Echoes of the Past

by Susanne Matthews

  * * * *

  Michelle choked and coughed. Every part of her body ached, and her lungs burned as if they’d been deprived of oxygen.

  “She’s coming around.”

  She recognized the voice. She opened her eyes. The full moon had risen high in the sky. She looked at the man holding her. Joseph Smoke stood knee-deep in the marsh.

  “Am I dead?”

  She certainly hoped not. The thought of spending eternity in pain had no appeal. She stared at the elderly man dressed in hip waders and fishing clothes.

  “No, Doctor. You’re alive. The Sisters sent me to you.” Another man she didn’t recognized wrapped her in a wool blanket. Her teeth chattered, and she shivered.

  Suddenly she remembered Tony. She looked around for him. “Dr. Steele was with me. Do you see him?”

  “He’s already in the van. He has a couple of bruised ribs, but he’s breathing well. Now, we’re taking you to safety. Rest. Your task is almost done. You’ve done well. The Sisters are pleased.”

  * * * *

  The sun was shining brightly when Michelle opened her eyes. She was lying on a couch in a small room. She stretched and looked at her arm as it came out of the sleeping bag. It was covered by a red, plaid flannel sleeve edged with white lace at the cuff—not a garment she owned. She sat up quickly, momentarily disoriented.

  Where am I?

  Her body was sore, probably the aftereffects of the cold. She got up, moved to the door, and opened it. She limped down the small hallway toward the sound of muted voices and the smell of coffee. She stopped in the doorway and stared at the three men sitting at the table. A pregnant woman stood at the stove stirring a pot.

  Joseph Smoke sat there eating breakfast. He turned to her and smiled.

  “Good morning, Doctor. How did you sleep? I’m sorry we didn’t have another bed to give you. I’m Maggie. Would you like some coffee?”

  “Please.”

  She turned to the men at the table. Chad sat across from Joseph next to a young man who seemed familiar.

  “Where’s Tony?” She knew her anxiety gave her voice an edge.

  Joseph smiled. “He’s resting comfortably. My son Andrew,” he pointed to the young man, “is a paramedic. He’s had a look at him. He took a beating, but nothing is broken. He has a couple of slightly bruised ribs. He has quite the bump on his head too. He’ll be fine. We’ll wake him when the rest of the team arrives.”

  Andrew smiled at her. “How does your head feel? I put seven stitches in the back of it this morning. You must have an incredibly tough skull, Dr. Thomas. That blow should have killed you. I’ll check you over for signs of concussion. I wanted to do it earlier, but Dad said to let you rest. If you weren’t awake in half-an-hour, I was going to wake you up.”

  She frowned. When had she been hit on the head? She closed her eyes. Her mind quickly replayed the images.

  They’d been aboard the pontoon boat, and just before her leg had been shackled, she’d felt tremendous pain. That’s why she’d been unable to fight Jim. They’d done the same to Aaron! He’d been knocked unconscious to ensure he couldn’t swim, float, or somehow make it from the center of the lake to shore.

  She lifted her hand to the back of her head. The stitches were exposed, and she could feel them. She vaguely remembered a bubble of warmth—bleeding in the brain? How had she gotten to shore? Andrew was speaking to her, and she focused on his words.

  “I had to shave a small patch of your hair, but the rest of your hair will cover it. It was the only way to put the stitches in the gash. It was quite deep. Any headache, nausea, blurred vision, ringing in your ears?”

  He’d gotten up and was flashing a penlight in her eyes.

  “No, I’m good.”

  “You have minor frostbite on your ears, fingers, and toes. They’ll be sensitive for a couple of days, but there won’t be any permanent damage.”

  Maggie came back into the room carrying clothing Michelle recognized as her own.

  “I’ve washed your clothing. You can change whenever you want. I think the others will be here shortly.”

  Michelle looked down at the nightgown and reached for the clothing.

  “I’ll change now.”

  She hurried down the hall to the room she’d slept in. She noticed a few feminine touches she hadn’t appreciated before. This must be Maggie’s home. It wasn’t Joseph’s. She dressed quickly, found the bathroom, decorated in sunshine yellow and green, further attesting to the fact this was a woman’s home, and using a hairbrush she did her best to fix her hair without disturbing the stitches. She examined her face in the mirror. She hadn’t escaped without a few bruises of her own. Knowing how badly they’d beaten Tony made her realize how lucky she’d been. Had they treated her the same way, she wouldn’t have survived.

  Instead of going back to the kitchen, she was drawn instinctively to the room across the hall. Tony was in there, and she slowly opened the door. The small room was decorated in shades of blue and cream. Three walls were painted cream while the fourth was navy. The room was warm—someone had turned up the heat. There was a chest of drawers, a small desk and a chair, and a bedside table. It must be a guest room. The queen-sized bed was only a few feet from the door and Michelle saw the lump in the bed that was Tony. She closed the door softly behind her and walked over to the bed startled by the blue eyes and the smile that greeted her. His face was a mass if bruises, but they appeared to be healing quickly. His lips, which had been split and swollen, were almost back to normal.

  “Hi, you’re awake.” She smiled down at him and didn’t try to hide the love she knew shone in her eyes.

  “I sensed you come in. I was dreaming about you.”

  She reddened remembering some of the dreams she’d had of him.

  “Yup, you were lying beside me, and I was telling you how very much I’ve always loved you.”

  Michelle sat on the edge of the bed, knowing she’d collapse from need if she didn’t. His words had flooded her with desire. She bent her head and placed a gentle kiss on his swollen mouth.

  Tony’s naked arm came out from under the blankets and pulled her tightly to him, he deepened the kiss with a savage need leaving her unable to breathe. There was a hungry urgency in his kiss as he fed fiercely from her mouth. His tongue demanded admission, and she opened willingly to him, taking from him as he did from her. They were alive. They were together.

  His tongue stroked and teased her, bringing images of another type of coupling, and she moaned. He pulled away reluctantly.

  “Part of my body so hates me right now.” He chuckled. “I have the feeling this isn’t the time and place for this. Where are we?”

  “Joseph Smoke’s son’s house. They would have killed us. I don’t know how we survived. It had to be the sprits. They didn’t let us drown. Chad, Joseph, and Andrew are in the kitchen waiting for the rest of the task force. I’ll go and tell them you’re awake and get your clothing.”

  “Not yet. One more kiss—I need to know I’m not dreaming. I need to know you’re real.”

  “You didn’t dream every night last week.” She felt herself redden at the memories.

  “I had no idea how much was missing from my life until I met you. You realize I’ll never let you go?”

  He recaptured her lips, and this time the kiss was a slow, sensual exploration, a promise of what was to come.

  * * * *

  Tony helped Michelle out of the RCMP vehicle. The task force was launching a three-pronged assault. One team was hitting the Happy Valley Winery where they suspected the meth was stored until it could be flown out. A second team was rolling up to the Whippoorwill Winery, while a third team, which included Michelle and him, prepared to enter the slaughterhouse. Timing was critical so no one could be warned. The meth might be manufactured at the slaughterhouse, but its delivery system was through the wineries. They intended to put them all out of business. Team A at Happy Valley would secure the warehouse, Team B would enter the Whippoorwill
Winery, but reveal nothing until Michelle and Tony arrived. Team C would secure the lab. RCMP officers had been dispatched to the airport as well. No planes would land or takeoff until the raid was over.

  Tony wanted to see the look on Jim’s face when they walked through the doors of the slaughterhouse. He was disappointed to find the building deserted, but he watched Michelle lead the officers around to the back, into the office, and open the secret door to the lab. Like the rest of the place, it was deserted.

  “Watch for trip wires.” Chad ordered the men. “They may have booby-trapped the place. I’m guessing they’ve shut down operations for a few days.” His cell phone vibrated, and he picked it up. Tony moved to stand beside Michelle. He couldn’t bear to be away from her.

  “Stevens.” The man listened attentively. He smiled. “That’s great. I’ll tell them.” He ended the call.

  “That was Montreal. They’ve got your vehicles.”

  Michelle smiled. “Thank you. I really didn’t want to lose it.”

  Tony laughed. “Yeah, you promised you’d let me drive it, remember? Mine’s just a loaner. I’d have hated to pay replacement cost if it had disappeared.”

  Michelle shook her head. “Like you’d have had to pay anything if we’d died.”

  “Where’s your sense of humor? Come on. Let’s get the rest of this over with.” He heard the resignation in her voice. This was the least pleasant part of the raid, but it had to be done. They both hoped no one had taken the time to clean up last night.

  They went back up the stairs to the slaughterhouse and walked toward the meat locker.

  “We have almost all the evidence we need. The piece de resistance is in there. You’ll find Tony’s blood, maybe some of Aaron’s too. I think Lindsay’s fingerprints will be all over that case as well as mine. It’ll prove unlawful confinement.”

  Tony put his arm around her.

  “Hey, we’re in this together, remember?” She nodded.

  Chad opened the meat locker door and flipped the light switch.

  They walked over to the meat hook where Tony had hung. The upended case sat on the floor where it had been left, the bottle of wine beside it.

  “It looks like the same bottle in the picture which cost Isaac his life. Given his height and strength, I think you’ll find Jerome is the one who killed him.”

  Michelle showed Chad the discrepancy between the bottle and the case. With a penknife, he pulled off the bottom layer, revealing thirty-two neatly packaged one ounce bags of crystal meth.

  Go to the lake. We are doing our part.

  Tony stood still. The voice was vaguely familiar, but so many strange things had happened, he chose to simply obey the command. He turned to Stevens.

  “Send someone down to the lake. Have them follow the gator tracks. I think they’ll find something there as well. They were loading barrels for disposal.”

  “I’ll send someone right away. I’ll be right back.” He left them there.

  Tony reached for her and with his fingers, gently traced the bruise on her cheek. He smiled down at her and stole a quick kiss before Stevens returned.

  “Are you ready for the winery? Everything’s under control here. You won’t believe what they’ve found in the marsh.” Chad called from the doorway.

  Tony made a fist with his right hand and struck the palm of his left hand with it.

  “Yeah. I have something for those sons of bitches I want to deliver in person.”

  * * * *

  The winery employees stood in the foyer when they arrived. Ron was in heated discussion with the officer in charge, but it was Mendez’s cry of Madre de Dios that shut the mayor up. He turned and blanched.

  Michelle put her arm through Tony’s to stop him from punching the man in the face. She understood his desire to do so, but it wouldn’t be in his best interest at the moment.

  “Good morning, Ron. I take it you weren’t expecting us. Where’s Jim?”

  Ron tried to bluff his way out.

  “I don’t know. I haven’t seen my partner in a couple of days. It’s always a pleasure to see you, Michelle. You know that.”

  She smiled. “The pleasure is all ours, isn’t it, Tony?”

  He nodded and kissed her on the head further angering Ron. The muscle twitching in the man’s jaw showed he’d struck a nerve.

  “I’m afraid you’re wrong about that, Ron.” Tony spoke softly but loud enough to be heard by all those present. “We were all together last night. Mendez over there was with us, and I think I recognize a few of those boys, cowering in the corner. Guys, you look as if you’ve seen a ghost.”

  Michelle laughed. “Maybe they have. By the way, Ron, we know where Jim is. The team at Happy Valley has him in custody along with all those cases with false bottoms.” She turned to Ron whose face was that of an angry, cornered animal.

  “Lindsay showed us that. She left us a clue, but you knew that. You saw the wine bottle she must have been holding cradled to her chest, the one that slipped out onto the sand. What you didn’t know was that Isaac had given me the pictures, and I sent them to Toronto. You had him killed for nothing, but you know something, ordering someone to kill a man carries the same penalty as doing the deed yourself. It’s over.”

  “None of this will stick. My lawyers will shred you all a new one.”

  Chad Stevens laughed as he walked up to them.

  “I don’t think so. We’ve just recovered over two hundred barrels of meth waste all along the coast of the lake. It seems they weren’t sealed properly. Gases floated them up to the surface. I’m sure we’ll find a few more over the next little while. Between your winery, Jim’s slaughterhouse, and the winery across the street, we’ve found over fifty pounds of meth. Your honor, you’re under arrest for Possession of a Prohibited or Controlled Substance, Possession of a Controlled Substance for the Purposes of Trafficking, Trafficking in a Prohibited or Controlled Substance, Producing, Growing a Controlled Substance, and Possessing for the Purpose of Exporting a Controlled Substance, as well as four charges of unlawful confinement, two charges conspiracy to commit murder, and five charges of murder in the second degree—there’s another body among the barrels. Michelle told us about you mentioning the coroner’s accident, so we’re throwing it into the mix until we know what it was for sure. We do have one of the province’s top forensic experts to help us. You have…”

  Michelle and Tony watched as the shock on the faces of those who had been pawns in the mayor’s drug scheme made itself known.

  She walked over to Ron who seemed to be shrinking as Chad read him his rights.

  “It’s too bad, you know. You guys actually made a really nice wine.” She turned to Tony. “Let’s go home.”

  * * * *

  Six weeks later

  Michelle snuggled beside Tony. She was happier than she’d ever been, sated, and content to the depths of her soul. This is where she belonged, where she’d always been meant to be. The gentle rise and fall of Tony’s chest told her he was still asleep. She moved into his comfortable warmth, and he put his arm around her, but he didn’t wake.

  She, Tony, and Joseph knew no one would believe The Three Sisters had saved them from death, so they’d concocted a story, and Andrew who was the only other who knew the truth, had agreed to keep the secret.

  Joseph and Andrew had admitted to being out on the lake night fishing, a minor fish and game violation. They claimed they saw a pontoon boat coming out, and they’d rowed into the marsh. Since motors weren’t allowed on the lake, they thought it might be the police. The men had thrown some things into the water and returned to shore. Joseph rowed out across the lake ready to go home since he figured whatever had gone into the lake would disturb the fish. They heard weak cries for help and rushed to the spot where they found two people in the water. They pulled them aboard and removed the ankle shackles. The anchors had slipped into the water, but they knew whoever had tied anchors to them wanted them dead. They were fortunate to have landed on a sandba
r and not in the deeper part of the lake. Since Andrew was a paramedic, he examined them, and they took them to his brother’s home on the island before calling Chad, a family friend. The police had recovered the anchors later that day. The rest of the story was more or less the truth.

  Tony shifted, and she knew he was awake.

  “Hey, Mrs. Steele, how do you feel?”

  “Wonderful,” She moved away, stretched like a cat, and snuggled in beside him again. “Actually,” she circled one of his nipples, and it hardened instantly as did another part of his anatomy she could feel pressed against her abdomen. “I’m hungry. It must be dinnertime.”

  “I’m hungry too, but for you, although food does sound good. Let me take care of this appetite first, and then I’ll wine and dine you.”

  “You’ve got a deal. I love you, Mr. Steele.” She ran her hands down his abdomen and felt his stomach muscles quiver. “Now, did you say you have an appetite to assuage?”

  He laughed before capturing her lips, and once more taking her to a land, far beyond the spirit realm, where they were not two, not four, but one.

  *The End*

  About the Author

  Susanne Matthews was born and raised in Cornwall, Ontario, Canada. She’s always been an avid reader of all types of books, but always with a penchant for happily ever after romances. In her imagination, she travelled to foreign lands, past and present, and soared into the future. Today, gets to spend her time writing, so she can share her adventures with her readers. She loves the ins and outs of romance, and the complex journey it takes to get from the first word to the last period of a novel. As she writes, her characters take on a life of their own, and she shares their fears and agonies on the road to self-discovery and love.

  Follow Susanne on her Website: http://www.mhsusannematthews.ca/