by Jenn Cowan
He shakes his head then cringes. “No. Someone hit my car from the front then hit me from the back.”
“What? You’re not making any sense, Travis.”
Travis takes a deep breath then says, “Someone pulled out in front of me and I couldn’t stop in time. When I got out to check the damage and to see if everyone was alright, someone hit me from behind.”
I gasp, completely at a loss for words.
“He was lying here for a while too. The blood was already starting to dry and harden in his hair. We got the call only a few minutes ago from an anonymous caller. He wasn’t awake when we got to him.”
I glance at the time on my phone. “You left with Allison over thirty minutes ago. You didn’t get far before you were hit, did you?”
“No. It was right after we left,” he mumbles, closing his eyes again.
I scan the area. We’re standing at the bottom of a hill, which is out of sight from the shops. The road dips down and then curves around the outskirts of town. It’s kind of the long way to the police station. “Why did you go this way to the station?”
“I wanted to see if I could get Allison to tell me what happened.”
“And did she?”
“No. She kept staring out the window and murmuring to herself.”
“Then what happened?”
“Like I said, a car pulled out in front of me. I slammed on the brakes, but I couldn’t stop.”
I look over at his SUV and the dirt road that juts out from the park. It’s technically an access road for recreational vehicles. “So, someone was waiting for you?”
“I suppose so.”
“Did you see anyone? What did the car look like? Was the driver male or female?”
“I think it was a dark sedan, but it all happened so fast.” Travis puts his head in his hands. “I should have just gone straight to the station.”
I pat his shoulder. “This isn’t your fault, Travis.”
“Isn’t it?” He lifts his head and blinks slowly several times like he’s having a hard time keeping his eyes open.
“No. It isn’t. You can’t blame yourself.”
“But I do, Autumn. I didn’t follow protocol and look what happened.”
“It’s just an accident. A deliberate one, but at least no one was seriously injured, right?”
He clenches his jaw, but doesn’t say anything.
“Right?” I glance around searching for Allison again. Maybe another police officer took her to the jail already. If she was hurt, she’d be right here with Travis, wouldn’t she? I decide to steer the conversation back to the accident. “What happened after the crash?”
Travis exhales like my questions are taxing him and maybe they are because he looks really pale. “As I said before, when I got out to check on the damage, someone hit me from behind.” He rubs the back of his head then flinches.
I cringe when more blood seeps through the bandage. “Why would they do that?”
“To get to Allison.”
“What do you mean?”
He opens his eyes, but they’re out of focus and he looks half asleep. “Allison’s been kidnapped,” he slurs then he collapses back on the stretcher.
6
Josh hands me a mug of chamomile tea then sits down next to me on the couch. “You okay?”
I shrug and take a sip of tea.
We just got home from the hospital and the news is bleak.
Travis is in a coma.
It’s something I never thought I would say.
He not only has a concussion, but a cracked skull. There was also swelling and bleeding on his brain. Whoever hit him did so with the intention of really harming him. This wasn’t a simple ‘knock someone out so you could kidnap their ex-fiancée’.
No, they intended to do damage and they did… a lot of it.
He’s out of surgery and they stopped the bleeding, but he hasn’t woken up yet. The surgeon indicated it could take time for the swelling to subside so it’s a waiting game.
Cat’s beside herself and Regina is too, but she hides it well. She convinced Cat to come back to my house and get some sleep while she stays at the hospital and promises to call if there’s any change. Cat hasn’t said more than two words since we left the hospital and that was simply thanking me for some towels.
I take another sip of tea and stare at the fire Josh lit. A cold front moved in after the rain so it actually feels kind of nice even though it’s August.
Josh wraps an arm around my shoulder and I lean my head against it. “You’re worried, aren’t you?”
I nod into his chest, tears brimming in my eyes. I’m beyond worried. Seeing Travis look so weak in a hospital bed feels like a bad dream. He always seems so fearless and larger than life. What if he doesn’t wake-up? What if he di-dies? What will happen to Cat? My throat feels thick and I try to swallow down the tears. I take another sip of tea and try to calm down. I’m jumping to the worst possible scenarios and I need to remain positive.
Travis is going to wake-up.
He’s going to be fine.
I gulp down another wave of tears thinking about the surgeon telling Regina there could be permanent damage so we needed to prepare for Travis waking up and not being the “same Travis”. What does that even mean? The surgeon rambled on about speech issues and possible physical limitations. Then I kind of tuned him out because the thought of Travis being confined to a wheelchair or not being able to talk literally makes my chest ache. I snuggle in closer to Josh and he pulls me tighter.
“He’s going to be alright, Autumn. This is Travis. No one can knock him down. Remember in high school when he got tackled by that giant of a guy from Villsboro and broke his femur?”
I smirk and nod against his chest.
“The doctor told Travis he would be out the rest of the season and probably never play the same again. And what happened?”
“He was back on the field before the end of the season and was faster and stronger. Even broke several school records.”
Josh squeezes my shoulder. “Nothing and no one is going to keep Travis down. He’s going to wake-up, Autumn.”
I smile into Josh’s shirt and breathe in his tea tree and mint scent. “Thank you.”
He kisses the top of my head. “Any time. Now, let’s get you to bed.” Then he hesitates. “Um, first there’s something we need to discuss.”
I sit up. The tone of his voice tells me this is serious. “What? What’s wrong? Did you hear something about Allison?”
“No. The police haven’t located her. They have the footage from Travis’s dash cam of the vehicle that took her, but otherwise they don’t have any leads.”
My shoulders slump.
He pats my leg. “We’ll find her.” Then he pauses again. “This is about the wedding.”
I stiffen and frown. “Wh-what about it?”
Josh pauses then takes a deep breath before dropping a bomb on me, “I think we should postpone it.”
My eyes grow wide and more tears form in my eyes. “What? Why?”
“With the murder, Allison and Travis, it just doesn’t feel right.”
I open and close my mouth because we’ve been planning this wedding for months and I’m ready to become Mrs. Josh Parker. The other part of me gets it. Things in Daysville are a mess and no one is going to feel like celebrating when Allison is missing and Travis is in a coma. Plus, I would be distracted. Then something nags at me. “You’re not having second thoughts, are you?” My stomach sinks and I feel kind of light headed.
Josh jolts back like I slapped him then crushes his lips to mine. When he pulls away, we’re both breathless. “Never. I’ve never been more certain of anything in my life, Autumn. I love you so much it hurts.”
I melt and stroke his cheek. “I love you too. Sorry, I just wanted to make sure you weren’t getting cold feet.”
He rubs his foot on top of mine. “These feet are so warm I’m surprised they’re not smoking.”
I laugh.
Josh grins for a moment before his expression turns to a frown. “Yours are kind of chilly.” He pulls my feet into his lap and begins to massage them before asking softly, “Are you having second thoughts?” He pauses, “With Travis…” his voice trails off.
Before I can answer, my phone rings on the coffee table. It’s Regina. My stomach takes a nose dive. “What’s wrong?” I ask without a greeting.
“Nothing, darling. He’s still… resting,” she pauses. “I was just checking on Cat.”
“She’s asleep. I couldn’t get her to eat or drink anything. She took a shower and went to bed. Barely said two words to us. I’m worried about her.”
“Me too. I’m glad she’s with you. She doesn’t need to be here anymore than she has to be.” She sighs.
“How are you holding up?”
She grunts then sighs again. “The captain came by a few minutes ago. They have a lead on Allison. I wanted to let you know.”
“Really? What?”
“The car that hit Travis is registered to the victim Allison allegedly killed.”
“What?” I screech, nearly falling off the couch. Luckily, Josh catches me before I do.
“I guess he drove in from Chicago.”
I chew on my lip for a moment. “So, he must have not come alone. I wonder why he was on your back patio. Did he come into the spa?”
“He did.”
“And what did he want?”
“To buy my salon.”
I almost drop the phone. “You’re not looking to sell, are you?”
Regina huffs out a breath. “I’m not getting any younger, dear, but no, not at this time. His offer was fair, but I’m not quite ready to let go of my place. Besides it keeps me out of trouble.”
I smirk then ask, “Did he say why he was looking to buy your salon?”
“Said it was for his wife.”
I frown. “His wife?”
“I guess she’s a stylist and had a salon back in Chicago, but it went belly up when she lost their baby.”
“Their baby?” Something about this story sounds strangely familiar. Didn’t Allison say she had a salon in Chicago and she alluded to a miscarriage before she ran out of the spa? “Did Allison ever talk about having a miscarriage?”
Silence on the other end of the line has me wondering if we got disconnected then Regina says, “I heard her crying in the bathroom shortly after she came to work for me. She told me she’d lost a baby recently. That she and father were no longer together because of it. I didn’t pry. Felt bad for her so I invited her to the 4th of July BBQ. I didn’t expect her and Travis to hit it off, but they did. Figured maybe they could heal each other. Help her with her loss and maybe Travis could finally get over you.”
Her words sting a little, but I brush them aside, knowing she didn’t say them to hurt my feelings. “But she never told Travis she was married or that she had a miscarriage.”
Regina snorts. “I didn’t know she was married and I didn’t think it was my place to share her business. If she wanted Travis to know, she’d tell him. Looking back, I probably should have mentioned it to him, but you know Travis. He’ll find any excuse not to be with someone. No one could ever measure up to you in his eyes, Autumn.” Regina sniffles. “I just want him to be happy. Get married. Have more babies I can spoil. I thought maybe he could do that with Allison.”
I know she’s not meaning to hurt my feelings or make me feel guilty, but I do. Travis and I would probably be married with kids if I would have forgiven him in high school or even a year ago.
Josh pauses from rubbing my feet and lightly rubs my back. I’m sure he can hear what Regina is saying and he knows me well enough to know it’s causing me pain.
Regina sniffles again. “I’m sorry, Autumn. I’m rambling and probably hurting your feelings.”
“It’s fine,” I say with a little more bite in my tone than I mean to.
“No, it’s not. Josh is a great guy and I want you to be happy. I don’t have any ill feelings toward you, you know that, right, sugar? You’re like the daughter I never had. I love you, sweet girl.”
Now, it’s my turn to sniffle and wipe my eyes. “I know.” I blink back a few more tears then clear my throat. “Did you see anyone with Wyatt?”
Regina hesitates before answering, “No, but he seemed jumpy. Kept looking out the window like he was expecting someone.”
“Hmm. Did he say anything else?”
“Just gave me his card and told me if I changed my mind, he would be happy to pay cash. Even said I could stay on and still cut hair if I wanted to. It was a tempting offer, Autumn.”
“But you love running the salon.”
Regina chuckles. “I know, but with Cat getting older, I want to be around more for her. She spends most of her days with you and I don’t want her to think I’m not here for her.”
“I love having Cat at the spa. She’s right next door and can see you any time. She knows you and Travis love her very much.”
She sighs. “I know. It doesn’t matter anyway since the guy is dead. Such a shame, he was a good-looking hunk of man.”
I laugh. “Regina, you’re practically engaged. What would Pastor John say if he heard you?”
She scoffs. “Not hardly, and even if I were, I can still appreciate a handsome fella.”
Josh chuckles behind me and I smile. “That you can.”
“Oh, sugar, I better go. The nurse just came in. I’ll talk to you later.” She hangs up before I can say good-bye.
When I set the phone down on the coffee table, I turn toward Josh. “Now about my cold feet.”
He stiffens and looks like he’s holding his breath.
“They are always cold, but that has nothing to do with you or how I feel about you. Yes, I’m worried about Travis and Cat and even Regina, but I love you. I want to marry you.” I cup his cheek in my palm. “Travis is my past and we’ll always be friends. You’re my past, present and future, Mr. Parker. Got it?”
Josh turns his head and kisses my palm. “I love you, Autumn. Soon to be Mrs. Parker.”
“I like the sound of that.” I lean in to give him a kiss when someone pounds on my front door.
“Autumn, it’s Allison. Open up! Hurry!”
7
I hurry to the door and fling it open.
Allison barrels her way inside. “Lock the door.” She’s shaking like a leaf and her wrists and ankles are bleeding like she was bound. Her hair’s a mess and is sticking up in all directions and there’s mud all over her body and clothes.
Josh takes charge and goes through the house checking all the locks and shutting all the curtains.
“What happened? Where have you been? Who took you?” I spew questions at her, but I don’t get any answers.
Allison’s eyes are wide and she just keeps shaking. Her teeth chatter as blood drips from her wounds.
I bite the inside of my cheek to keep my questions to myself as I guide her to the bathroom. Once I get her settled in the bath, I give her a little bit of space. The wounds on her wrists and ankles aren’t that deep, but I’ll need to disinfect and wrap them when she’s finished.
“What happened to her? Has she said anything?” Josh asks, coming up behind me when I close the bathroom door.
I shake my head. “Nothing. I think she’s in shock. We’ll give her a little bit. I’m going to grab some clothes from my closet for her. She can sleep in my bed and I’ll take the couch since Cat’s in the guest room.”
Josh frowns. “I’m not leaving you ladies alone. We should call Trav- the captain. Let him know we’ve found Allison.”
I chew on my lip and wish Travis were here. He would give me time to question Allison. Even though the captain hires me every now and then as a consultant, he hasn’t contacted me yet. My guess is he’s trying to give his guys a chance to solve the murder before calling me. I can’t say I blame him. He’s been getting a lot of grief from Judge Holliday and other town council members questioning his a
bility to run the police force. I sigh and try not to let it bother me. It’s not like I was intentionally trying to step on anyone’s toes. These cases just seem to fall into my lap.
So, what are my options? Logically, we should call the captain, but I want to hold off. I know they’re going to take Allison back to jail once a doctor checks her out. Then I won’t get a chance to ask her any questions. I pat Josh’s chest and say, “Let’s wait a little bit. Give Allison a chance to breathe then we’ll call the captain.”
Josh nods, but he doesn’t look convinced.
I can’t say I blame him. Technically, we’re breaking the law and could get in a lot of trouble if someone were to report us, but no one even knows Allison’s here, right?
Someone knocks on the front door causing me to jump nearly a foot. I grip Josh’s arm. “Oh, no. They know Allison’s here.”
Another knock. “Autumn, open up. It’s Eddie.”
My heart only slows slightly before realizing this is bad. Very bad. Josh and I stare at each other for what feels like eternity. Did Eddie see Allison? Did he call the captain? I glance at the clock. It’s almost ten. Why is he here so late?
“I know you’re up. I saw your lights are on. I need to talk to you. Please.”
Huh? That doesn’t sound like he knows anything about Allison. Maybe I can chat with him while Josh gets Allison settled and no one will even know she was here until we take her to the police station. I motion for Josh to wait by the bathroom door for Allison then hurry to the front door before Eddie wakes up Cat. When I swing open the door a disheveled looking Eddie is leaning against the door frame. Darks circles frame his eyes and his hair is sticking up in all directions. “What happened to you?”
“Violet.”
I jerk back not expecting her name to escape his lips. The last I heard, they were still planning their wedding. It was supposed to happen last month, but it got postponed due to extenuating circumstances that no one really knows about. They’ve been able to keep the reason under wraps, which is no easy feat in Daysville. “Is she alright?”
Eddie shakes his head and runs a hand through his thick dark hair. “Not really. She’s called off the wedding… again.”