The Great Bear Lake

“Honey, so you think you know where we are going to?”

“Yes, of course! Why did you ask me that?”

“No, because I’ve just noticed that we take the same road twice, don’t you think?”

“Really?” Let’s get back to the main road,” John held her hand.

“It would be tiresome a drive back to the main road, don’t you think? We’d better call Hans to lead us to the lodge, right?” She looked tired and hopeless.

John stopped the car,” Hans, who?”

Hans. The guy from the travel agent. The one who is taking care of our tour here. John nodded and kissed her cheeks. “Your cheeks are so cold and yes, I’ll call him to come over here?”

She nodded and said “thank you, darling”. And she kissed his lips.

Thirty minutes later…

“So, Mr. and Mrs. Palmer, this is your lodge,” Hans opened the door widely. “Please, have a look”, he smiled warmly.

The lodge was quite big for only two people. It had a large living room with natural colours around and the fireplace fitted in the middle between the two wooden chairs. A long black sofa along with the glass round table was placed neatly and nicely. And a small path heading toward the kitchen and one bedroom next to it.

“Wow! This is fantastic,” John grabbed Abigail’s left hand. “Where is the master bedroom?” he blinked her and smile.

She smiled back at him and held his arm tightly. John put her head on his shoulder.

“O.K., let me take you to the second floor”, He led them to the master bed.

“Wow, can’t believe this, sweetheart. It’s amazing! And look at the mirror up on the ceiling,” he pointed out at the mirror which was above facing the bed.

“Yes, darling, it’s amazing!”She threw herself sitting on the bed. “Is it waterbed?”

“Yes, it is, but if you don’t like it, you can convert it to the regular bed”

“Oh, that’s cool!

***

“John, could you please close the window, I am kind of freezing here”

“No, you are not!” John was walking toward the bed while Abigail was lying there naked. “Oh Geez, you are so beautiful”. He kissed her lips and backed her toward the bed and she fell backwards onto the mattress. She gasped as he fell on top of her. He started to rub her stomach and kissed her lips gently. She kissed him back passionately. “Your body was so warm”, he whispered in her ear. She took off his Polo shirt and unbuttoned his blue jeans. And it showed his body shape and muscle. John was getting hot and wrapped her small body in his big arms. “You do not need a fireplace to warm you, my darling?”He kissed moved along her long neck and slowly down her chest. He cupped her breasts and lifted them to meet his open mouth. She moaned as he sucked each nipple in turn. The sounds which escaped her lips excited him even more and he bit down on her flesh. They kissed passionately. And they made love.

“You are wonderful”, he kissed her lips softly. “And you are amazing!” she hugged and kissed him. They looked at each other’s eyes in love and smiled. “Let’s sleep. Tomorrow, we will have a new adventure”…

***

Fishing Trip

John was an engineer working at the oil company in San Francisco for 7 years. He met Abigail in Venice. When they attended the conference. Abigail was a secretary to the CEO in Silicon Valley. She had just left her cheating fiancée at that time. And John was a single and never married. Abigail was his second girlfriend. After two years in the relationship, they finally decided to tie the knot. And their marriage had been for 6 months now. And they chose to come to The Great Bear Lake for their second honeymoon.

They took the 7 days holidays in the North Canada, was just to have some qualities time and far away from the crowd. And November was the great weather to enjoy fishing and hunting experience in the lake. During this winter, the lake covered with ice and the blue sky was like crystal clear. It was an extraordinary view.

The blue mountains were behind the lake looked so incredibly stunning with the birds flying over it. People believed there were bears on the hills, but no any victims so far.

“Hey, look what I’ve got?”John brought 2 big trout still hanging on the inducement. Hans put the bait on the boat and smiled “see, I told you. It’s very easy to catch trout here. And I believe, your wife will catch the trout as well soon! He looked at Abigail and smiled, “You think so?”

“Well, I hope so, and I will catch a bigger one soon! She threw her fishing pole into the lake and smiled.

Ten minutes later…

“Hey...hey…look! My bait was moving!”Abigail was smiling happily. John, look! I got the trout!

“Really?” he smiled and kept watching his bait.

Hans was approaching her and took over the fishing tool. “Let me take it, it’s a bit hard, is it?”

She nodded and glanced at John, who seemed more interested in his bait. “Hey, Ma’am, look at this!”He took a big trout off of the bait. And she smiled “wow! It is really big, isn’t it?!

“Hey, honey, look what I got?” she held the trout with two hands. John put the bait on the boat and approached her. “Wow! It is your lucky day! I have never seen the big trout like this before. Let’s cook it for our dinner tonight?” and I think we’d better go now as the sun started to go down. It’s almost dark!”…

***

Deer Hunting

“Morning gorgeous, what a lovely day. Look!”Abigail opened the curtain and the sun came straight through the window and shone on, making the bedroom shiny. “Come closer, love?” his beautiful blue eyes staring at her warmly. “No, love, you got to be ready, coz we are going to have another more adventure today. Deer hunting! It’s going to be more exciting, isn’t it?!” she stroked his blonde hair teasing him. He looked over her as she was staring at him, the look of her love in her eyes. His heart skipped as he looked back into her beautiful big brown eyes. He rose from the bed and grabbed her to the bed by her soft shapely waist and pulled her closer to him, then hugged her really, really tight and began to kiss her passionately, parting her lips gently with his tongue. She then kissed him tightly on her lips. Their tongue danced together. And he charged her, sliding his hand under her dress. She moaned when his hard on against her.

“I cannot let you go and I don’t know what my life would be if I have to live without you” he whispered in her ear. “Really?” she whispered back in his ear. John did not expect to hear what she said. He got up and held him with his elbow and looking down on her. “Why did you say that, sweetheart?” he caressed her soft brown hair gently, then kissed her forehead. “Do you love me?”

“Yes, of course, I do. Why did you ask me that question?” she cupped her hand on his cheek.

“No...I mean…mm... Well, forget it. Let’s get dressed!”

“No, wait! What is it, John?”

He looked at her eyes deeply. “Look, Ab, I would like to ask you, but you got to promise that you would not get upset with me, okay?”

She frowned and said “I promise, I would not get upset with you.

“Do you like Hans?”

“Hans?” The tour guide?”

“Yeah”

“Are you joking?” she smiled and shook her head.

“No. I am serious”

“Look, John. I do not know why you’re asking me this, but it seems you are being ridiculous and unreasonable”

Silence.

“Are you jealous?”

“Ab, I’ve caught you very close with him on the boat yesterday. You were so overwhelming when you got a massive trout. And I don’t know you realized or not, but you held his hand!”

“But John….you-

“Wait! Last night, when we were having dinner. You sat very close to him instead of me. You seemed very happy near him. And you let him cut the trout on your plate and pouring wine in your glass. Am I jealous? I am not! But you made me feel like I am useless. I am nothing!” he sat next to her on the edge of the bed.

She grabbed the blanket and sat next to him. “I was being ignored”

He turned his head and looked at her eyes “What did I do?”

“I was very happy when I got the fish and expecting you to look what I got and at least say something. But you did not. You were throwing the bait and kept watching it instead. And last night, I was hoping that you the one who “served” me for the dinner, not him”, she looked at his eyes deeply.

“Oh, babe, I am so sorry. I am sorry for ignoring you. I am so selfish!” he hugged her tightly. “I don’t like him. He might think that you like him”

“It won’t happen and never will!” she kissed him gently.

He kissed her back “let’s go for hunting, Hans is waiting, I guess!”

***

“You’re guys all set?”Hans give them a big smile and a glance at Abigail. And John had noticed it. “So, what are we going to hunt, today?” John asked.

“Well, we are going to hunt deer, and once we get it, we will cook it for our dinner tonight”

“Wow! Sounds great, love it! But do you think is it legal hunting deer around here?”She asked.

“Yeah, as long as we do not trespass the posted sign”.

“What do you mean by that? I mean can I be arrested for trespassing if I didn’t see any Posted signs?” John asked.
“Yes. Your hunting license does not give you the right to trespass on private property. It is your responsibility to find out who the landowner is and ask their permission whether the property is posted or not.

“If a property is not posted, does that mean I can hunt there?”She was curious.

”All property is owned by somebody. Just because there is no sign does not necessarily mean you can hunt there. To be legally posted, the law requires it to be posted with signs and checked once a year by the person posting it. Perhaps the signs were torn down or fallen off due to deterioration a month before you arrive to hunt. Legally, it may still be posted. “So, If I shoot a deer and it runs onto posted property, do I have the legal right to go on the property to retrieve it?” she asked.

“Well, you think you can get one, sweetheart?” John smiled and kissed her cold cheek.
“No. Seek out the landowner, explain the situation, and ask permission. If the landowner refuses, you will not be able to enter the property. The DEC cannot compel a landowner to grant access. Well, let’s move!”

Thirty minutes later….

“Psstt! I think I’ve heard something!”

“Be careful, honey, maybe it’s not a deer, it’s a bear!” she looked worried.

“A bear is not going to eat me, you know?” he blinked his eyes.

“Slowly. Look! It’s a deer!” Hans pointed out the deer.

John started to aim the deer which was eating the grass. It was about 30 yards. It looked up to find the voice for a second, and then continued eating. Bang. Bang. He shot twice and the deer fell down.

“I got it! I got it!”’

“Ya, you got it! Let me have a look!” Hans stood up and said “you guys wait here, okay? I am going to take it here”

“Well, we are going to have deer barbeque, sweetheart!” John hugged and kissed Abigail.

“Yeah, and I did not know that you are a good hunter, babe!” she kissed him deeply and started to unbuttoned his jeans.

“Wait. I think I need to go for pee”

“Well, Okay, I am waiting here”

“Be a good girl, K?” he smiled and whispered “I love you. I love you more than you think”, He kissed and left.

“I love you too!” she smiled and looked him heading toward the bush.

Fifteen minutes later….

She looked at the watch. She looked worried. Where is he? John? Where are you? Please, do not play with me. Honey? It is not the right time to play “hide and seek!” Hans? Where the hell are they?

Silence.

It was getting dark and the wind was blowing hard. She was met with a gust of savage cold air. Her skin broke out in a shiver of goose bumps as the cold and shock struck. She began to feel cold. Her wide eyes strained to pierce the darkness and darted wildly from side to side. She was alert. John, where the hell are you? Please do not leave me here. I am scared. I have to keep walking before it’s really dark. I don’t have a torch with me. Only the mobile phone. She checked on the mobile. No signal. Shit! Only one bar left of the battery. She kept walking and walking, trying to remember the way to go back to the lodge. She realized that there was no way to find him. Her mind kept thinking about him. Maybe he was already in the lodge and preparing the deer barbeque….or...oh God, please, help find my way home. She did not want to think a bad happen to him. She was checking the mobile again. And it was blinking now. The battery was almost dead. Shit! She started to shiver. It was aching cold that gnawed her bones, starting at her toes and fingers, and moving up into her chest and throat. Run. I have to run. She ran and ran. And all of sudden, “damn it!” she stumbled and fell down. She used her mobile phone to light up around wondering what made her stumble. “Oh, it’s only a log!” Wait! I think I saw something else behind the log. She was creeping in the dark to check. “Oh, God!” she closed her mouth. She clenched her teeth so hard, her jaw was trembling. Her stomach tightened and she held it. She wanted to vomit. She got up, feeling numb with cold and chilled to the core of fear. She wiped the tears and shuddered. She shivered more violently. She sobbed. She could hardly breathe, could hardly stand, her heart nearly bursting through her chest. I have to run. And she kept running. Her mind kept thinking about what she saw. Who’s that body? Was it John? Hans? She could not recognize it. The air was icy and prickly. And the tension was great. She was sweating and drenched in sweat. She looked at the small light. “Thank God! That’s the lodge”. She reached the door. It was unlocked. She crossed the dining room and reached for the phone in the kitchen. “Hello?” No answer.

“Oh, you are back!”

She gasped. Her lips trembled and in a choking voice, she asked “w-what are you doing here?”

“I am looking for you”

“What did you do with my husband?”

“Me?” I do not know. I was not with him”.

She was looking at him with an angry looked. “You killed him!” How could you do that?” she grabbed a metal candlestick holder from the coffee table and put it on his neck. “I am going to kill you!”

“Wait! I did not kill your husband”

“And where the hell were you?” You disappeared after checking the dead deer!”

“Abigail, please put it down”, his voice was hoarse with nerves. “Let me explain what happened, okay?”He tried to calm her down. “Please, just put this thing down”

“No! You killed my husband; you are a son of a bitch!”

He was frightened to be killed and made him nervous “Yes, I-I…

“Bastard! I knew you killed him!!!” She hit his nose with a metal candlestick holder. He fell down. “P-please...I-I”. She kept hitting and stabbed the neck. Blood spurted from his jugular vein, splattering her face. He held his neck, with blood squirting through his fingers. His body squirmed, his legs kicked, and his arms flailed as if he was struggling. He was dead. She kicked him to make sure that he was dead.

She heard a car approaching the lodge. It came from the main road, stopped, a door slammed. Curious, she peeked out the window.”Shit! Police!” She got panic. She looked at Hans’s dead body. Okay, cool down. You are not a killer. You just did a self-defense. Relax. She heard the door knock. She opened it.

“Good evening, Ma’am”, I am inspector Xavier Girard. He showed the badge and tucked it back into his pocket. And here is inspector Ava Landry. I got the report from Hans Beauchamp about your husband, John Palmer. “Oh, what happened?” she pressed her lips. “Hans found him struggling with a bear. It attacked and dragged him 30 feet away and was bitten fatally in the leg and arm and clawed in the stomach. “A-and what happened next? D-did Hans leave him,… just like that?” her voice was trembled and tears welled up in her eyes.”No, he shot the bear and he...he shot your husband.”

“Oh, God! But w-why did he shoot him?”She almost collapsed. He held her shoulder. “Your husband was still alive when Hans came. He was in pain badly. He did not want you to see his condition and asked Hans to shoot him”.

“Oh no…!”She sat slumped in a chair. And she remembered what she saw in the wood. She saw some part of the body. It was John with the open wound. She sobbed.

Xavier knelt down and hugged her.”I am so sorry for what happened” and if you do not mind, we would like to excuse to meet Mr. Beauchamp in his house”

“No, please!”… Don’t leave me.

“Mrs. Palmer, if you are afraid, Inspector Ava will accompany you for a while”. She looked at her and nodded.

“Good. O.K. I got to go now,” he nodded at Ava and left. Abigail heard that the car had gone into the main road.

“Mrs. Palmer, could I use your bathroom, please?”

“No! I-I.. mean, yes, please. That’s in the corner of the dining room”

“Thanks!” she smiled.

“Wait!”

“Yes, Mrs. Palmer, are you alright? You look so pale. Let me get you a drink”

Abigail saw the gun tucked into her waist. “Please, just hug me”. She hugged her. With the fast moving, Abigail took her gun from its holster and shot her own head. The blood sprayed on the curtain behind her. She fell back and blood pools under her. Ava stood frozen and looked down on her. Abigail Palmer was dead.

***