The Forgotten

by Linda S. Prather

  She moved toward the door, every step an effort as Bruiser jerked against the leash, his growls growing deeper and more threatening. Loki hesitated as she reached the door. Her grandfather’s house was well off the traveled highway. Jake wouldn’t knock, and I would have heard a car. “Who is it?”

  “Police, ma’am,” a male voice called out. “Would you open the door, please?”

  Bruiser’s growls turned into barks as Loki flipped the lock. “Bruiser, calm down.” Placing her leg against him to hold him back, she opened the door a crack. “Sorry, my dog isn’t used to visitors after dark.”

  “It pays to be careful these days,” the officer said. “Thought this place was empty.”

  Bile rose in her throat, and a cold chill descended from her neck to her knees as the black aura surrounding the officer seemed to pulse with a life of its own. “It’s my grandfather’s home. My husband and I are staying a few weeks.” She struggled to hold Bruiser in check. “Is something wrong?”

  Dark eyes studied her face and then the room behind her. “A little girl was kidnapped. We’re checking all the abandoned places in the area. Would you mind if I came in and looked around?”

  Loki did mind, and she wasn’t sure she could hold Bruiser much longer. The problem was she couldn’t think of one plausible reason not to allow the officer in that wouldn’t sound suspicious, and he could always return with a warrant. She opened the door wider. “No, of course not.”

  He entered slowly, keeping space between himself and Bruiser. “You here alone?”

  “My husband should be here any minute. In fact, I thought you were him.”

  The corners of his mouth twitched as his gaze strayed to the growling dog. “I guess your dog doesn’t care much for your husband.”

  Loki’s left hand slid to the hilt of the knife on her belt, and she loosened her hold on the leash. “A dog’s sense of smell is different than ours. Clearly he knew it wasn’t my husband.”

  “I’ll have a quick look around.”

  She knelt beside Bruiser and placed an arm around his shaking body as the officer went quickly through the house, opening and closing doors.

  He returned in less than a minute and nodded, his gaze dark and penetrating. “Sorry I disturbed you. You and your husband enjoy your stay.”

  Loki’s hands shook as she closed the door and shoved the dead bolt in place. She let go of Bruiser and rushed for the bathroom. Her stomach clutched and heaved as she vomited until there was nothing left inside her. Bruiser whined at her feet, and she sat down beside him, burying her face in his hair. “I don’t know about you, boy, but I feel nasty and in need of a hot shower.”

  ~ ~ ~

  Robert turned at the top of the ridge to stare at the house. There was something disturbing about the Indian woman. She knows something. If it hadn’t been for that damn dog, I could have found out what it was. He cursed softly. I should have put a bullet through the mutt’s brain when the car didn’t kill it.

  And he would have except the pain it was feeling had made him laugh. The thought of it lying there slowly dying was far more thrilling than granting it a quick death. At least the son of a bitch is still hurting.

  The Indian had looked at him long and hard, but it wasn’t as though she was looking at him. Instead she was looking through him, seeing inside him. Way down deep to the part of him no one knew and no one saw. I should have killed her and the dog.

  He cursed again as he climbed on the Ranger and started it. He’d made a mistake with the Dillon girl too. This house was the only one close enough to cause him worry. If she hadn’t made it here, then she’d probably frozen somewhere along the creek bank. Bitch. She’d cost him a lot of money, and she’d hurt Mother. For that alone, she deserved a painful death.

  He sped toward the rear of the old man’s property and the house he’d built there. It had served him well the past three years. He’d brought three brides there and birthed three babies. By now Mother would be bathing and preparing his new bride for him. The girl wasn’t much to look at, and he had no real desire to perform his husbandly duties, but she would fit Mother’s needs. The Dillon girl and the baby were both dead. Hunters might find them next spring, but they would never be traced to him.

  An image of long black hair invaded his thoughts. I’ll come back tomorrow. This time I’ll kill that damn dog. A ripple of excitement ran through him. And I’ll scalp me an Indian.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Jake hadn’t prayed in a long time, but he found himself praying as he placed the young girl on the cot lining one wall of the shack. She hadn’t moved since he’d picked her up, and as thankful as he was that Loki wasn’t with him, he wished she was because he didn’t know anything about kids, and from the looks of her, the girl couldn’t be more than twelve or thirteen.

  The baby stirred, and he unzipped his coat as the infant wiggled inside the tight blanket.

  “Hang on a few minutes, kiddo, and we’ll get you out of those wet clothes.” He placed the infant on the bed next to the girl. His first priority was to secure the shack and get the place warmed up so he could examine them both for injuries.

  His eyes adjusted quickly to the darkness, and he lit the kerosene lamp sitting inside the door and headed for the fireplace. In minutes a roaring fire began to slowly burn off the chill. Jake secured the door and turned back to the cot. Huge grayish-blue eyes stared at him from a ghostly pale face before she snatched up the baby and scurried into the far corner of the cot.

  She blinked several times and relaxed, her eyes focused on his face. “Did the devil get you too?”

  Jake frowned. “The devil?”

  She lifted her hand, tracing from above her right eye to below her chin. “He likes to watch Mother hurt people.”

  Jake raised his hand, his fingers instinctively tracing the jagged line. He shook his head. “Not the devil, just some very bad men. We need to get you and the baby out of those wet clothes.” He turned his back to her and rummaged through a chest, pulling out an old pair of sweatpants, a pair of wool socks, and a shirt. “You were passed out when I found you. Are you hurt?”

  “I don’t think so. Just tired and hungry.”

  He tossed the clothes on the bed. “Put those on, and I’ll see what I can find to eat. My name’s Jake.”

  “Thank you.”

  Jake waited expectantly for her to share her name, but as soon as she finished dressing, she turned her attention to the baby and started to unwrap the blanket. “I’d leave the blanket on a few more minutes until it warms up in here.”

  Loki had said the shack would be stocked. He checked the overhead cabinets and found several cans of chicken noodle soup, bowls, a couple of spoons, and a well-used pan covered in dust. A room that opened off from the main room contained another cot. Boxes lined one wall, and he dug through them until he found a case of water. Dadron and Jules would probably have poured in the soup and gone on. Jake continued to search through the boxes until he found several dishcloths and a can opener. He rinsed and dried the pan before stoking the fire and spreading the logs so the flames would die down enough so he could place the pan over them. “Looks like we’ve got chicken noodle soup. Sounds pretty good to me right now.” He nodded at the child held tightly in her arms. “I don’t have anything to feed the baby, though.”

  The girl reached for the pillowcase she’d been carrying and pulled out a bottle. She held it out to him, her hands shaking as her teeth chattered. “You’ll have to warm it for her.”

  Red stains covered one side of the pillowcase, and Jake fought his interrogation instincts, filled the pan with water, and set it on the logs. “Why don’t you sit by the fire and warm up? We’ll do the bottle first.” He knelt beside the fireplace. “You can probably unwrap her now. It’s warm enough.”

  Steam rose from the pan, and he removed it from the logs. “How long do I leave the bottle in?”

  She sat on the floor beside him, the baby still cradled in her arms. The oversized clothes ma
de her appear even smaller than she had before. “I’ll do it.”

  The baby watched him through pale blue eyes. I thought all babies cried when they were wet or hungry? And she was definitely wet. The ammonia smell of urine had filled the air as soon as the blanket was removed. “I don’t suppose you’ve got extra diapers in that pillowcase?”

  She shook her head, and Jake returned to the boxes and riffled through them until he found one filled with extra sheets and blankets. He took out his pocketknife, cut the sheet into what he hoped was a perfect diaper square, and picked up a blanket. He tossed the makeshift diaper and blanket on the cot, then dipped a dishcloth in the warm water, and held it out to her. “Here, go change her. You can wrap her in the clean blanket.”

  Jake cleaned the pan again, opened two cans of soup, poured them in, and placed the pan on the logs. The girl had obeyed without a word, and he could hear the baby noisily sucking at the bottle. He stirred the soup, waiting for it to boil. “Be a whole lot easier for us to talk if you’d tell me your name.”

  The room was silent except for the baby’s happy gurgles. Jake looked at the girl, and she met his gaze, her mouth screwed up as if she were about to cry. “I don’t have a name.”

  “Everybody’s got a name, honey. What’s your little sister’s name?”

  A brief smile brightened the pale features. “Her name is Hope, and she’s my daughter.”

  Jake turned his attention to the soup. Daughter? She has to be lying to me. She’s far too young to be a mother. “How old are you?”

  “Thirteen, I think.”

  He stirred the soup and poured it into bowls. The uneasy feeling he got when things were about to go bad was rolling around in his gut. No name and not sure how old she is. There’s no way this is gonna be good. He placed a spoon in her bowl and carried it to the nightstand beside the cot. “Want to tell me who or what you were running away from?”

  Her already deathly pale face turned a ghastly white as her eyes enlarged, huge saucers of anguish and fear. She whispered, “The devil.”

  ~ ~ ~

  Loki checked the windows and doors for the third time, Bruiser limping along beside her. She’d spent the last hour scrubbing the floors and anything the man had touched before finally taking a scalding shower. Something about the aura surrounding him had left her nauseated and feeling dirty. Bruiser had felt it too and kept returning to the front door, growling and sniffing the air.

  “I think it’s time for a cup of tea, big guy, and you haven’t finished your steak.” Loki made her way to the kitchen and once again turned on the kettle. Jake should have called by now. It’s been hours, and the cabin was only about a half mile away from where he was. An image of dark penetrating eyes filled her mind. Whoever had tried to warn her had called it right. The man exuded evil without even trying. The feeling had been so overpowering she hadn’t even asked to see his badge, and she’d lied twice, telling him she had a husband. Wishful thinking, or maybe it was the fact he scared the hell out of me.

  She closed her eyes for a moment, homing in on the name tag on his chest. Berneski. She grabbed a pen and pad and wrote down the name, picked up her cell phone, and dialed the local police department, then tapped her fingers on the counter as she waited.

  “Police Department.”

  “Is Officer Berneski available?”

  “Sorry, ma’am, we don’t have anybody here named Berneski. Are you sure you’ve got the right number?”

  “Sorry, my mistake.” Loki ended the call and stared out the kitchen window. “Looks like your instincts were better than mine, Bruiser.”

  Bruiser glanced longingly at the back door and whined.

  “Sorry, fellow, I know you miss him as much as I do. He’s okay.”

  He whined again, made his way to Jake’s chair, and stretched out with his head on his paws.

  Loki poured a cup of tea and carried it to the living room. Jake was okay, but there was more to the story than his wandering too far and not being able to make it back before dark. She’d heard the urgency in his voice when he’d asked for help, as well as his hesitation. There was something he wasn’t telling her.

  She settled into the comfortable old sofa she’d played on as a child. Her grandfather had been a frugal man and didn’t believe in replacing anything as long as it was still useful. His death had left a hole in her heart that being here with him now filled. She knew Jake scoffed at her connection to the spirits, but she felt Grandpa’s presence in every room. The hair along the back of her neck stood up again as she remembered the whisper. That wasn’t Grandpa, and it was more than one spirit. Bruiser came to lie down at her feet as her thoughts returned to the man. He’d said a child had been kidnapped, and he was looking for something or someone when he’d searched the house. “Do you think Jake found the child?”

  Bruiser growled deep in his throat.

  “Yeah, me too.” The answer felt right, and she shivered again as she sipped her tea. But if he’d found the child, why wouldn’t he tell me? Bruiser walked to the front door again and sniffed, emitting another low growl. Because someone’s searching for her, and I have a feeling I know who it is.

  “Come here, boy.” He limped to her, and Loki tugged him onto the couch with her. “You need to get some rest.” He laid his head on her leg, and Loki absently stroked his back as she listened to the wind howl outside. If I get up early and saddle the horses, I can be at the cabin before dawn. Bruiser’s ears perked up, and Loki listened intently. She could have sworn she heard a child scream in the distance.

  “I think we need some backup, big guy.” If she was wrong, Jake would laugh at her. I could try Jake on the radio again. She closed her eyes, recalling the image of the fake officer. He’d had a radio on his belt. “Damn it.”

  Loki reached for her cell phone, dialed the number, and waited through four rings before Dadron’s sleepy voice answered.

  “It’s three in the morning here, Loki. Don’t you ever sleep?”

  Loki laughed before her voice turned serious. “I think Jake and I may need help. Can you and Jules catch the next flight out? I’ll arrange a car at the airport for you.”

  She heard the sound of covers being thrown aside and heavy feet stomping across the floor, followed by a whispered conversation between her brothers.

  “Don’t worry about the car. We’ll be there by nightfall tomorrow.”

  “Thanks, Dadron.”

  Loki sipped her tea. She still felt uneasy and checked her belt, taking comfort from the knife hilt as her fingers brushed over it. Bruiser would let her know if the guy was close. Still, a little extra protection was never a bad thing. Her gaze settled on the rifle Jake always left near the coat rack by the door as her grandfather’s hand once again touched her shoulder. “Don’t worry, Grandpa, Jake took his pistol, and Harry taught me how to shoot. If Officer Berneski comes back, Bruiser isn’t the only one who’s going to be hostile toward him.”

  CHAPTER FOUR

  His head nodded to his chest, and Jake jerked awake, his hand instinctively going to the gun at his side as his gaze went to the cot to check on the girls. The fire had burned down, and he stretched the kinks out of his back and legs before tossing more logs on. The smoke could be seen for miles, but he’d have to take a chance and hope that whoever the devil was, he had holed up somewhere or gone in a different direction. He’d wanted to question the girl further, but after devouring two bowls of soup, she’d snuggled under the covers and promptly gone to sleep. A deep sleep, and from the dark circles under her eyes, a much-needed one.

  Jake took the opportunity to study the pillowcase she’d been carrying. There was blood on one side, fairly fresh from its appearance, but from what he could see, it wasn’t her blood. He opened the pillowcase. Nothing but two more baby bottles. She hadn’t thought about anything but the baby when she ran, not bothering to pack any supplies for herself.

  She doesn’t even have shoes. The girl had torn up parts of the gray blanket covering the baby to wra
p her feet in. Thirteen and no name. Everything about her screamed desperation and fear. He needed to get her to the house. She’d be safe there until he could figure out what to do next.

  Jake opened the door to the cabin, a sharp gust of wind clearing the last fragments of sleep from his mind. Loki had said she’d pick him up this morning, and at least the storm had blown over. She was probably seething that he hadn’t radioed her when he got to the cabin, but the batteries in the radio had died as soon as he’d turned it on. That’s what you get for teasing her about the Little People.

  He stared out into the darkness and, satisfied no one was there, closed the door and locked it. His fingers curled inward, and he clenched his fist, his body flushing hot as he glanced at the girl and baby again. Let the devil come. I’ll give him a one-way ticket to hell.

  ~ ~ ~

  It was still dark when Loki made her way to the barn to saddle the horses. She’d barely slept at all and kept checking the clock every half hour. Bruiser shadowed her every move. What am I going to do with him? He’ll never make it all the way to the cabin with that leg. I can’t possibly lead a horse and carry him too.

  Bruiser emitted a low growl as she swung the barn doors open, and Loki patted his head. “I know, boy. I feel him too.”

  She lit the kerosene lantern and made her way cautiously through the barn. He’d been here, searching the barn, but as best she could tell, nothing was missing. Bruiser barked, and she swung the lantern in his direction and laughed. He’d climbed into the huge red sled her grandfather had crafted for the boys. If she could find the straps to hook the sled up to the horses, her problem with Bruiser was solved. Her gut instincts told her this guy might come back, and she wasn’t comfortable leaving Bruiser here by himself.

  Loki first saddled Fawn, the cream-colored mare her grandfather had given her for her tenth birthday, led her from the stall, and hitched her to the post in front of the door. She would have preferred riding the solid black stallion her brothers had named Midnight, but he would be able to pull the sled easier. Taking Bruiser would slow her down, but it was better than having to worry about him the whole time she was gone. She made quick work of saddling the stallion and hooking up the lines to pull the sled along behind him. Loki slipped the rifle into the saddle boot before mounting the mare. She didn’t like guns. She preferred the close-up work of a good knife, but for once she was glad her cousin Harry had insisted she learn to shoot. I’ll have to remember to thank you, Harry. Whether he’s a police officer or not, I’m not letting that guy get close to me again.