Sacrifice (Absent Shadows Trilogy Book 2)

by S. M. Spencer

  And then I’d think about David, and feel grateful that at least there was one thing that was clear to me—David was history, and would remain that way. There was no question of us getting back together; not now and not ever.

  And I was also grateful that, for whatever reason, David didn’t bother me again.

  ~~***~~

  The weeks did eventually pass, even if slowly, and although I still questioned the wisdom of waiting until Christmas to go back to Australia, I didn’t do anything about going sooner. Claire kept in contact, reminding me on a regular basis how much she was looking forward to the trip. Then, in early October, she rang to tell me some exciting news. I was just about to go to bed, and I welcomed the distraction.

  ‘Lili, you’re not going to believe this, but I’ve met someone,’ she said, all breathless.

  ‘You met someone? When? Where? Spill it … I want all the gory details.’

  ‘In the library on campus, of all places. Did you know there are actually some things that you can’t read about on the internet? Who’d of thought, eh?’ she giggled and it made me realise how much I missed her company.

  ‘Go on … really?’ I laughed.

  ‘Look, he’s no Tom. I mean, he isn’t anywhere near as good looking, or funny … and his body, well how can I say this nicely … he’s a professor, not an athlete. His name is Gerald. And he’s really nice. And he’s kinda cute. Mum would love him. Not that she doesn’t like Tom; but she likes Tom as Tom, not as someone for me, if you know what I mean.’

  ‘Yeah, I know what you mean. So, will I get to meet him? Will you bring him to the Halloween party?’

  ‘Well, that’s the thing actually. That’s why I rang. I don’t think it would be his scene. He’s a bit older than me. I think he’d find the whole thing, you know, rather … childish. I mentioned it to him, and he didn’t say no, but he got his faraway look, like he was wondering why he was even with me.’

  ‘Uh, Claire, when you say he’s a bit older, just how much older are we talking about?’

  ‘Thirty-three.’

  ‘Oh … My … God. Claire, are you nuts? What are you doing with a thirty-three year old professor? Oh, never mind. I can see what this is. This is just a fling to take your mind off Tom. So, I guess you’re saying you won’t make it up for the party after all?’

  ‘Yeah, no, I mean, I probably won’t.’

  ‘That’s okay. Although you know, you could just come on your own and leave him at home, with his dog. He has a dog, doesn’t he? I’m picturing this old hound dog. And does he wear one of those jackets with the leather elbow patches?’ I asked, starting to laugh. Then, when I caught my breath, ‘Oh, oh … and let me guess, he smokes a pipe, right?’

  I had totally lost it now, and Claire laughed just as hard on the other end of the phone. Man, I missed her.

  ‘Come on, he’s not that old. You’re describing, like, my great-grandfather or somebody.’

  ‘Okay, so stay at home with your old professor. Raye will understand. I may never forgive you, but she will.’

  ‘Really? Is it that bad?’

  ‘I’m kidding of course. Come if you can, but if not, we’ll just talk about you all night.’

  ‘Argh—okay, look, maybe I will come on my own.’

  ‘That’s the Claire I know. Besides, if you don’t come who am I going to dance with all night?’

  ~~***~~

  About two weeks later I noticed I’d had a call from a blocked number. I had just gotten home from my classes in the late afternoon. I was pretty sure it wouldn’t be Sam, but I got excited anyway—he could have used someone else’s phone to ring me.

  I went up to my bedroom, shut the door and rang my message bank. My heart sank the moment I heard the female voice, but nerves quickly replaced disappointment when she said her name. It was Detective Kara Bradshaw from the Victoria Police, and she wanted me to return her call.

  I racked my brain trying to think of pleasant reasons why she would be ringing me, but there were none. There could only be one reason—and there was nothing pleasant about it.

  I checked the time difference—it would be just before lunch time in Melbourne. She would have rung first thing in the morning her time. My heart was racing, and my fingers hesitated on the phone, but she’d said she’d ring again if I didn’t contact her, so in the end I convinced myself that it would be better to get it over with now than to lay in bed worrying about it tonight.

  ‘Hi, Detective Bradshaw, it’s Lili McIntyre. You left a message for me to call you?’

  ‘Oh, yes, I did. Thank you for returning my call. It’s about that gun—the one you found in the Flagstaff Gardens.’

  Of course it was. There could be no other reason.

  ‘Yes?’

  ‘I’m sorry to bother you, but are you able to meet with the counsel for the defence? He’s seeking your co-operation, but he did mention that if you don’t come willingly, he may compel you to do so.’

  ‘Compel me?’

  ‘Yes. Like a subpoena I suspect.’

  ‘Oh. Can he do that?’

  ‘I’m not a lawyer, Ms McIntyre. I’m just telling you what he told me.’

  ‘Okay. So, I guess I should co-operate?’

  ‘Well, that’s entirely up to you, but that’s what he’s hoping for.’

  ‘Do you realise I’m back in California? I mean, does he know that?’

  ‘Yes, you had said you would be going back, and I did mention that to him.’

  ‘And yet he wants to see me anyway. Hmmm, he must think it’s important. Did he say when he expects me to come?’

  ‘No, not exactly, but I believe sooner rather than later.’

  ‘Okay, well, I’ll have to see what I can do about a flight. I don’t suppose he’s offering to pay my airfare?’

  ‘That would seem reasonable, but really, I think you need to speak to him directly. I just agreed to make the initial contact with you, and pass on his details if you would take them.’

  ‘Oh, right. Sure, I’ll get a pen.’

  When I returned with a pen and paper, she gave me his name, phone number, and an email address.

  ‘I’ll leave it to you to get in touch with him, to discuss travel details, and where you should go for the interview etcetera.’

  ‘Interview?’

  ‘To make your statement.’

  ‘Oh. Okay.’

  ‘Thank you for your time, Ms McIntyre. Goodbye.’

  Once she was gone, I sat on the edge of the bed shaking my head. One side of me was petrified at the thought of meeting this lawyer, while the other side of me was ecstatic that I might actually have a legitimate excuse to go back to Australia; now, not at Christmas; not in two months.

  I turned on the computer, and sent an email explaining the discussion I’d just had, and within half an hour I had a reply that included the name and contact number of a local travel agent I should ring to get my flight organised.

  So, it was actually happening. I was going to see Sam in just a few days. Of course, there were a few hurdles to get over before I could count on it. First, I’d have to tell Claire something—she was still planning to come up for the Halloween party, so I had to let her know I’d be gone. Then the hard part was going to be Mom. We still hadn’t had any meaningful conversation about Sam, but I’d have to tell her something now.

  I sat there thinking about it for a few minutes, but in the end I knew there was only one thing to do. I’d have to tell her the truth; or at least, some of it. This was going to take some thought.

  ~~***~~

  ‘Mom, I need to go back to Melbourne,’ I said the following night after we’d finished dinner and Raye had gone upstairs to start on her homework.

  She looked at me, and frowned. ‘Yes, I know. You’re going at Christmas, with Claire.’

  ‘No, I mean, I need to go now.’

  Her frown remained but her voice was calm. ‘Now? What do you mean, now? What’s so important that it can’t wait until the Christ
mas break?’

  I thought of telling her about how a ghost had asked me to help her dig a hole under a tree in the gardens, to locate the gun that had been used to kill her. But instead I went for the slightly less crazy version that I’d given the police.

  ‘Well, you know how I was running a lot while I was there in Melbourne; in the Flagstaff Gardens near where Debs lives?’

  ‘Yes, what’s that got to do with anything?’

  ‘Well, one morning, when I was running, I had this vision. It was pretty weird really. I saw this young girl being shot, and a man burying the gun beneath a tree.’

  ‘You had a vision of … a murder?’ The frown deepened, and her eyes were nearly burning holes in my head.

  ‘Yeah, weird eh? Like I said,’ I laughed, but it sounded fake and nervous.

  ‘Weird doesn’t begin to describe it.’ She paused reflectively, and when she continued her voice was controlled. ‘And you didn’t think to mention this before?’

  ‘Well, no. I mean, it didn’t seem important, I guess.’

  ‘Not important,’ she said, shaking her head. ‘Just exactly what did you see? Did you fall asleep? Did you faint? What do you mean, vision?’

  Her frown grew even deeper now, and I knew this meant trouble. The police hadn’t asked me to elaborate, and I didn’t know how to answer her. What did people do when they had visions? All I could think of was scenes from movies, where their eyes rolled back in their heads and there was spooky music in the background.

  ‘I don’t know, Mom. A vision. Like … like a memory sort of, only not in the past, but right then. You know?’ I tried to make light of it, but I could see her eyes narrowing further as I spoke.

  ‘No, I don’t know. And I don’t understand why you haven’t mentioned this before. When did all this happen?’

  ‘A few weeks before I left. I contacted the police, and they took the gun in as evidence.’

  ‘The gun? What do you mean, gun? Exactly how does having a vision turn into finding a gun?’

  ‘I saw him bury it … in my vision. So, I dug it up. The police took it, and they questioned me, of course. But then they said I could go. They did say they might need to contact me later though. And so they did. Today. Here, you can listen to the message if you don’t believe me.’ I said, starting to push my phone in her direction.

  ‘No, I don’t need to listen. It just seems, well, rather extraordinary—to put it mildly.’ Her frown eased, and her face looked more quizzical than angry.

  ‘Yeah, well, I did say it was really weird,’ I said.

  ‘But what about school? Are you going to just leave? And who’s paying for the ticket?’

  ‘They’re going to pay for the ticket. They sent me an email, and I rang the travel agent, and it’s easy—I just have to give them my passport details, and the account will be paid by their client.’ I didn’t think it necessary to actually tell Mom that I’d already booked the flight. I’d let her think I was asking permission rather than just telling her I had done it.

  Mom shook her head, but it looked like she might be coming around. ‘I still don’t understand, Lili. You contacted the police and they have the gun. Were your fingerprints on it? Did you touch it?’

  ‘No—of course not,’ I said, shaking my head.

  ‘And they don’t suspect you of anything?’

  ‘No. Or at least, I don’t think so. They took the gun, and I told them how I came to start digging where I did. They accepted that.’

  ‘Digging? So, you actually dug it up … where you saw this man bury it, in your vision?’

  ‘Yes. Well, of course I dug it up … to be sure it really was there. I mean, I wasn’t going to contact the police in case it was all just a dream of some sort.’

  ‘Okay. So you dug up this gun. But you’re sure you didn’t touch it? Your fingerprints wouldn’t be on it, would they?’

  ‘No, Mom. I’m sure I didn’t touch it.’

  ‘Well, that’s a relief. But why do they want to see you again?’

  ‘They don’t. I mean, the police don’t. It’s the defence—the lawyers for the man they arrested. They want to speak to me.’

  ‘Well, if they want to speak to you so badly … you’re just a young girl, why can’t they come here to talk to you?’

  ‘The man is in jail, Mom. He can’t come here. And besides, they’re paying for the ticket. I can stay with Aunt Debs. Don’t worry. I’m not worrying.’

  She continued to shake her head, but since she stopped asking questions I took that as being agreement. I was going with her blessing, sort of. I would see Sam in a few days. My whole body quivered with something between excitement and nervousness. I was glad she’d turned away and didn’t notice.

  I helped Mom clear up the dishes, then ran upstairs to my bedroom and shut the door.

  First, I jumped on the computer and sent an email to Claire telling her much the same story I’d told Mom, only leaving out the part about the vision. That was just too hard to explain in an email. I just said that I’d found a gun, and the police had questioned me, and now I needed to go back for more questioning. I said I’d email her again in a few days, but that I wouldn’t be here for Halloween. Then I sent an email to Debs to make sure I could stay with her for a week or so.

  A reply came from Claire before I had a chance to log off.

  You lucky dog! I bet you wrangled this just so you could go back to see Sam, right? Well, whatever you do, don’t admit anything. My stepfather’s a lawyer, remember? Phil taught me a long time ago, never admit anything. In fact, if you want, I can ask if he can go with you? He’s not a criminal lawyer, but it still mightn’t be such a silly idea. Anyway, just let me know. And call me when you get back. I’ll want to hear everything—especially about Tom.

  Finally I sat down on the end of my bed and sent a text message to Sam telling him I was coming earlier and giving him my flight details. I would fly out on Wednesday so I’d see him on Friday morning. Within a few minutes I got several text messages in a row.

  The first, from Sam, simply read;

  Fabulous! I’ll pick you up at the airport. Can’t wait to see you. Sam xoxox

  The next was from Crystal;

  Hi Lili. This is wonderful. I’ve been trying to work out how I could see you—soon. I’ll pick you up at the airport. Look for my big blue car—I’ll circle til I spot you. Crystal

  Then another came from Sam straight after;

  Hi again. Crystal wants to pick you up. Girl talk I guess. Call me when you’re home. Sam xoxox

  Crystal wanted to pick me up at the airport? That was odd. In fact, it didn’t make any sense. And how did she even know I was coming? She must have been there with Sam when my message came through. But it seemed really strange that she wanted to speak to me badly enough to pick me up at the airport. What could possibly be that urgent that she wanted to see me before Sam did?

  Then I started feeling sick with that feeling that comes over you when you know something is wrong. Crystal had always been the calm one; she’d said not to worry, everything would be fine. But now, she wanted to see me—urgently.

  I tried to put it out of my mind, telling myself that I would see Sam in just a few days so what difference did it make who picked me up at the airport? But even so, the strange queasiness refused to leave.

  ~ Chapter Four ~

  ‘Are you ready to go?’ called Mom from downstairs.

  ‘Yeah, just give me two minutes,’ I shouted down to her, fiddling with the open suitcase that was still sitting on my bed.

  ‘I’ll get the car out of the garage, and wait in the driveway,’ she called back. ‘Be quick, we don’t want to be late.’

  I’d been on edge for days. One minute I’d be so excited at the thought of seeing Sam, and then the next I’d get nervous, wondering if things would be the same between us—wondering if Crystal’s wanting to see me meant there was some problem that had to do with Sam. I don’t think I could have coped if I’d had to wait much longer.<
br />
  I did one last check of my suitcase to make sure I had the essentials: running shoes, shorts, jeans, a bunch of tops and lots of socks, bras and undies. I’d also packed the nice outfits Debs had bought me. Hair brush, tooth brush, toothpaste, shampoo, makeup—check. And of course, I’d packed my old photo album—the one with photos going back to when Dad was still alive.

  I picked up the suitcase and my backpack and raced down the stairs, and out the front door.

  I didn’t see where he came from, but when I went to lift my suitcase into the trunk, his hand surrounded my wrist and he pulled my hand away from the handle. I turned to face him, not even trying to hide the look of horror on my face.

  ‘Well, don’t you look happy to see me?’ David said, in a voice that was just above a whisper.

  ‘What are you doing here?’ I asked, my voice not much louder than his had been.

  ‘I’ve come to see you off, what else?’ His eyes narrowed and he did little to hide his anger.

  ‘Argh, let go of me,’ I said. My wrist had started to hurt.

  ‘I’ll let go when you tell me you’ve forgiven me.’

  ‘What? You’re nuts. You haven’t listened to a word I’ve been saying, have you? And how did you know I was leaving, anyway?’

  ‘I have my sources,’ he said, smirking.

  ‘Yeah, I bet you do.’ It was either Susan or Raye, but really, it didn’t matter.

  ‘I’ve been keeping an eye on you. I’m not giving up. I’ll never give up.’

  I wriggled my arm trying to pull it free, but the more I resisted, the tighter his grip became.

  ‘Well, you better give up. What part of the word OVER don’t you understand?’

  ‘Come on, Lil. Give me a break. I said I’m sorry, what more do you want?’

  ‘I want you to let go of me. And I want you to listen. O … V … E … R. What does that spell, David? Huh?’