Chapter 1

I glanced at the car's clock. It was almost 1:00 am. It'd taken much too long to get there. Atlanta's Friday evening rush hour was horrendous, and I had to stop for groceries and gasoline.

Arriving, I drove up the steep gravel lane to the cabin overlooking Lake Lanier. After pulling into the guest parking spot near the front door, I turned the engine off, took a deep breath and yawned. I was very tired and ready for bed but still had work to do. It was a dark moonless night and very quiet. The only sound was a splash when a fish jumped in the lake below.

Using a small flashlight to illuminate the lock, I opened the door and turned on the interior and porch lights. When entering the cabin, I was surprised to see two beer cans sitting on the kitchen counter. The kitchen was spotless when I'd left two months earlier and no one should have been here. The room was warmer than I expected, and I noticed several other items out of place. The sofa cushions were piled up, not in their normal position and someone had moved an armchair to the family room. It should be in the guest bedroom.

I walked to the fireplace and saw a few glowing embers. There'd been a fire just in the last few hours. There was a light smell of hickory smoke still present. Somebody was here and tingling fear shot through me. The poker from the fireplace was the only weapon I could find. Picking it up, I walked softly to the guest bedroom.

After slowly opening the door, I switched on the room light. All was in order. When I opened the master bedroom door and switched on the light, someone started screaming and screaming. It was obviously a woman and she could really scream; and scream, she did. She pulled the covers up around her and just peeked out as she screamed. The whole bed was shaking as she tried to protect herself with the blanket.

I held up my hands and said, "Please, lady, please stop screaming. I'm not going to hurt you. Please calm down."

"GET OUT!" she yelled as loud as any human voice I'd heard.

"Okay, okay, but please calm down. I'm not going to touch you. I'm very sorry I scared you."

She peeked out and said, "Well, you should be. What are you doing here?"

"I own this cabin."

She studied my face for a moment. I suppose she concluded I was telling the truth.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said. "If you'll leave me alone for a few minutes, I'll gather my stuff and get out."

I shook my head and replied, "It's much too late at night for you to leave. Why are you here?"

"That's none of your business."

"Okay. Maybe we can sort things out in the morning. I've groceries and supplies to bring in. Stay where you are and try to get back to sleep. You're welcome to stay here for now." She stared at me over the top of her bedcovers. At least she was quiet. I turned the room light off and closed the door.

While walking to the kitchen, I heard her footsteps running to the bedroom door. She locked it and I could hear the unmistakable sound of a chair being dragged across the floor and wedged against the door.

After storing the food and other supplies, I went to the guest bedroom. At least it had a full bath so I could shower ... except there was no hot water. I guessed the pilot light had gone out again. I wondered if she had been taking cold showers?

I lay awake in bed for a long time, unable to get her presence out of my mind. What was she doing here and how did she get in?

I finally fell asleep sometime in the middle of the night; and wouldn't you know it, I dreamed about her. For some reason, the name "Pam" kept coming to me in the dream. I didn't know anyone named Pam, but the dream seemed very real and, unlike most dreams, I remembered it when I woke.

The sun was just coming up and I needed to start a fire. The house was cold. I hurriedly put on trousers, a t-shirt and a robe I found in the guestroom closet. As I went through the motions of laying the fire and making the coffee, she was all I could think about. I didn't even get a good look at her, except the top of her head and eyes. Where did she come from?

Shortly after the coffee was ready, I heard her bedroom door open. She slowly came out carrying a suitcase and wearing a winter coat. I smiled but she glanced only briefly at me as she walked toward the front door. "I'm sorry," she said.

"Would you like coffee? I just made it."

She stopped and glanced at me and appeared to be uncertain of what to do.

"No, I'd better just go," she replied.

"I'd like you to stay and have breakfast. Can you at least do that? I promise not to touch you. Please stay."

Her resolve to leave seemed to slowly ease. After a moment she agreed. "Okay, maybe for just a little while." She removed her coat and laid it across the back of the sofa.

I poured a cup of coffee and sat it on the counter. "Do you take cream and sugar?"

"No, just black please." She walked to the counter, picked up the cup and stepped back. She was obviously scared.

She was a beautiful young woman, in very good shape, with long wavy blonde hair that fell well below her shoulders. I could see the outline of a very nice bosom and a narrow waist that flared into a firm and pert bottom restrained by her tight jeans. Her sultry eyes were an amazing blue color that gave a sparkle to her facial features.

I said, "We didn't get off to a good start last night and I'm sorry for that. My name is Tom. Can you at least tell me your name?"

"I'm Pam."

My heart seemed to stop. This scared me and a sudden rush of tingling chills raced through my body. I felt lightheaded.

She said, "You don't look well. Are you about to faint?"

Holding onto the counter, I breathed deeply and slowly regained control. "I'm okay. Just hungry and tired, I suppose. I didn't get much sleep last night."

"I didn't either after you opened the door."

"I'm sorry for that. I didn't expect anyone to be here. Believe it or not, I'm glad to meet you Pam."

"Why?"

"Because you seem like a nice young lady that maybe needs a little help."

"I don't need anybody's help." Her eyes showed defiance.

I smiled and replied, "What can I fix you for breakfast? I've bacon, ham, smoked sausage and eggs. I can do pancakes or waffles or oatmeal."

"You're like an IHOP." She finally grinned, but just barely, and then looked away when our eyes touched.

"Well, I wouldn't say that but I think my pancakes are better than theirs. You want to try them?"

"Sure."

"And what about a few bacon strips?"

"That'd be good."

"Why don't you have a seat at the table and I'll get going."

"I think I'll go over next to the fire. It's very cool in here."

"Good, can you put another stick on?"

"Of course."

I worked in silence to mix the batter and heat the griddle while the bacon sizzled in a skillet. She stood with her back to the fire and watched, never seeming to take her eyes off me. I glanced at her a couple of times and smiled. She remained stone-faced.

In a few minutes, the first batch of pancakes was ready and the bacon was crisp. I heated maple syrup in the microwave in a small cream pitcher my wife had always used.

"I think it's ready. Come on over." She walked to the kitchen but kept the island counter between us. I respected that and put the platter with the food on the counter, along with her plate and utensils. I busied myself with the next batch while she filled her plate and sat at the table. She seemed to have a good appetite.

After a few moments, Pam said, "These are very good. What do you do to make them taste so much better than normal?"

"I add cornmeal to the batter mix. That gives them texture and adds a roasted corn flavor that's good with the syrup."

"I'm going to remember that."

"Can I ask a question?"

Her guard quickly went up but she eventually replied, "I guess."

"How did you get in the cabin? I didn't see anything to indicate a break-in."

"I found a key under the flower pot on the front porch."

I smiled and recalled, "I let a friend use the cabin last spring. I forgot to retrieve the key I left for him."

She asked, "Why did you come so late last night?"

"I had to drive from Chattanooga and hit rush hour traffic around Atlanta. Then I had to stop for groceries and gasoline. How long have you been here?" I glanced at her but she looked down.

"About a week."

"My goodness, what have you been eating? There wasn't much here."

"I found canned vegetables and you had some frozen meat. I also found a six-pack in the fridge. I'll pay you back."

"Don't worry about it. All that needed to be eaten soon anyway. Was the beer still good?"

"Yes, but why are you being so nice to me?"

"Why shouldn't I be?"

"Well, for starters, I entered your house without permission. I slept in your bed, burned your firewood, ate your food and used up a lot of electricity."

I replied with a smile, "This is beginning to sound like 'Goldilocks and the Three Bears'." She finally smiled. "You did that because you needed to. You did no damage at all. You were very neat. I don't think I'd have known you were ever here had you departed before I arrived. Sure, I might have missed the beer but probably wouldn't have remembered it anyway."

"I'm sorry I did it, but you're right. I needed a place to stay." She stood and walked to the counter. "Can we start over? I haven't been very nice to you and you didn't do anything wrong."

I smiled and she returned it. "I'd like that. Can we go over and enjoy the fire?"

Pam sat at the far end of the sofa and I sat in the armchair. We both sipped coffee and studied the crackling fire for a few seconds.

I broke the silence. "So, you've been here about a week. Why did you come to this cabin?"

"It was actually the third one I tried. The others were locked and I couldn't find a key hidden anywhere. I didn't want to just break in."

"Do you have a car?"

"Yeah, such as it is. It's in the garage around back."

After another moment, Pam said, "Since it's November, I was hoping that no one would be around. Most of the houses here at the lake appear to be closed up for the winter. Why did you come?"

"I always come for a week to relax, read and enjoy the quietness of the lake."

"Just my luck. There must be 150 cabins here and I picked the one that someone is coming to. But why do you come in November? It's cold here."

"Yes, but the fireplace makes it cozy and I enjoy the crisp air and solitude."

She sighed. "I guess all my screaming wasn't the solitude you were expecting."

I smiled. "You have a powerful set of lungs."

Pam smiled again. "Well, I need to be going."

"Where are you going?"

"I'll find someplace."

"Pam, I'd like you to stay. I promise I won't try anything. I can sense that something bad is troubling you. Maybe I can help."
She sat and watched the fire in silence but was obviously debating with herself.

After maybe a half-minute or so, she replied, "Okay, but only for a day or two. I've some school friends in Atlanta so maybe I could contact them and see if they could put me up after that."

"Good. How about more coffee?" I asked.

"Sure, I'll get it." She walked to the kitchen, brought back the pot and poured fresh cups. I watched how graceful she moved and admired how perfect her body appeared to be. She was taller than most women at around 5'6" give or take, and had long legs like a professional dancer. Her tanned facial features were just breathtaking, like you see in men's magazines or in the movies. Those eyes were to die for.

"Pam, can we at least share a little information about ourselves?" She nodded. "I'm Tom Sumter and I live near Chattanooga. Have you ever been there?"

"Just driving through. I remember going by the river and seeing part of the city skyline. I was headed to Nashville with a friend."

"That's the Tennessee River and it makes a big turn and heads north where the Interstate passes. That's called Moccasin Bend or River Bend."

"Why would someone name it after a shoe?"

"It's actually named after the water moccasin snake. If you look at the river from the top of Lookout Mountain, it twists and turns like a snake as it makes its way around Chattanooga. I live on another ridge top called Signal Mountain. It's to the north of Lookout and it also has a nice view of the valley."

"Why's it called Signal Mountain?"

"Tradition says that early Native Americans used the cliff point there to send smoke signals that could be seen across the valley. During the Civil War, the Federal troops used it to send signals, I suppose using mirrors. Those could have been seen for miles from that point. What's your family name and where are you from?"

"It's Davis and I'm from a little village just outside of Greenville, South Carolina, toward the mountains."

"That's a beautiful area with the mountains and farms. I think Furman University is there, as I recall."

"It is. I went there for two years."

"Has your family lived in that area for a long time?"

"For generations. We were kind of an old-fashioned, traditional family. We had a farm and it was expected that we'd learn all the basics such as cooking, taking care of the livestock, repairing fences, putting up hay and so on. I've an older sister." She paused and stared at the fire for a moment. "We always tried to figure out how to avoid as much work as possible." She smiled. "Those were good times."

"Why did you leave Furman after just two years?"

She was very quiet for a few moments. I sensed she was struggling with what to say before she replied, "I thought I knew more than anyone else and I didn't need to go to college. Money was also tight and I thought I was just wasting it. That was a stupid mistake."

I was surprised at her apparent honesty. "What happened after you left college?"

"I left home. I was almost 20 and tired of the farm life. I wanted some excitement. While my parents and sister were away, I packed and left. My dad and mom had been strict and we were not allowed to do things all our friends did. I rebelled and, like a lot of dumb teenagers, thought I knew better."

"Where did you go?"

"A friend from school drove me to the bus station and I bought a ticket to Charlotte. A boyfriend that my parents didn't know about lived there. We had met at Furman and I thought I was in love with him. He had already graduated and was working in that area."

She continued studying the fire as she silently reminisced. A tear rolled down her cheek and she wiped it away.

After a moment Pam said, "Oh, I need to put wood on. Excuse me." She walked to the back porch and came in with several pieces and placed them gently on top of the glowing embers. They began to pop and crack, and sparks flew into the fire screen. She sat on the sofa again but not so far away this time. She removed her shoes and curled her feet beneath her.

"What do you do in Chattanooga?" she asked.

"I own a few restaurants and a kitchen supply company."

She seemed very surprised. "How can you manage to get away for a week?"

"I've very good managers. They'd like for me to get away more often, I think." We both chuckled.

We studied the roaring fire for another moment before Pam asked, "Are you married?"

"I was. She died two and a half years ago."

She looked at me. "Oh no. Was it an accident?"

"Breast cancer."

She stared briefly at me, obviously surprised. "That's a bummer. How old was she?"

"She was 29." After a few moments, I added, "We were born within a few days of each other and always celebrated our birthdays by coming here."

"When's your birthday."

"Tomorrow."

"Oh! That explains why you came. I'm very sorry I messed it up for you."

"Well, you didn't know and you certainly aren't messing it up." We sat in silence and watched the fire.

Pam asked, "Do you have children?"

"No. We were just starting to try when we found out she had cancer."

"How did she find out?"

"We were making love one morning. I felt a lump I'd not noticed before. Of course that scared us. She went to the doctor the next day and the x-rays showed a possibility of cancer. She had a biopsy and an operation a month later. They removed what they could but it'd spread and was in her lymph system." I could feel a tear running down my face.

Pam glanced at me before saying, "That's tragic. I don't think I've heard of anyone that young getting breast cancer."

"We were obviously shocked. It was the last thing on our minds, in fact. But life is strange sometimes. We never know what'll happen. Just when you think everything is going great, it can suddenly change."

After a few moments I asked, "What happened in Charlotte?"

"Well, he was glad I came and there was an extra bedroom in his townhouse so I moved in. Of course, it wasn't long before we were sleeping together. I found a job in a restaurant as a cook but I really wanted to be a server for the tips. When an opening came, I jumped on it. The money was good but the hours were terrible. He worked days and I often worked nights."

"That's always tough on any relationship," I added.

"Yeah, it was. We slowly drifted apart and I knew our relationship just wasn't to be. He let me stay there until I found another place. A handsome police officer would often come to the restaurant and he always asked to be seated in my section. We hit it off. He was very nice and we started dating. Nothing serious at first; but he eventually asked me to move in with him and I did."

She suddenly paused and shook her head. "Why am I telling you this? We just met. No one knows this."

"Sometimes, it easier to talk to a stranger," I replied, "than to a loved one."

She continued to stare at the fire and we sat in silence for a while.

"That was another big mistake," she added. "He was always so nice at the restaurant and on dates but he wasn't as nice at home. Our sex was always rough, almost like he was raping me. He left me bruised many times and I dreaded making love to him.

"One morning, after he left for work, I was putting clothes away but had trouble opening one of his drawers. It appeared to be stuck so I pulled really hard. Suddenly, it broke free and I found that a book had been wedged in the drawer. I guess it was turned up and caught on something. It was a soft cover book and was partially torn from my jerking on it. I tried to straighten it out but it was damaged too badly.

"I looked through it to see if I could figure out what it was so I could buy him another one. It was just a small notebook with lots of names, what looked like phone numbers and symbols. I didn't know what to do so I put it back where I found it.

"Later that night, he saw it before I remembered to tell him about it. He screamed something about me looking through his stuff and hit me so hard that I thought he'd broken my jaw. I was both hurt and scared and ran into the kitchen to get away. He ran after me and threw me on the floor. He said that if he ever caught me going through his stuff again, he'd kill me. I believed him. I've never seen a person so angry."