Her Silent Shadow: A Gripping Psychological Suspense Collection

by Edwin Dasso

  Following Keith’s texted directions to his house, Tori maneuvered through a sought after, well-maintained neighborhood where some of the elite members of Boston society lived. Brandon had designed several of the homes. She slowed down when she saw Keith’s house number on the mailbox and turned into his driveway. As per his instructions, she pulled around to the side of the place and parked in front of the three-car garage next to his Mercedes. Wondering why he didn’t park in the garage, she climbed out of her car and gazed at his plain two-story, brick house and felt a little disappointed that it wasn’t one of the houses designed by Brandon.

  Before she could knock, Keith opened the door and asked. “Did you have any trouble finding the place?”

  Tori assumed he had asked because she was ten minutes late. “No. It just took me longer to get here than I figured.”

  He eyed her up and down. “After being here, it won’t take you as long next time.”

  There won’t be a next time.

  The smell of spiced meats and freshly baked bread permeated through the house as Keith guided her into the traditionally furnished living room with a gas log burning in the fireplace.

  On the coffee table sat an ice bucket with a champagne bottle sticking out of it.

  Keith raised the bottle. “Care for glass of champagne?”

  “Yes, please. Are we celebrating something?”

  He uncorked the bottle and filled two flutes. “Yes,” he said, handing her one. “This is the first time you’ve been to my house. It doesn’t have the floor-to-ceiling windows and same open floor plan as yours, but having you see it calls for a celebration.”

  Tori feigned a pleasant smile as they clicked glasses and took a sip. How does he know what my home looks like? Did he go there to check it out? She had never invited Keith there. When they went out on dates, he either picked her up at the gallery or they met at a restaurant. After she moved into Brandon’s apartment building, he began to pick her up there.

  While they drank champagne, Tori contemplated when she should bring up Ashley and decided to do it right after dinner. No sense ruining the whole evening.

  Keith rose to his feet. “Hope you like Beef Wellington.”

  “I thought you said you weren’t a gourmet cook.”

  “I’m not. Beef Wellington is one of the five dishes I know how to cook.” He led her to the elegantly set dining room table.

  “Can I help with anything in the kitchen?”

  “No. I have everything under control.” He pulled out a chair for her and filled her flute.

  Within five minutes, they were eating a meal that Tori considered to be expertly made. Everything tasted delicious. She couldn’t imagine that a restaurant chef, including Mandy’s husband, could have done a better job preparing it. “Are you sure you’re not a secret chef?”

  “No,” he said with a smile. “My mother took culinary classes. She taught me to cook this.”

  “Family dinners must be really nice.”

  “They were. She passed eight years ago.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry to hear…,” Tori stopped when the doorbell rang “…that. Are you expecting anyone?”

  Keith shook his head without making any attempt to stand up.

  The bell rang again.

  Clenching his teeth, he placed his napkin on the table. “I better answer it.” He headed toward the door.

  Curious about who would drop by unannounced after 9:00 p.m., Tori quietly slid back her chair and crept toward the dining room’s open double doors, staying hidden from Keith.

  “…brother is looking a little better,” he said.

  “Do you…he’ll be home?” asked the man on the porch.

  “It’ll be a while.”

  “What…doctor say?”

  “His doctor is optimistic. I’m sorry, but I do need to get back to my guest.”

  “Will you give…”

  “Yes, I will.”

  Hearing the door snap shut, Tori hurried to her chair. She sank into it and gulped the champagne in her flute so Keith would believe she had been sitting and enjoying it.

  “Sorry about that. One of the neighbor kids is doing a fund drive to raise money for uniforms.”

  Why is he lying? “This looks like a pretty affluent neighborhood. I’m surprised they need a fund drive for uniforms.” She wanted to add that she was also surprised they’d make late calls to the neighbors, but since there was no fund drive, decided not to bring that up.

  His brow wrinkled and then he said, “They’re not raising it for themselves. It’s for the basketball team. Some of the players can’t afford a uniform.”

  “Your neighbor’s kids should be commended for working on the fund drive.”

  “They’re nice kids.” Keith began clearing dishes off the table. “Dessert will be served shortly.”

  “Can I use your restroom while you’re busy in the kitchen?”

  He pointed toward the hallway. “Second door on the right.”

  Strolling that direction, Tori ran the conversation between Keith and the neighbor through her head. From what she heard, Keith has a brother who lives with him. His brother is in the hospital. Why keep that a secret? Maybe he doesn’t want me to know that he doesn’t live alone. But surely I would’ve learned about his brother if I had taken him up on his offer to stay in his guest house.

  Still thinking about Keith’s lie as she headed back to the dining room, Tori caught sight of a den behind a wide open door and noticed pictures on the wall. She perked up her ears and listened for noise coming from the closed kitchen door. She heard rattling of pans and what sounded like the whooshing sound of electric beaters.

  Guessing Keith would be occupied for at least a few more minutes, Tori stepped into his den, flipped on the light, and quickly walked through it while glancing at the hanging photos. Ashley was in several of them with a man who had his arm around her shoulders. The man wasn’t Keith. She spotted a picture on the credenza and picked it up to get a closer look at the guy. Could he be Keith’s brother? And why isn’t Keith in any of the pictures?

  Putting the picture down, she noticed a gadget behind it and lifted up the thing. From her college days, she knew it was a voice changer. What does Keith use it for? Maybe it’s his brother’s. Tori carefully placed it back on the credenza.

  Her eyes drifted over his desk and she saw a note with a phone number on it stuck to his phone. Wondering why Keith never mentioned a brother, she memorized the number and then turned off the light and went to the living room. Tori opened her purse, rummaged through it for a pen and paper, and scrawled down the phone number before she forgot it.

  “Here you are,” Keith said, startling her.

  She almost zipped up her finger in the purse as she quickly closed it. “I could’ve sworn there was a small container of aspirins in it.”

  His eyes narrowed. “Have you got a headache?”

  “A small one. I thought I’d nip it in the bud before it got worse.”

  “Let me get you an aspirin.” Keith hurried down the hall. A minute later, he handed her two aspirins and a glass of water.

  Since Tori felt suspicious of him for lying earlier, she pretended to stick the pills in her mouth. With them clutched in her left fist, she held the glass in her right hand and took a sip of water.

  “Are you ready for dessert?”

  “Yes.” She dropped the pills into her pocket. “I want to see what kind of a gourmet dessert you whipped up.”

  “Not gourmet.” He went into the kitchen and returned with two plates filled with well-displayed strawberry shortcake.

  “That looks delicious,” Tori said as he placed a plate in front of her. While she ate, she started to feel a little reluctant to bring up Ashley, but she had to know if Keith had been Ashley’s boyfriend prior to the car accident.

  Once she finished every last bite, Tori asked, “Were…were you involved with Ashley before we met at her party?”

  Keith dabbed his napkin over his mouth. “In
volved? Ashley and I did go out a few times. It was never anything serious. I haven’t seen or spoken to her since that party. Did she tell you we used to be involved?”

  “Ashley’s in the hospital. She was in a terrible car crash the night of her party. I didn’t know about the accident until a few days ago. When I visited her, she asked about you.”

  He pinched his eyebrows together and leaned closer to Tori. “What did she say?”

  “She has a hard time speaking, so she communicates by writing notes. Ashley just wanted to know if you were okay. When I told her you were, her face lit up. So, I assumed you two must’ve had a thing going.”

  Keith shook her head. “No. Like I said, we only went out a few times.” He reached across the table and laid his hand on top of Tori’s. “A friend has offered me his cabin for next weekend. It’s situated on the edge of a lake. In addition to the cabin, he also has a motorboat and a rowboat moored by his dock. Can I talk you into going with me to the cabin?”

  Tori had no interest in going anywhere with Keith. She had intended to tell him it was time to end their dating relationship. He lacked a romantic spark. After he spent the day cooking for her, Tori didn’t want to blurt out “No,” instead she said, “Let me think about it. The gallery might be having an opening that weekend. I need to check my work calendar.”

  “If you can’t make it next weekend, I might be able to get the cabin for the following weekend.”

  “I need to think about it.” She rubbed her forehead. “I hate to eat and run, but my headache hasn’t gone away. It seems to be intensifying. I better get going.”

  “You can leave your car here, and I could drive you back.”

  “Thanks for the offer, but I can manage.”

  When she pulled out of his driveway, relief washed over her. What is true and what is a lie?

  10

  Early Sunday morning, Tori awoke to the sound of her phone ringing. Feeling groggy, she stretched out her hand and snatched it from the nightstand. With her eyes only half opened, she focused on the screen as it continued to ring. Finally, the name of the caller came through her blurry vision. “Good morning, Brandon.”

  “Are you still in bed?”

  “Uh huh.”

  “It’s ten o’clock there.”

  That snapped Tori wide awake and she sat straight up. I never sleep in that late. Checking to make sure it really was that late, she glanced at the nightstand clock—10:07 a.m.

  “You must’ve had a late night.”

  Recalling she was in bed before 11:00 p.m., she said, “Not that late.” Did Keith drug something I ate or drank at his house? A chill swept over her.

  “Maybe you were making up for your late Friday night.”

  Had Mandy squealed to him about his car? “What makes you think I was out late Friday night?”

  “Max accidently called my number instead of yours. Mandy had left her cell phone on the kitchen counter. He wanted to make sure she was okay.”

  “I knew she forgot it. Max did call me when Mandy and I were having a few drinks. He just wanted to talk to her. From the side of the conversation I heard, Max never mentioned he had talked to you.”

  “He said that you two had gone to an open house one of my clients was having to show off his new digs. I’m calling because only one of my houses is remotely ready for showing, and when I spoke with the owner Phillip Moran this morning, He confirmed it’s still under construction, so I’m concerned.”

  “Brandon, it ended up being a prank. I received an invitation to see Wesley Crane’s house.”

  “We were still married when we went to his open house.”

  “I guess I forgot about that.” Tori shook her head feeling foolish.

  “Well, where did this invitation take you and Mandy?” Brandon’s voice sharp with anxiety.

  “To a wooded, secluded lane. We never made it to the house. Something seemed off, so we turned around and went to a bar. End of story.”

  “End of story? For crying out loud, Tori, this isn’t something to take lightly. I’m just thankful you took Mandy along. I bet Fackrell was behind the invite and he’s dangerous! Until the investigator can come up with something tangible to offer the police, will you promise not to go anywhere after dark by yourself?”

  Tori shivered at the memory of the chase. “I don’t intend to.”

  “Did the investigator send you a current picture of Fackrell?”

  “Not yet.” Tori began her lie. “I called him yesterday afternoon and left him message. He hasn’t returned my call yet. The first time Rice called, he said his client had seen me with Fackrell. The gallery has some new customers that visit often. Even though Fackrell is now clean-shaven, would you recognize him if I sent you pictures?” Tori planned to snap a picture of every new guy in her life, which included Jerry, some gallery customers, and Keith. Keith had a goatee, not clean-shaven, but something was off about him. That something became amplified after he lied to her.

  “Tori, since we couldn’t figure out why Fackrell had remained dormant for almost a year before he decided to seek revenge, I had someone look into Fackrell’s whereabouts over the past year. He spent ten months in jail for battery and was released a couple of months ago.”

  “Jail?”

  “Yes. During that time his hatred of me probably festered. Assuming one of the guys you snap a picture of is Fackrell, that could rile his temper if he caught you doing it.”

  “Brandon, I can do it discreetly. He won’t have a clue.”

  “I’m going to ask you again to consider coming to England. I’ll put you up in a different suite so you won’t have to deal with me all the time.”

  “Dealing with you all the time wouldn’t be a problem. You’re good company.”

  “You still think so?” His voice cracked.

  “Yes.”

  “How about marrying me again?”

  Brandon had proposed to Tori often after their divorce, but this time she had the urge to say “yes.” Still, she wanted something more than the doctored picture to prove to herself that she had made a mistake divorcing him. Instead of answering his question, she changed the subject. “I’m going to visit Ashley today. Oh, thank you for sending that beautiful bouquet to her and putting my name on it.”

  “Not a problem. Oh, by the way, my client here has a colleague who wants me to design a house for him. He’s picking me up in a few minutes to show me the site.”

  “Does that mean you’ll be staying longer in England?” Her voice couldn’t hide a touch of sadness.

  “No, Tori. I wouldn’t stay away from you that long. Call if you hear anything from the investigator.”

  “I will.”

  After they said their goodbyes, Tori disconnected and slid back underneath her covers with a heavy heart. She couldn’t stop the uneasy feeling that kept surfacing as she continued to fear their divorce was all her fault. Why was I so stubborn that I wouldn’t even listen to Brandon’s pleads that he was innocent? Someday he’ll probably find someone who will really make him happy, and I’ll still be living alone in the house he designed for us.

  She couldn’t stay in bed all day feeling sorry for herself. Tori forced her feet to the floor and trudged into the bathroom.

  “Hello, Ashley,” Tori said, strolling into Ashley’s hospital room.

  Sitting up in bed with a pillow behind her head, a soft smile crossed Ashley’s face.

  Tori thought her friend looked better than she did on Friday and hoped it wasn’t just her imagination.

  Mrs. Williams, Ashley’s mother, rose from the chair next to the bed and walked toward Tori. “I’d like to have a private word with you.”

  “Of course.” Tori’s attention turned to Ashley. “I’ll be right back.” She noticed a puzzled expression on Ashley’s face. The happy one was gone. Didn’t she want me to talk to her mother?

  Tori followed Mrs. Williams down the hallway toward a large window, out of earshot.

  Ashley’s mother snapped, �
��Why did you tell Ashley that Keith was okay?”

  “Because he is. I’ve been dating him. After Ashley asked me about him, she seemed so happy when I told her he was okay. I assumed they might’ve been in a relationship before her accident. I don’t intend to date him anymore.”

  “Listen, Tori. I don’t know who you’ve been dating, but he is not Keith Dreyer.”

  “And why is that?”

  “Keith Dreyer is in a coma. He suffered much worse injuries than Ashley from that accident.”

  Trying to absorb the news, Tori’s eyes fixed on Ashley’s mother. She couldn’t imagine there could be two Keith Dreyers who knew Ashley. “Is he going to be okay?”

  “His prognosis is bleak. Keith’s on a life support system and has minimal brain activity. From what his mother has told me, his doctor is not very optimistic that he’ll ever recover and if he does, he’ll require significant help for the remainder of his life. His family is considering taking him off of the life support system.”

  “We haven’t revealed anything about Keith to Ashley. If we told her he was okay, she’d be upset that he wasn’t coming to see her. And if we told her the truth, she’d even be more upset. I’ve almost convinced her that you must have been talking about another Keith when you said he was okay. Ashley can’t remember any details about the accident. She’s not certain that Keith was even in the car.”

  “Then why did she ask me if he was okay?”

  “She starts to remember something one day and then it seems to fade from her mind, but lately she’s recalling seeing an injured man. She doesn’t know who he is.”

  “Could she be recalling the driver of the other car?”

  The woman shook her head. “No. That driver took off. None of the witnesses caught the truck’s license plate number, not even the name of the state. The police are hunting for him, but with thousands of late model white Ford trucks on the road, they’re not making much progress.”