Lighthouse

Chapter 9

Josh was walking back up to the house. Sylvia was out front working on her yard so he didn't have to knock on her door. "Mrs. Anderson." He watched her stop working and turn to look at him; she even stood up. "I have a few more questions for you." He was positive this was the right Sylvia. She was easily in her mid 60s. Her husband had died from a mental illness years ago, leaving her alone. She was living off of his insurance payment.

"I don't know what else I can tell you, officer. I've already told you all I know." She was tired of talking to this jerk. She was learning why her friend was so afraid of him.

"I just need a moment of your time." What he really wanted was inside so he could snoop around and find something. Problem was his investigation was a police investigation. He was doing this himself for personal reasons. So she had to let him in.

"I'm done talking to you. I have nothing to add." Sylvia retreated inside her home where she closed and forcefully locked the door behind her.

Josh felt his anger rising. She knew something, she had to know something. Then he heard the sound of the lock snapping shut and it had him boiling. If she wasn't going to talk he was going to have to try something else.

Sylvia waited a couple of minutes before pulling the curtains to one side just enough for her to peek out. She saw him still standing right where she had left him. Even from where she was standing she could hear the gears in his head turning.

She really didn't know anything. Well almost anything. The plan was for her to make it to the States. She'd given Kate as much cash as she had at the time along with a few clothes that would fit her. She didn't even know which bus Kate had taken, though she had suggested a destination that would get her closer. She hadn't heard from her since then. She was still hoping that she would call and tell her something, but so far nothing.

Sylvia let the blinds close and went to the back door to lock it, too. Then she retreated to the kitchen to make herself a snack.

Josh looked over the house and began to create a plan. This woman was involved somehow, of that he was certain.

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Kate was presently consumed with her latest drawing. This one wasn't a doodle. This one was a real idea that she wasn't going to get to make even after her new cloth showed up. She had let Rick's idea of getting into Paris get to her so now she was trying to design a dress suitable for a Paris runway show. It was unlike anything she had ever drawn before.

Then she felt Rick standing not directly behind her but next to her. "What do you think?" Most known designers in Paris were men so maybe Rick could help her.

"Are you planning on making it?" It would keep her busy and hopefully make her happy.

Kate shook her head though. "I'm not going to have the cloth. This is just for fun." It was all it was likely ever going to be.

"Never say never, but it looks nice." Rick bent down, kissed her head, and turned to leave.

"Rick." She wasn't sure if they should talk about yesterday's kiss or not. It was just that these little kisses were happening more often. "I… I mean I wish." She didn't know just what to say.

She watched him come back and lean down and truly kiss her this time. She kissed him back until he caressed her cheek and moved back from her. Rick liked that she was kissing him back. It meant she was interested in him like he was interested in her. But he knew that he couldn't push her. He didn't want to push her. She was a married woman and you didn't mess around with someone's wife. Not even her husband.

"Enjoy your drawing. I'm going to be spending most of the day changing out some electrical wiring. Come find me if you need something." Rick gave her a quick kiss on the lips and left her to her work.

Kate sat there touching her lips. His kisses were nothing like Josh's. His were soft and tender just like he was. She was falling for him and she knew it. She closed her eyes and sighed, wishing she wasn't married. He had, however, given her hope.

Kate had immediately asked for his guy to start the process. Have him send all the paperwork and she would fill it all out and send it back somehow. She knew Josh was going to flip but she desperately to be divorced from him so she could go forward with her life, hopefully with Rick. She wondered if he even loved her and would it be enough to marry her.

When she had run away she had never dreamed she would end up here.

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Kate couldn't believe she had never been up here. She knew there was a lighthouse since she had seen it several times, but she had never actually asked about coming up here. Now she was. She was right next to the light itself.

However, she was up there because she was hiding. She had used the bathroom before going up there. She even had a glass of ice and a sandwich. Today was the day that their supply ship was supposed to show up. Rick didn't know for a fact that they wouldn't enter her room but they might need to use the only bathroom and it was right next to her room.

This was now the safest place for her to hide.

Kate raised her head up to look again and this time she saw a ship. She also saw Rick at the edge waving. It was a big ship. Big enough that she didn't know how it was going to make it to the tiny dock to unload all that it was bringing.

The timing was good too. They had no perishables left. All the chicken was gone as was all of the meat. She was down to trying to be creative using canned chicken and SPAM. At first she hadn't had an idea what to do with all the SPAM that they had. It was an entire case. But since it was just about all they had she was starting to learn to like it.

She was on her knees, watching. They stood no chance of seeing her tiny head this high up so she was safe.

Kate watched as a boom started pulling stuff out of the hull and down into a smaller boat that came to their little dock. She watched as Rick helped to unload it and directed where it all went. Some of it went into the maintenance building while most of it went into the house. Some of it went into the garage and even a bit went into one of the little storage buildings.

Then she watched as they didn't actually unload the boat. They routed a hose from it into the maintenance building. "Oil or fuel," Kate finally guessed. It made sense since the light behind her needed oil to power its generator and that was the whole reason for this place.

It took them more than one trip to fill those tanks that she'd seen earlier. They took up almost half of the building. Eventually she watched as Rick stood at the edge again and was waving. She was guessing that meant they were done with their delivery.

It meant they had food again. It also meant she had bolts of cloth, new needles, more thread, buttons, zippers, everything she would ever need to make more clothes. She even had plans to make Rick a shirt. She was looking forward to that. Especially since it meant he was going to have to be topless so she could measure him and run her hands over his body.

She watched as Rick walked, but not to the house. He was walking toward the lighthouse. Instead of going down to meet him she waited right where she was.

"Hi!" She greeted him after he opened the hatch in the floor to climb up to join her.

"We got everything. The next shipment will be in about a month or so based on weather," Rick told her as he closed the hatch and sat down.

Kate now really understood why weather meant something. The big ship had no chance of docking at their little dock and even the little boat would have trouble if the waves were too high.

"And?" She wanted to hear everything.

"Your bolts of cloth are in your room and they take up a lot of space. The rest of it's on the dining room table. You wouldn't believe the ribbing I got over having a sewing machine, bolts of cloth, women's clothing, bras panties and all the other stuff." They had really teased Rick over it all.

Kate scrunched up her face. "Sorry."

Rick waved a hand at her and shrugged. "Eh, I'll survive. The pantry's full, the freezer's full, we've got new books and magazines to read. The tanks are full and they have a date when the antenna contractor's going to come out to survey the site."

Kate couldn't wait to get her hands on her new cloth and even all the new meat. "Venison, buffalo…" She saw Rick nod his head. "Thank goodness. I'm so tired of trying to figure out what to do with SPAM." She was out of ideas on what to do with that stuff.

That had Rick laughing. "They brought us two cases of that, too." It wasn't on their list but they had brought it as well. "They brought one lone turkey and one little duck as well, along with some processed ham and a lot of cheese. Eggs, bacon, sausage, it's a lot. There are also some perishables."

"Oh, they also brought some other things. I hope you know how to use them since I have no idea." Rick didn't have a clue what to do.

"Which is?" Kate couldn't begin to guess.

"Cases of glass jars with lids, a deep enameled pot with a lid and some kind of wire frame inside, and a pressure cooker. They said something about canning." He understood canning, but had no idea how it worked.

Kate's face lit up. "YES! Yes, yes, yes." Canning meant that what they now had would last that much longer. It also meant she had a lot of work in her future.

There was one more thing and she hated to bring it up, but it was the 800 pound gorilla in their lives. "What about Josh?"

"I got that as well. I haven't read it yet so I don't know what my friends sent. We'll just have to see. There's also another envelope from the guy about your future divorce." Kate didn't know which part she was the most afraid of. Either meant Josh might find out where she was now. That had her scared witless.

"It'll be fine. You'll see." Rick wasn't willing to throw in the towel.

"He's a cop, Rick! He has access to other cops. The entire country could be looking for me right now for all I know." Her eyes filled with tears. She was so weary of being afraid.

"We'll think of something." Rick crawled the short distance between them and leaned in and kissed her. Kate wiped her tears and kissed him back. When Rick broke from the kiss she grabbed his head and kissed him again.

That was when she felt one of his hands on her breast. She moaned into the kiss. He was touching her and she wanted him to. They were still kissing with passion when she felt him working on the buttons of her only dress she owned now because she'd made it herself. Since she only had one bra she wasn't wearing it at the moment.

Kate let him pull her dress open just enough so that his hand was now on her bare breast. She moaned into the kiss yet again. She so wanted him to pinch her nipple. To have his lips suckling her on the then hard nipple. God, but she wanted him. She wanted to be made love to and she just knew Rick would do just that.

There were one or two problems and one of them was a big one. "Rick, we have to stop." She broke from the kiss and pulled away just an inch or so. "I'm married." She was married to a real asshole, but she was married. The other problem was the concrete floor they were both sitting on. If they were going to have sex she wanted a bed. She really didn't want to be one of those women.

Rick opened his mouth to tell her that he didn't care any more. Except she was right. She was married. "We need to fix that." He wanted to make love to her. To make sure that she knew pleasure. The kind of pleasure that he was dedicated to bring to her.

Kate could only nod. She wanted to be divorced even more now. It was clear they both wanted the other and she really did want him.

He held his hand out to her. "We should probably go back down. You have some paperwork to fill out." It was going to take a year, but it was going to work out. It had to.

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Rick was going through both envelopes while Kate began looking over all the stuff that had been delivered for her. Her cloth, thread, needles, everything.

She had even had carried down one of the bolts so she could unroll it out and get started on Rick's shirt. She even had new tape measures. She was positively giddy. Then Rick joined her with papers.

"These are yours." He put them down on the table. "It looks simple enough to fill out. There's one small problem that I can see. For you to have moved out for a year, it asks for where you live now and how long you've lived there."

Kate drew in a sharp breath. If she filled that out Josh would know exactly where she was and would come after her. She wanted a divorce, but getting one could be the death of her.

"I have a thought about that. Everyone talks about this being Caribou Island when it isn't, actually. Technically it's Lighthouse Island. If we get you an address on Caribou Island Josh won't find you there because you'll be here instead. No one's actually seen you so it won't help him a whole lot." It was all Rick had but it might work. "They haven't seen you there and they haven't seen you here. It's basically a dead end. So fill it out and we can send it in when the next boat shows up. I'll get you an address to use."

Rick stepped up to her and wrapped his arms around her. "I'm here, Kate. Don't panic." He kissed her and felt her kissing him back. Next her head was resting on his shoulder. "One step at a time, sweetheart, one step at a time." He felt her nod.

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Rick had left Kate in the dining room and went back to study what his friends had found on Josh Davidson. He even had a picture. He had to admit that he was a good-looking guy. He didn't look like a control freak that was all asshole on the inside. He knew when he had joined the police and worked his way up to being a homicide detective. He had his address and his phone number. Not that Rick had a phone himself. He also knew Josh's age which reminded him that he didn't know Kate's age. Not that her age was overly important to him.

He knew when he had bought the house they had been living in. He knew what the house was worth when it was purchased. He even now knew who his parents were and where they were located. He wasn't all that surprised to learn that they lived in a totally different area of Canada. "I wonder if they know you're an asshole?" Maybe contacting his parents would shed some light on this situation. He wondered if Josh's parents would roll over on their own son or would they defend him even if he was a serial killer.

Thankfully his friends would be making that contact and not him.

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Rick grabbed a piece of paper and one of his pencils and began jotting down what he wanted his friends to do next. He sort of wished he knew a couple of guys that did questionable things. Like arson for example, but that just wasn't him. Still he did have a couple of ideas.

Then he worked at trying to remember an address that Kate could use. Numbers were sometimes not always his friend and he had a habit of interchanging numbers so instead of 2356 it would become 2536.

He picked up a different piece of paper since he knew Kate wouldn't like what he was doing, but he felt that it was necessary. Resolute, he wrote down an address. He took it to Kate who was actually filling out her divorce papers. "Here, use this for an address." Rick handed her the sheet of paper.

Kate read the address out loud. "34A Blue Heron Lane, Caribou Island, Nova Scotia, B0K1H0." She glanced up at him. "What is this place?" She didn't want to get someone in trouble.

"Vacant land so if he does come out here he isn't going to find anything. And since no one has seen you or ever heard of you he won't get anything out of it." Rick liked it.

Kate thought about it. It had its merits, however, she saw a flaw in this address. "I'm supposed to be gone for a year for this to work. How can I live in an empty lot?" What if he was able to establish who owned the land and it wasn't her?

Rick had an answer for that, too. "This is where you're planning to move to. You haven't actually made it yet and when you do you'll be living in a tent since that's all you can afford."

Kate wasn't sure she could even afford the tent, let alone the land. Still she didn't have a better idea so she took the paper and wrote in the address.

"All done." She put her pencil down and handed over the finished forms for Rick to send to his friend. She really didn't like the idea that Josh could make it that close to her. But Rick was right. No one outside of him knew anything about her being anywhere near here. Not even Sylvia knew exactly where she was now.

Rick took it, added it to his other sheets, sealed it, and put stamps on it. It was ready to go out as soon as a boat showed up. He thought they were actually beginning to get somewhere.