The Woman in Blue

Chapter 24: Harmony of the Spheres

The Catskills. Saturday, October 30, 2004.

Noelle strolled arm in arm with Joe as they headed back from the lake. The carpet of fallen leaves rustled beneath their feet. The late afternoon sun was warm on her face. Somewhere bluebirds must be singing because she hadn't felt such bliss in years.

That she, Noelle Caffrey Winslow—PhD in psychology, member of the Winston-Winslow Board of Directors, and a professor with an adult son—would now feel like a lovestruck teenager should be highly amusing. Instead, she found herself wanting to burst out in song like Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music. In lieu of singing, she leaned her head on Joe's shoulder.

He smiled at her. "Your hair looks like spun gold in the sun. Is my fair lady happy?"

Stopping on the trail, she held his face in her hands. "More than I dreamed possible. Do you know how much I love you, Joseph Burke?"

"If it's a tenth of the love I have for you, I'll be more than content."

"Must we go back?"

"It'll be getting dark soon," he pointed out. "Besides, the champagne's on ice. It's time to celebrate! The cabin is just past the bend up ahead."

A couple of squirrels were chasing each other up a tree. Were they in love too? A woodpecker could be heard tapping on a tree off in the distance. The woods were so different from when she'd been here in early March. Then, snow covered the ground. She had been here to help Neal sort through his memories of a childhood trauma. She little realized that a chance meeting with Peter's brother would change her life so profoundly.

They rounded the bend and she spotted the cabin. She felt Joe's arm around her waist stiffen. "Is something wrong?" she asked.

"The door's ajar. I'm sure I locked it, but I have to admit my mind was elsewhere."

Noelle laughed. "I bet I can guess why! Maybe a gust of wind blew the door open."

"Yeah, that's probably it." Joe looked unconvinced and he picked up his pace.

As they approached the cabin, they noticed some scattered paper and an empty wine bottle on the ground. Joe frowned. "Looks like an animal's gotten into the trash."

The doors to the outside trash shed were open and the trash can was knocked over. "Could it have been raccoons?" she asked.

"Possibly, but it's hard to imagine a raccoon could open those heavy doors. It sounds more like a bear. This is the time of year they're looking for dens. Bears aren't very common, but they've been on the increase recently. I don't want to alarm you, but this could be serious." As he talked, his eyes darted back and forth. "Keep your voice low. Do you hear anything?"

"No," she said as she listened. "What should we do, oh wise woodsman? I'm a city girl. In Baltimore, we don't have bears roaming around, overturning trash cans."

Joe was surprisingly earnest. "The bear may have gotten inside the cabin and then left, but we need to make sure. Stay close to me. Try to be as quiet as possible."

"My protector," Noelle whispered, feeling far too content to let a curious bear interfere with her perfect day.

They crept up to the front door where they saw a print on the door jamb. It was a partial print but the size of the pad made it obvious even to Noelle that a bear had made it. She pointed out a second print on the floor to Joe. This was more serious than she'd first thought.

Joe peered inside the cabin, listening intently. All was quiet. "It sounds safe, but you should stay outside while I check."

"I'm staying with you," she said firmly. Joe looked like he wanted to argue but she covered his mouth with her hand to forestall any rebuttal.