by Kathi Daley
Archie bent down and found the brick. He pulled the brick free and reached inside the opening. He came away with sea glass. “It’s sea glass,” he said.
I felt my throat constrict. “I called them my baby birds. I remember thinking the baby birds were in danger, and I found a place to hide them.”
Archie and Josie looked at each other. Both had an expression of shock on their face.
I closed my eyes and let the memories wash over me. “There was a man. An old man. Mr. Johnson. I told him I wanted to hide my baby birds, and he showed me the secret spot where he assured me they’d be safe.”
“My dad did have a groundskeeper named Mr. Johnson,” Archie informed me. “He’s dead now. Has been for a while.”
I walked over to where Archie was standing and took a piece of the glass. “We’d gone somewhere in the car. Mom and Avery and me. Somewhere far. I found this glass. I remembered the baby birds as rocks, but I’m sure these pieces are what I remember.”
“Avery?” Josie asked.
Suddenly, a flash of knowing settled into my mind. “Avery is the baby in the photo. My baby sister.” I looked down at the photo. “I’m the girl standing next to the woman, who I am sure is my mother.”
“Do you remember her name?” Josie asked.
I slowly shook my head. “No. I just remember Mommy. I don’t remember calling anyone Daddy, but there was a man.” I closed my eyes as my head started to pound.
“Ainsley, you should stop,” Josie said. “Your nose is starting to bleed.”
I put my hand to my nose.
“I’ll get a tissue,” Archie volunteered and then disappeared.
Josie put her arm around my shoulder. “I know you want your answers, but this is a lot to take in. I’m scared for you right now. Maybe we should go. Come back another day.” She turned her head as Archie came back out with a box of facial tissue. “Archie will let you come back another time. Won’t you, Arch?”
“I will. Anytime you want.”
I wiped the blood from my hand and face. I supposed Josie did have a point about overdoing it, and my head was pounding. I’d waited twenty-five years to come back here. Twenty-five years for my answers. I could wait a few more days.
“Okay,” I said. “I guess coming back might be a good idea.” I looked at Archie. “Is there a washroom I can use?”
“Inside. We’ll go back to the newer wing. It will be cleaner and have soap and towels.”
I looked across the bay one more time. I could see the peninsula where I lived. It was far away, so I couldn’t make out any detail, but I knew when I stood on the beach looking toward the point, it was this very porch that led me to this place I was looking at.
Chapter 13
Josie and I didn’t talk on the drive back. I think she could sense my need to be silent with my thoughts. Now that the memories had started to come back in force, would I remember the rest? Would I remember my mother and sister? Would I remember why I’d been at the house in the first place? Would I be able to reconcile the fact that the man who’d raised me had a photo of me taken before I went to live with him despite the story he’d told me about the fire? If he’d known who I’d been, why hadn’t he told me? Why all the secrecy? Why would he tell me what had to be a blatant lie about having no idea who I was or where I’d come from?
I was barely even aware of the ride home until Josie pulled into the dirt lot at the cottages and parked.
“Jemma is back,” she said, nodding toward her car. “Do you want to come over and see what she found out?”
“I do, but I need to go to my cottage. Wash my face and get the dogs. I’ll come by after. If Jemma was able to talk to Sophia and has an update, don’t let her start without me.”
“I won’t. But hurry. I’m anxious to hear what she found out.”
We parted ways at the fork in the trail. I headed to my cottage, and she headed to hers. The dogs acted like I’d deserted them forever when I walked in. I supposed they had been left behind for more of the day than they usually were between my time this morning with the rescue group and then my trip to Piney Point. I greeted them both and then went to wash my hands and face and change my clothes. Wool slacks and a wool sweater were a bit much for an evening with Josie and Jemma.
After pulling on some faded jeans and an overly large sweatshirt, I pulled my hair back in a barrette, and the dogs and I headed down the beach to the cottage next door. When we arrived, I found Josie in the kitchen, putting together a cheese and cracker plate while Jemma opened a bottle of wine and gathered wine glasses from the dishwasher.
“We need to wait for Parker before we start,” Jemma said. “Josie was just telling me about your trip to the point. All I can say is wow.” She handed me a glass of wine. “Are you okay? That seems like a lot to take in.”
I took a sip of the wine before answering. “Honestly, I’m not sure if I’m okay or not. I sort of feel like I’m in shock. I’ve suspected that my dreams about the house were based on memories and not just dreams of some random fictional place for a while now, but I really didn’t know for sure until today. When I saw those little pieces of sea glass, my baby birds, I felt like a door opened.”
“Have you remembered anything else?” Jemma asked. “Since you left the house.”
“No. But I haven’t been trying to, either. It was a lot to take in. I feel like I need time to process what I learned and experienced today. The fact that I was at the house on the point with both my mother and my baby sister just a few months before I was found in Savannah, Georgia in the middle of a burning warehouse brings up so many questions.”
“I should say so,” Jemma said, offering me a warm hug.
“I feel like my head is going to explode. It’s almost like I can feel the rest of my memories just behind a screen, pushing to get out. And part of me wants them out, so I’ll know who I am and what happened to me once and for all, but another part of me wonders if I can deal with it. Maybe it would be better to let the memories come back slowly. Over time.”
“I think you’ve done enough for today,” Josie said. “I really am afraid your head is literally going to explode.”
Jemma looked at her. “Literally?”
“You weren’t there. You didn’t see her nose start bleeding for no reason at all. It was creepy.”
“Not really all that creepy,” I said. “I used to get nosebleeds all the time when I was a kid. It’s been a while since I’ve had one, but they aren’t unheard of, and strong emotion does seem to set them off. In fact, the last time I had a nosebleed, was when my dad was shot seven years ago. I got the call, and the next thing I knew, everyone around me was freaking out.”
“Not when he died?” Josie asked.
I shook my head. “No. Sure, I was grieving and despondent, but I guess I wasn’t really shocked. I tried to help. I tried to keep it from happening, but deep down, I guess I knew it was inevitable. When he was shot in the line of duty and almost died, that came from out of nowhere. I was in shock. Maybe it’s shock more than stress that brings on the nosebleeds.”
“I think things are going to get intense as you begin to regain your memories,” Josie said. “I just want you to know that Jemma and I are here for you. If you need to talk or if you need anything, you just come on by. Anytime. Day or night.”
“You don’t have to do this alone,” Jemma said.
“Thanks. To both of you. That means a lot.”
Shortly after Parker arrived, the conversation segued from my past to Sophia’s present.
“Okay, so what did you find out?” Parker’s green eyes had flashed with impatience from the moment she’d joined us. “Does she know what happened? Does she know who killed Cammy and why?”
“Actually, she does,” Jemma said.
Okay, I had to admit that I wasn’t expecting that.
“The thing is that she won’t tell us what she knows unless we can do some things for her.”
Parker used her hands to brush her long r
ed hair back over her shoulders. “What sort of things?”
“First of all, she wants total anonymity. She’s willing to share what she knows, but only if none of us ever use her name in association with Cammy Collins or Brody Davenport.”
Parker frowned. I sensed she was letting that roll around in her mind a bit. Anonymity for Sophia would mean an unnamed source for her. Not usually the goal in journalism.
“What else?” Parker asked.
“She wants safe and secret passage for herself and her mother to a location she will disclose after we’ve come to an agreement. I think she plans to go to a friend’s or a relative’s. She made it clear that if she tells what she knows, both she and her mother will not only lose their jobs and their place of residence, but her mother will probably be deported. She’s also afraid that one of the Davenports might see her as a threat and decide to get her out of the way.”
“Yeah, I get that,” Parker said. “She is in a tricky place if she does know something. Anything else?”
“No,” Jemma said. “Her desire to disappear and never to be heard from again is understandable. Her desire to want to protect not only herself but also her mother is understandable as well. I couldn’t get her to say exactly where she wanted to go, but I figured out that she has someone in either Arizona or New Mexico. She assured me that from the moment she tells me what she knows, both her life and the life of her mother will be in danger. I suggested we meet somewhere off the grid. She can tell us what she knows, and we can have Booker take her and her mother away in a boat, or maybe Coop will fly them to somewhere they can catch a private ride south. Sophia made it clear they can’t simply catch the ferry, hop over to Seattle, and catch a commercial flight out. They don’t want to leave a paper trail that Harrison can follow to catch up with them.”
Parker leaned forward, resting her forearms on her legs. “Okay. If we can make the arrangements to get Sophia and her mother safely out of the state and to this contact’s house, will she tell us everything?”
“She says she will,” Jemma said. “And she said she has proof. Photos, texts, and even a video of Cammy’s death.”
Parker raised a brow. “Really? Okay, you call the guys and get them over here to come up with an escape plan. I’ll get some cash. She might not have asked for cash, but they’ll need some. Did Sophia say when a good time to do this might be?”
“Sophia said her mother rarely leaves the estate, and it would seem suspect if she just up and left at this point, especially since both Brody and his father have been keeping a watchful eye on things, but she has a doctor’s appointment on Wednesday. Sophia planned to drive her to her appointment, so that would be the best opportunity for both of them to sneak away under the radar. Then we’ll take them to a safe location to hear what Sophia has to say and then get both of them good and gone.”
“Okay. We have one day to put everything in place,” Parker said.
Chapter 14
The plan ended up being more complicated than it originally sounded since Sophia and her mother, who I was told was named Gloria, couldn’t travel commercially. We chatted about it for quite a while, but once the guys arrived at Josie and Jemma’s place and we’d all put our heads together, a plan had emerged. In my opinion, it seemed to be an unnecessarily complicated plan, but Parker had assured me that Harrison was a powerful man who had eyes and ears everywhere. One wrong move and this very rich and powerful man would know exactly who to blame when the symbolic fortress he’d built to protect his son came crumbling down.
It was decided that once Sophia picked up her mother for her appointment, she would drive her to a private dock owned by one of Booker’s friends, where Booker would be waiting with his boat. Josie, Jemma, Parker, and I would already be on board. Once Sophia and her mother joined us, we’d head to a deserted island in the area where Coop knew he could land his bird. Sophia would tell us what she knew and provide us with whatever proof she had that would explain the sequence of events leading up to Cammy’s death, and then Coop would fly Sophia and her mother to a landing field just over the Oregon border. A friend of Coop’s, who owned his own jet, would fly them wherever they wanted to go from there. Sophia had arranged for her contact down south to meet the jet at a private airfield, which meant that no one from Gooseberry Bay would even know their final destination.
Although complicated, it was doable, and all of us wanted Sophia and her mother to get away and start a new life somewhere safe. I had to admit that I was somewhat nervous about all the moving parts involved in this complicated plan. Admittedly, I didn’t know Harrison Davenport, so I supposed I couldn’t really understand what he was capable of, or how far his reach might be, but using a car, a boat, a helicopter, and a jet to move two people from Washington to an undisclosed location in the south seemed like a lot. I’d even suggested that I just drive them south, but Parker assured me that once Harrison realized Sophia and her mother were missing, he’d have contacts from law enforcement to gas station attendants looking for them. Suddenly, I felt like I’d been thrust smack dab into the middle of an action movie.
Wednesday dawned much like any other day. I got up, walked the dogs, showered, and then dressed for the day. Josie had taken the day off so she could be involved in the events we had planned, so once I settled the dogs in for a nap, I walked over to the cottage next door. I was greeted by both the black kitten I’d found on Sunday and the orange kitten I’d found during my return hike to the point yesterday. The mama cat still hadn’t been found, but I knew the rescue group planned to take a trap up to the location where the two kittens had been found, so I supposed I’d check with them later in the week and see how that went.
Once I greeted both kittens who seemed to have settled in just fine, I chatted with Josie for a minute while Jemma finished getting ready. We were about to leave for the marina when Jemma received a call from Sophia, letting us know that Harrison had insisted that Gloria be driven to her appointment by one of his drivers who would wait for her and bring her back. We all chatted about it for a minute and finally decided that Sophia would simply arrive at the clinic ahead of time. When her mother showed up, she’d whisk her out the back door. Since it would be tricky to get away if Sophia’s car was in the lot when Harrison’s driver showed up since the driver would likely recognize it, we decided that I’d meet Sophia and her mother behind the clinic. Once Sophia got them both out of the building, they’d hide on the floor of my SUV while I drove us all away from the facility.
Once we were free of the clinic, I’d head to the private dock where Sophia was supposed to meet up with Booker, and we’d continue with the plan from there.
“Harrison must realize that as long as he has Gloria under his thumb, he can control Sophia,” I said after we’d worked out the new plan with Sophia.
“Harrison is a brilliant man who is a master at keeping a finger on each and every chess piece he has in play,” Jemma admitted. “He must know that Sophia has information that can hurt Brody, but he also knows he has the ability to hurt Gloria. As long as he controls Gloria’s ability to live and work in this country, he controls Sophia. The fact that he’s insisting on sending Gloria to her appointment with one of his drivers seems to indicate that he knows Sophia is a danger to his son’s freedom and is keeping a tight rein on things.”
“He’s not only a rich man, but he is power-hungry, and he has people from all walks of life who answer to him,” Josie added. “He’s a dangerous man, although I suppose if you are on his side, he can be a powerful ally as well. I think that the reason he manages to control Deputy Todd, as well as the sheriff and most of the other law enforcement personnel in the area, is because none of them want to end up on his bad side.”
I had to admit to having a few butterflies in my stomach as I headed to the clinic. Jemma had sent Sophia a description of me as well as a photo she’d taken on the spot. She described my vehicle and gave her the license plate number. She instructed me to head around to the alley at the back of
the clinic. Jemma told Sophia that I’d be waiting in back at the door that was used for deliveries.
It seemed like a simple enough plan. I didn’t suppose I was really going to be in any danger. When the time was right, Jemma and Josie headed toward the harbor to meet up with Booker, and I headed through town to the clinic.
Once I arrived at the designated location, I searched for and found the alley Jemma had mentioned. There was only one door in the back leading out to the alley, so I parked near it and waited. I supposed it was Sophia who had the really tricky part. She not only had to sneak into the facility, but she had to locate her mom, wait for the opportune time, and then sneak her out the back.
I truly wondered if she’d be successful when the door flew open and two women came running out. They opened the back passenger door, slid in, got down low, and I drove away. Once we were free of the clinic and I confirmed we weren’t being followed, they sat up.
“I’m glad you made it,” I said, glancing in my rearview mirror. “I wasn’t sure the plan would work.”
“I know one of the nurses who works at the clinic,” Sophia said. “She helped me. I’m not sure it would have worked without her help. How far is it to the private dock where we’ll meet the boat?”
“About fifteen minutes. I’m sure we weren’t followed, but it won’t take long for someone to realize that your mother is missing. It might be best to stay low until we get there.”
Sophia said something to her mother in their native language, and both women scrunched down lower.
“It’s brave of you to do this,” I said.
“If it will get us away from the Davenports, it will be worth it,” Sophia said.
I couldn’t help but notice the anger in her voice, but there was something more than anger — pain. If I had to guess, Sophia had a greater motive for helping us than just wanting to help us find justice for Cammy.
