“A training suit,” Sam said. “Y’know. One of those outfits men wear with all the pads so they don’t get hurt.”
Drew headed for the door, but Ashley stopped him. “Hurt doing what?”
Locking eyes with Sam for just an instant, Drew forced an exasperated sigh. “I’m helping out with a self-defense class. Bunch of women learn how to defend themselves. How to hit a guy. I’m the guy they get to hit.”
Ashley smiled. “Really? Is this the self-defense class Ollie’s been trying to get me and Lilly to sign up for?”
Drew shrugged. “Probably. How should I know?” He tried to step around his sister, but Ashley put her hand on her brother’s chest.
“Hold on a moment,” Ashley said. “Is it too late for me to sign up for this class? I want a chance to beat the crap out of Drew.”
“That’s not what this is about,” Drew said, sounding impatient. “It’s not just about hitting me. Besides, you wouldn’t like it. I’ll be padded.”
Ashley smiled. “Doesn’t mean I can’t still hurt you.”
Drew opened his mouth to say something else, but Sam stepped in. “I’ll sign you and Lilly up. It’s in three weeks on Friday at seven at the rec center.”
“Does he have to wear the padding?” Ashley said.
Sam pretended to consider it, tapping her finger on her lips while looking at the ceiling. “Yes. ‘Fraid so.”
Pouting, Ashley looked like she was reconsidering.
“It’ll still hurt,” Sam whispered. “If you hit him hard enough.”
Instantly, Ashley’s face brightened. “Sign me up!”
Sam smiled, grabbed Drew and dragged him out while he displayed his best ‘annoyed’ look on his face. They closed the door to the sound of Ashley laughing.
Drew made sure to keep his scowl on his face until they got into Sam’s blue sports car. He waited for her to start the engine and pull away. He looked out through the passenger window and gave one last look of contempt as they passed the house.
When they turned the corner, a grin slowly spread across his face. “Damn, that was perfect. She’s itching at the bit to kick my ass.”
Sam smiled. “You sure you want to do this? Ashley seems to have a lot of pent up anger and she’s likely to take it out on you.”
Drew grinned. “That’s the plan.”
Less than two minutes later, the phone rang, dashing Ashley’s hopes of putting her feet up and watching the game. Ashley walked into the kitchen and grabbed the portable phone off the cradle on the counter near the toaster and can opener. Hitting the button to answer the call, she snarled into the receiver. “Yes?”
There was a breath on the other side. “Um…”
Ashley rolled her eyes. “Yeah? Say something or I’m hanging up.”
She winced as there was another breath on the other side of the line. In her mind, she started to count, thinking if she reached ten she’d hand up, knowing all along she would really only give it to five.
At three, a small mousy voice finally spoke.
“Is Drew Duncan there?”
Ashley closed her eyes and sighed. Great, some idiot bimbo Drew’s probably been banging got the home number.
“He’s not here,” Ashley said. She heard the impatience in her voice, but didn’t care. She wasn’t in high school anymore and she wasn’t about entertain some dimwitted girl on the line just because she’d gone and fallen in love with her idiot brother.
“Um…” the young voice said again. Ashley physically winced. She sounded like she had the emotional maturity of a thimble.
“You want to leave a message?” Ashley said.
There was a hesitation and Ashley seriously thought about hanging up.
Finally, the girl spoke.
“I’m sorry,” she said. Her voice was shaky, nervous. “I know this must be a hard time. I just wanted to tell Drew… Well, I just felt I should thank him…”
Ashley pushed her hair back and sat down at the kitchen table. God, if this chick wanted her to thank Drew for banging her brains out, she was going to be sick.
“Uh huh,” Ashley said.
“I uh… I just meant,” the girl stammered. “He saved my life and I never got the chance to say thank you.”
“Yeah… wait, what?” Ashley said. “He did what?”
Ashley could hear the girl swallow at the other end of the line. “He got me away from those men. Got me back home. I tried to find him the next day, but they said he had to leave. A family emergency.”
Understanding finally dawned on Ashley. This was the girl the General told her about. The one who had been kidnapped.
With a much gentler voice, Ashley started to talk. “What’s your name, sweetheart?”
“Jen,” she said.
“My name’s Ashley. How are you doing?”
There was a hesitation on the other end of the line and Ashley imagined the girl was probably wondering if she was still talking to the same person.
“I’m alright,” she said. “It’s hard to sleep. I’m still worried they’ll come back, even though I know they won’t.”
Ashley nodded. “That’s right. You’re safe now. I know that can be a hard thing to adjust to. Just give it time.”
Jen sniffled. “I know. I’m trying.”
“Are you sleeping okay?” Ashley said. When Jen didn’t answer, she guessed the answer. “Nightmares?”
“Not really,” Jen said.
“There’s nothing to be ashamed of,” Ashley said.
“I know,” Jen said. “I’m not really having nightmares. Just problems falling asleep. I think I hear them coming for me. Every time I close my eyes, I’m scared they’re gonna grab me. Last night…”
Ashley heard a muffled sob from the other end.
“What happened last night, sweetie.”
“My brother,” Jen said. “His name is Jake. He came into my room and crawled into bed with me and told me he’d stay awake all night so I could sleep. And he did.”
Ashley smiled. “That’s sweet. He’s your brother and he loves you. He wants to protect you.”
Jen let out a sound that was half sob, half snort. “He’s only eight, but he’s taking care of me.”
“He’s your brother,” Ashley repeated. “That’s what they’re there for.”
Jen laughed. “Do you have a brother?”
Ashley cringed, less at the painful memory of Drew letting her crawl into his bed when she was afraid to sleep, and more at the fact she’d refused to think of that memory for so long. Nothing could seem to stop the images of Drew holding her when she was scared flooding her mind.
“Yeah. I’m Drew’s sister.”
“Oh,” Jen said. Her voice got quiet again. “Someone told me he had a death in the family.”
Nodding, even though she knew Jen couldn’t see her on the other end of the phone, Ashley took a moment to wipe away a tear. “Yes. Our sister died. He found out just a little while after he helped you ran back home. I’m sure he would have checked on you if he hadn’t.”
“He called,” Jen said. “I wasn’t here, but he spoke to my mom. I just wanted to thank him and say that I was sorry. I should tell you too. I’m sorry.”
“Thank you,” Ashley said. “Tell me about your family.”
Ashley pictured a young teen girl, twirling her hair nervously as she spoke. She could see the scene of her curled in bed with her little brother, but as she did, the faces changed to hers and Drew’s.
As Jen continued to talk, memories flooded back. Fleeting images of Drew coming into her room. The room that always had a light on. Drew would often act like it was a hardship to be there with her and Kelli.
Jen continued to describe how life was different now that she had been rescued. It wasn’t just that she was scared all the time or worried she’d go to sleep at night and wake up to realize the rescue was a dream and she was still being held captive.
“I feel different,” Jen said. “I think about everything I used to thi
nk was important, music, celebrities, and I think most of it is just silly now. I’ve talked to my friends since I’ve been back. Seen a few. And they’ve been nice, but they just don’t… I don’t know…”
“They don’t get it,” Ashley said. “You were sheltered before. Now you’ve seen a very ugly part of life and you know it’s there. You lost something, and you have to accept there’s probably no way to get it back. You can still enjoy movies and music, but you know what’s out there. What you need to understand is, even though there’s a lot of ugliness out there, there are still a lot of wonderful things. And some silly things. And it’s okay to be silly. It’s fine to enjoy being with your friends and watching a movie, but you know the ugliness you saw is out there. You lost your innocence in a way, but in the end, you’re stronger for it.”
There was silence on the end of the line. Ashley could imagine Jen thinking about what she’d said. Maybe even wiping away a tear.
“I don’t feel stronger,” Jen finally said.
“I know,” Ashley said. “But you are. You just have to believe that.”
“You sure you want to do this?”
Drew didn’t answer as he unlocked the passenger side of Sam’s car and got out. If he was being honest, he didn’t want to be here, looking at the place where his sister’s body was found, abandoned like a worthless bag of trash. Of course, he didn’t want to be here in Ember Falls at all, but Drew’s life seemed to be filled with doing things he didn’t want to do.
Yet here he was. Back in this hell hole of a town, with a sister who still hadn’t forgiven him for leaving and a nephew who saw in him both as a threat and a savoir. Drew wasn’t sure which was further from the truth.
“Drew,” Sam called as she got out of the car, approaching him. “You there?”
Forcing himself to look at her, he nodded. “Yeah, I’m here. Sorry. I need to look for myself. Can you give me a few minutes?”
Sam sighed. Drew knew she wanted to be by his side, but she also understood he needed to be alone with whatever ghosts he found down there.
“My phone is on,” Sam said before climbing back into her car.
Drew quickly turned away before he changed his mind.
There were no businesses or homes on the long stretch of road where Sam’s Camry was parked. Drew climbed through a breach in the old, rusty and dinged up guardrail that prevented speeding cars from going into the deep ditch. Down below were the tatters of police tape that hadn’t been collected.
To bring a body down here would be a task. Gravity would help make the job easier, but it would have been tricky. It had been weeks, but Drew could tell where Kelli’s body was dragged to the bottom. He cringed as he forced himself to picture it, her body covered in thick, clear plastic, sliding callously over rocks and tree roots.
Standing at the bottom, Drew wondered if he should say a prayer. Was there a part of his sister’s soul trapped in this place? Haunting the nearby trees and rocks? Was she there with him now, asking why he was down in this hole instead of spending time with Cole, helping him through this difficult time?
No. She wasn’t here. If any trace of Kelli’s soul remained, it wouldn’t be wasting time in this would be grave. His sister would be by her son’s side, watching over him and wishing Drew would do the same.
How the hell was Drew supposed to look the kid in the eye if he wasn’t doing everything he could to make sure Kelli’s killer was caught? Drew pushed those thoughts from his mind. They wouldn’t help Kelli or Cole, and least of all himself. All they would do is add fuel to the nightmares he was already having.
Reaching into his pocket, Drew pulled his cell and started to take pictures of everything he saw. The large tree gave cover to whoever was down here from peering eyes should anyone stop to investigate a car on the side of the road. He photographed the dirt disturbed by the killer, who clearly intended on burying Kelli here never to be found. There was a small alcove of rocks, not deep enough to be considered a cave, but it provided shelter if someone down here needed to hide from a passing rainstorm. Drew checked, and it rained on and off the night she was killed.
Kneeling down, Drew considered the ground. The grass grew here and there in spurts, some of it long and weedy, while in other places short, just beginning to grow. Some of the dirt was broken with thick branches protruding up from the Earth, while other places were, while not smooth, certainly more acceptable for digging.
Putting his cell phone away, Drew pulled out a small digital recorder the length of a paper clip. It was black and silver, with a tiny digital display. Drew turned it on, before replacing it in his pocket.
“There are easier ways to get to this spot.” Drew did his best to keep his mind focused on the job at hand, and not imagine his sister’s body being nearly buried here.
He took a deep breath. “There’s a path through the trees, but it would have been very difficult to travel carrying a body through it. Plus someone at the small horse ranch nearby might have seen them. It’s up hill and uneven. That’s probably the way the teens who found Kelli came from. If I follow the trail in the other direction, it’ll come out by the stream. Back when I was in high school, the stoner crowd used to go down there and get high. Is that how the killer knew of this place? Or maybe they weren’t aware and that’s why they were nearly caught.”
Standing up, Drew started to turn around slowly. Twigs snapped every time some animal moved or skittered up a tree, and acorns fell. They weren’t far from the main highway, Route 87, known as the Northway. There was an overpass, just around the bend and a train track nearby. It wasn’t so close that anyone had a shot of spotting someone down here, but wasn’t too far away to not allow for noise from it to travel down here. What he didn’t hear was silence. It wouldn’t be hard for someone to sneak up on you here.
The dirt had been displaced where the killer dug Kelli’s would-be grave, but the hole was only about halfway dug. Unless the killer didn’t care that the body could be revealed if there was a major storm, the killer would have had to dig a few more feet.
Her would-be grave shouldn’t make a difference. By this point, his sister would have been dead, but the thought that her final resting place would have been a hole in the ground, badly dug, just made Drew want to hit something. He wanted to hit someone.
Once again, he forced himself to detach emotionally. He wasn’t going to do Kelli any good by getting so angry he’d punch one of the nearby trees.
Moving towards the rock face to his left, around a pair of big trees, Drew scooted down and found an area of dirt and sparse grass much more evenly footed.
Why not bury her here? It would have been much easier than where the body was found. He walked across the small patch of ground and a chill shot down his spine. Quickly, he spun around.
Is someone watching me?
Drew saw nobody through the trees and dense foliage, not that it would be hard to hide from view. After a moment, he turned and headed for the small alcove in the rock face.
Drew bent down and dipped his head to enter. Using an app on his phone as a flashlight, he studied the alcove. Shining it around the interior, he took in the details.
“There’s a wall of rock from where the upper road sits. I’m inside a little nook in the wall, right under the highway. Not much light, but I doubt anyone came here to read. There’s a large rock near the entrance. It’d make a decent place to sit.” Shinning the light over and around the rock, Drew spotted a small reflection. “There’s a pack of cigarettes, with a lighter, a few Marlboros from the look of it. Some insect living in there now too an it looks like it’s been here awhile, untouched.” Drew took a picture, but didn’t move it.
He turned and sat on the rock, looking out. “You can’t see much, just the piece of ground that’s spread out before the entrance to the nook. Perhaps some teenager looking to light up where he or she wouldn’t get caught by their parents?” He thought about his words. “No, not a she. Maybe it’s sexist, but I don’t see a girl coming
here regularly. Too many bugs and muck. It just feels like a guy’s thing. Maybe I’ll ask Sam.”
Sitting in this spot, something was off. He didn’t know what it was, the moldy smell, the dampness, but something here wasn’t right.
He sat, allowing his eyes to graze over every inch of the alcove, squinting at something on the roof. They looked like scrapes made by a rock. Four lines, side by side, and one strike through them all.
Drew pulled out his cell and took pictures. “There are lines, carved into the roof of the cave. You can’t see them unless you’re sitting in this spot. It looks like a count. Someone was keeping track of something.”
With a sigh, Drew got up, careful not to smack his head into the cave top. He was ready to get out of here. Drew never thought of himself as claustrophobic, but something about being in this small nook of stone was suffocating him. It didn’t help the place vibrated as a nearby train went through. He started to back out when something caught his eye.
Rocks, just rocks— piled neatly, on top of and around each other, in the far corner, only three feet away from him, but under the shadow of an outgrowth of the cave wall. Drew snapped a few pictures and went closer to investigate.
Before he could move far, the muzzle of a gun pressed to the back of his head. “You so much as twitch and I’ll blow your head off, you son of a bitch.”
Drew tensed. His mind calculated his chances of being able to move fast enough. Not here, not in this closed off cave. He had no room. Images flooded his mind. Was Sam alright?
“Come out of there, motherfucker,” commanded the man. The voice was young, his own age, but bitter and trying to hide a little bit of fear. “Keep your hands where I can see them.”
Slowly they backed up together. Drew kept his hands out, bent up at the elbows.
“What was he doing in there?” Another voice said. This one was older, raspier. “I thought I heard him talking to someone.”
“There’s no room for someone else in there,” the first voice said. “Maybe we should call—”
The question remained unfinished as Drew spun around so quickly it took both men by surprise. Like lightning in a storm, he disarmed the man, twisted his arm and now held the gun to his assailants head.
Torn Away (The Torn Series Book 1) Page 17
