Haven of Swans

by Colleen Coble

  His hand snaked out and caught hers, then slapped the other end of the handcuff around her wrist. “I bought them for this moment.” His fingers bit into her arm.

  “What are you doing?” She figured it was some kind of stunt he wanted to show her. Until he brought a red cloth toward her face. She jerked on the handcuff, but it held fast. His calloused fingers grabbed the back of her head while his other hand forced the cloth into her mouth.

  She tried to spit it out, but it was wedged in too tightly.

  “I see by your eyes you’re finally afraid,” he said. “Good.” He bent down and flipped on a recorder.

  The Daffy Duck voice that came out made her shudder. Gideon? Oliver was Gideon? His work had been praised all over the country. Nick trusted him. She couldn’t wrap her mind around it.

  He slammed the van door closed, then brushed past her to clamber into the front seat. The van engine sprang to life.

  The lurch of the vehicle threw Eve to her knees. She crouched there and looked for some tool to unlock the handcuff, but none lay within reach. Only tubs of clay. She thumped on the side of the van with her hand, hoping someone would hear her.

  Oliver turned around, and the malice in his eyes made the last of the spit in her mouth dry up. “You don’t want me to come back there,” was all he said, but it was enough.

  Eve dropped her hand and huddled on the floor. She would never see Keri or Nick again. The thought made her eyes sting. All the petty reasons she’d given Nick for not going home with him blew away.

  She gritted her teeth and pulled on her cuffs. If she kept her wits, there would be an opportunity to escape. She’d outwitted him twice already, and Gideon was no longer a faceless, unknown attacker.

  He was driving too fast for the rough road. The van lurched and kicked like a failing ski boat. Night had fallen with the suddenness common in the North Woods. Darkness shrouded the landscape, but the glow from the dash illuminated Oliver’s profile enough for her to see his narrowed eyes and set mouth.

  Tree limbs brushed the side of the van, so she guessed the road was a private lane. It seemed to go on forever. At one point a larger branch screeched across the frame and made her jump.

  Oliver slammed on the brakes, and she slid into the back side of the passenger seat. He said nothing as he switched off the engine and got out.

  Eve scrambled to her feet and tried to peer around the seat and out the window, but it was too dark to see with the forest blocking out the moonlight. The metal door clanked as Oliver wrenched it open. He stepped inside, but she was too blind even to make out his features.

  Eve worried the gag with her tongue, but it still refused to budge. Something metallic jingled, and she felt Oliver’s cold hands on her arm, then the handcuff came free from the seat. She tried to spring away from him, but his hand forced her back to her knees. He brought her hands in front of her, slapped the other side of the handcuff onto her free wrist, and dragged her to her feet.

  Battling with her in silence, he tossed her out the van door. She fell hard, her chin slamming into the dirt, her palms scraping across some rocks. She didn’t understand, couldn’t figure out how this could have happened.

  She should at least have a fighting chance.

  Her right knee screamed when he dragged her to her feet again. Brush tore at her exposed skin as he propelled her forward. The lashes from the vegetation seemed to come out of nowhere in the utter blackness.

  Then her foot banged against something, a ledge maybe.

  “Step up,” he growled.

  The cloth in her mouth was soaked now, and choking her. She desperately wanted it gone. Her foot sought and found the step up, and Oliver pushed her about three steps, then stopped.

  She heard something creak. A door? He pushed her across the threshold and into a building that smelled of damp and mouse. A light flared, and she saw his face thrown into sharp relief by the match flame. He bent over a lantern. Adjusting its wick, he got the light going and held it aloft.

  Eve got her first good look at the place. A one-room cabin with a dirt floor, it had only a cot, a chair, and a wooden table. No indoor plumbing or kitchen.

  Oliver pushed her onto the end of the cot with one hand and ripped out her gag with the other. It felt like half her tongue went with the cloth, but the relief was exquisite.

  He pulled up the chair and straddled it with its back toward Eve in a casual gesture that confirmed his command of the situation.

  She wet her lips. “I don’t understand, Oliver. I liked you. I thought you were my friend.”

  “Don’t bother using any psychobabble on me. I’m too intelligent for it to work.” His smile held no humor.

  “What did I do?”

  “It angers me a great deal that you’ve dismissed your sin so completely. I’ve given you space to repent of it, to make amends, but you’ve ignored it.”

  “Ignored what? I really don’t know.”

  He pulled a picture from his pocket and handed it to her. She took it with her wrists chained together. In the dim light she could make out her own face smiling back at her. Dressed in a white tutu and feathered tiara, she looked so happy and carefree. Everything had changed that night.

  “Ah. I see by your expression, you’re finally understanding.”

  She handed the photo back. “No, no. I really don’t. Were you in the audience?”

  “I was there. Watching my wife dance.”

  “Your wife danced that night? Which part? What was her name?”

  “Miranda.”

  The single word was enough. Eve shrank back in her chair. “You—you’re Miranda’s husband?” She didn’t remember his last name. Nick always just called him Oliver.

  His gaze never left her face. She shuddered. “I . . . I lost track of Miranda. How is she?”

  “You never paid for your sin that night. Never even said you were sorry.”

  Eve wet her lips. “I did, but she was . . . was unresponsive by then.”

  He frowned then. “You went to the hospital?”

  “Yes.”

  “I don’t believe it. I would have known.” He shook his head. “No, you’re trying to make light of what you did, and there was no excuse.”

  “You’re right, there wasn’t. I still think of it with shame.”

  Eve could sense he was barely hanging on to his composure. Maybe silence would be the best option here. Her hands were small, and she wondered if maybe she could wiggle them free from the handcuffs.

  He clenched and released his fists, maybe because he wanted to wrap them around her neck. She wrenched her wrists, but the cuffs refused to budge. Her feet were free though. If he would just leave her alone for a few minutes, maybe she could escape. It was so dark, he’d never find her once she lost herself in the woods.

  “What are you going to do?” Her voice trembled.

  “Pain will purify you. The sin of envy is grievous, Eve. It caused you to commit every one of the abominations. Pride, lies, all of them. Have you ever read Dante’s Divine Comedy?”

  She’d read it in college, but right now, while her pulse thundered in her ears, she couldn’t remember what it was about. Something about descending into purgatory—perhaps where she was now.

  When Eve didn’t answer, he smiled. “With your eyes sewn shut, envy will not be possible, Eve, and you should thank me that you shall enter purgatory partially cleansed.”

  He meant to sew her eyes shut!

  She remembered the scene now. The sinners’ eyes had been sewn shut with wire.

  “Ah, I see you remember,” Oliver said. “Your flesh shrinks from pain, but your spirit will revel in it.”

  “How will my suffering help Miranda?”

  “Miranda is catatonic because she lost her beauty. You took it from her, and you’ll give it back.”

  Her mind threw the crime scene photos of faceless women down before her eyes. They released fearful tears. “How will I do that if you sew my eyes shut? My face will be mutilated too.�
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  “I’ll be careful not to harm your skin.”

  She jumped to her feet, straining against her bonds. “Let me go!”

  He smiled then, amused. “You think I’m mad. No matter. You’ll soon see. But not tonight. Tomorrow, everything will be in place.” He stood and went outside.

  Eve heard a lock click, followed by the sound of a wooden bar falling into place. She ran to the door and tried to open it, but it wouldn’t budge. He’d taken the lantern with him, and darkness shrouded the cabin. She couldn’t see anything.

  She recalled a reflection of the lantern about three feet from the door. A window? Maybe she could get out that way. Eve felt along the wall until her hand touched cool glass. She peered out the window and made out the outline of the van. Where had he gone?

  Did she dare break the glass and try to crawl out? Surely he’d hear her. Biting her lip, she considered her options. If she stayed here, she had no chance. Even if he heard her attempt to escape, he was saving her for some diabolical scheme and would be unlikely to take revenge right then. She had to try it.

  Groping across the floor, she tried to find some kind of weapon. A rock, anything. Her hand touched cool, bare earth, then the leg of his chair. Maybe the chair. She picked it up, hands still cuffed, and had raised it to shoulder height when she heard his tread on the porch.

  She barely made it back to the cot before the door opened and he stepped back inside.

  28

  While Kade changed the tire, Bree sat on the curb and watched the pedestrians amble around town. More than two hundred geocachers had registered this afternoon, and she was spent. But she went on alert when she saw Patti disappear into the coffee shop. “I want to talk to her, Kade,” she said.

  Kade tightened a lug nut. “You sure you want to do this tonight? Eve is home alone.”

  “You’re not quite done. I’ll be back before you’re finished.” She hopped up and hurried into the shop. Inhaling the rich scent of coffee, she glanced around for Patti. She expected to find her at the register, but instead Patti sat at a back corner table.

  Will was with her.

  Bree marched to the table. Patti saw Bree when she was three feet away. The soft expression she wore vanished, and she snatched her hand away from Will’s. He whipped around in his chair and stared up at Bree.

  Bree pulled a chair out and sat down. They might as well keep it quiet and civilized. “I have some questions,” she said.

  “This isn’t what it looks like,” Patti began. She looked a little pale, and beads of perspiration dotted her upper lip and forehead.

  Will had his fingers pressed to the side of his head as though it ached. “Don’t bother making excuses, Patti. Someone saw her and her nosy husband coming out of the mine. I’m betting she knows.”

  “I saw the pictures,” Bree said. “You and Patti together. Eve and Keri. You’re Keri’s father, isn’t that right?”

  “Bingo. What are you going to do about it?”

  Bree glanced at Patti. “Did he tell you he was romancing your sister?”

  Patti’s eyes widened. “What are you talking about?”

  “He’s using you to get Keri, because his plan to get her through Eve failed.”

  Patti’s gaze swiveled to Will. “Is this true? Do you know Eve?”

  His laugh was hollow. “Don’t you see what she’s trying to do?”

  Bree thrust her chair back and left them arguing. She had never wanted to hit someone so badly in her life. When she got back outside, Kade was letting the Jeep down off the jack.

  He took one look at her face and said, “We were right?”

  Bree grabbed his arm as he started toward the café. “Don’t bother, honey. He isn’t worth it. Let’s get home and check on Eve.”

  THE LIGHTHOUSE WAS DARK WHEN NICK PARKED and shut off the engine. He glanced in the backseat, and just as he’d expected, Keri was sleeping in her car seat. They’d gone to the petting zoo at the ranger station, then to Houghton for her to play in the McDonald’s play area.

  He eyed the dark house again. Where had Eve gone? She’d said she was going to stay home and relax. And where were the Matthewses?

  After unbuckling Keri and lifting her into his arms, he carried her around back to see if Eve was sitting out watching the stars, but the backyard and porch were deserted. He moved to the edge of the cliff and looked down onto the beach. No Eve.

  A vague sense of unease gripped him. Samson was barking from inside. He glanced across the street. The dark shape of the police car was still there. If she had left, why hadn’t Fraser followed her?

  The lighthouse was at the end of the road and had no close neighbors. The Blue Bonnet B and B was the closest, but no one from there could see into the backyard here.

  He tried to tell himself not to worry, but his unease mounted when he found the back door unlocked. Pushing inside, he flipped on the light. “Anyone home?”

  Samson woofed, and his nails clicked on the floor as he rushed to greet Nick. He whined and kept going to the door.

  “You have to go out?” Nick opened the door, and the dog rushed through. Instead of going to the yard to do his business as Nick expected, Samson turned and gave him an “Are you coming?” look.

  The dog was clearly agitated. Nick laid Keri on the sofa, then dug out his cell phone and called Bree. “Hey, do you know where Eve is?”

  “Isn’t she at the house?” Bree asked.

  “No, and the house is dark. The back door is unlocked, and no lights are on. And Samson is upset.”

  “I had a flat, and Kade came to help me. He hasn’t been gone long. We’re almost home. I’ll call Montgomery. Eve wouldn’t leave the house unlocked. She was going to stay in with the doors locked.”

  “I know.” Nick’s gut turned over. He closed his phone and went to search the house. Nothing. Maybe she was down on the beach. She liked to walk along there. But not at night. He could only pray she’d sprained her ankle or something and was sitting there waiting for him. But wouldn’t she have shouted for help? His mind ran through all the possible scenarios, but he didn’t think any of them held up to scrutiny.

  Leaving Keri sleeping on the sofa, he grabbed the flashlight by the back door and stepped outside. He rushed to the steps leading to the beach. The dark night made it hard to watch his step on the stone flight, and he nearly fell twice.

  Once his sneakers sank into the soft sand, he cupped his hands to his mouth and shouted for Eve. He listened but heard nothing more than the waves crashing on the rocks. The wind kicked up, and lightning flickered overhead.

  “Eve!” he shouted again. When there was no answer, he walked along the shore, shining the flashlight along the sand. Nothing. He turned to go back to the lighthouse and caught sight of a paperback book lying on the ground. He picked it up.

  It was the book she’d been reading the last few days. His throat closed, and fear numbed his limbs. She wouldn’t have just left it here. Something had happened to her.

  Using the handrail to steady himself, he took the steps two at a time. There was no note, no indication of where she’d gone. He called her name in the house, but there was no answer. Keri was still sleeping.

  Nick’s concern exploded into full-blown worry. Fraser should know what had happened. He jogged out the front door and over to the officer’s car. “Fraser, Eve’s missing.”

  Fraser didn’t answer. Nick shined his light into the car, but the glass reflected too much glare to see clearly. He jerked open the car door. Fraser’s head was back, and a wet stain covered his chest. A knife protruded from it.

  Nick pressed his fingers to the man’s throat. “Fraser?” His partner’s flesh was cold. Dead. Nick tried to wrap his mind around the fact as panic and grief closed his vocal cords.

  Nick swallowed, and his panic released its grip. He wheeled as Kade’s pickup and Bree’s Jeep parked in front of the lighthouse. “Bree, Kade! Fraser is dead. Gideon’s got Eve.”

  Bree didn’t waste time asking qu
estions. She darted for the house. “I’ll get Samson.” The men followed her inside. Samson hunkered down on the floor and barked when they entered the house, then bounded to the door. Bree stood and went to grab her search-and-rescue backpack out of the closet. Samson began running around and barking when she got out his search vest. She slipped it on him.

  “Come with me, Samson.” She ran upstairs with the dog on her heels.

  “Where’s she going?” Nick asked Kade.

  “She’s having Samson smell Eve’s things and get a fix on her scent.” Kade grabbed the phone. “I’ll call Anu and ask if we can drop Keri off at her place. She’s already got Davy. We’ll need everyone we can get.”

  “Samson is on her trail,” Bree said. She held the leash, and Samson pulled her along the yard.

  His nose in the air, he bounded toward the side of the house. Nick and Kade ran after Bree and Samson. The dog reached the front yard and tugged Bree toward the road. He stopped at the end of the driveway. His tail, which had been wagging excitedly, drooped.

  Bree unclipped the leash. “Search, Samson.”

  The dog ran back and forth across the yard and street. He went down the street a few yards, then turned back. His ears lay back and his eyes looked mournful.

  “She left in a vehicle,” Bree said. “He’s lost her scent.”

  THE PEANUT BUTTER SANDWICH WAS DRY AND tasteless, but Eve acknowledged her fear might have made the food flavorless. It was all she could do to summon enough saliva to swallow the first bite.

  Her eyes on Oliver, she managed another bite, though she longed to throw it to the ground. She’d already done that once, but he’d picked it up and handed it back to her. After hesitating, she took it and decided it was best to keep him calm until she figured out how to get out of this.

  He seemed so sane and rational. Even now, as he sat quietly eating his own sandwich and swigging a Pepsi.

  Maybe she deserved this. She didn’t like to think about Miranda, didn’t like to remember the night she’d sunk lower than she ever dreamed she could. Her eyes burned from the effort to keep the tears at bay.