Haven Hill: Chapter 13

by the Author of The Widow in the Woods

Here’s where the story left off last time.

As the afternoon turned into evening, they decided to have a cookout around the fire pit. This worked perfectly for Kate’s plan, as it would give her a little bit of alone time in the kitchen with Logan’s beer and rum. The pills she had hidden felt like they were burning holes through her pocket.

While Logan and Ariel got the bonfire going in the pit, Kate puttered around the kitchen, making one tray with hot dogs and fixings and another with the components for ‘smores. She placed both of the trays in the refrigerator. Then she popped outside with a large bowl and rapidly filled it with wild blackberries.

Once inside, Kate broke out the blender. She washed the berries and made virgin daiquiris for herself and Ariel. Then she made an “extra special” drink for Logan. She added blackberries, sugar, a generous serving of rum, and lime juice to the blender pitcher.

Checking out the window to see that Logan was still outside with Ariel, she pulled an alprazolam tablet from her pocket and cut it in half. It wouldn’t do for him to immediately feel like he’d been drugged so she needed to be patient. She added half the pill and a Benadryl to the blender, and some ice from the freezer. She poured Logan’s drink into a large dark green cup with a lid and a straw. She took a small sip to see if the meds were noticeable in the drink. She nodded when she discovered they were well-hidden by the alcohol and sugar.

She took a tray containing Ariel’s baby blue travel cup, her pink one, and Logan’s green one down to the fire and said, “Surprise!” She pasted a big, goofy smile on her face. “I figured you two worked up a thirst down here, so I made daiquiris with our blackberries. I thought we could have a drink before we made hot dogs.”

Logan smiled back, the old smile that had first won her over. It was boyish, a little embarrassed, and humble looking. Little did she know then what that charming grin hid, but now she was under no delusions.

They all sat down in an Adirondack chair and watched the flames while sipping their drinks. “This is delicious, Katie,” praised Logan as he savored the drink. “I love that it has our blackberries in it.”

Inwardly, Kate winced at his use of the word “our” but she covered it with a smile. “I thought that would make it a nice welcome home drink to use the fruit that grows wild here.”

Logan looked emotional. He fixed his eyes on the fire and reached over to take Kate’s small hand into his big, calloused one. She willed herself not to yank her hand away, and the three sat in companionable silence, watching the flames dance as the forest around them grew darker.

Kate got up and collected the cups, returning to the kitchen. She grabbed the hotdog tray from the fridge, tucked some campfire forks under her arm, and carefully took the items down to the fire. She had Ariel grab the forks from under her arm and handed the tray to Logan. “Be right back!” she chirped in a cheery voice. Ariel stared at the long-tined hot dog fork a little too adoringly, and Kate gave her a discreet nudge with her elbow, flashing a warning glance at the girl.

Ariel rolled her eyes, but proceeded to space hot dogs out on the forks so that she and Logan could roast them. Satisfied, Kate returned to the kitchen for round two of daiquiris.

She washed out the blender pitcher before making drinks for herself and Ariel, then added the other half of the sedative to Logan’s drink, spiking it heavily with rum.  She returned to the fire and handed out drinks. Logan looked very, very relaxed. She hid a little smile and thought, just wait, this is a night you’ll never forget.

Once the hot dogs were ready – Kate’s burned until they were black and crispy on the outside, Logan’s lightly browned and bubbling, and Ariel’s somewhere in between the two, everyone dressed their own buns with mustard, ketchup, and some of the dill pickle relish Kate had canned last summer. Kate and Ariel broke theirs in half to let the heat escape, but Logan dove right in,  sucking in a pained breath as he burned his tongue. That didn’t stop him, though, and he inhaled the rest of the hotdog in short order. He was already cooking his second and third hot dog by the time Kate and Ariel finished their first ones.

“Save room for ‘smores!” Kate cautioned merrily. Kate began to talk, to share with Logan what he’d missed while he was in jail. She told him how Ariel had won both the English award and the Creative Writing award. She let him know that Ariel had been honored by being chosen to read her patriotic essay about the USA at a Veterans Day event. Ariel had flown by herself to Arizona, where her adoring grandparents picked her up from the Phoenix Airport and spoiled her rotten for three weeks while Kate put in extra hours at work to cover the vacations of others.

Logan interrupted. “I don’t approve of her traveling like that alone. Anything could have happened to her. I’m glad she was okay and that she had fun, but that kind of thing isn’t going to happen again while I’m around.” His eyes narrowed as he sipped his drink, and Kate couldn’t tell if that was because of the sedatives kicking in or genuine anger that she had allowed her teenage daughter to undertake a plane journey alone. “In the future,” Logan informed them, his words with the slightest hint of a slur, “I’ll escort her to be sure she makes it safely.”

Ariel looked rebellious, and Kate gently put her foot down on the girl’s toes to keep her quiet. “That’s really nice of you, Logan,” Kate said. “It’s so obvious that you love my daughter. Right, Ariel?”

Ariel gave a pained nod, and Kate prayed that Logan didn’t notice her lack of enthusiasm. She returned to the kitchen to grab the s’mores tray and rejoined them at the fire pit.

It was now time to assemble the s’mores. Using the same long forks that they’d used on the hot dogs, Ariel speared large marshmallows, leaving plenty of space between them for even browning. She handed one loaded fork to Logan with a small, pained smile.

“Another drink?” Kate asked everyone.

“Yes, please!” Ariel said eagerly.

“I think I need to switch to beer,” Logan said somewhat regretfully. I haven’t had alcohol for a while – just over three years, in fact – and this is hitting me hard.”

“Can’t I persuade you to have one more?” Kate entreated, lowering her lashes in a way she hoped he found charming. “This is a celebration, after all.”

“Yeah, Logan,” Ariel joined in with the pleading. “One more with me? Pretty please with blackberries on top?”

Logan chuckled. He loved being the center of attention and seeing how much his girls adored him. “Okay, one more and that’s it. Otherwise, I’m going to think you’re trying to get me drunk and take advantage of me, Katie.” He said the last with a comic waggling of his dark brows.

She repressed a shudder and collected the cups. “Be right back!” she chirped cheerfully as she headed back up to the cabin.

Once in the kitchen, she glanced out the window to confirm that Logan was still at the fire pit with Ariel. They were assembling the decadent campfire treat with Ariel adding her “secret ingredient,” peanut butter, to her graham cracker.

This time, she added an entire alprazolam tablet and a Benadryl to the concoction before whirring the blender. Kate took a tiny, careful taste, then added more sugar and rum to camouflage the taste of the medicine. Another quick taste determined that it was imperceptible.

She carried the drinks back down to the fire pit and chatted flirtatiously while watching Logan’s eyelids get heavier and heavier. After they enjoyed the gooey chocolate and marshmallow s’mores, she yawned outrageously and said, “Wow, I think I’m ready for bed. I assume you’re putting us back in the basement tonight?”

“You can stay upstairs with me, Katie,” Logan offered with a sideways grin.

“No, I’m not ready for that yet,” Kate stared directly into his eyes. “I need you to be patient with me. I’d like to stay with Ariel.”

Logan was too buzzed to be offended.

Kate added a scoop of sand from the bucket beside the fire pit to smother the flames. Once they were out, she took a small shovel she had for just this purpose to spread out the glowing embers and topped them with more sand. She took about five minutes to make certain the fire was dead, then the trio made their way back up the short hill to the cabin. She managed to whisper some instructions to Ariel while Logan was concentrating on not stumbling.

Once they returned, Ariel used the bathroom first, brushed her teeth, and donned her sleeping attire. Tonight she wore a big navy blue t-shirt with a slogan from The X-Files emblazoned across the front. “The Truth Is Out There,” the shirt proclaimed over a grainy photo of a UFO. Thick socks were on her feet, and she wore her Yeti slippers again.

Kate quickly washed her face and brushed her teeth. She wore a pair of black sweatpants with a couple of bleach spots on the right leg, topped by a T-shirt that said “Black is the new black” in black letters on black fabric. Socks and slippers also adorned her feet, and she  and Ariel didn’t argue when Logan escorted them to the basement door. He kissed them both on the cheek and they hugged him back, pretending to go along with him.

Once they were in the basement, they heard the Molly bar drop into place and a table being pushed across the floor above them in the kitchen.

Kate leaned against the wall, closed her eyes, and took a deep, relieved breath. It was time for Phase 2 of the escape plan.

About Daisy

She is the best-selling author of 5 traditionally published books, 12 self-published books, and runs a small digital publishing company with PDF guides, printables, and courses at SelfRelianceand Survival.com You can find her on Facebook, Pinterest, and X.