Hiding From Death

by K. J. Emrick

  This book was a history of architecture in the surrounding towns. A picture book of buildings. Including churches.

  Darcy couldn’t believe it. She’d forgotten that this book was in her shop. Now she rushed over to one of the reading tables and set the book down, quickly flipping through the pages. The first buildings were from the early 1800s, made of wood or thick square stone. Nothing like what she’d seen in Laura’s vision. She kept looking, gradually going forward in time.

  Then she found it. A white church with a steepled roof that led up to a spiraling bell tower. She ran her fingers over the picture, remembering little details from her vision now that she had barely noticed as Laura had made her mad dash to get away from the dark man. Details like that stained glass window in front, or the way the top of the front door was round.

  The paragraph under the photo told about how the church had been rebuilt in 1956 after a fire that had claimed several buildings in Cider Hill.

  Darcy snapped her fingers. Of course! Cider Hill was a town about five hours away from Misty Hollow. Grace and Darcy had gone there once with their mother for a town fair. She remembered there had been pony rides, and someone making up kids’ faces like clowns and butterflies, and marching bands in a parade. And over in the church, there had been an ice cream social.

  That’s where she remembered the church from. In her mind, she replayed the vision again. Now that she knew where the church was, other details became clearer as well. Laura had run away from the dark man past a store. Darcy hadn’t been able to make out the letters in the window before, but now she knew what they said. “Cider Hill Hardware.”

  Slapping the book closed again she went for her coat. It was still the middle of the morning but even so she put out the sign telling people she’d be back in fifteen minutes. She actually didn’t know how long she’d be, but she had to let Jon and Grace know about this new information.

  ***

  Jon was talking with a uniformed officer, Johnson, when he saw Darcy come in. He handed a file to Johnson and then came over to give her a quick hug. “You know if you keep coming here they’re going to give you a desk and a caseload of your own. I’ve already spoken to the chief about it.”

  She laughed but she didn’t feel like she had time to joke around with him. “Jon, I figured something out. I found that church I saw.” His eyes widened as she explained what she had seen in the book.

  He looked at her intently and she felt herself blush a little looking into his eyes like this. “So,” he said. “This is going to be another one of those kinds of cases?”

  She didn’t have to ask him what he meant. Jon knowing about her abilities was one thing. He still didn’t quite understand them, not completely. They were working on it, though, and he never made her feel like she was doing something bad for using a special power that she had been born with. She loved him for that.

  “It looks like it will be,” she said to him. First the vision, now this. She wouldn’t tell him about the mists around the town. She didn’t think he was quite ready for that level of weird yet.

  He nodded with a sigh. “I love you, Darcy Sweet. You certainly keep my life interesting.”

  She hugged him again. “So what do we do now?”

  “I’ll reach out to the police over in Cider Hill. If they even have a police force there. Maybe they know something that we can connect to Laura.”

  “She needs our help, Jon.” Darcy had never been more sure of anything.

  “I know. I mean, I believe you. Do you want to wait here while I figure this out? I sent Grace out for some coffee to give her something to do. She should be back in a few minutes.”

  Darcy gave Jon a knowing smile. “She’s starting to get on your nerves, isn’t she?”

  “Let’s just say your sister isn’t the kind of person who can just sit. She needs to be constantly doing something.”

  “Well when the baby gets here she and Aaron will have plenty to do.” Darcy couldn’t wait to see her new niece or nephew. How strange it was going to be to have a baby in the family. “I think I’ll go back to the store for now. I’m all hyped up and I’m not sure if I could just sit here, either.”

  “I’ll call you there, then, if I hear anything,” he promised her. “I have a few other things I’m supposed to be doing, though, so if you don’t hear from me just head home. I’ll meet you there.”

  They kissed each other goodbye, and Darcy left. She hoped Jon would find something soon. She had the feeling that time wasn’t on Laura’s side.

  ***

  Darcy called to the police station before going home from work. It was Grace who answered her call. Jon was out of the office, she said, taking a call about a stolen car. Darcy thought she actually sounded jealous of him.

  “You want me to have him call you when he gets back, sis?”

  “No,” Darcy said. “I’ll wait for him at home. Hopefully he won’t be too long.”

  Darcy waited for Jon until well after dark. Whatever case he was working was definitely keeping him busy, she supposed, because he hadn’t even called by the time she had changed into her pajamas ready to head for bed. Smudge kept her company as the minutes rolled by. She watched the red numbers change on the bedside clock, and still no Jon.

  Still wide awake at almost midnight, she heard Jon come in downstairs. She listened to him set his keys down and put his coat away and then heard his footsteps creaking on the stairs. She had turned the light off in the bedroom when she came to bed. Carefully, he opened their door and slipped in. She watched him, there in the shadows, stripping out of his slacks and his shirt. The light from the hallway fell over the muscles of his upper body and she couldn’t help but smile. She knew she should tell him that she was still awake, but she was enjoying this.

  After slipping into some blue cotton pajama bottoms he stood very still, hands on his hips. His breathing was the only sound in the room. What was he doing?

  When he jumped onto the bed, she squeaked and tried to roll out of the way. He landed across her legs, pretending that he couldn’t get up again. Both of them ended up laughing uncontrollably as she pushed at him and he flopped around and Smudge hissed at them both and dashed off.

  “Stop it!” she scolded playfully. “Oh, I was trying to act like I was asleep. How did you know?”

  He rolled over onto his side, laying next to her, and took her hand to kiss her knuckles. “I always know. You have this way of breathing when you’re asleep. Plus I caught you watching me.”

  She was glad of the dark so he wouldn’t see her blush. “You’re home so late. Is everything okay?”

  “Hm? Oh, yeah, everything is fine. I just needed to help some of the officers look into this stolen car case. A car that had been reported stolen from Meadowood showed up in Johnson Chase’s driveway this afternoon. It was a whole big thing, with us working with a couple of Meadowood detectives to process the car for evidence. Even the Chief showed up.”

  “Oh? Was it a sports car or something?”

  “Nope.” He kissed her knuckles again. “Just some guy’s little red two-door. Nothing special.” His look turned coy, with his eyes in shadow and his lip curled. “You’re special, though.”

  “I am?” she cozied into him. “How am I special?”

  “Well, for one, you’re smart.”

  “I was kind of hoping for pretty, but I’ll take smart.”

  Jon stroked her long hair and tickled the side of her neck. “You are pretty. But also, smart. That church was in Cider Hill just like you said.”

  She popped her head up, suddenly excited. “What did you find out?”

  He helped her sit up with him, holding her hands. “It took me a while, especially with that stolen car taking up most of my night. There is no local police force in Cider Hill. They use the State Police. I spoke with one of their sergeants, and he says hardly anything ever happens there.”

  Darcy’s heart sank a little. “So there was nothing to it?”

  “He said h
ardly ever. There was one thing that he remembered, an incident from last year. A man was murdered there. No body, but a lot of blood. Chip was his name. Charles McIntosh. The main suspect, the only suspect, was his wife.”

  Darcy felt chills running up her back. A murder. That would be their luck. “So what happened to the wife?” she asked. “Did they arrest her?”

  “No. She ran away. Along with her young daughter. She’s been on the run ever since and there’s an outstanding warrant for her. They’re pretty sure she’s the one who killed Chip. Her running only made her look more guilty.”

  The vision Darcy had seen with Laura running away from the dark man came back to her. “You can’t run forever!” the man had said. “Do you think the wife was Laura?” she asked Jon.

  Jon twisted his lip up as he thought. “No, I don’t think so. The woman in the report from the State Police was named Isabelle McIntosh. The sergeant said everyone around there called her Izzy.”

  “Sure, but Izzy might have changed her name to Laura,” Darcy pointed out.

  “I thought of that, but Izzy’s child was a girl. A daughter. About the same age as Laura’s son, but a girl.”

  Darcy nodded. She’d seen Alex in Laura’s house. A young boy in shark themed pajamas. “So maybe Laura isn’t Izzy. Maybe she’s someone else, and she’s running for a different reason and if we don’t help her Jon then—”

  Jon cleared his throat. Darcy focused her eyes on him again. “Sorry,” she said. “I know I’m getting carried away, but I really feel like Laura is in danger. What I felt in that vision, it was so terrifying. There has to be something I can do for her.”

  “You’re going to go ask her about this, aren’t you?” Before she could even try to explain what she was thinking he let go of her hands to cup the sides of her face. “I know you, Darcy. I know you won’t let this go no matter what the State Police say. I’ll get them to fax me a copy of Izzy’s photo. Her daughter’s too. That will give us more to go on. Just, promise me you’ll be safe, okay?”

  “What was the daughter’s name?” Darcy asked him, loving the way his warm hands felt on her skin.

  “Lilly,” he answered. “Darcy, promise me you’ll be safe.”

  “I promise,” she said.

  He didn’t look like he believed her, but the words apparently satisfied him for now. They laid down under the blankets, his feet playing with hers. There would be time enough tomorrow to figure out the mystery of Izzy McIntosh.

  Chapter Five

  The next morning Jon woke up before Darcy and left a note for her on the table. He promised to call her as soon as he had the photographs from the State Police, and left a very personal message about last night that had Darcy blushing again.

  The walk into town was a brisk one, with the temperature dropping back down overnight. Winter was supposed to be gone. In Misty Hollow, it was settling back in.

  Laura Lannis’ house was dark as Darcy passed by. She didn’t want to go there again until she knew more about what had happened in Cider Hill. She didn’t want to spook Laura…or whoever she may be.

  Darcy had skipped breakfast at home so she could have it at the Bean There Bakery and Café instead. A coffee and a muffin from Helen’s café was one of her favorite treats. She saw her sister Grace inside through the window, already at the counter to order something. Helen was working there this morning, her graying hair up in a ponytail that made her seem younger than she was.

  The warmth inside the café was definitely welcome. Darcy unzipped her coat as she went up to stand next to Grace. “Hi Grace. Good morning, Helen.”

  “What’s good about it?” Grace snapped at her. There was a scowl on her face. “We’ve got stolen cars and all sorts of crime taking place in this town and the best I can do is get coffee and muffins!”

  Darcy was surprised at her sister’s tone but Helen just smiled at Darcy and winked. “Your sister is feeling out of sorts this morning, Darcy. Not uncommon, I think, in women with her, um, condition.”

  Grace put a hand to her belly and sighed, rolling her eyes. “I’m sorry, Darcy. I’ve been irritable all morning. I’m not even sure why. Poor Aaron probably thinks I hate him.”

  From behind the counter Helen produced a folded paper bag and a styrofoam cup with steam coming out the little hole in its plastic lid. “I’m sure Aaron understands, Grace. Men have tolerated their wives during pregnancy since the beginning of time, because they know you’re giving them the greatest gift. Don’t worry about him. Kiss him when you go home tonight, tell him you love him, and you’ll see.”

  Darcy saw the way Helen smiled as she wiped her hands on her white apron and turned to look back over her shoulder at the double swinging doors that led to the kitchen area. Darcy smiled, too. There was a new man in Helen’s life, a man she had hired to work here as a cook. It was obvious there was a lot more to it than that, and Darcy was happy for Helen that she had found love again.

  Helen saw Darcy looking at her and her cheeks colored just a little. “Well. What can I get you today, Darcy?”

  “Just a coffee and a blueberry muffin, please. Grace, do you have time to sit down and have breakfast with me here?”

  Grace shrugged. “Why not? It’s not like I have anything to do back at the office except shuffle papers.”

  The way she said it made Darcy laugh, and then Grace was laughing with her, telling her to stop it this was serious, but laughing still. They sat with their muffins and talked for a while, and it felt good to have that time together.

  Just before they got up to leave the conversation turned to Laura Lannis and the murder in Cider Hill. “Jon told me what he found out,” Grace said. “You know, I remember that place now. That fair always seemed so big to me when I was a little girl. It was always so much fun. Hard to believe something like this murder happened there. Are you thinking Laura is this Izzy woman?”

  Darcy didn’t want to believe it. She didn’t know what Laura was running from, but she didn’t think it was murder. There was something else going on, and whatever it was had terrified Laura in her vision. “I’m not sure.”

  “Just promise me you won’t go running off and getting into trouble, okay sis?”

  “Would I do a thing like that?” Darcy asked with false seriousness.

  Her sister laughed again. “Fine. Just be careful.”

  ***

  The bookstore seemed empty without Sue around. She wasn’t gone, not yet anyway, but she was out again this morning on their big project. It was really hitting Darcy that she would be alone in the store by herself all day once Sue went back to college.

  Across the bookstore from where Darcy sat at one of the reading tables, the door to the office closed. She smiled. Well, she wouldn’t be completely alone. Great Aunt Millie would always be around. “Why are you still here?” Darcy wondered out loud, not really expecting an answer. “I’ve helped dozens of spirits move on from this realm, Millie, and in my opinion if anyone deserves a peaceful afterlife it’s you.”

  Just like she’d expected, the only answer she got was silence. Maybe Millie would get around to answering that question for her one of these days.

  The jingling noise the bell over the front door made was so unexpected Darcy actually jumped up from her chair. Jon came in, a paper bag in one hand and a smile on his face. “Hi, sweet baby,” he said to her. “I thought I’d bring us lunch.”

  She laughed and sat back down again. “It’s a little early for lunch, isn’t it?”

  Jon frowned and checked his watch. “Nearly eleven o’clock now. That’s close enough. Besides. I brought you a gift.”

  “Oh, really? What is it?”

  He put the sack from Helen’s deli down on the table next to her, the smell of freshly baked sandwiches and coffee smelling so good, and slipped out of his coat. His blue tie had managed to get tangled around a shoulder of his dress shirt and he took a moment to smooth it out before pulling out a folded piece of paper from his back pocket.

  Darcy rai
sed an eyebrow at him as she took the paper. “I prefer flowers, for future reference.”

  Leaning down, he kissed the top of her head, then opened the bag to take out the carefully stacked coffee cups and two foil-wrapped sandwiches. “There’s going to be lots of flowers in your future, I promise. In the meantime, I thought you might like this better.”

  Darcy opened the folds of the page to find a police bulletin, the word “WANTED” written in big black letters at the top. There was a picture of a woman in the middle of the page, a close-up taken from some photograph where the woman was smiling and laughing.

  Darcy gasped. The page was a faxed copy, and the quality wasn’t the greatest, but there was no mistaking it. This was the same woman she’d seen in her vision. Laura Lannis, only with blonde hair and a smile instead of that scowl she always seemed to have on her face now.

  “Jon, that’s her,” Darcy said. “That’s Laura Lannis!”

  Jon finished unwrapping his ham and cheese melt and then reached over to tap the bulletin. “This,” he said, “is Izzy McIntosh. Wanted for murder.”

  Darcy unwrapped her own sandwich, a turkey and swiss, toasted and steaming. She took a bite of it and chewed as she thought. “Mmm,” she said. “Honey mustard. You always know.”

  “Yeah, I’m a great boyfriend.” His smile slipped as he chewed. “But, I’m also a police officer. If the woman living next door to us in Anna’s old house really is Izzy McIntosh, I have to tell the State Police. The sergeant I spoke to was very interested in knowing if I had found her.”

  Darcy’s heart skipped a beat. “What did you tell him?”

  “I told him the truth. We didn’t have anyone in town named McIntosh, but if I found her, I’d let him know first.”

  Darcy could breathe again. She hugged him quickly as he held his sandwich out of the way. “You really are the best boyfriend ever.”

  “I’ll take that. Darcy, you have to understand, I can stall this, but I can’t stop it. I know you’re worried about her, and you think she’s in danger, and you want to help her. If Laura really is Izzy—”