The Soft Whisper of Dreams

by Christina Courtenay

  ‘Come on, Maddie, you can do it. We’re not going to let the bastard win, are we? Whoever he is, we’ve got to fight him, or her, and get our own back. Let’s go now.’

  Finally, when she was convinced she couldn’t go any further, a beach came into view at last and they both collapsed onto the sand, panting and struggling for breath.

  ‘Thank you God,’ Maddie whispered, even though she’d never been particularly religious. ‘Thank you so much.’

  ‘Amen to that,’ Alex agreed.

  After a few minutes he leaned over her and asked if she was all right.

  ‘Yes, I think so, but it might be better if you ask me in an hour or so.’ Maddie stared at Alex and everything else faded into the background again, exactly like the last time they had been on a beach together. She saw concern in his eyes and something else, perhaps tenderness. Before she could react, he bent to kiss her, slowly, reverently, and she let him. She told herself she was too tired to protest and closed her eyes. She didn’t have the energy left to twine her arms around his neck, so she simply lay there, letting herself be kissed.

  Alex stopped after a while and looked down at her, then he turned away and sat up.

  ‘Do you think you can walk yet?’ he asked, without looking at her.

  Maddie wanted to scream. Of course I can’t walk when you’ve just kissed me, silly! Her legs had reverted to their jellyfish state the minute his mouth touched hers and she couldn’t have walked if her life depended on it. Obviously the kiss hadn’t had the same effect on him. So why did he do it then? She curled her hands into fists by her side. It was so unfair. Why did he have this effect on her? Why couldn’t she resist him?

  ‘Maybe in a little while,’ she finally replied with a sigh and he sat staring out to sea until she struggled into sitting position some time later.

  ‘Where are we?’

  ‘I’m not sure. We’ll have to climb to the top of the cliff to find out. Then we’re going to the nearest police station. This time, I’m not listening to any protests, do you hear?’

  ‘No, Alex,’ she said meekly. ‘I agree. This has gone too far.’

  He gave her a suspicious glare. ‘You know who did this, don’t you?’

  ‘I have a pretty good idea.’

  ‘But you’re not going to tell me?’

  ‘No. It wouldn’t make any difference. The police are already looking for him and if they can’t find him, neither can we. All I know is he’ll try again.’ She shivered.

  Alex’s mouth tightened into an angry line, but he didn’t try to persuade her to confide in him. He pulled her up and together they set off towards the cliff path.

  Maddie wanted to tell Alex what was going on, but she had promised her mother to keep her true identity secret for now. They hadn’t had time for any long chats, but Ruth had told her she’d be happier knowing she left Dartmouth with her reputation intact and Maddie wanted to respect her wishes.

  ‘I’ll tell you the whole story soon,’ Ruth had promised, ‘but for now, please will you keep quiet?’

  Maddie had no choice but to agree. She knew Alex wouldn’t tell anyone if she asked him not to, but for some reason she wanted to fight this battle on her own. She needed to find a solution herself.

  She followed Alex up the steep path, taking his hand when he offered it to help pull her along. She loved the feel of his fingers, so strong and capable, and she knew he would help in any way he could. Perhaps I’m being stupid? Maybe it was time to ask for his assistance.

  Fortunately the sun was still hot and their bathing costumes soon dried in the breeze as they walked. Maddie was very uncomfortable, however, as the salt residue and sand left on her skin made it feel itchy and tight, and walking along the path without shoes was not what the soles of her feet were used to. She was sure Alex felt the same, although he didn’t say anything, and she was extremely relieved when they eventually came to a house where the owner was kind enough to let them use the phone.

  In the hall, Maddie caught sight of her reflection in a mirror and nearly choked on a gasp. The expression ‘drowned rat’ didn’t even begin to describe the way she looked, and she had to wonder at Alex’s sanity in wanting to kiss someone who looked like that. There was no time for further reflection though, as they were ushered into a small kitchen and offered a cold drink, which they gratefully accepted.

  ‘Ah, that was wonderful, thank you.’ Maddie was sure the taste of salt in her mouth would remain for days, no matter what else she put in it, but at least the liquid soothed her parched throat.

  Alex then called the coastguard and asked them to look for the boat, and he also phoned Ben and arranged for him to come and pick them up. Exhausted, they arrived back at Marcombe, where Maddie had a lengthy shower before falling asleep on top of her bed.

  Towards evening Alex came into the kitchen, where Maddie was watching Annie prepare dinner.

  ‘They’ve found the boat,’ he announced. ‘I have to go and talk to them and I’ve arranged to meet a policeman down by the harbour. Do you want to come?’

  Maddie shook her head. ‘No thanks. You can tell them what happened. I don’t feel up to it.’

  He gave her a strange look, but nodded. ‘Fine. I’ll see you later then.’

  Maddie sighed and began to help Annie chop vegetables.

  ‘He really likes you, you know,’ Annie said.

  ‘What?’ Startled, Maddie looked up and nearly chopped her finger off in the process.

  ‘Alex. He likes you a lot. I can tell from the way he looks at you.’ Annie smiled. ‘He used to look at Wes’s ex-wife the same way, but that was just puppy-love …’

  ‘Alex was in love with Wes’s ex-wife?’ Kayla had never mentioned that to her. Maddie wondered why.

  ‘Yes, but it was her fault. She wanted to get back at Wes, so she did all she could to drive the brother’s apart. She encouraged Alex to want her, you know ...’ Annie shook her head. ‘She was bad news.’

  ‘I didn’t know that. Was he very upset when she died then?’ Wes’s ex-wife Caroline had died on the day Alex was caught smuggling. Kayla had told her that much, since indirectly she’d been the cause of the woman’s death.

  ‘No, I think he’d seen her true colours by then. He was never stupid. I shouldn’t think he gave her another thought. You, on the other hand ...’

  ‘Oh, Annie, I don’t think so.’ Maddie was annoyed to feel yet another blush coming on. ‘I just happen to be female and single, that’s all.’

  Annie shook her head once more. ‘I think you’re wrong.’

  Maddie didn’t know what to reply, so she left it at that and Annie didn’t pursue the subject. It stayed in Maddie’s mind for a long time, however, niggling away at her as she worked. Was she being unfair to Alex in judging him unheard? Had he really changed?

  ‘I need to do some food shopping again tomorrow afternoon. Can you drive me, please?’ Annie’s question intruded into her ruminations.

  ‘Hmm? Oh, yes, of course.’

  Maddie was still feeling tired the next day when she and Annie set off for the nearest supermarket. The dark version of the dream had plagued her during the night and disturbingly it had had a different ending from what it usually had. Instead of finishing with her struggle with the dark man, he had bundled her into the boot of a car, shutting her into terrifying darkness. The car had bumped over an uneven road, hurting her as she was thrown around inside the dark cavity, and she had kicked against the opening with all her might. When the car finally came to a halt the dark man, who by now had definitely taken on the shape and face of the Reverend Blake-Jones, had thrown her into the sea off a high cliff. This was perhaps not surprising given her recent experiences, but had scared her stupid nonetheless.

  The road from Marcombe was fairly narrow and it wasn’t possible to drive very fast. Its curvy contours necessitated a lot of braking and changing of gears, and Maddie tried to concentrate on this task instead of on the disturbing memories of the dream. They hadn’t gone very
far when they came to a particularly steep curve in the road and Maddie stepped hard on the brake. Nothing happened.

  With an exclamation she tried again, and again, then pulled on the hand brake. Still nothing happened and Annie, who had by now gathered that something was wrong, screamed as they rounded the corner, where a car travelling in the opposite direction hurtled towards them. Maddie tried to hold the car steady and at the same time slow their pace by putting the car into a lower gear, but her efforts were too late and they collided with the front right hand side of the oncoming car. It wasn’t a head-on collision, but it sent them careering into the nearest ditch, which was surprisingly deep. The little car somersaulted and landed on its roof several yards away from the road, jolting the occupants who were left hanging from their seat belts.

  Maddie moaned and tried to ascertain if anything was broken. She thought she was just bruised and cast an anxious look over at Annie, who appeared to be unconscious.

  ‘Ms Browne? Are you alright?’

  Maddie turned toward the window and recognised the upside-down face of Foster.

  ‘Foster, thank God. Help me out of here will you? I think Annie’s been hurt. Do you have a mobile?’

  ‘Yes, I just got one, as it happens. I’ll ring for an ambulance. Hold on, I’ll get you out in a minute.’

  He assisted Maddie in disentangling herself from the seat belt and held her so she wouldn’t fall down and hurt herself more. She then crawled out on all fours and ran round to the other side of the car.

  ‘Annie? Annie, can you hear me?’ But there was no reply.

  They waited anxiously until the ambulance turned up and by the time it arrived Annie had started to wail. The paramedics, obviously expert at this sort of thing, freed her as quickly as possible and put her on a stretcher with the minimum of fuss.

  ‘I don’t think she’s seriously hurt, only shocked,’ one of them said to Maddie. ‘But we’ll take her to the hospital just to make sure.’

  ‘I’ll come with you. Foster, will you let Alex know, please?’

  ‘Yep, right away.’

  ‘And don’t let anyone drive the car if they get it out of here. The brakes are broken.’

  ‘Damn it all, Foster! We’re dealing with a lunatic here.’ Alex slammed his fist onto Wes’s desk in frustration when he was told the news. ‘He must be lurking around the grounds if he has gained access to the cars now. God, he’ll be in the house before we know it.’

  ‘Yes, it sure looks that way.’ Foster was serious. ‘I haven’t seen anyone, but this is a big place and it would be easy to sneak in. Theft and robbery is one thing. I can understand that, even if I don’t want to be part of it myself any more, but cold-blooded murder, now that’s something else! What are we going to do?’

  Alex ran a hand through his hair and sighed. ‘I don’t know. I suppose the first thing is to check the other cars. Do you know anything about engines? I’m only familiar with the basics.’

  ‘No problem, I’ll check them for you. I know what to look for.’

  ‘Great, thanks. I don’t know what I would have done without you these last few weeks. I’m so glad you came.’ He smiled at his friend.

  ‘Not half as glad as I am, although I hadn’t expected quite this much excitement.’ Foster started for the door. ‘Let me know what you decide.’

  ‘I will.’ Alex slumped back into the chair. There was a sick feeling in his stomach as he thought about this third attempt on Maddie’s life. He had to make her tell him who was responsible. She’d admitted she knew, or guessed, and he couldn’t for the life of him understand why she refused to name her attacker. It didn’t make sense, unless she was protecting someone? A previous boyfriend perhaps? A lover?

  Alex went cold all over. Was there a former boyfriend stalking her who had taken exception to their outings? It was possible, but then why wouldn’t she say so? The only reason he could think of was that she still loved this person. That thought made him even more miserable than before. In fact, it was totally unbearable.

  Chapter Sixteen

  ‘Right then, Ms Browne. We’ll step up our search for this Blake-Jones character and provide you with a guard tomorrow. He’ll go with you wherever you go, so you mustn’t worry. At night, I’ll have someone patrol the grounds with a dog and you’ll be safe inside the house. I assume there’s a burglar alarm?’

  ‘Yes, of course. It’s switched on every night. There are quite a few precious pieces of furniture and other antiques in the house.’ There was one alarm circuit outside the house which could be switched on when the occupants were at home and another indoors which Maddie knew was always turned on when they were out.

  ‘Good. Make sure you don’t forget.’

  ‘I won’t. Thank you for your help, officer.’

  ‘Not at all. I just hope we catch this madman before he goes completely crazy.’

  Maddie didn’t know how Blake-Jones could possibly become any more deranged than he already was, but she didn’t say anything, just nodded to the policeman and left.

  Annie was being kept overnight for observation and had been sedated to lessen the effects of the shock. Her husband Ben had arrived to sit with her and he told Maddie not to worry, so she gratefully accepted a lift home in a police car. The officers waited until she was safely inside the house before driving off. Alex came rushing out of the sitting room with an anxious expression on his face.

  ‘Maddie, are you all right? How’s Annie?’

  ‘We’re both fine. I’m just a bit bruised, but I think Annie hit her head so they’re keeping her until tomorrow at least. Can you put the burglar alarm on, please? I won’t feel comfortable until I know it’s on.’

  ‘Sure, I’ll do it right away. Have you eaten?’ She shook her head. ‘Well, come and have a cup of tea and a sandwich. I’ll make it for you.’

  ‘Thanks, but I’m not very hungry.’

  ‘Just one. It will do you good.’ Maddie let herself be persuaded and soon she was curled up on one of the plush sofas in the small sitting room with her supper. She discovered that she was hungry after all and devoured her meal quickly.

  ‘Thank you. That was lovely.’

  ‘Even though I didn’t cut the bread straight?’ Alex teased.

  ‘Yes, even so. Thank you.’

  ‘You’re welcome.’ Alex fidgeted on the opposite sofa. ‘Maddie, I ... oh, hell, I know I have no right to pry, but won’t you please tell me who is behind all this? I really want to protect you and I can’t fight the unknown.’ His eyes pleaded with her and she felt herself weaken. She trusted him. Surely it wouldn’t harm Ruth if she confided in Alex? After all, the police already knew who they were looking for. It was only a matter of time before everyone found out.

  ‘Okay then.’ She put down her cup and plate on a nearby table. ‘I think the person who is trying to kill me is a man called Saul Blake-Jones. Do you know him?’

  ‘No.’ Alex frowned. ‘Should I? Is he your ex-boyfriend?’

  Maddie snorted. ‘You couldn’t be more wrong. Whatever gave you that idea?’

  ‘Well, you seemed to be protecting his identity. I assumed it was someone you were attached to or had loyalties to somehow.’

  ‘Oh, I see. No, no, it’s like this ...’ She took a deep breath and started at the beginning, recounting the whole sorry tale, including the attack on her mother and sister. The only thing she left out was their present whereabouts. The fewer people who knew about that, the better.

  At some stage during the story Alex came over and sat down next to her, and he took her hand and caressed it gently. ‘Blimey, Maddie, it doesn’t just rain on you, it pours, doesn’t it?’

  ‘You can say that again.’ Somehow his kindness released a catch deep inside her mind and Maddie felt tears of helplessness, sadness and years of frustration and bitterness well up. Unable to halt yet another flood, her body shook with the force of it and she gave herself up to the storm of weeping. Alex gathered her close and rocked her like a child, patting h
er back and murmuring soothing words. It felt wonderful. She wanted to stay in his arms forever. She was safe there.

  When some time later her sobs turned into the occasional hiccup, it seemed natural that he should kiss away her tears. She didn’t have the willpower left to resist the attraction between them and simply closed her eyes in surrender. His mouth moved on to her lips, nibbling, licking, teasing, until she simply had to increase the contact or she was sure she would die. With a passion she had never before experienced, she kissed him hungrily, revelling in the taste and feel of him. He returned the kiss with equal need.

  She scraped her fingers over his stubbled jaw and he shivered. He reciprocated by caressing the outline of her breasts through the thin material of her T-shirt and it was her turn to tremble.

  ‘You’re not wearing a bra again,’ he groaned. ‘It drives me insane, do you know that?’ His whisper was husky, sending more tremors down her back.

  ‘Don’t need one,’ she murmured. ‘I’m too small, sorry.’

  ‘No! You’re perfect, just perfect.’ He pushed his hands under the edge of the shirt and his rough fingers on her heated skin was pure delight. His palms cupping her breasts were an exact fit. ‘See?’ he whispered and let his thumbs graze her nipples.

  Maddie squirmed and clung to him as his fingers continued their exploration lower down, her own hands travelling over his broad shoulders and down to his backside. She raked her fingernails over the taut material of his jeans and he drew in a sharp breath. ‘Maddie …’

  The fire they ignited could only have one conclusion and it was lucky they were the only occupants of the house that night. Oblivious to the rest of the world, they shed their clothes, ripping quite a few in their haste to bare heated skin, in their desire to touch, feel and explore fully. It seemed neither could wait too long and Maddie never even considered stopping him for a moment.

  An army could have tramped through the sitting room and Maddie wouldn’t have cared one iota. She wanted only to be joined with this man, here and now, and nothing else mattered. The sensations were incredibly intense, almost unbearable, and as the world shattered into a thousand tiny fragments of pleasure, she cried out. She couldn’t help herself.