Hidden in Shadow

by Georgia Florey-Evans

  As soon as they reached the edge of Luke’s yard, Mitch turned to him.

  “I’ll need you to stay at the house, Luke. Hopefully, we’ll either hem the guy in or flush him out in this direction. If he shows up,” Mitch hesitated, “do you still have your shotgun?”

  “Yes.” Then Luke realized what Mitch was telling him. “But I could never shoot a human being—any human being.”

  Mitch patted his shoulder. “I know that, and you know that, but hopefully our giant friend doesn’t. Remember, he’s stronger than me, Luke, so you have to use something. Just hold it up and tell him to freeze. You don’t even have to load it. He wasn’t armed when I tackled him.”

  It was then Luke noticed Mitch’s rapidly swelling eye and a darkening discoloration on his jaw. “Are you okay, Mitch? Did he hurt you?”

  Mitch grimaced. “I’ve taken worse spills on the football field. Don’t worry about me. I’ve got to get going, though. Just watch, and call me if you see anything. Okay?”

  “Okay.”

  When Luke went inside a few minutes later, he had to force himself to pull his gun off the rack. He and his dad liked to tag a deer or two every year, but game hunting was much different than aiming at a man. Even though he knew it wasn’t loaded, he still double checked before taking it outside.

  Leaving Clarence inside the house, out of harm’s way, he sat in the shadows on his wide porch rail. Then, he prayed fervently the stalker would either take off in a different direction or pass out cold at the sight of a gun. Because Luke was pretty sure he’d automatically fall back on the routine his grandpa once used to get rid of an angry nine-point buck. He’d just stand there, shout like a madman, and shake his weapon at the criminal. Somehow, he doubted that would be enough.

  Chapter 15

  “He just disappeared?” Tessa was once more examining Mitch’s black eye. “How did he get past all of you?”

  “I told you, Tess.” Mitch reached up and placed his hand over hers. “It was just three of us. He could have come out of the woods in a hundred different places. Or he could have hunkered down and hid. Tomorrow morning, when we do a sweep of Luke’s place with the state police, maybe we’ll find him.”

  “I can’t believe he was that close to you.” Holly had a strong urge to wrap her arms around Luke and hold on tightly just to make sure he was really there and unhurt. “At least, he only wanted to ruin your tires.”

  She didn’t miss the look the two men exchanged. Mitch subtly nodded before Luke spoke.

  “I didn’t tell you last night because I didn’t want to frighten you any more than you already were.” He reached across the table and took her hand in his. “He called me. The stalker, I mean.”

  Holly couldn’t stop the shiver that ran through her. “What did he say this time?”

  “Holly...” His reluctance to tell her was written all over his face. “He told me if I don’t stay away from his Holly, my tires won’t be the only thing he slashes.”

  Tears came unbidden to Holly’s eyes. “You have to stay away from me, Luke. I can’t let you get hurt.”

  He was on his feet, pulling her up into his arms before she was barely finished speaking. “No. I’m not staying away from you. We’re not going to let him dictate our actions, Holly. I'm careful, and so are you. So far, he’s all talk and vandalism.”

  Holly buried her face against Luke’s neck. “I’m afraid for you, Luke.”

  “Well, don’t be.” He pulled away from her and tilted her chin so she was looking into his dark green eyes. “I can take care of myself. You just need to make sure you’re safe. And we are not changing our habits. Understand?”

  She reached up and wiped away her tears. “I’m still going to stay at Mom and Dad’s on the weekends. It’ll give you and Mitch at least a couple of days not to worry about me.”

  Luke smiled encouragingly at her. “Biscuit and Lemon can fill in for Clarence.”

  Holly felt her fear lessen as she shakily returned Luke’s smile. “They can jump on my stalker and slobber all over him, I guess.” Her dad’s Blue ticks were good for hunting, but not much else. Her mom routinely threatened to enroll them in a class for mentally challenged dogs. Lemon’s favorite nocturnal pastime was lying under the pole light closest to the house and howling. At least, they barked like crazy if anything disturbed them. Her dad may find himself confronting a squirrel or raccoon, but no prowler would sneak around the house undetected.

  “Better?” Luke gave her a brief hug.

  “Better.” She returned his embrace before sitting back down.

  “So, I guess we should get to work on these locks unless you ladies need us to help clean up.” Mitch smiled at Tessa.

  Tessa’s cheeks reddened. “Cooking a meal and cleaning up afterward is the least we can do in exchange for having new locks installed. Thank you for the offer, though.”

  The couple exchanged an emotion-filled look. It appeared Holly’s friend had found love. And they had been right there in front of each other for years. How had they gone so long without realizing they were meant to be together?

  She stood and began to stack plates. “I’ll go ahead and start washing, Tess.”

  Tessa looked up from the pan of lasagna. “Okay. I’m going to put this in a container so Mitch can eat it later.”

  “Give him the rest of the garlic bread, too,” Holly suggested.

  She earned a smile in response to her offer.

  Several minutes later Holly found herself relaxing during the everyday routine of washing dishes while Tessa dried.

  “So, how did your day go?” It was the first time the two women really had a chance to talk all day. Deciding there would be more time, they’d saved their shopping for today. Then, they were both a bit overwhelmed by the myriad lock choices. If a patient salesman hadn’t appeared to help them, the two of them may very well still be standing there trying to figure out the difference between a regular deadbolt and something called a mortise. Even now, Holly wasn’t sure if she understood. She was satisfied with the salesman’s assurance nobody would be able to break through the ones she bought. At least not without busting down the full door.

  Tessa smiled at Holly. “I gave my freshmen a pop quiz today. I should have brought Ronnie’s home to show you.”

  “Did my talk have any effect on his efforts?” It didn’t seem like a very productive meeting to her.

  “Not exactly.” Tessa picked up another plate and began drying it. “One of the problems was calculating the area of the sides of a cube. Do you know what his answer was?”

  Holly placed a handful of clean silver in the drain tray. “I wouldn’t hazard a guess.”

  “He wrote it depends on how fast it’s melting.” Tessa slid a freshly dried plate onto the stack on the counter. “You know, if he gave half as much effort to studying as he does to smarting off, he would be a genius.”

  “Did you know you’re one lock short, Holly?” Luke had appeared at her elbow, his hands full of hardware.

  She looked at the locks he held. “I didn’t think I needed one in the bathroom. That window is too small for even a child to fit through.” His frown told her he didn’t agree. “You think I need a lock on it?”

  “Might not be a bad idea. The window’s small, but that wouldn’t stop somebody from putting something through it.”

  “What do you mean?” Holly was confused.

  “Like he could put a wild animal or rodent of some sort through it?” Tessa asked him.

  Luke nodded. “Or trash.”

  “Say no more.” Holly had heard enough. “I’ll run to Amok and pick up another lock, as soon as I’m finished with the dishes. Okay?”

  “I think you should,” Luke advised her.

  So it was that she found herself once more perusing locks at the hardware store thirty minutes later. Thankfully, she knew what she wanted this time. It was a good thing since Tessa had received an urgent call from a parent. She’d motioned for Holly to wait, but the hardware store c
losed early on weeknights. Besides, Tessa shouldn’t have to suffer every discomfort or inconvenience with her.

  “Good lock there, honey.” The older man at the register nodded as he placed her purchase in a sack. “Take a bulldozer to bust through one of these.”

  “Then, I’m glad I bought them for my house.” Suddenly filled with an irrational sense of urgency, Holly grabbed her credit card rather than count out cash. The rest of the clerk’s sage comments flew past her as she quickly signed her name and grabbed the bag.

  “You forgot your receipt!” The man held the slip of yellow paper out.

  “It’s okay.” She practically ran through the door, toward her car. At least she had parked under a light.

  Her heart kicked into high gear when she noticed the driver’s door was ajar. Just as she cautiously tried to see through the reflected pole light into the backseat, the sound of heavy, running footsteps echoed across the parking lot and seemed to be headed her way.

  “Jack Wallace.” Holly quickly slid behind the wheel and hit the autolock button as she tossed the small sack onto the passenger seat. The shadowy image of a large man hovered in her peripheral vision as she finally found her keys and managed to start her car. She should have taken a good look in the rearview mirror—she might have been able to identify Jack Wallace for certain. But, she was scared. And, what if it wasn’t the irate fugitive, and instead was her stalker? A man large enough to mow Mitch over.

  Her breath finally slowed enough to talk, so she reached for her phone. If she could find the right button, she could use it hands-free.

  A strange noise behind her was all the warning Holly had before something flew down her face and tugged tightly against her neck. She lifted a hand and pulled at the unyielding strap, now digging into the flesh of her neck.

  “You’ll learn now, lady.” A hate-filled voice snarled in her ear. “Pull over and stop.”

  “No!” She dug at the band, trying to get at least a finger under it. If anything, he pulled tighter.

  “Then, I’ll finish you here.”

  His words echoed through her fogged brain and terrified her. He was going to kill her. All sense of logic left Holly; she wanted to breathe. She had to breathe. Her hand flew from the steering wheel to her neck, digging and grasping at the ever-tightening constraint. “Stop!” Her effort at a yell resulted in a gasp.

  This was surely a nightmare. Please, God, let this be a nightmare. I don’t want to die. Not yet. Not like this.

  Even though a part of her knew this was happening quickly, it seemed to be taking forever. The pain around her neck was so intense, a hard blow to the side of her head barely registered.

  A string of profanity unlike any she’d ever heard was produced by her ear as she felt someone leaning up over the seat and reaching for the steering wheel. Somehow, the action tightened the band around her neck even farther.

  Her feet reflexively pushed against the floor, and she felt the person hanging over the seat beside her seem to be thrust backward. An intense roaring filled her ears before the world exploded.

  Chapter 16

  Luke was just finishing the last window when he saw Tessa alone at the table.

  “Holly in the bedroom?” He must have walked right past her.

  Tessa frowned as she looked at him. “No. I didn’t go with her. I thought you did.”

  She’d gone alone. Luke looked at his watch, and his heart immediately went into overdrive. “She’s been gone more than long enough.”

  Mitch rushed into the room. “I have to run. There’s been a car accident over on Biltway. The driver is injured.”

  “Wait.” Luke stopped him. “Holly isn’t back from the hardware store. What if it’s her?” Before Mitch could respond, Luke decided. “I’ll follow you.”

  “I’m coming.” Tessa was uncharacteristically somber.

  Mitch gave a little nod. “Okay, but you need to stay back when we get there.”

  “I will.” Luke didn’t know how or why, but in his heart, he knew it was Holly in that accident.

  Within minutes, his fears were confirmed when he saw Holly’s small car sitting cockeyed across the wide sidewalk, the front crumpled around a pole. He was parked on the side of the road, and out of his Jeep while Tessa was still unfastening her seat belt.

  “Holly!” He yelled as he ran toward the car.

  “Luke. You need to wait here.” Deputy Jeff Fielding stepped forward from the squad car.

  “I’m not waiting anywhere. I need to get to Holly RIGHT NOW!!” Nothing was going to keep him away from her. Nothing.

  “Let him through, Jeff.” Mitch’s authoritative voice sounded over Luke’s growing panic. “She’s right here, Luke.”

  Luke started shaking when he saw her lying on the ground beside the car. She was so pale. And she wasn’t moving.

  “She isn’t...”

  “She’s breathing fine, and her heartbeat is strong and steady. The airbag probably hit her pretty hard and knocked her out. We’re waiting for the ambulance now.”

  Luke dropped to his knees beside her and picked up her hand. “Let me stay with her, Mitch. I need to be with her.”

  Mitch grimly nodded. “Just stay out of the EMTs’ way and let them do their job. I’ll have Jeff fill Tessa in, and she can follow the ambulance to the hospital.”

  Luke looked up at the car, the hood crumpled like an accordion. “What happened? Did she have a blowout, or did something cause her to swerve?”

  “We’ll talk later. There’s the ambulance.”

  Luke followed Mitch’s directions and stayed back while Barney Nettles and Tillie Carter did their job. He lost all sense of time as they finally made it to the hospital. The next hour or so seemed like a nightmare, with an unconscious Holly being transported from the emergency room to radiology for X-rays, and then off for a CT scan. Somewhere in there, her parents arrived, Tony stoic and Susan in tears.

  They were finally in the emergency examination room with Holly and the doctor.

  “Okay, folks, the good news is Holly doesn’t have anything too seriously wrong with her. She has a concussion and some pretty nasty bruising on her neck and face, but there are no broken bones or internal injuries.” Dr. Potter peered over the top of his glasses at Tony and Susan. “Your daughter had an angel in that car with her. When they first brought her in, I fully expected to find some broken bones or more significant damage to her head. She’ll probably have a case of whiplash from her seatbelt holding her back, too, but that’s impossible to diagnose without her being awake to tell me if it hurts.” He indicated a continuous strip of reddened skin, almost welt-like in appearance, across the front and sides of her neck. “I am puzzled about this mark. I don’t know how her seat belt or the air bag could have left it. We’ll have to see what Holly can tell us.”

  “Why isn’t she waking up?” Tony didn’t take his eyes off his daughter.

  Dr. Potter leaned over and lifted Holly’s eyelid to shine his penlight. “I expect she will any time now, and she’s going to have one whopper of a headache. She’ll probably feel like a giant bruise, too, so I’m going to order some pain relievers for her. I’ll be at the nurses’ station. One of them will be in to administer her medication. Please let me know when she wakes up.”

  Luke sank into the chair next to her bed, her hand in both of his. He leaned down and rested his head on their hands.

  Thank you, Lord, for saving her. Thank you for not taking her away from us...from me. Please continue your Healing Touch and be with the medical staff as they tend to her.

  “Amen.” It wasn’t until Susan softly spoke the word he realized he prayed aloud.

  He looked into Susan’s bloodshot eyes and tried to return the smile she so bravely managed to produce. “She’s going to be okay, Luke.” She sat down on the other side of the bed and took Holly’s other hand in hers. “Isn’t she, Tony?”

  “How is she?” Mitch’s quietly spoken words announced his presence in the room.

&n
bsp; Luke looked over his shoulder at his friend. “She has a concussion, and she’s going to be sore, but Dr. Potter said she’ll be okay. It could have been much worse.” He smiled shakily. “The doctor said she had an angel with her.”

  “Good.” Mitch looked decidedly uncomfortable. “Luke, can I have a word with you? I won’t keep you more than a minute.”

  He didn’t want to let go of Holly, but Luke knew she didn’t need his touch to heal her. He leaned over and put his mouth close to her ear. “I’ll be right back.”

  Mitch held the door for him, and they both stepped into the hall. Luke couldn’t help but notice Mitch led him where they wouldn’t be overheard.

  “What’s going on?”

  “We got the floodlights out there and examined the scene.” Mitch’s brow was furrowed. “Luke, there are no skid marks. If she swerved to miss a dog, or tried to stop, there would have been skid marks.”

  Luke didn’t understand. “What are you trying to say, Mitch?”

  “She drove herself into that pole, at a pretty good speed. We won’t know until the pros get out there and do their measurements, but I’m sure she was driving well over the speed limit. I need to talk to her as soon as possible. We need to find out what’s going on.”

  Anger slowly started to build as Luke processed Mitch’s words. “You can’t seriously think Holly tried to hurt herself. She would never do that; you know it as well as I do.”

  Mitch put his hand on Luke’s shoulder and spoke calmly. “I’m not saying any such thing. I’m saying something strange happened, and I need to talk to Holly as soon as possible to find out what it was.”

  Luke immediately calmed down. His brain had gone into overdrive, though. “Isn’t there a chance she had a blowout, or her brakes failed?”

  “Her tires look good as new, and the limited examination we could do tonight didn’t show any problems with her brakes.” Mitch gave Luke a commiserating look. “Just let me know as soon as she’s awake and lucid. I need to talk to her. Okay?”

  “Where will you be?” Luke now just wanted to be back in the room beside Holly.