Buried Memories

by Carol J. Post

  After a leisurely walk on the beach, she sank onto a wooden bench overlooking the water, and Tyler sat next to her. A barely there breeze whispered past them, and Nicki closed her eyes. But instead of drawing peace from the sights and sounds of nature, she had the opposite reaction. Tension wove through her body, drawing her nerves taut. Out in the open, she was too exposed, too vulnerable.

  She glanced nervously around her. A short distance down the beach, a man and woman held fishing poles, two buckets between them. In the other direction, a young couple stood, hand in hand. At the playground, parents conversed with one another while keeping one eye on their charges. A man stood alone near the pavilion, leaning against a tree. Was he watching them?

  When Tyler’s arm came across her shoulders, she jumped.

  “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, just a little tense.” She rolled her shoulders, then gave him a shaky smile. “I guess I need to chill, huh?”

  She settled in against his side, reveling in the safety she felt there. She shouldn’t. If Peter was watching...

  But he wasn’t. She’d looked. Aside from the one guy standing near the pavilion, all the park’s visitors seemed to be involved in their own activities, oblivious to Tyler’s and her presence.

  His arm tightened around her. “That’s better.”

  She tilted her head to the side to smile up at him. “I guess I can always relax when you’re around, huh? You stay alert enough for both of us.”

  “I try.” He paused. “How about hanging out with Joan this afternoon?”

  “I’ve got work to do at home. I promise I’ll stay locked inside all weekend. Except for church.” She cocked a brow at him. “You could go with me.”

  “Or you could ride with Andy and Joan.”

  “You act like I’m trying to drag you back into battle or something. Something must have turned you off.”

  He shrugged. “I don’t see any purpose in it.”

  If that were the case, he’d be apathetic. She straightened on the bench so she could turn to face him. The set of his jaw and the stubbornness in his eyes said the opposite.

  “I think you’re angry with God. What happened?” When he didn’t respond, she continued. “You feel He let you down.”

  He crossed his arms over his chest. “Will you stop trying to psychoanalyze me?”

  The angry response told her she was uncomfortably close to the truth. “He’s not Santa Claus, you know.”

  “What is that supposed to mean?”

  “You can’t give Him a list and expect Him to give you everything you ask for.”

  “So what you’re saying is God doesn’t answer prayer.”

  “That’s not what I’m saying. God always answers prayer. But sometimes the answer is no or maybe.”

  The sound he emitted was halfway between a sigh and a snort. “You’re letting God totally off the hook.”

  “Look, I don’t have all the answers. I’m new at this stuff myself. But there are a few things I’ve figured out. One is that bad things sometimes happen to good people. It doesn’t mean God has turned a deaf ear to their prayers. We don’t always understand why things happen the way they do. We don’t see the big picture.”

  She studied him for a moment. If she was getting through to him, he wasn’t letting it show.

  “The second thing is that whatever happens, God walks with us through it. We don’t have to face anything alone. He gives us strength and comfort, and when we come out on the other side, we’re better people. But that part’s up to each of us. We can let the bad stuff make us better or we can let it make us bitter.”

  For a long minute, a heavy silence hung in the air between them. Finally he stood and held out his hand. “I need to get home or Andy’s going to be upset with me.”

  She put her hand in his and forced a smile. “Thanks for coming here with me. I needed this.”

  “Anytime.”

  When they arrived home, he walked with her onto her porch. She unlocked the front door and swung it open. Callie was waiting just inside, tail wagging furiously.

  “I’m going to take her out.”

  “Then I’ll hang around a few minutes longer.”

  Nicki stepped inside and hooked up the leash. When she walked back out, her gaze shifted to the side. At the edge of the woods was a flash of movement, with a simultaneous phsst. Callie let out a squeal, and Nicki dropped to her knees. Blood seeped from a wound behind the dog’s left shoulder.

  “Callie’s been shot!” She jerked in a jagged breath, heart beating double-time.

  Tyler grasped her arms and pulled her to her feet. “Inside, quick.” He half dragged her over the threshold, tugging on the dog’s leash. Callie yelped again when she put weight on the injured leg, then lay on the tile floor. Nicki ran to get a towel and dropped down next to her dog. Tyler was already on the phone, reporting the incident.

  When he finished the call, Nicki looked up at him. “We need to find a vet.” She should have established herself with one long before now. But Callie’s shots weren’t due for another eight months, and there’d been no reason to take her.

  Now Callie was in trouble, and she had no idea who to call. She pressed the towel to the wound. The dog whined but didn’t resist.

  Tyler still held his phone, touching the screen several times. “I’m not pulling up any vets on Cedar Key, but there are some mobile vets who service the area.”

  “She might need surgery to remove the bullet.”

  “Our best option is to get her to a vet in Chiefland who’s open on Saturday.” He fiddled with his phone for another couple of minutes. “Family Pet Vet. They’re open till noon. I’ll let them know we’re on our way.”

  While he waited for the call to connect, he knelt and inspected the wound. “Pellet gun.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “If it was a regular bullet, Callie would be dead. They’ll remove the pellet and she’ll be fine.”

  Relief swept through her, mixed with anger. She’d been attacked in almost every way possible—her job, her finances, her friends. What kind of person would take out anger on a defenseless dog?

  Peter wasn’t an animal person, something he’d admitted right from the start. But he’d never been cruel. At least, she didn’t think he had.

  But maybe the shot wasn’t intended for Callie. Maybe she or Tyler was the target. If that was the case, the shooter meant to harm, not kill. Otherwise he’d have chosen a different weapon. The realization didn’t bring the comfort she longed for.

  Tyler pocketed his phone and handed her his keys. “They’re expecting us.” He bent to scoop up Callie. “You drive and I’ll hold her.”

  As she opened the front door, a Cedar Key police cruiser pulled into the driveway. Relief rushed through her. If their attacker had had any thoughts of hanging around for another shot, he was likely gone now.

  Nicki locked the front door, and when she turned back around, Amber was stepping out of the car.

  “We’ve got to get Callie to the vet. She’s been shot.” Of course, Amber probably already knew that.

  “Where did the shot come from?”

  Nicki pointed, then climbed into Tyler’s truck. She’d get Callie the help she needed and leave Amber to do her investigation.

  At the park this morning, she’d been tense, worried about what threats lurked in the shadows.

  She’d been wrong. No one had been watching them at the park. While she and Tyler were there, someone was right here, waiting for them to return. Looking for the right moment to exact vengeance.

  Poised and ready to strike when the moment came.

  And Callie was the victim.

  * * *

  It was bound to happen eventually.

  Tyler stalked down the street, his tread
heavy. He didn’t have Sasha with him, but the dog was awake. Andy and Joan were, too, thanks to him. He’d known it was just a matter of time. But that didn’t make his shame any less.

  Once again, his mind had taken him back to the place of darkness and smoke and the stench of burning flesh. His own screams had mingled with the screams of his men. And Andy’s had, too. Apparently Andy had stood there for some time, hollering his name, smart enough to stay out of harm’s way, but determined to release his mind from the prison holding it.

  Several blocks down, he turned around and headed back toward his brother’s house. He was going to have to face them. Might as well get it over with.

  When he stepped inside, Joan was in the kitchen making a pot of coffee. Andy sat in his recliner, a magazine open in his lap. He looked up from what he was reading.

  “Feeling better?”

  Tyler shrugged and sank into a chair. “Better than I was thirty minutes ago. Sorry I woke you guys up.”

  “No need to apologize. From everything I’ve read and seen, it’s to be expected.”

  Yeah, it was, but that didn’t make it any easier.

  “How about going to church with us this morning?”

  He stifled a snort. “You think that’s going to fix me?”

  “It sure can’t hurt.”

  Andy had invited him every week since he got there. Joan had chimed in a couple of times, too. Even Nicki had asked him to come.

  But religious platitudes weren’t going to fix what was wrong with him. Neither had counseling or anything else he’d tried. In fact, his therapists had been pretty up-front about the battles he was going to face. They’d warned him the flashbacks and nightmares could go on for years, maybe even a lifetime.

  He pushed himself to his feet. “No thanks. I’ll hang out here.”

  “Why are you so dead set against going with us?”

  “Let’s just say I’m keeping a promise.”

  He ignored Andy’s raised brows and strode to the kitchen. After pouring himself a cup of coffee, he moved down the hall. He’d been in such a hurry to get away from the house, he’d stayed in the gym shorts he’d slept in and thrown on the first shirt he could find. But he wanted to make himself more presentable before meeting up with Nicki.

  When he returned to the living room, Sasha lay next to the recliner, waiting for the scratches Andy regularly delivered over the side of the chair. Tyler removed the leash from the coat rack by the front door, then clapped his hands. “Come on, girl, it’s time to meet Callie. You’ll just have to be easy with her.”

  He walked out the door and looked toward Nicki’s. The sun sat low on the horizon, blocked by the trees separating the two properties. They’d agreed to a later meet-up time since it was Sunday. After yesterday’s scare, starting the walk in daylight had a lot of appeal.

  When he rang Nicki’s bell, a half minute passed before the door opened.

  “How’s Callie?”

  “Sore. She’s limping, and she hates the cone.”

  He smiled. “They always do. But without it, she’d have those stitches pulled out in no time.”

  He’d been right about it being a pellet gun. The object had lodged in the soft tissue right behind the shoulder joint. The vet had removed it, put in three small stitches and sent them home with an antibiotic, some pain medication and the plastic cone around her neck.

  “Last night we didn’t go much past the front door. This time we’ll see if she can make it all the way to the end of the driveway.”

  Letting Callie set the pace, they moved toward the road. The limp wasn’t as pronounced as he’d expected. Another week or so and she’d probably be back to normal.

  He frowned over at Nicki. “I’d feel a whole lot better if you’d move in with Andy and Joan and me.” They’d had the conversation yesterday, and he hadn’t gotten anywhere with her. Moving in with any of her Cedar Key friends was out of the question. She wouldn’t put them in danger. And she wouldn’t consider staying with someone off Cedar Key because she wasn’t willing to give up her job. Moving in to one of the area hotels wasn’t doable, either, because of cost.

  “I’m not going to impose on them like that.”

  “It’s not imposing. I already talked to them, and they agreed.” Maybe he needed to have Andy and Joan walk over and appeal to Nicki themselves.

  “There are only two bedrooms.”

  “You and Callie can have mine. I’ll sleep on the couch.”

  She shook her head. “I’m not putting you out of your room.” She sighed and continued. “I’ll be all right. I’m being careful. And you’re next door.”

  “Nicki, someone shot your dog.” His exasperation came through in his tone. Sometimes she was too stubborn and independent for her own good.

  “With a pellet gun. If he’d intended to kill Callie or me, he’d have used something a lot more lethal.”

  “Maybe next time he will.”

  When they reached the end of the drive, Callie stepped off into the grass and squatted. This was likely as far as she’d go. Once she finished her business, she’d be ready to head back to the house.

  “What time are you leaving for church?” He might as well drop the other topic of conversation. Convincing Nicki to move in with Andy and Joan wasn’t going to happen. Her mind was made up.

  “Around ten.” She raised her brows, hope in her eyes. “You thinking of coming with me?”

  “No, I just want to make sure no one bothers you on the way to your car.”

  “What about from the car into the church and from the church back to the car?”

  She had a point. “That’s why I suggested riding with Andy and Joan.”

  “They go a lot earlier than I do.”

  He frowned. This conversation wasn’t going much better than the other one had. But she was right. Andy played guitar for worship and practiced before the service, and Joan taught Sunday school.

  “Okay, I’ll go.”

  “Awesome!” A victorious smile spread across her face.

  Yeah, her victory, his defeat. But not really. He wasn’t reneging on his long-ago vow never to set foot inside a church. He was going to see to her safety. He had no intention of paying God any kind of homage.

  As promised, he was back at her house at ten o’clock sharp. She swung open the door, and his breath caught in his throat. She was elegant, sophisticated, beautiful. And utterly feminine.

  Growing up, he’d never seen her in anything but jeans and shorts. Except for the dress pants and blouses she wore to work, that was still her usual attire.

  Not today. Apparently she wore dresses to church. This one was made of some soft, silky fabric with bold splashes of color. It was sleeveless, V-necked and cinched at the waist with a wide blue belt. The flared skirt fell just below her knees, swirling as she moved. High-heeled sandals the same shade of blue as the belt put her eye level with him.

  “You look great.”

  She stepped out the door and pulled it closed behind her. “Thanks.”

  As he climbed into his truck, he glanced at his watch. This wasn’t how he wanted to spend his Sunday morning. But in another two hours, it would all be over.

  They arrived fifteen minutes before the service would begin. As soon as they stepped from his truck, a short, perky woman, whom Nicki introduced as Darci Stevenson, ran over to greet her with a warm hug. Her husband Conner was with her, along with their two sons.

  Inside, Nicki introduced him to several other friends. He’d met Meagan previously, along with her husband Hunter and his sister Amber. The rest of them, he didn’t know. He eased himself into a seat between Nicki and Meagan and looked around. Several people conversed softly, faces animated, as if they wanted to be there.

  After an opening prayer, the musicians led the worshippers
in several songs. The music wasn’t what he’d expected. He’d intended to shut it out. But it wove its way past his defenses, catchy tunes that made him want to sing along in spite of the worshipful lyrics.

  And when the pastor finally took his place, there was nothing irrelevant about his message. The theme was “Cast your cares on Him, because He cares for you.” There was something appealing about the whole idea. Tyler couldn’t say he believed any of it, but he wasn’t able to ignore it, either.

  Church was different from what he remembered. Or maybe he was different. He was no longer an angry teen being forced to do something he thought was pointless. Instead, he was a floundering adult, here by his own free will. Sort of.

  When the service was over, everyone filed out of the rows, and several people gathered in groups to chat. Nicki led him out of the building behind Hunter and Meagan. Once outside, Meagan faced them.

  “Game night’s at Blake and Allison’s this month.” She winked at him. “You’re welcome as Nicki’s date.”

  Nicki smiled at him. “The last Friday night of the month, there’s a group of us who get together for games. It’d be nice to not be the odd man out for a change.”

  He glanced at those around them. They all seemed to be couples. He nodded. “Sounds like fun.”

  After farewells, they all headed toward their vehicles. Darci and Conner were parked two spaces over. They stopped at their car, but instead of getting in, removed something from the windshield.

  Tyler frowned, lead settling in his gut. All the notes he’d seen lately hadn’t been good. He watched Darci as she skimmed the page, the color leaching from her face. Hunter apparently saw it, too, because within moments, he was next to her.

  “Don’t handle it.” He took it from her, touching only the corner. “We’ll try to get prints.”

  “What does it say?” Nicki’s voice was paper-thin.

  Darci’s hands shook as she read. “‘Stay away from Nicki Jackson, or harm will come to those little boys of yours.’”

  Nicki stepped back, her face now as pale as Darci’s. She held up her hands, her eyes darting from face to face. “You have to stay away from me. I can’t be near any of you. I won’t come here anymore. I won’t put all of you in danger.”