours, and his legs felt tired, he continued. He felt strong when he pushed himself beyond what others could do. The crisp winter air felt good, and it had suited his purpose that the snow was firm underfoot as he crunched along. Up ahead of him was a trail. It was clearly a human trail as opposed to a deer trail because of the still-distinguishable boot marks present. His heart beat faster as he followed the trail.

  Soon a shack took form in the woods. It wasn't much of a shack. More like slab wood covered in tarpaper. He approached slowly and silently. He stopped and sniffed the air and listened for any signs of life. Once he determined that all was quiet, he moved slowly up to the door. Again he stood quietly and listened for sounds. Hearing none, he banged on the door with his shotgun. Nothing stirred.

  He pushed open the flimsy plywood and waited another moment before walking into the cramped, dark space. Once his eyes adjusted to the lack of light, he could see that the shack was stuffed full of car stereos, flat-screen TVs, and DVD/DVR players. He jumped to the conclusion that they must be stolen.

  He felt strength gather in him because he was going to right this wrong.

  He immediately got to work. He brought all of the items outside one by one and lined them up on the ground. After retrieving an axe from a nearby stump, he smashed each and every item until it was unusable. He had never felt so useful and fulfilled.

  Once his work on the electronics was done, he took the small structure down with the axe as well. He was totally exhausted by the time he began the long walk back to his bunker.

  As Don walked, he realized that he had been so lost in thought that he didn't know if he was moving in the right direction or not. He kept going for another fifteen minutes without seeing one of the crosses that would tell him which direction to go. Thoughts of self-doubt crept into his head, sounding very much like his father's voice.

  "Stupid idiot. Why don't you pay attention?"

  "No, I'm not stupid. I righted a wrong. I broke their stolen stuff."

  He sat down and went through all of his walking in his mind. When he was really stressed, he replayed things over and over again.

  When he felt calm enough, Don made a huge cross from two downed trees and laid it down flat on the ground so that he wouldn't mistake it for one that would show him the way to his bunker. When he was finished, his stress level had reduced enough for him to begin walking again. After another twenty minutes, he came across a directional marker. He quickened his pace and followed it with the zeal of a hunting hound. When he finally made it back to his safe place, he was totally exhausted.

  CHAPTER 11

  Typically a fitful sleeper, Jo found that this night was no exception. Just before waking, Jo dreamed that she was walking through the woods on snowshoes at dawn. The trail she was on had been previously snowshoed and was firmly packed. There were boot tracks as well on the trail, and she couldn't figure out who they belonged to. As she walked, she felt that someone was watching her.

  When she turned around, she sensed rather than saw someone or something darting behind trees. She started walking again and quickly turned around in an attempt to see who was following and watching her. She did this several times before yelling, "Who are you?" Several clients inched out from behind the trees. They all opened their mouths to speak.

  Before hearing what they wanted, she woke up. Jo sat up and rubbed her eyes, thinking, Man, I did need this vacation.

  In her job, she was literally at the beck and call of parents, clients, police, and all of the POs in her unit. An answering service fielded calls twenty-four hours a day. The service attempted to reach the Probation Officer assigned to the caller. If the service couldn't reach the PO, they forwarded the call to Jo. Often the caller was requesting permission to go out of town, or parents were having trouble with their child and were seeking guidance. More often than not, a frustrated parent or foster parent wanted the officer to lock up the youth for minor infractions. Jo looked out the window into the blackness and pondered why the stress of her job had found its way into the serenity she could almost always rediscover when she was in the woods.

  That led to Jo thinking about her missing former client Rick. OK, what did she know that she could use as a starting point? He had been in the Big Noise area and was likely doing something illegal. According to the teenage runaway who had been hanging out with him, he was using drugs again.

  Reflecting back on their relationship, she knew that his pattern was to call her when he was clean, looking for advice or to hear an encouraging word from her. If he was indeed using drugs again, it was typical that he hadn't called.

  Jo normally would have tracked him down by now if she hadn't been preoccupied by her developing relationship with Zoey. Now she worried that the oversight might have been a costly one.

  When Rick was clean, she took him out to lunch once in a while to try to encourage him to stay that way. And when he was too far down to help himself, she would go looking for him and haul him into detox to help him get back to sobriety again. Jo had long-term relationships with a few of her other former clients, but she recognized that she had a particular soft spot for Rick.

  She smiled to herself as she thought about his fondness for dogs. When Rick was clean, he spent time volunteering at the animal shelter caring for homeless dogs. Jo had even allowed him to help her train Cocoa when she was a pup. Even to this day, she had to be careful when mentioning his name around Cocoa or she would run to the door, eager to see him. It made Jo's heart ache thinking about him being out of touch for so long. Not just out of touch with her, but out of touch period.

  Even though not calling her was an indication that he might be hiding out until he could present himself more favorably, her gut was telling her that he wasn't in the area, or that he was dead. She resolved to do what she could to find Rick out here, or find out where he'd gone. Otherwise, she would always wonder why she hadn't tried to help him when he was in trouble. Both she and Nate suspected that he had stumbled into something bad.

  She knew that she wouldn't get back to sleep easily, so she padded down the ladder and into the cabin kitchen. She opened the freezer and pulled out a quart-sized container of ice cream. Eating ice cream in the middle of the night was a bad habit, but it seemed to help her relax. She spooned a couple of scoops into a bowl and then set it down for a few minutes on the woodstove. Just as a puddle was developing in the bottom of the bowl, she picked it up, sat on the floor in front of the fire with her back to the couch, and dug into the soft treat.

  The moon shone in through a window behind her, and between the moonlight and the flames from the fire, she could clearly see her two dogs sitting patiently at her side waiting to find out if they would get to lick the bowl when she was done. Even though she couldn't sleep, she found quite a bit of serenity in her wakefulness.

  "Hon, you OK?" Zoey managed in a sleepy voice.

  "I'm OK. I'll be up in a minute."

  "Eating ice cream?"

  Jo laughed. "Want some?"

  "Bad dream?"

  "Not too bad. It was about
work. I'll tell you in the morning. Go back to sleep. I'm fine."

  "'Night, hon."

  Jo felt herself smile at this simple interchange. Yup, she was a keeper.

  CHAPTER 12

  Sandy and Ree awoke early the next morning. Their lovemaking had left a warm, fuzzy feeling with both of them. The sun was peaking over the horizon.

  "It's good to see Jo so happy, isn't it?" Ree said into the back of Sandy's neck.

  Turning over, Sandy responded, "Yeah, it really is. I think they're a good match. Zoey seems stable. It's going to be fun watching who Jo is in this relationship."