Between the Pipes

Chapter 19

The following Tuesday, Sarah woke feeling restless and tired. She hadn't heard from Mike in over a week. Danni had tried to reassure her that it was because of the team's brutal schedule, but Sarah knew better.

She had the morning off and needed to burn some energy, preferably in a way that didn't involve cleaning. Her house was so clean, it sparkled, and if she wanted to clean any more, she'd have to start catching the dust before it landed. It was time to find something else to do.

It was cloudy and cold outside. There had been a string of bitterly cold days and nights, with temperatures well below freezing. Icicles hung from the rooftops, and the trucks throwing salt and sand on the road had been out every day.

Charlebois River had frozen over, and the city had opened up warming huts along the shoreline so skaters could change into their skates and access the ice. Wide swaths of ice had been cleared of snow with unique, compact ploughs.

Sarah normally loved to skate along the river, but today she hesitated. She needed to get out and do something, but it was almost too cold to be enjoyable. It's only too cold if you're not dressed properly, she could hear her mother say, so she dragged herself out of bed.

She ate a muffin for breakfast and started piling on the layers. Long underwear, fleece-lined pants, wool sweater, winter coat, snow pants, neck warmer, faux-fur hat, and mittens. She could hardly move, but she was going to be warm. She smeared cream on her face to protect her skin from the cold, grabbed her skates, and headed out.

She decided to drive out to the South Lock. Parking was easy, and the warming hut was level with the river, so she wouldn't have to negotiate any stairs down to the ice. When sweat gathered on her brow as she drove, she laughed, turned off the heater, and rolled down the window. It was easier than peeling off all the layers she wore.

Sarah parked the car, locked her wallet in the glove compartment, and tucking her cell phone in her pocket, went to lace up her skates. Not another soul in sight. More people needed to heed her mom's advice.

She left her boots in the warming hut and, pulling on mittens, stepped out onto the ice.

She was dressed perfectly. She felt the chill in the air against her cheeks but was warm and toasty.

Her first few strides on the ice were shaky. It had been a year since she'd last skated, but she quickly fell into a rhythm and began to relax and enjoy herself.

It was eerily quiet. The trees were barren of rustling leaves, and it was calm without the faintest whisper of wind. Even the birds were silent. Sarah shrugged and put in ear buds. All alone, she could happily sing along to her playlist out of tune.

She was scheduled to work at the mobile clinic at one o'clock, so she kept an eye on the time. She decided to skate along the Charlebois River for an hour and then turn around and skate back. She had just checked her watch and was thinking of turning around when she became aware of another skater behind her.

She glanced over her shoulder to say hi, but turned back, a little uneasy. Two skaters, about ten metres behind her, looked tall and bulky, dressed in black from head to toe. Black balaclavas covered their faces, leaving only their eyes exposed.

It wasn't that unusual on such a cold day, she reasoned. It was important to keep skin exposure to a minimum or it could freeze quickly.

She glanced back again and shivered. One of them carried what looked like a piece of pipe, and the other had a duffel bag.

Try to stay calm, she told herself. Maybe they'd picked up a branch off the ice, and carried their boots in the duffel bag. Not everyone liked to leave their boots in the warming hut. Most used a backpack, but still. They were probably enjoying the skate for exercise, like her, and they'd laugh if they thought she was worried about them.