by Amy Cross
Bonus
Lost
(Devil's Briar 1.6)
Prologue
"Victoria!"
Stifling a laugh, I close my eyes and listen to her footsteps coming closer and closer. She's finally reached the kitchen, but there's no way she'll think to look in the little cupboard under the sink. It'll never occur to her that I'd be able to squeeze into such a small space, but she's underestimated me. I can hide in here for hours and hours, and I'll only come out when it's time for dinner.
"Victoria!" my mother calls out again, getting even closer. "I know you're in here," she continues. "Don't think I won't find you".
I bite my bottom lip, determined not to giggle. I swear, my mother is the worst at hide and seek. I win every single time, and she never seems to learn. Some days, the game can last for hours and hours, and the funniest thing is that when it's her turn to hide, I always manage to find her straight away. Then again, I suppose I have a natural advantage, since I'm only six years old and therefore I can fit into smaller spaces.
"Are you under the table?" my mother asks. "Or maybe you're behind the curtain?" She pauses. "You have to be somewhere around here. Maybe you're... under the sink?"
Suddenly the cupboard doors are flung open and I find myself staring at my mother. She's found me! Laughing, I start to climb out.
"Victoria," she says firmly, "you must be careful. What if someone pours boiling water down the sink while you're under there? The pipes would get hot and you might get a nasty burn".
"That won't happen," I reply, smiling.
"Let's hope not," she says.
"How did you find me?" I ask. "You never find me".
"It's easier when you leave a chocolate-covered hand-print on the cupboard door," she says.
Looking down at my hand, I see that there's some chocolate smeared on my fingers from the cookie I ate earlier. Damn it, I made it too easy for her. I lick the chocolate away, slightly annoyed at myself for losing the game.
"Don't feel too bad, Victoria," my mother says. "No-one can hide forever".
"I can!" I insist.
"Maybe," she replies, taking my other hand and leading me through to the front room. "Perhaps we should try again, and I'll prove it to you. No matter where you hide, someone can always find you".
Chapter One
1925
I look beautiful. Well, the dress looks beautiful, but I certainly look rather fetching. Standing before the mirror in my room at the hotel, wearing the wedding dress I have borrowed for the day from Mrs. Pressman, I find it hard to believe I could look so elegant and graceful. If only my parents could see me now, they'd be stunned. Their little girl, all grown up and ready to get married. My father would be so proud, and I dearly wish he and my mother had lived long enough to witness this moment. Still, I am quite certain that - wherever they are - both my father and my mother must be looking down at me and recognizing that I have finally found a man who wishes to take me as his wife. It has been so many years since the fire that destroyed my family's home, and despite my uncle's best efforts, I have felt lost and alone ever since. Now, finally, I am to marry Mr. Albert Caster of Devil's Briar, and I shall feel lost no more.
Taking a deep breath, I look at the clock on the wall and see that it is almost 8am. The wedding will take place at midday, so I have just a few more hours as Victoria Paternoster and then I shall become Victoria Caster. That name seems so strange and so alien, but I am quite certain it will grow on me. Victoria Caster. Victoria Caster. Soon it will be comfortable, like an old shoe, and hopefully one day I will no longer remember what it was like to be unmarried and alone. I desperately want to be not only a good wife to Albert, but also a good mother to the children I would dearly love to raise. I see no reason why, soon, I should not become pregnant. After all, Albert has the means to run a good household, and I am quite certain that he would love nothing more than to start a family. Truly, I feel for the first time that I can see how the rest of my life is set to proceed, and I am happy beyond all measure.
Carefully slipping the wedding dress off, I lay it on the bed and change into my everyday clothes. I believe it would be wise not to wear the white dress until shortly before the ceremony begins, since there is a danger it could become ripped or stained. Glancing at myself in the mirror, I see that there is a smile on my face and a light in my eyes that I have scarcely seen before. I turn and head out of the room, hurrying down the stairs as I seek to start the day with a full breakfast. To be absolutely honest, I have never really been happy before, and I do not quite know what I am supposed to do; the emotion is so strange and so new, I feel I might burst at the seams, yet I am quite certain that I must remain focused. It would not do to become irrational, and there is still much to organize. After all, this wedding has been organized in a great hurry, with Albert having only proposed a couple of days ago. I feel as if I am caught up in the most wonderful whirlwind.
"Ms. Paternoster," says Henry Porter, looking over at me as I reach the hotel's reception area. "I trust you slept well?"
"I most certainly did not," I reply. "In fact, I was barely able to close my eyes all night. All I could do was think about what it will be like to be a married woman". I pause, unable to hide my excitement. "Have you ever been married, Mr. Porter?"
"Once," he says. "She's gone now, but I think of her every day".
"I'm so sorry," I reply.
"Don't be," he continues. "I loved her, and she loved me. Not everyone gets to experience such happiness, even for a single moment in time".
"I just feel..." I pause, unable to put my emotions into words.
He smiles. "It's good to be nervous, Victoria. It means you're taking the occasion seriously".
"I am," I tell him. "I shall be the best wife any man has ever known".
"You know what?" he asks. "I think I actually believe you. Albert is a very lucky man. Now go through to the saloon, and I'll fetch you some breakfast. You need plenty of energy for the day ahead".
Hurrying through to the saloon bar, I am in such a blissful state of mind that I do not even notice that there is a stranger sitting over by the window. Sitting at the table I usually share with my uncle, I look up at the clock and see that it is perhaps still a little early to expect him. I suppose I cannot expect him to share my excitement on this momentous occasion. In fact, I am a little saddened by the thought that once I have married Albert, my uncle will be all alone. I am not quite certain how I will cope with the sight of my uncle eventually leaving Devil's Briar, which he says he must do one day soon. Perhaps I shall be able to persuade him to stay after all, and he can end his peripatetic existence and instead settle down in this rather friendly and pleasant town. How wonderful it would be, for we wanderers to finally find a home.
"Good morning, Victoria," says a voice behind me.
Turning, I realize that the stranger has begun to address me. A scruffy-looking man with a thick beard and old, brown clothes, he has a curious expression on his face. Given that I do not believe we have ever met one another before, I feel that he is being rather familiar. In fact, he seems content to sit and stare at me from across the room.
"Good morning," I say, before looking back at the table in front of me.
"How are you doing?" he asks, and I hear his chair move as he gets up and walks slowly toward me. As I glance back at him, I see that he has a heavy limp.
"I am very well, thank you," I reply, hoping that Mr. Porter will come through soon.
"You look happy," he says. "Do you want to know how I can tell? You had a smile on your face when you walked into the room just now. You had a smile last night, too, when you were talking to your uncle out by the reception desk". He coughs, and it sounds as if he is rather ill. "I've got to admit, it's nice to see a young lady smile. So many of the girls these days seem so dour and sad. It's like they're no longer content with their lot in life. I sometimes wonder what's to become of the female sex entirely".
"Quite," I say, glancing over at
the door and wondering why Mr. Porter is taking so long to bring my breakfast.
"You don't recognize me, do you?" the man asks suddenly.
I look at his face again, but with the beard and the straggly hair, it's hard to really make out his features. "I'm sorry," I say, my heart pounding, "but I've seen so many new faces since I arrived in Devil's Briar, I'm afraid sometimes I've been unable to recall everyone". I swallow hard, determined to retain a calm demeanor. "You mustn't take it personally".
"Huh," he says, suddenly sitting down at my table, landing on the chair with a loud thud. "You don't recognize me at all?"
I pause, poised to get up and move to another table. "I would really prefer to eat my breakfast alone," I say, "and I must ask that you respect my decision. Thank you".
"What's wrong?" he asks. "Don't you like seeing a face from the past? A face from the old days?"
"The past?" I stare at him, and it feels as if my blood is starting to run cold. "I'm terribly sorry," I say, getting to my feet, "but I have no idea -"
Suddenly he reaches out and grabs my wrist, holding me in place. "You look good, Victoria. The air here in Devil's Briar is obviously working wonders compared to what you looked like the last time I saw you. How long's it been? Five, six months?"
I try to pull my wrist free, but his grip is firm. "I shall call for help," I say firmly, "if you do not release me immediately".
To my surprise, he lets go. "You only had to ask," he says with a smile. "It's funny; I remember a time when you liked being touched by me. I remember a time when you were rather more welcoming".
"I'm sure I don't know what you mean," I say, "I'm only -" Suddenly a wave of awful realization crashes over me. As I stare at the man, I start to understand where I've seen him before. My mind is flooded with thoughts, as I try to tell myself over and over again that it's simply not possible, but deep in my heart I know it's him. After all this time, after all these miles, he has caught up to us once again. It seemed impossible, but it has happened.
"Judging by that look of terror on your face," he continues, "I'm thinking maybe you recognize me all of a sudden".
"Mr. Saxon," I say, forcing myself to smile. "You'll have to forgive me, but it has been a very long time".
"It sure has," he replies. "It's a long and winding road that we're on, Victoria, but I've got a feeling that maybe it ends right here in Devil's Briar. After all, where else can you and your dear old uncle run? There's nowhere to go. If I can find you here, I can find you anywhere. The only way to be sure you're rid of me, is if I decide I ain't gonna come looking for you any more, and why would I do that unless I get what I'm owed. Maybe I'd also like a little compensation for the extreme trouble I've had to go to, just to find you".
"Do you really have to -" I start to say.
"You left me for dead!" he says angrily, raising his voice. "I guess it suited you and your so-called uncle, but I've got bad news for you, Victoria. I'm not dead. I'm here, and I want what's mine".
Behind me, the door opens and Mr. Porter enters with my breakfast. "I see you've met our other guest," he says, looking a little concerned.
"We go way back," Mr. Saxon says, grinning from ear to ear.
"I shan't be needing breakfast," I say, turning and hurrying from the room. Panicking, I realize I shall have to go and find my uncle. I have no idea how Mr. Saxon could possibly have tracked us to Devil's Briar, but the reality is that he is here, and of all days he has made his presence known just as I am about to marry Albert. Just a few minutes ago, I was looking forward to the happiest and most perfect of occasions, and now I realize that everything might have to be abandoned. Hurrying up the stairs, I race to my uncle's room and hammer on the door. He has to come up with a plan, with a way to get Mr. Saxon to leave us alone. As I stand on the verge of a new life, I cannot let this man from the past ruin everything.
Chapter Two
Today
"Did you hear me, Paula?" Ed says, speaking over the crackly audio connection.
I stare straight ahead. Outside my window, the Pacific Ocean looks so beautiful and blue, and the Californian sun beats down across San Francisco. Occasionally, I hear the sound of car horns, and shouts from the street below. It's a busy, hectic place to live, and I love it. The last thing I want is to be dragged away; to be forced to go back to the old life from which I thought I'd escaped.
"Paula?" Ed continues. "Are you still there?"
"Yeah," I say. "I just don't know what you want me to do about it".
"You know what I want you to do," he replies. "I want you to come up here and help us".
I take a deep breath. Sitting here in my little apartment in San Francisco, I feel like I'm a million miles from Devil's Briar, but somehow I knew that I'd get dragged back into the whole mess. It's been two weeks since I left Boston, and almost three weeks since I drove away from Devil's Briar, and I should be getting on with my new life. Instead, it's as if that damn town refuses to completely let go of me. I expected something like this to happen, but I have to admit I never thought it would be so dramatic. There's a part of me that would love nothing more than to slam the laptop lid closed and just cut myself off completely. If only I could be so cold-hearted.
"You just have to keep looking," I tell Ed after a moment, being careful to say 'you' rather than 'we'.
"It's not here," he says. "I promise you, Paula, the place just doesn't exist".
"I've been there," I say firmly.
"We've spent a week looking," he replies. "We've quadruple-checked the GPS, we used visual references from the photos you took... We did everything, and we still can't find Devil's Briar. On the exact spot where you claim this town is supposed to stand, there's nothing more than an open patch of land. It's totally barren, and there's no sign of any buildings having ever existed here. If I didn't know better, Paula, I'd be starting to think this is all part of some elaborate hoax".
"What are you suggesting?" I ask, bristling at the idea that Devil's Briar might be a big joke.
"It's there," I say, getting tired of this stupidity. "You're obviously reading the maps wrong".
"Then come up here and show us what we're doing wrong," he replies. "Paula, we can't sit around here forever. We have to find the town soon, or we've got no option but to head back to Boston and write the whole thing off as a dead-end. You're the only person who can help us work out what's going on".
"I'm not coming," I tell him. "I've got a new life now. I've got a bunch of job interviews lined up. I've moved on".
"Think about Bill," Ed says. "He's still alone in Devil's Briar, right? He must be low on food by now. If we don't find the place in the next few days, he might end up starving to death. I know you're through with him, but can you really let him die?"
"Don't pull that emotional blackmail crap on me," I reply, starting to hate really Ed for the way he's continually pushing and pushing for me to help out. It's like he doesn't give a damn about the fact that I'm trying to start a new life.
"It's not emotional blackmail," he says. "It's the truth. Bill might die if we don't get to him soon, and right now, we're out of ideas. I don't know what's going wrong, but we're not having any luck finding Devil's Briar, and frankly you're our last hope. If you can get out here tomorrow, we have a chance of getting to Bill in time".
I pause for a moment. "You've been to the exact GPS coordinates I gave you?" I ask.
"Yeah".
"Then there's nothing more I can do to help you. All I can suggest is that you get a helicopter and take a bird's eye view of the whole area. Devil's Briar has to be there, Ed. You need to keep looking. A whole town doesn't just disappear".
"Remember those aerial photos I had?" he continues. "The ones that showed no sign of the place during certain periods? You were so certain that it was a mistake, but now I'm wondering -"
"If Devil's Briar has the ability to appear and disappear at random intervals?" I pause for a moment, shocked that someone as straightforward as Ed could even begi
n to consider some kind of superstitious nonsense. I admit after being in Devil's Briar for a few days, I started to get a bit freaked out, but this idea of a vanishing town is something completely different. I walked through the streets of Devil's Briar, and I slept there, and I'm absolutely certain that the place exists. "Ed, listen to yourself," I continue. "You need to go over all the data, and work out where you're going wrong. Devil's Briar is out there, and I know the coordinates I gave you are correct because they're the same ones Bill and I used to find the place. So the error is in your method, and I really don't see that I can -"
"Paula, please," he says, interrupting me. "Bill's life could be at stake here".
I sigh. The truth is, I know he's right. For whatever reason, Ed and the others seem to be having trouble finding Devil's Briar, and the stark reality is that Bill really might be in danger of starving if he's not picked up soon. While I'm determined to make sure that Bill's out of my life forever, there's no way I can sit back and let him die. Sure, I could stay right where I am and tell myself that it's not my problem, but then I might have to live the rest of my life knowing that I could have done more to help save the man I once loved. Despite everything we've been through, Bill remains someone who has been important in my life, and the thought of him dying alone up in Devil's Briar is just too much to take. Taking a deep breath, I realize that there's only one thing I can do.
"Fine," I say. "I'll come".
"We've made a small base in Florence," he replies. "It's a small town about -"
"I know where it is," I say. "Don't worry; I can be there tomorrow afternoon. There's only one motel in town, can you meet me there?"
"Sure thing," he says. "And Paula... Thank you".
Once the call is over, I walk over to the window and stare out at the street. I was so certain that I'd never let myself be dragged back to Devil's Briar, and now look at me: getting ready to book a flight to Colorado. I swear to God, if there was any other way to help Ed and the team find Bill, I'd do it, but the reality seems to be that I'm not free yet. Between them, Devil's Briar and Bill have conspired to create a set of circumstances that have forced me to go back to my old life. Had it not been a life and death situation, there's no way I would have given in so easily.
