Haven of Swans

by Colleen Coble

  She wet her lips. “I’ve always loved swans. I thought I heard some outside. Do you have swans here?”

  He threw back the last of his Pepsi and set the can on the floor. “On the pond. A glorious family. Come, I’ll show you.” He stood and helped her to her feet, then held the door open for her.

  Such a contradiction. So courteous and yet so evil. Eve couldn’t wrap her mind around it. He kept a tight grip on her arm as they went around to the back of the cabin. Thunder rumbled overhead, and fingers of lightning illuminated the mostly overgrown path. In the next flash, Eve saw the white birds gliding along the pond’s surface.

  “Trumpeters,” she said.

  “That one is Odette,” he said, pointing to the nearest swan.

  The swan glided nearer and fluttered out of the water and onto the ground. She ran at them, and Oliver backed up. “Careful, she’s quite territorial. She has a penchant for taking the skin from my hand. I’m sure she’ll find yours just as tasty.”

  If only he’d loosen his grip on her arm. Out here in the open, freedom felt as close as the smattering of mist on her face. At the next lightning flicker, Eve darted a glance into the thick brush and tried to see where she could hide if she managed to get away.

  “Odette, just like in Swan Lake. You must know the story.”

  “I watched a recording of it every day when I was growing up,” he said in a monotone, his rapt gaze on the swans. “It was a copy of the Bolshoi Ballet. Maya Plisetskaya was the greatest ballerina ever to dance in it.”

  “She was lovely,” Eve agreed.

  “The swans were my escape. When my foster father would come to my room at night, I could see the swans from my window. Until he was done with me, I would shut my eyes and imagine I was swimming with them, watching their feet move through the water, seeing them dive for fish.”

  “I’m sorry,” she said.

  He glanced at her. “No need to pity me. The pain shaped me. It set me on my journey to be one with the universe. I’m aware that you think I’m quite mad. Nothing could be further from the truth.” He smiled. “Pain and sacrifice are good for the soul.”

  “And what have you sacrificed?”

  His mouth twisted. “Enough talk.” He turned her around and propelled her back toward the cabin.

  Eve dragged her feet and waited to see if his grasp would lessen even a fraction. But his fingers dug into her flesh with a relentless grip. When they reached the entry, he stumbled slightly over the step up, and she took her chance.

  She tore out of his hand and darted toward the woods. He shouted after her, and she ran faster over the uneven ground. Wet leaves and branches lashed at her face, and she fought them blindly. Thunder rumbled again, and the rain let loose from the clouds. She was soaked to the skin and shivering in seconds.

  The ground grew slick. The patter of rain on leaves drowned out any noise of pursuit. She spared a glance backward just as Gideon tackled her and drove her into the mud. Her face smashed into the cold muck, which filled her mouth and nose. She couldn’t breathe, and she fought the suffocating bulk of Oliver on top of her. Stars exploded in her vision as she failed to inhale a last gulp of oxygen.

  The blackness deepened around her, and with it a final regret. She wished she could have seen Nick and Keri one last time. The darkness took her down.

  EVERY DOG UNIT IN THE AREA RESPONDED TO Bree’s call for help, though she wasn’t optimistic about their chances. Since Gideon had taken Eve in a vehicle, it would be a miracle if they managed to get her scent. He could have taken her anywhere, back to his lair in some other county even. They had no idea where to begin looking.

  She sent two teams to each of the roads out of town while the men combed homes and businesses to see if a resident had noticed anything out of the ordinary. Since the forest was also a possibility, she and Naomi took their dogs and drove out to the Ottawa forest. Samson’s soulful eyes watched her from the backseat, and Bree could feel her dog’s distress.

  Parking along the road, she and Naomi got out and opened the doors for the dogs. Charley and Samson leaped out. Bree let them smell one of Eve’s socks, which she’d double bagged and brought with her. The dogs sniffed, then strained at their leashes.

  Bree released the clip on Samson’s leash. “Search, Samson!”

  The dog disappeared across the road. Bree trained her high-powered flashlight on him and watched as he bounded through high weeds with his nose in the air. Charley followed, and both dogs crisscrossed the dark meadow where it joined the inky forest. They ran back out onto the pavement and took off down the road about a hundred feet, then circled back.

  “They don’t have a scent,” Bree said, watching the aimless way they wandered from the ditch to the other side of the path. Lightning flickered overhead, and thunder chased it.

  “Let’s go on down the road.” Naomi called Charley to her.

  Bree snapped her fingers, and Samson ran to sniff at her leg. “Let’s go, boy.” They walked along the side of the road deeper into the forest. She could only hope Gideon had driven along here and the dogs would catch a whiff of Eve when she exited the vehicle.

  The trees grew thick through here, and the heavy foliage of the oak trees on one side joined with the tangled branches of maple on the other side to form a canopy over their heads. Bree heard a smatter of rain, but no moisture reached her head.

  It was so dark she wouldn’t have been able to see the pavement if not for the flashlight. She swept the beam of light back and forth across the road to guide them. The dogs needed no help. They ran ahead, and she could hear their soft woofs. The moisture would make scents strong and easier to follow.

  If they picked up a trail.

  “This feels pretty fruitless,” Naomi said, kneeling to tie her right sneaker.

  Bree didn’t answer. She felt the futility, but they had to keep going. Eve depended on them.

  If she was still alive.

  They spent the next three hours walking down the road, then circling back to the Jeep and driving farther. The sprinkles of rain changed to a full-blown downpour, and the women and dogs were drenched.

  Bree shivered under the rain slicker she’d pulled from her ready pack. She had no idea whether they were searching in the right place. “Let’s go back where our phones work,” she told Naomi. “Maybe someone has heard something.”

  They jogged back to the Jeep and drove out to where the tree canopy broke. Two bars on her cell phone, good enough. There were four missed calls. Trying not to let her hope get out of hand, Bree called up the missed-call log and started to scroll through it.

  They were all from the nursing home. Her pulse hammered in her throat. Something had happened to her dad.

  Bree’s cell phone rang before she could call the nursing home back. She answered it, but the call dropped. Driving back into the open air where rain rattled the roof of the car, she scrolled through her menus again to see who had called.

  The nursing home showed again. Before she could return the call, the phone rang again. “Hello, this is Bree,” she said.

  Ruby’s voice spoke. “Bree, I’m so sorry, but your father has gone missing again.”

  Bree tensed. “Are you sure?”

  “We’ve checked everywhere. He’s gone.”

  “It’s nearly one in the morning, and it’s been raining for hours. When did he go missing?”

  “About two hours ago. I called the sheriff already. He sent a deputy over, but he said everyone else is out searching for a missing woman.”

  “I’m searching for her too,” Bree said. “But I’ll be right there.” She disconnected and told Naomi what had happened. “I have to trust that everyone’s doing their best to help Eve. But I’ve got to help Dad. He’s in danger too.”

  “Of course you do,” Naomi said. “We’ll find him fast and get back here. We’re not doing much good for Eve at the moment. Maybe someone else is having better luck.”

  “Call Montgomery and check in,” Bree said. She accelerated
down the wet road to the highway and listened with half an ear while Naomi talked to the deputy. From this side of the conversation, it was clear that no one had found Eve.

  She tried not to think what that might mean.

  All the lights were on in the nursing home when she parked and got out. She let the dogs out and snatched the end of Samson’s leash while Naomi corralled Charley. They jogged through the rain to the entrance.

  Deputy Montgomery met them at the front door. Rain dripped from his wide-brimmed hat, and his yellow slicker deposited more moisture on the floor. The corners of his eyes drooped with exhaustion, and mud streaked his pale face.

  “Sorry about this, Bree,” he said. “I couldn’t pick up a trail on him at all. The dogs will locate him fast, eh?”

  “You bet,” she assured him. Without wasting any time, she led Samson down the hall to her father’s room. What a sense of déjà vu. She’d just done this. The dogs sniffed around the room, then took off down the hall when given the order to search. She quickly called Kade’s phone and left a message when he didn’t answer.

  Bree expected them to go out the back door to the yard again, but they went straight for the front door. How could he have slipped out past the nurses’ station again? Her gaze touched Ruby’s face, and the woman looked down with red creeping into her cheeks.

  Montgomery held the door open for them. The dogs ran across the road and disappeared into the trees. Their frantic barking grew fainter, then louder again as they circled back to let the women catch up. Then they were off again.

  She’d hoped to find him quickly, but when she stopped to catch her breath and call Samson to her, her watch showed over an hour had passed. She shivered in the cool, wet air. Exhaustion slowed her movements, and she found it hard to think, to reason through where he might have gone.

  Was he wandering aimlessly, or did he have a destination in mind? There was nothing out this way that she’d ever seen but a deserted cabin deep in the forest. He’d never make it that far. It was another ten or fifteen miles into the forest at least.

  Bree stood. “Let’s keep going.” They were wandering in a dark maze with no end in sight, but giving up wasn’t an option.

  29

  Nick hung with Kade as he helped organize searchers to go door-to-door throughout Rock Harbor. Not that he thought Gideon would have kept Eve somewhere here in town. But someone might have seen something.

  The men had been walking for hours. Nick’s feet throbbed, and his back ached. It was nearly two in the morning. “Has anyone checked Job’s Children?” he asked Kade.

  “We probably should,” Kade said.

  “I thought about it earlier, but I made an assumption about Gideon once and didn’t want to make the same mistake again.” Nick turned and walked back down the sidewalk in the direction of the lighthouse. The beacon flashed and illuminated his SUV where he’d left it along the side of the road.

  “I’ll go with you. We’re getting nowhere here,” Kade said.

  The men climbed into the vehicle and drove out of town. Rain sluiced over the windshield so fast the wipers could barely keep up. He eased up on the accelerator when the tires slid on the wet pavement.

  Kade glanced at Nick. “There’s something you should know. Will is Keri’s father.”

  Nick slammed on the brakes, and the SUV fishtailed. He brought the vehicle under control, then turned his head to stare at Kade. “And you’re just now telling me this?”

  “Sorry. I was focused on finding Eve, and it slipped my mind. We just found out tonight for sure.”

  “There has to be a connection.” Nick tried to pick up his speed a little, but it was impossible with the road conditions. He eased off on the accelerator again and concentrated on peering through the windshield.

  “Maybe Gideon didn’t take her. Maybe Will is going to hold her and demand I hand over our daughter.”

  “But why kidnap Eve before the judge even makes a custody ruling? And Fraser is dead too. The trouble coming down on his head would be huge.” Kade took a napkin from the dash and wiped the moisture from the inside of the windshield. “Of course, maybe he’s arrogant enough to think no one can pin anything on him.”

  Nick reached the turnoff into the compound. The place was as dark as an underwater cave and about as wet. The tires sank into muddy holes, and he had to fight the wheel to stay on the lane. “Any idea where to go?” He peered through the window and could barely make out a building.

  “That’s the church. They all live back in the copper mine.” Kade reached into the backseat and grabbed a battery-powered lantern and a flashlight. He handed the Maglite to Nick. “I’ll show you.”

  Nick flipped on the flashlight and got out into the driving rain. The beam barely pushed back the shadows enough to see where to put his feet. Cold rain from his wet hair trickled into his yellow slicker. Kade struck off through the driving rain like he knew where he was going, and Nick followed.

  Kade stopped in front of the mine’s mouth and lifted the lantern he carried so it shone into the darkness. “Follow me.” He disappeared into the dark opening.

  Nick focused his flashlight beam after him and stepped into the dark, dry space. The cessation of rain was a relief. He followed Kade, who was moving through an opening to the right.

  Moans filtered to their ears.

  “Something’s wrong,” Nick said. The stink of sickness burned his nose.

  “This way.” Kade led the way down a corridor to the right. The lantern illuminated a sleeping bag and the face of the man who thrashed on it.

  Will Donaldson. And Patti beside him.

  “Help me, man,” Will whispered. His voice sounded hoarse and weak, and his words were slurred. His eyelids drooped, and it was clear he was having trouble focusing.

  “What’s happening here?” Nick knelt by the couple. He could hear other people crying out farther back in the mine.

  “Bad food,” Will whispered.

  “Water, need water.” Patti licked her lips.

  Nick found a bottle of water and started to give her a sip, but Kade stopped him.

  “We don’t know what’s caused this,” Kade said. “The water could be contaminated.” He scratched his head. “Bree saw them earlier. She said Will acted like he had a headache, and Patti was sweating and looked pale.” He knelt by Will. “How long have you been sick?”

  “Since nightfall,” he slurred.

  “I’ll call an ambulance,” Nick told Kade. He ran down the corridor back into the rain and placed a call to 911 before going back inside.

  “Is Eve here?” he asked Will as soon as he got inside the mine again.

  Will mumbled and tossed but didn’t answer.

  “He’s out of it,” Kade said. “I looked around while you were outside. Everyone in here is sick.”

  “Any idea what it is? Or if it’s contagious?”

  “Will said bad food. It could be botulism. Paralysis is one of the main symptoms. They’re slurring their words and their eyes are drooping.”

  Nick knelt by Patti. “Patti, where is Eve?”

  She blinked and tried to rise, then fell back onto the sleeping bag. Her eyes weren’t focusing on Nick.

  “Where’s your sister, Patti?”

  She shook her head. “Not here,” she managed to get out.

  Nick stood. “Is there anything we can do?”

  “Pray they hang on until help arrives.”

  “Eve too,” Nick whispered. If his wife wasn’t here, where was she?

  A THICK SUBSTANCE GLUED HER LIPS TOGETHER. Eve swam up out of unconsciousness that only reluctantly released her. She rubbed something stiff and dry from her face and pried her eyes open. The dim light of early morning showed the small cabin she thought she’d escaped.

  She choked back a sob and struggled into a sitting position. Every muscle ached. Her mouth tasted like mud.

  She was alone.

  Handcuffs still chained her wrists together, but at least Gideon wasn’t here. Dried
mud coated her arms and clothing. Running her hand over her face, she realized mud caked every bit of her skin.

  She staggered to her feet and tottered to the window. The van was gone. Maybe she could get out again. Rushing to the door, she twisted the handle, but it wouldn’t open. He’d probably dropped a bar into place on the outside. She glanced around to see if there was anything she could use as a battering ram.

  Her gaze lit on the chair. Battered and old, the wood was strong, but it was no match for the massive door. The cot was too heavy for her to lift. There was nothing. She went back to the window. It was barred. How had she not noticed that last night?

  There was a second window on the opposite wall that she hadn’t seen last night. It was barred too. Through the glass, she could see the swans on the pond. There was a shack on an island of dirt in the middle of the water. She leaned her forehead against the cold glass and let the tears moisten the dry mud on her cheeks. It was hopeless. This prison was as tight as any the government had erected.

  A sound came to her ears. Some kind of scratching or pecking. She turned around to see a face peering back at her through the front window. She yelped in surprise. The old man looked familiar, and she realized it was Bree’s father, Bernard.

  Eve sprinted to the window and looked past the old man to an empty yard.

  He was alone.

  “Did you wander off again?” she asked. “Where’s Bree?”

  “I caught the biggest fish in the record of the state here,” he said. “My father was so proud of me.”

  “Bernard, where is Bree? Do you remember me? I’m Eve, Bree’s friend.”

  “I still have that fish mounted over my fireplace.”

  “Bernard, can you unlock the door?” Eve pointed. “See the bar on the door? Can you lift it?”

  The old man shuffled to the door and fumbled with the wooden bar. Eve heard it scrape across the wood as he lifted it. “Can you unlock the door?” she called.

  The knob twisted, but the door didn’t open. It probably took a key. Maybe Oliver left it somewhere out there. “See if there’s a mat,” she called. “There might be a key under it.”