by Tracey Smith
Suddenly she dropped about a foot down the side of the mountain and stopped abruptly. She quickly looked down to check her grip release, it was still tightly secured. She was just about to call for Ben when she suddenly found herself free falling, the air was sucked out of her lungs as she fell backwards away from the mountain, she could see the slack rope trailing after her. She didn’t have time to react, it all happened so fast.
Then she slammed into something hard, and that something crashed on top of her pinning her to the ground and knocking the wind out of her. Her face was pressed into the dirt and so much weight was against her back she couldn’t breathe. But she wasn’t lying down, she was upright. It was very disorienting.
“Jesus, Cassidy, are you okay?” Ben’s voice was in her ear and she realized he was the weight that was pressing her into the side of the mountain.
“Can’t breathe.” She managed to mutter into the dirt. The weight was released off her back and she sucked in a welcome breath of air.
She felt Ben’s tight grip on her arms and he slowly turned her around to face him, keeping his body pressed intimately against hers. She allowed him to spin her around pressing her back into the mountain, she realized that they were standing on the narrow ledge pathway at the bottom of the pumpkin patch.
“Are you hurt?” He demanded.
“I don’t think so.” She said “What happened?”
“The rope.” He said reaching for the rope that was still attached to her harness and pulling it through his hands until he reached a frayed end. “It’s been cut.”
Cassidy’s mind was in chaos, she couldn’t focus on just one thought. She’d almost fallen over the side of the mountain. Ben had called her by her first name. He’d said the rope had been cut. His body was still pressed tightly against hers, his strong arms like a protective cage holding her to the side of the hill. There had been something in the woods.
“Are there bears in New Hampshire?” Cassidy asked grasping ahold of the last errant thought to flit through the disarray.
Ben stilled at her question looking at her intently. “Did you hit your head?” He asked concerned.
“I don’t think so.” She responded weakly, she was feeling a little dizzy.
“Come on, let’s get you back to the house.” Ben said tightly wrapping his arm around her waist and hugging her to his side as he slowly shimmied them both toward the stone steps. He didn’t release his hold as they climbed the stairs. Cassidy didn’t complain. She allowed Ben to escort her back to the house, safely wrapped in his arms.
“Do you want a bath?” He asked once they were inside, concern still etched on his face.
“I don’t want to take all the water again.” Cassidy refused reluctantly, nothing sounded better than a bath at the moment.
“There’s plenty of water.” Ben mumbled leading Cassidy toward the stairs, he still kept one hand placed protectively against her lower back.
He led her all the way to her room, opening the door and entering with her. He deposited her on the edge of the bed and then crossed to the bathroom to start running the bath. He didn’t seem to want to leave her side. Cassidy began to wonder if he was going to attempt to undress her and put her in the bath as well. She blushed at the thought.
Ben came from the bathroom and Cassidy couldn’t help but notice that he surveyed the room carefully. His behavior was making Cassidy nervous.
“Do you want to check under the bed for monsters?” Cassidy joked, his wary eyes flashed to hers. He didn’t smile.
“You’ve had a long day.” He said still scanning the room inconspicuously. “I’ll have Mrs. Owens bring your lunch up so you can rest.”
“That’s not necessary.” Cassidy tried to argue.
“You need to rest.” He insisted. “You should stay in your room.” It sounded more like an order than a suggestion. His expression left no room for argument. Cassidy nodded.
Ben left the room and closed the door behind him, Cassidy listened closely, half expecting to hear the sound of him locking the door from the outside. Thankfully all she heard was the sound of his retreating footsteps.
She made her way to the bathroom and the little slice of heaven that awaited her in the old-fashioned claw foot tub. Her whole body relaxed as soon as she immersed herself in the hot water. Her jumbled thoughts finally slowed and began to present themselves in a logical order. She always did her best thinking in the bath.
While part of her brain wanted to act like a silly teenage girl and gush over the fact that Ben was acting so protective, the logical side of her mind nagged at her wanting to know why. What was he protecting her from? His words rang in her head, The rope’s been cut. Did he mean intentionally? Who would have done that? And what had he been doing at the bottom of the hill?
The Chosen One watched as she slept. It could end right now. Just a pillow over her pretty little face and the deed would be done. But no, it needed to look like an accident. There couldn’t be any questions. She was proving to be harder to kill than first expected. Harder but not impossible. Her time would come, and soon. It must be done.
Chapter Seven
“Please, Mom! Please let me ride with Shannon!”
“Cassidy, isn’t your father supposed to escort you to the homecoming dance?” Her mom gently reminded her.
“Come on, Mom, we can meet you there. Please let me ride with Shannon.” Cassidy begged.
“I don’t know, this article clearly says that Cassidy St. Claire will be escorted by her father Charles St. Claire.” Her mom teased as she showed her the picture in the local paper for the hundredth time. Cassidy rolled her eyes.
“He can escort me when I get there. Please, Mom, please!”
“Okay, Darling.” Her mom conceded. “Remember to buckle up.”
“I will, promise! Thanks, Mom! I love you! I’ve gotta go call Shannon!” Cassidy excitedly skipped from the room to call her closest friend. This was going to be the best night of her life.
Time lurched forward in that strange way that only made sense in dreams. Cassidy was standing in a stark white hospital hallway. She still wore her homecoming gown, her face was streaked with tears, and she’d just identified the bodies of her parents. Two police officers stood at the end of the hallway speaking with some man in a suit, they looked over at her.
“The minor has no other family?”
“NO!” Cassidy shouted as she bolted upright in bed. Her heart was pounding in her ears and it took her a second to remember when and where she was.
“Are you okay?” Ben was immediately at her side, she jumped at his touch, still a little disoriented.
“Were you watching me sleep?” She asked warily, thanking God that she’d put some clothes on before taking a nap this time. The last time she’d taken a bath and fallen asleep she’d done so naked.
“I was just bringing you some lunch.” Ben gestured nervously to the tray that sat on the desk by the window. “I wasn’t sure if I should wake you, but then you just sat up screaming. Are you okay?” He asked again with concern.
“Just a bad dream.” Cassidy dismissed, trying to relegate the dream to the past where it belonged.
“Are you hungry?” Ben asked lifting the tray from the desk and bringing it to her.
“Sure.” Cassidy agreed, sitting up on the bed and crossing her legs under the covers. Ben set the tray in front of her on the bed. Tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich, comfort food. Cassidy smiled.
“Are you just going to watch me eat?” Cassidy asked anxiously as Ben sat in the rocking chair by the window.
“I already had lunch, but I can go if you’d rather be alone.” He offered.
“No, that’s okay.” Cassidy shrugged as she began to eat her lunch.
“So what was the dream about?” Ben asked.
“The day my parents died.” Cassidy answered honestly.
“How old were you?”
“Fifteen.”
“What happened?”
“
Car accident.” Cassidy’s throat constricted, making it hard to swallow. She hated talking about this.
“I’m sorry.” Cassidy had heard that response a million times.
“It wasn’t your fault.” She heard herself deliver her standard response. “But I always felt like it was mine.” She whispered, surprising herself. She’d never admitted that out loud.
“Why?” He was clearly shocked at her admission.
Cassidy thought for a moment before responding, she’d never told anyone this before.
“A few weeks before the accident I’d found my birth certificate in a box in my mother’s closet. My real birth certificate, with the name of the hospital I’d been born at here in New Hampshire. I’d never really given much thought to my birth family before that. The birth certificate listed my mother’s name, Kimberly Miller, but not my father. I was only listed as baby girl Miller, she didn’t even name me. So I did an internet search for the name Kimberly Miller in Montgomery, the search didn’t really lead anywhere. I didn’t know to check Cedar Hollow.”
“A few weeks later, when I lost my parents, I felt like I was being punished. Like somehow looking for my biological family had made me ungrateful for the wonderful family I’d been given, so they were taken away.” Cassidy choked back a sob. It had been years since she’d wrestled with these demons, and she thought she’d put that pain to rest. But saying it out loud brought all the agony of that day back. She felt like a child again.
“You know that it wasn’t your fault.” Ben insisted.
“I know.” Cassidy agreed mildly. “Try to tell that to a devastated fifteen year old girl.” Cassidy smiled weakly.
“I know what it’s like to blame yourself, even when it doesn’t make sense.” Ben offered, and Cassidy realized those were the most comforting words anybody had ever spoken to her. He wasn’t trying to dismiss or erase her grief. He was simply offering his understanding.
“Thank you.” Cassidy smiled at him genuinely. Not her polished, professional smile, but a real heart-felt one. Ben cleared his throat nervously.
“I’ve got some chores that I need to finish.” Ben said hastily standing. “I’ll see you at dinner, Miss St. Claire.”
Cassidy stared after him in confusion. From anger to flirtation to compassion, she couldn’t keep up. But just when she thought she was getting somewhere with him all of a sudden she was “Miss St. Claire” again, what had happened to “Cassidy”?
Chapter Eight
Cassidy finished her lunch and then rose from the bed, realizing belatedly that she’d fallen asleep wearing only a t-shirt and panties. She was glad that she’d had the sense not to try to get out from under the covers while Ben had been in the room. She went to her closet and scrutinized her clothing selection. She basically had two options, business casual or farmhand.
She decided she needed to plan a trip to the nearest metropolitan area with a shopping mall in the very near future. If she was going to be staying here another month she definitely needed to expand her wardrobe.
Cassidy considered several combinations of her clothing options, skirt with a t-shirt, blouse with work jeans. Nothing really worked and it was driving her crazy. Cassidy really wanted to look cute tonight when she came down for dinner. Not “I’m headed off to a business meeting” and definitely not “let’s go plow the fields”, she wanted something eye catching. She thought of the casual summer dress that she’d worn the other day. Ben had definitely stopped to take notice as he’d passed through the kitchen that day. She turned from the closet to find the dress and the room spun.
She gripped the edge of the door to hold herself upright, waiting for the dizziness to pass. Was this some sort of delayed reaction to her fall earlier? The dizziness didn’t pass, it worsened. The room swam around her and she began to feel nauseous, then she was racked with crippling pain shooting through her abdomen. She cried out and released the door as she doubled over grabbing her stomach. The bathroom floor sped toward her as she crumpled in agony and then everything went black.
Cassidy woke in a hospital bed. The room was empty and silent aside from the beeping and whirring of the machines she was attached to. Her stomach ached and her throat felt raw. She had no idea how much time had passed. She attempted to sit up in bed but she was attached to too many tubes and wires. She lifted her head looking around the sterile room, she saw a call button resting on the edge of the bed, she reached out and pressed it allowing her head to fall back down against the flat pillow. The small effort it had taken to raise her head had exhausted her, her eyes began to drift closed again.
“Look who’s awake.” A voice roused her from her haze, she opened her eyes to see a young nurse standing over her bed.
“What happened?” Cassidy rasped, her throat was on fire.
“Well that is the question isn’t it?” The nurse smiled kindly, but her response didn’t make any sense.
“Where’s Ben?” Cassidy asked, the nurse’s eyes widened marginally but she quickly schooled her expression and continued to examine the printouts from the hospital equipment.
“Already on a first name basis?” She asked with mild surprise. “You better keep your eye on that one.” She warned. She smiled but something curled in the pit of Cassidy’s stomach. The warning from the nurse mirrored the one she’d received at the hardware store. Don’t trust Ben Riley. Why did people keep warning her against him, what did they know that she didn’t? Before she could ask the doctor entered the room.
“Well, Miss St. Claire, it seems you’ve had quite an episode.” The doctor said examining her chart.
“What happened?” Cassidy asked again.
“To be honest we’re not entirely sure. You were brought in here by Mr. Riley, unconscious. He stated that he’d found you that way. Your vital signs were weak, but there were no visible injuries. Your stomach was pumped as a precaution although your tox screen came back clean. All of your other tests have been normal as well. We were hoping once you woke you could possibly enlighten us and tell us what happened?” The doctor questioned and Cassidy tried to absorb everything he’d said.
“I don’t know.” She responded. “I was looking for something to wear and then I just got really dizzy. That’s all I remember.”
“You didn’t take anything?”
“No.”
“You’re sure, not even for a headache?” The doctor pressed.
“I didn’t take anything.” Cassidy insisted, realizing that she was being treated as an overdose. “Even you said my tox screen was clean.” She reminded him.
“Yes well some things don’t show up on tox screens, especially homeopathic remedies. Sometimes it’s easy to accidentally take more than directed.” The doctor looked at Cassidy earnestly, as if encouraging her to confess.
“I didn’t take anything.” She insisted again.
“Well regardless, Miss St. Claire, your vitals are stable now. We are going to hold you one more night for observation, but you should be able to go home in the morning.”
Cassidy nodded her understanding and she was once again left alone. Thoughts swirled in her head like an angry swarm of bees. Sometimes it’s easy to accidentally take more than directed. The doctor’s words rang in her head followed by Ben’s warning from the other day; a pinch can cure a headache, a dash can kill you. Had he given her something? Why would he do that? Some things don’t show up on tox screens, especially homeopathic remedies. There was no way to know for sure. But she knew she hadn’t taken anything, and she’d been fine before lunch.
Ben had brought her lunch. He’d also been the only one outside with her when she’d fallen on the hill. The rope’s been cut. He was also the one who had sent her into the work shed. At the time it had just seemed like a careless accident, but now she wasn’t so sure. She wasn’t sure about anything. Was Ben trying to run her off? Was he trying to hurt her? Why?
“How are you feeling?” Ben’s voice startled her.
“I’ll live.” She answered watching
him guardedly as he crossed the room to her bed.
“What did the doctor say?” He asked exuding concerned innocence.
“Ben, did you give me something?” She’d learned that people tended to be more honest when caught off guard.
“What do mean ‘something’?” He evaded.
“Like some herbs or something, the kind you were showing me in the kitchen?” On the outside she was hard as steel, not showing any weakness. On the inside she was trembling like a scared child.
“They think you were poisoned?” He asked, all the color draining from his face.
“Actually they think I accidentally overdosed, but since I didn’t take anything willingly that leads back to my original question. Did you give me something?” She demanded.
“Of course not! Why would I do that?” He asked obviously offended, but she wasn’t sure if she could trust his reaction, he’d had too long to process the question.
“You’ve been trying to run me off since I got here.” She pointed out calmly.
“So now you think I’m trying to kill you? Do you seriously think I’m capable of that?” He seemed genuinely hurt at the accusation, and it pained her to continue, but she had to get to the bottom of this.
“What were you doing at the bottom of the hill?” Again she tried to throw him off balance, watching closely for his reaction. Confusion flitted across his face before she saw the comprehension.
“I didn’t cut that damn rope.” He said angrily.
“But you think someone did?” She pressed, remembering his protectiveness after she’d fallen.
“Have you ever stopped to wonder why you are the only surviving member of your family?” He surprised her by asking. “Because I have. Every member of your natural family has died of unnatural causes, and it hasn’t escaped my notice that you’ve been rather accident prone since you got here. But to answer your questions, I did not try to poison you, I did not cut the rope on the mountain, and just in case you were wondering I didn’t push those boxes on you in the shed.” He stood over the bed and glared down at her, radiating anger. “For the record there are a lot of things I am capable of, Cassidy.” His green eyes flashed with dangerous promise. “But murder isn’t one of them.” With that he stalked out of the room.