The Center Cannot Hold: A Ray Elkins Thriller by Aaron Stander

Author:Aaron Stander [Stander, Aaron]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Writers & Editors
Published: 2018-10-09T22:00:00+00:00

25

Ray awoke to the sound of the grinder, the low hum of the espresso machine, and the high-pitched screaming hiss of milk being steamed. He started to stir as the scent of the coffee wafted in through the open door of the bedroom.

“You want your first cappuccino in bed or in the kitchen?” Hanna called.

“I’m on my way,” he answered.

As he stirred some sugar into the foam he said, “I didn’t hear you get up.”

“You were out cold. Are you all right? I’ve been puttering around for more than an hour.”

“Aren’t you running on Pacific Time?”

“Boats are on my car,” she responded.

Ray looked through a window toward the drive. He could see the kayaks strapped in the racks.

“And the weather?” he asked.

“It’s about seventeen degrees, going up to a steamy twenty-two sometime this afternoon. The waves are one foot or less this a.m., starting to build in the afternoon.”

“How much?”

“Well, ah, three to five coming from the south south-west. My thought is we launch at the Cannery, so we’re protected, then head south. When it starts to get bumpy, we turn around and have the wind at our back. We can probably get a couple of hours on the water.”

Hanna turned off the road onto the snow-covered lot. She maneuvered around the deepest drifts and parked facing the water.

“It’s starting to look bumpy already,” Ray observed.

“Then we better hurry,” Hanna responded.

A few minutes later they were in their kayaks, bows facing the water. Hanna pushed off first, sliding down the gentle slope into the icy water. Ray followed.

They paddled west past the headland, then turned south, moving through the tall swells that danced across a shoal near the beach. As they pushed out into deeper water, the surface flattened a bit, and the heavy gray overcast parted briefly. A wedge of sunshine moved across the lake and over the dunes, and then quickly disappeared. Snow rushed in behind it, the shoreline soon disappearing behind the swirling flakes.

“Was there snow in the forecast?” Ray yelled over the roar of the wind and waves.

“Possibility of some lake effect. Scattered.”

“Let’s head back,” said Ray.

Hanna nodded and swung her bow around. Ray followed. He peered at the compass at the front of his ice-covered deck and guessed at a heading. Then he glanced at his watch. They quickly retraced their route, aided by a following wind. The snow started to decrease before they reached the headland, providing a clear course to their takeout point.

They were securing their boats to the top of the car when Hanna said, “I’m still totally geeked. I need a walk. Aren’t you glad I packed the snowshoes?”

Ray was tired, but Hanna’s energy inspired him. “Have I ever taken you to the ghost forest?” he asked as they stood near the hatch of Hanna’s car, securing snowshoes to their hiking boots.

“You’ve mentioned it, but no. What’s the story?”

“Wait till we get there,” said Ray. He led the way to the trailhead, where the terrain rolled gently for a mile or so before giving way to steeper slopes in the interior of the dunes.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.