Touch of Rain

by Teyla Branton

  “Thank heavens for Tawnia then. Don’t you remember how many times you’ve had to call me when your car has broken down?”

  “Maybe I should give up driving.” Winter and Summer had never owned cars.

  His grin was mocking. “Maybe. But you won’t.”

  He was right. I needed my car to search for antiques. I was a terrible hypocrite. “Come on.” I tugged on his arm. “Let’s go.”

  We walked into the woods a short distance before he turned on the flashlight. It wasn’t exactly like walking in broad daylight, but the path was completely illuminated, the dark shadows pushed back to a safe distance.

  “Here.” He shoved something into my hand. An organic blueberry muffin.

  Instantly, I forgave him everything. Even for the kiss, which I was thinking about way too much now that we were together and alone, but not for a million muffins would I admit it.

  I gobbled my muffin on the way to the bathroom, where Jake waited for me. Then he led me back to the place where I’d seen Inclar’s body. With my wonderful sense of direction, I wasn’t sure it was the right place until we were actually upon it, but Jake’s steps were sure.

  With the flashlight it was easier to see the indentation in the sparse shrubbery at the base of the tree where Inclar’s head might have been. Something that looked like dragging marks curved off to the left, vanishing into a stretch of undergrowth.

  “Wait. Is this blood?” Jake held the light closer to the indentation. A patch of darkness marred the dirt between the greenery, as though someone had poured a cup of used oil there. Except it wasn’t glistening like oil. Tiny bits flaked off one of the leaves when Jake moved it aside.

  Dried blood.

  I was both relieved and frightened at the same time.

  “He didn’t drag himself away,” Jake said.

  “No.”

  “Let’s follow it. If they have a hidden place, you can bet that’s where they’ll put him—at least temporarily.”

  It took a while to locate a trail, but once we did, it was a matter of following the bits of dried blood and depressed vegetation. Whoever had moved Inclar was either too slight to carry him or hadn’t wanted to get blood on his own clothing.

  “This isn’t going anywhere except toward the dirt road we came in on,” Jake said after awhile.

  I grunted. I’d thought we’d been going in the direction of the fields.

  “We’d better be careful, then,” I said. “Because of the guards.”

  “Guards?” Jake stared at me.

  “Ethan said he saw some.”

  “Did they have guns?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know.”

  Jake switched his light to a lower setting, and we crept along. When we reached the road, the signs of dragging and blood vanished altogether. Jake indicated the hard-packed dirt. “Must have loaded him into something.”

  “Did they go out or in past the house?” Earlier I’d noticed another dirt road skirting the married housing, presumably the way to the barns or fields.

  “They could hide him anywhere. There’s nothing for miles. Three hundred acres, plus all the land between here and Rome.” Jake scrubbed a hand across his face, which for some reason made me stare at his lips.

  He caught my eye. “Uh, Autumn, about before.”

  “You mean when you kissed me?” The words fell from my lips before I could bite them back.

  “I hope it was okay. We’re still friends, right?”

  Friends. I hated that word. “Don’t be ridiculous. It’d take more than a kiss to drive me away.” I spoke jokingly, but instead of my words reassuring him, an annoyed glint came to his eyes. Obviously, he wasn’t prepared to joke about it.

  “Let’s follow the road to the larger barn,” he said coolly. “It’ll be easier than going through the woods, and we won’t need the light out here on the road. No use in announcing our presence.”

  We’d gone about fifty yards when we heard a shout behind us. “Uh-oh,” I said.

  Jake pulled me off the road, and we began running. I stubbed my bandaged toe painfully on an exposed root.

  “Must be a guard,” I panted, looking around to see if the man had a gun.

  Not one but two men were behind us, though they didn’t seem to be carrying anything except flashlights. I hoped I wasn’t wrong.

  “Split up!” I yelled at Jake. I thought I might be able to outrun them, but the darkness was making speed difficult.

  “No!”

  Ignoring him, I curved away and sprinted for a large tree. If I could reach it before they caught up to me, I could use the tree to change my direction without being seen. Behind me a light bobbed between the trees. I wondered if our pursuers could make out the details of our faces.

  I darted around the tree and changed direction. I was mentally congratulating myself when I slammed into a solid figure. Without hesitation, I jerked my foot upward at his flashlight, hitting it with the ball of my foot and knocking it away. It was a move I’d practiced as a teen in my taekwondo class, and I didn’t have time to be amazed that it actually worked.

  With a grunt he lunged for me. His fist caught the left side of my face, the side Spring’s husband had bloodied, making me cry out with pain. The momentum from his punch hurled me backward into a bush, and everything went black for an instant. Then he was coming toward me, his round, flat face lit eerily by the moonlight.

  I jabbed at him with my feet, catching him in the chest by surprise. He cried out as he fell. Leaping from the bush, I started to run, but the world spun around me. I forced myself to take a step. I was too slow. A hand closed over my ankle, and for the first time in my life I wished I were wearing heels. Sharp spiky heels that I could use as a weapon.

  Down I went, face splatting on the narrow path. It was softer here, not packed like the trail to the bathrooms, but pain reverberated through my left cheek. I had the impression of a fist coming down on the back of my head, and at the last minute, I turned over, limbs flailing. He was on top of me in an instant. I desperately reached for something to use against him. Finding only a handful of dirt, I threw it into his eyes. He bellowed in rage as he rubbed at his face. I dug my elbows into the ground, trying to pull myself out from under him.

  He laughed, a mean sound that sent shivers up my spine. He was enjoying this! That knowledge gave me strength, and I managed to move myself a few inches. His body leaned forward, his hands reaching for my neck.

  What now? More dirt? Would it even stop him? There was no chance of curling my feet up to use against him as I had done against Inclar. This man was simply too big and heavy. Maybe if I surrendered, I could convince him that I’d gotten lost looking for the outhouse.

  I pushed at him, trying to find air. My hand touched his belt buckle, a huge piece of engraved metal at his waist. Images shot through me—terrifying images of rape, torture, of blood welling from a wound. Screams echoed in my ears until I didn’t know if the events had happened or were happening now. Maybe I was the one screaming. I saw Inclar’s rolling eye. A flash of Gabe’s face drawn in anger. And Marcie. Thin to the point of death, her expression one of agony.

  Gasping, I pulled my hand away as though I’d touched an open flame. “No,” I protested feebly, my last strength drained by the imprint. He laughed again.

  Then my scrambling right hand felt a rock, one heavy enough to give me trouble moving it. I hefted it, the jagged edges digging into my skin. With a loud grunt of effort, I brought it up and slammed it into his head.

  He crumpled. Unfortunately, he crumpled on top of me, and he was so large that it took more strength to move him than I could coax from my wounded body. My right hand that had wielded the rock felt like it was broken, and the other arm pulsed pain with each heartbeat. That meant I must be bleeding there. Hopefully, not too badly. I made a mental note to ask Shannon to recommend a place for self-defense lessons. I’d need more training if I was going to stay in this line of work.

  That’s when I knew I was delusi
onal. I was an antiques dealer, nothing more. Coming here had been a huge mistake, and I was going to leave the first chance I got—dragging Victoria with me, if I could.

  Provided, of course, that I could get this guy off me before he woke up and finished the job he’d started.

  The pain in my arm and wrist were fading a bit, so I pushed at the man’s body. It took me three tries before I managed to get enough momentum to roll him off. With relief, I lay next to my unconscious attacker, gulping in air.

  When I closed my eyes to rest, the memories of the imprints were still there, a revolving mass of confusion and terror. It was impossible to block out the scenes. I shook uncontrollably. I couldn’t place the mishmash of imprints at any exact time, but those of Marcie and Inclar were recent. Very recent.

  I don’t know how long I lay next to the guard, shuddering and feeling the terror that wasn’t mine—and mine had been strong enough to begin with. My skin felt hot and flushed, and my stomach threatened to disgorge the muffin Jake had given me. I was totally and completely exposed.

  Sometime later I heard footsteps and felt the gentle touch of Jake’s hands. “Autumn, you okay? I’ve been searching everywhere for you.”

  I couldn’t answer. Tears slid from my eyes and into my hair.

  “Autumn, talk to me. Where does it hurt?” When I didn’t respond, Jake lifted me so I was sitting. “What did you see?”

  This time I was glad he understood what had happened, but I still couldn’t talk. “It’s going to be okay,” Jake murmured, as though to a frightened child. “I’m right here with you.” He dropped his flashlight in my lap and pulled me into his arms, cradling me to his chest like an infant.

  My hands inadvertently touched his flashlight. I didn’t expect an imprint, but suddenly I was looking at myself—a half transparent figure that signaled a fading imprint. One left by Jake.

  Autumn was illuminated by the flashlight, her antiques all around her. “Let’s have a picnic,” she said. “It’s almost closing time. Besides, with the snowstorm and the power outage, most people will be heading home.”

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

  Jake 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 in the 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.

  “You could be right,” he agreed. “If people started leaving, they’d want their assets back. Imagine the lawsuits, the negative press.”

  “I’m thinking Marcie had fifty thousand dollars disappear with her, not to mention the proceeds from her furniture. We need to talk to Detective Martin. He’ll know how to follow the money trail. I bet Gabe’s rolling in fat Swiss bank accounts.”

  “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, blood seeped 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 the horrific 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 Farms 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’m guessing he took that and not the van. Or maybe he found a place to call Detective Martin.” I was eager to see even Shannon at this point.

  Jake shook his head. “Even if Ethan found service, Portland’s too far for Detective Martin to be here so soon.”

  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 is it?” 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

  Jake half dragged, half carried me most of the way back to the houses. 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 Korin was aware of his brother’s death and what would happen to his belief in Gabe if he did know. Maybe telling Korin 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 was the woman Inclar had attacked? Maybe he knew Inclar had told me things, had 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. After it was all over, Ethan and I would date and see what might happen. There was nothing complicated or mixed up about my feelings for him like there was with Jake.

  Gabe’s sedan had arrived at the houses 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 side of the main 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 Korin when he arrived.”

  “Then where is he?”