by J A Whiting
Shelly heard running footsteps, rhythmic and even. Jill Murray, her hair pulled up in a ponytail, moved over the path, her arms pumping and her stride sure and strong. A sheen of sweat glistened on Jill’s skin. Her breathing was steady. For a few moments, Shelly took Jill’s perspective and saw what the woman saw as she sprinted along the trail.
Something caught Jill’s foot and caused her to stumble.
A blow to the back of the head. Her vision going black.
Shelly returned to her own perspective and out of the corner of her eye, she saw the shadow of someone lunge at Jill. As the attacker’s face was about to emerge from the shadow, the person’s stench of fury and hate filled the air and gagged Shelly. She crumpled to the ground unable to make out the person’s features.
With sweat beading on her forehead, Shelly woke up coughing and dry-heaving. Pushing the blanket off of her legs, she jumped from her seat. Justice stood on the arm of the sofa with her ears pricked forward.
Disoriented from her nap, a loud knock banged on the front door startling Shelly. She rubbed at her temple and pushed her hair from her eyes as she hurried to open the door thinking that Jack had returned for some reason.
Turning the lock and pulling at the door, Shelly’s face froze when she recognized the person standing there in the dark.
Scott Bilow.
Her heart hammering, Shelly attempted to slam the door, but Scott rammed his boot between it and the jamb to keep it from closing. “Hold on,” he growled.
Stumbling back, Shelly yelled. “I told you never to come here.”
“Don’t act hysterical.” Scott entered the room. His facial muscles drooped and his eyes still had a glazed look to them. “I hate hysterical women.”
Justice moved forward and released a low, menacing hiss.
Scott’s face hardened and when stepped towards the cat, Shelly moved between them and glared. “This is my home. You do not have permission to be here.” Despite her stomach in a knot, she pretended not to be frightened, pointed at the door, and snarled, “Get out.”
“Just wait a minute.” Scott’s eyes blazed. “I don’t want anything to do with you. Listen to me for a second. Marie Stores asked me to come by.”
“What? It’s late. It couldn’t wait until morning?” Shelly didn’t really know what time it was. “You come to my house unannounced. We aren’t exactly friends. You barge your way in here. You trespass. Two women have been killed in this town. I have a right to be upset.” Shelly’s anger made her feel almost manic. Her head started to spin. She advanced two steps. “Remove yourself from my home before I call the police and press charges. Get back outside on the porch. You can tell me what you want from there.”
Scott hesitated, his mouth twisted in a grimace.
“Go!”
Muttering curses, Scott yanked open the door with such force that it smacked against the wall. Once on the porch, he wheeled around. “Okay, I’m outside.”
“What do you want?” Shelly seethed.
“Maria asked me to come by and pick up the box she left with you.” Scott practically spit the words out. Even in the faint light, Shelly could see Scott’s face was flushed.
“Why did she?” Shelly looked at the man with suspicion.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Why did she ask you to do that? Why didn’t she come here herself?”
A hateful look washed over Scott’s face. “Maria doesn’t feel good.”
Shelly moved her hand to pull the door closer. She moved her finger to flick the bolt on the knob into position so when she slammed it, it would lock. “Go home. Tomorrow I’ll bring the box to the police station. You can go there to get it.”
Scott was about to protest, but with one swift motion Shelly slammed the door in his face. Scott screeched his annoyance for several seconds, gave the door a hard kick with his foot and cursed, but he left the porch, got into his car, and shot away down the street.
With a growl, Justice leapt onto the table in front of the window and peered out past the gauzy, white curtains into the darkness.
“Idiot. Who does he think he is?” Shaking, Shelly leaned her back against the door and slowly slid down to the floor where she pulled her knees close, rested her head against them, and sobbed.
22
Once she’d recovered from her breakdown, Shelly called the police to report Scott Bilow’s intrusion and for an hour after the fool had left, she paced around the house ranting about the man’s behavior while Justice perched on the back of the sofa watching her. If it wasn’t so late, she would have grabbed her bike and zoomed around town to burn off her edginess.
Shelly picked up her phone more than once to text Juliet, but each time decided against it due to the lateness of the hour. During one pass of her pacing route around the living room, she’d looked out the window to her friend’s house hoping to see a light on, but the place was in darkness and she didn’t want to disturb Juliet since Scott had left and no harm had been done … except to Shelly’s nervous system.
After warming some milk on the stove, she gave a saucer to Justice and then sipped from her cup while she tried to calm her breathing and push the awful man’s visit from her mind. By the time she finished her drink, exhaustion hit Shelly hard from the rush of adrenaline that had exploded through her body. Feeling weak and shaky, she headed to her bed and as soon as her head touched the pillow, she was out like a light.
Early the next morning, while Shelly was tying the crate filled with Meg Stores’s real estate files to the back of her bike with bungee cords, Juliet poked her head out of her door. “Why are you up and leaving the house so early?” When she saw the look on Shelly’s face, she hurried outside in her pajamas. “What happened?”
Shelly gave her friend the condensed version of the previous night’s event.
Juliet’s eyes widened at the tale and she stood staring.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“I’m afraid.” Juliet’s fingers trembled as she pushed a strand of hair out of her face.
“Of Scott?”
“Yes. What’s wrong with him? How can he be so dense to just barge into your house like that? It makes me nervous.” Juliet wrapped her arms around herself. “It sounds like he’s gone crazy. What if he comes back? You want to sleep at my house tonight?”
A quiver of fear raced through Shelly’s chest and then her face hardened. “He better not come back or I will press charges.”
“Stay here tonight,” Juliet urged. “Just in case. It would make me feel better.”
“It’ll be okay. I’ll keep my phone near. If he comes back, I’ll text you right away.”
“Make sure you do.” Juliet bit her lower lip. “I don’t like this. I don’t like it one bit. I won’t sleep a wink tonight.” She convinced Shelly to put the box in her car and she’d deliver it to the police department on her way to work.
“There was some good news.” Shelly grinned after putting the box on the backseat of her friend’s car and she told Juliet about Jack dropping by and inviting her to go on a bike ride.
“Well, well.” Juliet gave Shelly a playful poke on the arm. “I thought he was interested in you when we were all together yesterday.”
“You did not.” Shelly shook her head.
“I most certainly did. I saw the way his face lit up every time he talked to you.”
After some more bantering back and forth, Shelly rode to work on her bike and spent the day baking and chatting with Henry and Melody. Tired of talking about it, she didn’t tell the couple about her late night visitor deciding to report that news another day. The calming nature of the baking tasks along with joking around with Henry, took Shelly’s mind off of Scott Bilow and when she left the diner’s kitchen for the day, her mood had lightened. When she saw Jack standing next to his bike waiting for her outside, every negative thing she’d been thinking about vanished from her mind.
The two followed the base trails around the mo
untain to the east side where they began their ascent up the winding paths through dense tree growth, past meadows and rocky cliffs, all the way to the summit.
“The view is spectacular.” Her hair damp with sweat, Shelly removed the bike helmet and pushed the wet strands off of her forehead. When she and Jack sat down on a stone wall to rest and enjoy the scenery, he indicated points of interest off in the distance.
“The mountain range continues in both directions,” he said and then gestured to a large lake on the west side and to some church steeples peeking out from the foliage and he told his companion the names of the towns they were in.”
“It’s beautiful here, so peaceful.” A contented expression showed on Shelly’s face.
“Isn’t it?” Jack took off his helmet and placed it on the stone wall next to him. “At least it was until recently.”
They talked about how the murders had impacted the townspeople and how a sense of unease permeated so many interactions with others.
“You knew Meg well?” Shelly asked.
“Not really.” Jack rubbed a knot in his shoulder. “We went on two dates and both realized we didn’t share a spark. We were more like brother and sister. She and I laughed about it. We had fun together so we hung out sometimes. There was something about Meg that made me feel like I was her older sibling. I don’t have any sisters or brothers.” Jack gave a shrug and looked down at his hands. “I felt like I should have been able to protect her.”
Shelly spoke softly. “I think that’s a normal feeling when you lose a sister or someone who feels like a sister.” She shared the story of the accident and losing Lauren. “Sometimes I wonder if there was anything I could have done that day that would have avoided the accident. Deep down, I know there isn’t, but I just can’t help thinking that way once in a while.”
Jack wrapped her in a hug and held her for a few moments. “Things can’t be easy can they?” He looked at her wistfully.
Shelly gave a little smile. “Some things are.” Talking to Jack was one of them.
When the sun lowered towards the horizon painting the sky in sweeps of violet and pink, Shelly and Jack started to shiver from sitting so long in sweaty clothes and decided to head back. The journey down the mountain paths was a lot faster than the effort of climbing the hills and they reached the resort in no time. Before parting ways, they chatted about riding again later in the week and then Shelly and Jack headed off in the direction of their homes.
Neither one noticed Lucy Millhouse standing on the deck of the pub glaring at them.
Juliet and Shelly curled up on the sofa with take-out food and talked about their days. Justice squished in between them. Mostly the talk consisted of Juliet asking a million questions about Shelly’s date with Jack.
“It wasn’t a date,” Shelly protested while spooning fried rice onto her plate. “We’re becoming friends.”
“I think you’re going to become more than friends.” Juliet bit into an egg roll.
“Jack’s nice to be with. We’ll see. I’m in no rush.”
“Well, I am. I haven’t been to a wedding in forever.”
“You’re going to have a long wait for that.” Shelly bopped her friend on the arm. “Unless you find a guy, then the wedding can be yours.”
After the meal and a movie, Juliet stretched and yawned. “Time for bed.” She gave Shelly a serious look. “Come and stay at my house tonight.”
Shelly hesitated for a second, but then said, “I don’t want to be driven out of my home because of Scott Bilow. I don’t think he’ll come back. He did leave when I told him to.”
“Are you sure? Shall I stay here with you?”
Shelly cocked her head. “Then Scott can attack both of us.”
“No, thanks. I’m going home.” Juliet stood up. “Please come.”
“I’m okay, but thanks.” Shelly walked Juliet to the door where they hugged goodbye.
“You call me if you need me. I don’t care what time it is.”
“I will.” Shelly gave a nod and when Justice rubbed against her legs, she added, “The cat will protect me.”
“Be sure you do,” Juliet told the calico.
Shelly cleaned up, changed into pajama shorts and a tank top, put her phone on the bedside table, and climbed under the covers with the cat leaning comfortably against the other pillow. For a second, a wave of anxiety washed over Shelly. She swallowed hard, told herself not to be a such a worry-wart, turned out the light, and closed her eyes.
Two hours later, in a state of deep sleep, Shelly didn’t hear the click of the back doorknob as it turned.
23
Justice touched her paw to Shelly’s nose causing the young woman to stir from her slumber. When she was about to say something to the cat, Justice placed her paw on Shelly’s lips and let the lowest of growls rumble deep in her throat for only a second.
Shelly held her breath and didn’t move. She listened.
A creak from the wood floor.
Adrenaline shot through her body. Her thoughts raced. The house was small. How many seconds did she have before the intruder found her?
Moving the covers back, she slipped from the bed, slowly took the phone from the side table being careful not to make a sound, and stood in the darkness of the room thinking.
If I try to go out the window, it will make noise and I might not make it.
She pushed the letters on the phone and sent a text to Juliet. I think someone’s in my house. Call 911. She worried Juliet wouldn’t hear the ping of the incoming message.
A weapon. What can I use for a weapon? She berated herself for leaving the pepper spray in her backpack in the living room.
Another creak on the hardwood floor.
Scott Bilow. How dare he come back. Fury began to mix with her fear. It coursed through her veins.
Hurrying, Shelly bent and unplugged the cord to the bed side metal lamp. She lifted it. The base was round and had some heft to it. The body was slim with the diameter of a two-inch pipe. She unscrewed the finial, removed the shade, wrapped the cord around the base, moved silently to the wall, pressed her back against it, and waited just a few feet from the door.
Another creak. The man was outside her bedroom. The pounding of her heart deafened her. She sucked in a breath and tightened her grip on the lamp.
The handle turned and the door pushed open.
A hand fumbled on the wall, flicked the switch, and the room flooded with light.
A gasp slipped from Shelly’s mouth. The person standing before her was not Scott Bilow.
“Lucy.”
Lucy looked momentarily stunned that Shelly was standing and was not asleep in her bed. In an instant, her expression changed from surprise to pure hate.
“It would have been easier for you if you stayed asleep.” The words rasped from Lucy’s throat. “It will be worse for you now.” Her fists clenched into tight balls.
“What are you doing, Lucy?” Shelly wanted to get the woman talking in order to buy time.
“You know what I’m doing.” Lucy glanced at the lamp in Shelly’s hand.
“Why? Why are you doing this?”
Lucy’s eyes darkened with rage. “You know why,” she seethed. “He belongs to me.”
“Jack?”
“Yes, Jack.” The words came out like a hiss.
“I’m not dating Jack,” Shelly said. “We’re friends.”
“We’re just friends.” Lucy said the words in a mocking, sing-song way. She said the sentence three times and the weird repetition made Shelly’s blood run cold.
Shelly listened for a police siren hoping Juliet had seen her text. She cursed herself for not calling 911 on her own and for not trying to go out the window before Lucy found her.
“Did you date Jack?” Shelly questioned.
“He belongs to me. He’s not yours. He didn’t belong to Meg or Jill either.” Little beads of sweat showed on Lucy’s forehead and her blond hair was disheveled and hung over her eyes. She took
a step forward, her eyes on Shelly like lasers. “You couldn’t have just stayed asleep, could you?”
Shelly tried to swallow the fear lodged in her throat. “You caught the other two women unaware. I’m fully awake.” She swung the lamp at her side like a Billy club.
Lucy released a cackle. Her haughty, ugly smile contorted into a sneer. “I have a black belt in mixed martial arts.”
“And I’m ready to fight you to the death,” Shelly whispered.
Justice leapt from under the bed to the window and dug her claws into the screen trying to climb to the top. The spilt-second distraction was enough. Shelly charged at the woman swinging the lamp base. It connected with Lucy’s shoulder and knocked her to her knees.
Shelly ran from the room, down the hall, into the kitchen. Fumbling with the door, she heard Lucy’s feet pounding on the floor towards her. In seconds, the backdoor flew open, but Lucy lunged at Shelly and the two crashed down the three steps to the ground.
They rolled, threw punches, kicked. Each time Lucy attempted to wrap her fingers around Shelly’s neck, Shelly managed to heave her body to the side and throw the woman off.
Lucy was fiercely strong. Shelly knew she wouldn’t be able to keep her at bay much longer.
Straddling Shelly, Lucy wrapped her fingers around the young woman’s neck like a vise.
Unable to suck in any air, Shelly’s eyes bugged. She bucked and thrashed. Staring up at the stars, she could feel herself fading. It wouldn’t be long. Soon it would all go black.
A scream pierced the air. Someone leapt onto Lucy’s back and threw her off balance causing her hands to pull away from Shelly’s throat.
A horrible sucking sound filled the air as Shelly wheezed and pulled precious oxygen into her lungs.
Juliet pummeled Lucy in the head before being flipped over onto her back by the powerful woman. Lucy growled like a wild animal and got in two punches to Juliet’s face before Shelly was on the woman to launch her own pounding attack.
While Shelly and Lucy battled, Juliet, panting, crawled over the grass to the patio, lifted the loose brick, and pushed her battered body up.
