The Lake

THIRTY-FIVE

Leigh was leaving for the restaurant when the phone rang. It was Mattie.

“Hi, Mats. What’s up?”

“I’m coming over, Leigh. Be there in five, six minutes?”

“Sure. See ya.”

What did Mattie want so early? I know she’s supposed to be our personal bodyguard—but hasn’t she heard that Nelson’s dead?

Mattie had sounded subdued. Upset, even. Leigh frowned. What on earth was wrong?

Was it anything to do with her?

Perhaps Mattie needed a shoulder to cry on.

Leigh didn’t have to wait long to find out.

“Coffee?”

“Sure. As it comes. The blacker the better.”

Leigh set two mugs on the kitchen table. More informal here than in the living room, she decided. If Mattie had something on her mind, she’d probably prefer to discuss it in the intimacy of the kitchen.

Leigh poured coffee, passed Mattie hers, and sat facing her over the table.

Leigh added cream to her own coffee while Mattie worked around the real reason for her visit. For a while, she stirred her coffee, concentrating on the swirling black liquid.

“Not keeping you, am I?” she asked, glancing up.

“Not a bit of it. The gang’s all there, back at the Bayview. Beavering away, I hope.” Leigh smiled at her.

Mattie said, “Heard the news about Nelson. So you identified him?”

Leigh sighed and nodded. “Yeah. All of that. Not a pleasant experience, I might say.”

“Yeah. I seen bodies that’ve been in the water for a while. Good thing you even recognized Nelson. Fish tend to mess things up.”

Leigh shuddered. “Don’t, Mattie. It was bad enough as it was…”

“Mace told you about Nelson?”

“Yes, he did. He’s been very supportive.”

“I’ll bet.”

Leigh started at the cynicism in Mattie’s tone.

“Meaning?”

“Meaning that Mace can be a very supportive person.”

Leigh didn’t care for the way she said that.

“You got something on your mind, Mattie? If you have, spit it out. I’m all ears.”

Mattie hesitated for a moment, then said, “Lemme tell you a story, Leigh.”

“Go on.”

Mattie paused again, deciding where to begin.

“Five years ago, when I first came to Mill Valley PD, I was a raw, hurt young girl. Naive, if you like. From a li’l hick town near Lodgepole, Sequoia country…

“I’d met up with some guy there who did things to gals. To get his wicked way.”

She huffed out a short, cynical laugh.

Then, with a meaningful look at Leigh, she said, “Know what I’m sayin’? On the other hand, Leigh, maybe you wouldn’t wanna know what I’m sayin’. Even if you did, I’m not about to tell ya what that guy got up to.

“This I will say. What happened back in that small hick town made me want to get out there, smoke out all the pervs, the rapists—the psychos lurking in every goddamn corner of this big, beautiful country of ours… and give ’em hell. Or at least what the fuck they deserved—as far as the law allowed, that is.

“I joined Mill Valley Police Department. Became a crack shot, did martial arts. One of the guys, they called me.

“Met Mace. Worked with him. He ’peared to be an okay guy, all right. Looked after me. Gave me back my confidence in human nature, I guess. Rounded me off.” Her mouth curved in a mirthless grin. “I was a pretty messed-up gal in those days…”

Leigh frowned. “Mattie. I’m sorry. Really sorry. You must have been badly hurt… But what has this…”

“Got to do with Mace?”

“Right.”

“Well, I’ll tell ya, Leigh. I got to know Mace pretty well, bein’ his partner an’ all. He was my alter ego. My shadow. Christ. We didn’t even have to speak to know what we were both thinking.” Suddenly concerned, Mattie glanced across at Leigh, hoping she hadn’t come off too strong. Dropping her voice, she looked away. “Yeah. We were that close.”

Leigh sipped her coffee without even tasting it.

What had Mattie come to say?

Something about Mace?

If it was, she had a sinking feeling she didn’t want to hear it.

“I know you’re seeing a lot of Mace. And I don’t blame you. Or him. You’re a wonderful lady, Leigh. Money. Nice home. Great restaurant. A daughter who’s a credit to you…”

“And?”

“You don’t know Mace like I do, Leigh.”

“Cut the bullshit, Mattie. Let’s just get to where you’re at.”

“I mean, Leigh, the guy back there in Yellow Bend ain’t the only one who likes to hear a gal scream.”

Mattie finished her coffee. She left soon after delivering her parting shot, leaving Leigh to interpret the conversation as best she could.

Mattie’d spilled the beans, all right, Leigh thought. Leaving me with plenty to think about. Jesus. Most of what she’d said was beginning to make a lot of sense.

Carefully, Leigh picked through Mattie’s words, going over her sketchy innuendos. And, she didn’t mind admitting, it hurt like hell. For chrissake, Mattie couldn’t mean Mace was a psycho? Could she?

Shuddering, Leigh dismissed the thought.

Sure. Mace had a macho streak.

Most men have, she told herself.

But he isn’t a sadist, as Mattie implied. Mace was kind, civilized, and… normal.

Wasn’t he?

Sure he was. Look how he brought me flowers, champagne. Was always around to protect us from Nelson.

But, she told herself, I was the one who encouraged him.

He didn’t jump me.

I was the seducer; he, the seduced…

Leigh hesitated. She held her breath, last night’s little drama fixed firmly in her mind.

Some head, first, honey. Just to get things moving…

A cold shudder ran through her body.

A lot of guys like their head, she reasoned.

It’s all part of the foreplay.

But she’d reacted in such a goddamn crazy way. Like a dumb kid crying “rape.”

On the other hand, if what Mattie implied was true, that whole darn episode could be a taste of things to come…