by Morgana Best
I closed my eyes tightly and tried to fall asleep, but that proved to be rather difficult, hunched up as I was. I rolled over on my opposite side. Would anyone ever find me here? I wriggled my toes, and was thankful that I could still feel them. I had horrible thoughts of them falling off from frostbite.
I tried to comfort myself with common sense. I wasn’t going to die from cold, now that I had my hay bed. It was too cold for snakes, so I was safe from that threat too. It was unlikely to be snowing in the morning — we rarely had snow two days in a row in this district — so I would be able to walk to a farm house. I had given Adam the address, so no doubt he would come looking for me sooner or later.
I listened quietly as I held my eyes shut, but the only sounds echoing through the night were that of sleet and wind. Not a single car could be heard in the distance. As I lay there for nearly an hour trying to fall asleep, the agony of freezing and the hunger pains in my stomach finally began to plague me, but I drifted off to sleep.
Chapter 12.
A strange light infiltrated my clenched eyes, forcing the darkness from my sight and the sleep from my mind. A chilling sound reverberated through the small barn. What on earth was that? Was it an animal? I hoped it wasn’t rats. I fought the panic to rush like a madwoman from my safe hay bed.
The noise sounded off again in the distance, but it seemed a bit closer this time. Was that a person calling for someone? I shifted in my bed of hay, pushing off the extra piles that I had pulled over myself to keep warm.
“Hello?” the voice rang out. It was much clearer this time.
I jumped up, and then winced at the aches and pains. I staggered out into the cold to peer around the barn door. I made sure to stay out of sight — what if this was one of the nuns coming back to finish me off?
“Hey! Are you out here?” the voice yelled.
I was still unable to see anything from the viewpoint of the barn door, and without knowing who was out there, I considered that running to them would be a bad decision. Thoughts ran through my mind like an old film playing through a projector, as I remembered my conversation with the man in my shop. I knew the nuns now considered me a threat — I knew that leaving me to die in the cold was a good way to get rid of liability, while making it look like an accident.
I shivered at the thought of one of them being outside the barn, tricking me once more so they could finally seek their vengeance. As the fear threatened to overwhelm me, I also remembered something far more hopeful —Adam. I had texted him about the meeting and had made sure to give him the address, so was he the one outside? Without any other logical choices in front of me, I decided to take the risk.
What choice do I really have? I thought. I struggled with the notion, but the thought of getting out of the cold was something I wasn’t able to pass up easily. I stumbled out and fell harshly to the ground as my cramped knees gave way, causing me to fall forward onto my hands and knees. When I looked up, I saw what appeared to be headlights shining. The light was extremely bright. I raised one of my hands to cover my eyes as I slowly pulled myself up and then walked toward the light.
I fought the cold as I pushed onward toward the source of the light. To my enormous relief, I saw Adam standing in front of the headlights. “Adam?” I shouted as loud as I could muster. The strain of yelling through the sleet hurt my throat, but it didn’t stop me from calling out again.
“Rose?” he called. I had the sensation of Adam running toward me with open arms, as I stumbled once more. My body began to feel weightless just before the darkness engulfed me.
Emptiness faded away as my eyes slipped open. My vision was blurred at first, but then it slowly grew clearer. I felt a strange sensation on my hands, so I looked down at them. What I saw was a long, warm coat draped across my body, and my hands were in the hands of someone else, who was rubbing them gently. It slowly dawned on me that Adam must have pulled me inside his car to warm me up.
The vents in the dashboard roared to life as the car filled with merciful heat. For the first time all night, I felt safe. I struggled to speak, but couldn’t quite manage.
“Shush,” Adam said softly. “You need to take a few minutes to warm up. You were freezing and barely conscious when I found you. Don’t you ever do something like that again,” he said, the panic evident in his voice.
I looked back down at my hands and realized that his were trembling more than mine.
“You scared me. These guys aren’t playing anymore, but I’m not going to let them hurt you. Next time, please wait for me.”
I gripped his hands tightly and looked up at him. I was still cold, but my voice was returning to me. “I’m sorry,” I mumbled.
In an instant, what looked like fear clouded Adam’s eyes. “No! Don’t you ever say you’re sorry. I was terrified. As soon as I got your message, I just knew something wasn’t right.”
I looked out of the window and could see nothing but darkness. “Whoever it was must have been waiting by the gate. I got out to open it and as soon as I turned around, the car was peeling off in the opposite direction.”
“Your car is about five miles down the road. They must have planned to leave you out in the cold all night. It’s obvious that they wanted it to look like an accident.”
Adam slowly lifted his hands from mine and repositioned his coat, which was acting as my blanket. His voice was soft and gentle as he spoke. “I know you’re still in a bit of shock, but we have to face the reality of what this means.” He gazed out of the driver’s side window before he continued. “I think they were trying to leave you out here to freeze to death. When I tried to call back, but your phone went straight to voicemail, I knew something was wrong. That’s when I knew I had to find you.”
“Look like an accident?” I asked.
“It would have looked like your car broke down and you wandered around trying to look for help. The cops would have assumed you froze outside.”
I could hear a shakiness in his voice. I was finally beginning to feel better, so I sat up higher in the seat and grabbed his hand. “You saved my life, Adam. It doesn’t matter what they were trying to do. They failed because of you.”
He looked back and stared deeply into my eyes. “They haven’t failed yet, but they will if I have any say in the matter,” he said in an authoritative tone.
“You mean we?” I asked.
“Yes,” Adam said with a smile. “They will fail if we have anything to say about it.”
I smiled and tucked my arms under Adam’s large coat. “So, what are we going to do about my car? Are you going to make me drive it back alone?” The notion terrified me.
“I would never leave you alone again after a night like this,” Adam said. “I actually think I should sleep on your sofa tonight, just to make sure you’re safe. I’ll make you some hot chocolate and cook you dinner.”
I nodded. The idea sounded like a reprieve from all of the insanity that had been around me lately. “I think that sounds like a good ending to a horrible night,” I said gratefully.
“Good. We can come back for your car tomorrow, when it’s much warmer and safer.” He put the car into gear and drove off. I looked up out of the window and saw the moon shining bright in the dark sky. I watched on as it followed the car as we drove, but I soon felt sleep creeping up on me. My eyelids felt heavy, and I drifted off as the moon faded from my sight.
“Hey sleepyhead, we’re here,” Adam said.
His voice woke me from a sound sleep. I rubbed at my eyes and looked up to see that we were parked. I looked around and realized we were back in town.
“I’m sorry,” I said, trying to stop the yawn from escaping my mouth. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep like that.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Adam said with a laugh. “You can sleep all you want. I just want to make sure you’re safe, and with me, you are.”
I smiled, but then looked away, trying to hide the embarrassment that I felt warming my cheeks. “I know I am,” I said.
I turned back around to see Adam walking toward the front door. “Are you coming? Hurry, get out of the cold.”
I hurried behind him and stood on the steps of my porch. Adam unlocked my door. “Oh, I hadn’t thought about the key — where did you get it?” I said.
Once we were inside, Adam turned to me. “I don’t want to scare you, but you should get your locks changed tomorrow. I did find your keys in your car, and I doubt they’d have had time to get a key cut, but you never know.”
I nodded.
“How does hot chocolate by the fireplace sound?”
I thought it sounded amazing. There was a strange fluttering in my stomach. Why was he so great? And why was he so great to me? “It sounds perfect.”
Adam hurried over to my fireplace. He took some kindling from the basket, and shoved some newspaper underneath, and soon the fire was crackling away. I hurried to warm my hands over it. I watched the luminescent flames as they danced in their large, brick oven. It was mesmerizing.
Adam came back from the kitchen with two mugs which he placed on the coffee table. He then kneeled down before the fire and put on some small logs.
I walked over and sat on one of the couches by the fire. The crackling of the wood and the scent of the fire made me feel safe. I felt more alive at that moment than I ever had before. Was it because I had barely escaped death? Or was it because I finally felt safe and secure?
Adam stood up from the fire and sat across from me. He handed one of the mugs to me. “So, how are you feeling? Are you okay now?”
“I’m great now — thank you again,” I said with a smile. I sipped my hot chocolate greedily. It was the best thing I had ever tasted. The warm, fuzzy liquid tickled my nose as I drank. When I pulled the cup away and looked back at Adam, he was trying not to laugh. “What?” I asked.
Adam touched the tip of my nose with his finger. “You got a little something on your face,” he replied.
I don’t remember the rest of the night, as I fell asleep pretty much straight after that. I was exhausted, and being able to sleep safely in warmth felt like heaven. I drifted off to sleep to dream about Adam. I could certainly get used to him being in my apartment.
Chapter 13.
I was happy that I did not cancel on the art exhibition that evening. After what had happened the last time I had gone out, the last thing I wanted to do was leave my apartment. I had never felt so frightened and as I had that night in the bush.
Gemma had really let me have it when I told her about the ordeal over the phone. She had warned me again and again about going to pick up furniture alone. Yet I had never had any trouble moving furniture on my own, and people in town were friendly. I had never taken the warning to heart until now.
A hermit’s life wouldn’t be so bad. I had cable, internet, and my shop was right underneath my home. I could even have groceries delivered nowadays. Then there would be no chaos, no walking into rooms with dead bodies, and definitely no psychotic man-nuns.
Of course that also meant sacrifices, such as no hazelnut lattés from the café, no nights out with my friends, and no nibbling expensive cheese at an art viewing. Perhaps a hermit’s life wasn’t so good after all.
I eyed the assortment of finger foods and treats that had been set out. Shrimp, along with a dozen different cheeses and a variety of fruits and nuts. There was also a very nice assortment of wine and sparkling waters to wash it down.
“Psst, Rose.”
I turned to see Bunny standing behind me. She appeared to be in a state of distress. I looked around to see if any cats were present, but soon dismissed that idea. Cats would hardly be present at a posh art exhibition. “What’s wrong, Bunny?”
“This is bad, Rose.” The woman glanced around as if to make sure no one was listening, and leaned in closer.
I felt my heart clench in fear as I looked for anything out of the ordinary. I didn’t see anything odd, and there was not a nun in sight, so I leaned in closer. “What is it?”
“Rose, someone forgot to cook the shrimp.” Bunny used a hand to veil her mouth as she pointed to the platter of cocktail shrimp on the table. “They are cold! And they didn’t even batter them. Someone should tell the caterer to take it back, don’t you think?”
I felt a wave of relief. Bunny was a sweetheart, but I had no idea how she had managed to survive this long unsupervised. “Don’t worry — they’re cooked.”
Bunny looked skeptical as she carefully avoided the shrimp, and proceeded to load her little plate as if she were in a buffet line. I could hardly point that it was not the done thing. Apparently wherever Bunny had previously lived didn’t have cheese tastings or cocktail shrimp.
“There you are,” Gemma’s voice chimed in as she wove her way through the crowd. Her oh-so-tight red leather dress looked as if it been attacked by an angry, small child with finger paint and a paintball gun. It was splashed, blotched, and striped with all manner of colors. Gemma smiled and did a circle to let me admire her latest fashion trend. “You like it? Custom made.”
“It certainly looks one of a kind.” This was a tad over the top even for Gemma. Her heels were so high that I was afraid she would tumble over.
“You look like you should be hanging on someone’s refrigerator,” Janet said, as she made her way to the group.
“Well, at least I dressed for a show and not a funeral.” Gemma looked Janet up and down and then nodded at her elegant black dress, pearl jewelry, and hair slicked back into a perfect bun.
“An art show, not a circus.” Janet faked a pleasant smile.
“I’m glad you guys could make it,” I said in an attempt to divert their attention from making a scene. I glanced back to the table, and saw Bunny having difficulty balancing a mountain of food on a tiny plate.
“You really should have let me come and pick you up, Rose,” Gemma said, as she picked up a plate and placed a sample of each cheese on it.
I shrugged. I wasn’t ready for a private interrogation, which is precisely why I wanted to meet them in a public place. The way they had reacted on the phone had forewarned me that I was in for one mighty lecture. At least in public, the lecture wouldn’t be so bad — at least, I hoped not.
“Does Bunny know anything?” Janet asked as she eyed the spread.
“Nothing,” I assured her.
“Why did you invite her?” Gemma asked. “You do realize that Bunny’s stuffing some grapes into her little handbag, and not too discreetly at that.” She sighed dramatically. “Anyway, it’ll be harder to talk with her here. I didn’t think she’d be into fancy-schmancy artsy stuff.”
“You were the one who said she can’t find out about you-know-what, Rose,” Janet added.
“You-know-what?” Gemma turned her head to study Janet. “What are we? In grade school? Here, grab some shrimp and let’s find someplace quiet to talk.”
“I’ll pass, thank you. Shrimp are scavengers. They are loaded with mercury and pesticides,” Janet said firmly as she turned her nose on the shrimp and eyeballed Gemma’s plate. “Would it kill you to eat some fruit instead of that cholesterol factory?”
“Absolutely.” Gemma gave the woman a big overdone smile. “I’m sure they are full of gmo, ppo, tmi, lol, xyz, and all sorts of other letters that scare you. Now pick your poison so we can all talk before Rose’s eye candy gets here. When is he coming, by the way?”
“He was actually supposed to be here by now,” I said, as I looked around the crowd. Did he forget maybe? This wasn’t exactly the kind of thing most men would count the hours to go see. I wished he’d hurry.
“Maybe something came up?” Janet asked helpfully. “He’s a reporter, right? Maybe he got a tip somewhere.”
“I don’t care if he rubbed elbows with the president in a deli aisle. You don’t leave a lady hanging in public.” Gemma gave the doorway an irritated look as though she could will the man to appear suddenly through it.
“It’s okay — I’m sure he’ll be here any minute,” I said,
although it was more to reassure myself than them. Adam had been so reliable up to this point, so a call or text would have been nice to say he was running late. Okay, it would have been really nice.
When I had woken up yesterday morning after my ordeal, he had already left. I’d spent some time stressing that I might’ve said something to alienate him, but he’d texted me late to say he had joined the volunteer bush fire brigade and would be training all day.
“Okay, spill it,” Gemma said as she took me by the elbow and led me to one of the quieter corners, across the room from Bunny who appeared to have a sales agent chatting her up about a piece she was standing by. He’ll be busy for a minute or two, no doubt, I thought with a smile.
I turned my attention back to Gemma and Janet, and told them in detail about the call, the remote pick up, having my car stolen, the bitter cold, and then Adam rescuing me.
“Do you have any evidence it was the fake nuns?” Gemma asked, and then quickly help up a hand. “Wait. Before you say anything else, give me a dollar.”
“Huh?” I blanked out and looked at her outstretched hand in confusion.
Gemma waved it at me in a beckoning motion.
“I only have a twenty, I think,” I said. “I don’t usually carry cash with me when I’m not working.”
“You carry cash when? Goodness gracious, Rose, do you have a death wish?” Gemma scolded me, and then sighed. “I’ll get you change after we leave. Just hand it over.”
I rummaged through my bag and found the hidden twenty I kept for emergencies.
Gemma pocketed the bill. “Okay, now you’ve paid me to act as counsel. Anything you say is in strict confidence.”
“What?” I shot Gemma a confused look. Lawyerese was not one of my best subjects.
Gemma sighed dramatically once more. “I legally can’t say anything to incriminate you, Miss Break Into a Convent and Peek at Nuns’ Underwear. Why were you even looking at — oh, well, I give up. I keep telling you to be careful, but you never listen. You’re the exact opposite of careful.”
