A Shaft of Light

by Amy Gaudette

  A door closing startled Brady. His heart pounded, alarm rang through every part of his body. His hair stood on end. Marie? Richard? Someone sent to stop him? He jumped up and turned off the light. Feeling his way to the door, he hesitantly opened it. He could hear footsteps proceeding slowly toward the kitchen. Brady tried to slow his breathing. What if they could hear him? What if they were coming after Mom?

  He slipped silently out the office door. His heart pounded so hard he was sure it would be heard. Through the dim lighting he could see a shape outlined in the doorway to the kitchen. Definitely not Marie, too big. It’s a man. Richard! He clamped his hand over his mouth. His skin felt clammy, his stomach nauseous. Instinct told him to run, but where? He’d be a trapped animal in the living room. The shadowy figure stepped into the kitchen, Brady tiptoed closer, trying to get to the door that led to the garage. If he could get there unseen, he could sprint to the car and get out. Wait! His mother. He couldn’t leave her. Brady agonized over what to do. He knew there was only one choice. He would get as close as he could, and rush him. Knock him to the floor, and he hoped, knock him out.

  Legs shaking, he remembered the horrifying moment Megan ran in terror out of the woods. He was that little boy all over again. But this time, he would force himself to act.

  Brady snuck closer to the kitchen doorway. The intruder was still there, standing, maybe listening for him? Waiting for him? No lights on, Brady peered in. It was time. He saw his silhouette, it was enough. Brady pushed off and slammed into the burly body as hard as he could. Thud. His body collided with the intruder, both went down hard.

  Arms flailing, Brady couldn’t gain ground. He was being overpowered. Grunts, groans, and muffled hollering penetrated the dark. Brady fought for his life. Without warning, a click of a switch, and a blaze of light blinded both of them. They froze and a woman’s voice rang out like a gunshot. “What on earth is going on here?”

  Brady’s eyes adjusted. Mom had turned the light on, and Dad was lying on the floor, nursing a weeping eye and a bloody nose.

  “Dad?” Brady croaked.

  “I know you haven’t seen me in a few days, Brady, but this was a bit excessive, wasn’t it?” Doug tried at humor. Brady desperately tried to hold his emotions together.

  “I . . . thought you were an intruder . . . I thought you were Richard. We thought you . . . were in jail.” Like a weakened dam with too much water behind it, Brady broke down. His mom knelt down beside him.

  Brady thought he heard words barely above a whisper. “I’m sorry.” Doug moved over beside him and pulled him into his grasp.

  Brady yearned to give in to them, to release the burdens he had been carrying. But he couldn’t. So many doubts ran through his mind. What if his father were here to take him to Richard? What if his mom was spying on them for him? Where had his father been? No. He couldn’t give in. Brady pulled himself out of his dad’s embrace and stood up.

  With pain and distrust poured into his voice, “Dad, where have you been?”

  “Let’s go sit at the table. There’s a lot that needs to be said.”

  Beverly reached for a box of tissues and tightened her bathrobe around her waist. She pulled out a tissue and wiped her eyes. Brady looked at her face as though seeing it for the first time. Where had those lines and dark circles under her eyes come from? Brady thought she had turned into an old lady overnight.

  His dad grabbed a wet paper towel and wiped his face, cleaning up the remaining blood from his nose.

  “I can’t talk now, Dad. I want to. I need to know what’s going on. But there is something I have to go do. And it’s more important than sitting here.”

  “Brady. Please. I know that I haven’t always done things right. I’ve made some bad mistakes. Right about the time Megan left, eight years ago, I was taken into custody for being involved with Richard in one of his under-the-table land deals. I was informed by the police that if I went undercover for them, watching Richard, taking notes, informing them of less-than-desirable happenings, I would not be charged.”

  “You mean you were like a double agent?”

  “Well, sort of.”

  “Doug, you never told me anything about this.” Shock registered on Beverly’s face.

  Brady saw a grimace cross his dad’s face. “No. I wasn’t allowed to . . . You were under investigation as well.”

  Beverly was speechless. She stared at Doug as though he were a stranger.

  Doug looked at his wife. “I’m sorry for everything. The past two days have been insane. I’ve been at the precinct being held for questioning. I know there are moles in the department. I couldn’t say what I should say because I knew it would get back to Richard . . . he’s trying to frame me for Megan’s disappearance.” Doug shook his head.

  Brady shifted uncomfortably. “I don’t know what to believe anymore. But I have to go.”

  “What is it you need to do that’s so urgent, son?”

  “Dad, I want to trust you. I do. But I can’t. Richard could be guilty of a lot more than bad money dealings. You know that, don’t you?”

  “Yes. That’s why I can’t let you become involved in this anymore than you are. I want to take you and Mom out of town.”

  Brady ignited. “NO! Megan is still missing. Why am I the only one that cares? If I have to be the one to go out and find her, I will. She needs me.” His voice ended in a whisper.

  “Look, son. I don’t want to have to say this, but we’re dealing with someone who may be guilty of multiple murders. There is no way I’m letting you go snooping around where you don’t belong. Leave that to the professionals.”

  Brady scoffed. “The professionals are sleeping, while Richard plans his next move.”

  “You need to face the fact she could already be —”

  “You face it, Dad. Not me. I’m going to find her.”

  “You haven’t a clue where to go. He’ll have men after you in a second if you are seen anywhere around his house, office, or other properties.”

  “Then I guess I better not be seen.”

  “Let him go.”

  Both Doug and Brady turned to Beverly. “What?”

  “You need to let him go.” She addressed Doug. “And you need to go with him. It’s the only way you will ever earn back the trust you’ve lost. It’s the least we can do, for Megan.”

  Doug stared at her, disbelief written on his face. “We don’t have a clue if she is still alive, let alone where she could be.”

  “Brady might know.”

  Doug looked at Brady.

  “She could be out on his yacht. It’s so private, very few people even know where it is. I did some research and I think I found it. I told Gabe about it. They want to get a search warrant, but you know what’s going to happen if they do.” He lowered his voice, hoping the dangerous edge would convince his dad. “Richard will be alerted and Megan will disappear again. Please, Dad. I have our scuba gear in the car. We can enter the water at Divers’ Edge. I think it’s only about a twenty-minute swim. Once we get there we can figure out what to do.”

  “No.”

  Before Brady could argue his dad continued. “We need a plan before we get to the boat. Darkness will keep us from seeing what we need to, and flashlights will lead them right to us. But . . . I have an idea.” He paused for a moment and sighed. “First, whatever happens, Brady, I am so proud of you. You have been a shining light to me. I like to think that . . . someday maybe we’ll have a chance to start over.” His dad briefly touched his arm.

  Brady glanced at his mom. Deep lines of regret wore away at her, and he couldn’t help but wonder if she was all right. She was so much quieter than usual. She seemed pale, almost sickly. He felt like his brain was on overload. Megan. He needed to find Megan.

  Brady and Doug went out to the garage. Opening the trunk of Beverly’s car, they transferred their scuba gear to Doug’s car. Doug threw in an extra flashlight as well as life jackets and oars for their row boat. Brady watched him, partly in
fear, partly in disbelief. Was his dad really going to go through with his promise to help?

  Doug’s eyes lingered on Beverly as he said goodbye. Brady watched his mom, a silhouette in the doorway, as they drove off. He wondered again what was going on but quickly dismissed the thought. Right now, they had to save Megan.

  Chapter 30

  Sam woke abruptly at four in the morning. Exhausted, he turned over and tried to fall back to sleep. He tossed and turned for a while and finally gave up. After a quick shower, he made a fresh pot of coffee and sat down with his laptop. His throat hurt, but other than that, he was feeling better. Still, apprehension had dogged him since waking. A heaviness beyond what he had experienced yet disabled his mind from working right. He needed a plan of action for today. Brady would likely try something on his own if they weren’t able to move forward. Even Sam knew the longer it took to find Megan, the smaller the chances were that she would be alive. And that thought twisted his stomach into knots.

  Sam fell on his knees and cried out to God. Every door he had tried to open was locked. Hopelessness was sinking him. He had reached the end of his rope. Sam prayed. He prayed like he had never done in his life. Not even when his parents had been killed in a car accident. He had blamed God for a long time for what had happened. Now it was raw, exposed pain. Prayers of desperation. He wrestled with God. He could not control the outcome. Sam could not fix what was happening with powerful antibiotics or even surgery. He needed grace. Strength. For him as well as everyone here, especially Brady. He drew in a deep breath and gave Megan to God, and slept.

  The next morning he had just finished dressing and someone knocked at the door. Gabe.

  “Glad you’re up. I have a search warrant for the property that Rose told us about. It’s supposedly owned by Richard, and it is on the border of Thomas State Park. Rose was right, it isn’t actually under his name, which is why no one knew about it. It’s under a Michele Wellsboro. She was Richard’s wife more than fifteen years ago. No one knows what happened to her. Richard says she left him and he never heard from her again.”

  Sam spread out a park map. He recognized the boundary line.

  “I know the area where that is. It must border on Thomas Park, this is the clearing where Megan had seen something —”

  Gabe interrupted. “You mean, thought she had seen something, right?”

  Sam glanced up at Gabe. “Of course. But it sure seems that way, doesn’t it? I mean Richard’s been trying to get her out of the way. That says a lot.”

  “I’ve learned not to assume. Wait. Find the facts. Sometimes things aren’t always as they seem.”

  Sam didn’t respond right away.

  “Should we let Brady know?”

  “No. The kid has a great heart but I don’t want him in the way. Let’s let him be. Leave a note on Rose’s door. We’ll stop and grab a coffee on our way out. It could be a long day. Oh, we’re hiking in, the only way in is by foot or ATV.”

  Sam wrote a quick note, grabbed a sweatshirt. He didn’t have hiking boots, his sneakers would have to do.

  Gabe left to put the note on Rose’s door across the hall.

  “How do you know the mole at the precinct hasn’t alerted Richard? And what about Richard’s yacht?”

  “I called my chief on how to handle this. They’re in the process of getting a search warrant for that as well. Right now, everyone is kept in the dark except us and three men my department is sending down. They left last night. We’re going to meet them at a truck stop and ride in together. We want to be as invisible as possible.”

  They drove off. Sam saw the seriousness of this on Gabe’s face. His own fears and trepidation were tempered by the time he sat with the Lord earlier. He only hoped he could remain in that place. He kept picturing Megan alive and well. When this was all over, he would bring her out to his place and they would sit on the porch overlooking the gardens. God. Please protect her.

  Chapter 31

  The pounding in her head woke her, and the abrasion of the cabin floor against her bare hands pulled her back into reality. Megan sat upright, much too quickly, and doubled over. The pain cleared just as her senses jumped into alert. She wasn’t alone.

  “Our wild goose chase is over, Megan.”

  She started, searching the cabin. He sat on a chair near the door, mockingly casual. His hands fiddled with something between his fingers. Richard.

  “I won.” His smirk grew to a one-sided grin. “And I have something for you.” He held up an old, faded blue hair ribbon. “I’ve been waiting for you for eight years.”

  Megan’s heart thrashed against her ribcage. The memories slammed against her with merciless force. Her ribbon. She had lost it running in the woods from the monster. She knew him. She knew this monster. He was the shadow in her dreams, the demon in her memories. But how? “Why?”

  “You still can’t remember, can you?” Richard stood, crossed the floor, closed the distance between them. “How pathetic.” There was no sarcasm in his voice, only contempt. “I would have thought you’d have remembered by now, all the time you’ve spent in Piedmont.”

  She started to back away — he moved toward her and grabbed her forearm. His presence paralyzed her. Can’t breathe. Hopelessness crashed down on her. He was too close. Help me.

  A sickening laugh curdled from the man. Megan lost the will to fight him. He was enjoying this. She’d lost. He’d won. He twined his fingers absently in her hair.

  “I’ll bet you didn’t know I had a thing for redheads . . . well, one anyway. Time’s up, Megan.”

  Time’s up. She’d heard that before. He had said that before . . .

  His free hand reached back into his pocket. He withdrew a gun. Megan lurched away from him, desperately crawling. He pulled her back.

  Time’s up. A beam of light caught her attention.

  Light streamed through the curtains. She heard a scream.

  But it wasn’t hers. The gun. The blood.

  Darkness.

  “You . . .” She gasped, choking. “You . . . killed her. You killed . . . my mother.”

  His gaze grew almost thoughtful. “Yes. Alas, you were wrong all along. It was never about the park, was it, Megan?”

  Oh, yes, it was. He’d pursued her at that park, through those woods. She’d remembered it that day, only to have it pushed back in the recesses of her mind, locked and guarded.

  He had killed her mother. While she hid in the closet, holding her baby sister, watching through a large crack. The only witness. The witness he would now eliminate. Her body wracked in pain, trembling. She wanted to beg, plead. But her mother had pleaded. And Richard had pulled the trigger.

  Richard lifted the gun, then just as dramatically, dropped it. He fell to his knees in an uncontrollable fit of coughing. Megan recoiled as she saw venom dripping from fangs. Wait. No. He wiped the blood from his lips. His blood. He dragged in one slow, wheezing breath after another, shoulders locked in a shudder. Down at her level, his evil eyes locked on to hers. A visible agony took Megan aback. Momentarily distracted, she thought she saw the light from the window growing brighter. Infusing the shadows of the cabin. Was someone out there?

  Richard continued to fight for each breath.

  She crawled back just an inch or two. The lab results. The lab results Sam brought to Piedmont . . . It wasn’t her imagination. The light from the window intensified, now filling the corners of the room. She stared at his hideous contorted shape in front of her. The monster began to shrink.

  Attempting to crawl forward and grab his gun, sweat beaded on his forehead.

  “You’re dying, aren’t you?” Megan whispered.

  He didn’t answer.

  Megan looked to the window. Yes, the light was indeed brighter. But why? She looked back to the man doubled over in front of her. Choking. How was that possible? There was no monster anymore. No demon. Just a dying man. Just an empty soul.

  “You can’t hurt me anymore.” Megan wasn’t sure she audibly spoke
those words, or simply thought them. But they were real. In an instant, the illumination in the cabin magnified and Richard covered his eyes, temporarily blinded.

  “I won’t . . . lose,” he managed. Again, he tried to feel for the gun. Sweat pouring off his reddened face. His eyes still shut.

  Staring at him sick and blinded, Megan realized he was powerless. Richard was driven back by the light’s intensity which seemed to surround him from all directions.

  Run to the light. Megan saw her chance. She willed strength into her limbs and stood, racing for the door. Richard’s hand seized her, stopped her. “No!” she gasped out. “You already lost!”

  His grip was too weak. She pulled away, fumbled with the door’s latch. Every second passed as an eternity. Run to the light. She broke free. Breathed the rich forest air outside the cabin. The gun went off. She heard wood splintering, either the door or the wall. Too late, Megan was gone.

  Leaning up against the teetering porch rail, Richard pulled his cell phone from his pocket. Panting. “She’s running east. Headed to the river. Catch her and finish her.” His breath came in short bursts.

  What the heck is going on? A firestorm raged within him. He had never failed. He would have made his dad proud. Everything he did was for him. His men would find her and clean up the mess cleanly and professionally as always.

  This wasn’t over. He would finish the job he started. Mayor Richard always came out on top. He wasn’t going to stop now.

  He slowed his breathing, made his way inside and grabbed a bottle of pills. Swallowing them, he sat back down. Even. Slow. Breaths.

  His men had never failed him either. Failure was not an option. His dad had taught him that and taught him well. The scars on his body proved it. He would be proud of what he had become.

  Richard stood, teetered slightly, and walked to his jacket. Time to go home. Regroup. The queen had slipped through his grasp momentarily. His men would find her. If the king didn’t eliminate the queen, his pawns would.