by J. M. Adele
“Mr. and Mrs. Howard, it has been a little while. Sorry for the intrusion. We’ll get a couple of officers to man your front yard and keep the media at a reasonable distance. We had hoped to deliver some good news the next time we saw you, but I hear you’re the ones able to deliver on that hope. Is she here?”
The pair of detectives posed an odd combo. The shaggy-haired, blond surfer dude, and his sleek brunette, female partner. Dumb and Dumber, revamped for a generation bent on equality.
“Yes, she is, but she’s resting. Have a seat. Can I get you anything?”
Lanie’s mouth pinched tight. Her mother—the consummate hostess. These idiots hadn’t done a thing to help find Shiloh. They’d come to a dead end and given up. Useless. They didn’t deserve the hospitality.
Lanie let her eyes roll and followed the group into the living room.
“No, we’re fine, thanks.” Surfer dude, pulled at his tie.
They unbuttoned their jackets and sat in perfect synchronization. It was almost comical except for the fact that they should’ve had the door shoved in their faces, like the media scum.
The blond guy spoke again. “We have several witnesses who caught Shiloh’s return on video. I’m afraid it’s already on social media. We can’t do anything about that, but we are concerned for her health. If possible, we’d like to gather some forensics. She’ll be examined by medical personnel trained in medico-legal exams.”
“What does that mean?” Her mother’s jaw wobbled, eyes popping.
“She’s obviously suffered some physical trauma. We can’t rule out abuse of a sexual nature. We’ll need to question her as soon as possible. We may gain valuable insight into what happened to her, and the identity of the perpetrator who committed these crimes against her, by collecting evidence from her person.”
Lanie pulled up an image of Shiloh and morphed it into a walking petri dish. Nameless, faceless, and ready to incubate at their convenience. “So you’re going to strip her and poke and prod around looking for evidence when she’s already suffered God knows what indignities? There’s a video of her stumbling around looking like she’s been dragged backwards through the woods. She’s almost naked, for Christ’s sake.”
Her father’s hand landed on her shoulder in silent warning.
“This is our job. I know it’s unpleasant, but if we’re going to find out who took her, and what happened, we need to start with Shiloh,” the brunette said.
“I’ll take you to see her.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Howard.”
_____
Jostled awake by the hard cushion of Seth’s body moving from underneath her, Shiloh groaned and rolled to her stomach as he went to answer the soft knock at the door.
“Seth, the detectives are here to question Shiloh.” She could barely hear her mother’s whisper.
“But she only just got to sleep.”
“I’m afraid they’re insisting.”
Shiloh squinted behind the strands of hair shielding her eyes, searching through the fog inside her head for an explanation as to why the LAPD were here.
“Shi?”
Expelling a grunt, she twisted her head to the other side, pain slicing through her neck. “Aargh.” In an effort to get comfortable she pushed up to her elbows, gasping as her whole body awoke in an uprising of aches.
“Hey, take it easy.” Seth’s voice reached across the room.
Kicking off the blanket, she turned onto her back. Shiloh saw her mother frozen in the doorway, clutching at her neck. “Give us a minute, Mom.” Hearing him shut the door, she turned watery eyes on Seth. “God, it hurts. Why am I sore all over?”
Lifting her hands, she noted the dirt caked under her fingernails and ground into her skin, as if she’d had a bath in the stuff. Wrenching upright, she whimpered as she saw her bloodstained swimsuit and torn up feet. Fear and confusion spiked her pulse. The evidence of a harrowing experience was plastered in splotches all over her body, but she had no memory to connect the dots. “What the hell happened to me?”
“Baby, that’s what we’d all like to know. The police are here to talk to you. Are you okay to do that?” Stroking her cheek with the back of his fingers, Seth lowered to his knees and kissed her forehead. “I can ask them to give you more time.
His touch diffused the rising panic, bliss flowing to her every cell. Dropping her palms to her knees, she swayed towards him, enjoying the rush. The fog in her memory cleared away as the sight of him flashed her thoughts back to the moment she’d noticed him moving in across the street. Riding home from an early training session, she’d eyed the removalist’s van, curious who would want to live in a house that had seen more break-ups and death than any house should. The place was cursed for sure. And then this golden god had stepped out onto the lawn and looked right at her. She’d wobbled for about ten yards before jumping off and running her bike up the driveway. That entire Saturday had been uncharacteristically wasted staring out her window, committing every glimpse of him to memory. The way his muscles rippled as he shifted each box. How he’d swiped at his golden hair every time it fell across his forehead. The fact that he’d gone for a joyride up and down the street when he’d offloaded his bicycle instead of storing it immediately. And every time his eyes had strayed in the direction of her house. Maybe he’d been curious about her, too.
“Shi?”
“Huh?”
“Are you able to speak to the police now, or should they come back later?”
Blinking, she paused to let the question register, each word eventually lodging itself in place.
“Now’s fine,” the response drifted off her tongue, unsolicited.
“Here, cover up. You can shower as soon as they’re gone.”
He backed away, and her state of bliss started to fade. She found a T-shirt and shorts in her lap and blindly put them on, her limbs stiff from—what? Disuse? Overuse? Abuse? She wiped away a tear, wishing she knew.
Seth opened the door for the pair of detectives. They stepped in, looking like the male/female version of The Odd Couple.
The woman’s sharp green gaze locked onto Shiloh, uncaging the panic that Seth had only just managed to subdue. “Sorry to intrude. I’m Detective Carter, and this is Detective Simpson. We were hoping we could ask you some questions.”
Shiloh dipped her chin before her eyes darted sideways to watch Seth heading for the door. Her hand snapped out to latch onto the back of his shirt so fast she didn’t even feel it move.
“It’s okay, baby. I’ll just wait outside.”
“No.”
She pulled him back, the mattress bouncing as he landed beside her.
Er . . . she didn’t think she’d yanked that hard.
“Do you want me to stay?” her mom squeaked from her post at the door.
Shiloh didn’t spare her a glance. “No.”
Detective Carter cleared her throat and shut the door before helping herself to the desk chair, while her partner stood, blocking the exit.
“Shiloh, we know you’ve been through an awful experience, but we need to ask you some questions, okay?”
“Mm.” No.
“What do you remember about the day you disappeared?”
She sucked in a breath and grabbed Seth’s hand as she ordered the memory to the surface. “I remember swimming.”
This was okay; she could do this. The thrum of calm from Seth’s touch did its thing while shadows lengthened over her recollections, darkness setting in for the rest. “I thought I was alone, but then I wasn’t. Something grabbed me.” She released Seth, her trembling hand flying to the side of her neck as her body relived the nightmare. “It stabbed me with something. I screamed. I remember screaming, and then . . . I blacked out.” She swayed as her head clouded and seemed to disconnect from her body, her thundering heartbeat coming from a lower altitude.
The squeeze of Seth’s hand brought her crashing back. Her spine went ramrod straight.
“Hey, hey, it’s okay. You’re okay, yo
u’re safe.” He smoothed his other hand down her spine.
“I’ll give you a minute.” The detective examined her like she was locking away some truth for future reference.
“Yeah, thanks.” Whoa. Whatever that sensation of separation was, she knew she’d felt it before, but worse. What had happened to her?
She shook her head and gave a wobbly smile to the detective, letting her know it was okay to continue.
“Do you remember any smells or sounds from your assailant?”
“I could only smell and taste blood. I cho—ked on it.” Shiloh’s shoulders rose with a drag of air.
“Did they speak to you?”
“Marco. It said Marco.”
“It? Was the voice high-pitched, or deep? Male or female?”
“It. I don’t know, I don’t remember. The sound echoed. I panicked.”
Detective Carter scribbled something on her notepad. “Okay. What about when you woke up? Do you remember anything about where you were?”
“Just now? I remember Seth talking to Mom.”
Carter blinked with her pen poised on the paper. “No. Before you came back to the school.”
Huh? “Did I go back to school?”
“Yes. You walked into your own memorial service. You don’t remember that?”
“Memorial serv—” Shiloh pursed her lips, unable to finish the word as the need to cry stung the back of her throat. They’d all thought she was dead. She wasn’t the only one who’d suffered torment. What a horrible experience this had been for her family. For Seth. She gripped his hand tighter, never wanting to cause him that worry again.
Detective Carter’s brow bunched tight. “You have no recollection between passing out beside the pool and waking up here, just now?”
Shiloh shook her head, blinking back tears.
The detective leaned back on the chair, sighing. “Well, Shiloh, I have to be honest. We’re concerned for your health. I think it will be best if you come with us so we can get you checked over. The trained staff can collect any forensic evidence during their examination.”
“What does that mean?”
“We’ll take some photos of your injuries, and some scrapings from under your fingernails. They’ll look at you head to toe and take samples if needed. And we’re going to need the clothes you’re wearing and the blankets you just slept on, too. If that’s okay? You can say no to any part of the examination at any stage, and you can have a support person present. Your mom, maybe?”
“No.”
“But—”
“I’m not having a medical examination. I’ll give you the clothes, but that’s it. I don’t want anyone touching me.”
“I can’t force you. But if something has happened to you that has permanent consequences, or even temporary damage, we need to get that seen to.”
“I don’t want anyone else touching me. Only Seth.”
“Okay.” Detective Carter reached inside her jacket and removed a large plastic bag. “Please put the clothes in this. I’ll wait out here until you’re done.” Nodding to Seth, she cocked a brow. “Simpson has some questions for you, too. Maybe you could take it elsewhere?”
“Already on my way.” Seth got to his feet.
She almost leapt from the bed to drag him back again. The thought of being separated from him sent a frenzy of fear spiraling through her system. Sweat coated her skin, her temperature soaring as air rushed in and out of her chest.
Seth. Come back, Seth.
Shiloh walked through the closet, closing herself in the bathroom, and averted her eyes from the mirror as she removed her clothing. She was stripped bare in a violation of everything she’d held dear. Someone or something had touched her and destroyed her. Their hands had been on her clothes, on her skin. Goose bumps rose over her body in a chilly tide.
She placed the flimsy material in a plastic bag. The electric blue straps of her bathing suit stood out with the vibrancy she’d once had, somehow escaping the filth the rest of the suit had succumbed to. Looking at them, she had to suck in a breath.
She’d just discarded her old life into an evidence bag. There was no way she could get back in the pool. All hope for the Olympics gone.
Clamping it to her chest, she clenched her eyes shut so they couldn’t leak. She still had Seth and her family. And if that small part of her old life had endured the filth and survived, maybe she could, too.
Putting on her bathrobe, she took the bag out to the detective. As she passed it over, their fingers touched. Shiloh froze, locking eyes on the wall, denying herself oxygen. Seth, please come back. I need you.
Detective Carter’s concerned face filled her vision, her mouth moving, but no sound made it past the high-pitched ring in her ears. In a flurry of movement Seth was by her side, dosing her up with his antidote. She didn’t know if Carter had everything she needed, but she didn’t care. She just wanted to forget all this and move on.
Pulling a card out of her wallet, the detective passed it to Seth. “I’m going to leave my card with your friend. If you remember anything, anything at all, no matter how small, just let us know.” She exited the room.
“Are you okay?” Seth squeezed her hand.
Nope. She wanted to scrub herself so clean until there was nothing left but bones. “I’m going to have a shower.”
She hobbled to the dresser to pick out something new to wear.
“I’ll wait here.”
Her shoulders darted up. “Um—” She screwed her clean clothes into a ball and clutched them to her chest, shuffling her weight from one foot to the other. The urge to reach out and touch him, to get her hit, pulsed through her veins. “This is probably a weird request, but I don’t think I can do this without you. I mean, not in the shower with me, but I’d feel better if you were in the room.”
His lips quirked on one side, but his eyes showed an intensity that made them swirl with colors. She couldn’t look away from their mesmerizing dance.
“It’s not weird. I’d feel better if you never left my sight again, so we’re even.” Sliding an arm around her shoulders, he led her to the bathroom, standing behind her as she studied their reflections.
She was filthy. Underneath all the dirt she was certain there’d be bruises. Her neck ached the worst; she’d barely been able to move it, but with Seth rubbing the tender skin it seemed to be loosening up. Tilting her head to the side, she drank in his reflection, so transfixed she forgot why they were there. His skin and eyes shimmered under the LEDs, surrounding him in a halo of light. Or maybe it was her eyes playing tricks on her, or the drugging touch he plied her with. Every stroke of his skin on hers thrummed with an intoxicating energy. She wanted to melt into him, bend to his will. Give him whatever he wanted. Be whomever he wanted. He could guide her anywhere and she’d go.
Shiloh blinked as she got caught in the way he watched her. A hungry possessiveness competed with the adoration in his eyes and his embrace. She knew she was everything to him in that moment. But as she stared at her hollowed eyes and diminished reflection, she wondered what she had left to offer. She appeared as a ghost of her former self, while he had become resplendent and completely . . . addictive.
Reaching up to thread her fingers through his, she latched on, knowing she needed him more than he could possibly know.
More than even she could comprehend.
Darkness Himself
“Come on, Shi. It’s been more than a month since you came back. It’s time you got out of the house.”
Lanie watched her sister rock gently on the edge of the bed as she stared at Seth’s house across the street through the newly installed bars. Occasionally, Shiloh’s hands would scrub up and down her thighs, or clutch her stomach before returning their grip to the mattress.
She barely ate. Almost never came out of her room. The mention of returning to the pool gained no response. Shiloh might have come back in body, but her spirit was still trapped in some unknown hell.
The creepiest thing? Shiloh�
�s eyes. They were lighter. Still brown, but a distilled shade, as if the absence of her spirit had drained them of color. It gave Lanie the chills.
Her sister still refused to see a doctor. She wasn’t speaking to the psych their parents had insisted on. The cops hadn’t found anything to explain what had happened to her. Not that they were telling the family, anyway. The only time Shiloh came alive was when Seth came to visit. It was like she needed him to push the buttons on her remote control to work. Their parents had decided to limit her time with Seth. When they told her, Shi went ape shit. Seth had managed to restrain her, taking her up to her room where she’d crashed for eighteen hours of sleep. If anything else gave Lanie chills, it was the pair of them, together.
She ran her tongue over her braces and cracked her neck. “You are coming with me to the mall. I need new shoes before school goes back, and I need your opinion.”
Lame. Christ, Lanie, can’t you do better than that?
Shiloh’s hollow gaze slid to Lanie’s feet for a second before lodging back on the window. Lanie took that as a good sign. Any reaction was better than this dormant zombie act her sister had going on.
An idea came to Lanie as she wracked her brain for the hammer that would break through the glass cage Shiloh was trapped in. “Seth said he’d meet us there, but you have only ten minutes to get ready because you’ve been sitting on your a—”
Aaand, there we go.
It was cruel to lure her sister by dangling a treat Lanie wasn’t going to deliver, but she wasn’t above using dirty tactics.