Drawing Blood

by Mary Lou George

  He’d have to tell her soon. Offer up an explanation and help her in some way. Their connection would grow, and if not assuaged it would turn into a raging fever, then madness. The dream walking could hold off the inevitable for only so long. He wished he could concentrate solely on Holly, but that wasn’t possible. Better than anyone, he understood that things happened for a reason.

  He knew poor Irene O’Neill’s death was just the beginning. Standing in her garden, he could smell the malice. She’d been killed by the hand of a stranger and one who enjoyed his work. In Irene’s mind, this stranger had posed no identifiable threat to her. She hadn’t seen it coming and she’d died quickly. Small consolation.

  The police had taken away her body, but her blood had leaked out onto the ground. He’d studied the stained flowers and flinched when the smell of her blood was too powerful to ignore. Stryker knew Irene had died not knowing who or what her assailant was. Her blood told him that.

  * * * *

  “But you didn’t draw anything in your sleep this time, did you?” Avery asked when Holly told her about her erotic dream.

  Holly shook her head and fanned her face with her hand. “No drawing, but I still get palpitations when I think about it. The guy makes my eyelids sweat.”

  “Damn. He’s good. From miles away he can achieve what a lot of men can’t do in close contact with instructions. That is if the statistics are right.” Avery grinned. “I wouldn’t know.”

  “It was so real.” Holly blushed and felt the heat rise but ignored her friend’s knowing look. “It might not have been a dream, Avery.”

  She looked skeptical and asked, “What does that mean?”

  “Well, what about something like astral projection or hypnosis? Maybe he drugged my chocolate cake. Help me, Avery, be Scully to my Mulder.” Holly pleaded.

  Avery looked at her blankly.

  Holly explained, “The X-Files. Scully was the medical encyclopedia filled with thin explanations for supernatural phenomenon.”

  “You are such a geek.” Avery teased her.

  Holly shrugged. “Humor me.”

  “Okay. I suppose astral projection is possible, but he’d have to be a master at it and the same thing goes for hypnosis. How could he have triggered you from a remote location?” Avery leaned back in her chair and took a deep breath before saying, “I have an idea.”

  “I’m not going to like this, am I?”

  Avery shook her head ruefully and said, “You should ask him.”

  “What?” She didn’t take her friend’s words seriously.

  “No. Just listen.” She put a hand up in defense, and when Holly sat back prepared to hear her, she continued, “The only way you’re going to know for sure is if you ask him.”

  “How do you suggest I do that? ‘Uh…by the way Stryker…are you having sex with me in my dreams? I don’t mind, I’d just like to know.’”

  “Don’t be ridiculous.”

  “Who’s being ridiculous here?” Her tone rose a full octave. “Who’s being ridiculous?”

  “Seriously, Holly, this guy is different. I’ve never seen you so keyed up about a man in your whole life. There is something special about Stryker Cain. It’s primal, in the animal sense, not the numerical, ha!” She laughed at her own joke. “This thing that’s happening between the two of you calls for drastic action. You’re special. You’ve always been special and I don’t mean the short bus kind of “special”. It stands to reason, that you would experience something unique and unexplainable. Talk to him.”

  “He’ll think I’ve taken leave of my senses.”

  “No he won’t. If he really is visiting you in your dreams, he’ll have to come clean. When confronted with such a question, he could hardly lie to you.”

  Holly wasn’t convinced and looked at her friend warily.

  “Just tell him that you’ve had some strange dreams and see what he says or how he looks. Ask him in front of me. I bet I could read him.”

  Holly didn’t doubt it. She’d lost count of the times Avery had summed up a man in two minutes flat. She seemed to approve of Stryker Cain however and Holly started to weaken. “You like him, don’t you?”

  Avery said, “Yes, but most of all I like the way he makes you feel.” She put up a finger and silenced her friend. “Don’t even try to deny it. I know you too well. There’s been a light in your eyes ever since you met him at the grocery store.”

  “Okay, that sounds like very bad song lyrics. You’re a writer. You can do better than that.” Holly smiled.

  “Believe me, if things go the way I think they will, I could write sonnets. I’m serious, Holly. Think about asking him about the dreams. Don’t play coy…just confront him. This is too weird to be ignored. And if my guess is right, it’s too important to brush aside.”

  Holly pressed her lips together and gave Avery’s words some thought. Did she have the courage to ask him? How else was she going to get to the bottom of it?

  To Avery she said, “Okay. I’ll think about it.”

  “Have you told him what Margaret Wickham told you?”

  Holly looked at her in horror. “What with all this stuff with Stryker, I’d almost forgotten that. I didn’t tell him about it, but I wonder if I should.”

  “Maybe it’s just the writer in me, but I think the very least you should do is write it all down while it’s still kind of fresh. You’ve probably forgotten some of what she told you already. It could be important and you may have to tell Stryker someday soon.” Avery tossed her a pad of lined paper and said, “Start writing.”

  Like a child obeying an elementary school teacher, Holly did what she was told. When she was finished, she pushed the pad over to Avery who proceeded to jot down what she could remember. She read the whole thing over aloud. Together they made a few corrections and after a little discussion and the odd alteration they decided they were satisfied with the written account.

  Avery gathered up the papers, handed them to Holly and said, “Atta girl. Now let’s go talk to Arnie.”

  * * * *

  Arnie McCloud was a fifteen-year-old computer genius. He was also under house arrest. Caught hacking into classified government documents, Arnie was serving a remarkably light sentence. Luckily his lawyer had much experience with such cases and was utterly brilliant. The government was so embarrassed that a fourteen-year-old had cracked their security that they hadn’t wanted to call attention to their blunder and Arnie reaped the benefits. In the end, the court mandated that Arnie get counseling and be housebound for a period of nine months.

  For Arnie it was plum. He never went outside much anyway. At least they didn’t take away his computer privileges. Holly and Avery knew that nothing would stop the teenager from hacking and if the authorities had taken away his computer, he’d just figure out some clever way to fool them. They wondered if one day Arnie might prove very useful to the government. His employment potential was sweet. He was a funny kid who’d meant no harm. Both women really liked the boy, and for his part, Arnie had a huge crush on Avery. She never failed to treat the adolescent genius with gentle respect, offering him dating advice and building up his confidence. He was her ever willing nerd, and when asked, happily promised to get them Irene’s phone and credit card records by the next day.

  “As soon as you can, Arnie. We appreciate it.” Avery said. “Now tell me, how’s your love life?”

  He smiled and became almost handsome. In that second, Holly could see that Arnie would one day be a bona fide charmer. He just had to grow into his face a little. “I’ve met a girl.”

  “How’d you manage that? You’ve got three weeks left under house arrest.”

  He rolled his eyes in the classic teenaged way and sighed. “On-line.”

  “Of course.” Avery wasn’t impressed.

  “Don’t dismiss it. A lot of people meet on-line these days,” Holly came to Arnie’s defense.

  “Yeah, but that means she could live anywhere. How are you ever going to meet if she l
ives in Yemen or something?”

  Arnie laughed. “She lives right here in Muskoka. She and her family moved here a few months ago.”

  Avery smiled. “Well, that changes everything.” She punched him in the arm. “Way to go, tiger! Have you met face to face?”

  Arnie pointed to his ankle bracelet. “Can’t leave the house, remember?”

  Avery wasn’t deterred, especially when romance was involved. “Well, she could come here.”

  “I guess.” He shrugged, sullen all of a sudden.

  Avery took hold of his hand. “Arnie, any girl who is lucky enough to have you as a friend is lucky. You have to remember that.”

  He nodded. He’d heard it all before and was yet to be convinced. “People say that, but that’s not the reality. Looks are everything, and let’s face it, I have very little to offer in that department.”

  “That’s bullsh--! Sorry.” Avery looked anything but sorry. “If the girl is so shallow, she doesn’t deserve you.”

  Holly understood Arnie’s unhappiness. All Avery said was true but that didn’t make it any easier on a teenaged boy with raging hormones. “It will get better, Arnie. One day it will be better. I promise you that.” And she meant it.

  Avery squeezed his hand. “Promise me you’ll ask to meet her face to face. Best to find out now if she’s worth your time. Don’t let yourself fall for her until you know if she’s worthy of you.”

  He looked skeptical but finally nodded his head. “You’re right. I promise.”

  Avery hugged him. “That’s my boy. Now keep us posted and call if you need an ego boost. We think you rock!”

  As they pulled out of Arnie’s driveway, Holly could see his face through the window and her heart broke for him. Kids could be so cruel to each other. She prayed this girl wouldn’t break poor Arnie’s heart. Maybe when all was said and done, there was a reason for young heartbreak. It prepared a person for what the world had to offer sometimes. But she knew without a doubt that someday Arnie McCloud would be an absolute catch.

  * * * *

  After saying goodbye to Arnie the computer genius, Holly and Avery agreed that the best way to find out about the murder was to talk to the people in the community. So what if the only way to do that efficiently was to visit just about every shop in town? The murder was bound to be a major topic of conversation. They figured that by the end of the day they’d have all the information available and all their shopping done.

  People were horrified by what had happened, but everyone, including Irene’s neighbors, seemed convinced that the police had arrested the culprit. Stan O’Neill wasn’t very popular and unfortunately for him, the verdict was in. Most people thought him perfectly capable of murdering his ex-wife.

  “He’d threatened her before you know.” The waitress at the coffee shop squinted at them. “Right there at the Rotary Club dance. He was really hammered. She tried to get him to go home and sleep it off but he turned on her, mean as a snake he was.” She looked at the couple sitting at the table next to Holly and Avery and nodded. “You were there, Debbie. Do you remember?”

  Debbie agreed. “He was always gettin’ pissed. He caused a holy ruckus when Irene was buying that bracelet. You remember, it happened at that special jewelry night SAS hosted in June.” SAS, short for Sue and Sue was one of Bracebridge’s most successful gift shops. The Sues were a local favorite. Both young and beautiful they’d pooled their resources and their exquisite taste and created a thriving business. Their inventory was first class and their prices reasonable. Holly and Avery couldn’t imagine why anyone would take issue with a purchase from that particular shop and their opinion of Irene’s husband dropped another notch.

  Debbie obviously agreed. Shaking her head, she said, “Stan O’Neill could be a miserable drunk, eh, Howard?” She looked at her husband.

  He shook his head sadly. “Yeah, Stan sure could get nasty, but I never expected this.”

  The waitress shrugged. “Who does?”

  “Especially here.” Debbie shrugged. “I’m just glad they got him. We can sleep nights.”

  It looked like the community had accepted the cops’ conclusion. Stan O’Neill had killed his wife. In an odd way that worked to Holly and Avery’s favor; they wouldn’t be tripping over the official investigators as they tried to get to the truth.

  They’d done all they could for the day. Settling the tab and leaving a generous tip for the waitress, Holly and Avery gathered up their shopping bags and walked to the car. They had plenty of time to pick up the kids at camp. Piling into the car, childlike voices overlapped each other as Jessica, Connor and Aaron tried to talk all at once. Patient as always with her children, Avery sorted them out and they each had a chance to tell their story. Holly and Avery took turns asking for clarification and providing encouragement. Their laughter was shared. The women grinned at each other as they exchanged knowing looks, remembering what it was like to be a kid. Perhaps that was part of what made their collaboration such a success. They knew what kids liked. They had their own focus group of three.

  The kids talked all at once overlapping each other, as Avery pulled into Holly’s drive. Holly’s mind hit mute when she saw Stryker Cain leaning against his car, looking like an advertisement for the good life.

  Chapter 10

  Pulling herself together, Holly smiled and waved to him. Without moving her mouth, to Avery, she said, “What do I do now?” She continued to smile at Stryker through the car window.

  Avery waved too. She said, “Come on, kids, I have someone for you to meet.”

  Holly sent her a quelling look, but was ignored. They all poured out of the car and they weren’t quiet about it.

  Avery was the first to speak to Stryker. “Hi, Stryker. We’re not staying long, but I’d like you to meet my kids.” She introduced each child to him and he shook each tiny hand.

  Jessica, savvy for her age, looked at the man and then at Holly and back again. Holly knew the ten-year-old would have some questions for her later, but for now she simply studied Stryker with her serious green eyes.

  For his part Stryker seemed rather comfortable around the children. They had a little trouble believing that Stryker was his real name. He shrugged and smiled.

  “Stryker was my mother’s maiden name. The last name she was born with. She changed it when she met my father, but couldn’t quite let go of her identity so she used it for my name. Stryker is an old and respected name where I come from.” The kids looked up at him in fascination. He laughed. “I’m just glad her name wasn’t something like Boyle or Wiener. I don’t think I’d like to go through life being called Wiener or Boyle. What do you think? The kids giggled. Stryker listed a number of even more unsuitable names and they all burst into laughter.

  Avery gave Holly a knowing look and nodded.

  She said, “Come on, kids. We’d better be going.” She waved at Holly and Stryker. “Don’t forget seatbelts…no, Aaron, let Jessica have the center seat. You had it last time…” The car door slammed.

  They watched Avery and her brood drive away. Holly found it a little difficult to look at him. The late afternoon sun loved him. It turned his hair into gleaming gold strands that caught the breeze. In natural light, he seemed brighter, visually warmer than other people. His brilliance almost blinded her and she looked away.

  In a shaky voice, she said, “I didn’t know you knew where I lived.”

  “I’m pretty good at finding people.”

  “I can see that.” She walked towards the house. “Would you like to come in for a cool drink?”

  He strolled beside her, his movements so agile, so effortless. “I’d love to see your home Holly, thanks. It looks like Avery has her hands full with three kids.” He made small talk.

  Holly appreciated it. It was safe and easy to talk about the kids. “They are very engaged kids. They have endless questions and a unique view of life. It always amazes me what they come up with.”

  “Do you want children?” he asked.


  She looked away from him again. “I don’t have to.” Holly escorted him into her living room and said, “How about some lemonade?”

  Stryker nodded. “Would you like some help?”

  She shook her head. “I’ll be right back.”

  In the kitchen, Holly took a deep breath, trying to control her rapidly beating heart. Her hands shook just a little as she filled the glasses with ice. Great, how was she going to stop the ice from giving her away? With her hands shaking, it tapped against the glasses in tell-tale disharmony. She walked quickly back into her living room.

  With her voice raised to cover the sound of ice against glass, she said, “Avery and I were busy today. People were very happy to discuss the murder. It’s the talk of the town.”

  She sat down across from him at a safe distance. If he noticed how she’d skirted him, he gave no indication. Leaning forward, he took a long sip of the lemonade she’d placed on the coffee table in front of him.

  “Thank you.” Glass still in his steady hand, he sat back getting comfortable. “Did you learn anything new?”

  Holly shrugged. “Not really, other than the fact that Stan O’Neill is not a very nice guy. Everyone seems perfectly happy to believe he killed Irene. Arnie, our computer expert, promised to get us the information on Irene’s credit cards and phone calls. He won’t have it ready until tomorrow morning.” She smiled indulgently. “I think he’s busy overthrowing a fascist regime in Latin America.”

  Stryker laughed. “First things first.”

  Holly nodded. “Did you get the forensic samples?”

  “Yeah, and I’ve sent them off to my guy. I’ve put a rush on it, but you know, I don’t think they’ll have much to reveal really.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  He smiled sadly. “It was a pretty professional job, Holly. My gut tells me that it won’t be the last.”