It's not the heat, it's the humidity, people say. As far as Nicky was concerned that was pure bull. . .dust. It was both the heat and the humidity that was killing her. After four consecutive days where the temperature had been in the low to middle forties and the humidity had been way up there Nicky was feeling totally drained.
Right now it was pushing midnight, Nicky was lying on her bed nude, but was still feeling hot and sticky, and totally unable to sleep. One of these days she was going to lash out and buy herself an air conditioner. She really was. Not that any of that helped here and now.
What she really needed, Nicky decided, was a dip in a pool. Too bad she didn't have one.
"But Josie has one," a little voice whispered to her, "and she and her husband are away for the weekend. She wouldn't mind you going over and having a quick dip. Out the back gate, cut across the park and in through her back gate."
At that precise moment a bead of sweat ran down Nicky's forehead and into her eye. Muttering to herself, she sat up, rubbing her eye. Well, as long as she was halfway up, why not keep going? Jumping to her feet Nicky grabbed a t-shirt and a pair of shorts and slipped them on. Too hot and sticky for undies, she decided, and it's not as though I'll be seeing anyone.
A couple of slip-ons for her feet and Nicky was set. Out the back door, across the yard and through the back gate that opened onto the park.
Knowing that there just might be others hanging around the park in spite of the hour, Nicky circled the park, keeping to shadowy ways rather than cutting straight across in the full moonlight. Several times she heard voices and once she saw a couple strolling across the park. Somewhat busier than she'd expected.
Reaching Josie's place, Nicky unlatched the back gate and slid inside, closing the gate behind her. The next moment she gave a squeal of fright and staggered back against the fence as a snarling set of teeth lunged out of the darkness towards her. Two great paws landed on her shoulders and a great slimy tongue slurped across her face.
"For crying out loud, Ruffian," protested Nicky. "Why don't you give me a heart attack. Get of me, you unmannerly brute."
Giving a heave, Nicky pushed Ruffian aside.
"You great mongrel," she said, briskly rubbing the Great Dane's head. "Looking after the place, are we? Eaten any burglars yet? Don't you worry your little doggy mind about me. I'm just going for a swim."
Moving over to the pool, Nicky shed her shorts and top and dived in. Bliss. Heat and sweat and general stickiness all gone, soothed away by the cool waters. Nicky relaxed and floated.
Fifteen minutes later, feeling considerably better, Nicky made her way to the edge of the pool. She hadn't, it suddenly struck her, thought to bring a towel. Stupid of her. Still, no matter. She'd dry fast enough in the heat and it wasn't as though a bit of water would hurt her shorts and top.
What was of a much greater importance, Nicky decided, was the whereabouts of her shorts and top? She'd put them right there next to the pool but they weren't there now.
"I don't dare leave clothes in the backyard, Nicky," she recalled Josie saying. "Ruffian absolutely shreds them."
"Ruffian, you rotten mongrel. Where are my clothes?"
Turning around, Nicky tried to remember the layout of Josie's yard. Backdoor there, pool to the right, kennel over to the left. Nicky padded over to the left to find the kennel. Lying comfortable in front of the kennel was Ruffian, paws holding something to the ground while teeth tore at it.
Nicky bent and picked up the rag lying next to the dog. That, she guessed, used to be her shorts. The shreds of material in Ruffian's teeth was her top, with the emphasis on was.
"And I hope you choke on it," Nicky told Ruffian with great sincerity.
What could she do? She hadn't brought her phone with her so she couldn't call anyone for help. Josie wasn't home and she'd be damned if she'd knock at someone's place after midnight, tastily clad in moonbeams. Her only real option was to sneak home across the park, this time making damn sure she didn't meet anyone. At least, he hadn't eaten her shoes.
There was now the occasional cloud crossing the moon, making the night even darker. This was something that Nicky was all in favour of. She headed back towards home, taking the same shadowy route she had used on the way out.
Why, she wondered, as she crouched behind some bushes, did there have to be so many people in the park? With the latest transients moving on, Nicky picked up her pace a little. Not much further.
It was the proximity to her own back gate that caused Nicky to be a little careless. She decided to just nip straight across the last open section while the moon was covered, and she'd be home and running for her bed.
Halfway across the open section the full moon emerged from behind the cloud and Nicky paused for a second, shocked, feeling as though she'd just been hit by a floodlight. She gave a little squeak and started to run the last few yards, only to bump into someone who stepped in front of her.
Nicky rebounded and would have fallen if the stranger hadn't caught her. She found herself staring at a man, a large man, who was staring back at her with interest.
"Hullo," he said. "And what have we here? Now why would a pretty little thing like you be doing running around the park dressed like that? Or perhaps I should say, undressed like that?"
"Nothing," said Nicky nervously. "I live just there. Let me go. I want to go home."
"Maybe you do and maybe you don't, but that doesn't explain what you're doing right now."
"If it's any of your business, which it's not, I just went for a quick swim. Now I'm going home."
The man was nodding thoughtfully.
"I see. You went out in the park for a swim. You decided you didn't need clothes because you'd just get them wet when you jumped in the lake. Ah, you do know that there's no lake in this park?"