Page 24 of It Happened on the Lake

Chase was the taller of the two, his hair a lighter blond, his eyes a startling blue. Levi’s deep-set eyes were a light shade of brown, not that she could tell now as he glared at her, his hair rumpled from sleep and a beard shadow evident. He put a finger to his lips as if she needed to be reminded to be quiet, then pushed the window open quickly and slipped through, shutting the sash softly behind him. Then she noted the small bandage.

“What happened to you?” she whispered.

“Cut myself,” he explained, keeping his voice low. “I . . . um, fell against the jukebox downstairs in the rec room.”

She reached out to touch it, but he jerked away.

“Don’t. It’s fine. No big deal. What’re you doing here?” he demanded, and she smelled alcohol on his breath.

“I can’t find—”

“Shh!” Levi caught her by the elbow and pulled her away from the house. Walking quickly, he shepherded her toward the far side of the road, where there were no houses and the wooded hill rose sharply.

“Looking for Chase.”

He frowned. “I thought he was with you.”

“He said so?”

“No, but since he’s not in his room . . .” He acted as if one thought went unerringly to the next.

She yanked her arm away and rubbed her elbow. “No—no, he was supposed to meet me, but he didn’t show up. His boat—your dad’s boat—is in the middle of the lake.”

“What? Oh, fuck! He took the boat? And he’s not there? You don’t know where he is?” he asked, his gaze boring into hers.

“That’s what I said!”

“What happened?”

“I don’t know! That’s why I’m here,” she whispered harshly, the panic she’d started to quell rising again.

“Tell me what you do know.”

“Nothing. That’s it!”

“But you must’ve had plans or something.”

“Yes!”

“What were they?”

Her stomach knotted as he glared at her. She wanted to die a thousand deaths rather than explain anything to Levi.

“Harper?”

“Fine.” She kept her voice soft and reluctantly filled him in. She told him that she and Chase had planned to meet on the dock on the island, but he hadn’t shown up. She’d waited for hours, then spied his boat on the water, took the canoe, found the craft empty, then rowed here, and ended with, “I thought maybe he’d swum back home.”

“And left Dad’s boat in the middle of the lake?” Levi demanded, incredulous. “That’s crazy. It’s even nuts that he took it without permission. That boat cost Dad a butt-load of money. Dad used his inheritance to buy it. Jesus. It’s his pride and joy.”

“I know! But maybe . . . Chase left it there because something happened. Maybe it stalled, I don’t know. But his car is here, and so I thought maybe he’d swum back or that the boat got away from him and drifted or . . .”

Levi scowled, and in the weak lamplight he looked more like Chase than ever. “He’s not home.” He half ran over to Chase’s car and peered through the window as if he expected to find his brother within. He shook his head as he jogged swiftly back. “Shit, he’s not there.”

“So where is he?” Her voice was rising, and Sievers’s dog was on his feet again, pacing in front of the old man’s bungalow.

“Shh!” Levi pulled her farther down the street, past the Leonettis’ house to a wide spot in the road, a turnabout across from the cabin that was rented out to college kids. Three old cars and an art-covered Volkswagen bus were parked haphazardly in the drive and on the curb.

Harper whispered, “We have to tell your dad.”

---