The Mysteries of Cook’s Point: An Adirondack Thriller

By D. M. Sauter

Brenda Hill grows up in a small town in the Adirondack Mountains called Cook’s Landing. In high school, she falls for local boy Joshua Smith. Together, they make big plans to move to New York City where Brenda will attend fashion design school and Joshua will write music. However, plans change when Joshua disappears after graduation and ends up dead.

His body is found floating in Cook’s Point Bay. Although there’s evidence of a blow to the head, there are no suspects, and Joshua’s death—although partially blamed on Brenda—is suspiciously forgotten. In 1984, Brenda leaves Cook’s Landing and never looks back—until now. Years later, Brenda is haunted by Joshua’s death and decides it is finally time for justice, no matter the cost.

Brenda’s investigation begins, looking into Joshua’s family and everyone else who knew him well. What she finds could turn the small town of Cook’s Landing upside down. Will Brenda have the courage and determination to reveal the whole truth of what happened that summer in 1984, and if she does, will she, too, be silenced like her beloved Joshua?

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Sep 22, 2018
• ISBN: 9781532055355

D. M. Sauter

D. M. Sauter has a master’s degree in education and retired after thirty-three years of teaching special needs students. She and her husband live in upstate New York with her mother. They spend a large amount of time exploring the Adirondack Mountain Park Region, especially the Lake George area and Great Camp Santanoni Preserve.

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Lilly’s Story

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S usan recalls the night your mom, Lilly came to our home and told my parents and I what happened. "It was a few days after your dad’s death, your mom told my parents what happened that awful night. Your mom and dad were making plans for their first baby. They were both so happy! Your dad was so proud, because they just learned that your mom was three months pregnant. Her due date was early October. No one could do anything to upset the happiness they were feeling at that time. At least that is what they thought! They were wrong! Your mother began to cry! After a few moments she regained her composure. On Friday night, your mom was planning a quiet dinner and then planned on having a quiet night sitting on the front porch just the two of them. They spoke of their baby and decided to name you after your dad’s mother, Brenda. They were sure you were going to be a girl.

Your mom took a sip of her tea and then continued. She told us it was 5 o’clock, when he called me and told me he was going to be late, but he wouldn’t be long, around 7 o’clock. He said he was sorry and that he loved her. He did not come home when he said he would and your mother became worried. Your dad was never this late and he never stayed away without calling. Your mom called Richard’s office. There was no answer. She thought he was having a meeting with Jonathan. She called Jonathan at home, but there was no answer. Then she tried Jonathan’s office at the lumber company. No answer! She thought, that was strange, and became more concerned. My mom asked if your mother would like another cup of tea? She accepted. After your Mom tells us what happened next. She drove to the Sheriff’s Office. It was 1 o’clock in the morning. She explained that Richard was supposed to be on his way home by 7. Sheriff Cook took the information and wrote out a report. He told her that he would begin a search, as soon as it was light. She walked out the door and thought to herself, we have everything to live for, the baby and other babies in the future. Richard had to come home.

The next morning Jonathan’s foreman found Richard’s body crushed in a log jam about one mile upstream from the logging camp. Your mom was in disbelief. The sheriff was called to the scene and found Richard’s body. He was pinned between two logs. Sheriff Cook declared Richards’ death an accident. Your mom didn’t believe what they were saying! She remembered visiting Richard’s office one afternoon a week before his death. Richard and Jonathan were having an argument. She couldn’t hear what it was about, but Richard was upset lately, he would not tell her about the argument. She thought it had to do with Jonathan’s business practices. Richard didn’t agree with Jonathan and the way he was conducting business. She wasn’t sure how bad their relationship was, it didn’t seem good. It was rumored that they were having frequent heated conversations at the lumber company and at the logging camp. Your father told her that it was nothing and everything will be fine! Don’t worry about anything. It is not good for the baby! Your mom told Sheriff Cook in the morning, hoping he would look at this differently. He had to help your mom. When Lilly left, Mom, Dad and I were shocked at what we heard. We decided that we had to help your mom. A few days later your mom buried your dad in the town cemetery, under the great White Pine tree, overlooking the lake. She planted wild flowers on the grave site. Each day people saw her visiting your dad’s grave. People observed your mom asleep, draped over your father’s grave. They warned her that she had to be careful with the weather change and for the baby’s sake. The days were getting shorter and the trees started changing colors. The air was clear and crisp with sunny days and cool nights. On a cool fall day, your mom gave birth to you! You were a beautiful baby girl. You had brown hair, big blue eyes, pink cheeks and a cute smile. She named you Brenda Louise, after your grandmothers, Brenda and Louise. It was not long after, Jonathan Smith offered your mom a job at the lumber yard, as a secretary. She took the job, but she did not want to be obliged to him. Your grandfather never contacted your mother. Cook’s Landing was her home now and forever. She made sure you knew about your father and that you had a good life in the mountains."

Life in Cook’s Landing

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I remember how it was growing up happy and healthy. Mom adored me. She sang me to sleep, read me poetry, taught me about the wildflowers and wild life. She taught me how to swim, fish, climb trees, paint and write poetry. Everything that she and Dad would have taught me together, if he were alive. We hiked around the shoreline of the lake and explored the forest floor and the plants growing. Mom would draw the wildflowers and then paint the sketches at home in water colors.

I loved living in the small cottage nestled in the woods with my mom. The years passed.

I loved singing songs and drawing the wildflowers and animals I saw on my excursions. The first five years were special and wonderful growing up in Cook’s Landing.

In Kindergarten, I developed a friendship with Ellie Richards, the daughter of a restaurant owner. She lives on the other end of town, so we were friends in school mostly. Ellie is tall with a large frame. She has dirty blonde hair that is always messy. Her father, Mike, didn’t really know how to take care of a little girl, but he tried his best. She was more of a Tom boy.

Her long hair was always flying behind her as she ran everywhere. Her hazel eyes are large and she seemed to be always smiling. She seemed older than the other Kindergarten classmates. Ellie and I would play on the playground, read books to each other and throw a ball back and forth. Ellie wanted to move away from Cook’s Landing when she grew up. She was so good at sports. She could have played basketball when she went to college, but upon graduating high school, she went to Paul Smith’s College, where she studied hospitality, so she could help her father.

Mike Richards was in his thirties. when he arrived in town. He had salt and pepper hair, which is now white. He is medium height, with a slim physique. He is soft spoken with a friendly smile, but his eyes tell his sadness. Mike had been an attorney in Boston. He moved Ellie to Cook’s Landing a year after his wife, Eleanor, passed away from cancer. After closing his law practice, he opened a small store and restaurant on Main Street. The house he bought was small, and white with black shutters and a red door. The landscape is sparse with a few flowers and shrubs on either side of the entrance side walk. The house is located just south of town on Algonquin Lane. Mike spends most of his time in the store and restaurant, so the house maintenance takes a back seat. Ellie grew up working more than a child her age should have had to work. As Ellie got older, she waited tables, helped in the kitchen and operated the cash register in the store. There was always something to do running a business of your own. Mike never seemed happy, but he did love his daughter. It was hard for him, when Ellie went away to college. Up until that time they were inseparable.

My best friend of anyone was Joshua Cook Smith, the son of Jonathan Cook Smith and Ruth Sessions Smith. Our friendship grew year after year. We first met on the shores of the lake. I met Joshua that summer. I was five years old. It was a bright sunny day in June. I was looking up at the white puffy clouds, when I heard something behind me. I swung around just as a boy ran out of the woods and almost knocked me over. I got angry and began yelling at him. Instead of him yelling back, he stood there and smiled at me. Joshua was tall and gangly. He seemed older than other boys in town. He didn’t say anything to me, but just walked away. I was left standing there fuming. and looking silly. A few days later, I met Joshua again and we talked. We soon became best friends. We swam, fished and canoed on the lake all summer. We spent every day together, talking about our families, what we wanted to do when we grew up. There seemed to be no one else in our lives. Joshua lived in the big house on Cook’s Point. The house was built by his great-grandfather, Harris L. Cook, the patriarch of the Cook family. The house has a large wrap around porch, five bedrooms, three bath rooms, a large kitchen with a pantry, a library with shelves filled from floor to ceiling with books.

There is a music room, a large dining room and three servant’s bedrooms. The house is well positioned on the point. There is a large boathouse with three boat slips facing out towards the center of the lake. Further out on the point is a large gazebo with benches along the inside walls. Canoes are usually pulled up on the shore. There is a large sailboat on a mooring which is twenty feet from shore. Jonathan uses the sailboat to impress his business associates. Without doubt he is the leading resident of Cook’s Landing. The Cook family settled the town and still own the lumber mill, Cook’s Restaurant and Cook’s Marina, as well as rental properties. Jonathan is not only the richest man on the lake, he is the most handsome. His black hair, with a touch of gray at the temples, large eyes that are a very intense green. His smile is broad. He is tall with wide shoulders, from the hard work at the mill during his summer vacations. Jonathan is very controlling and uses his power and money to control the Mayor’s Office and the Sheriff’s Office. No one is willing to cross him or cause him a problem. He is used to getting his own way. He is ruthless in his business deals, never giving his competition a chance when he wants something. He always must win. When he was in school and college, he was very popular with his classmates, especially with the ladies. He could have had any girl on campus. My mom was his first choice, but after she married Dad, he eventually chose Ruth Sessions as his future bride.

Ruth Sessions is a small woman with blonde hair, that is cut short and styled. She is medium weight and height, with a plain face. She is quiet and shy with sad blue eyes. Ruth is a great reader of the classic works, plays the piano and is well educated. She is from a well—respected family from Boston. Her family is in the export and import business with ships up and down the east coast. Ruth was swept away by Jonathan’s charms. She did not know about his violent and domineering personality. She soon learned that she must keep up a false image about her family. She gives Jonathan the breeding that he so desires, but he really doesn’t love her the way she hoped and wanted.

Ruth had a second child, Claire Cook Smith. Claire is the daughter that Ruth always wanted, but Claire favored her father. She is medium height, with blonde hair, blue-green eyes, pug nose and slim lips that always seemed to be in a frown. She is shorter than her father, but she is very strong. She is a very good swimmer and very athletic in school. She is strong willed, which allows her to have her own way. Most people backed down from her, except for Joshua. He stood up to her and would not allow her to dominate any situation. He was the only one who could control her. She did everything she could to receive her father’s attention, but he favored Joshua over her. Joshua is the future of Cook’s Enterprises! Jonathan would say to her.

As Claire grew up, she became very popular with the boys at school, but she didn’t seem to like anyone in the community. When she was younger, she would follow Joshua and would never leave him alone. She was very angry when Joshua would spend time with me or any other friends. She would throw stones at Joshua, pop up unexpectedly and torment anyone Joshua liked, especially me. Joshua thought Claire was spoiled and just being a kid.

Sheriff William Cook is Jonathan’s cousin. Although Bill’s father is a Cook, he did not inherit any family money or businesses. Bill and Jonathan had the same grandfather, Harrison Cook. Jonathan’s mother married James Smith, the foreman of the logging company. Harrison favored Jonathan over Bill. Jonathan reminded Harrison of himself, strong, demanding and ruthless. Bill’s father was a good man, who worked hard, but had no ambition to fight Harrison or compete with Jonathan.

Bill is average height and build. He is pleasant man with a great smile. He has black hair and green eyes. He is a bachelor with very little interest in women but is dedicated to his work and this town. Bill is influenced and controlled by Jonathan. He did what he was told. Bill didn’t like answering to him, but Jonathan knew a secret about Bill and held it over him. Bill often visited the house on Cook’s Point. He made up excuses to visit Ruth. He knew how she hated her life in the big house. They have a very special friendship. Jonathan suspected Bill had affection for Ruth, but he knew Ruth was too afraid to run away with Bill. Bill owed Jonathan, his career and existence. He is to gentle to stand up to Jonathan. He seems to be dedicated to his work and this town.

John Miller is the Deputy Sheriff of Cook’s Landing. Everyone calls him Johnny. He is a member of the Native American tribe living on the reservation, ten miles north of Cook’s Landing. His mother is the daughter of the Chief, Johnny Red Feather Miller. Johnny is tall and slim with straight, course, jet black hair. His eyes are a piercing blue. He has a hot temper, which gets him in trouble when in school and on the job. Bill has a difficult time with Johnny, but he can’t fire him because of Jonathan. Johnny became friends with Joshua when they were in first grade. He is tolerated by Jonathan and Ruth. They did not want their son to associate with Johnny, but Joshua felt sympathetic to the fact Johnny had no known father. Johnny is very jealous of Sheriff Cook. He wants to be the Sheriff of Cook’s Landing. He also wants to date me. Johnny is jealous of Joshua, but he thinks someday I will see that I should be with him, not Joshua. Johnny is not liked by most of the residents of the town, but Jonathan seems to defend his actions. No one could understand the interest that Jonathan had in Johnny. There are rumors about Johnny’s role in events that took place in town since he was made Deputy Sheriff. Proof was never found connecting Johnny with any events, besides no one wanted to cross Jonathan and the Cook family.

All Grown Up

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S usan remembers "Brenda grew up to be a beautiful young woman, petite, slim, with large blue eyes and long brown hair, which she wore in a braid. She becomes a very strong swimmer, fast runner and a talented designer. She spends hours painting the wildlife, mountains and the lake she loved. She loves to sing just like her mom. She is a lovely young lady, who adores her mother, who loves the stories her mother told her about her father. She misses not knowing him, but Lilly did everything she could for Brenda to know her father. It was as though Richard seemed to be present in everything Brenda did.

Brenda would often say, I wondered what it would feel like to have my father hold me in his large, strong arms and laugh.

She missed him! Brenda is liked by all residents, except Jonathan Smith.

Joshua grew to be a handsome, tall and muscular young man. He was soft spoken, nothing like his father. He liked playing his guitar and writing music. He enjoyed the time he spent with me, walking on the mountain trails and shoreline. Joshua wanted to move to New York City to explore a career in the music industry. His dream was to marry me. My dream was to become a leading fashion designer. Our life was supposed to be good. We planned to have children and return to Cook’s Landing for visits often.

My friend, Ellie grew into long sturdy legs with a wide back, but with a good shape. Her hair was long and very blonde that still flew behind her as she was always rushing around the restaurant and up and down Main Street. Her smile still is as bright as ever. She has turned into a rather pretty young lady. She returned from college and took a bigger role in the running of the restaurant and store. She will someday take over the business from her father.

Bill has grown a mustache that makes him look more distinguished. He is still very friendly and well—liked by the towns people. He has gained a little weight especially around his middle. His hair has turned grey around the temples. The towns people seem pleased with Bill as the Sheriff. Bill spends more time around Cook’s Point and Ruth Smith, lately. I guess they are just good friends. People quietly suspected that Bill felt strongly about Ruth, but would he do anything about his feelings, probably not!

Ruth has become well-respected in the community. She looks almost the same as she did when she first came to Cook’s Landing. Her hair is cut the same way. Her figure is about the same. She neither gains or loses weight. She wears glasses when she reads. She is soft spoken and very polite. She is very much in the church activities and is always ready to give a helping hand.

Johnny has grown into a very handsome man, with his black hair and blue eyes. His physique is muscular and his skin is dark tan. He uses his looks to his advantage to influence people, to get what he wants. He is still making enemies, always causing trouble for the community and Jonathan still defends him. He doesn’t date anyone person, but many. He treats them terribly, but the girls seem to be drawn in by his looks, charming smile and strength.

Coming Home

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I t was a beautiful day with a bright blue sky. This was a typical day in the Adirondacks. I had not been back since mother passed. After Mom’s funeral, I closed the cottage, gave the keys to Susan and drove to New York City. Mom had been ill for a short time, but no one thought she would die. It is as though she gave up and wanted to be with her beloved Richard. I buried her next to my father, under the tall white pine. The grave is on the hill, overlooking the lake. There is a grave stone with my parent’s names carved into the granite. On the granite was a carved large white pine. On the other side of the cemetery is the Cook’s cemetery plot, where Joshua is buried. I cannot believe Joshua is gone. I write about that summer often in my letters to Susan. I feel the same as if it were July of 1984, the day my life changed forever.

I sent a letter to Susan each month with a sum of money to maintain the cottage. Just before Memorial Day weekend, I sent Susan a letter telling her that I was coming home for a while. I ask if she would open the cottage and if she would have someone clean it for me. I sent money and a list of groceries for her to purchase. As I drive out of the city, I wonder how Cook’s Landing will look to me now that everyone I love are gone. I have a long drive from New York