So Dark the Night

by Margaret Daley

  Please, Lord, help us get out of here!

  Five minutes later Colin said, “I found something. It’s a desk lamp. I think I can use its body as a hammer. Stand back in the corner.” He pushed her gently away.

  The sounds of the metal hitting the wood reverberated through the closet, loud, crashing. Over and over, Colin struck the door until streams of light from the office broke through, illuminating the dark. Finally he had a big enough hole in the wood to stick his hand through and unlock the door with the key that Marcus had left in it.

  When Colin opened it, allowing fresh air to rush in, Emma breathed deeply and thanked God for His help. More and more she was realizing her first instinct was to turn to the Lord for help or guidance. That reinforced the feeling she wasn’t alone anymore.

  “I’m glad Marcus was nice enough to leave the key. Probably so the cleaning people could get us out. That’s one of the reasons I don’t think he was involved in murder. He could have killed us instead of locking us in the closet.”

  “Maybe,” Emma murmured, not sure what to think.

  In the office Colin went to the phone and called J.T. and told him everything that had happened. “He’s probably at the airport.”

  When Colin hung up, he faced Emma. “Madison was there and she’s calling the Chicago police. They’ll pick up Marcus, hopefully before he gets a chance to leave Chicago. We’ll need to file a complaint against him.”

  She eased back against the desk. “Derek trusted Marcus and look what he did to my brother.”

  “As I said, I’m not convinced he had your brother killed.”

  “I know. Even if he didn’t, he was robbing my brother and using the company for illegal activities just to satisfy his gambling debts.”

  “Desperate people do desperate things. I still want to go see Alicia Harris. Are you up for it after we finish at the police station?”

  “Sure. Why not? I would love to know why she was seeing my brother. It couldn’t have been because she loved him as she claimed at the funeral.”

  “Once she realizes you know who she is I’m sure she’ll enlighten us,” Colin said, making his way toward the elevator.

  “And it won’t be flattering.”

  The doors opened and Colin stepped onto the elevator. “It won’t be easy to hear. Will you be okay?”

  “Truthfully, no, but it’s something that needs to be done. My picture of Derek is so different from others. That’s not to say mine isn’t wrong. He was a good brother. What I’m discovering about Derek won’t change that. I’d always thought my older brother could do no wrong. I’m finding out he could and did. As you pointed out before, no one is perfect, and he deserves forgiveness, too.”

  An hour and a half later Colin found a parking space across the street from the three-story red brick building that housed Alicia Harris’s design center.

  Emma hastened across the street and paused outside From Top to Bottom Designs. She waited for him before entering.

  Inside the brightly lit studio a couple sat looking through some wallpaper books while one of Alicia’s assistants helped them. Alicia was on the phone and looked up when he and Emma came in. The smile of greeting died on the beautiful woman’s face for a few seconds before she turned away. She said a few words to the person on the other end then hung up. Quickly she headed toward them, her smile in full force.

  “Emma. I didn’t expect you. What brings you by?”

  “I wanted to have a few words with you in private.” Emma glanced at the couple and the assistant at the table along the far wall.

  “You’ve gotten your sight back! That’s wonderful.”

  The woman’s voice held a false ring to it that made Emma stiffen beside him. Colin took her hand within his and squeezed gently, a connection instantly flowing between them, something that still amazed him—this bond he had with Emma. And she continued to astonish him with how well she was holding up with all that she had endured the past few weeks. Emma reminded him of Grace in a lot of ways—a determined fighter.

  “Can we talk in your office?” Emma asked, striding toward a door at the back.

  “Well, yes, I suppose.” Alicia hurried in front of them and opened the door, entering her office first. “Is something wrong?”

  “Why would anything be wrong?” Emma prowled around the room as though she could barely contain her energy.

  “This is most unusual. You’ve never visited here before.”

  “Because I live in New York. If I’d lived here, I might have noticed something wasn’t quite right with your motive for dating my brother.”

  Alicia drew herself up, squaring her shoulders. “I beg your pardon?”

  “Let me put it another way. Why would Alexander Sims’s favorite niece date Derek St. James, the man her uncle declared ruined him?”

  The silence was deafening in its intensity. In the car on the way over here, Emma had wanted him to watch Alicia and her reactions for any sign that might indicate her involvement in Derek’s death. What he saw on the woman’s face at that moment was lingering hatred revealed after months of keeping it hidden.

  “So you know.” Alicia sank onto her tan leather chair behind her desk and relaxed back, elbows resting on the arms of the chair while she steepled her fingers. “I’m glad I don’t have to pretend to love your brother anymore. It was taxing my nerves.”

  Emma opened her mouth then snapped it closed, her hand holding his crushing him. Finally she asked, “Why did you do it?”

  “Simple. To find his weak spot for my uncle. But I’d come to the conclusion your brother was as cold and ruthless as your father.” Alicia scooted her chair closer to the desk and picked up a pen. “Now if you will excuse me, I’ve got work to do.”

  “Did you have him killed because you couldn’t find a way to ruin him?”

  The question dangled in the air between Emma and Alicia. Alicia lifted her head and stabbed Emma with a cold glare.

  “What do you expect?” Alicia finally asked. “A confession? Death was too easy for Derek. So no, I didn’t have him killed. I would have done it myself if I’d wanted him dead. My uncle raised me and was a wonderful, kind man who changed after your family got through with him.”

  Emma took a step toward Alicia. Colin swung around in front of Emma and whispered, “We got what we came for.”

  Emma nodded. At the door, she paused and glanced back at Alicia. “You really aren’t very smart. The papa rattler is still alive and well.”

  Outside, the sun had disappeared behind the tall buildings to the west. The warm, humid air stuck to Colin. A breeze ruffled the yellow awning on the store next to the design studio. People crowded the sidewalk, all heading home for dinner.

  “Let’s get back to Crystal Springs. I’ve had enough of the big city.” Colin unlocked his SUV for Emma, then rounded the front and slid in behind the steering wheel. “We can talk on the way home.”

  Home. Emma liked the sound of that word. Her apartment in New York had never really conjured the image of home in her mind; it was just a place to eat and sleep. But Crystal Springs felt like home. That thought sent panic zipping through her. She had it far worse than she’d realized.

  When Colin was outside of Chicago, Emma said, “We should go back to the cabin.”

  “It’s messier than Marcus’s office. Are you sure?”

  “Yes. I need to remember something but I can’t. Maybe going back to the scene of the crime will jog my memory. It helped last time.”

  “And it also left you emotionally devastated.”

  “Our visits to Alicia and Marcus didn’t produce the killer or any leads to the evidence we need. I’m still not convinced one of them isn’t responsible. I’ve got to do something.”

  “Then we’ll go first thing in the morning.”

  The prospects of seeing the cabin again chilled Emma, but she had to do it. She couldn’t shake the feeling she held the key to this whole mystery locked inside her subconscious mind.

  Colin turn
ed onto the road leading to the cabin. “J.T. is traveling to Chicago to have a few words with Marcus. They found him at the airport about to board a plane for Brazil. The police won’t be able to hold him long. J.T. doesn’t think the kidnapping charges will stick.”

  “I didn’t think they would when we gave our statement yesterday, but if it’ll keep Marcus in the country for an extra day, great.”

  “I don’t believe he’s behind your brother’s murder, but I think the people he owes money to will be keeping an eye on him. I doubt he’ll be going anywhere. It’ll give us time to straighten things out.”

  Emma tensed as she glimpsed the family log cabin through the trees. The place had held such wonderful memories of her childhood spent at the lake—a time before her mother was so famous she couldn’t go anywhere and not be recognized, before her father had turned his family’s failing company into a power to be reckoned with, before her mother left her ten-year marriage. But now all she’d ever be able to think about was the last time she’d seen Derek.

  “Confronting Marcus was the only good thing that came out of yesterday’s trip to Chicago.”

  Colin came to a stop in front of the cabin and twisted around to face her. “I thought you and your dad had a good talk.”

  “Well, yes. I meant concerning Derek.”

  “You haven’t said too much about what went on with your dad. Do you want to talk about it?”

  Until Colin, Emma had never shared her feelings with anyone except her brother. She didn’t have a lot of close friends. She had told herself the reason was because she traveled so much in her job. But the real truth was she had never trusted anyone enough to expose her inner thoughts. She’d been used by too many others in the past who had wanted to get close to one of her parents not to question people’s motives for wanting to be her friend. That she trusted Colin only emphasized how much he meant to her and also the kind of power he held over her.

  “Dad and I came to an understanding of sorts. At least, I hope so. For years he was this distant person who was my father but also a stranger. I hope that’ll change in the future. I told him I would visit him and hoped that he would come see me in New York.” She offered Colin a grin. “Of course, he did his best to try and get me to move to Chicago. I told him no. New York is—where I live.” She had started to say New York was her home, but she couldn’t voice those words because she now knew it wasn’t really a home to her, just a place she lived.

  “Could you ever consider living somewhere else?”

  Colin’s question produced visions of Crystal Springs, laughter, family, companionship and love, bound together by a strong faith in God. But also it brought forth her fear that she would never fit in, that she was too different to be happy in a small town, that any feelings that had developed the past few weeks weren’t real because of the intense, unusual circumstances. “I don’t know,” she answered honestly, the only way she could. “So much has changed in my life. To say I’ve been overwhelmed is an understatement.”

  His mouth curved upward, his eyes warm. “I can understand that. A lot has happened.” He placed his hand on the handle. “Are you ready?”

  Taking a calming breath, Emma pushed open her door. “About as ready as I ever will be.”

  Standing, facing the cabin, Emma waited until Colin came around his SUV before heading toward the porch. Her heart thundered in her ears, drowning out the sounds of the birds and insects. Its pulsating beat increased as she neared the front door. With trembling hands, she reached for the handle. Colin did so at the same time and his fingers covered hers.

  “You set the pace, Emma. I’m here as an observer and to help if you need it.” He slipped his hand away.

  Missing his touch, she nodded and shoved the door open. She crossed the threshold. The mess before her snatched her breath, holding it trapped in her lungs until it hurt. She blew out the stale air, her gaze traveling around the main room.

  “They really did search everything. What would they have been looking for?”

  “That’s the question we need to answer,” Colin said, laying his hands on her shoulders and kneading them.

  She wanted to spin around and bury herself against his solid strength. She wanted to give in to the wonderful feel of his fingers as they massaged her tension away. She wanted to erase the past two weeks. But most of all she wanted the person behind her brother’s murder to be caught and stand trial. And that wouldn’t happen if she didn’t remember everything.

  “Let’s go through this room then the bedroom. Maybe something will trigger my memory.” Emma started forward, the sound of her footsteps muffled by the indoor/outdoor carpet.

  As she rummaged through the chaos, she saw nothing that made her think anything beyond how hopeless the task seemed. She was nearly complete with her examination of the main room when she spied a photo album in the corner. Because there wasn’t anywhere to sit, she sank down onto the floor and scooped up the pieces of the album. Although the pictures were intact, they were scattered all about.

  Fingering the leather covering, she remembered this album as a child. There was a photo of her mother, gorgeous and beautifully dressed, posing for the camera as she always did. She used to laugh about the cabin being her rustic retreat, even strangely enjoyed getting away from it all. Another was of her and Derek standing by the well with huge Cheshire cat grins on their faces. A third picture showed the whole family sitting around a picnic table outside the cabin. It appeared for the camera as if they were having a wonderful time. She remembered that had been their last outing as a family. The following week her parents had separated.

  Touching the photo, she wondered what had happened. She often thought she had done something wrong to cause her parents to divorce. Now she knew that wasn’t true, but she still wondered how much people really cherished marriage. Was that why she’d never married? Her mother had had four husbands through the years while her father hadn’t remarried but had dated multiple ladies, often making the society pages with a new, younger woman on his arm, as though always searching for something elusive, just out of his reach. She didn’t want to end up like either parent, but what kind of foundation did she have for a lasting relationship?

  “Find anything?”

  “No, just memories.” Emma put the photo album on a table that Colin had righted. She would take it with her and put the pictures into a new album and relish the connection to a past she had spent years trying to forget.

  “Let’s check the bedroom.”

  She followed Colin into the smaller room, not encouraged by what had happened so far. Not one spark. Nothing. Nada.

  She walked to the closet to start there. When she opened the door, a jumbled mess accosted her. Every article of Derek’s clothing was tossed on the floor, boxes on the upper shelves emptied and their contents thrown everywhere. Her shoulders sagged at the sight. Dismayed, she leaned into the jamb.

  “Forget what happened here. Concentrate on remembering,” Colin said right behind her.

  “With everything torn apart, we’re probably missing something important.”

  A noise behind Emma brought her around. The door to the bedroom slammed shut. “Colin!”

  He was already racing toward the door. He pushed on it, but it held firm. “Must be something up against the door. There’ll be no busting our way out this time. This door is solid wood.”

  “Only the best for a St. James cabin,” Emma said, hearing a hysterical ring to her words. Quickly she tamped down her fear. It wouldn’t do her any good. “Why did someone lock us in here?”

  Colin sniffed the air. “I’ve got an awful feeling about this. Is that smoke?”

  Emma inhaled deeply and the scent of smoke filled her nostrils, fear returning to pump adrenaline and blood rapidly through her system. She scanned for another way out of the room. The only window was high and narrow—too narrow for her to fit through. Trapped with no way out but through a blocked door.

  She reached into her pocket where she k
ept her cell phone and came up empty. Marcus had taken hers yesterday. Colin had his, but it was in his SUV.

  Whiffs of smoke oozed under the door, saturating the air with its deadly smell. If they made it out of the bedroom, they might still be trapped. Quickly she took some clothing and stuffed it under the door, coughing as she inhaled the smoke. Even if they had been able to place a call, help wouldn’t get here in time.

  Lord, I need You! Please help us get out. Don’t leave us. Please, Lord, hear my prayer.

  After doing his own survey of the room, Colin said, “This is the only way out so I’ve got to move whatever is blocking the door.”

  He plastered his body against the wood and shoved against it. The muscles in his arms bunched from the strain. Sweat popped out on his forehead and rolled down his face.

  The door gave an inch. More smoke seeped through the crack.

  While Colin rammed his body continually against the wooden barrier, Emma looked around for something to cover their faces with. If only they had water to douse a cloth down. They would have to make do with what they had.

  Finally, with shirts covering their faces, Emma joined Colin, using her body as a battering ram, too. The air in the bedroom became hazy, the stinging smell churning her stomach, a series of coughs racking her even though she had a shirt wrapped around her face.

  Lord, we need You.

  Her shoulder ached but slowly the crack widened until she heard, over the noise of the fire, a chair fall. Peering into the main room, through the heavy smoke, Emma saw bright yellow-orange flames shooting up the walls of the cabin, eating their way toward them. The fire’s roar crackled in the air, the sounds growing louder.

  “We don’t have much of a choice, Emma. Crouch down low with this around your mouth and nose and head for the door. Don’t breathe unless you have to.” Colin secured the blue polo shirt that had loosened around his face and started forward, skirting the fallen chair and cabinet that had been used to block their escape.