Guardian

by A L Crouch

  “No!” I screamed, running around to the back of the car, hoping against hope that one of the doors would be unlocked. None of them were.

  The footsteps grew louder as they got closer. Frantic, I looked back up the street and saw a porch light come on a few houses back up the way I had come. Knowing I would never make it to the station, I took off from the car towards the lighted porch.

  I only made it a few steps when I ran head-on into someone. I screamed again, arms flailing, and tried to get around them even as they grabbed at my arms. They were too strong, I knew I could not get free.

  “Alex, it’s me! It’s okay!” Will said, attempting to calm me. “It’s okay. I’ve got you.”

  I took in the crisp Saluda Police uniform, then looked into Will’s concerned face and stopped struggling. Peering around him, I watched the street but didn’t see anyone coming after me. I looked back up at Will and finally collapsed, a sobbing mess, into is arms.

  “He’s in the house . . . he attacked me.”

  “Ssshhh, it’s okay now. Who was in the house? Who attacked you?”

  “I . . . I don’t know. He had on a mask.”

  Will held me out at arms length and looked me over. “Are you hurt anywhere?”

  I shook my head. “No, I don’t think so.”

  “Good,” he said looking me in the eyes. “Is he still in the house?”

  “I don’t know. It was so dark. He was . . . stuck when I got away. By the stairs . . . he could still be in there.”

  I finally caught my breath, but couldn’t keep my eyes off of the house. Where was Donovan? Was my attacker still being held off by him? Will unlocked the patrol car and reached in for the radio.

  “Galia to station,” he said holding down the button.

  “Go ahead,” a male voice answered back from the console.

  “I’m going to need some backup at 127 Baker Street for a B&E and assault. Ring the Chief, he’s going to want to come right away. Over.” Will dropped the radio and turned back to me.

  “Okay, get in the car. I’m going to go have a look. You’ll be safe in here. I’ll leave the keys, if you see anyone come out of the house other than me, lean on the horn. Understand?” he said and took his gun from its holster on his belt.

  “What?” I shrieked. “You can’t go in there by yourself! Just wait for Uncle Sulley . . . or one of the others.”

  Will gave my shoulder a reassuring squeeze and then motioned me into the car.

  “If I wait, we may never know who it was. If they haven’t already bolted out the back, I may be able to detain him,” he explained. “Do not move from this car.”

  “Will . . .” I tried to argue, but he shut the door and motioned for me to lock the doors and then he jogged towards the house shouting to the concerned neighbor to go back inside.

  I watched as he disappeared around the bushes in front of the driveway.

  “Please let him be okay. Please let him be okay,” I whispered, eyes glued to the house.

  “He’ll be fine Alexandra,” Donovan panted from the back seat.

  I jumped and whirled around but saw no one, though I could hear the slow strumming and knew that Donovan was there. Breathing in the relief, I looked into the rear view mirror. He smiled weakly.

  “Are you sure he’ll be okay?”

  “Whoever it was,” he breathed, “ran out the back door as soon as you got out. I couldn’t hold him any longer. I sensed you were out of danger as soon as he ran.”

  “Thank you,” I said, relieved. “Thank you for getting me out of there before . . .”

  “You don’t have to thank me. This is why I am here,” he said looking me in the eyes so I could see he was serious. He took a shallow, labored breath. “But Alexandra, you have to trust me. You hesitated, and that’s why he saw you. I can only interfere so much. You have to listen to me, and trust what I say if I am to protect you.”

  I nodded, frustrated with myself. “I know, I panicked. I froze. Wait . . . are you okay?”

  In the mirror I could see Donovan struggle to sit up. Sweat beaded at his brow.

  “When I interact with the physical realm, it takes more strength. It drains my energy quickly. I’m not meant to be a part of your world, only to guide you through it. Next time you have to do exactly as I say,” he warned.

  “Next time?” I croaked, my heart back in my throat. “There’s going to be a next time?”

  “I’m afraid this was only the beginning,” he whispered.

  Donovan laid his hand on my shoulder and I felt the warmth of his touch – not like the familiar touch of another person, flesh on flesh, which is felt on the surface. When he touched me I felt the warmth permeate my skin, my muscles. His warmth I felt from the inside.

  “Do you trust me?” he asked.

  “I trust you.”

  “I told you, I’m not going to let anything happen to you Alexandra.”

  I looked deep into his eyes and could see emotion flowing in them on an ocean of topaz. I could see his concern, his care for me, and I knew that he spoke the truth. He would protect me at all costs.

  “I believe you.”

  Up the road, the glare of headlights flashed as they turned into my driveway. The rumble of a large engine let me know that Sulley had arrived. I looked into the mirror at Donovan.

  “Go, the danger has passed. But listen for me, I’ll be right there with you,” he said.

  I got out of the car and for the first time noticed the stinging cold of the night air on my bare arms.

  “Next time I’m attacked by a maniac, I’ll have to remember to grab my robe,” I whispered into the night and I ran for the house.

  My ankle was sore and stiff, but the pain wasn’t enough of a concern to stop me. When I made it up the driveway I saw Sulley, fully dressed in jeans and a heavy flannel, on the porch questioning Will. He looked tired.

  “She safe. She’s in my squad car up the street. I told her to honk if she saw anyone at all. The house is clear, but Chief, you have to come see this,” Will was saying.

  “See what?” I asked running up the porch steps.

  Sulley searched me with his eyes, surveying me from head to toe. Then he hugged me to him tightly. I met Will’s scowling eyes.

  “I told you to stay in the car.”

  “It’s okay,” Sulley said and then let me go. “Are you hurt?”

  “My ankle is a little sore from where he grabbed me, but other than that I think I’m good thanks to . . .” I stopped myself short. There was no way I could tell them about Donovan. They would think I was crazy for sure. Hell, a part of me might still agree with them.

  “ . . . one hell of a survival instinct.” Sulley finished for me. He looked impressed, but then turned serious as he looked me in the eyes. “Do you have any idea who it was?”

  “I wish I did,” I sighed.

  “Uhm Chief, I really think you should come upstairs and look at this. Might give you some idea of who we are dealing with here,” Will said motioning him inside.

  Sulley turned and followed Will into the house and I followed after them. All of the lights were on, making the events of the last hour seem like nothing more than a bad dream. When we reached the foot of the stairs I stared at the spot where my attacker had gotten hold of me and shuddered.

  “I don’t think she should see this,” Will said turning to Sulley.

  “No, I want to see,” I protested and continued up the stairs. I met Will’s concerned glare. “It’s my house, I have the right to know what he did to it.”

  “Suit yourself,” he said and led us through the upstairs hall.

  The lights were on upstairs and I could see nothing out of place. Will passed the first bedroom and motioned us toward the bathroom beyond. Sulley went inside and I hung back in order to gauge his reaction.

  “What in the hell?” he said.

  My curiosity got the better of me and I stepped into the room with them. At first I couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary. T
he towels hadn’t been touched and the shower curtain was drawn back, exposing nothing strange in the shower. I looked at both Sulley and Will confused and then followed their gazes to the bathroom mirror. There, written in black marker was a message:

  You are just like her, Whore. Leave or you will die just like her!

  I gasped and covered my mouth with my hands, trying to force the bile rising in my throat back.

  “Why would someone write something like this? Much less break in here to do it?” Sulley asked.

  I could only stare at the mirror in horror. Through it, I saw Donovan step into the room. He held my eyes with his.

  “I was just wondering the same thing.” Will shook his head.

  There was a commotion on the stairs as two officers emerged and joined us in the small room.

  “Jones, I’ll need you to get a picture of this for a handwriting analysis, and check for prints. Conley, check all the doors and windows for signs of forced entry,” Sulley ordered.

  “Yes Chief,” they nodded and got to work.

  “You won’t find any prints,” I said still in shock. “He was wearing gloves, leather, just like that night . . .”

  Sulley looked at Will. “I’m getting her out of here. Come on outside.” He motioned us out of the room.

  I broke my gaze from the mirror and ran into my room to grab my robe before following Sulley and Will to the outside porch. I sat on the swing while Sulley questioned me. Will leaned on the banister to the side, deep in contemplation.

  “Were both doors locked?” Sulley asked.

  I sighed. “I don’t know for sure. When I ran out of the house I had to undo the deadbolt on the front door, so I know that one was locked. But I don’t know for sure about the back door. I’ve never even checked it. It could have been unlocked this whole time.”

  “Did you see anyone else as you were running from the house?”

  “No, there was no one around at all. Then I saw Will’s squad car and I ran for that, then I bumped into Will.”

  Sulley turned to Will.

  “What exactly were you doing out here at this hour anyway?” Sulley asked, suspicion thick in his tone.

  Will repositioned himself against the banister. “I was just running a patrol of the area. Then I heard screaming coming from the house so I went to check it out. The front door was locked so I was making my way around back when I heard another scream and saw her taking off towards the street. I ran after her to see what the hell was going on.”

  “You were patrolling at one am?”

  Will stood tall and looked Sulley in the eye. “Hell, you know I don’t sleep. I was just making the rounds.”

  “The rounds?” Sulley scoffed.

  “I was taking a drive, clearing my head. It’s not like there are a ton of neighborhoods to choose from, Chief,” Will retaliated.

  “Well, I for one am glad you were here when you were,” I offered.

  Sulley sighed and rubbed his temple before turning his attention back to me.

  “Is there anything else you can remember about this perp? Height? Weight? Hair color?”

  I shook my head. “I told you, it was dark and he had on a mask.” I wrapped the robe more tightly around myself then looked into Sulley’s worried face. “It’s the same man isn’t it? The one who killed Mom and Gary. He’s back isn’t he? Only this time he wants to finish the job.”

  Sulley sat next to me on the swing and put his arm around me and hugged me to him. Will watched intently from where he leaned.

  “Let’s not jump to conclusions just yet. We don’t know who did this. It could be anyone,” Sulley said.

  “But that message . . . Whoever wrote that on the mirror had it out for Mom. I don’t get it. Why would anyone want to hurt her? It doesn’t make any sense.”

  Will sighed and shook his head and looked off into the distance.

  “If this is the same person, that would mean that their murder was not just some robbery attempt or random act of violence,” he said. “It would mean it was planned, premeditated.”

  “It would also mean that they’ve been here this whole time, all these years,” I whispered.

  “Or that they’ve come back,” Will agreed.

  “But why? Who would have been angry at Mom? She never did anything to hurt anyone. And why would they call her . . . a whore? That doesn’t make any sense. None of this makes any sense.”

  I searched my memory, but I couldn’t remember there ever being a time when my mother had done anything but make people smile.

  “We can’t be certain that this is the same person. It could just be someone trying to scare you away,” Sulley said.

  “Away from what?” Will asked.

  “Could it have something to do with what Gram said about Rick?” I said recalling her strange reaction earlier.

  “Rick Brightman?” Sulley asked confused.

  I stood and faced them both. “The first day I was here a white truck sped past the driveway while I was walking to the station. It was the same truck that I saw Rick drive away in after church. It’s the same truck that took off down the dirt road when I came up on it walking home from your house yesterday. I thought it was strange that he would be parked up that street, but he had a clear view of the house from there. Could he have been watching me?”

  “Why didn’t you say anything about this before?” Sulley asked, astonished at my revelation.

  “I only just thought of it,” I confessed. “And Gram said something today about Mom having bought the house from his mother? Could that have something to do with it?”

  Sulley was lost for a moment in thought. He paced the porch a ways before finally stopping in front of me again.

  “I suppose it could actually. Your mother was only able to afford this house because they were forced to foreclose on it. The bank auctioned it off. She was the only buyer. I co-signed on the loan.”

  “Maybe they didn’t want to sell the house and Mom was in their way. Maybe he wants it back? Could he be scaring me into selling it?” I asked.

  Sulley nodded. We might be getting somewhere, I thought.

  “Rick’s working up at the elementary school; I just signed on all the permits. I’m going to ride up there tomorrow and have a chat with him.”

  “I’m going with you,” I said.

  “The hell you are,” Sulley argued. “I’m not so sure you shouldn’t get on the next plane out of here at this point. This makes two incidents now that have been too close for comfort.”

  I took a deep breath, surprised by the rage that welled up from my gut. A sudden urgency replaced all fear. Taking a step towards Sulley, I squared my shoulders.

  “I ran from this bastard fifteen years ago when he took my parents from me. I won’t run this time,” I breathed.

  Sulley sighed and looked down at his feet. “You didn’t run; you were ten years old. I knew it was best that you leave here, so that you could move on with your life. I was protecting you then, just like I am now.”

  I stood firm. “I’m not leaving. Mom wanted this to be my home, and I am not leaving it. Not this time. Take me with you to see Brightman. Either I go with you or I’ll find some other way up there myself.”

  “Alexandra no . . .” I heard Donovan whisper against my ear. I took a step back.

  “I’ll take her.” Will spoke up from where he leaned against the railing.

  Sulley spun on him. “You stay out of this.”

  “She’s our only witness to any of this. I think she should go.”

  Sulley shook his head and let out a loud breath, contemplating. The two officers from inside stepped onto the porch. Sulley looked up, obviously thankful for the distraction.

  “No signs of forced entry Chief, and no prints. All the windows are locked up, but the back door was ajar. Probably how the perp left it when he ran. Either that door was unlocked when he came in, or he had a key,” Conley reported.

  Sulley looked at me. “I can’t remember if it was locked up be
fore you got here. Haven’t had a need to lock anything around here before. This could all be my fault.”

  “No,” I argued. “I never checked it, it’s my fault. Although . . . would Rick still have a key? I mean, have the locks been changed since he and his family lived here?”

  “No, they’ve never been changed. Like I said, never had a reason to worry about that kind of thing before.”

  “Well you have a reason now,” Will sighed.

  “Either way, you’re coming home with me tonight until I can get these locks changed in the morning. It’s not safe for you here,” Sulley said.

  I shook my head. “No, I want to stay. I’ll lock up tight, I promise. There are only a few hours till morning anyway. You have Gram to think about. You said it yourself; it’s best if I wasn’t there, remember?”

  “This is more important than that just now. We’re just going to have to take our chances that she’ll be fine.”

  “No, Uncle Sulley. I’ll be fine. I can’t upset Gram again,” I protested. Sulley stepped toward me to insist, but Will stepped up between us.

  “I’ll stay,” he said.

  “I don’t think so,” Sulley growled. “And just why in the hell are you so eager to help all of the sudden?”

  “Because you are being too protective to use your head!” Will shouted. “If the perp comes back, I can be here to intercept. We’ll catch the guy!”

  I stepped between them, arms raised. “Fighting isn’t going to solve anything right now. I am staying here, in my house, and that is final. I won’t upset Gram again.”

  Will sighed and took a step back. “Look, she’s right. There’s only a few hours till daylight and I doubt the guy will try anything again tonight. And if he does, I’ll be right here waiting for him.”

  Sulley looked at me and I shrugged. I wasn’t thrilled with the idea of being assigned a babysitter, but if it meant I could stay home then so be it. He let out a deep breath and stared me in the eyes as he considered, the frustration evident on his face. He finally dropped his shoulders in defeat and turned to Will.