Dark Realms (11 page)

“Actually, funny you should ask, we’re
hiring for the nightshift,” she said. “We’re always hiring for that
shift, so I guess it really isn’t funny.”

“That’s fine. I’m desperately broke and need
a job. Could you please get me an application?” I asked. “Oh, and,”
I handed her back the menu. “A Caesar salad?” I pointed to Nathan.
“He’s buying.”

She laughed. “Okay, so anything to
drink?”

“Just water,” I replied.

“How are the burgers here, Amy?” asked
Nathan.

“Oh, they’re very good. That’s why this
place is always so busy. That and the fact that we’re the only
diner open twenty-four hours.”

He smiled. “I’ll take your word for it,
then. I’d like a bacon double cheeseburger, an order of onion
rings, and a chocolate milkshake.”

She smiled back. “Hope you’re hungry because
they serve big portions here.”

That’s when Nathan turned on the charm. He
leaned forward and smiled. “You know what… I already like this
place, sis. Nice portions and even nicer waitresses. What more
could a guy ask for?”

Amy blushed. She
was
very pretty and I’m
sure that guys were always coming on to her, but even I had to
admit, Nathan was a good-looking guy himself. Obviously, he knew
it, too.

“I’ll be back with your malt and water in
just a moment,” she said softly before she walked away.

“I guess Deanna is beginning to fade from
your memory as the day progresses,” I mused.

His face became serious. “Not really. I
mean, there will always be a special place in my heart for her,
but, I’ve decided to keep my options open. Heck, I’m young and
shouldn’t be tying myself down to one girl; especially one who’s a
few hundred miles away.”

I folded my hands and nodded. “That’s why
I’m not going to waste time pining for any of the guys in town.
After high school there will be college, and I don’t want anything
holding me back.”

Amy returned with his milkshake and handed
me an application.

“Um, if I were you I’d only request hours
during the day or early evening.”

“
Why?” I asked,
puzzled.

She looked around nervously and then
whispered, “It’s too dangerous around here at night.”

Nathan raised his eyebrows. “What do you
mean by dangerous?”

“Amy!” hollered someone behind the counter,
who looked like the cook. “Order’s up! They’re waiting!”

“Sorry, I can’t talk about it now,” she
mumbled. “Just take my word for it.”

Then she left us both staring at each other
in surprise.

I bit the side of my lower lip. “Wow, first
a dead body in the lake and now this creepy warning?”

He waved his hand. “Oh, it might be nothing.
Maybe she’s talking about drunk drivers or something.”

“I don’t know, but, I’ll take her word for
it. I’d prefer to work during the day, anyway.”

I finished the application just as our food
arrived.

“I can take this and give it to the owner if
you’d like. She’ll be in later this evening,” said Amy.

“Thanks,” I said. “So, what did you mean
earlier about it being dangerous around here at night?”

Her eyes darted around the restaurant again
and I had this feeling like she was genuinely scared. Finally she
cleared her throat and mumbled. “I didn’t mean anything by it. Just
forget I said anything.”

At that moment I noticed that the diner was
unusually quiet and I had the impression that some of the other
customers were listening to our conversation. I decided it would be
best just to drop the subject.

I raised my voice. “Oh. Well, yeah, if you
could give the application to whoever does the hiring, I’d really
appreciate it.”

She nodded and then stepped away. I
immediately noticed that the volume of the diner rose again and I
stared at Nathan curiously.

“Okay, kind of weird,” he said, under his
breath. “Must be a small town thing?”

“Must be,” I said, picking up my fork.

We finished our food and Nathan left a big
tip for Amy, who was so busy she could barely make it back to the
table, to refill our glasses.

“You dropped something,” called Amy as we
were leaving the diner. Before I could respond, she handed me a
folded-up note and hurried away.

“What was that all about?” asked Nathan as
we walked to the car.”

The sun was bright and I put my shades on.
“Don’t know. We’ll read it in the car.”

When we got into the Mustang, I immediately
opened the note and read it out loud. “Lock your doors at night and
don’t invite any strangers inside.” A shiver ran up my spine and I
turned to Nathan. “Okay, that’s really freaky.”

Nathan’s cell phone began to ring before he
could respond. “It’s mom,” he said, answering it.

I could hear them talking about her date
with the sheriff and then he hung up.

“I guess it’s going to be a late dinner, so
we don’t have to be home for a few hours. The sheriff is working a
little later and isn’t getting off until sometime after nine.”

I snorted. “If it’s dangerous here at night,
it would make sense that he’s really busy.”

“Listen,” said Nathan, as we pulled out of
the parking lot. “I wouldn’t go blowing everything out of
proportion. It’s possible that Amy was friends with that dead girl
and doesn’t trust anyone right now. Or maybe, she’s a little
crazy.”

I sighed. “Or maybe, she’s just worried
about us. You have to admit that finding a dead body practically at
our doorstep isn’t the best housewarming gift.”

“Since the sheriff is coming to dinner
tonight, why don’t we just ask him about it? He’d certainly know if
there was something wicked happening around here after dark.”

“Maybe,” I mumbled.

“Hey, that must be Duncan’s dad’s shop,”
said Nathan, slowing the car down.

I looked up and noticed a large boat marina
with a big sign that read: “Sonny’s Boat Repairs.” Nathan pulled
into the parking lot and we both got out.

“Wow, check out all of those boats,” pointed
Nathan, his face lighting up. “Oh man, I think I just had an
orgasm.”

I glared at him. “God, you are so
disgusting.”

There was a fenced-in storage area for some
of the smaller boats not docked at the marina. On the other side
was the repair shop.

“I’d like to get myself an old Carver after
I find a job,” said Nathan as we walked towards the shop’s
entrance. “I hear you can get one relatively inexpensive and fix it
up.”

Nathan and my dad have always loved boats.
In fact, we used to own a twenty-four foot Bayliner before my
parents split up. Then dad had to sell the boat and Nathan’s been
pining for his own ever since.

“Hey!” called Duncan, coming towards us.
“You made it.”

“Yeah,” said Nathan. “Now that we’re here, I
have to admit, I’m jealous. You’re surrounded by some pretty
amazing boats.”

Duncan started telling us about another
high-end yacht that needed repairs. I have to admit, though, I was
paying more attention to him than what he was saying. Up close, he
appeared much taller than I’d remembered and had a contagious
smile. His eyes were a silvery gray color, and every time he
glanced my way, I felt my cheeks heat up.

“I just realized something,” he said.
“You’re twins, aren’t you?”

“Yeah,” said Nathan, putting his arm around
my shoulders. “She’s the ugly one, poor little thing.”

My jaw dropped and I smacked him in the
shoulder for what had to be the tenth time that day. “You are such
a shit.”

“But I’m the good-looking one,” he
laughed.

Duncan shook his head and stared at us in
amusement. “Sorry, dude, but I think you might have that wrong.
Nikki here seems to have absorbed all the beauty genes, leaving you
with a great sense of humor, though.”

“Oh, yeah,” I laughed, secretly thrilled
that Duncan thought I was cute, “and even his sense of humor leaves
a lot to be desired.”

Nathan pouted. “And I thought you invited me
along because I was the cuter twin.”

“No, but I have to say, you still have a
nice butt,” joked Duncan.

“Pilates,” said Nathan, turning around to
show us.

“Okay, enough!” I interrupted. “Now I’ve
realized that you are both a couple of dorks.”

“From one dork to another,” said Nathan.
“I’m ready to see some yachts. Lead the way, you sexy thang.”

Duncan burst out laughing and turned around
to lead us towards the marina. I quickly checked out his rear and
decided that he definitely didn’t need any Pilates.

Chapter Six

An hour later, after getting a few secret
tours on some of the largest yachts I’d ever seen, we followed
Duncan into the main shop to meet his dad, Sonny.

“Hello,” said Sonny, who was an older
version of Duncan, minus the hair, “nice to meet the both of
you.”

Nathan held out his hand and shook Sonny’s.
“Thanks for letting Duncan give us a glimpse of some of these sweet
yachts,” he said. “You must be extremely busy with all of those
boats out there.”

“Tell me about it,” said Sonny. “I can
barely keep up. I’m going to have to hire someone to help around
the shop, especially now that fall is just around the corner. Many
of these boats need to be winterized, and soon.”

I looked at Nathan, who was already way
ahead of me.

“What kind of experience do you need? I’m
looking for a job,” said my brother.

Sonny rubbed his bald head. “I can’t imagine
you’d know how to repair boat engines at your age, although Duncan
does, but that’s because he’s been around them most his life. You
know, I could still use someone to take care of the customers,
order parts, and do some of the lighter maintenance. That would
free up a lot of time for me and my son.”

I could see that Nathan was getting really
excited. “Listen,” he said, his eyes sparkling. “I’m your man. I’m
a very hard worker and learn quickly.”

Sonny leaned back in his chair. “Okay. We’ll
have you fill out an application and I’ll certainly consider you. I
do have a couple mechanics who work the graveyard shift, so what I
could really use is someone who doesn’t mind doing a little grunt
work.”

“Grunt is my middle name,” smiled
Nathan.

Sonny smiled. “That’s what I like to
hear.”

While Nathan started filling out the
application, Duncan asked me if I wanted anything to drink.

“Um, sure... water?”

“Come on, I’ll show you our luxurious break
room.”

I followed Duncan to the back of the shop
and we entered into a small room with pop and snack machines.

“Here,” he said, handing me a bottle of
water from the back of the fridge. “I’ll give you one from my
secret stash. If I don’t hide them, they seem to disappear
overnight.”

I laughed. “Really? Thanks.”

“So,” he said as he sat down and stretched
out his long legs. “How do you like Shore Lake so far?”

“Seriously, it’s kind of a hard question to
answer. Last night we found a body near the lake, and today, one of
the waitresses at Ruth’s passed me a note that warned us to stay
inside after dark and not invite any strangers inside.”

His eyes widened. “Seriously?! Are you
kidding me?”

I took a sip of the water. “No, I wish I
was.” I set my water down and pulled out the note Amy had given
me.

He read it and frowned. “Very strange. So,
do the cops know whose body you found?”

“Some girl around my age, Tina Johnson?”

He scratched his head. “Tina Johnson? To
tell you the truth, I don’t really know many of the locals. I only
stay with my dad during the summer and then for the rest of the
year, I live with my mom in Minnesota.”

“Oh, so you’re going back to Minnesota next
month when school starts?”

He smiled. “I graduated last spring, so now
I can stay wherever I want.”

“What are you going to do now?” I asked.

He sighed. “Probably help my dad out while I
take some engineering classes at the local college.”

“What about your mom?”

“She just remarried and is pretty busy with
her new husband,” he said. “My dad doesn’t really have anyone else
but me, so I’m probably sticking around here.”

I took a sip of water and set it down.
“Well, it sounds like your dad really needs you in more ways than
one.”

He nodded. “What about your old man?” he
asked and then looked embarrassed. “I’m sorry, I probably shouldn’t
have asked. If he’s passed away or something, I apologize for my
lack of tactfulness.”

I smiled humorlessly.
“Actually, there are times that I wish he
had
passed away. I know that sounds
really cold, but he’s an asshole. Thank goodness my mom is no
longer with him.”

“Then cheers to that,” he said, tapping my
water bottle with his.

“Cheers.”

He re-capped his water. “So, you mentioned
the dead girl, do they think she was murdered?”

“No, it sounds like she liked to party a
little too much and may have accidently killed herself.”

“What about the waitress at the diner?” he
asked, biting his lower lip. “That was a pretty weird.”

“Very.” I sat back in the chair. “So, um,
have you heard anything about missing people or other bodies being
discovered near the lake?”

He looked thoughtful. “No, not really;
although, there have been plenty of people moving recently. That’s
why I mentioned the cabins. Either people are selling or just
renting out their lake homes.”

“Hey, Nikki,” said Nathan as he stepped into
the break room, “are you ready to get going? I want to pick up
those steaks for mom before it gets too late.”

I looked at my watch and noticed it was
already after seven. “Yeah, we’d better leave.”

“Thanks for stopping by, guys,” said Duncan,
standing up. He lowered his voice. “I’ll work on my dad so he’ll
hire you.”