Page 41 of The Lake Escape
I nod like I’m under a hypnotic spell.
David continues. “I’m not the jealous type,” he assures me. “And I’m also a very forgiving person. I know Fiona wasn’t thinking clearly last night. I don’t hold what she did against her. I’m not like that, Izzy. And I forgive you as well. I get why you told the police what you saw, but I don’t need you filling Taylor’s head with stories about me. I know how you teenagers are. Everything goes online the second you hear it, and I have kids and a business to think about. So let’s keep it all quiet. Do I make myself clear?” I feel him tighten his grip ever so slightly, punctuating his point.
“Of course,” I answer dutifully. The coldness in David’s expression seeps into me. I can’t help but imagine the hand that’s pressed into my arm wrapped around Fiona’s throat.
I strain to keep my face from exposing my fear. The last thing I want is for David to know I’m quaking inside.
He finally lets go. Instinctively, I pull back from him, rubbing my sore arm. He smiles at me warmly, like everything is fine again.
“I’ll take the kids for a while,” he says. “We’ll grab an ice cream so they won’t be here while the police do their search. You can take a break. Have a good time. And Izzy, remember… watch what you say.”
Taylor’s waiting for me downstairs. She hovers by the door, eager to leave even though she’s just arrived. She’s wearing long pants, a light T-shirt, and sneakers, not sandals. She’s lost her effervescence. Her face is flat and expressionless.
I make a break for the door, hoping she has the same idea as I do and wants to go somewhere to talk.
I hear laughter and running footsteps overhead that sound like a stampede. The kids must be happy about their ice cream outing with Dad. He seems genuinely loving with his children. But I know the fear I felt upstairs wasn’t in my head. David’s an enigma, some kind of shape-shifter. He’s rich and arrogant but also hardscrabble and street smart. His home is refined, but his gold chain and chest hair scream thug life. I don’t know him well at all, and that only deepens my worry.
“Hey,” I say softly to Taylor. “Are you doing okay?”
She nods, but it’s hardly emphatic. “Can you take a drive with me?” she asks.
“David said I could have some time off. He’s taking the twins for ice cream… get them away from everything going on here.”
“Good,” Taylor says, swinging her car keys around her index finger. “My dad said I could take the Defender. Let’s go.”
“Where to?” I ask.
“You’ll see,” she says.
I follow her out into a perfect, sun-filled day. The air is fresh with the smell of blooming flowers and warm, dry dust. Nothing is threatening about the bright blue sky and puffy clouds drifting overthe lake. But amid all this beauty, a woman is missing, and I can’t allow myself the simple pleasure of a lovely afternoon.
We get into the car. It’s a luxurious ride. The leather seat caresses my skin. The dashboard has enough sophisticated electronics that this thing should be able to fly.
Taylor offers me bottled water, which I accept and drink greedily. She fires up Spotify—some pop song about love, loss, and a cheating ex-boyfriend starts playing. I wonder if it makes Taylor think about Lucas. Is that what she wants to talk about?What did I see? What do I know?Precisely what David doesn’t want me to share. His words of warning come back to me, and my arm starts throbbing all over again.
Whatever Taylor wants to discuss, she’s keeping it to herself. We silently cruise along narrow Vermont back roads, moving at a decent clip. Taylor is definitely on a mission. She has some specific destination in mind. But why keep it a secret? At least she’s a good driver and very conscientious. She always keeps two hands on the wheel and looks comfortable maneuvering this big, expensive car.
“This is my father’s real love,” she tells me. “He’s obsessed with this ride.”
“I bet,” I say, marveling again at the interior and how the upper class lives. “Why’d he let you take it?”
The verdant beauty of Vermont speeds past us at a dizzying pace. The greenery is so lush it’s like I’m driving through a painting.
“He’ll do anything I ask. You know—Daddy’s little girl.” Taylor sends me a telling smile.
“Oh yeah, I can relate,” I say. “My parents are divorced and my father will basically buy me anything to pay off his emotional debt.” We share a laugh that helps to break the ice. I take the opportunity to check in with her. “So how are you doing?” I ask.
“About Lucas, you mean?”
“Yeah, I’m sorry. I didn’t intend for you to find out that way. I’m sure it was a shock.”
“It’s better that I know.” Her voice has an edge that wasn’t there a moment ago.
“I didn’t see them do anything major, just a kiss,” I feel the need to explain.
“He’s not my boyfriend,” Taylor says coldly and doesn’t elaborate.
We drive in silence for a few minutes, with my gaze out the window, the music barely registering in my ears as my thoughts drift elsewhere. It’s odd how worried I am about the kids. Is David going to feed them a good lunch? He is their father, but I wouldn’t fill them up with so much junk that they won’t have room for a couple of vegetables or some fruit in their system. And they must be wondering about Fiona. What’s he saying to them?
