Nolan found the question amusing. He seemed to find the humor in pretty much everything. I wondered if he took anything seriously. “Since she moved into the house next door a couple of years ago.”
I remembered seeing him down by the water the day I met Maisie. “So you two are neighbors. That must be awkward.”
“For her, maybe,” Nolan said, as if he couldn’t summon the energy to care. “Maisie hates me, not the other way around. I don’t know what I ever did to her, but she’s had it in for me since day one. If anything, I feel sorry for the girl. Her home life is seriously screwed up. How did you meet her, anyway?”
“She introduced herself to me at the café yesterday. We talked about Lark. I think Maisie is still pretty upset about what happened to her.”
“We all are,” Nolan said.
“You knew her, too?” I asked, surprised.
“Lark was one of the few people in Louth who was always nice to me,” Nolan said. “I thought she was smart and interesting. We hung out a few times. I guess you could say we were friends.”
“I know Lark is in an institution now, but Maisie told me that she was totally sane before the fire. Sam Reinhart said pretty much the same thing. What do you think?” I worried Nolan might feel like I was interrogating him, but I couldn’t stop myself.
Nolan shrugged. “I’m not a psychiatrist,” he said. “And I hate to gossip. I’m too used to being the one they all talk about. I never questioned Lark’s sanity for a second. But there is something I can show you if you don’t mind walking a little bit farther. It might explain why some people are so willing to believe she had problems.”
“Okay,” I agreed. It didn’t matter how cold it was. I would have trekked across the north pole in pursuit of more information about Lark. I hesitated only once—when we reached the edge of town. The pavement turned to gravel, and the trees leaned together over the road, blocking sight of the sky.
“Don’t worry.” Nolan said, seeming to sense my discomfort. “It’s only a short walk from here.”
Inside my coat pocket, my thumb worried the box cutter’s button. I’d come to Louth for a reason, I reminded myself. I couldn’t run the second I got scared. As we walked down the lonely road, all I could hear was the sound of our boots on the snow-covered gravel. Aside from tire tracks, there were no signs of civilization. I felt the familiar panic ignite inside my chest. I knew it would be my fault if something happened. I’d accepted the risk, hoping there would be a reward.
Then suddenly Nolan stopped. We were standing at the top of a driveway that ended with a gate fastened with at least ten padlocks. A giant red No Trespassing sign was fixed to the front of the gate. Along the drive, every tree for as far as I could see had at least one warning sign nailed to its trunk. trespassers will be shot! private property! keep out! i own a gun and a backhoe! if you can read this, you’re in range! i shoot first and ask questions later!
There were at least a hundred signs, some red and some yellow.
“What the hell are we looking at?” I asked, even more on edge.
“This is the entrance to Ruben Bellinger’s farm. This is where Lark’s father lives.”
It was hard to wrap my head around. Lark’s father. “Here? This is the place where Lark was staying at the time of the fire?”
“Yep. What do you think?” Nolan replied, contemplating the scene.
It made no difference what words had been printed on each of the signs. They all screamed the same thing in unison. The person who’d posted them to the trees was not well.
“Mr. Bellinger doesn’t seem interested in making new friends.” I tried to sound diplomatic. “If I had to make a diagnosis, I’d say he’s a little bit paranoid.”
“A bit?” Nolan smirked. “The signs have been up for ages, but Lark told me her dad wasn’t always this way. Then when she was in fourth or fifth grade, Ruben stopped taking his medication and his problems got worse. Her mom tried to stick it out, but she ended up leaving Ruben a couple years later. She and Lark moved across the river to Hudson. That’s where they were living when Dahlia met your uncle. Apparently, Ruben wasn’t happy about the marriage. He was still obsessed with his ex-wife.”
“How do you know all that?” I asked.
“Your uncle told my dad,” Nolan said. “James claims Ruben used to watch the manor at night. I guess that was the reason why James put new locks on all the doors. I don’t know if it’s true, but if it is, it’s creepy as hell, don’t you think?”
Before I could answer, I heard a sound somewhere deep in the woods. “Did you hear that?” I asked Nolan.
“Hear what?”
Until that moment, I’d never heard a shotgun cocked in real life, but the sound was unmistakable. Someone with a gun was lurking among the trees.
“I should get back to the manor,” I told Nolan. I didn’t give him a reason, but I figured it was best to hit the road before Ruben Bellinger put two bullets into our backs. Maisie hadn’t been joking. Louth was a dangerous place.
“Want to take a shortcut?” Nolan asked. “We’re actually not that far from the manor. If we walk through the woods, we could be back in ten minutes.”
I didn’t know him well enough to tell if he was joking. “Have you lost your mind?” I pointed at one of the Keep Out signs.
“Nope,” Nolan said with a laugh. “Just making sure you haven’t, either.”
* * *
—
When we finally crested the top of the manor’s hill, I could see James standing in the driveway with Gavin Turner. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but I saw my uncle’s jaw clench as he listened to Nolan’s father. They were arguing. That much was certain. I got the impression that their business relationship wasn’t quite as rosy as Nolan had made it seem. Then James spotted the two of us coming up the drive. As he waved, a smile took the place of his frown.
“I enjoyed our walk,” Nolan said while we were still out of earshot. “Let’s take another one sometime soon.”
I couldn’t read his face. There was no knowing look in his eye, no smile lifting the edge of his lips.
“I should warn you—I don’t date,” I informed him.
Nolan grinned, and I realized I’d been too quick with my answer. “Okay, good to know. But you do walk, am I right?”
I felt myself blushing. I’d been silly to jump to conclusions. “Of course,” I said. “Another walk would be nice.”