Into The Storm

by Melanie Moreland

  “You okay, Elizabeth?” Kate asked quietly.

  I nodded. “Just trying to find my feet, you know?”

  She nodded kindly. “I’m glad you’re back.”

  I forced a smile. “I am as well.”

  Later that evening, I climbed the stairs slowly. I was so tired. I had spent the day trying to appear to work while also attempting to find a way to contact Joshua. Hitting dead end after dead end, I finally wrote to both his publisher and agent, begging that they contact him with a brief message from me.

  Rabbit needs you.

  I had no idea if the messages would be forwarded, but I had to try. I sent both via regular mail since I wasn’t sure if my email account was being monitored.

  Then, I attempted to find both Trevor and Cecilia, but was shocked to find out how many lawyers there were in the general area with the name of Trevor Jones. I didn’t even know if he practiced in Toronto or one of the many outlying cities. It was going to take a while. The next time I was back at the library, I planned on trying to figure out the name of the care home and the location I had supposedly stayed in. I didn’t have access to a computer at the hospital the way I did here. I had more information at least knowing Dr. Tate’s first and last name and the name of the neighbouring town. Surely, there couldn’t be many Dr. Tates in Hunstville. But again, it was going to take time and I had to make sure I didn’t arouse any suspicion while searching. I didn’t want to give Bob any reason to suggest to Brian that I be monitored even closer.

  My attempts to figure out what the pills were came up with very little. I needed to get a look at the actual bottle. A general search came up with nothing. I wondered if I dared look in Brian’s room for the bottle when he was out. I shuddered, thinking what could happen if I was discovered, and I decided to put off that idea for the time being.

  Then I turned to the card. Nothing I tried made sense. I checked maps, atlases, phone numbers, even license plates, but found no answers. I paused briefly and then searched the memory stick but found only the pictures Joshua had taken of my injuries. There was nothing else on it. My stomach clenched as I looked at the pictures and I quickly closed the window. I sat with my head in my hands.

  He said I would figure it out. But if I couldn’t figure it out; how could I let him know how much I needed him?

  Oh, Joshua.

  I heard Bob approaching and I sat up immediately. He appeared in the door and announced the car was here to take me home. I nodded and picked up my purse. “I just need to stop by the desk,” I said quietly. They were holding something there for me.

  When I’d left the library I was carrying three of Joshua’s books.

  I barely managed to make it through another meal with Brian. I kept my head down a lot, faking another headache, and had to force myself to eat the fish and salad on my plate. Other than his banal inquiries as to my day, he was silent, although he did inform me he had a late meeting and left as soon as dinner was done. I was grateful there was no function to attend that evening, and with a sigh of relief, I wearily climbed the stairs to my room.

  Sitting on the bed, I stared at Joshua’s books. I hadn’t even looked at which ones they were. He wrote them and that was all that mattered. They were a piece of him. Apparently, I was lucky that there were any on the shelf as they were very popular, so I was grateful to have gotten them. Two were mysteries and the other was a more of romance/mystery that I had read before and enjoyed, surprised at his slight change of genre. I decided to reread that one. Curling up in the chair, I opened the book and soon lost myself in his mesmerizing words. I must have fallen asleep because when I woke up, the house was silent and the book was on the floor. Bending down to pick it up, I knocked another one off the table and Joshua’s card fluttered to the floor. I gazed at it for a moment then my eyes drifted to the cover of the book I was reading. Again and again my eyes darted between the two, understanding dawning in my brain.

  WIH98

  The book “When It Hurts” was laying at my feet.

  Trembling, I picked up the book and opened it to page ninety-eight and skimmed through it, my eyes stopping at one line.

  “There are moments you know you have to reach out and ask for help. This was one of them.”

  My heart began pounding. My eyes flew back to the card.

  AAW 193

  I stumbled over my feet trying to get to the bed and grabbed the book “An Alternate World” and flipped to page one hundred and ninety-three.

  My eyes widened as I read the passage about a secret message being delivered on a special kind of paper. A type of paper that only showed the writing on it when the paper was wet. I stood shaking, looking down at the card in my hand, wanting to believe I had figured out what Joshua was trying to tell me. Clutching the card, I went to the bathroom as quickly as I could on my trembling legs. I turned on the faucet, praying as I placed the card under the flow until it was soaked.

  I set it on the counter and waited. Slowly, I watched in amazement as a set of numbers appeared clearly in between the cryptic messages.

  A phone number.

  Joshua had given me a phone number.

  Terrified the number would disappear; I grabbed a piece of paper and copied it down. Then I sank to the floor, my entire body quaking. I buried my head in my hands and breathed slowly until I calmed down. Ever so slowly and quietly, I made my way downstairs to the kitchen and picked up the phone and dialed the number. When it started to ring, I closed my eyes, praying Joshua would pick up. But there was nothing. After a few rings it stopped; there was a soft sound and then nothing. I stood listening to the silence on the end of the line, my breath coming out in small gasps. Unsure what to do, I hung up.

  Unsteadily, I made my way upstairs, trying hard not to sob in disappointment. It was the middle of the night. Joshua must be sleeping, I kept telling myself.

  Tomorrow.

  Tomorrow, when I went to the hospital, I would call Joshua and he would somehow get me out of here. He would know what to do. He had to.

  Then I would go back home to him and Bear.

  And I was never leaving them again. Ever.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Joshua

  Cecilia came bustling through the door, arms full. She’d gone into town to get some things while I was looking through the files she had brought. I got up and helped her with the bags and followed her to the kitchen. Silently, we put away the items she had bought and then sat down at the table. She looked over everything I had spread out. “Well?”

  I shrugged. “It doesn’t add up, Cecilia. Everything a normal investigation would uncover points to an upstanding citizen.”

  “But?”

  I looked at her. “Frank’s digging found a pattern of aggression, and it seemed to escalate as he grew older. Then at some point it stopped. Or, at least, stopped being recorded. My gut tells me he never changed.”

  Cecilia looked at me confused.

  “I think his father paid dearly to have all traces of his behavior removed from his records.”

  “But what about the other people involved?”

  I looked at her steadily, my voice quiet. “Money talks, Cecilia. It also buys silence. We both know that.”

  She nodded in silent agreement.

  I opened another folder. “The financial pictures are interesting as well. James is well paid, generous benefits, the whole CEO-type package, yet …”

  “What?” she prompted.

  “His house, his cars, all his major possessions are owned by the company.” I looked up at her. “It’s like his father is still controlling him, and a large portion of his life, with money.”

  I took in a deep breath. “I think he does control him. Maybe he uses the control to try and keep Brian in line. But I think it makes Brian angry …”

  She regarded me fearfully. “And, you think he takes that anger out on Elizabeth.”

  I closed my eyes as a shudder went through me. “Yes.”

  “But there are no hosp
ital records? Nothing showing a pattern of abuse?”

  I shook my head. “Doctors can be bought off as well, Cecilia. They aren’t all like Daniel.”

  “Oh, Joshua.” Her hand covered mine briefly. “You could be wrong; she could be fine,” her voice was kindly encouraging, but her eyes were troubled.

  I looked away. I knew she wasn’t fine. I could feel it.

  “What are those?” She indicated the three pictures I had of Rabbit in front of me.

  “Look at the change, Cecilia.” I pushed the pictures towards her. “Look.”

  She studied them quietly. “Quite the change, I agree.” She looked up, frowning. “You do realize the change could simply be her growing up, getting older, and that fact is being reflected in how she acts and appears, right? She is married to a very prominent person and I imagine she takes her role very seriously.”

  I shook my head. “I’m not talking about the way she dresses. Look at her face. Her eyes. Look at her, Cecilia.”

  Again, she studied the pictures. She nodded, looking at me with solemn eyes. “I see it,” she admitted quietly. “She looks … numb.”

  I tapped my finger on the last picture. “That is not the woman I fell in love with. That person is a stranger.”

  Cecilia smiled sadly. “What if the person you fell in love with is the stranger, Joshua? And the person in the photo is the real one?”

  I shook my head. “No. Rabbit was real. I know her.”

  Cecilia didn’t say anything. I didn’t know how to explain to her something I felt so strongly; I knew I was right. Rabbit was the real Elizabeth. The person in the picture was just someone who looked like her.

  I sighed. “There was nothing in here about the car. I called Frank but only got his voicemail. Do you know anything about the car?”

  Cecilia nodded and reached into her bag. “He got the name of the owner. It is a Tracy Allen. She has owned the car for just less than two years. She’s out of town but expected back later this week. He’ll speak with her when she gets home. I told him to dig into the history of it as well, and into Tracy’s background,” She shrugged. “It’s not a priority, but it could be something or nothing. But at this point, I thought it best to cover all the bases.”

  She stood up, walking over to the sink and looked out the window. “Joshua,” her voice trailed off.

  I stood up and went over to her. “What, Cecilia? What is it?”

  She paused. “Joshua … Trevor and I didn’t like what we saw at the hotel that day. And … Daniel tried to contact Brian to check on her. All he got was his assistant telling him she was fine and it was not his concern. That didn’t sit well with any of us.”

  I frowned, my stomach clenching.

  “So, Trevor got Frank to have one of his men watch Rabbit. She hasn’t been out of the house much. Once to a medical office and a few walks around the grounds. But when he did see her, she appeared to be okay, physically.”

  I sighed in relief and, reaching out, hugged her. “Fuck. That’s good, Cecilia. Thank you for doing that. Make sure you tell Frank, whatever he needs, it’s his. More men, more money, whatever. Do we know who the doctor is?”

  “Frank is checking it out. It’s just going to take time. Our guy couldn’t get close enough without being seen. She wasn’t in there very long, though.”

  I frowned. “She should have been checked over carefully. If he was on the up and up he should have had her examined meticulously. It’s just another red herring.” I shook my head. “What the fuck is he playing at, Cecilia?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know, Joshua. I just don’t know.”

  “Well, we need to find out. Now. This thing is all wrong. It’s all fucking wrong.” I paced in front of her. “I’m anxious to find out about the car; I have a feeling it’s one of the keys to this mystery.”

  I pulled on my hair in frustration. “I want her safe, Cecilia. I need her safe. I fucked this up so badly,” my voice caught on the last word.

  “What are you going to do, Joshua?”

  I looked at her. “I was stupid, Cecilia. Fucking stupid. I invented an entire story to cover up Rabbit being here with me. He could have done the same thing. In fact, I’m sure he did. I was so overcome with the fact she was married, that I was taking her away from her life. I was so sure that I wasn’t what she needed; I stopped asking the right questions. Now, I’m going to make sure I know the story. All of it.”

  “What if you’re wrong, Joshua?”

  “If I’m wrong, I’ll back off and leave her alone. Unless she needs me.”

  “And, if you’re right?”

  “Then I’m bringing her home.”

  Days later, I paced around the house, Bear at my heels constantly. I couldn’t relax or concentrate no matter what. He could sense my unsettled feelings and was reacting to them, staying close. I had barely slept the past few nights and my nerves and patience were stretched tightly. I was waiting for Frank to call with news of his meeting with Ms. Allen about her car that was in my barn, now that she was finally back. He kept telling me to be patient; Rabbit was being watched, he was investigating. I knew I had to give him time. I knew he probably wouldn’t be calling anytime soon since it was still early, but I was anxious and restless. I had gone through the files again and again, made copious notes and watched the press conferences over and over again. Cecilia had been back and forth bringing me new information to go through and I had also read everything I could find on the James family in general. I didn’t like what I found. Under the structured veneer of a wealthy, successful family, I saw a distinctive pattern of aloofness and control. The thought of my Rabbit in an environment like that made me shudder. The only comfort I could find was in knowing she was being watched and was seemingly okay. Physically, anyway. But that wasn’t enough. Until I knew she was safe, that she was fine, that she was here, I couldn’t relax.

  Finally, with growing frustration, I grabbed my coat. “C’mon boy,” I summoned Bear. We’d take a walk outside and maybe clear my head. I stepped outside into the bright morning sun. I could hear the drips of the water as it splashed on the snow from the melting icicles. The past few days had turned warm and the snow was disappearing at an alarming rate. Soon the piles of snow would be gone if the temperatures stayed where they were hovering today. I shook my head at the drastic change in the weather in such a short span of time. I stepped off the porch and started walking. It felt good to stretch my sore leg, and the fresh air was welcome. Bear ran in front of me, diving into the snow, rolling and chuffing, happy to be outside. I frowned to myself; I had been neglecting him for a while. We hadn’t gone for a walk since Rabbit left. I stopped suddenly as the pain hit me, remembering the look I had seen on her face as she struggled to break away from Cecilia to get to me in the barn. It had been ten days ago. Ten of the longest days of my life.

  My head was filled with chaotic thoughts.

  Was she okay?

  Was she scared?

  Was I wrong in my assumptions and she was happy to be home?

  Was I reading things from the pictures and articles that really didn’t exist?

  Did she miss me as much as I missed her?

  Had she figured out the card yet?

  Bear’s sudden push on my leg brought me out of my thoughts. I patted his head and looked down at him. “You miss her too, don’t you?” I asked as I stroked his head. His answering huff as he shook his large head said it all. “I’ll figure out a way to get her back. I promise.” His trusting eyes looked up at me and then he turned away, walking down the drive. I followed him slowly, letting him lead the way as usual, although I was surprised when he headed down the driveway and not toward the barn as he usually went, but I let him go.

  He continued to trot ahead of me, chasing the occasion snowflake, bounding back to me barking, or running around me in circles, wanting to play. I would scoop up some of the melting snow into a ball and throw it, chuckling when he would chase after it and, of course, not find anything and come
charging back wanting another one tossed. The memory of Rabbit’s snowball deluge flowed through my head and I smiled, thinking of her that day. How she turned my bad mood into one of laughter with her teasing and playing. How her eyes had looked at me so tenderly while we made love in the snow and how she felt wrapped around me. Again, the pain of loss that accompanied the memory made me pause, and I realized Bear had rounded the corner in front of me. I could hear him in the snow, barking and digging. I hurried forward hoping he hadn’t come across some small woodland creature and was scaring it to death while trying to play with it.

  Rounding the bend, I saw him digging and pulling on something in the snow. “Bear, stop!” I commanded. He ceased his digging but continued his barking at whatever was in front of him.

  Fuck. Probably a real rabbit or a fox.

  I didn’t want them hurt and in case it was something else, I didn’t want Bear attacked either. I yelled for him to heel and he lowered his head, picked something up and reluctantly he came back to my side. I could hear the whines in the back of his throat as he obediently approached me and saw something dark and lifeless hanging from his mouth. I cursed silently. He had gotten something. He sat down on his haunches in front of me. “Drop it,” I said firmly, dreading what I was about to look at.

  He leaned his head down and deposited whatever he was carrying on the snow and sat back up. I crouched down and realized it wasn’t an animal, but an odd ball of material. I picked it up and examined the item. Unwinding it, I realized it was a scarf. A woman’s scarf. I looked up to where Bear had been digging. It was by the tree where Rabbit’s car had hit that night. I could see something dark still sticking out of the snow. My heart started pounding rapidly. Pointing, I looked down at Bear. “Fetch.”