The Silent Killer
Chapter Twelve
Joe King sat back around the blazing campfire that they had started and relaxed as he listened to his sons. They certainly did seem to be enjoying themselves and he had to admit that he was as well.
Once they had gotten out of the DC area and all of the traffic, the remainder of the drive up to the lake had been enjoyable. There was something to be said for the quiet and sedate country life.
They had stopped once, for lunch, at the Breezewood Turnpike Exchange, grabbing hamburgers and sodas at one of the fast food restaurants. An hour later they had arrived at the cabin and the rest of the day had been nothing but fun.
They'd quickly stowed their gear in the cabin and the boys had chuckled that they didn't have to unpack it just like their mother would have insisted before the fun began. Joe figured there would be time later to do that.
The rest of the afternoon had been spent swimming in the lake. For dinner, they'd roasted hot dogs and marshmallows over the fire. Food just seemed to taste better and time had seemed to slow down, with the hectic bustle of the city far behind them.
Now, his sons were splashing in the lake as the last rays of sunshine were falling down behind the trees and mountains. Their youthful laughter filled the air.
Joe sipped his cola and grinned.
There was just something about the country air and the peacefulness of the lake. He felt years younger than he actually was. Maybe it had to do with the fact that they weren't on any agenda other than to have a good time, or, maybe it was the serenity of the area.
Maybe, he chuckled softly to himself; it was the fact that he wasn't being dragged into wedding plans.
He loved Carrie, he really did. But he'd never been a big fan of elaborate ceremony. He liked things simple and uncomplicated. But, Amanda was right. This was Carrie's first wedding and she did deserve exactly what she wanted. Now, if only she could persuade her mother that the bridesmaid dresses would look much better in some color other than that vibrant mauve.
Thank goodness Carrie had practically insisted he take this little vacation with his sons. She may have been raised an only child but Carrie seemed to know instinctively what children needed. That was probably why she made such an excellent teacher.
Of course, she had also told Joe that she didn't want him to see her violent side, and that, she had teased, was going to come out soon, very soon, if her mother didn't cease her attempts at planning the wedding for her only daughter.
Mothers, the world over, were probably all the same, Joe reasoned. They wanted what was best for their children. His own mother had been that way, Amanda's mother was definitely that way, and he even saw it in Amanda. Though she seemed to have a more gentle and quiet approach about it.
As he watched their sons frolic in the lake, he let his thoughts drift to his ex-wife. She was an excellent mother, in his book, and he knew that couldn't have been easy on her. Especially since he'd left her to pursue his own dreams.
Surprisingly, she hadn't held a grudge. If anything their relationship was better now. Maybe it had to do with the lack of tension that had existed in the last few years of their marriage or, maybe it had to do more with the changes that had taken place with her.
She was certainly not the same woman that he had married or divorced. The changes that had taken place after their divorce had only been positive, if not quite a bit shocking. He could still remember the day that they had mutually agreed to divorce. If someone had told him then that his wife would end up working as a Federal agent he'd have probably suggested that they see a psychiatrist.
If someone had told him that she'd be the one to first take the steps in moving onward with her life after their divorce, he would have shaken his head in doubt. His Amanda, the one that he married, had had more of a timid nature about her and had seemed so focused on being little more than the perfect mother.
Oh, she was stubborn and determined; he'd give her that. And those qualities were the very ones that had probably helped her in dealing with their divorce as well as she had.
But, when all was said and done, the present Amanda was far removed from the young girl that he had fallen in love with and she was nothing like the young fiancée he had brought to the lake that one summer.
He smiled at the memory; Amanda soaking wet, wearing that little turquoise two-piece bathing suit and her cheeks rosy from being kissed by the summer sun. Her laughter as they had played in the water, her shy smiles as they had sat huddled beneath a blanket in front of a campfire much like the one he sat in front of now. And one beautiful evening under the starry sky when his fiancée had been introduced to the pleasures of lovemaking.
Joe was so lost in reminiscing that it took Phillip's voice several moments to break through.
"DAD!"
"What?" Joe laughed at himself and at the odd look on his son's face.
"I asked you if you knew where the allergy medicine was?"
"You mom packed it in the blue duffel bag, along with all of the other first aid stuff. Just like always," Joe told him.
"Good, because I keep sneezing," Phillip told him.
Joe frowned. Since when did his eldest son suffer from allergies?