Harvey, the Huntsman

Harvey stared at the two cards in his hand and the three that sat face up on the table. Once again, lady luck failed him for the eighth hand in a row. Throwing his cards down, he announced that he was out. Glancing down at his pile of chips, he frowned at how few remained. He needed a strong hand to play. But Harvey also needed to concentrate on the game.

That had proven difficult ever since Clive called earlier with the strangest news. Austin claimed to have seen a man standing in the woods, watching them leave. Considering the cold, windy weather, it felt odd that anyone would be out without a pressing reason. If someone were, you'd think they'd have spoken to Clive rather than scurry off. Even stranger, Clive backed up Austin's idea that the man had been watching the house. Having never heard Clive praise his daughter's boyfriend for his brain, Harvey's attention peaked further when his friend mentioned he had a gut feeling about the situation. As district attorney, Clive's gut feelings had proved right far more than wrong.

Who had the man been watching? Is Giles involved in something shady? Tyrell? Maybe not criminal, but something personal? It could've been a private investigator hired by a jealous husband. Well, for Giles, not Tyrell, of course. Holding in a chuckle at the thought of present-day Tyrell Tissle seducing any woman, Harvey marveled at how he managed to land Cordelia during college. He must have had some sort of game that worked. But what if Clive's inkling is up the right alley? Could that man have been watching him for a case? If so, has he been watching my cabin?

Taking stock of the chips before each of his table foes, Harvey saw that Amelia led with Owen in second place. Whitney's boyfriend played a very aggressive style, taking weak hands much deeper than he should. The college student had grown cockier as his winnings increased. His gloating after eliminating Rusty left a bad taste in Harvey's mouth. He hoped that Whitney didn't find that type of attitude attractive. Typically, Harvey or Clive could use his arrogance and aggressive betting to their advantage, but Clive skipped playing while Harvey kept glancing out the window. Down on Harvey's losing side, Tyrell continued to pull off Houdini-like feats of survival with his chip total fluctuating wildly. It seemed only a matter of time before he ended up eliminated.

Looking over at the other table, Harvey checked on his friends. No doubt about it, Jeff was straight up drunk. Harvey wondered how long until the big man passed out with his head slamming into the table. Fred didn't seem too far behind him. Yet, his drunken state benefited him as no one knew if he held a good hand, bluffed, or was too drunk to know what he was doing. And then there were his little belligerent comments about how the others played their cards. Those seemed to annoy Giles but really got under the skin of Eddie.

Harvey performed a double-take as he realized that Jeff didn't have any chips left in front of him. And apparently, that was a problem.

"Dude, you're out," Fred told his friend.

"Em gud," Jeff slurred, tossing a pair of breath mints onto the table in lieu of chips. He'd already intercepted the cards meant for Fred on the deal.

"Those are mine," Fred informed, attempting to grab his cards.

"Top sheeting!" Jeff bellowed, easily brushing his hands away.

"Lockett, you've been eliminated," Giles patiently explained. As he'd been the person encouraging the steady supply of drinks to the big man, their host didn't want to make a scene. "Uh, Russell, could you give us a hand?"

Standing behind the bar, Rusty nodded. Walking over, the smaller of the two big men patted his old classmate on the shoulder.

"Hey, buddy, how about we go find you a place to relax?"

"Notch rired," Jeff replied. Nodding off, he slumped over, nearly taking Fred with him. Snapping awake, he cried, "Em wak, em wak!"

"C'mon, buddy. Just stand up, and I'll help you downstairs," Rusty prodded.

"Owen, go help him," Harvey ordered, knowing Rusty didn't stand a chance in getting Jeff down the stairs alone. Plus, he wanted Whitney's boyfriend out of his hair for a few minutes.

The college student appeared ready to argue but didn't.

With Owen out of this turn, Harvey planned to improve his chip total at Tyrell's expense. The King and Eight of Diamonds dealt his way gave him hope. When the flop brought a King of Hearts along with a Four of Spades and a Ten of Hearts, Harvey held in a grin. I can work with a pair of kings.

Tyrell raised the bet when the turn revealed a Six of Diamonds. Sensing his moment, Harvey fidgeted as Amelia stayed in. When the river brought a Jack of Hearts, it caused Tyrell to fold, but Amelia matched as Harvey pushed all his chips in. Although the three Hearts on the table concerned him, Harvey felt confident in his pair of kings. Amelia could pull off a royal flush, but she'd need a queen and ace.

When Amelia flipped over her cards, revealing a Queen and Ace of Hearts, Harvey shook his head. The only positive was that he sent Owen away, so the braggart didn't witness his girlfriend's father making a foolish mistake.

"I guess it's not my night. Best of luck, Amelia," Harvey said graciously. Standing up, he headed to the bar, ignoring Fred's double-take at seeing his friend already eliminated.

Taking advantage of Giles' well-stocked liquor cabinet, Harvey poured himself a glass of expensive scotch. He attempted to focus on Fred's table and make sure his old friend's attitude didn't cause more problems. Taking a slip, Harvey found his attention drawn again to the trees outside the large windows. Could someone have really climbed up one to watch us?

Owen returned, glancing over at his girlfriend's father. A slight smirk formed as he realized that Harvey had been eliminated. Usually a laid-back guy, Harvey found himself wishing that he could teach the arrogant, ex-quarterback a lesson. Back in the day, all I'd need to do is smile at your girlfriend, and she'd be all over me. But I'm too old for those games, and your girlfriend is my daughter. Hmm, I wonder what his mom looks like?

Chuckling at the ludicrous idea, Harvey grabbed his glass to head downstairs. Nearing the kitchen, he heard Sybil gabbing away. Peeking in, he saw Rusty laughing at whatever she'd said, with Cordelia appearing disinterested. Vivienne barely looked up from her phone when Harvey asked about Jeff. His hostess appeared laser-focused on typing a message.

"We put him in the study. It's got an actual couch in there that's comfortable," Rusty responded, glancing over at Vivienne.

Recalling the uncomfortable-looking furniture in the drawing-room, Harvey nodded his thanks. "Sorry about that. Jeff doesn't usually get drunk so fast."

"I suspect my brother helped," Cordelia remarked, earning a frown from Vivienne, who still didn't pry her eyes from her phone.

"Ah, you may be right," Harvey acknowledged. "Let's see if Fred is next."

"Great. I'll probably have to run a shuttle service from the game room," Rusty commented with a groan.

"Well, I can help, but I'm headed outside for a bit of air, first." Heading over to the front door, Harvey wasn't at all surprised to find Zarita appearing at his side.

"Are you sure, sir?" she queried, helping put his coat on. "It is growing colder out there."

"I won't stay out for long. I can hear the wind blowing harder. Is there any hot chocolate? I might need help warming up," Harvey remarked, reaching for the door.

He stopped as the maid reached around to rub his crotch. Breathing in his ear, she whispered, "I know better ways to warm you up, monsieur. Fun ways that include blowing."

"I remember your ways," Harvey responded. Turning around, he saw Zarita already gliding away down the hall. Looking over her shoulder, she flipped her tiny skirt up, shaking her ass with a giggle.

Wondering again if he should've hired a full-time maid like Zarita, Harvey immediately shook the thought away. Valeria would watch the maid like a hawk, taking away any fun. Then, Frida would bitch that I needed to hire a male servant for her to ogle or play with.

"And knowing Whitney, she'd want her own personal servant to even things out," Harvey mumbled, stepping onto the porch. It wasn't too bad in that spot as the house shielded him for most of the window. He'd feel it once he got closer to his SUV, near where the man had stood.

Scanning the woods from his perch on the porch, Harvey wondered if the man lingered. It's doubtful that anyone would after being spotted. Yet, if it's a time-sensitive matter, he could still be nearby. I'm going to need some help.

Briskly walking over to his vehicle, Harvey reached in to grab a flashlight from the glove compartment. Suddenly changing his mind, he placed the small flashlight back inside and walked around to the back of the SUV. Popping the trunk door, he pulled out the emergency box that he made sure to always have on trips to Wasp Lake. Being prepared for anything out here had been drilled into Harvey's head as a kid by his grandfather. Inside the box, he had a more powerful, heavy-duty flashlight.

"Now, where to begin?" Harvey pondered, scanning the woods that surrounded the Vandermeer lakehouse.

Walking over to the spot he assumed Clive had meant, Harvey began to shine the light around. With such a powerful beam, he wanted to be discreet. There was no need to alert the others to what he was doing. Still, he used the light to scan the trees, searching for one that could've held the potential watcher. Maybe that one. No, the one with the heavy branch would work better. Pushing his way into the brush, Harvey weaved this way and that way until he thought he was close to the tree he suspected. Shining the light back up to check his position, he couldn't help but smile that he'd stopped in the correct spot. I haven't lost the touch.

Bending down, Harvey knew better than to go near the tree in question directly. Instead, standing nearly ten feet away, he began to search the snow-covered ground for any tracks. In a matter of seconds, his eyes lit up.

"Bingo."

Recalling what his grandfather and his grandfather's buddies had taught him as a boy, Harvey spent the next five minutes piecing together the tale of the watcher. Based on the tracks left in the snow, Harvey realized that Austin's guess looked dead-on. The man had climbed the tree with the long, flat branch. The watcher also walked slowly to the small clearing where Austin spotted him. Harvey speculated that he'd heard voices and crept too far to check on them. Once seen by the teen, the watcher swiftly raced away, based on the wider gaps between footsteps.

Unfortunately, Harvey lost the man's trail about twenty-five feet later. Taking a moment, he considered what direction the watcher might have gone. The neighboring cabin on this side belonged to the Talbot family. As with every one of the twenty-one cabins on the eastern half of Wasp Lake, there were large gaps between each cabin. That was true between the Talbots and Vandermeers, yet that's wasn't the case between the Talbots and Cheltons. Those two cabins not only lay in sight of one another, but they also shared a driveway before it branched off.

Regular summer occupants who often entertained their children at the lake while they grew, Vernon and Gladys Talbot had retired earlier than most people. Taking advantage of their freedom, they chose to spend their winters in warmer climates. That could've allowed the watcher to park his car at their cabin, except that the Chelton family were regular, year-round visitors to Wasp Lake. Since they lived in Rattle Ridge, they often drove down for short stays. And they were one of the families that liked to spend the holidays at the lake.

However, the other side of the Vandermeers seemed less likely to Harvey. The Zurbrugg family owned one of the original grand cabins on Wasp Lake. And while they rarely visited these last several years, their cabin had a locked gate at the end of their driveway. Outside of the abandoned Wynwick Lodge, Harvey couldn't imagine a worse place than the Zurbrugg cabin for a person to trespass and not catch the rangers' attention.

Walking back to the lakehouse's front, Harvey considered taking his SUV and driving down the road again. If anyone parked their car off the road in the woods, he'd know the spots to check. Hell, he's spent time in those same spots making out with girls in his younger days. However, it might be wiser to check around the lakehouse for more tracks. He doubted that Giles, Vivienne, or their son were the sort to walk around in the trees during the winter. As he mulled the pros and cons of the two options, Harvey barely registered the sound of the front door opening and closing.

"Care for some company?" a woman asked.