by Liliana Hart
The woods looked dark and eerie, teeming with twisting, dense shadows. A wispy filament of fog twined around tree trunks and flocked the low lying shrubbery.
After parking the truck, she just sat there and stared at the tall, dense thicket of trees. Her chest got tighter and tighter, and her heart beat in double time, the rhythm uneven and slightly panicked.
Maybe this hadn’t been such a good idea
There had been a definite breeze blowing through Jamesville this morning. The flag above the post office had been flapping, but none of the treetops or branches were moving. In fact, they looked oddly still. So if the wind was absent over on this edge of town where was that twisting, snaking movement within the shadowy interior of the woods coming from?
Her fingers shaking, she dialed Lina’s number again, more to hear a human voice than any expectation of her sister answering. Still, when the call went to voice mail once again Kaylea scowled, her fingers tightening around her cell phone. What was the use of paying for cell service if you never used it? It would be one thing if this was a solitary incident, but it wasn’t. Lina never checked her freaking messages. Sometimes it took days, even a week before she called back.
Kaylea waited for her sister’s hollow, digital voice to stop talking and the beep to sound before jumping down her throat. At least the mechanical representation of her sister’s throat. “Damn it Lina. Where are you? This is an emergency. An emergency, do you hear me? Call me back the minute you get this!”
Hitting the end call button, she turned to her shaggy co-pilot.
“I guess it’s just you and me.” She worked up a smile at the enthusiastic whoop whoop whoop of Max’s tail drumming against the seat cushion. But her growing unease wouldn’t let her hold it. Swallowing took more effort than usual as she stared at the churning shadows gyrating beneath Spirit Wood’s canopy.
Had the forest always been so damn spooky?
To soothe herself she fell into an old habit—the half-hearted pep talk.
“You’re being ridiculous. You spent most of your childhood playing among those trees. You weren’t afraid back then. There is nothing to be afraid of now.”
Which was true; back then the forest hadn’t made a dent on her consciousness. There had been other things to be afraid off. Like the monster living in her house.
The monster wearing her father’s skin. Her father’s face. Her father’s fists.
Spirit Woods had been an escape. A haven.
Of course... Back then she hadn’t spent her days traipsing through the woods, dragging a shovel, intent on digging up two graves.
“There’s absolutely nothing to be afraid of.” She said it again, for emphasis, but her voice sounded more questioning than bracing as it hit the air, which didn’t help bolster her nerves.
She grimaced, took a deep breath, and thrust open her door. She scrambled out fast, without giving herself time to rethink her decision. Max didn’t have any reservation; he leapt out the driver’s door from the passenger seat with one long bound and went flying across the field, his tail whirling like a helicopter blade.
“Max!” she shouted, a different kind of fear constricting her lungs. What if he disappeared into the woods and she never found him again?
“Max!” This time there was hysteria in her cry; it gave the dog’s name lift and volume. Maybe that’s what caught his attention. He turned on a dime and raced back to her, his tongue hanging out the corner of his mouth, and bouncing each time his front legs hit the ground.
She grabbed the brand-new leash sitting in the cup holder between the bucket seats and snapped it to the ring on his brand-new collar the instant he skidded to a stop beside her.
“Okay. Okay. We can do this,” she whispered, dragging the shovel out of the bed of her pickup.
She’d parked about a mile from the section of woods behind her old house and the grave of the prancing dog by her side. So she had a bit of a walk.
They’d buried Max in the shelter of the forest, across the field from the kitchen and the horrific blood-soaked scene where he’d died. She’d wanted his final resting place to be full of happy memories: of frantic barking at the squirrel that had always scolded him from the old pine above, or of chasing rabbits through the dense underbrush.
But the site they’d chosen served her well now, too.
It was sheltered from the house by waist high grass and dense underbrush. Logan wouldn’t even know she was there.
The phone rang at the edge of the forest. She stopped, dropped her shovel, and fished the cell out of her pocket. Max pulled against his leash, whining, less than thrilled with this unusual confinement.
“Sit,” she told him firmly. Max had never worn a collar or leash, but he’d have to get used to them this time around. She wasn’t ready to let him run wild just yet.
Please. Please. Please. Let it be Lina.
But, of course, fate wasn’t ready to be helpful.
“Doug.” She tried to interject pleasant surprise into her voice, but suspected the squeak gave away her nerves.
“Lea.” Doug’s voice was sharp. “What’s wrong?”
She frowned, pulling the cell away from her ear. Her voice hadn’t been that squeaky, had it?
This time she coughed to clear her throat before speaking. ‘I’m fine. Just a frog in my throat, that’s all.”
He seemed to accept that, thank God.
“Listen,” he said, his voice hollow and tinny as it came down the wire. Kaylea backed up a few paces in case the trees were interfering with the phone’s reception. “Did your dad ever hide anything at the Willow Burrow house?”
She froze at the question, her heart taking off like a greyhound.
“What?”
Damn it, her voice had come out squeaky again. Oh yeah, just perfect, that wasn’t suspicious at all.
“Your dad, did you see him hide anything in the walls or floor of the house you lived in on Willow Burrow?”
“Did I see him hide anything...?” Kaylea repeated carefully. “No, no I didn’t. Why?”
It’s not a lie, Kaylea. You didn’t see him hide the money, Lina did.
“Because someone broke into Logan’s place last night and did a number on the walls and floor.”
Kaylea stiffened, her heart beating even faster. “Logan wasn’t hurt?”
A pause traveled down the line, as though the question had surprised him, although why that would be the case was beyond her. She was asking out of simple human compassion. She’d feel the same concern for anyone whose home had been broken into and vandalized.
“He’s fine,” Doug said after a moment. “He was out on shift, so he wasn’t even home.”
Kaylea relaxed slightly. “That’s good.” Her mind shifted to Doug’s question. “So someone vandalized the house? How bad?”
Just because someone had “done a number” on Logan’s house—as Doug had put it—didn’t mean anything. Logan was a cop; the damage to the house could be payback for an unwelcome arrest or something.
“Bad enough. Holes punched in the walls, floor boards ripped up. It looks random, but hell, they could have been looking for something.”
Like manila envelopes full of bundles of cash?
“Look Lea.” Lina tilted the mouth of the envelope toward her. “All one hundred dollar bills. There’s gotta be enough in this one alone to last us for years if we left today.”
“But... but where would we go?”
“Anywhere, as long as it’s away from him.”
Kaylea shook the memory aside. The attack on Logan’s house was just a coincidence, that’s all. Houses were vandalized every day. It didn’t mean anything.
“You don’t think it could just be payback? Logan’s a cop. Not the most popular guy in town, I’m betting.”
“You’d be surprised. Logan’s well liked.” He paused again. “Besides, it’s looking more like a vagrant. He stole some camping gear and clothes. I tracked the boot prints into the forest.”
Tens
ing again, Kaylea turned to survey the dense thicket of fog shrouded trees in front of her. “He came from Spirit Woods?”
Was it possible?
“Looks like it.” His voice fell silent. She could sense him urging her to connect the dots.
No. No. The legends and myths circulating about Spirit Woods were just that.
Legends. Myths.
She dropped her chin to stare at the golden retriever by her side. A dog identical to the one she’d lost seventeen years ago. Identical to the one she’d buried inside Spirit Woods.
“It’s just a coincidence,” she whispered, wondering who she was trying to convince—Douglas, or herself.
“Maybe,” Douglas acknowledged in a flat voice. “But it never hurts to be careful, so watch your back.”
“He wouldn’t even recognize me,” she protested, her voice climbing along with her nerves. “It’s been forever.”
If seventeen years could be described as forever.
She stared at the antsy dog leashed at her side. If this was Max, like every instinct she possessed insisted, well then, he’d recognized her. What were the odds...?
“You’re listed in the phone book, Lea. It would take seconds for someone to find out you’re in town and where you live.”
He was right. She shifted uneasily, but after a moment she squared her shoulders and lifted her chin. She wasn’t a helpless child anymore. She was an adult now, with a full battery of self-defense courses behind her, including firearms and practice on the shooting range.
She could protect herself. She’d get a gun, if she had to.
“You don’t need to worry about me, Doug. I can take care of myself.”
His snort traveled clearly down the line. “Have you had any luck getting hold of Lina?”
“No, it keeps going to voicemail.” She shrugged. “Besides, you know Lina. She won’t believe it.”
“She won’t have much choice, if it’s staring her in the face,” Doug said, his voice flat again. “But she’s somewhat protected, considering she’s living in Seattle. You’re the one I’m worried about. To err on the side of caution, we should bring Chief Stone in on this.”
“What? No!” Kaylea’s jaw dropped in horror.
“It happened seventeen years ago, it was self defense, and you were a minor.” Doug’s voice was calm, full of reason. “Albright doesn’t run the station anymore. Stone is a different kettle of fish. He’s fair. He’ll look at all the evidence.”
“You promised, Doug. You promised you wouldn’t tell anyone. Ever.” She winced at the sharp, shrill climb to her voice. So much for acting like an adult.
“You’re not twelve any longer.” His voice sharpened as well. “You can’t run from what happened forever. At some point you have to stop and face your past. You have me backing you on this. Logan will too.”
She could too run forever. That was pretty much the entirety of her plan.
“Logan? I barely know the man. Why in God’s name would you think he’d back me on this?”
“Give me some credit, Lea.” His voice turned dry. “I’m good at my job. You ever wonder why?” He didn’t wait for her response. “I’ve got twenty-twenty vision and damn fine observational skills. So I pick up on things—like the fact you and Yates had something going on prior to his arrival in town. I’d say it was a while ago, probably back in college since you both went to the University of Washington and around the same time. I’d also guess it didn’t end well, but—”
“You’re right,” she snapped, no sense in trying to hide the fact she’d known Logan in college. Janine, her office assistant, had probably already picked up on that fact. “It was a long time ago, it didn’t end well, and he’s a cop. He wouldn’t understand.”
Which was the whole damn reason she’d driven him away in college.
“I’m a cop. And I understand.” His voice was flat. Uncompromising. “Not every law enforcement agent is cut from Albright and your father’s cloth. We come in all different shapes, sizes and attitudes.”
The entire Jamesville police station had been stocked with cops like her father and Stuart Albright. Not one of them had broken their blue code of silence to help two defenseless children. Why should she trust that anything had changed in town since then?
“You don’t count, Doug. You became a cop because of what happened back then. You became a cop to help people, to make sure nothing like that would happen in Jamesville ever again.”
“You’re right. That’s exactly why I took the shield. Logan took the shield because of what happened to his sister. He didn’t take it for a power trip any more than I did. You need to grow up, and start seeing the world through adult eyes, not those of a terrified child.”
Well, that was harsh. Scowling, Kaylea dug the toe of her sneaker into the soft soil. And then the rest of his words hit home.
The scowl faded. Logan’s sister?
She’d known he had two sisters much, much younger than him. His father had remarried while Logan was in high school, and within the year, Logan had become a big brother to twin sisters. He’d taken the big brother role seriously, too. There’d been no irritation, embarrassment, or jealousy when he’d talked about his two little sisters. In fact, he’d been the epitome of patience, taking their phone calls at college, buying them birthday and Christmas presents. He’d even known the entire Disney Princess collection by heart because, as he put it, “They never get tired of those damn shows.”
The whole princess nickname had started because he’d claimed she was the spitting image of Snow White. Her hair had been short back then, and she’d spent so much time in the library, her skin had been freaky white. He’d teased her relentlessly about getting some sun; otherwise people would start calling her Snow White. The nickname hadn’t taken that sour note until much, much later in their relationship.
“What happened to Logan’s sister?” she asked reluctantly, unable to shake the feeling that she wasn’t going to like what she was about to hear.
“She was kidnapped.”
“Oh God.” Kaylea’s stomach dropped. “Did they get her back?”
“Yeah. They were lucky. The feds were already after the asshole who took her. They had her back and the kidnapper in lockdown within hours—before he had a chance to do anything. The perv had killed all his other victims, so they were damn lucky the feds already had a line on him.”
“The feds?” Kaylea’s voice was faint.
“The FBI.”
Sourness climbed Kaylea’s throat.
The FBI.
The kidnapping must have happened during summer break back in college. In June he’d been prelaw, in September he’d switched his major to law enforcement. That’s why he’d changed his focus. That’s why he’d wanted to go to Quantico.
Why hadn’t he told her?
She flinched as memories flooded her. Why would he? She hadn’t reacted to the news exactly rationally, had she? No sir, she’d jumped straight into full blown self-defense mode instead, and created as much distance between them as she could, as quickly as possible. She’d never given him a chance to explain his decision. Instead, she’d immediately launched a verbal attack.
“Anyway,” Doug’s voice faded for a moment and then grew stronger, “Logan’s got no sympathy for child abusers. I already told him about your dad and what happened to your mother. He’s on your side, Lea. Give him a chance.”
Kaylea swayed, shock tingling through her. Doug had told Logan about her mom and dad? He’d given away her pedigree? Logan knew that she was the daughter of a murderer? Had he figured out yet that the apple hadn’t fallen very far from the tree?
“What did he say?” She barely recognized her own voice; it was so low and hollow.
“He was pissed. He wants to reopen your mom’s case.”
She shook her head, and swayed, the shock sinking deeper, blanketing her, until her entire body felt wrapped in cotton. “Why? Dad’s gone, what good would opening mom’s case do?”
�
�It would give you and Lina some closure.”
“He said that?”
“Yeah. Like I said, he’s a good guy. We need more like him.”
Something lurched inside her, weakening her knees. She almost sank to the ground beneath a flood of shame. Oh God, she’d treated him like pure shit and he still wanted to help her?
“Don’t forget—” There was a mouthful of static and then his voice was gone.
“Doug?” She waited, listening to the static riding the line before pulling the phone away to look at the screen. The call had dropped.
For a moment she just stood there, the sun spinning dizzily over head, vaguely aware of the whiny huffs emitted by the animal at her side. It was the weirdest thing. The world felt off kilter, disrupted, like the ground was shifting beneath her feet in some kind of personal earthquake.
Which was crazy. The relationship, which, granted, it looked like she’d trashed for no good reason, had been ten years earlier. They’d been friendly strangers—strangers who’d been wildly attracted to each other for sure, but strangers just the same. There was no way to know whether their relationship would have progressed past that. College romances rarely did.
It wasn’t like she’d thrown away a lover, or a best friend.
They’d had six dates and one night together. There was no reason to feel like she’d tossed aside something special. There was no reason to wonder what might have happened between them if she’d reined in her impetuosity and bitchy behavior. There was no reason to feel like she might have made the biggest mistake of her life back there in college.
Well, not the biggest mistake—that had been the night she’d refused to run away, like Lina wanted. But it had been dark outside, they’d just watched Nightmare on Elm Street, and the thought of heading out into that cold, dark night had been even scarier than facing her father—at least at that moment.
