Killer Secrets

by Sherrie Orvik

  She shook her head, trying to erase the thoughts of him that seemed to invade every moment. It was done. Over. She was going to start fresh, beginning with cleaning up this mess.

  She looked around, trying to assess the damage the raccoon had left. A lot of clean-up and work had to happen if she was going to stay here. The raccoons had made such a mess of the food that had been in the cabinets, she was almost afraid to open the fridge. And then there was outside. The garden would need tending in the next day or two if she was going to get anything before winter.

  She grabbed a trash bag and started cleaning up. The sun sank behind the trees, darkening the cabin, so she flipped the light switch. Nothing. Mice or squirrels had probably chewed up the wiring. Great. As if the cleaning and gardening weren’t enough, now she had this to worry about, too.

  A candle would have to do for tonight. She found some matches, lit the wick, and pulled her curtains closed. She wasn’t sure why; the animals wouldn’t be looking in the windows. Still, she was keeping them closed. She felt uneasy, like she was being watched.

  There was a full moon tonight, but it still seemed darker than the darkness at the house. The streetlamps burned outside Pops’ house—it never seemed as dark as it was out here in the woods. She hoped night would pass quickly. She should go to sleep. Morning would come faster if she wasn’t thinking about how long and dark the night was. Long, dark, and lonely. She blew out the candle, laid her head on the pillow, and closed her eyes.

  * * *

  “Run baby, run!”

  “No, Momma, I can’t leave.”

  “Run!”

  She ran, her feet heavy, spurred on by the sound of her attacker’s footsteps behind her. She couldn’t outrun him. Hide. She could hide underneath one of the hundreds of spruce trees in the woods behind the house.

  “Elyse? Are you out here?” A man’s voice called out to her. She peered through the branches. A cop walked the woods, calling her name. “Elyse? It’s okay, honey, you can come out.”

  A gunshot rang out.

  Her eyes shot open and she sat up, her heart pounding in her chest. She fumbled for the matches and re-lit the candle. Someone was out there. Wait, it was a dream—the noise was in the dream. Wasn’t it?

  This was ridiculous. She had lived here, on her own, for years. It was no darker than it had ever been, and animals had always made noises outside at night. No one was outside; she was just letting her imagination get the best of her. She took a breath, her pulse still racing, her mind trying to slow it down.

  She had to prove to herself that no one was there, or she wasn’t going to sleep, and she had too much to do tomorrow to not get a good night’s rest. She went to the closet and opened the secret door behind her coat, relieved to feel her rifle still in its place. She made sure it was loaded and headed for the door.

  “You can do this. It’s just animals. Just animals.” No matter how many times she said it, it didn’t calm her fear. Her body trembled and her hand shook as she unlocked the door and turned the knob. She used the barrel of the rifle to push the door open. Her eye followed the barrel as she pointed it around the perimeter, making sure nothing, or no one, was out there.

  Nothing. She didn’t feel as much relief as she thought she would. The moonlight glimmered against something about forty feet from the porch and caught her attention.

  Leave it. It can wait until morning.

  No. She had come this far, and she was just fine. She was going to prove to herself, once and for all, that this was her home. The home that had always been her solace, her hiding place from…from who? Why couldn’t she remember who? Was he out here, hiding?

  She shook her head and walked down the steps, determined to overcome the fear running through her veins. The last step felt a bit like leaving the safety zone. She looked at the step, and then back out toward the object.

  Her head high, shoulders back and gun ready, she headed out into the moonlit trees. She approached the shining object and squatted to examine exactly what it was. It was smaller than she had thought; a button? How did a button get out here? Ravens. Stupid ravens dropped all sorts of things of things out here—wrappers, yarn, even pieces of fabric.

  But this…this is different. This wasn’t the birds. Run…

  The fear she had fought so hard to push away overtook her, and she jumped to her feet, her plan to run as fast as possible back to the relative safety of the cabin.

  A branch snapped, and she turned just as a fist shot out of the darkness, striking her jaw. Her ears rang and her vision blurred. Trees and stars whizzed above her as her body slammed against the cold ground.

  He’d found her, and he was going to finish what he’d started unless she escaped. But there was no safety of traffic this time, no nearby town to run to. No James to rescue her.

  She raised her rifle and fired in the direction the fist had come from.

  “Ah!” A scream shot out of the darkness. It was him. She knew that voice. And she must have hit him, or at least nicked him. She scrambled to her feet and ran. His steps were uneven behind her; thud, drag, thud, drag. She must have hit a leg. Thud, drag. Thud. Then silence. She couldn’t see him, and now she couldn’t hear him, either.

  She looked to the right, then the left, trying to see him—trying to see anything. Nothing but darkness and silence.

  And then a hum, louder and louder. The sound of tires rolling over branches and breaking everything in their path.

  A car.

  Her heart beat out of control, her breathing so fast she wasn’t sure she was breathing at all. He was going to run her down unless she could get away. Headlights shone from behind her, turning the forest ahead of her white.

  She ran. The lights got closer and closer, and there was no way she was going to outrun him. There was also no way she was giving up. She ran faster, knowing it was futile, knowing she was about to die. She couldn’t die. Not yet. Not without knowing why.

  The headlights came up behind her, but instead of running her down, the vehicle pulled beside her. A truck. It came to a sudden stop in front of her, and the passenger door flew open.

  “Get in!” James shouted. “Now!”

  She jumped in and he hit the gas, blazing a path back out of the woods. His lips were a thin line, his eyes narrow and focused on the road through the woods. He looked straight ahead and didn’t say a word.

  He was fuming, she could hear it in the way he was trying to control his breathing. The truck turned onto the highway, and she shifted to face him.

  “I’m sorr—”

  “Don’t.”

  Tears burned in her eyes, and she reached up to brush them away. Her hand touched her jaw, and she winced.

  James turned his head and looked at her, his mouth softening, his brow furrowing. “Are you okay?” He sighed and reached over, his fingertips gently brushing against the throbbing flesh. “Your jaw looks pretty bruised. You’re going to want to ice that as soon as we get back.”

  “I’ll be fine.” She sniffed, trying to control the emotion boiling up inside. She looked upward through blurry tears and shook her head. “No, I’m not fine. You’d be better off…you know, if I stay away. You could get your job back, and you’d be safe…you’d be better off without me.”

  “Oh, Elyse, when are you going to understand? The job, my safety, none of it matters if…” He pressed his lips together and sighed, then put his arm over her shoulder and pulled her beside him, his touch making her pulse race again. His heartbeat slowed, hers slowed with it. She closed her eyes as the hum of the rolling tires and the security in his words lulled her to sleep.

  * * *

  James tilted his head enough to see Elyse’s face. Her breathing was steady, her eyes closed. She looked peaceful, but he knew better. Just under that peaceful façade was a woman in turmoil. A woman who felt the need to run, to keep everyone she met from getting too close.

  What was she thinking, going out into the woods, unprotected, far away from anyone who coul
d help her? She was lucky he had located her family cabin a few days prior. Ever since they had found out who she was, he’d had a feeling she might try to run. When he realized she had, he knew exactly where she’d gone.

  If he hadn’t…he shuddered at the thought of what could have happened had he not shown up when he did. Whoever had tried to kill her the first time would have finished the job this time.

  She had fought back, though. She had been clinging to a rifle when he picked her up, and the rifle still smelled of gunpowder. She’d fired it; had she hit her attacker? He could put out an APB to hospitals across a hundred mile or so range…no, he couldn’t. He was on leave. He grunted and pressed back into the seat. He would have to ask Terry or Edith to do it. He hated the fact that he had to ask them to put their jobs on the line because of that dirt bag Calvert.

  He glanced back down at Elyse, resting quietly. The smell of her hair just under his chin made one corner of his mouth pull into a small smile. He sighed and shook his head. He wanted to be mad at her. To lecture her for being foolish. And he still might, if he could get past the fact that he was so glad she was okay.

  He drove all night, doubling back, taking side roads, all to make sure they were alone. He’d had to make a lot of short notice arrangements to find a new safe-house, and he wasn’t about to risk having her location compromised again. He finally reached the house and pulled into the garage, quickly closing the door to conceal the truck.

  “Elyse, wake up. We’re here.”

  She opened her eyes and took a deep breath. Her eyes raised and met his, her head still lying against his chest.

  Her lips were inches from his, so close he could feel the heat of her breath.

  Her eyes pleaded with him to bring his closer. He wanted to grab her, pull her even closer than she already was, and press his mouth to hers. He wanted to feel the beat of her heart on his chest, the softness of her skin against his.

  He pulled away and opened his door, sliding out into the cool garage. He walked around, opened her door, and held out his arms to help her out. She slid toward him, her eyes never leaving his gaze. As she slid out of the truck, her legs and stomach pressed against his. Blood raced through his veins, filling him with heat and electricity.

  Every cell in his body, every beat of his heart told him to pull her in close—hold her and never let her go. Was it what she wanted, though? Her body said it was, but the fact remained that she had run away. She thought he’d be better off without her—did that mean she thought she’d be better off without him, too?

  “Come on. Let’s get you in the safe house and get some ice on that jaw.”

  “Safe house? Why aren’t we at your house?”

  He stopped and turned toward her, holding her by the shoulders. “We don’t know who poisoned Oden, but chances are they wanted to make it easier to get you. We can’t risk—I won’t risk anything happening to you. Do you understand?”

  She held his gaze and nodded. He kept one arm around her as they walked to the back door of the house. She could have walked fine alone, and he knew it, but his arm around her seemed like an invisible chain—like she wouldn’t run as long as it was there.

  James opened the door to the house and they went inside. Helen was in the kitchen, pouring a glass of milk.

  “Where have you been, child? We’ve been worried sick about you.” She set the jug on the counter and bustled to Elyse, shaking her head. She reached toward Elyse’s jaw and sighed, pursing her lips. “Oh honey, now what have you gone and done? I’ll see if I can find an ice pack.”

  “Thank you.” Elyse answered quietly, not raising her eyes.

  Helen put ice in a baggie and wrapped it in a towel, then held it out to James. “Can you help her ice her jaw? I’m exhausted from getting Pops settled, and I need to give Oden his meds, too.”

  “Yeah. Thanks, Helen.” James took the ice pack and put his arm across Elyse’s shoulder.

  He walked her to the sofa and sat beside her. He rubbed his face and then turned and looked at her. She stared at the floor, her hands wringing in her lap. His heart hurt for her. She had been through so much—the murder of her sister and father, her mother’s mental illness, abuse by her foster parents—no wonder she had trust issues.

  He wanted to pull her into his arms and tell her no one was ever going to hurt her again. That she wasn’t going to suffer like that ever again. He wanted to shelter her from all the things life could throw at her. But he knew better. Life doesn’t work that way. People die. Sometimes they just leave you, sometimes they hurt you.

  “Elyse?” She didn’t answer, just kept looking at the floor.

  “Elyse, look at me.” He reached over and put his fingers gingerly under her chin, turning her face towards him. “You need to understand that I’m trying to keep you safe. If you go running off like that again, I might not be able…” He stopped, unwilling to think about the “what ifs.”

  “This house is safe. Very few people know you’ve been moved.” He gazed into her eyes and lowered his tone. “And you have me. I’m a good cop, Elyse. As long as you’re with me, I swear I will keep you safe.”

  She pulled her hands closer to her body and sank back into the couch. He didn’t want to upset her. He smiled at her, hoping to ease her tension and his.

  “But I can only keep you safe if you’re with me. Even hero cops have their limits.” He put his arm around her shoulder and gently pulled her closer, then held the ice soft against her jaw. Her body relaxed, and she rested her head on his shoulder.

  “I really am sorry, James.” She whispered.

  “I’m just grateful I was able to find you in time.”

  She sat up and looked at him, her brows knit together, her mouth twisted up on one side. “Wait…how did you find me?”

  “As soon as we learned your name, I started researching your history, and the cabin came up as a past address. Last night I went to your room to check on you—I wanted to make sure you were all right after everything that happened. When you weren’t there, I had a pretty good idea where you’d gone. I went to the bus station, but I’d missed you by about a half hour.”

  Her eyes sparkled with tears that threatened to spill down her rosy cheeks. “You…you came for me, even after I almost got Oden killed? Why didn’t you just let me go?”

  He wasn’t ready to say it. Wasn’t ready to tell her what her mother had done, wasn’t ready to admit—even to himself—that he was falling for her.

  He smiled and gazed into her eyes. “I came because you…you made a huge mistake. But it was just that-a mistake. Oden is going to be okay, but if anything had happened to you—”

  “Why didn’t anything happen to me?”

  “What?”

  “The day of the attack, he knocked me out to drive me to the woods. Why not just kill me? At the cemetery—he was close enough to shoot me. Then Oden, then tonight—why does he keep hurting me? Why not just kill me?”

  Good question.

  He stood and handed her the ice, then put his hands on his hips and paced.

  “He intends to kill you, or at least he did. We found a shallow grave dug in the woods.”

  She closed her eyes for a moment, then sighed. “Okay, but why not kill me while I was unconscious?”

  “He may have intended to, but like Dr. West said, you probably woke up earlier and much more alert than your attacker planned.”

  “We never saw him at the cemetery, and Terry said it was clear—he was hiding somewhere. Somewhere close enough to stay out of view, but still get the rose to my seat. Again, why not just take a shot and kill me?”

  “No. He had nowhere to go. We’d have caught him.”

  “When he poisoned Oden—”

  “He almost did kill you. He followed you to the cabin.”

  “And then punched me?”

  James shook his head. “There are killers who torture their victims before killing them—”

  “Oh, that’s nice.”

  “—but I
don’t think that’s what’s going on here. I really believe he would’ve killed you tonight if I hadn’t shown up.”

  She set the ice pack on the end table, then stood in front of him and put her hands on his chest.

  “I’m thankful you came, I am. But this guy, whoever he is, has been one step ahead of us from the start. It’s only a matter of time before he kills us both.”

  He pulled her close and held her tight, careful not to hit her jaw. “I said it before, Elyse. Not going to happen.”

  “I hope you’re right. I couldn’t live with myself if anything happened to you.”

  “Nothing’s going to happen to me.” He cupped her face in his hands and pressed his forehead to hers. “Or you.”

  Her eyes begged him to kiss her. His mind screamed against him, giving him a million reasons not to. His heart beating wild in his chest and the feeling of her in his arms drowned out every one of those reasons.

  “Take me to bed, James.”

  His name was a whisper on her lips, a whisper with the same dangerous potential as gasoline next to a fire. That’s what she was to him. Gasoline. The gasoline that fueled his need to catch her attacker, fueled his need to put his own demons to rest, and most of all, fueled his desire.

  He pulled her closer, desperate to feel her close to him, even more desperate to hide his face from her. Looking into her eyes would destroy his resolve. He scooped her into his arms, then carried her to her room and laid her on the bed. He sat on the edge of the bed for a minute, but it wasn’t enough. He stretched out behind her and held her.

  “Promise me you won’t ever run again,” he whispered against her neck, dragging his hand along her thigh.

  “I promise.”

  This time, he hoped she meant it.

  Chapter 12

  Elyse stood at the foot of a staircase, her heart pounding in her chest.