It was wet against Miriam's chest. Miriam felt her friend for the wound that would release so much blood and found a wide, gaping wound on the back of Naomi head. She had been hit from behind. Miriam looked around her and saw a large, pewter candlestick covered in red lying close to Naomi. She felt as if she were in a live version of Clue: My guess is Naomi in the Living Room with the Candlestick.
"Naomi, Naomi!" Susan said, shaking her slightly. "Oh, god, Naomi, can you hear us?"
"Nai, please!" Miriam was crying now. She didn't want to lose her friend, the only friend who had believed her. "Please wake up, please!"
As if responding to their cries, Naomi's eyes fluttered open. "Miriam…? Susan?" she tried to sit up and wasn't successful; she slumped back against Miriam. "Where….did all this…blood come from? There was…a woman…she…" Naomi coughed and her whole body shook. "She hit me from behind with…"
"It's okay, sweetheart." Susan said softly. "We know. Miriam and I were attacked tonight to."
"What…what do they want…with us?"
"They want you to die because I told you both about the Lifetime Contracts. What's happening at Hope Falls."
"Why?" Naomi said. The word was a whisper.
"Because you know. I guess that's enough reason for them." Miriam said coldly.
"Sweetheart, do you feel alright? You've lost a lot of blood." Susan asked.
"I'm…tired…and sore. All this blood is mime?" Her eyes widened in horror as she saw the blood that covered Miriam. "I don't want to die…" Naomi whimpered. "I
don't want to die…Please don't let me die…" she said, tears springing up to her eyes.
Miriam felt the back of her head and saw Naomi wince. The wound had let a lot of blood out, but with Naomi lying on her back, her head immersed in the pool of blood, the wound had clotted. She was lucky. If she had lost any more blood, she would have probably been dead.
"You're going to be okay." Miriam said. "We'll make sure you get better."
"We have to leave here." Susan said. "We have to go before they come back. Betty and the Dark Haired Man will be waking soon and then…they will know."
"But what are we going to do? We have to take Naomi to a hospital!" Miriam screeched.
"No!" Susan said firmly. "They'll look for us there. We can't risk being found, being seen. They think you're dead right now, but once they realize that you're not, they will come for us."
"But I was dressed as Sabrina when Betty found me, I told her that Miriam was out of town."
"They're smart, though." Susan said. "When the Dark Haired Man wakes, he'll warn them. They will be after us, make no mistake."
"What…are we going to do?" Naomi asked weakly.
"We need to take you somewhere where you can rest." Miriam said. "Susan's right, we can't stay here, we can’t stay at my place, we can't go to Susan's place." She
sighed. "God, this is a mess. I still have to go get my Sabrina costume."
"We'll figure that out later. In the meantime, we have to get out of here." Susan said.
"But where are we going to go?" Miriam asked, putting a hand to her throat and smearing her neck with wet blood.
"I have an idea. I know a place where we can go." Susan said.
FORTY
the girls discuss weapons
"Where are we going?" Miriam asked.
They were speeding along the highway towards the city limits. Naomi was laid out in the back seat, an ice pack pressed to the back of her head.
"I have a place." Susan said.
"You have a place." Naomi repeated after her.
"I have my apartment in the city and a house in the country." Susan said.
"You own a house?" Miriam had never heard Susan mention anything about a house.
"It was my mothers. It was left to me in her will. I haven't gone to see it since she died five years ago."
"Why not?" Miriam asked.
"Because it hurts too much. I miss her too much. But we'll be safe there. We'll tend to Naomi's wounds. And then we'll decide what to do."
"If they want war, they're going to get it."
"What do you mean?" Naomi asked.
"They attacked the two people in my life that mean the most to me right now. Before, I was fighting for my life. Now it's personal. And they've pissed me off. If they think I've been a problem before, they haven't seen anything yet." She turned to Susan,
her mouth a grim line. "Do you have any guns in the house?"
"What kind of a question is that?" Susan asked. "Do I have guns in the house?" Her eyes had gone mean while she drove her shiny corvette.
"We have to fight fire with fire," Miriam said, a hardness creeping into her voice. If they're willing to choke the life out of us, beat it out of us with candle sticks, or shoot our freaking heads off, we have to be just as strong."
"No, we do not." Susan's mouth was a grim line. "We do not have to sink to their level, you know that as well as I do. They won't be playing fair."
"I don't want to get more hurt than I already am." Naomi said. "I don't know about you two, but one near death experience is good enough for me." She sighed and stretched out further in the back seat. "Besides, if anyone else tries to kill me, I'm going to go PMS on their ass."
Miriam laughed and was glad for it. "Only you would say such a thing." Miriam said, smiling.
"I know," Naomi said. "That's why they pay me the big bucks." She smiled and fell asleep.
"I'm glad she's going to be alright." Susan said.
"She's been a good friend to you too, huh?" Miriam said.
"Yeah." Susan said. "After my parents died, I had no one. Her family took care of me until I went away to university."
"We used to live next door to each other." Miriam whispered. "We were like sisters."
"Isn't it odd that she would bring us together than?" Susan said.
"No," Miriam replied. "Not odd at all."
FORTY ONE
the girls arrive at a hideaway
"Holy crap!" Naomi said from the back seat. Miriam could not agree more with the sentiment.
They were drawing close to the front driveway of Susan's family house. Miriam had no words to describe the house’s beauty. Susan simply remained quiet.
The house was huge. There was no other word for it. Windows looked out at the front gardens like bright eyes or mirrors that greeted the visitor. Its outside walls had been painted a soft, pale blue color and yellow and white trimmed shutters framed the windows.
There was a wraparound porch on the front, screened in, with a light on the
inside porch turned on. It fell like gold to the warped floorboards, covered in thick red paint. A chimney sprouted smoke and there were lights on inside, making the place look homey.
The front garden was incredible. More of a jungle than anything, there were plants of every imaginable kind. Trees were surrounded by red berry bushes. Lilacs bend in the breeze next to ornamental grass, cat tails swung beside sunflowers. Vines covered the walls and morning glories sprouted along the path leading to the front door of
the house. Roses bloomed and it's vines and leaves spread out on the wooden surface of the house. Its blooms, fragrant and deep red, fell like white clouds over the roof of the porch.
"That's odd." Miriam said. "I've never seen a white rose bush grow like that."
"They were my mother's pride." Susan said. "She has been growing those same roses since I was a girl. White roses, always white, for purity. Sometimes, she loved those roses more than she loved me." Susan smiled bitterly. "She would train them to grow over the house. Hours spent on her plants, would show me how to tend them.”
She wiped away a tear that had appeared on her cheek and smiled softly.
They were about to open the door of the screened in porch when Miriam saw the flash of eyes in the darkness. A man was standing there, waiting for them, his arms folded across his chest.
Fearing it was the Long Dark Haired Man; Miriam grabbed her friends and pulle
d them to the ground.
Summoning all her strength, she screamed at the man. "Stay away from us!" her scream ripped apart the night air. "STAY AWAY FROM US!" she screamed.
The man lit a cigarette and opened the screen door, the cherry of his cigarette glowing in the darkness.
FORTY TWO
the girls meet the handyman
The man stepped forward from the darkness, flicking his cigarette ashes to the ground with a smooth movement. He was tall, well over six feet and his raven black hair fell to just below his shoulders. A blue cable knit sweater was stretched across his broad frame to protect himself from the cold night and the color matched the cobalt blue of his eyes.
Susan took one look at the man and started laughing. Shortly thereafter, the man let lose a bark and started laughing right along with Susan. Naomi looked on in bewilderment. "What's so funny?" she asked.
Ruffled, Miriam's face colored. "I fail to see what's so funny about the situation." Miriam said her voice high. "A man comes at us from the darkness of shadows, he could be anyone."
"I love the way you talk," the man said, his laughter stopping momentarily. "It sounds like a soap opera." He smiled at her, a flash of white teeth in the dark, blinding against tanned skin.
Susan stopped laughing, wiping tears from her eyes. "God, I needed a good laugh. You're always good for a giggle, Miriam."
"I still don't see what's so funny." She said, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "In case you've forgotten, we're running for our lives here."
"Oh, Miriam." Susan hugged her. "Relax. We're safe here. No one knows about this place except me, you two and Derrick."
"Derrick?" Miriam asked.
"Charmed," the man said He extended his hand to Miriam and she took it reflexively. Instinctively. His hand was warm and callused and the feel of it in her palm sent a shiver up her spine.
"What do you do here?" Miriam's voice was breathy, soft. She wanted to swim in his eyes.
"I'm the groundskeeper." He said. "A little of this, a little of that. I make sure the gardens are weeded, the house kept clean." He smiled another of his blinding smiles. "A Jack of all Trades, a Handy man, I guess you could say."
Miriam felt her face flush and took her hand back. She held it softly in her other palm. "A Jack of all Trades," she repeated.
Susan smiled and nodded. "He's been working here since he was fifteen. He was best friends with my brother." A pained look crossed Susan's face at the mention of David, her brother. He had passed away suddenly when he was seventeen. No one in her family talked of it.
Covering for Susan, Derrick interrupted. "Her parents sort of adopted me, took me in as a son." He smiled at Susan. "Susan's been like a sister to me."
"Do you not have any family of your own?" Naomi asked.
"No." Derrick said shortly. "They are all gone." A shadow crossed his face and disappeared. "I'll get the bags out of the car." He smiled at them. "Go up and show them the house, Susan. I'll be okay."
*
When they were out of ear shot, Naomi turned to Susan. They were walking up the long front path towards the house. "What happened to his family?" Naomi asked.
"Died in a house fire when he was a young boy."
Miriam had a flash of Stacey's death, her face showing through the flames as they licked her skin. She thought of Toby, sweet Toby. She felt the same fluttering in her stomach when Derrick was around that Toby had created in her. Oh, forgive me Toby, she prayed silently. Forgive me.
"So he doesn't have anyone?" Naomi asked.
"Not a soul except me." Susan said. "He was a great help to me when my mother died."
"Did you two ever…?" Naomi prodded.
Susan chuckled. "No, not that the attraction wasn't there at first. But we decided we wanted the feeling of family rather than a quick roll in the hay." Susan sighed. "He is quite the looker though."
"I'd say," Naomi said smiling. "He seemed to fancy Miriam."
Miriam blushed. "Oh, he did not. He's what? Thirty so he's far to young for me."
"You didn't take a very good look at Mr. Tall Dark and Handsome, did you?" Susan teased. "He's got these delightful little crows feet, you'll see them in the daytime, and when he takes his shirt off!" Susan fanned herself. "Ooh, let me tell you."
"How old is he, Susan?" Miriam asked.
"He's forty five, so he's only a few years younger than you."
"I'm fifty two!" Miriam said, blushing, "So he's seven years younger than me!"
"Oh!" Naomi said with a mock gasp. "He's only SEVEN YEARS YOUNGER! Oh, you're robbing the cradle!" she and Susan laughed and Miriam found herself chuckling along with them.
As they entered the grand old house, Miriam turned and saw Derrick watching her with a smile on his face. She felt herself smile in return.
FORTY THREE
Miriam receives another note
As large as the house seemed outside, it seemed even bigger inside. It was a mass of hallways and wooden floors, many doorways of varying sizes and wide, open windows in every room. Miriam knew that a child could have fun in this house; that games were played here. Miriam wondered whether Susan had partaken of any of those games. She had not known about her mother, nor had Naomi. She wondered why she hid such a large family secret.
Miriam and Naomi followed Susan to the kitchen where a pot of tea was already steeping. She looked at the warm tea pot and shook her head. Bending down, she took out a bottle filled with gold liquid and put it on the table, with three tumbler glasses. "We need something stronger than tea." She said.
"Hear Hear!" Naomi said, waiting for Susan to fill her glass and clinking it against hers. "I could drink a whole bottle."
Miriam smiled and accepted the glass of gold. "What is it?"
"My parents finest whiskey, brewed in 1910."
Miriam spat out the sip she had taken. A shower of droplets hit the table top. "Should we be drinking it than? It's almost a hundred years old!"
"Of course we should be drinking it." Susan said. "That's what it's here for. Besides, there is more in the cellar."
"There is a cellar in this house?" Naomi asked.
"Yep, dark and dungeon like. There is also a tower and a large attic."
"A tower?" Miriam asked.
"I'll take you up there later. My great grandfather built the original part of the cottage. We've just added onto it over the years. It's become a pleasant jumble of rooms."
"Than why didn't I know about it?" Naomi asked, obviously hurt that the secret of the house had not been revealed to her.
"Because…it still hurts to talk of my parents. I lived here with them before I became an actress, growing up as a young girl." Pain showed on her face. "I lost my father when I was a young girl and my mother was all I had left. When she died, part of me died with her." She huffed out a small laugh and refreshed their drinks. "I'm tired all of a sudden. Let's see if Derrick brought our bags up and I'll show you both your rooms."
*
The house only got larger. There were three floors above them, a main floor and a basement, with a cellar. Miriam could not wait to start exploring what she was already thinking of as their safe house.
Putting her drink on the bedside table of her room, Miriam looked around her as she got ready for bed. There was a deep, comfortable bed made of oak with large posts covered in gauze. A deep red oriental rug was on the rough wooden floor, soft underneath her feet. There were soft curtains framing the large windows and there was a
small vanity set up by a mirror so that she could do her make up in the morning.
She was about to pull back the covers when she noticed something. There was a large X, made with masking tape on the bedroom window. Shuddering, she looked closer. A paper flapped, like a white flag, from the tape.
With shaking hands, Miriam opened the window and reached out. Quickly grabbing the paper, she ripped it off the window, as if the cool light air would burn her skin. She took a shot of whiskey to calm herself and unfolded the pa
per. It read:
Miriam,
They know you have not passed on. They do not know where you are, but they will find you. Stay watchful. I will contact you again soon.
Hope Falls Page 11