Imprints

by Rachel Ann Nunes

  Jake followed me to the back room, where we ate whole wheat crackers and cheese from a grass-fed cow, washing it down with herbal tea from the mini fridge. The lack of power was already making itself felt in the store, and Jake spread a Mexican blanket over my shoulders to ward off the cold. We were close. He wanted to be closer.

  He wanted to be closer?

  I remembered that day. Jake and I alone in the store at not quite six o’clock, the winter street already dark. I’d thought he was trying to jolt me out of one of my sad moods that day, but now I wasn’t so sure. Could he really have felt strongly enough to leave even this faint imprint? Or did I only wish it to be so?

  “Autumn?” Jake whispered.

  “You hate cold tea.” My voice was scarcely a whisper.

  “What?”

  “This flashlight. We used it the day of the power outage. We drank iced tea, but you hate it cold. I never knew.”

  “Because we normally drink it hot. The company was good, though, if it left an imprint.” There was caution in his voice now, as though he worried what I might make of that. He didn’t need to worry. The imprint was faint, and I really couldn’t say that I wasn’t imagining it.

  “Look, can you move?” Jake asked. “Is anything broken?”

  I wanted to smooth away the concern on his forehead, but my hand wouldn’t obey the silent order, though I felt much better already. “I’m okay.” I blew out a soft, unsteady sigh. “But Marcie’s here. Or was a day or so ago. She’s somewhere dark. They take her food.” I had no doubt now that my key opened her door, but finding that door would be difficult. “She’s not the only one who’s been there. It’s what they do to the people who want to leave.” Inclar had talked about screaming, and now I knew that the room Marcie was in was somehow connected. “But why won’t they let people go, if they don’t want to stay? It’s not as if they couldn’t find more people to join.”

  “Marcie had fifty thousand reasons disappear with her, not to mention the proceeds from her furniture. If people started leaving, they’d want their assets back. Imagine all the lawsuits.”

  “We need to talk to Shan—Detective Martin. He’ll know how to follow the money trail. I bet Gabe’s rolling in fat Swiss bank accounts.”

  “Or it could be for the power. For some people, power is everything.”

  That image didn’t go with the one I’d seen of Gabe, but then what did I know of evil masterminds?

  Jake took hold of my elbow. “We need to get back to our rooms before these guys wake up.”

  “You knocked yours out, too?”

  “Two of them.” There was a hint of amusement in his voice. “But even together they weren’t as big as this one.”

  “Girl’s gotta do her share.”

  He chuckled. “Think you can walk? I could carry you.”

  “I’m okay. But my wrist hurts, and I think my arm is bleeding.”

  He lowered the setting on the flashlight and ran it over the left sleeve of my nightgown. Sure enough, there was blood seeping through, but not nearly as much as I’d feared. Jake couldn’t get the sleeve of my granny gown up high enough to examine it, but I finally convinced him I wouldn’t bleed to death.

  I looked down on the face of the unconscious man. “Will they recognize us?”

  “Mine won’t.”

  “I don’t think this one will. But I can’t be sure.” I hesitated. “He isn’t dead, is he?” Despite all the terrible images I’d seen imprinted on his buckle, I didn’t want to be the instrument of his death.

  “No. He’s bleeding a lot, but head wounds tend to do that. It doesn’t look like too much swelling. Aside from a headache, I think he’ll be fine when he wakes up.” Jake’s dark tone told me he wished otherwise.

  “Don’t worry. The police will be here soon. He’ll get what he deserves.”

  “If he doesn’t run off first.”

  There was that. But neither Jake nor I were in a position to do anything to stop him. We couldn’t exactly tie him to a tree for the rest of Harmony Farm to discover in the morning.

  Jake helped me to my feet and kept his arm around me as we picked our way through the trees. Somehow, I’d run back toward the gate instead of toward the houses, but Jake’s internal sense of direction turned us the right way. “This time we go through the trees.”

  I agreed.

  Sudden lights behind us brought a sinking feeling to my stomach. Not again! Seconds later the roar of an engine came within hearing range. “Let’s go see who it is,” I whispered. “Maybe it’s the police.”

  “Already?”

  I shrugged. “Depends on how fast Ethan rode your motorbike, I guess. Maybe it’s Detective Martin.” I was eager to see even Shannon at this point.

  Jake shook his head. “Too far from Portland.” He had a point. Well, I’d settle for any officer who would take us safely away from here.

  Jake and I slipped back toward the gates, under cover of the trees. We went as close as we dared and peered around a large tree. “Uh-oh,” Jake said.

  There was a rushing sound in my ears. The last time one of us said that, we’d been jumped by the guards. “What it is?” I craned my neck.

  “Looks like their leader.”

  Sure enough, Gabe jumped out of a green sedan and began opening the gate. His face wore an angry, determined look.

  Fear crawled down my spine.

  Chapter 17

  I don’t think I would have made it the mile back to the house if Jake hadn’t carried me most of the way. Instead of appreciating his closeness, I was too busy worrying why Gabe had shown up so early. It was entirely possible that someone else had also discovered Inclar’s body and reported it. Regardless of who had killed Inclar, I didn’t understand why the corpse had been left where it could be so easily discovered. Unless it hadn’t been a corpse at the time it had fallen—there was always that, I suppose.

  Was Harmony somehow involved?

  I ran over the sequence of events in my mind, but the only thing I knew for sure was that Inclar was dead now and that he hadn’t been dead Friday night. I would be interested to know if Dar was aware of his brother’s death and what would happen to his belief in Gabe if he did know. Maybe telling Dar what I’d seen would help me discover the truth. He might be on our side.

  Another thought occurred to me, stupefying me with its possibility. What if Gabe had driven back now because he’d discovered I’d been the woman Inclar had attacked? Maybe he knew Inclar had told me things, given me the key. Maybe he wanted to get rid of me before the police came sniffing around.

  Whatever happened, I needed to find Marcie and get her to Ethan. I could imagine how happy their reunion would be. “He never gave up on you,” I’d tell her. “He’s the reason I came.” Because that was true, too. After it was all over, Ethan and I would date and see what happened between us. I already knew I liked him. There was nothing complicated or mixed up about my feelings for him like there was with Jake.

  Gabe’s sedan arrived at the compound before we did. Lights glowed in the main house, signaling his presence.

  “Can you walk now?” Jake whispered.

  “Yes.”

  He set me down, and I switched off his flashlight that I’d been carrying. We approached the house, opting for the cool grass instead of the squeaky porch. Before we rounded it completely, Jake’s arm shot out and stopped me, putting a finger to his lips.

  “He was just gone,” a woman was saying urgently. I recognized Harmony’s slightly husky tone, though she wasn’t laughing now. “He left right after you did.”

  “Who’d you tell about him?” Gabe’s voice was controlled but without the gentleness I’d heard him use with the youth in Portland.

  “Just Dar when he arrived.”

  “Then where is he?”

  “I already told you—I don’t know.”

  Presumably they were talking about Inclar. Or his body. But aside from the fact that Gabe had lied to Shannon about knowing where Inclar was, it d
idn’t mean much. Anyone on the farm could have killed him, though my bet was still on Gabe since he was likely responsible for placing the perimeter guards who’d attacked us. You didn’t put guards at a place like this unless you had something to hide.

  “I have to be sure this isn’t going to cause problems.”

  “Yes.” Harmony’s voice was scarcely a whisper.

  “You aren’t hiding something from me, are you?” A tiny sliver of the gentleness was back in Gabe’s voice.

  “No. I promise. Come to bed, Gabe. We can worry about this in the morning.”

  I peeked around the corner and caught a glimpse of them in each other’s arms before Jake yanked me back. I tried to reconcile the submissive Harmony with the confident woman who had been teasing Dar earlier. The change of attitude was too noticeable to be a coincidence.

  Or maybe she was a good actress.

  Could she be involved with Dar? Maybe the two of them were plotting together. No, I couldn’t see that. Dar had been too deferential to Gabe. I couldn’t forget the tears in his eyes back at the hotel in Portland.

  I felt a stab of frustration. We had a dead body that had disappeared, a missing woman in a locked room we couldn’t find, and no solid evidence.

  Silence had crept over the square, signaling Gabe and Harmony’s departure, but only after the lights in the main house went out did Jake let me head back to the women’s dorms. He hugged me tightly before we parted in the square and whispered, “Be careful.”

  “I will.”

  I wondered what time it was. We’d been gone for hours, I was sure. Maybe longer. We hadn’t started sneaking around until after one, and given that sunrise came near five-thirty, and the sky started getting light sometime before that, we might not have much time before everyone woke up. After all, there were cows to be milked, eggs to gather, pigs to slop, horses to feed. In fact, I was pretty sure the sky was getting lighter already.

  As I opened the door to go inside, my worry turned to horror when I caught sight of my nightgown, now streaked with dirt and torn in two places. Not to mention the blood drying on the sleeve. I’d have to stash this some place and wear a T-shirt from now on, taking care to dress after everyone else was in bed so they wouldn’t ask what had happened to the gown.

  It doesn’t matter, I reminded myself. The police are coming, and by tomorrow night I’ll be back in my own bed wearing whatever I want.

  I did need to look at my arm, however, and maybe find something to tie around my right wrist. Thankfully, I’d seen where Scarlet kept the first aid kit when she bandaged my toe earlier. I felt my way to the bathing room and closed the door behind me, at last flipping on a light that had me blinking at its brightness.

  Retrieving the first aid kit above the rows of cubbies, I pulled down the elastic neck of my granny gown to get a look at the wound. I had to manipulate my arm just right to see a nasty puncture from whatever I’d fallen on. Hopefully nothing that would cause an infection. They had a little antibiotic cream in the first aid kit, but I would really have preferred to use a little comfrey and goldenseal. Since I hadn’t brought anything but the comfrey salve for my face, I’d have to familiarize myself with their stock of herbs to make a good poultice.

  Not that I’d have much time since Ethan should be back soon with the police.

  I hummed as I wet a rag and wiped the drying blood from my arm, thinking of Ethan and going home. Tawnia and I would laugh about all this someday—after she stopped being angry at me for not leaving the farm sooner.

  I tried not to think of the guard I’d left unconscious in the woods, knowing that he’d come to or be found soon. Instead of worrying about him, I’d be better off using my time praying he wouldn’t recognize me.

  Soft steps came down the hall, the floorboards squeaking softly. Would they pass by or come inside? I scanned the room for a place to hide. But all I could see was the metal tub where I’d bathed, and its position didn’t afford much protection. Better to bluff my way through than to be discovered trying to hide. I held my breath. For a few blessed seconds, it seemed as if the steps would go on past, but as my muscles began to relax, the door cracked open.

  “Who’s here?” Victoria stood in the doorway, blinking at the sudden light. “Autumn? Is that you?” Pause and then a little gasp as her eyes adjusted. “Oh, my goodness, what happened to you?”

  “Nothing. I’m fine. I—uh—I had to go the bathroom. It was dark. I fell.”

  “Oh, you poor thing!” Closing the door behind her, she moved quickly over the space between us. “You should have woken me. I would have taken you.”

  “I didn’t want to be any trouble.”

  “No trouble. I can never sleep past four-thirty even on fast days. I’m too used to being in the kitchen making sure the men have breakfast when they come in from milking. I thought since I was up, I’d start boiling water for baths. We don’t have water heaters here. Yet. They have one at the main house. One of those electric ones that heats water right when you use it. We’ll be getting one here soon.”

  She had taken over cleaning and bandaging my arm. “In the winter we keep a port-a-potty in here for emergencies. It gets really cold, even with our electric heaters. Wow, that must have been some fall,” she added, eyeing my face. “I mean, you had a cut and bruise before, little bit of a black eye, but now it’s much worse. What happened, anyway? The first time, I mean.”

  “Spring’s husband was trying to make her go home with him, and I got in the way.”

  “You mean that new girl with the cute baby? I watched him last night while he was sleeping in the kitchen. Darling boy. Her husband wanted her to stay?” She sounded almost envious.

  “He wasn’t finished beating her.”

  “Oh.” Victoria swallowed noisily. “Anyway, you should do something about your face.” She finished the bandage on my arm and pulled me over to the mirror. I stared. The cut on my cheek had ripped open again, there was a spreading bruise on my jaw, and a slew of new scratches. The older bruise under my eye had a new, darker one over it, and purple marks stood out on my throat, deeper than the ones Inclar had left me. I hadn’t remembered any of this during the struggle, but now that I saw it, I felt exhaustion leak through me, stealing what remained of my energy.

  I turned to her urgently. “Do you have any makeup? I mean, it would cover a little of this at least. I know you don’t wear it now, but you used to, right? Did you bring some with you? Or know someone who did?”

  She nodded. “I’ll show you what we have. We don’t use it much. Well, one of the girls who is sweet on a boy might if she has a pimple or something. Someone always buys a bottle when they go to town.” She reached for a small basket next to a table that held a sewing machine. Inside were a half-dozen used bottles of base and cover-up in differing shades.

  “Thanks, Victoria.”

  She froze, the basket stretched between us. “What did you call me?” Her eyes were anxious, looking small in her bloated face.

  With a sinking feeling, I realized what I’d done.

  “You didn’t fall, did you?” she asked.

  I shook my head. “One of the guards—”

  “No.” She held up a hand to stop the words. “I don’t want to hear.”

  “I’m leaving here soon. I want you to come with me.”

  All the color drained from her face. “I can’t,” she whispered, her eyes darting to the door and back again. “Please don’t let them hear you say that.”

  “They said I could leave any time.”

  Her head shook rapidly, but with so little back and forth movement, I couldn’t tell if she was saying no or if she was having a seizure.

  “Victoria, what’s wrong?”

  “Misty,” she corrected. “And please don’t talk that way.” Her breath came faster now, her ample chest heaving. She was frightened, horribly frightened.

  “Look. I know your name because I talked to your parents. You’re why I’m here.”

  “They sent you?�
� A new expression flitted over her face, one I almost didn’t recognize as hope. But that’s what it was. Alive one second and gone the next.

  “They’ve never stopped looking for you.”

  Tears filled her eyes. “I—I—” She glanced again toward the door.

  “We’re also looking for a woman named Marcie. She lost her husband and her baby before coming here.”

  If anything, her fear cranked up a notch, becoming pure terror.

  “What is it, Victoria? Tell me!” I touched her arm, but she pulled away.

  “I have to go.” She started quickly for the door but stopped before she reached it.

  “Please, Victoria,” I begged. “Talk to me.”

  Without responding, she hurried to a huge armoire next to an old washing machine and pulled out a clean nightgown in the same material as my dirtied one. She threw it in my direction.

  The gown fell at my feet. “I can help you.”

  “No,” she said, “you can’t. Stay away from me!” With that, she whirled away.

  I stared after her, uncomprehending. If I hadn’t already known something was up, her reaction would have cemented any suspicion. She wanted to leave here, maybe had even tried to escape in the past, but something or someone prevented her from trying again.

  Who? Only Gabe and Dar and Harmony could wield such power here. Or Scarlet. And maybe some of the guards.

  With Victoria knowing my true reason for being here, I now had a new worry. If she told someone, I could be in serious danger. My only hope was that her fear would keep her from doing anything rash until the police arrived.

  First things first—I needed to get cleaned up. If Victoria had awakened, others wouldn’t be far behind. I pulled off the nightgown as quickly as I could and pulled on the other one. Then I washed my face, blotted it with a towel hanging on a hook, and dabbed on a bit of cover-up. When I was finished, I could tell I had makeup on, but except for the healthy bruise on my jaw, my face didn’t look much different from the day before. Or wouldn’t once the cheek scabbed over again. I’d have to remember to use sun screen and put vitamin E on it every night so I wouldn’t have a big scar.