Blood in the Marsh

by Ciana Stone

  Michael stared at her for a moment. Lyra was never what he expected. Sometimes she was like a timid child, afraid of everything and everyone, so unsure and shy. Other times she was like an old person trapped in a young body. And all times she was so beautiful and compelling. He was surprised some man hadn’t married her. He hoped Nick would not be the man to do just that.

  He had no desire to think about Nick. That only brought conflicting emotions he didn’t want to deal with. Nick would be back soon enough and there would be no more time for him to spend with Lyra.

  His eyes brightened as he had an idea. “How would you like to go visit my uncle? It’ll get you out of the house and you’ll be safe there.”

  “I’d love to.”

  “Great. Let me see if I can coax Chelsey out of the bedroom.”

  It took a little persuading but finally Michael talked Chelsey into going. They all got in Michael’s car and drove out to the farm. When they pulled up in front of the house, Michael blew the horn and got out.

  Lyra and Chelsey got out of the car as an older man, dressed in overalls and a short-sleeved, striped shirt walked out onto the front porch. His face lit with a smile as he saw Michael.

  They followed Michael to the porch as he bounded up the steps and gave his uncle a hug. “Uncle Miquel, I brought some friends to visit. If that’s okay?”

  Miguellooked at Lyra and Chelsey and smiled. “Sure, it’s okay. It’s still your home. And who are these pretty girls?”

  Chelsey and Lyra looked at one another and Lyra stepped forward. “Hi, Mr. Santera. I’m Lyra Seville and this is my friend, Chelsey Quarterman. It’s nice to meet you.”

  “You too,” he replied and turned to Michael. “How’d a clod like you end up with two pretty women on a fine afternoon?”

  “Well…Lyra and Chelsey are…”

  “Are what?”

  Lyra walked up the steps and stopped in front of him. “We’re in trouble, Mr. Santera, and Michael’s trying to help us. Some men grabbed us and one of our friends the other night. They raped and killed her but I got away. Then they tried to kill Chelsey and me when we were out sailing.”

  She paused and looked at Michael. “Maybe this isn’t such a good idea. Maybe we should leave. I don’t want to bring any trouble here.”

  Miguel reached out and stopped her as she started to turn away. “Hold on, Ms. Seville. You don’t have to worry about that. Nobody’s gonna hurt you while you’re on my land. You stay here as long as you want.”

  She smiled gratefully at him. “Now I know where Michael got his big heart and compassion.”

  Miguel smiled at her. “He got that from his mother’s side of the family.”

  Lyra chuckled and looked around. “Well, you sure have a nice place here. Would it be okay if I looked around? I’ve never been on a farm before. How about you, Chels?”

  Chelsey shook her head. “I think I’d rather just take a nap or watch TV or something. I’m not much into nature.”

  Miguel opened the door. “Well, I was just gonna have a beer and a sandwich. Want to join me?”

  “Sure,” Chelsey agreed and walked inside.

  Miguel looked at Michael. “How ‘bout you?”

  “I think I’ll give Lyra the guided tour. We’ll be back in a little while.”

  Miguel pulled a set of keys from his pocket. “Here, give her a real thrill and let her drive the tractor.”

  Michael grinned and started down the steps. Lyra smiled at his uncle. “Thank you.”

  He nodded and watched them walk around the side of the house then opened the door for Chelsey. “So, you like roast beef or ham on your sandwich Miss Quarterman?”

  Lyra was quiet as Michael took her through one of the pastures, past the barn and toward the orchard. She looked at everything with curiosity but didn’t speak.

  They walked out into the orchard and she looked up at the fruit laden trees. “Can I pick one?”

  “Sure.”

  She reached up and plucked a peach from a low-hanging branch and wiped it off on her shirt then smelled it. “Smells good.”

  She took a bite and wiped at the juice that ran down her face. “Ummm, good. Have a bite.”

  Holding the peach up, she offered it to him. He took a bite and she smiled and wiped juice off his chin then stuck her finger in her mouth. “Does your uncle just grow peaches?”

  “No, this isn’t his cash crop. He’s got about three hundred acres. He grows soybeans and raises cattle. And his own garden, of course.”

  She nodded and gave him another bite of peach then wandered back through the orchard. After a few minutes Michael reached out and touched her arm. “Come on, I want to show you something.”

  He led her to the barn where his uncle’s mare was in the stable with her new colt. The colt was only a couple of days old and still had a gangly, spindly-legged look.

  Lyra was delighted. “Can I touch him?”

  “Sure.”

  She opened the gate of the stall and stepped inside. The mare regarded her calmly and Lyra reached over to stroke her graceful neck. “What a beautiful son you have here, pretty lady.”

  The colt looked at her as she reached for him. “I won’t hurt you,” she whispered as she touched him on the nose. He stood still and let her rub his head and run her hand down his neck and back.

  Michael leaned against the rail of the stall and watched her as she talked softly to the horses, stroking one then the other. She looked up and saw him watching. “Thank you. They’re very beautiful.”

  He extended his hand to her. “Have you ever climbed into a hay loft?”

  “No.” She took his hand.

  Michael laughed and pulled her along to a ladder that stretched up to the loft at one end of the barn. Lyra followed him up the ladder. “I thought you said this was a hay loft? Where’s the hay?”

  “Miguel hasn’t used it for hay in a long time. Now he just stores things up here.”

  Lyra walked over to look out of the door that opened at the end. From the loft she could see out over the pasture to the woods that bordered it. “It must have been nice being able to spend time here. It’s so peaceful and it feels so safe, like nothing could ever hurt you or make you feel bad.”

  Michael moved to stand beside her. “Yeah, I guess it was pretty special. I played up here a lot when I was a kid, and over there in those woods. Our property joins old man Black’s and when I was young I used to build forts in the woods on his property. He’d always find them and make a big noise about how he was going to tear them down.”

  “Did he?”

  “No. He was more bark than bite.”

  Lyra turned and leaned against the doorframe. “Will you show me?”

  “What?”

  “Where you built the forts?”

  “Sure, but first…” He pulled the key to the tractor from his pocket and dangled them in front of him. “Miguel’s pride and joy. Not just anyone gets offered the chance to drive it.”

  Lyra laughed happily. Michael suddenly realized he had never seen her so at ease and relaxed. The strain was gone from around her eyes and they sparkled, the gold color seeming brighter and clearer. He was attracted to her the first time he saw her, but at that moment, he thought she was the most stunning woman he had ever seen.

  He forced his thoughts away from that and started down the ladder. Lyra climbed down after him and they ran to the shed where the farm equipment was stored. Michael threw open the double doors and waved his hand in front of him with a mock bow.

  “Your chariot, my lady.”

  Lyra looked at the big tractor then looked at Michael with raised eyebrows. “I’m going to drive that? You could knock down houses with that thing.”

  “Well, fortunately we have a big pasture. There’s nothing to run into so I don’t think we’ll have any problems. Come on!”

  He climbed in the tractor and sat down then took Lyra’s hand and pulled her up on the seat in front of him. “Okay, here’s the key,” he sa
id as he reached around her to put the key in the ignition.

  Lyra became aware of his body pressed against hers and how strong and firm he felt against her back. She looked at his arm as he reached around her with the key. She saw the muscles in his forearm and his powerful-looking hands. It wasn’t the first time she had noticed how big and muscular he was. In fact, it was becoming very difficult not to notice him. Until she met him, Lucius was the only man she had ever known that while so big and strong could be so gentle.

  He showed her how to start the tractor and put it in gear and they started moving. Lyra was a little nervous at first but after a few minutes she got over it and increased their speed. They circled the pasture and turned circles for a few minutes then drove to the edge of the pasture and stopped.

  Lyra stared silently at the woodland beyond the fence. After a minute or so, Michael looked over her shoulder at her and she turned her head toward him. Their faces were inches apart and he could feel her breath on his face. She smelled of peach and some sweeter scent all her own. Her golden eyes looked into his and he felt a jolt of excitement and desire shoot through him.

  God, why does she have to be involved with Nick? He wished she weren’t. As much as he wanted to, he couldn’t move in on someone Nick cared for. Not just because of their friendship, but because of his own personal code of honor. However, he certainly wouldn’t hesitate if she decided Nick wasn’t for her.

  stared into his eyes, and found herself wondering about him, about the places he’d been and the things he’d seen. She wondered how he had become the person he was, so kind and gentle and compassionate. She thought he was a very handsome man. He looked like a sleek jungle cat, ready to spring into action in a split second.

  Michael excited her—in a way nothing ever had, even Nick. Nick made her feel as if she were standing too close to a fire, taking a thrill in the chance of being burned. He was compelling, but something about him made her feel unsafe.

  Michael was different. When she looked into his eyes she didn’t see mystery and a barely held–in-check energy that waited to erupt. Instead, she seemed to see a sadness, as if beneath the smiles he carried some old pain. She longed to soothe whatever the pain, to replace the sadness with joy. It made no sense but she wanted so badly to make him smile and feel loved.

  Michael tore his eyes away from hers. He knew that if she kept looking at him like she could see into his soul, she was going to find out that he was more than a little attracted to her.

  She hopped off the tractor and looked up at him with her hand extended. “You said you’d show me where you built your forts.”

  Michael jumped down and took her hand. “Lyra, I’d like to, but I don’t know if that’s a good idea right now.”

  “Why?”

  “Just trust me, okay?”

  “I do trust you. Can’t you please trust me, too?”

  Michael looked at her for a moment, then against his better judgment nodded. “Come on.”

  He helped her across the fence and they walked a couple hundred feet into the woods. A small stream ran lazily by and he sat down on its bank. Lyra sat down beside him and waited for him to speak.

  “I used to come here whenever I needed to be alone and think,” he said softly. “Haven’t been here in a while.”

  “Is something bothering you, Michael?”

  He looked over at her and leaned back on one elbow. “Nick said you had a master’s degree and were going back this fall to start on your doctorate.”

  “Yes.”

  “What area?”

  She made a little face. “I’m going for my doctorate in parapsychology.”

  “Really? I don’t think I’ve ever met a parapsychologist before. What made you want to get into that?”

  “Oh, I don’t know.” She lay back on her side with her head propped on her hand. “I guess it had a lot to do with Lucius and…and a lot of things, like having déjà vu feelings all though my life like I had been places and seen things before. Also, I guess I was influenced by all the old stories about the island.”

  “You mean you were one of those kids who were fascinated with ghost stories and vampires and stuff?”

  “I guess so. When I was very little we had a housekeeper who grew up on the island. She knew many of the old stories and would tell them to me. I used to lie awake at night and try to imagine what it would feel like to be a ghost. Then I met Lucius when I was four and he introduced me to magic. I can still remember how wondrous it would be when he’d do a trick for me. I’d spend days trying to figure out how the trick worked.”

  “And did you?”

  “Sometimes.” She chuckled. “Usually I’d have to go back and ask him to show me. As time passed and he showed me his illusions, I began to think that maybe all the ghost stories and strange things people thought they saw were nothing more than complicated illusions. By the time I entered college I knew I wanted to try to find out.”

  “And so here you are, a parapsychologist. Have you ever investigated anything paranormal?”

  “A couple of times, during grad school. Once we went to a little town in South Carolina where a family was murdered. Family and neighbors swore the house was haunted and that weird things kept happening. They couldn’t keep the house rented because of the occurrences. I went with one of the professors and another grad student and we spent a couple of days in the house.”

  “Did you see or hear anything ghostly?”

  “Nothing except a couple of bats in the attic and a squirrel that had built a nest in the chimney.”

  “Were you afraid?”

  “No.” She looked at him in surprise. “Why?”

  “Just thought maybe you’d be kind of spooked or something, afraid of the unknown and all that.”

  “No. I guess I’m too pragmatic. I have to see it to believe it. Besides, I’ve always kind of hoped I would see some genuine psychic or paranormal event. That way I’d know if such things really were possible—you know, something aside from the old ESP routine and such.”

  Michael sat up and propped his arms on his knees. “So, tell me. In your studies, did you read up on things like the occult?”

  “Sure.” She rolled over on her back and stared up through the branches of the old oak that towered above them. “Why?”

  Michael didn’t reply. He was thinking of the pictures he’d taken of the circles and the mutilated animals.

  Lyra looked over at him and sat up. “What is it?”

  Michael reached over and absently began pulling a few stray leaves out of her hair. “I saw some strange things a couple of weeks ago. Circles drawn on the ground with symbols in them. And mutilated animals.”

  Lyra was intrigued. “What kind of symbols?”

  “I can’t describe them but I took pictures. They’re in my desk at work.”

  “And you think this is the work of some kind of cult?”

  “Something like that. But there’s been no talk of anything like that and I’m just not sure what or who I’m dealing with. And there’re other things.”

  “Like what?”

  Michael looked at her for a moment before answering. “Like too many missing girls.”

  Lyra’s eyes widened.. “Michael, maybe I can help you. I’ve done a lot of reading about various cults and secret societies. If you show me the pictures maybe I’ll recognize something.”

  “They’re at the office. Maybe we’ll stop by on the way back and pick them up.”

  “Okay.”

  They were both quiet for a few minutes. Lyra stood and walked over to where a big clump of honeysuckle grew around the base of a small pine tree. Michael followed her and plucked one of the blossoms from the vine. Pulling the blossom free from its base, he held it out to her. “Ever tasted honeysuckle?”

  “No.”

  “Try it.”

  She let him put the tip of the blossom in her mouth. “It’s sweet!”

  Michael smiled and pulled another one free and she did the same. She
offered hers to him and giggled as he pretended he was going to bite her fingers.

  He sucked the juice from the bloom and she let the blossom fall then sucked her fingers. Michael pulled one more and stuck it in her hair. It fell and they both grabbed for it at the same time. Their hands brushed together as Michael caught the blossom.

  His hand touched hers then moved to gently cup the side of her face. She stared up at him silently and for a moment they were locked in one another’s eyes.

  Michael broke the contact, uncomfortable at the feelings churning inside him. He tossed the blossom down and attempted a smile. “Ready to get back to the house?”

  “I guess, if you are.”

  He turned and she reached out and touched his arm. “Michael?”

  “Yeah?” He stopped and looked at her.

  “I just wanted to thank you. For all you’ve done—and for today. I like being here and I’m glad I’m getting to know you better. I don’t feel so…”

  “Uncomfortable?”

  She shook her head and flushed slightly. “Yes, I guess so. But I still can’t forget that…well, I mean no one’s ever seen me…Oh! I wish I could just forget that you were there in the hospital. It’s not exactly something I feel…I mean do you think it’s possible we could just forget that happened? “

  “I don’t know. Do you?”

  “No. But I don’t want it to get in the way, either. I just don’t know how to deal with it.”

  Without thinking about anything except comforting her, Michael pulled her to him and hugged her. “I know. It’s not exactly something you want anyone else to be a part of and I’m sorry. But if it wasn’t me it would have been someone else.”

  She laid her face against his chest and closed her eyes, wanting to get lost in the feeling. Being in Michael’s arms was like being home. It surprised her that she would even label it as such, but she was certain that’s what the feeling was.

  She could feel his heartbeat against her skin and the heat from his body against hers. It was a feeling unlike any she had felt before, as if she was exactly where she belonged. If only she could just let go and enjoy it. But there was Nick. She hadn’t had enough relationships to know if what she felt for Michael was wrong, but she didn’t think it would be fair to Nick to allow herself to have such feelings for Michael without telling him first.