The 45th Parallel Read online

  Patrick focused on the knife again, and it floated over and sliced through the rope binding his hands. He then grabbed the knife and cut the rest of them free. No one spoke. There were no words for what they had just witnessed. Kat tried to stand, but felt very dizzy and weak. She looked down at her wrist, and it was still bleeding despite the cloth tied around it. John scooped her up and started to carry her.

  “I think the dock is this way. There might be some medical supplies on board Jerry Nelson’s boat,” John said. The rain had died down to a light drizzle. Kat closed her eyes and drifted in and out of consciousness. John carried her through the dark woods and finally emerged onto the beach. The lake was still churned up from the storm. They walked for a little longer then Helene spotted a deserted cabin.

  “Why don’t you take shelter in the cabin, and Patrick and I will go find Jerry’s boat,” John said to Helene and Anna.

  “We need to get Kat out of the rain,” Anna said. John carried Kat up to the cabin and pushed open the door. Inside it was dark and empty, but dry. Helene sat on the floor.

  “Put her on the floor, John. She can use my leg as a pillow,” she said. He lowered her to the floor, and then he and Patrick went back outside. Anna sat down on the floor next to Kat and covered her with the foul weather jacket she had been wearing.

  “I’m not sure this will help much. We are all soaked from our swim in the lake,” Anna said.

  “Swim in the lake? You didn’t make it to the dock?” Kat asked.

  “The boat capsized close to shore. We were out there in the height of the storm,” Helene said.

  “Is the boat lost?”

  “It will be salvage,” Helene answered.

  “Is it over?” Kat said.

  “I’m not sure exactly what happened but I don’t think the Reaping Moon Witches will be coming back,” Helene said.

  “What was that thing?” Anna asked in a whisper.

  “That was the spirit of the Indian witch,” Kat said weakly. “He was the one they murdered. He was the one who put the curse on them.”

  “I guess he got even,” Helene said. They sat quietly for a while trying to get their arms around what happened. The cabin door opened, and Patrick came in carrying a first aid kit.

  “We found their boat,” Patrick said. “I took some medical supplies and flares.”

  “Where is John?” Kat asked.

  “He is sending out a distress signal from their boat, then he is going to raise the sails and set the boat adrift in the lake.” Patrick started applying a tourniquet and bandages to Kat’s wrist to stop the bleeding.

  “Why is he sending the boat into the lake?” Anna asked, the panic evident in her voice. “How are we going to get out of here?”

  “The Coast Guard will come. I told the other boater where we were going before we left. If we leave the boat here, how do we explain what happened to West and crew? Do you want to tell the police what really happened here tonight?”

  The cabin door opened and John came back in. “It has stopped raining. I set up some flares on the beach in front of the cabin. They should be able to find us now,” he said as he looked down at Kat. “How is she?”

  “She can still hear,” Kat said sarcastically. “You lost your boat.”

  “Boats can be replaced. You can’t.” John sat down on the floor in front of Kat and took her hand. “Make sure you do not open any more gates. I’m not sure if those witches can come back but I’d rather not find out,” he said.

  “At least I know what happened to my mother now. They pushed her off the roof. She was having visions of their ceremonies here and they were afraid she would expose them.”

  “That would be enough to drive anyone mad,” Anna said softly.

  The loud blast of a boat horn made them jump.

  “I hope that is who I think it is,” Patrick said as he hopped up and went out the door to the beach. After a few minutes he came back in. “They are sending a lifeboat to shore to get us. Kat, can you walk?”

  Before she could answer, John picked her up. “She shouldn’t walk. We don’t know how much blood she has lost.”

  They went down to the shore and climbed in the lifeboat. The lake had died down considerably, making the ride back to the Coast Guard rescue boat easier.

  “What in the world were you doing out here?” the coast guard officer asked once they got on board.

  “We underestimated the storm and our boat capsized close to shore,” John answered. “Kat sliced her wrist on something as the boat was going over. She needs medical attention,” he continued.

  “We’ll get her to the medical center when we get back to Beaver Island,” the officer responded. “Apparently you are not the only crazies who thought this would be a nice night for a sail. We have been getting distress signals from another boat too. It looks like it’s going to be a busy night.”

  Kat fell asleep on the way back to Beaver and only woke briefly when they were transferring her to a stretcher to take her to the medical center. When Kat awoke the next day, she looked over to see Helene and Anna sitting in the hospital room. They looked completely exhausted.

  “Have you been here a while?” Kat asked.

  Anna looked up and smiled, “Almost all night. I left briefly to change and shower. We have been taking turns waiting for you to wake up. You needed some blood, and fortunately Helene is the same blood type.”

  Kat looked over at Helene who was sound asleep in a chair with a blanket on.

  “You guys need to get some sleep. I’m feeling much better now,” Kat said.

  “You should, you’ve slept about ten hours,” Anna laughed. “The doctor said you will be able to leave tomorrow morning. Aunt Mary will pick us up in Charlevoix.”

  “What in the world did you tell Aunt Mary?” Kat asked.

  “I told her the same story we gave the coast guard.”

  “Did she buy it?”

  “That remains to be seen,” Anna said.

  Anna looked over toward the hospital room door, smiled and said, “Next shift is here.”

  Kat looked over toward the door just as John was coming in. He looked like he had showered and changed, but the dark circles under his eyes told her he had been up all night. He still looked gorgeous despite his lack of sleep.

  When he saw Kat was awake, he gave her a little smile. “Why don’t you go back to the inn and get some rest? There is a car outside waiting for you,” he said to Anna.

  Anna reached over and gently shook Helene’s shoulder. “Come on, let’s go get a shower and sleep in a real bed.”

  Helene looked over at Kat. “You’re awake,” she said groggily.

  “I am. Now please go get some rest and thank you for donating your blood. I guess we are blood sisters now.”

  Anna and Helene came over and gave Kat big hugs before leaving the room. After they left, John walked over and sat on the edge of the bed.

  “Are you feeling okay?” he asked.

  “Compared to yesterday, I feel great.”

  John smiled and reached out to take Kat’s hand. “You are a very brave woman Katherine Collins.”

  “I’m sorry about what happened to your parents,” Kat said softly.

  John looked down at Kat’s hand and took a deep breath. “I always thought I would feel better once I knew the truth. I thought knowing how my parents died and seeing their killers destroyed would miraculously fill the large, empty hole in my life.” John looked up into Kat’s face. “The truth doesn’t make you feel better, and the large empty hole is still there.” John reached out and stroked the side of Kat’s face. “But you already knew that, didn’t you?”

  Kat gave him a sad smile. “The hole gets smaller over time, but it never goes away completely. I miss my mother every day.”

  “I could never have done this without you.”

  “It took all five of us,” Kat said as she leaned forward and took both his hands in hers.

  John smiled slightly and squeezed Kat’s hand
s then the expression on his face became somber. “I need some time to get my arms around…everything. There is a lot about my parents I still don’t understand. I am going to go back to Chicago for a while. I wanted to make sure you were feeling better before I left.”

  Kat felt as though someone had punched her in the stomach. Maybe the Dora witch was right after all. He didn’t have the same feelings she had for him. For him, this was just a business arrangement and now the job was done. She pulled her hands away and swallowed hard. She wondered how she could have been so stupid.

  “Well, maybe I’ll see you around then,” she said flippantly. John looked wounded. Was that part of his act? Then he leaned in to kiss Kat on the mouth. She turned her head so that his lips brushed her cheek instead. He looked down and pulled Kat’s hand to his mouth and kissed it softly. Her desire for him was painful.

  “Kat…” he started, but before he could finish, the nurse walked in to take her vitals.

  “You better leave now,” Kat said coldly. He stood slowly, dropped her hand, turned and walked out the door.

  “That’s one good-looking man,” the nurse said watching him leave. “You make a gorgeous couple.”

  Kat tried to smile then looked away from her. Her feelings of relief and joy from having lived through the Reaping Moon gave way to overwhelming grief. She had made the mistake of falling in love. This time, it would be a long time before she got over it.

  Chapter Forty-Eight

  When Patrick, Anna, and Helene came to pick up Kat the next morning, Kat couldn’t help but hope John would be with them. Patrick said John had left the day before without even saying good-bye to them. They left on the ferry back to Charlevoix and rode in silence most of the way. When they arrived at the dock in Charlevoix, Aunt Mary was standing there with her arms crossed.

  “I had a bad feeling about this trip. I should have put my foot down and demanded you not go,” Mary said as they approached her. She uncrossed her arms and hugged all of them. “At least you are all right. Do you know that the Coast Guard found Jerry Nelson’s boat drifting out in Lake Michigan? They must have been caught in the same storm. I pray to God they will find them alive.”

  “We are so sorry to have worried you. I promise I will stick close to land from now on,” Kat said.

  “I don’t think I have ever met anyone that has had so many stitches in one summer,” Mary said as she lifted Kat’s bandaged wrist.

  “I’ll try to steer clear of sharp objects too.”

  “I didn’t tell any of your parents about this. I will let you do that,” Mary said.

  “I appreciate it,” Patrick said.

  “So, where is the captain of the boat?” Mary asked.

  “He had to go back to Chicago yesterday,” Patrick said.

  Mary made an irritated sound and then pointed them to her car.

  They drove back to Northport and let Patrick do most of the talking. Aunt Mary reluctantly bought the story but Kat could tell that she knew there were things they were not telling her.

  Mary dropped off Patrick, Anna, and Helene first then drove back to her house. As they were pulling into the driveway, a man in a mechanics uniform was parking Kat’s car.

  “Why is that man driving my car?” Kat asked.

  “They picked it up this morning and said they were putting on new tires. I assumed your dad got them for you.”

  “Dad doesn’t even know I need new tires.”

  Kat got out of the car and the mechanic walked toward her and handed her the car keys.

  “You should be all set for winter. We put on four new tires with a wheel alignment,” the mechanic said. He was wearing a grease stained shirt with Bill sewn on the left pocket.

  “I don’t understand, I didn’t order any tires,” Kat said.

  “We got the order from John Warren. You are all taken care of,” he said as he nodded to Mary. Another man was waiting in a truck to take Bill back to where ever he came from. Kat watched him dumbfounded as he climbed in the truck and drove off.

  “That was very generous of Mr. Warren,” Mary said.

  “I guess that is payment for services rendered,” Kat said bitterly.

  “Are you all right Kat?” Mary asked softly.

  “I will be…eventually.” Kat walked into the house and up to her room and shut the door. So that was it, I helped him kill the Reaping Moon Witches, I get new tires for my effort, and we both go our separate ways.

  “What a fool I was to think we had something more,” Kat said to herself. She lay down on her bed, closed her eyes, and cried herself to sleep.

  Kat went through the next few weeks in a daze. She went to work and continued to meet with her bike club, but she had no appetite for life. Kat and her cousins did not speak about the trip to Beaver Island. When they talked, they talked around that subject, wanting desperately to put it behind them. Robert West, Jerry Nelson, Dora May Sampson, Denise Sakal, and Rose Fellow’s funerals were held after several weeks of searching for the bodies. Anna, Helene, and Patrick went back to Chicago, and Kat missed them immensely.

  John did not return calls from either Kat or her cousins. Kat even stopped by the winery twice but Greg said John had been in Chicago since the trip to Beaver Island. Martine called once to see how Kat was doing but seemed very distracted. Martine said John was doing okay, but needed some time to get his head together.

  September rolled into October. The beautiful foliage of October did little to lift Kat’s spirits. The weekend winery visitors replaced the summer vacationers, and they too disappeared with the autumn leaves as life slowed to a quiet crawl.

  Kat had Thanksgiving dinner at Mary’s. Kat’s father and his wife Betty decided to take a cruise with Lilly and William over the holiday weekend. Unfortunately Uncle Kevin and Aunt Anne were spending the holiday in Chicago with Anna, Helene, and Patrick. Kat was hoping they would be in Northport for the weekend.

  The snow started on Thanksgiving Day and covered the bleak November landscape with a peaceful blanket of white. Winter in Northern Michigan was still and hushed. The restaurants were no longer crowded and there was so little traffic noise that when she walked through town, all she heard was the crunching of her boots in the snow.

  Kat felt like she was floating through life in a dream, watching herself going through the motions of living without really fully participating. She tried to push John out of her mind but he would come back at night in her dreams and Kat would wake up feeling deep loss, emptiness, and longing.

  The bike club took up cross-country skiing. Lisa had an old pair of boots and skis she sold to Kat for a very reasonable price. Kat loved the skiing even more than the biking. She was no longer afraid to go on the trail by herself. Kat found the beauty and quiet of the Michigan winter to be a refuge from her pain.

  One morning Kat skied ahead of the group and stopped when she reached her favorite part of the trail. The trail ran along the edge of the woods and looked out onto the icy lake. She looked up to see a snowy owl perched on one of the lower branches of a tree that lined the trail. The owl seemed completely unconcerned about Kat’s presence, as though she was part of the woods.

  Kat watched as the owl spread its wings and took off in flight. She inhaled deeply through her nose, the cold, clean air filling her lungs. The white sparkling snow clung to the dark naked branches of the trees. There was nothing but the sound of the creaking hardwood and the occasional shriek of a gull. Kat closed her eyes and tried to let the peaceful hush of the winter landscape heal her grief.

  When Kat opened her eyes, the woman in the gray dress was standing down by the water looking at Kat. The slashes on her wrists, neck and chest were gone and there was a soft golden light around her. Kat smiled at the woman, and she smiled back before evaporating into the cold air.

  “Wait up Kat,” Lisa yelled from behind. The group was catching up and her moment of peace was gone, replaced with the warm companionship from the club.

  A few days before Christmas, Mary talke
d Kat into volunteering at the Grand Traverse Lighthouse Christmas Celebration.

  “All you have to do is pass out cookies,” Mary pleaded. Kat reluctantly agreed. Mary had been trying hard to bring Kat out of her depression, and Kat appreciated the effort no matter how futile. Kat knew life must go on and eventually her heart would heal enough to let her.

  On the day of the Christmas celebration, Mary tapped on Kat’s bedroom door timidly.

  “Come in,” Kat said. She had been sitting on her bed reading a book. Mary opened the door with a sheepish smile on her face, holding some sort of garment on a hanger.

  “I forgot to mention, the people handing out cookies have to be dressed as elves,” Mary said.

  “I have to wear an elf costume?” Kat said in disgust. “You’re kidding, right?”

  “It will look so cute on you. I had to get the small one since most of our elves are a bit larger than you are,” Mary said.

  “You know I never would have agreed to this if I had known,” Kat said with exasperation.

  “Oh come on Kat. It will be fun. Carl is going to play Santa.”

  “Does he know, or are you going to spring it on him when he gets here?”

  “He should be here in ten minutes. Come down when you’re ready,” Mary said as she hung the costume on the door. Kat sighed and climbed off the bed to see just how embarrassing this was going to be.

  The top was green velvet with long sleeves trimmed around the cuffs with fake green fur. The skirt, also green velvet and trimmed around the bottom with green fur, appeared to be very short. There was a pointy green hat and a pair of fake pointy ears.

  Kat shimmied into a pair of panty hose then squeezed into the costume. The skirt fell a good four inches or so above Kat’s knee and the top didn’t leave a lot of room to breathe. At least they didn’t provide little pointy shoes so Kat could wear a warm pair of boots.

  I’m going to kill Aunt Mary for this, Kat thought as she studied herself in the mirror. Kat groaned and then went downstairs. Carl was standing in the living room dressed as jolly old St. Nick. He and Mary turned to look at Kat as she came down the stairs.