Dreams~Shadows of the Night

by Olivia Claire High

  Jenny had become so tense that Douglas gave her arm a comforting squeeze in an effort to help her relax.

  “I told you this might not be a good idea. Do you want to stop?”

  “We’ve come too far to turn back now. I’m uptight, but it’s not just about Marie.”

  “What else is troubling you, then?”

  “Have you noticed how that one guard keeps staring at me? He makes my skin crawl.” She shuddered and rubbed her arms.

  Douglas looked toward the man and scowled.

  “I’ll go talk to him.”

  He started to get up, but she put a hand on his arm to stop him.

  “Better not. I don’t want you to antagonize him.”

  He gave an indignant sniff.

  “I don’t give a damn if I do ruffle his feathers. I’m paying him to protect us, not use you as a sideshow.”

  “Is it much longer before we get to the town where we’re meeting those people?”

  He looked at his watch.

  “About another hour.”

  “I’ll just ignore him until then.” She turned away, so her back was facing the gawking man. “Do you think the man we’re going to see is Josh Dallas?”

  “I know how much you want it to be him and so do I, but you must realize the chances are pretty slim. I hate to see you get your hopes up only to be disappointed.”

  “You have the fax from that missionary couple.”

  “Yes, but you know as well as I do it didn’t elaborate. That’s why I didn’t want to say anything to Josh’s family. All we know is that some guy who might have been in the area around the same time has been making inquiries. I thought as long as we were going near the town, we may as well talk to him, but you’ve got to prepare yourself for . . .”

  She held up her hand.

  “I know, but please let me have my fantasy while I can.”

  >>>>dreams<<<<

  Douglas spotted the couple he assumed were the Daniels sitting in the reception area of the hotel where they’d arranged to meet.

  “Reverend and Mrs. Daniels?”

  They nodded and stood up.

  “I’m Douglas Marsh and this is Jenny Rabb.”

  They shook hands.

  Douglas looked around him.

  “Where is the man we’re supposed to meet?”

  Raymond pointed to a couple of chairs.

  “Please?” He waited until they’d settled. “We thought it best if Paul waited in his room until we had a chance to talk to you first.”

  Jenny stared at him.

  “Did you say his name was Paul? Then he couldn’t be the one who was with my daughter.” Disappointment made her droop against the cushions.

  “He could be. We call him Paul because we don’t know his true identity.”

  A young boy arrived with a tray carrying a large pitcher of fruit juice and four glasses. Douglas waited impatiently while he poured and they were alone again.

  “Look, I don’t mean to sound rude, but we’ve come a long way to engage in a game of riddles.”

  “It is a riddle, but not a game, I assure you. If you’ll bear with us, my wife and I have a rather unusual story to tell you. When we’re finished we’ll take you to see our friend and pray this will result in a happy ending for all concerned.”

  The Daniels took turns relating how they’d found Josh that rainy night at the foot of their stairs. They told of his long recovery from the illness that had very nearly taken his life. When they mentioned his memory loss Douglas and Jenny gasped in unison.

  “You mean he’s still suffering from amnesia?” Jenny asked in disbelief.

  “Yes, and I feel compelled to tell you he’s still very fragile – both physically and emotionally. So I beg you to please be careful with him,” Hannah pleaded.

  Raymond patted her hand.

  “We feel very protective toward Paul. We’ve done what we can for him, but the effects of these jungle fevers sometimes linger for years.”

  Douglas nodded.

  “The poor devil. I assure you neither Jenny nor I wish to hurt the young man in any way, especially considering what he’s already gone through.”

  >>>>dreams<<<<

  Josh paced the room. The fact that there were people coming here who might hold the key to his identity made it impossible for him to relax. He hitched up the khakis that slid low on his narrow hips and tugged at the shirt that hung loosely on his lean frame. Although he had gained back some weight, he was still much too thin for his height.

  He stopped pacing and whirled to face the door when he heard a knock. He stared at it half in fear and half in anticipation, sweat beading his brow.

  “Paul? It’s Hannah.”

  His heart pounded and his hands shook, as he fumbled with the lock. She slipped inside and closed the door quickly behind her. She studied his taut features in silence.

  “Did the people show up?” he asked, his chest heaving with agitation.

  “Yes.” She continued to watch him. “Perhaps they should come back later when you’re more rested. The trip has obviously tired you out. Surely they’ll understand.”

  He gave his head a vigorous shake. “No. I need to get this over with.”

  His voice throbbed with distress.

  “Please Hannah, there’s no point in waiting any longer.”

  “All right Paul, but remember Raymond and I are here if you need us.” She gave him one last worried glance and opened the door to the others.

  Jenny was the first to enter the room. Josh stared at her for several seconds before staggering backwards. All color drained from his face and his eyes opened very wide before he suddenly cried out.

  “Marie!” He gasped. “My God, I thought you were dead!”

  >>>>dreams<<<<

  Seeing Jenny and her likeness to Marie had set off a chain of events inside Josh’s brain. Facts burst inside his head making him savor each bit of information. He sat now meticulously assembling the pieces of the puzzle that had eluded him for so long.

  His first thought was to rush home to Catherine and his family until Jenny asked if he would accompany them to the site of the base camp. He agreed for Marie’s sake. He bid the Daniels an emotional farewell before boarding the boat Douglas had hired.

  As soon as they docked the next morning Douglas started looking for the man who had bothered Jenny. Not finding him, he went to the guide who spoke English.

  “Where’s the other man?” he demanded.

  “I sent him to check the surrounding area.”

  “Good. It’s about time he does something I’m paying him for,” he grumbled then walked over to where Josh and Jenny were standing staring at the ground.

  She pointed, eyes glistening with tears. “This is the spot where her tent was.”

  He put his arm around her, offering his support, while simultaneously sharing her sorrow.

  She gripped a metal box in her hands. “This is some of Marie’s favorite potpourri and a cross from her first communion. I thought it would help me to bury something here that belonged to her.”

  Douglas pulled out his wallet and withdrew a snapshot. He showed it to Jenny.

  “It’s the only photo I ever had of Marie and me together. May I add it to your things?”

  She gave him a watery smile.

  “You’re letting her go.”

  Feeling that he was intruding, Josh stepped back.

  “I’ll go help set up camp.”

  Jenny leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you for coming here with us, and thank you for being Marie’s friend. It helps knowing she wasn’t alone at the end.”

  Josh had told her as much as he dared about Marie’s last days, carefully leaving out the details of Orlando’s abuse. But Douglas had taken him aside later, sensing there was more to his story. Josh wanted to spare him as well, but Douglas insisted on knowing everything. By the time he’d finished, Douglas cursed Orlando in a fit of helpless rage.

  The group left Douglas and Je
nny on their own, so they could have their private little burial service. Once camp was set up, the evening meal prepared and eaten, they retired to their tents, while the men Douglas hired opted to sleep on the boat.

  Josh had trouble going to sleep and when he did finally drop off he ended up becoming enmeshed in a sweat drenching nightmare. He couldn’t deny being grateful that Jenny had helped him remember who he was. But remembering had also opened up his mind to the trauma of his captivity making him relive the experience in vivid detail.

  He knew he wasn’t strong in many ways and needed to get home before he really cracked up. He lay fighting off the dregs of the nightmare while trying to ignore the sensation that the walls of the tent were moving in to wrap around him like a mummy.

  A muffled noise startled him. He jackknifed into a sitting position and listened with an intensity honed from fear. The noise was there again. He fumbled around in the darkness for his flashlight while a hot ball of panic formed in his gut. Hoping it was one of the guards, he crept to the front of the tent and opened the flap with clumsy fingers. He stuck his head out and was immediately greeted with the cold steel of a rifle barrel pressed against his forehead.

  Chapter Eleven

  Faint rays of dawn slowly slipped through the jungle canopy, as Josh’s assailant motioned for him to stand up. It was difficult to see his face in the shadowy light, but Josh felt a twinge of awareness. His eyes darted anxiously around the area when he saw the guard who’d been assigned to keep watch crumpled on the ground in a silent heap. The gun barrel dug cruelly into his back forcing him toward the surrounding jungle.

  But despite the pressure of the rifle he began to falter, recoiling at the idea of having to step behind the wall of thick foliage. The man let out a savage growl and shoved Josh forward sending him sprawling to the ground. His vision misted for a moment with a horrible sense of déjà vu. Then the elusive recognition clicked into place and his attacker took on a name. Nothing could have stopped his enraged bellow.

  “Orlando! You sadistic son of a . . .” he didn’t give himself a chance to finish before lunging forward in mindless fury.

  >>>>dreams<<<<

  Douglas heard the shout and opened his eyes. He groaned at the instant pounding inside his head and reached up to touch the area where the pain seemed to be centered. Shocked to see the blood that stained his fingertips, he struggled to sit up. His stomach swelled with a surge of queasiness making him inhale deeply until the nausea passed.

  Realizing he was alone, fear had him immediately crawling through the tent’s opening when a gunshot echoed around the jungle like a clap of thunder roaring through a canyon. Unseen birds and beasts screeched in alarm at the unexpected sound. He staggered to his feet reeling with the throbbing pain in his head.

  “Jenny! Where are you?” he called desperately.

  “She is safe, Senor Marsh.”

  He whirled to face the English speaking guide standing over Orlando with a wisp of smoke curling around the barrel of his rifle. Blood, bright and red seeped its way across the dead man’s chest staining his dirty shirt.

  Jenny stepped from behind a tree and ran to Douglas.

  Josh stood staring down at Orlando’s body and pointed a shaking finger.

  “He was the one who kidnapped us.”

  Douglas went ghostly white.

  “My God, I hired him to protect us!”

  The guide eyed Josh closely.

  “Sit down while I get a flask of brandy out of my pack.” He glanced at Douglas’s and Jenny’s strained expressions. “For you as well.”

  Josh sank gratefully to the ground and sat there watching the gaudy sight of his tormenter’s blood draining into the soil. He’d made a grab for Orlando’s throat wanting to kill the man, but had been saved the trouble when the guide’s bullet found its mark.

  Douglas touched a hand to his head making Jenny gasp when she saw the blood. “Oh Douglas, why didn’t you tell me you were hurt?”

  She rushed over to the tent and returned with a handful of gauze pads. Moving his hand, she pressed the material to the wound. She looked at Orlando before tearing her eyes away. “I saw him jab you with his rifle,” she said to Josh. “What a horrible man.”

  “More than you know,” he said, fighting to control the fresh feelings of loathing.

  The guide returned with the brandy.

  “Are the other men okay?” Douglas asked.

  “Two were knocked out as they slept. They will be coming to any moment now.”

  “And him?” Douglas pointed to the guard on the ground.

  “He was not as fortunate, I’m afraid. A knife was used on him.”

  Jenny shuddered and buried her face in her hands. “Oh, God!”

  They sat huddled in a circle passing the brandy around. Josh drank and wiped a hand across his mouth.

  “What was he going to do with me?”

  “My guess is that he thought he’d keep you close by if his attempts to take her failed.”

  He pointed to Jenny.

  “If nature hadn’t called, I would have been in the tent. He must have hit you, Doug, but thank God that’s all he did.”

  He put his arm around her trembling shoulders.

  “How is it that you managed to keep clear of that monster?” he asked the guide.

  “I have been suspicious of him from the beginning, and when he didn’t return to the boat last night I decided to come ashore and watch for him.”

  “Thank the good Lord you did.”

  The other two men had buried their fallen colleague and were busy breaking camp. One of them signaled when everything was ready. The guide stood up.

  Jenny pointed to Orlando’s body. “What are you going to do about him?”

  “He stays just as he is for the animals to peck at. The Devil’s spawn does not deserve a Christian burial,” he said in a cold voice.

  Cruelty had its own payback and none of them felt compelled to argue with the harsh judgment. They walked away leaving Orlando’s blood stained corpse behind.

  Josh sat in the boat, as they pulled away from shore. He’d come close to dying here. The odds of him escaping had never been in his favor. The greed and cruelty of some had brought him to the brink of hell, while the kindness and compassion of others had plucked him from death itself.

  Josh knew he wasn’t the same man who’d left home in what seemed like a lifetime ago. Besides his lack of physical stamina, he felt the lingering fragility of his mental and emotional state. He shifted and felt the scars on his chest stretch. They were a harsh reminder of what his thirst for excitement had cost him. But all he wanted to do now was get back home.

  Home! He never thought that word would ever mean so much to him.

  >>>>dreams<<<<

  Catherine stood in Ryan’s living room studying several framed photos displayed on a table.

  Ryan came out of the kitchen and handed her a glass of wine.

  “Thank you.” She smiled and pointed to one of the pictures. “Is that your daughter?”

  “Yes. Her name is Kiren. She’s ten.”

  “She’s beautiful.”

  “She favors her mother.” He nodded toward the photo of a dark haired woman.

  “I see a lot of you in her, too. I like her name; it’s unusual.”

  “It was my wife’s maiden name.”

  They crossed to the sofa and sat down.

  “She must miss her very much.”

  “She does, but her two grandmothers have been wonderful. As a matter of fact, she’s at my in-laws right now. I don’t know what I would have done without them.”

  “I’m sure it’s been very hard for all of you.”

  “It’s one thing to deal with death the way we have to sometimes when a patient dies, and it’s never easy, but nothing prepares you for when it hits you personally.”

  “No it doesn’t,” she said quietly.

  “You’re very beautiful, Catherine, and I’m happy that you accepted my invitation, but
I can’t help wondering why you don’t have someone special in your life.”

  She treated him to a ghost of a smile.

  “There was someone once. His name was Josh Dallas. He was working along the Amazon when he and a female colleague were abducted. She died, but no one knows what happened to him.”

  Ryan’s breath came out in a rush of sympathy.

  “I’m so sorry. You read about that kind of thing in the news, but it never seems quite real. I can’t imagine how difficult it must be for you. The not knowing must be unbearable.”

  “It is if I think about it too often. We’d only been together for a few months, but I felt an immediate, powerful attraction to him. I confess that I still miss him very much.”

  Ryan set their glasses on the table and took her by the hands.

  “I know what you’re saying. The first time I kissed my wife I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her. We never really get over losing someone we love. We may move on, but they’ll always be there in our hearts. It’s the little day-to-day things that remind us of what we had and how nothing will ever be the same again. But I have to believe there is still a life out there waiting. We can’t exist solely on memories hoarded from the past.”

  “A friend told me pretty much the same thing. That’s why I accepted this date.”

  “I’m thankful they did. I understand about loss and I know this won’t be easy for either of us,” he said gently. “But I hope you’ll give us a chance, Catherine.”

  She looked at their joined hands and pushed thoughts of Josh away.

  “I’ll try.”

  >>>>dreams<<<<

  Catherine lay in bed that night and thought about how much she missed Josh and how Ryan still mourned his late wife. She fell asleep wondering if either of them would be able to get over their loss enough to help each other. She was still pondering the question when the telephone’s shrill ringing broke through her slumber. Her hand fumbled for the receiver. She sat up and listened in disbelief to Tom’s frantic voice.

  >>>>dreams<<<<

  Catherine stared at the tiny infant and smiled at the tuft of soft fuzz that topped his small head. He’d arrived a bit ahead of schedule, but thankfully in good health. A rush of tenderness flowed through her as she stroked a gentle finger along the length of his downy back. He made a soft mewing noise, bobbed his head, and went back to sleep.