Hidden Entity

by Wendy Meadows

  “Is something really going on, or is this just a late Halloween prank?” Grace Mitchell padded down the hallway toward Brenda and the distraught Lauren.

  “Not a prank. Something has happened, Grace,” Brenda said. “I want everyone to go back to their rooms and stay there. Lock your doors and wait until we can talk with each of you.”

  All guests who ventured again from their rooms readily obeyed her orders, looking somewhat shocked. They all realized no Halloween prank was involved and sobered at the thought.

  “It’s not good, Karina,” Grace said with worry weighing down her voice. She closed the door of their room behind her and quickly locked it. “I think something awful has happened. Everything seems to be coming from the area of the Meyers’ room.”

  Karina shivered. “Are you sure it isn’t more of Fright Night?”

  “I’m sure. I heard Mac talk to someone on the phone and ask for backup. If a crime has been committed, we must be careful. Whoever committed it may very well still be in the building.”

  “I wish we could see what is going on,” Karina said. “That scream was horrible. I guess something really did happen.” She crept to the door and checked the latch again. “Let’s just stay low for now. With police around, I think we’re as safe as we can be.”

  “I agree, Karina. Whoever did something likely didn’t stick around anyway. I think he is long gone by now.”

  Officer Sims arrived not long after and hurried down the hallway to the scene of the crime. Brenda told her Lauren needed to change into clean clothing since her pajamas would be evidence. “I’ll get sweats for her from her closet and she can change downstairs.” She drew Natalie aside. “Make sure you take photos of every part of her body, especially her hands. Bag her clothing, please. We need any DNA we can get. I’ll meet you both in the sitting room in about fifteen minutes.” They retrieved clothing for Lauren, and Natalie escorted the shaken woman down the staircase to change and take care of the evidence photography.

  Brenda rejoined her husband. She was shocked at the scene to see the body that appeared ripped apart on the bed. “This was a brutal one, Brenda,” Mac said. “So far, I doubt we’ll find new fingerprints, but it will be a while before we’re through in here. The coroner is on his way.”

  Brenda told Mac of her instructions to Officer Sims. “It is early enough that signs of a struggle or similar actions will be visible on Lauren.” Brenda and Mac focused on examining the room for any additional clues, not convinced they would find much.

  Downstairs in the office, once Lauren was in clean clothing again, Officer Sims began to gently prod her on events that had taken place. She had not asked about her husband yet. It was something Officer Sims made a mental note of. She decided to be blunt.

  “How did you know Ryan was dead?”

  A blank stare crossed Lauren’s face. A few seconds later, she answered. “I saw it happen. I know who did this. He meant to kill me, not Ryan.”

  “How do you know this?”

  “It’s been years, but I’ve never forgotten that man.”

  Officer Sims offered her hot tea from the beverage nook and she accepted. The officer went to fetch the tea and reflected on this new development. Natalie knew the woman’s answers were something she should wait for Brenda to delve into, but her instructions had been to get information. If Lauren Meyers was willing to talk, then Natalie decided to go forward with it.

  “Is this other man a guest here?”

  Lauren’s short laugh was sharp. “The only place he’s been a guest is a mental hospital. Ever since I was fourteen. I’m twenty-six now. Twelve years may seem like a long time, but no amount of years will be long enough for him.”

  Officer Sims breathed a deep sigh of relief when she saw Brenda enter the sitting room. She met her, and they stood in the doorway. They talked in low tones while shooting glances at Lauren. She twisted her fingers and then wiped the moisture that accumulated onto her sweatpants. Officer Sims related the conversation.

  “Of course, she is in shock. I haven’t gotten much from her other than what I’ve told you.”

  Brenda asked Natalie to remain in the room. She sat down across from Lauren.

  “Officer Sims tells me you told her that whoever did this is in a mental institution. How do you know he was the one in your room? Are you sure?” Lauren nodded vigorously. “How could he have gotten out of a hospital?”

  In short gasps, Lauren insisted he must have escaped. She began to sob. “I know it was him. I know it was. It was dark, but I saw him.”

  Brenda wasn’t so sure. “How did you recognize him?”

  Lauren bent her head, hiding her tears behind one hand. “I just knew. I saw the form and not the face of the person, but I knew. No one forgets the shape of a murderer.”

  5

  Brenda didn’t know what to think. Above all, who was the mysterious man Lauren alluded to? No amount of prying produced a name, due to Lauren’s shock or grief or some combination of fear and confusion. Brenda spent an hour with the wife of the murdered victim. Much of that time was spent listening to the sobs that didn’t stop. Brenda asked her once again who she thought killed her husband.

  “I am terrified. You must understand why I can’t give you his name. He’ll come back for me and succeed next time.” Lauren buried her head into her hands and shook her head. When she sat up straight, her face was pale as a china doll’s. “He’s hated me for a long time. I saw what he did once and now he is back. He should be in a prison with guards to make sure he doesn’t escape. He got away. And now, I’ve lost Ryan because of him.” Sobs racked her body.

  When Brenda worriedly suggested that perhaps Lauren needed to go to a hospital to take some medication to calm down, Lauren sat bolt upright and looked terrified. “No. He could be there waiting for me.” After a while longer, she calmed down, at least enough to provide a few more details. “It was horrible. He kept stabbing and stabbing. He’s a madman but he knew what he was doing.”

  “Try to take deep breaths, Lauren. We can get moving faster if we know who we are looking for.”

  It was as if Lauren didn’t hear her words. Her mind was pummeled with the swift actions of the man who killed the love of her life. Seth Hill’s mother swiped Seth from her, and now the intruder did the same by taking Ryan’s life. She had nothing left to live for. She felt Brenda’s hand on her hand.

  “I’m never going to be safe again,” Lauren said. “He will always manage to find me until he finally takes me, too.”

  Lauren sank back onto the sofa and closed her eyes. She wished she had told Ryan about her fears. She wished she had told him the whole story before they went to bed, just as he had begged her. He would have done something to bar the door, so they could get a restful sleep. Now she would never bring him breakfast in bed, never see his handsome face sleeping, never feel his love again. She would only see his form, gasping and sputtering, bloody in the darkness under the knife of a murderer.

  Lauren had considered telling Ryan everything before they were married. She lost courage, and then decided after six months of marriage she would wait to know him better and learn more about how he might react. Those months passed and turned into years and she still held back, reluctant to break the spell. Perhaps, she often reasoned, if she ignored it, the entire thing would go away. But how wrong she had been. The facts hounded her mind and made tears streak down her face anew.

  “If I had only told Ryan everything, he would still have loved me, don’t you think so, Brenda? He would have kept me safe. He would.”

  Brenda assured her that Ryan seemed like an understanding man. However, Lauren would not explain what she thought threatened her husband’s love for her. Brenda again tried to convince Lauren to tell her the story she failed to relate to Ryan. Her only response was how afraid she was.

  It was three in the morning, and officers had been assigned to every outside entry into Sheffield Bed and Breakfast. Brenda failed to get more information from the distraught
Lauren Meyers. Officer Sims was joined by Officer Swenson and they sat with Lauren. They were aware the killer remained on the loose. Natalie offered the woman another cup of hot tea while they waited.

  “I just want to sleep and forget it all,” Lauren said. She left the paisley chair and sat on the edge of the sofa.

  “I’m sure if you want to rest, it will be fine.”

  Almost at once, Lauren laid down and fell into a deep sleep. Natalie took the opportunity to take note of her skin. There were no abrasions or indications of any kind that led Natalie to believe Lauren had experienced any kind of a struggle. The only evidence of possible involvement were Ryan’s blood stains on one side of her gown, which was now bagged and labeled carefully as evidence.

  Upstairs, Brenda stood next to her husband until the coroner finished his job at the bedside. “Multiple stab wounds to strategic places on the body. His death was quick.” He motioned for his assistants to move the body to the stretcher and carry it to the van so it could be taken to the morgue.

  “I’m not sure how,” Mac said, “but it could be his wife who committed this crime. I think she threw things around in here earlier without Ryan knowing it and then pretended it was an intruder. She is the only possible one right now.”

  Brenda wasn’t so sure, but she understood why her husband considered the possibility. No one else had entered the room, according to lack of evidence so far, and the dead person’s spouse was almost always the first suspect to be evaluated. She recalled Officer Sims’s conversation.

  Brenda shook her head slowly. “It may be misdirection, but Lauren told Natalie she knows who did it.” Brenda told Mac about the interview in the sitting room. “I can’t figure out how anyone could have gained access to a guest room. I suppose we should find out everything we can from the hospital about a possible escapee. Lauren did mention the name of the hospital. It’s Rocky Mountain Medical Institution, located a few miles from Denver.”

  “She could be pinning it on someone like that, but those mental hospitals take precautions. Did she give an explanation for how someone could have escaped without being missed?”

  “No, she didn’t. She clammed up and wouldn’t tell me anything else. Natalie didn’t get anything from her either.”

  “We should think about how someone could even get in the building without being seen. We know the building was locked up tight at night. Perhaps with the crowds here during the celebration someone could have possibly slipped in and hidden in the building. But how did anyone get in during the time earlier when the room was ransacked?”

  “That wouldn’t have been that hard. Allie had left and the rest of us were at dinner. It’s true the main door in front was locked during that time. Pierre didn’t see anyone unusual come through the back door, but he and his helpers were busy with dinner, too. It is possible someone slipped up the back stairs.”

  Mac had to agree with her points. He knew the best person on the force to handle research and discover the impossible was his son-in-law, who he allowed to be off during the nightshifts until his and Jenny’s baby arrived. Bryce had left to check on his wife. Detective Bryce Jones could do his research work from home. Mac called him and updated him on events. Bryce was anxious to start working. He missed working cases in the middle of the night, but he loved Jenny so much that the thought of leaving her alone now didn’t enter his mind. He retrieved his laptop and began the investigation into a possible escapee from the mental hospital in Colorado. He would make phone calls from his nook at the end of the hall where he could hear Jenny and work at the same time.

  When Mac ended his call to Bryce, Brenda told him she was going to explore the hallway and find out what was behind the walls. “We can interview all the guests right after breakfast. I’m sure they’ve gone back to bed by now.” She felt for the small flashlight in the pocket of her sweats.

  Mac produced a half grin. “You can believe someone is behind those walls if you wish, Brenda, but I don’t think you’ll find anything more than a few squirrels.” When he saw the defiance in his wife’s eyes, he relented. “Maybe you did hear a person, but the question is, how could anyone actually hide behind walls that have no entries?” The detective also considered that if his wife was correct, the person would be long gone by now. He shook his head to clear thoughts of the impossible scenario.

  Brenda ignored him. She found the secluded end of the hallway where she had heard sounds during her tours and tapped along the wall. Reality told her she rapped on a solid wall, but there was also the fact she heard not only scratching, but a distinct cough. Deep into her thoughts, she kept pressing and rapping along the wall, listening for sounds. Suddenly, she jerked back when the solid wall gave way. She pushed gently, and it slid open with the soft sound of a creaking hinge on the other side. Her heart beat faster. She considered going back for assistance until she realized if the murderer had been someone hiding out behind walls, he surely had escaped by now. No criminal hangs around a gruesome murder scene like this one, she thought.

  She stepped into the musty, dark space behind the panel that opened, trying to figure out how big it was. She stumbled forward when she didn’t encounter a wall and was startled when the door suddenly snapped closed behind her. Her thumb felt for the switch and her flashlight beamed a soft light. Brenda was thrilled and shocked that she didn’t know of this hidden, narrow passageway. If she had, it certainly would have been featured on the Halloween tour.

  There was just enough room for one person to walk through the narrow space at a time. It seemed to lead between two walls, and she realized she was moving parallel to the main second-floor corridor, toward the rear of the building. There must be a concealed, narrow stairway leading down just ahead, though she couldn’t see it yet.

  Her mind racing, she started guessing where else this passage might possibly lead, and then she had a flash of insight. The stone seawall that bordered the beach along the Sheffield House property climbed up the lawns all the way to the back corner of the building, where it transitioned into a charming part of the rock-bordered garden. The gardens were tidy and well-known to her groundskeepers, but there were several places in the larger wall itself where the stones were too large to be moved—surely the passageway must come out somewhere among those tumble-down stones. There were several places where the stones were easily tall enough to hide a door or a narrow entryway, she guessed.

  A dank odor laced with faint humidity hit her face. Brenda sniffed briefly and picked up a stale cigarette scent. Brenda walked along slowly while she cursed herself for not figuring out the existence of the passageway earlier. She hoped to find the stairwell and then pick up the scent of soothing salt air at any moment. It was only a matter of time before she would finally find the outlet.

  The bent figure leapt in front of her as if he emerged from the dank stone wall itself. Brenda dropped her flashlight in shock, and it spun wildly, coming to a rest on the floor. The beam was now pointed only indirectly at the man, who she tried to look in the eye. “Hello?” Her heart raced. He did not answer her. His eyes were dark and wild-looking. He shifted back and forth in a nervous feinting movement. The thought was ludicrous, but he did remind her of a stray cat that used to shuffle in a similar way on the fence in her backyard during her childhood in Michigan.

  A growl and then a suppressed cough escaped the figure’s mouth. It matched what she heard during the tour. Thoughts of her own safety raced through her mind. Only Mac knew she had gone to explore, but he had no idea that the wall opened into a passageway. She was on her own with the menacing creature in front of her.

  Brenda’s hostess mode took over and she worried about the bedraggled, ill-looking man in front of her. “May I help you in some way?” She tried not to shudder when she saw the knife handle partially sticking out from his pocket in the dim gloom.

  Her question was answered with a sneer. His teeth bared, and she noticed his clenched fists. A fleeting observation of something dark on his knuckles disturbed her—bl
ood? Or something more innocent, like mud? She stored it away for later.

  “You think I owe you something? Ha. You wouldn’t be the first person to invade my privacy. I kill anyone who tries,” he said. His tone snarled.

  “I apologize for intruding,” she said. Brenda nervously glanced down at the flashlight, wondering if it was heavy enough to act as a weapon, if she could grab it.

  “Leave the flashlight,” he sneered. “I’ve been in here for days and even on a bright day I can see like a cat in the dark, so don’t think you can make any clever moves.”

  Moisture slicked her palms. “I’ll leave you alone and won’t bother you again.” She didn’t want to turn her back on him. His demeanor sent the message that he wasn’t going to relent. Not giving up completely, she asked him another question as she shuffled backward carefully. “Where does this hallway end? I was hoping to get a whiff of the ocean air soon.”

  His facial expression told her his anger was increasing the longer she stuck around. She turned to go and jerked backward when he burst forward and grasped his strong hand on her shoulder. His clutch clenched tightly enough to cause bruising and she gasped in pain.

  “You can stay here as long as you want to. I won’t tell anyone you are here,” Brenda tried to bargain.

  “That depends on who you are,” his voice rasped. “I heard those crazy people last night call someone Brenda. Is that you?” She nodded frantically. “Then you must be someone important. In that case, I’m not so sure I can let you off that easily.”

  Brenda had to quickly decide on her response. If he knew she owned the bed and breakfast, would that reassure him she was sincere when giving permission for him to stay behind the wall? She had to chance it.