The Lady of Dark Lake Read online

  Lady zoomed in and out on her phone’s map, desperately looking for something helpful, anything helpful. Was there a twenty-four hour diner somewhere? Even if she couldn’t while away the night there, she could probably ask for directions. Surely there was some place in Dark Lake to stay the night.

  Suddenly, there it was. Lady wasn’t sure how she had missed it before. On the corner, only a few blocks away was a building labeled inn. Fisherman’s Inn read the sign. Lady let out a slow exhale in relief. Thank goodness. With renewed energy, she put her cell phone away and headed for the inn at a jog.

  ***

  Lady was out of breath by the time she reached the inn. “Geez, I’m out of shape,” she muttered, stopping in front of the building. It was tall and wooden and looked quite old. This was probably a place that was older than she was. The sign swinging above the door had a certain feel to it, like it was something out of a different age. Lady wondered how much business the place got. Dark Lake didn’t strike her as a place that drew in many tourists.

  Through the windows at the front of the building, it was plain to see that almost all the lights inside were out. Lady had a sinking feeling in her chest, like maybe she had come all this way and gotten her hopes up for nothing. What if the inn was closed for the night? That seemed like a distinct possibility now that she was standing in front of the entrance. If they didn’t get much business, it was doubtful someone would be working the front desk in the middle of the night.

  Lady reached out and pulled on the front door. It was a great relief when the door opened without resistance. A little bell chimed as she stepped inside.

  Despite the darkness, it was a relief to be inside and out of the rain. “Hello?” Lady called. She kept her voice low at first She didn’t know if the inn had other guests she could wake up by accident. Her goal was to get a room, not make enemies.

  Through the dark room, Lady made her way to the front desk. It was a large wooden thing that wrapped around and looked like it had been carved out of one massive hunk of wood. It was built into the floor and wall. Lady put her duffel bag down on top of it. It felt good to get the weight off her shoulder. “Hello?” she called again. She kept the tote bag. The last thing she needed was Lion getting out and making a fuss. He had already gotten her kicked off a bus. She wasn’t going to let him get her kicked out of an inn as well.

  Not that anyone appeared to be working. Lady wasn’t sure what she would do if no one ever came to the front desk. Was the proprietor asleep somewhere? Had the door been unlocked out of habit? This did seem like the kind of small town that might leave its doors unlocked at night. Even so, Lady wasn’t eager to head back out into the rain. She looked up and down the front desk and finally noticed a tin bell. “Anyone there?” She called out for someone one last time before giving the bell a couple of rings. “Excuse me? I’d like to rent a room.”

  There was still no answer. Lady glanced around the room. Her eyes had adjusted, not that the streetlights had been very bright to begin with. There was a brown, worn-looking leather chair in the corner. She could sleep on that. What was the worst the owner of this place could do? She had tried to rent a room. Going back out into the storm was downright dangerous. Lady sighed and tried the bell one last time. “Hello? Anyone here? Helloooo?”

  “I can hear you. I’m sure the whole town can hear you. Stop ringing that bell.” A door behind the desk opened and a tall shape moved into the room.

  “I’ve been standing here for a while,” Lady said in her own defense.

  “Well, what do you expect coming in off the street at such an hour? I had to take a moment to put on some clothes.” The shape reached out an arm and overhead lights flickered to life.

  Lady had to squint her eyes at first. She had been wandering around in the dark for so long, it hurt to be in the light so suddenly, but she adjusted quickly. The overhead lights were set in a low-hanging chandelier. They didn’t light up all the dark corners of the room. Their light was soft and white. “Sorry,” Lady said without meaning it. “The door was unlocked, so I figured this place was still open.” She took in the person behind the counter. It was a woman, an old woman. Her hair was black streaked with gray. There were a lot of lines around her eyes and mouth. She had the look of a boarding school mistress. Not that Lady had ever been to a boarding school, but this was how she would imagine a strict teacher at one to look. She was thin, verging on gaunt. Her cheekbones were sharp, and her posture was ramrod straight. She wore a button up shirt with a high collar and a matching black skirt. Lady couldn’t see the hem of the skirt from where she stood, but she would be surprised if it didn’t sweep the ground. “This place is a hotel, right?”

  “We’re an inn,” said the woman, regarding Lady down the considerable length of her nose. She had pointed features and was at least a head taller than Lady. “Like it says out front on the sign.”

  Lady didn’t like being talked to like she was stupid. “Yeah, well. I’d like a room.” Lady shoved a hand into her tote bag. She reached around Lion to remove her wallet. “How much is it for the night?”

  “Three-hundred,” said the woman without so much as a pause.

  Lady fumbled her wallet, nearly dropping it on the floor. “Three-hundred?” she repeated. “Seriously? I just want a normal room. One bed. One night. I don’t need anything fancy.”

  “The rate is three-hundred,” the woman repeated. “You’re here during tourist season. The rates are a little steeper than usual.”

  “Tourist season?” Lady had to fight back a laugh. “You’re kidding, right?”

  “No.” The woman’s clipped tone wiped the smile from Lady’s face. “Three-hundred.”

  “Ah.” Lady picked up her wallet again, though it was mostly for show. She had a little under six-hundred dollars inside. She couldn’t spend three-hundred on one night in a hotel. Never mind how bad the weather was outside. That was half her money, and she didn’t have a way to make more. It was supposed to support her until she figured out what to do next. “And that’s your cheapest room?” She already had her answer but she asked anyway, like maybe she had misheard.

  The woman exhaled through her nose in a long, slow breath. Her eyes moved up and down Lady like she was appraising her. “I suppose we could make a deal.”

  Lady stood up a little straighter and then immediately kicked herself for perking up so quickly. She didn’t know anything about this woman or the deal she was trying to make. It probably wasn’t wise to go making deals with strangers out of desperation. “What kind of deal?”

  “I’m getting old,” said the woman.

  “Nooo,” Lady said reflexively. Her foster mom often complained about her advancing age. She always expected those around her to demur how wrong she was.

  The old woman shot Lady a look that shut her down a second time. “Don’t humor me, girl. I mean what I say.” After a few beats of silence, when it was obvious Lady wasn’t going to argue with her, she continued, “I have some errands to run tomorrow. They will require heavy lifting. Are you strong?”

  “Yeah,” Lady said immediately. Not that she was particularly strong. Surely, she was strong enough to carry whatever the old woman had planned on carrying. “I can carry whatever.”

  The woman nodded. “I’ll need you to run two errands. Can I trust you not to try and sneak off on me?”

  “Absolutely.” Already, it was like a weight had been lifted from Lady’s chest. It had been a long day. A warm bed was beyond tempting. It would be so relaxing to close her eyes and fall asleep listening to the rain beat down outside.

  “It’s a deal then.” The woman extended her right hand. It was pale and threaded with blue veins. Lady took it and was surprised by how firm the woman’s handshake was. “I’m Ms. Poole.” The old woman stepped around the desk. Sure enough, her skirt was ankle length. Her boots were soft black leather with blocky heels and pointed toes. She really had gotten all dressed up when Lady called for assistance.

  “I’m Lady.�
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  Ms. Poole’s eyes swept over Lady for a second time, now that she was on the other side of the counter. “And is it just you, Lady?”

  The look Ms. Poole was giving her felt disarming. She couldn’t know about Lion. He hadn’t made a sound the entire time she had been at the front desk. Lady swallowed the saliva gathering in her mouth and shifted the bag on her shoulder. “Just me,” Lady said with a laugh that wasn’t returned with so much as a smile. “So, do I owe you anything?”

  “We made a deal.” Ms. Poole turned her back on Lady. “I consider that a fair trade for the night.”

  “I really appreciate it.” Lady did like saving the money. Even if it was the middle of the night, a couple of errands felt like more than a fair trade.

  “Mm.” Ms. Poole walked toward the stairs and then past them. There was a door in the shadows, one Lady hadn’t noticed before Ms. Poole raised a key to the lock. “This isn’t one of our guest rooms. It was used for the help back when I was a girl. Put your things down. I’ll bring you some linens.”

  Lady moved into the room as Ms. Poole walked away. The room was dark. There was a window, but not much light was coming in with the storm raging outside. Lady noticed the shadow of a cord dangling from the ceiling. She went to that and pulled it. A lone bulb flickered to life. The room was nicer than she had expected. When Ms. Poole had called it a room for the help, one that hadn’t been used since she was a girl, Lady had imagined dust and cobwebs. Instead, the room was just sparse. There were wood floors and wood walls and a four-poster wood bed in the corner. It all looked very old, but it was clean. Ms. Poole hadn’t let the room go to pot just because it had fallen into disuse. Lady sat her duffel on the floor but kept her tote bag on her shoulder. She didn’t want Lion wandering out just yet. He still had the potential to ruin things for her, just like he had ruined things on the bus.

  Ms. Poole returned to the doorway. There were sheets and blankets and a couple of pillows in her skinny arms. “I trust this will be enough?”

  “Looks like plenty to me. Thanks.” Lady swooped in and took the bed things from Ms. Poole. It didn’t look like the old woman intended to make the bed up for her. That was fine by Lady. She didn’t want Ms. Poole around any longer than necessary.

  “I’ll see you in the morning.” Ms. Poole turned and left the room.

  “Good night!” Lady called after her, a sentiment the old woman didn’t return. The door closed and Lady was alone… Well, almost alone. She put her tote bag on the floor and pointedly ignored Lion when he hopped out. She set about making her bed as he wound around her ankles. “I’m still mad at you,” she said finally, quietly. “You’re the one who got us into this mess.”

  Lion hopped up onto the bed once the sheets were on. He purred loudly and flopped over, rolling onto his back in a concentrated effort to look cute. It was hard to stay mad at something so adorable, but Lady did her best.

  “You’re not gonna win me over that easily.” There was a faded band T-shirt in the duffel. It was much too big for her, a hand-me-down from her birth father. Lady changed out of her wet clothes and into the T-shirt, leaving her underwear on. The limited packing space had kept her from adding any super comfy PJs to her things. A T-shirt and underwear would have to do. Lady switched off the overhead light and climbed into bed. “Move over you.” She gave Lion a little shove. He moved, waiting until Lady had laid back and pulled the covers up before coming to sniff around her face.

  It felt silly to stay mad at Lion. He was just a cat, after all. He didn’t understand how he had screwed things up for her today.

  Lion’s golden eyes reflected the moonlight coming in through the window. Lady was sure, as she had been so many times before, that she saw intelligence there. She sighed and closed her eyes. “Good night, Lion.”

  Lion curled up on the pillow beside Lady’s head. The rain kept coming down outside. In mere minutes, Lady was drifting off to sleep, spending her very first night in the town of Dark Lake.

  Chapter Two

  The sun woke Lady up. It was warming her face and coming in through her eyelids. She moaned and rolled over a few times before opening her eyes. Once she had done that it was impossible to go back to sleep. The alien nature of the room hit her square in the chest, knocking the breath from her. For a few seconds, she had no idea where she was.

  Everything came back over the next few moments. She had been kicked off her bus. She was at an inn, indebted to a mean old woman. Some people might have flaked on their debt once they got what they wanted, but Lady wasn’t like that. She would give paying off her debt a go… And then maybe she would flake on it.

  There were smells of bacon and freshly baked bread in the air. Lady wondered if breakfast was part of the deal she had struck. She would need to figure out something to do about breakfast if not. If nothing else, she needed to find something for Lion.

  “All right, Lion. You ready to-” Lady sat up and realized all at once that Lion wasn’t in bed with her. A look around the room told her that he wasn’t nearby either. In fact, the door to her room was cracked open. It looked for all the world like he was somewhere outside of it, somewhere in the rest of the inn.

  Lady swore and sprang from the mattress. She checked under her bed just in case, but of course he wasn’t there either. A breeze swept through from the open door. Suddenly, Lady was very aware that she was only wearing a t-shirt and panties. First things first. She ran to the door and shut it before diving into her duffel bag for a change of clothes. Who had even opened the door? Had Lion managed to finesse it open? Had Ms. Poole looked in on her while she slept? Both possibilities made Lady shiver. First things first, though. She had to find her cat.

  Lady pulled on a loose-fitting tank top. It wasn’t really appropriate if the weather outside was still nasty, but the clothes from the night before were still damp and the tank top was at the top of the duffel bag. She pulled a pair of frayed skinny jeans, the only other pair of pants she had packed. Forgoing socks and shoes, she hurried from the room.

  “We’re in here,” said the voice of Ms. Poole, speaking as soon as Lady pushed the door further open. It had creaked on the hinges, but Lady was still surprised Ms. Poole had been so tuned into it.

  Curious as to who the “we” was, Lady headed in the direction of Ms. Poole’s voice. It led her toward the smell of cooking and into the dining room. There were two people seated at a table, neither of them Ms. Poole. They didn’t hold Lady’s attention for long. She was almost immediately drawn to the sight of Lion only a few feet away. He didn’t even spare her a glance when she entered the room. He was too busy munching away at what looked to be a plate of cut up sausage.

  “You didn’t mention you had a cat with you.” The voice was Ms. Poole’s. Lady spun to see her entering the room with a pitcher of orange juice. She brought it to the table, placing it between her two guests.

  “Sorry. I didn’t…” Lady couldn’t come up with a good lie. She fumbled with one for a few moments before reluctantly deciding on the truth. “I was afraid you wouldn’t let me spend the night. We’d already made our deal. I didn’t want to screw it up.”

  Ms. Poole raised her eyes in a disappointed manner. Granted, most of the expressions Ms. Poole wore seemed to be ones of disappointment. Varying degrees of disappointment. “Luckily for you, I like cats.” She took a seat at the round dining room table.

  “Thanks.” Lady wasn’t sure what she was thanking Ms. Poole for specifically. It was more of a general “thank you.”

  Ms. Poole waved a hand dismissively. “Sit down and eat,” she instructed. “You have a busy day ahead of you.”

  Lady wasn’t going to argue. She was thankful she didn’t have to ask whether or not she was allowed in on the tasty looking breakfast spread. There were biscuits, toast, eggs, sausage, bacon. She hurried forward and snapped herself a seat across from Ms. Poole. There had already been an empty plate set out in front of her. She wasted no time in piling it high with a little bit of everything. S
he hadn’t eaten since lunch the previous day, and she wasn’t someone accustomed to skipping meals.

  Someone at the table laughed. “What? You’re not even going to introduce yourself before stuffing your face?”

  Lady felt her cheeks growing warm. She had almost forgotten there were other guests at the inn. She looked up and toward the person who had spoken. It was a girl with pale skin and black hair. She was Asian. Chinese, Japanese, Korean? Lady wasn’t sure. She had a hint of an accent but only a hint. That dark hair of hers was gathered into two low ponytails on either side of her head. The long-sleeved shirt she wore was fitted, the fabric a swirl of rainbow patterns. Her nails were painted to match, each a different, iridescent color. Despite her laughter at Lady’s expense, she seemed like someone it would be easy to be friends with.

  “Sorry.” Lady lowered her fork. “I’m Lady. Um… That’s my cat over there, Lion.”

  The girl clapped her hands together once. “Lion! That’s such a cute name. I’m Otsuya.”

  “Nice to meet you.” Lady put on a smile to try and match Otsuya’s.

  Otsuya motioned at the other guest seated with them. “This is Doyle.”

  Doyle was using a knife and fork to cut himself a bite of sausage. He looked up when he heard his name. “Nice to meet you, Lady.”

  “You too.” Lady’s eyes moved up and down Doyle once he was looking at his plate again. His skin was a golden brown. Like Otsuya there was a slight accent to his voice as well, but Lady couldn’t place it. She wasn’t very worldly. Heck, until recently, she’d never gone far from Atlanta, never ventured out past the states surrounding Georgia.

  Doyle was dressed like he was either a high ranking CEO or a funeral director. His black suit was immaculate, as was the efficient way in which he went about consuming his breakfast. It made Lady self-conscious. He was so precise with his fork and knife. Each forkful he brought to his mouth was roughly the same size. He wasn’t like Otsuya, stabbing food with her fork, eating with her hands when it came to her sausage.