Page 13 of Dark Roads
“I don’t want you getting in trouble over me,” Jonny said.
“I won’t. I just have to figure out if he’s cheating on Lana. Then I can get some sort of proof, and he’ll have to leave me alone or I’ll tell her.” The homes past the lake were mostly farms, run by married couples, or a few men from town, like Mason, who had a big property. It had to be someone who was staying in one of the cabins. The perfect cover.
“You’re going to blackmail him?”
“That’s the plan.”
He blew the air through his teeth in a long whistle. “I’ll ask my dad about the Moose Lodge. He knows a couple of guys who belong. Maybe Vaughn has missed other meetings.”
“That would be good. Like if there is a pattern or whatever.”
“If he’s doinganythingshady, we’ll find out,” Jonny promised.
“It might be hard. He’s probably careful.”
“Guys like him never think they’re going to get caught.”
“I don’t wantyouto get caught. When can you get the carburetor off my bike?”
“I have to work tomorrow. I’ll go over as soon as I can.”
Sunlight streamed through the sheer curtains and made a checkered design on the far wall. The clock above the bed said it was nine. I kicked off the blanket, rolled over, and stared at the door, listening to Lana and Cash moving around, talking. Theyhad an appointment at the salon to get Cash’s hair trimmed. Lana asked last night if I wanted to come along, but I’d passed.
I didn’t know when Vaughn had gotten home, but I’d heard him walking around an hour ago, dragging the recycling and garbage to the end of the driveway. He’d come back inside to say goodbye to Lana.Have a good day, honey. Need me to pick up anything on the way home?
Now the sound of the garage door sliding up as Lana left, her car engine fading away. I got up quickly and checked the garage and the driveway to make sure they were gone, then snuck into Lana’s room. I sniffed every bottle of perfume, lotion, and body spray. None of them had that musky orange scent. In the master closet, I went through the pockets of Vaughn’s coats, examined his lapels for strands of hair, rummaged through his drawers. Nothing.
I poured a cup of lukewarm coffee, ate some organic cereal that looked and tasted like chunks of cardboard—Lana shopped online from a health food store. I saw the receipt once and couldn’t believe how much everything cost. The more I thought about it, the more I wondered how Vaughn had so much money. Their TV was top-of-the-line, they each had iPads, including Cash, and the latest iPhones. Everything in the house was new—appliances, furniture. They bought it all right after they got married. I understood wanting a fresh start, but it was like they won the lottery and went on a shopping binge. Last year they’d gone to Cancún. Lana said their hotel was amazing, and Cash had a blast in the kid’s club. She’d touched Vaughn’s arm when she was telling me this, gave it a squeeze like she was thanking him. He’d patted her hand.
Lana probably didn’t earn a lot at the florist shop. How much could Vaughn make as a sergeant? I wanted to see one of his pay stubs, but I couldn’t find any paperwork in the house. Noteven one utility bill. They must do everything online. Frustrated, I took a break for a shower.
When I stepped out fifteen minutes later, the bathroom was full of steam and beads of water dripped down the walls. I hadn’t opened the window. I’d wipe the marks off and hope no one noticed. I was pretty much the only one who used the main hall bathroom. Cash had his own off his room, and the master bedroom had a suite with a double showeranda huge soaker tub.
I wrapped a towel around my body and slid the window up. The long rectangle gave me a clear view of Gray Shawl Mountain—so called because of the way the clouds settled around the peaks. Today it was hazy in the sun. I clenched my hands into fists. I should be up there. Nothing smelled like the woods in the summer, warm earth and pine needles. I should be riding my bike with Dad and Jonny, then coming home to grill fresh-caught salmon with them.
I thought about all the times we’d driven out to the West Coast and brought back huge chum salmon, which we’d smoke in the fifty-five-gallon drum barrel that Dad made, or the traditional First Nations way—over an open fire. We’d butterfly the fish, marinate it in salt brine, and rub it down with brown sugar or maple syrup. Sometimes we used berries and herbs, wild garlic. When it was ready, we’d weave cedar skewers through the meat, and slowly cook it over alderwood. My favorite was candied salmon, long sticky strips of it.
Vaughn bought salmon at the grocery store, threw it on the grill like it was a special treat. I stared out at the garden shed that he used for his office, tucked into the far corner of the yard. It was pretty, with blue siding and white trim around the windows, two hanging flower baskets. The house behind it was blocked by a few trees and a fence. I imagined the shed was a quiet place to work. Lana said Vaughn kept it locked.Sometimes he has to bring home sensitive material about cases, and he doesn’t want Cash to see anything.
Like what, autopsy reports? Evidence bags with bloody clothing? Wouldn’t that be kept at the station? It didn’t make sense. It wasn’t like Cash was going to read his files. Even if there were photos, all Vaughn had to do was put them in a cabinet or a drawer.
Vaughn usually went outside as soon as he got home, and then again after dinner. If he was having an affair, he had to be communicating with her somehow. I’d seen him come home with a laptop case, but he never left it around in the house. It had to be in the shed. At the very least he might have a filing cabinet and credit card bills that I could look over.
I tugged on a pair of shorts, a T-shirt, and, with my hair still wet, hustled out to the backyard. When I got closer to the shed, I realized that there was a dark film on the inside of the windows. Was the tinting to block out the heat? Or for privacy? It seemed kind of extreme. I pressed my face up against the glass and shaded my eyes. Everything inside was murky.
I gave the door handle a try. Definitely locked. I searched above the wood frame, the top of the windows, inside the hanging baskets, under a few rocks nearby. It was possible the key was inside the house somewhere, but I doubted it. My bet was that Vaughn kept it with him.
I stepped back with my hands on my hips, looking up at the roof. There didn’t seem to be a skylight or any vents, and it was unlikely to have an attic. Only way in was through the front.
A noise behind me—the back door opening.
Just as I spun around, Lana stepped outside with a bag in her hand. I hadn’t heard the garage, or the car. I should have been paying better attention.
“There you are.” Her voice was cheerful as it carried across the lawn and she smiled, but her gaze flicked from me to the shed door.
“A wasp flew into the rafters.” I pointed to the shed roof. “I was checking for a nest.”
“Wasp!” Cash ducked under her arm and sprinted to my side, peering up at the roof.
