“It’s been a long day,” said my mom, as I opened the patio door. “Caleb should be here in another hour. If you’re hungry, Nikki, eat some of that pasta salad I made. It’s in the refrigerator. Oh, and put these steaks in there too, will you?”
She handed them to me and my stomach started rumbling as I went into the kitchen. Although I was still freaked out about the flying shadow, I was also starving, as I hadn’t eaten anything since my salad at the diner earlier.
I opened up the refrigerator and took out the large bowl of pasta, setting it on the counter. As I began scooping out some of the salad, the hair on the back of my neck stood straight up. I raised my eyes to the window facing me and let out a bloodcurdling scream. A pale face was staring at me through the glass. It disappeared quickly and I leaped away from the window in terror.
“What’s wrong?” hollered my brother, rushing into the kitchen.
“Someone was watching me,” I choked, pointing towards the window. “Through there!”
He stared at my frightened face then grabbed a butcher knife from the block.
“What are you planning on doing with that?” cried mom, entering the kitchen.
“Nikki thinks there’s someone out there.” He raised the knife. “If there is someone, I’m not going unarmed.”
Just then the doorbell rang, startling us all.
“I’ll get it,” said mom. “Hopefully it’s the sheriff and he can take a look around outside.”
We followed her to the front door and she swung it open.
“Hello,” smiled Caleb, holding out two bottles of wine, a red and a white. “I wasn’t sure if you were a wine drinker or not. I brought red and white, just in case.”
“Thank God you’re here,” she said, grabbing a bottle of wine and pulling him through the door. “Nikki thinks someone is lurking around outside.”
“Think?” I snapped. “I know there is. Someone was in the woods watching all of us, and then a face stared at me through the window.”
Caleb was dressed in civilian clothing, jeans and a white polo shirt, but he reached down by his ankle and pulled out a gun. “Okay, I’ll go take a look. You guys stay inside and lock your doors.”
“Mom, I’m seriously really scared,” I said, as she locked the door. “What the hell is going on around here?”
She walked over and hugged me. “Don’t worry, it’ll be fine.”
“What if it’s dad?” said Nathan, his face pale. “What if he’s found us and is trying to scare the shit out of us?”
“Oh, hell, I never even considered that,” said mom, looking quite troubled, herself. “I hope not.”
“Would he do that?” I asked.
She shrugged. “I don’t know. The law is after him now. He might do anything. I can’t imagine how he found out where we were staying, though. The only person who knew was Ernie.”
“I think you should call Ernie and make sure he’s okay,” said Nathan.
She moved towards the phone, her face white. “I’ll call him right now.”
There was a loud knock at the door. “It’s me. Let me in. Everything’s okay,” called Caleb.
Mom put down the phone and rushed to the door. “Did you find anything?” she asked, when he stepped inside.
He smiled. “Actually, I found a couple of raccoons outside that were looking pretty mischievous. I didn’t find anything else out of the ordinary, though.”
“Um, did you see footprints by any of the kitchen windows, or any prints?” asked Nathan.
He bit back a smile. “I didn’t see much, I’m sorry. But I really don’t think there’s anyone out there.”
“I know what I saw, and it was a human face, staring at me through the kitchen window,” I said. “It freaked the crap out of me.”
His eyebrows shot up. “Okay, what did this person look like?”
I sighed. “It was hard to tell, it happened so fast.”
“If you couldn’t really tell, then it’s quite possible that you saw an animal,” said Caleb, walking towards the window. He lifted one of the blinds and peered outside. “There are a lot of those in these woods.”
“It moved so quickly, I couldn’t tell if it was a man or woman, but it definitely wasn’t an animal. I’m sure of that,” I said
He released the blind and walked back over to us. “I can look around again, if it makes you feel better.”
“Thank you, Caleb,” interrupted my mom. “This family has been through so much that it would really be comforting if you could do that for us.”
He nodded slowly. “Okay, I understand. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
“Thank you,” I said, as he walked back towards the door.
“No problem. If it’s going to calm everyone down, I’ll be happy to do it.”
“I told you he was a nice man,” said mom after he left the cabin again.
Even I had to admit, it was almost comforting having him around. Almost.
Caleb took much longer this time, but when he returned, he still hadn’t discovered anything unusual.
“Thank you for doing that, Caleb,” said my mother, handing him a glass of red wine. “You could probably use a little of this right now.”
“I thought you’d never ask,” he answered with a lopsided grin. “Although I’d better not overindulge; I hear the cops in this area are pretty wicked.”
She giggled and then turned to Nathan. “Honey, can you fire up the grill? I’m sure everyone is starving by now.”
“Yeah, I’m fading away,” said Nathan, raising his hands in front of his face. “I can barely see my hands.”
Mom smiled and shook her head. Then she turned to me. “Nikki? Honey, why don’t you go upstairs and rest for a little while. I’ll fix you a plate of food and bring it up later, if you don’t feel like coming back down.”
I glanced at Caleb, who was staring at my mother like she was a filet mignon. I knew right then that it was time to make an exit.
“Okay, I need to change anyway,” I said, getting off the couch. As I left, I could hear them talking and wanted to puke at the way she was flirting with the sheriff. It wasn’t that I didn’t like Caleb; I just didn’t think she was ready to start anything after what just happened.
I raced upstairs to my bedroom, still feeling tense. The gnawing feeling of dread in the pit of my stomach was driving me crazy and I just wanted to go back to my old home in San Diego.
Feeling helpless, I kept the lights off and changed into a pair of shorts and a T-shirt, keeping my attention on the balcony window. When I finished, I grabbed my bat and slowly walked over to the glass and worked up the nerve to look down below. I half expected to see some kind of ghoul lurking around in the darkness. Nothing appeared out of the ordinary, however, which still wasn’t enough to calm my nerves.
“What are you doing?” whispered Nathan next to my ear.
“Holy crap! Don’t you ever freak me out like that again!” I snapped. “You almost gave me a fucking heart attack!”
“Wow, I’m sorry. Just settle down, will you?”
I rubbed the beads of sweat from my forehead and then looked at him. “I don’t care what the sheriff says, I saw someone out there watching me in the kitchen.”
He sighed. “I’m not sure what you saw, either, but what I do know is that ever since we found that girl’s body, you’ve been going crazy. I mean, isn’t it possible that you saw a raccoon staring at you in the window? You said so yourself, you couldn’t even see the face very well.”
“I can tell the difference between a raccoon’s face and a person’s, Nathan. I’m not a complete moron,” I said, glancing through the window again.
We both stared outside in silence for a while.
“Maybe it really is dad, then,” he said softly. “He might be trying to frighten her or all of us.”
“I don’t know. It just doesn’t feel right. Dad had major anger issues, but he doesn’t seem the type of person who’d waste his time doing this kind of thing.
In fact, he’s probably hiding on the other side of the world by now with the help of some of his cop friends.”
“Maybe,” said Nathan.
I yawned. “I guess I’m going to bed. I lost my appetite anyway. Could you tell mom? I don’t really want to go back down there. It’s nauseating.”
He chuckled. “Okay, Nik, if you need us, just holler.”
“Oh, you’ll hear me. Count on that.”
After he left, I turned on the television and watched a movie about a girl who’d fallen in love with both a vampire and a werewolf. I’d already seen it a million times, so my eyelids grew heavy fairly quickly. Ten minutes later I was out cold in my bed and dreaming of Duncan, who turned into a werewolf and was trying to kill my own vampire boyfriend. Every time I tried to see the vampire’s face, however, it was a blur.
Chapter Eight
Mom was still sleeping when I woke the next morning, which was pretty odd, considering it was after ten and she never usually slept past eight.
“Hey,” I said to Nathan, who was eating a monstrous bowl of cereal and watching television at the kitchen counter.
He smirked. “It lives.”
“Very funny, butthead,” I answered.
“Just kidding, twerp,” he replied with his mouth full. “Hey, guess who called for you this morning?”
Duncan? “Who?”
“The manager at that diner you put in an application for.”
I stared at him in surprise. “Wow, really?”
“Yeah, you’re supposed to call her back if you’re still interested in setting up an interview. Here,” he said, handing me a slip of paper, “call Rosie at that number.”
“Awesome,” I said, grinning from ear to ear.
Ten minutes later I had an interview set up for later that afternoon.
“Wow, that was fast,” said Nathan. “I guess I’ll have to give you a ride.”
“Or, you could just loan me your car.”
He snorted. “Right. Nobody drives that car but me. Not even Deanna got the privilege of driving my baby.”
“Hi, kids,” yawned mom as she shuffled into the kitchen.
“You were up late,” said Nathan.
She turned on the Keurig and smiled. “Well, Caleb’s an interesting man. He’s traveled all over the world and we talked for hours about his crazy adventures.”
“Small town sheriff-slash-traveler extraordinaire, huh?” smirked Nathan.
Her eyes lit up. “He’s been to so many places, it’s amazing.”
“Oh, shoot,” I said. “Speaking of Caleb, I forgot to tell him about the note I received from the waitress yesterday.”
Mom waved her hand. “Oh, I mentioned it to him and he didn’t seem too concerned. He said this town has had its share of crimes, but there certainly wasn’t anything to be afraid of, even in the dark. He also mentioned that Amy was having a hard time getting over the loss of her friend, the one we found. It’s made her a little… unstable.”
I narrowed my eyes. “What do you mean, unstable?”
She sighed. “I’m not supposed to talk about this, but, she tried to commit suicide a couple weeks ago.”
“Wow,” replied Nathan. “That’s rough.”
Mom nodded. “I guess her parents have been trying frantically to get her help, even going as far as putting her on antidepressants, but obviously, she still has some emotional issues.”
“And Caleb knows all about this?” I asked.
She poured some cream into her coffee. “Yeah, his daughter, Celeste went to school with Amy. They both graduated in June.”
“Oh,” I said.
“How did you sleep last night?” she asked me.
“Fine, although, I had some disturbing dreams. Other than that, I slept pretty well.”
“Holy crap,” interrupted Nathan. He turned up the volume on the television and I stared at it in horror. A picture of the waitress who’d served us yesterday flashed across the screen.
“Seventeen-year-old Amy Kreger was found in the woods near Lake Shore, early this morning,” said the female reporter, standing next to an old Chevy Camaro. “Her car had been found abandoned by the side of the road with drug paraphernalia sitting openly on the front seat. When police officers were called to investigate, they found the deceased in the woods with self-inflicted wounds on both wrists. Tragically, this young girl was close friends with Tina Johnson, who went missing a few weeks ago. Tina’s body was found just two days ago, washed up onshore in an undisclosed location. Police officials do not suspect foul play in either case.”
Nathan turned off the television and we all stared at each other in shock.
I cleared my throat. “No foul play in either case? Seems unlikely now, doesn’t it?
“Maybe it’s just two very disturbed girls,” replied Nathan.
Mom shook her head sadly. “That poor girl. Her parents must be devastated.”
“She was so pretty, too,” said Nathan. “It just goes to show that you can’t judge people by what’s on the outside. Amy must have been pretty messed up.”
I stood up. “Did it ever occur to you that maybe she wasn’t messed up?”
“Nikki…” said my mom.
“They found drugs in her car. Obviously, she had issues,” said Nathan.
“Whatever, I’m going to lie down in my room for a while,” I said. “This is nuts.”
I went upstairs and took out the note Amy had given me. It gave me the chills to know that she was now dead.
“Hey,” said Nathan from my doorway. “I’m taking the boat out in an hour if you want to get some fresh air and clear your head.”
I nodded. “Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. Is mom coming?”
He shook his head. “No, she’s going into town to talk with her new boss. I guess she’s starting work on Monday.”
“Okay. I’ll be down in an hour.”
He left and I took a quick shower, still thinking about Amy and the face in the window last night. I wasn’t sure at this point which was more disturbing. I knew one thing, however; I was going to try and talk mom out of staying here. Something was going on in this town. I wasn’t sure if it was just one crazy freak or a group of them. What I did know was that there were two dead girls and now someone was spying on us. At this point, dad seemed less frightening.
After I toweled off, I slipped on a pair of shorts and a tank top, then piled my hair on top of my head.
“Ready?” asked Nathan when I met him downstairs.
“Yeah, let me grab something to eat first”
When I entered the kitchen, mom was standing over the sink with the water running, her face pasty white.
“Are you okay?”
She nodded. “Yeah, I think I had a little too much wine last night. It’s finally catching up to me.”
“Really? A delayed hangover? That’s weird. Hey, what’s that on your neck?” I asked, staring at her skin. “Did you get bit by a couple of mosquitos?”
She touched her neck. “I must have.”
The skin on her neck was definitely swollen and there were two small red bumps just below her ear.
I squinted. “Does it itch? It looks pretty inflamed.”
My mom had always been very sensitive to bug bites, so it wasn’t a surprise that her skin was tender and sore-looking.
She shrugged. “No, not really. It’s a little tender, though.”
“You should put something on that,” I said, turning away from her. I reached into the cupboard and grabbed a box of chewy granola bars. “Some of that Neosporin stuff.”
“I will.” She touched her head and groaned. “God, remind me not to have more than one glass of wine the next time anyone offers.”
I snorted. “No doubt.”
She grabbed a paper towel, poured cool water over it, and then dabbed her forehead. “You know, I think I’m going to lie back down for a while.”
“Hey,” I said as she began walking away, “I have an interview this afternoon. That
diner I was telling you about.”
“Good job, sweetheart. I’m sure you’ll get it.”
I’m sure, too. They’re really in need of help now that Amy’s gone, I thought bitterly.
Thirty minutes later, Nathan and I were racing across the lake in the boat again.
“Let’s head over to Sonny and Duncan’s marina!” he yelled over the engine.
I gave him the thumbs-up. I had to admit, the thought of seeing Duncan again was stirring up the butterflies in my stomach.
The sun was already hot, and by the time we reached the marina, I could feel the back of my neck and shoulders begin to burn. I grabbed some sunscreen and started lathering it on.
“Hey!” called Duncan, who was putting gasoline into a fishing boat.
“What’s up, Dunc?” asked Nathan.
He smiled. “Not much.”
Nathan docked the boat and tied it. “So, did your dad mention anything about the job yet?”
Duncan laughed. “Haven’t had time to talk about it. But I think you have the best shot so far. My dad seems to like you.”
“Cool. Nikki already has an interview later this afternoon for a waitressing job.”
Duncan looked at me. “Ruth’s?”
“Yeah. By the way, did you watch the news this morning?”
He shook his head. “No, been working.”
I told him about Amy and then mentioned the face in the window.
His eyebrow shot up. “Seriously? Wow, it’s weird that you mentioned that, because I’m pretty sure that someone was watching me last night, too.”
Chapter Nine
My stomach clenched up like a fist. “Really?”
He nodded. “It was just before midnight and I was in the kitchen, having a snack. I heard some weird scraping noises near one of the windows, and when I looked up, I could have sworn someone ducked away. I even went outside to check it out.”
I shivered. “Did you find anyone?”
“I didn’t. But I felt like someone was watching me when I was outside, too. I have to admit, it kind of scared the shit out of me.”
Toxic (Venom Series) Book Three Page 28
