Summons From a Stranger

by Diaz, Debra

  As exhausted as she was, Lindsey couldn’t believe her eyes when she looked up and saw Rachel holding a gun on Gerard. Gerard got slowly to his feet, eyeing her warily. Then he turned on his heel and ran as fast as he could into the swiftly dissipating fog.

  “Never mind him!” Jonathan called out. “Get that rope I left on the bank, Rachel. It’s going to be several yards to your right. Take care not to fall!”

  Rachel disappeared. The water was surging around Jonathan’s chest. “Okay?” he asked.

  She managed to nod. “He—he was trying to k-kill me,” she stuttered. “He killed Brianna.”

  She couldn’t see Jonathan’s face, but his voice was taut. “He won’t hurt you, Lindsey, ever again. I promise you.”

  Rachel came running back into view, carrying the rope. She put the gun down, gingerly, some distance away.

  “Look for something to tie it to,” Jonathan shouted.

  But the nearest tree was too far away for the rope to reach them. “I couldn’t get the knots out of the other two ropes,” Rachel called. She seemed close to tears. “I’ll go and get help.”

  But when she turned around, someone was there. He took the rope from her and said, “Come on. We’ll get them out.”

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  It was Alan. He threw the rope out to Jonathan, who caught it and tied it deftly around Lindsey’s waist. Then, with one arm still around her, Jonathan pulled her through the protective branches and held her, swimming toward the bank. He had to fight the current and keep both their heads above water. It seemed to take forever.

  “Hurry,” Lindsey heard Jonathan say. “She’s cold.”

  She was cold, but it was sort of like she wasn’t really there, too. It was similar to the time she was playing basketball and ran into the back wall and bumped her head. Everything got hazy. People were talking to her, but they didn’t seem real; it was like a dream.

  Jonathan got a foothold on the side of the creek bed and lifted Lindsey up. Alan handed the rope to Rachel, and got on his knees. Reaching down with one hand, he grabbed one of Lindsey’s arms, raised it and slung it over his shoulder, then dragged her out of the water. Immediately, he removed the rope from Lindsey and threw it down to Jonathan. Both he and Rachel had to hold on tightly as Jonathan pulled himself to solid ground.

  Lindsey lay flat on her back. Far above, she could see a patch of blue sky.

  “Oh, Lindsey!” Rachel knelt beside her.

  “Thanks,” Jonathan said curtly, to his brother.

  “Now we’re even,” Alan replied.

  Then Jonathan lifted Lindsey in his arms and carried her into the house.

  ***

  The next thing she knew, she was warm and comfortable, and two hours had gone by. She was lying on a couch in the living room, swaddled in the softest comforter she’d ever felt. Her head was in Rachel’s lap. She sat up and looked around. Mr. Caldwell stood looking out the window, and turned at the sound of her movement.

  “So, little lady, you’re awake,” he said, walking over to sit opposite her.

  “Where’s Jonathan?” she asked groggily.

  “He’s upstairs,” Rachel answered. “With the police.”

  “What?” Suddenly she was wide-awake. “How’d they get here?”

  Rachel told her. “Jonathan and Alan walked to the nearest neighbor’s house and used their phone to call the police. The police sent out a couple of helicopters. Jonathan’s company is going to send theirs to pick us up a little later. They’ll land us at their building, and they’re going to let me use one of the company cars until the bridge is fixed and I can get my own car.”

  “We’re going to ride in a helicopter?” Most of what Rachel said went right over Lindsey’s head.

  “Um-hum.”

  Lindsey realized she was wearing the clown pajamas again. Her hair was loose and combed out, but still a little damp.

  “Who changed my clothes?” she asked, chagrined.

  “Relax, it was just me. And you were pretty much wrapped up in a blanket. You were awake enough to help out a little—you just don’t remember.”

  Reba walked into the room, carrying a tray bearing large mugs from which steam drifted upward. “I’ve brought hot chocolate,” she said, and left the tray on the coffee table.

  “Thank you!” Lindsey lifted a mug to her lips and sipped cautiously. She felt perfectly content—for a moment.

  “Where’s Gerard?”

  Rachel looked at her quickly. “It’s okay, Lindsey. They caught him in the woods. He’d gotten lost. They’ve taken him away.”

  Lindsey relaxed back into the cushions. She sat there for a moment with her eyes closed, and drank her chocolate. Time passed—she wasn’t sure how much. Then she heard Jonathan’s voice.

  “Hello, Lindsey.”

  Her eyes popped open. He was sitting directly across from her. He had changed into clean clothes—jeans again, and a blue shirt.

  “Hello, Jonathan.” She felt shy, suddenly, and didn’t know what to say. What did you say to someone who had saved your life?

  “How are you feeling?”

  “Fine.”

  “The police will want to come and talk to you in a few minutes. Can you tell me what happened, before we found you?”

  She told him. It was like reliving it. Her eyes grew wide, and Rachel took her hand. She told what Gerard had said—why he had killed Brianna, why he meant to kill her.

  “Oh, and it was Brianna who tore up the portrait. Out of spite, he said.”

  “So, my theory about Rachel being in danger was wrong,” Jonathan remarked.

  “No, not really. Because he was supposed to kill Rachel. He just got tired of Brianna telling him what to do.”

  “Well, I guess that’s it in a nutshell.” Jonathan said. But he looked very sober.

  “Lindsey, if anything had happened to you, I would never have forgiven myself. When Rachel came to me and said you’d gone to the study and never came back, I thought the worst. We knew someone must have you. They had to have taken you either up the back stairs, or out the back door. I’d found Honey in the kitchen; I thought she could help find you. I took a chance on looking for you outside first. And I gave Rachel my gun. I wanted some protection for her, in case something happened to me.”

  “Where is Honey?”

  Jonathan lifted up a corner of the comforter, and there was Honey, sound asleep.

  “You’re a good dog,” Lindsey whispered. Her eyes burned for a moment.

  Rachel cleared her throat. “Hensley took a look at you,” she said. “He told us you have a few bruises, and your hands are pretty scratched up, but you’ll be fine.”

  “Lindsey.” Jonathan reached out and took her arm. She made herself meet his eyes. “I’m so very sorry. I hope that you’ll soon be able to forget all this.”

  “Oh, I don’t want to forget everything,” she said quickly. “I mean, lots of it was—well—interesting.”

  “I don’t know if you ever want to see us again, but you’re welcome to come visit us anytime.”

  “Of course! I mean, if Rachel—” Lindsey broke off, looking from one to the other.

  Jonathan released her hand and looked at Rachel. “Whether he leaves it to you or not, this is your home. I hope—we’ll see you again.”

  Lindsey thought, We—what’s with the we?

  Rachel only said, “Thank you.” Well, it was awkward that Jonathan’s fiancée had just died, Lindsey supposed.

  Mr. Caldwell was watching them, and there was a slight smile on his face. For a moment he reminded Lindsey of someone—it was the briefest instant of something like déjà vu. Then the sound of feet clomping down the stairs distracted her, and two policemen, one in uniform and one in plain clothes, came into the room.

  Jonathan got up and sat beside her, with Rachel on the other side, and she answered their questions. They were nice, but very serious, and they asked lots of questions, some of them more than once. Lindsey was a little nervous; she p
ulled Honey into her lap and kept stroking her while she talked.

  In the meantime, there was more movement on the stairway. Undoubtedly they brought down Brianna and put her in the police helicopter. Jonathan got up with the other two policemen and walked them to the door.

  Rachel got to her feet and went to look out the window. She had changed back into her own clothes again. (They had certainly kept Reba busy at the washing machine!) Beyond her, Lindsey could see the sunlight glistening off the wet grass, which was emerald green after the rain.

  “You have my mother’s eyes, Mr. Caldwell,” Rachel said softly. “You are my grandfather, aren’t you?”

  Lindsey’s head snapped up. Rachel turned to look at the lawyer, who had risen and was staring at the floor, a kind of sad smile on his face.

  “I was just trying to think how to tell you,” he said.

  Wow, Lindsey thought—I didn’t see that one coming!

  Rachel went back and sat beside Lindsey. Mr. Caldwell resumed his seat.

  “I noticed it when you were telling us about Philip’s accident,” Rachel went on. “I thought maybe I was imagining things. But then, the more I thought about it, the surer I became. You’re the right age. You’ve known the family a long time.”

  “You have to understand something, Rachel, my dear. Your grandmother and I loved each other. But from the day she left this house—she never saw me again. She was devastated. I made sure she was never in need of anything. Reba often saw her. Reba made sure that Philip knew his mother loved him. But by the time Philip was old enough to try to see her on his own, she had died.”

  Mr. Caldwell looked sad and puzzled. “I tried to respect her wishes. I didn’t attempt to see your mother, either, but I made sure she was all right. And I’ve done the same for you. If either of you had ever been in trouble, or needed anything, I’d have been there. I almost came to see you when your mother died—I just didn’t know how it would affect you. So I didn’t.”

  There was a short silence. Then he asked quietly, “Do you despise me?”

  “Of course not. I’m not sure that—I just don’t understand my grandmother’s way of thinking. I suppose there was nothing you could do to change her mind. She should have demanded her right to see Philip. And my mother should have grown up knowing who her father was. She should have been able to get to know you.”

  “I agree. But Ellen didn’t want it that way. She didn’t want complications. She was so ashamed of the scandal. Reba says she was never the same.”

  Rachel didn’t say anything. Mr. Caldwell added, “Our mistake wrecked a lot of lives, even after all these years. It almost got both of you killed.”

  Lindsey remembered something. “There’s a book upstairs with her initial in it. We think it’s hers. It’s a copy of Wuthering Heights.”

  “Oh, yes, that was her favorite book, her favorite movie. The old version, that is, with Laurence Olivier. She was a great romantic. She said it reminded her of us. But in truth, Miles was more like Heathcliff. Possessive, even obsessed. I was more like Linton, the husband. But both of our stories are tragedies—that much is certain.”

  “It doesn’t have to be that way anymore,” Rachel told him, smiling. “Now that I know, perhaps you and I can get to know each other better. The past is over and done with—we can’t change it.”

  “Yes.” Mr. Caldwell took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. It was a habit of his, Lindsey saw now. “Yes, I would like that.” He replaced his glasses, then took his wallet out of his pocket. “I’d like to show you something.”

  He flipped it open and stuck his fingers down into one of the compartments. He pulled out an old, faded photograph and handed it across to Rachel. It was of himself (a much younger self) and Ellen Laramore. They were standing under a tree, laughing, their clothes and hair blowing in the breeze.

  “Reba took this picture. She was a maid here at the time. Reba was five or ten years younger than Ellen, but they were close friends. Ellen didn’t have a lot of friends—she was shy and reclusive. But she was a good woman, Rachel. She had a kind heart, she was generous, she was smart and talented—she played the piano beautifully.”

  He sighed. “It was a common enough story, I’m afraid. I didn’t know her when she married Miles. She was a ‘society girl’. In those days it wasn’t unusual for the parents to choose whom their daughter should marry. I was working my way through law school. We met when Miles hired me to do some legal work for him.”

  Lindsey said suddenly, “That’s why you were so upset when you lost your wallet! I wondered about that. You were afraid someone else would find it, and see that picture.”

  “Yes. I suppose that’s silly. It doesn’t really matter after all this time—except I don’t want Miles to know. I’m afraid it would kill him.”

  “You must have been very angry at all the misery he caused my grandmother,” Rachel said, but with a question in her voice.

  “Yes, I was angry. So many times I started to confront him with the truth, and didn’t, for Ellen’s sake. I wanted to get away from him. Yet, it was a connection I just couldn’t bring myself to break. I was fond of Philip, even though he was Miles’s son. He was also Ellen’s son. And I could get news of Ellen through Reba. So, I kept on being the family lawyer. I didn’t know about this latest whim of his—to leave you everything. Believe me, I have talked him out of some strange ideas over the years.”

  Rachel handed back the photograph, just as Jonathan walked into the room. Mr. Caldwell seemed to hesitate a moment, glancing at Rachel. She gave a nod.

  “Jonathan, I have something to tell you,” he said. “In confidence, I hope.”

  “What is it?”

  He couldn’t seem to find the words, and Rachel said, “Mr. Caldwell is my grandfather.”

  “Oh?” But he didn’t look that surprised.

  “You suspected?” Mr. Caldwell asked.

  “Well, let’s just say you were on my list of possibilities. And it wasn’t a very long list.”

  “I’m sorry about all the trouble it’s caused your family. Ellen was—a good woman. She suffered a great deal over it.” This time Mr. Caldwell took out his handkerchief and wiped his nose.

  “Well,” Jonathan said quietly, “that’s all in the past. How do you feel about it, Rachel?”

  “I—I suppose I’m happy to know the truth at last. It’s always been such a mystery.”

  The unmistakable sound of another helicopter approaching came from outside. Lindsey got up and ran to the window, watching it land on the lawn. The sun glinted off its silver side, and the whirring blades made deep ripples in the grass.

  “I’ll ask them to wait for you,” Jonathan said. “You’ll want to change clothes, Lindsey. Are you hungry?”

  She started to say, “I’m always hungry!”— but then she considered the prospect of another meal at the long dining table with the rest of the Laramores. She didn’t think she was up to it.

  Rachel seemed to read her mind. “I think she’s still tired. We’ll eat when we get home. Thank you, Jonathan.”

  Lindsey hurried through the kitchen to the laundry room and put on her clothes. When she came out, Reba was waiting for her. “I’m glad you’re safe, Miss Lindsey. I hope you’ll come and visit sometime.”

  “Why, thank you,” Lindsey said, taken aback. She was even more surprised when she got to the foyer, and standing there were not only Jonathan and Mr. Caldwell, but Alan, Charlotte, and Isabella.

  Mr. Caldwell shook Jonathan’s hand and went outside. He was obviously going to fly back to the city with them. Then, one by one, everyone shook Lindsey’s hand.

  Isabella said, “I hope you’re all right, Lindsey.”

  “Take care of yourself, kid.” That was Charlotte.

  Alan just gave her a wink.

  “Thank you for helping Jonathan get me out of the creek,” Lindsey said to him.

  “Sure,” he said. “Let’s not make a habit of it.”

  Lindsey looked around. “Where
’s Rachel?”

  “She’s waiting for you on the porch,” Jonathan answered.

  Lindsey said goodbye to everyone and stepped out on the brick porch. Well, there was no accounting for the things people did, she thought.

  The helicopter blades were rotating more slowly now. They still produced enough wind to ruffle Rachel’s skirt and hair as she stood on the porch, with Honey in her arms.

  Lindsey turned to Jonathan, who stood behind her. “I’d like to thank you,” she murmured, “for saving me.”

  He didn’t say anything—just leaned down and hugged her. “I’ll be seeing you, right?”

  She nodded. She took Honey out of Rachel’s arms, just in case Rachel wanted to hug Jonathan, too. But she didn’t. She just stood there, looking like she didn’t know what to do. Finally she held out her hand. “I appreciate your hospitality, Jonathan, and the use of your car —”

  Jonathan took her hand and held it, a little longer than was necessary. “It’s the least I can do,” he answered.

  Her cheeks reddened, and she withdrew her hand. She turned to Lindsey and they both walked across the lawn to the helicopter.

  Lindsey looked around and waved. “I feel like the President,” she said, which made Rachel smile.

  They got in opposite Mr. Caldwell, who leaned back in a corner and appeared to have already gone to sleep. It gave Lindsey a thrill when the helicopter lifted off and banked, rising higher and higher. She craned her neck to see the huge estate, and it looked like a dollhouse. The creek meandered behind it, deceptively smooth. She could see the flooded roads and the woods where they’d found Gerard Barrey, wandering around in circles.

  She thought about the ride here (only yesterday!), and how she’d been looking forward to an adventure. It was a little more than she’d bargained for, but she couldn’t wait to tell Laura all about it. She wondered what her parents would have to say. She suddenly felt an overpowering desire to see them.

  Honey scrabbled over Lindsey’s lap and went to look out the window on Rachel’s side. Rachel sat gazing out quietly. Lindsey wondered what she was thinking.