Chapter 2 Annie
Annie stopped on the sidewalk, blinking up through the drizzle at the rain-streaked sign swinging from the lintel over her head.
LAKE LUMIN MUNICIPAL DEPT.
She glanced down at the note in her hand, double-checking the address written in Allen’s dark scrawl, then looked back up at the sign just as a hanging drop of water fell, missing the brim of her hat by centimeters and landing squarely between her eyes.
It was the right address, but the building didn’t look like any visitor center she’d ever seen. It was small and indiscriminate, with just one mirrored window bouncing her reflection right back at her. Maybe Allen had been off by a digit or two.
Annie took a step back, swiping at her forehead as she glanced at the storefronts left and right of 401.
Bigfoot Pies & Pastries, and a nondescript bookstore.
Neither looked remotely like a business that would serve as headquarters for a game warden, so, with a sigh, Annie pushed through the door of 401, sending a silver bell tinkling as she stepped into a warm office.
A sandy-haired young officer sat alone behind a counter, spinning slow circles in his desk chair. He caught himself by the lip of the counter and straightened out to face her with bright blue eyes. “Can I help you?”
Annie pulled her hat from her head without bothering to smooth the flyaways beneath it. “Maybe. I’m new in town, and I think I’m a little lost.”
The officer’s gaze slipped from Annie’s face, traveling to her toes and back as confusion creased his brow.
“Well, I’m Jake.” He offered a wide smile with a noticeable gap between his two front teeth. “Where are you trying to get to?”
Annie glanced down at the stitched name on his uniform that read OFFICER PROUDY.
Jake.
Apparently, this was the sort of town where people didn’t bother with last names.
“I’m looking for the visitor center. I’m the new game warden.”
“Oh!” Jake shot out of his seat and thrust his hand across the counter. “Right, of course. They told me someone would be coming in to replace Bud this week, but they didn’t say… they didn’t tell me… I mean, no one said you’d be…”
Annie pressed her lips together, enjoying the embarrassed flush working its way up his neck.
“A woman?” she supplied after a beat, and Jake nodded gratefully.
“Not that there’s anything wrong with that,” he said quickly, “we’ve just never had a lady officer of any kind here.”
“I’m Annie.” She took his offered hand and shook it more firmly than necessary. “It’s nice to meet you, Jake. So, where’s the visitor center?”
“This is it.” He grinned as he spread his hands wide to indicate the small office.
Annie scanned the room. There was a filing cabinet with a crooked top drawer in the corner, a massive map with the mountain at its center pinned to the back wall, a watercooler bubbling cheerfully in the opposite corner, and a vending machine with a buzzing blue light that illuminated a few candy bars and bags of Frito-Lay’s.
Annie tapped two fingers against the brim of the hat at her hip. “I don’t understand. The sign over the door—”
“Well, yeah.” Jake plopped back down in his chair and gestured to the second seat behind the counter, empty and crooked, with a tear across the cushion.
“We don’t have a whole lot of personnel in the way of law enforcement here, so we make the most of the space.
Bud Griffith was the conservation officer in town whose job opened up, and we shared this office.
Actually, you’d be surprised how many businesses double up here in town. ”
Annie’s eyebrows shot up and Jake went on, gesturing at the window behind her, “Oh, you know, Sally at the bed-and-breakfast gives haircuts downstairs, Doc Porter is also the coroner, and the third Saturday of every month they clear the horses out of the Ward family stable and hold the flea market there.”
“Ah.” Annie nodded. “I wondered why Sally was sweeping up hair clippings when she checked me in last night.”
Jake’s brow furrowed. “You’re not planning on staying at the B-and-B long term, are you?”
Annie shook her head. “Just until I find a place to rent.”
“I’ve got one.” Jake reached for the phone. “Fully furnished and ready to go. It’s where Bud was living, just gimme a second.”
Annie opened her mouth to protest, but Jake pressed the phone to his ear and held up a finger.
“Hey, it’s me… Good, good. Listen, I’ve got the new game warden here and she’s looking for a place to rent so I offered the room over the garage…
Yeah, I figured that. Have you cleaned it since Bud left?
… Okay, I’ll let her know… About six-ish. Lasagna sounds great, hang on.”
Jake cupped a hand over the mouthpiece. “You’re not a vegetarian or anything like that, are you?”
Dazed, Annie shook her head.
“Okay, great.” He held the phone to his ear again. “No, she’ll eat it. Thanks, Mom, we’ll see you then.”
Jake hung up the phone and scribbled out a note, whistling as he passed it across the counter to Annie.
“They live kinda far out there, way up in the briars, but my guess is you’re used to the woods.
” He chuckled at his joke before going on.
“You’re gonna take the turn for Lake Lumin Road, it’s unpaved, and you’ll drive about a mile and a quarter up, past the Boyd place.
You’ll know that one by the peacocks in the front yard, then you’ll see the mailbox for my parents’ house, it’s shaped like a trout.
You can’t miss it, but if you hit the lake, you’ve gone too far. ”
Annie was struggling to keep up. She had a place to live, with this scatterbrain of an officer’s mom and dad, something about peacocks and a trout mailbox. She glanced down at the note in her hand.
“A hundred twenty-five a month?” She shook her head. “That’s nothing. I couldn’t possibly—”
“Take it,” Jake insisted with another boy-next-door smile. “Dad’s a quiet guy, and Mom likes the company.”
“I… well, thank you.” Annie tucked the piece of paper into her pocket. Despite herself, she returned his smile. “No, seriously, thank you. The bed at Sally’s had about thirty embroidered cushions too many.”
“Yeah, well”—Jake came around the desk—“my mom likes to knit so I can’t promise there won’t be afghans stacked up to the ceiling.”
Annie drummed her fingers on the brim of her hat again. Officer Friendly was standing about four inches too close. “I guess I’d better walk back to the bed-and-breakfast to check out, unless there’s anything urgent I need to do here before I go?”
“Call came in yesterday, actually.” Jake reached for a set of keys hanging from a nail on the wall.
“You know what, I’ll tell you about it on the way.
I better head over there with you and help you find the house, just in case.
It’s about time for lunch anyhow, and Mom’s baking a strawberry-rhubarb pie.
It’ll be the best thing you’ve ever tasted, I guarantee it. ”
Jake strode to the door and held it open with an arm. Annie stepped past him, pulling her hat back down over her hair with a stiff tug. She didn’t want to be prickly, but just about the last thing she needed right now was a man, any man, sidling up to her like they were best buddies.
Outside, the drizzle had lightened into mist, and Annie turned toward the north end of town where filmy tendrils of fog were scraping the dark pines that topped the foothills. The mountain was cloaked, but she could feel it there, pulling her awareness beyond that last, hazy ridge of firs.
“So, where are you from?” Jake asked as she fell into step beside him.
“Bend.”
Jake’s shoulder brushed hers, and Annie took a sideways step, clearing her throat. “You said a call came in yesterday?”
“Yeah, Austin Smith, buddy of mine. He’s the sheriff up in Landers.
He called to let me know about an active cougar up there.
It’s working its way south along the mountain, and he figures it’s maybe five miles north of us now.
Couple of campers up near Warner Lake lost a blue heeler to it Sunday night.
He said they heard the dog scrapping with it, but by the time they got their flashlights on, it was gone.
Great big prints left behind though.” Jake held up both index fingers to indicate the size.
“Is it tagged?”
Jake shook his head. “Fish and Wildlife up there tried, but they couldn’t manage to trap it. Austin said it’s south of the 504 now, so if it’s gonna get done, it’s up to us.”
Annie nodded, already running down the mental checklist of preparations she’d need to make for tracking the big cat. This was good. It was something to do. Something to occupy her mind and keep her thoughts here in town and out of the black hole of her memories in Bend.
“No human attacks reported?”
Jake shook his head. “Nothing fatal, but I guess a hunter up there claimed it charged him before he fired his rifle and scared it back into the trees. Given that, Austin said the sooner it’s tracked down and tagged, the better. Hey, how you doing, Mr. Lindgren?”
Jake stopped for a handshake with a white-haired man sitting on a bench outside the Lake Lumin General Store, and Annie stood on the curb, waiting. With growing unease, she tried to ignore the curious eyes sliding in her direction as a few patrons passed in and out of the door.