Her Silent Shadow: A Gripping Psychological Suspense Collection

by Edwin Dasso

  "I certainly hope I look better than last year," Allison admitted. “The last time I saw you I was lying in the hospital in Norfolk, Virginia, wondering if I was even gonna live," she reminded her friend as she hugged Kat again.

  "How well I remember," Kat whispered softly. “But I thought we decided we weren’t talking about last year's reunion," Kat reminded her, not wanting to bring up bad memories.

  "Yep, she's right," said Barb as she walked over and met them. Tall and blonde, Barb was the caregiver in the group. “You look terrific, Kat. I can't believe we live so close to each other and still haven't gotten together," she said with a shake of her head.

  "Yeah, that’s the truth. But, twelve miles in northern Virginia is a two hour commute,” Kat sighed. “Honestly, Barb, I've been so busy at the Smithsonian finishing my internship, I haven't seen anyone. But," she said with a smile, "now that I've graduated and have a real job, I won't be so afraid to take off." Kat embraced her again.

  Barb jumped up and down with excitement, her long hair flying around her shoulders. She smiled, "Oh, they hired you… Full-time? That's fantastic, Kat. You'll be perfect for them. We’ll have to celebrate that this week!"

  Kat giggled and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, can you believe it? I'm going to be an assistant curator at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC. America's museum! Who'd have thought?"

  "Hey, Lida,” Barb hollered to Lida who was talking to the bartender, “We need another round. Kat got a job. Another reason to celebrate, don’t ‘cha think,” she grinned as she winked at Kat. “Now we need to celebrate her graduate degree and her job, don't you agree?"

  "Heck, yeah, I agree." Lida agreed, as she jumped off her barstool and ran over to Kat. She covered her with hugs and kisses. Lida was petite, lovely and had the best dark curls in the world. Kat loved her. Kat immediately noticed the cast on her arm.

  "You look wonderful, Kat. Graduation and a job become you," Lida beamed, delighted with Kat’s success. "I'm so glad to see you."

  Kat hugged Lida and then looked at her carefully. She looked good but appeared tired and pale. Her arm was obviously broken. Kat could see faint stress lines etched in her face and her right eye looked black. "Lida, is that a black eye I see under your perfectly applied make up? And whatever happened to your arm?" she asked as she studied the cast on Lida’s left arm. A bad feeling overtook her for a moment. What had happened to Lida? Had someone hurt her?

  Lida shook her head. "Darn, Kat. You don’t miss anything! Yep. I’ve got a shiner. You know how clumsy I am? Do you remember how I could fall down without even drinking?"

  Kat nodded. “Yeah, but how’d you hurt your arm?”

  “I slipped in the shower and banged it into the tile wall. It’s not a bad break though. Should be better in a few weeks.” Kat noticed the pale flush on Lida’s face.

  "I certainly remember how you used to fall," Allison chirped. "You were much more agile after a few drinks. You couldn't walk a straight line or stay on your feet when you were sober," she laughed as she clinked glasses with Lida. “But, you had pretty good balance when you were intoxicated.”

  Barb nodded in agreement. "Yep, that's for sure. You would've been trampled at Mardi Gras every year if the crowd hadn’t held you up, Lida.” Barb glanced at Kat and Allison who had gathered around the bar. “We all remember how clumsy you’ve always been."

  Lida laughed. “Well, I hope you remember a couple of other good things.” A blush covered her face.

  Kat nodded. Her dark curls gleamed in the light of the bar. "Of course I do, but what happened this time, my friend?" she asked as she directed her eyes at Lida’s bluish-green ones. “Oh, and I love the highlights in your hair,” Kat added.

  Lida shook her head and laughed, "Thanks! Same old thing. I wasn't even drinking. You know I'm living here, right Kat? I'm living here on the Gulf Coast."

  Kat nodded and said, "Yeah, somehow, I sort of knew that. And you’re working here, right. You’re working here at the Magnolia?"

  Lida nodded, "Yep, sure am. I'm the chief accountant for the Magnolia Casino. Can you believe that?" Lida’s eyes gleamed with happiness, but she still seemed sad. Kat thought her face looked wistful.

  “Oh my Lord! You’re working here!” Allison squealed. “Are your folks having a conniption fit? A good, sweet, southern Methodist girl like you working in a casino?” She paused for a moment and continued, “I know your dad is fit to be tied.”

  Kat remembered Lida’s father was the Methodist minister of a large church in Mobile, Alabama, about an hour away. She wondered if the Reverend Dr. Dewey was upset about his daughter’s job. Somehow, she doubted it. He was probably happy to have Lida close.

  Lida was quiet for a moment as a shadow crossed her face. “No. They’re okay with it. They knew I needed a job and there aren’t that many accounting jobs over here.” She paused and sipped her drink. “Soooo, they’re okay with it, at least for now.”

  Barb patted Lida on the arm. “That’s wonderful, Lida! Just think how good that will look on your resume when you leave the coast. Chief accountant for a place like this is nothing to sneeze at. I’m proud of you girlfriend.” Barb smiled as the two friends high-fived.

  Lida nodded. “Thanks, Barb. I appreciate that. I feel lucky to have a job here. The economy is still so depressed and has been for years. If it wasn’t for the casino industry moving into the Gulf, I don’t know how the Gulf Coast would have survived.

  "Well, I’m certainly impressed,” Kat interjected. “That's fantastic! You're the manager of the gambling money. That’s too cool.” Kat grinned. “You’re the only one of us who was smart enough to get a business degree," she admitted. "Do you like it? Do you like working here?" she asked as she wiped a drop of water off the bar with her napkin.

  Lida shook her head and rolled her eyes. “I see you’re still obsessive, Kat,” she smiled. “That drop of water must’ve been bothering you.” Kat had always cleaned up after all of them and picked up mysterious pieces of lint and debris that no one else saw. It had been a joke among the friends for over ten years now.

  “It was,” Kat admitted with a laugh. “I admit, I’ve gotten worse. Graduate school totally made me worse. There are just so many things to remember about each piece of art we studied, and all the history. Well, I just became worse, but now I’m working on it. I guess being obsessive compulsive is just part of my nature.” She paused and turned her attention back to Lida. “Do you love your job?”

  “I do,” Lida smiled with her mouth but her eyes suggested otherwise as the two young women clinked their glasses in a toast. “I certainly won’t be here for the rest of my life, but it is good experience for me.”

  Kat nodded. "Let's go sit down. We should move away from the bar and get a table, maybe over there away from everyone,” she encouraged, “especially since we’ve been known to get loud.”

  “I see an empty one," Barb pointed towards a secluded table on one side of the bar. "We can talk over there and catch up without everyone listening to us," she said with an incline of her head towards two men sitting at the bar.

  Allison nodded and smiled. Her blonde hair shone in the light and her green eyes sparked with happiness. "Great idea, Barb. You've always taken such good care of us," she chortled. She looked at Kat and beamed, “Of course, so have you…”

  Barb smiled. "Well, somebody has to take care of you, Allison, and it takes a village,” she laughed as she tapped Allison on the shoulder. “I’m pretty sure I saved Allison’s life three times during Mardi Gras,” she giggled.

  “Um… no you didn’t,” Allison reminded her, her good nature intact. “It was only twice and I’m all grown-up now,” she grinned. “Although I still get into trouble you know,” she said happily. “Kat’s obsessive-compulsive and I’m always in trouble. Isn’t it nice that some things never change?”

  “Well, maybe. We’ll see how the weekend goes,” Barb grinned. “Besides, it's the nurse in me. I take care of everyone.” She signaled for t
he waiter to take their tray of drinks to the table on the other side of the bar. “Nurses are caretakers.”

  Allison nodded. “Everybody loves a nurse,” she quipped, “and I’m no different.”

  The four young women followed the waiter and chatted happily with one another. The friends had spent years together in college and watched out for each other the entire time. They’d remained buddies. At graduation, the group made a promise to meet at least once a year at a beach they agreed upon. One year they’d gone to Emerald Isle, another year Coney Island and last year they’d vacationed at the Outer Banks in North Carolina. This year Biloxi Beach was the destination with the promise of great sun, sand, and food. Plus, they’d been invited to a ginormous Cajun Thanksgiving. Everything was just perfect.

  Kat scrambled into the large corner booth and slid her toned, lithe body quickly around and sat in the middle. Kat’s allegiance to the gym was part of her obsessive-compulsive behavior. She rubbed her fingers across the highly-polished mahogany wood. "I love this booth. I remember when they opened this place. Didn’t we christen this booth the weekend the Magnolia opened?”

  “Um… yes we did,” Allison remembered, “and I had a four-day headache,” she remembered with a pained grin. “I’m not sure I’ve had a glass of champagne since.”

  Barb laughed and said, “You’ve had a bunch of those hangover days over the course of our college years, Al!”

  Allison nodded. “Yeah. I do like my booze, no question. Plus I like to have fun.”

  Barb raised an eyebrow. “Please tell me you don’t drink more than you used to drink. You truly pushed the limits in college.” Barb had always been preoccupied with Allison’s excessive drinking.

  “Nah, I drink about the same and maybe even a little bit less, but lighten up, Barb, I’m only twenty-five. You guys are older than me.” Allison had a petulant look on her face. “Besides, I’m a safe drinker. You guys know that.”

  “Yeah. That’s true,” Barb agreed. “I guess I’ve just seen too many accidents, pain and trauma from people who drink too much. That’s what you see in the emergency department.”

  Kat changed the subject. “It's still an amazing casino and hotel." She eyed the marble floors and columns. The Magnolia Casino, true to its name, had an atrium with a forty-foot magnolia tree in the center surrounded by exotic plants. She looked over at Lida and asked, "Is it a great place to work and wow, thanks for great price on the rooms!"

  Lida nodded and her long dark curls bounced as she took her seat. "Yep, it's the cream of the crop among the casinos and probably the best place to work on the coast. They treat their staff pretty well and they treat their customers even better," she said with a strained smile. Kat noticed again that Lida’s words weren’t congruent with her facial expression.

  Allison rolled her eyes. "Don't listen to her, Kat. She's more than a little biased. Aren't you, Lida?" she baited her friend.

  Lida threw her head back and laughed. "Maybe just a little. But, what I'm saying is the truth. It's a great place to work, plus, I get great discounts on rooms, food and beverage service.”

  “You do that,” Barb said gratefully. “I can afford to stay another night and my room is beautiful!”

  "Of course it’s a great place,” Allison said with a smirk on her face as she looked at Lida. "It's particularly great when you're dating the general manager and vice president, isn't it?". She winked at Lida who blushed.

  Kat’s mouth formed an O and Barb reached for her hand. "Oh my, is that true Lida? Is it serious?"

  Lida blushed. "Yeah I guess it is. I've been dating Joe for about three months, and, well, he's pretty terrific.” Her eyes sparkled with happiness.

  Kat wasn't sure but she thought she saw a flicker of uncertainty in Lida’s eyes. Sure, she looked happy, but something just wasn’t quite right with Lida. "Well, that's great to hear. What's the very best thing about him?”

  Lida smiled and stirred her drink with the swizzle stick as she contemplated her answer. "Well, I don't know just one specific thing. Everything I guess -- everything about him is terrific," she murmured as she picked up her drink.

  “Well, I don't know him very well," Allison admitted as she picked up Lida’s slack, "but he is pretty easy on the eyes."

  Barb pounced on Allison. “Oh, so you’ve seen him? Do tell. Tell everything, since Lida seems unwilling or at least reticent to share." Barb winked at Lida.

  Lida looked uncomfortable and studied her drink. “Let’s wait before we do that.”

  Kat noticed Lida’s pained face and interrupted, "Let's talk about Lida’s new guy over lunch. Maybe we shouldn't talk about it here, since he sort of runs this place, right, Lida?"

  Lida flashed her a grateful smile. "That's probably a good idea,” she said quietly. “I do think a few people might be a little jealous of me."

  "Okay, that makes sense," Barb agreed as she changed the subject. "Has anyone seen Mikey? I asked him to join us for lunch if he could, but I don’t think he can."

  Kat shook her head and said, "Nope, I haven't seen him, but I did get an email from him a couple of days ago. He said he'd be on the coast for our reunion, maybe later this afternoon. I think he's still working in New Orleans. I think he'll probably start shrimping again in a couple of days if he can get someone to cover his job at the restaurant.”

  “Mikey isn’t ever gonna grow up, is he?” Allison said. “He’s still the same old guy… reading philosophy, smoking dope, fishing and trying to figure out world peace,” she laughed. “But, he’s so good to us. It’s like each of us had a big brother during college,” she added.

  “That’s not fair, Allison. Mike’s changed a lot,” Kat’s voice was defiant as she gave her friend a hard look. “By the way, he owns part of a restaurant over in New Orleans." Kat smiled to herself. She loved Mike Chaisson. And even if he had spent his life on the Mississippi Gulf Coast watching sunsets, smoking dope, and writing poetry, he was still the most decent guy she’d ever met. Mike was a perpetual student of nature. His degree in philosophy from Tulane allowed him to ponder the universe and life forever. Kat knew that he’d find a fun-loving Cajun girl and settle down some day. He just wasn’t ready.

  Allison smiled, "Calm down, Kat. I love Mike Chaisson. He texted me and said he’d be here this afternoon.” She stole a look at Kat. “He's gonna make someone a wonderful husband one day," she said pointedly.

  Kat spread her hands. "Don't look at me, Allison. Mikey is my best friend in the world, and that's where it stops. Besides," she said, "can you see Mikey living in Washington DC with all the concrete and traffic?" Kat watched a tall dark-haired man approach their table and put his hands on Lida’s shoulders. “He’d be dead in six months, I guarantee it,” she persisted. “He’d pine away for the Gulf Coast and fresh air.”

  Lida jumped in surprise and turned around, a smile on her face. "Oh, Joey. What a surprise! I didn't know you were in today. Meet my friends from college.” Lida rose from her seat and stood next to him as she introduced each of us to Joe.

  Joe Minelli was impressive. He was tall, almost six feet, and had dark eyes and hair. It was easy to see the Italian heritage he’d inherited from his family. Kat watched Joe as he greeted each of Lida’s friends. He was smooth, a flawless operator, and a guy who clearly knew how to lure and cajole the ladies. She watched her friends succumb to his devastating charm. He oozed charisma. He was handsome, but Kat decided he was too slick for her in his dark Armani suit and Gucci shoes. She pegged him as a control freak and besides, he had a weak jaw. I’ve got to stop this. If Lida likes him who am I to judge? Kat smiled brightly at him and extended her hand.

  Joseph Minelli was charming as he circled the table and kissed each woman’s hand. He welcomed each of them to the Magnolia Casino and handed each of them a gift card they could use either in the gift shop or to gamble, a small bottle of perfume, and a Magnolia Casino VIP card.

  Kat noticed that Joe always had Lida in his sight. He seemed overly protective to her.
She also thought Lida seemed nervous and uneasy in his presence but, of course she could be imagining things. Finally Joey left and the friends asked for their bill and learned that it'd been ‘taken care of’ by Mr. Minelli.

  3

  The friends walked a block down the Beach Road to one of Kat’s most favorite restaurants in the world. The Gulf Grill served the best shrimp and grits anywhere on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The food rivaled several restaurants in the Big Easy which was only a short hour drive away. Kat’s stomach growled in anticipation. The breeze had picked up and the day was beautiful without the dreadful humidity that permeated the Gulf States during the summer. October, November, and December were great months on the Coast.

  "Oh, the Gulf looks beautiful today," Lida noted. "Is it okay if we eat outside?"

  "Of course, it's fine with me. It's not even hot so we should take advantage of these days," Allison agreed as they walked up the wooden deck to the restaurant door. They were greeted by a young woman.

  The hostess for the Gulf Grill was a young, beautiful woman. Lida seemed surprised when she saw her. Apparently, they knew each other.

  The young woman had a beautiful smile and greeted them in true Southern style with her warm Mississippi accent. "Hiya, Ladies, hi, Lida. Haven't seen you for ages." The hostess glanced quickly at her broken arm. Her eyebrows rose. "Did you fall down?"

  Lida laughed easily. “Yeah, pretty much. You know what a klutz I am." She looked around at her friends. "Everyone, meet Melody. She used to work with me at the Magnolia. But, now she's pretty much running this place," Lida smiled a strained, false smile. “How’s it going, Mel?”

  Melody smiled. “Pretty good. It’s an easy place to run, and waitress.” She hesitated, “plus, they treat me really well here, and I’m able to work around my class schedule.”