by Brenda Bone
Brant chuckled. “It did? What’s your name?”
“Johnny. You’re not Grandpa. Is Grandpa there?”
“Sorry, Johnny. He’s not, but you can still talk to me. How old are you?”
“Five.”
“What city are you calling from, Johnny?”
“Juneau, ‘laska.”
“Alaska?” Brant repeated. “Wow, so your tooth fell out in Alaska, did it?”
“Yes!”
“Don’t worry, Johnny. You’ll grow a brand new, shinier tooth soon. Is your mom or dad around?”
“Mommy’s home. Want to talk to her?”
“Yes, please.”
“Mommy, the nice man wants to talk to you,” Johnny said, his voice growing more distant.
“Hello?” His mother spoke softly over the phone. “Who’s this?”
“This is Brant Diamond of WQXL in Columbus, Ohio. Your son, Johnny, with the missing tooth accidentally called our music request and dedications hour. You’re on the air right now!”
“Oh, dear! I told him not to play on the phone!”
“If you promise not to scold him, and if you’ll make sure that the Tooth Fairy visits and leaves him a handsome sum tonight, I’ll arrange for the long distance charges to be reversed if you’ll remain on the line and give my production engineer your name, address and phone number. I’ll also throw in a gift certificate that you can use online, just in case the Tooth Fairy’s offerings aren’t enough to please Johnny.”
“Oh! Thank you, Mr. Diamond! You’re the greatest!”
“You’re welcome, but first, I’ll dedicate this next song to Johnny. It’s called, ‘My Long Distance Friend.’”
Music played again and Lindsay, reclining on the sofa, thought, It sounds like Brant enjoys his new job. Already he’s at ease with it.
Closing her eyes, she dozed off and dreamed of Brant. When her eyes fluttered open again, Brant’s voice remained on the radio as he prepared to end his show. “We’ve got time for one last dedication, folks. This one is called, ‘Love’s Broken Wings,’ and it goes out from Crayton to a very special lady so she’ll know he still thinks about her all the time.”
The same words she heard during the night they danced at the awards banquet permeated her soul:
“If you love me forevermore,
On broken wings, our love can soar;
If you need me, I’ll be right there,
Just call my name; I’ll always care…”
Why didn’t he put the caller’s voice on the air like he did the rest? Then she remembered suddenly, Brant’s middle name is Crayton! Could it be possible that he indirectly sent her a message through the song? If so, why didn’t he mention her name instead of stating that it was for “a very special lady?” He probably wouldn’t want to expose his personal life on the air quite so blatantly. Yet, wouldn’t he do it in a way that she, being another professional, might pick up on if she heard it?
She dared to hope that the song was meant for her so as soon as Brant’s shift was over, she called him at the station. “I heard most of your show. You were great.”
“Thanks. I thought you might listen to my first show—if you love me. That’s why I played, ‘Love’s Broken Wings.’”
So he did play it for her! Her chest tightened with excitement. “Why didn’t you say on the air that it was for me?”
“I don’t like to broadcast my love life to the world, but if you want me to say over the air that I love you so the public will know how I feel about you, I’ll do it.”
“No need to go that far. I believe you.”
“Is that all? Aren’t you going to say you love me, too?”
“Yes, Brant. I really do!”
“Then why are we still talking on this phone? Let’s get together. We need to make up for lost time and discuss everything that came between us lately so these things won’t tear us apart again in the future.”
“You’re right. I have important news to tell you.” She thought about her New York job offer.
“Can you give me a hint?”
“I could.”
“But you won’t, right?”
“It’s more fun to keep you in suspense.”
“Fun for you, not me. Stay where you are. I’m on my way. You’re calling from your house, aren’t you?”
“Yes. I’ll wait for you, Brant.”
“Good. I’ve waited all my life for someone like you. See you shortly.”
Lindsay was ecstatic. She felt as if her life was a puzzle with the last missing piece finally found and snapped into place. When Brant told her he loved her, all the ugliness of the past vanished.
After running a brush through her hair and inspecting her appearance and checking her reflection in a hall mirror, she felt satisfied. Next, she checked the refrigerator. There were ham sandwiches and chocolate fudge cake. When Brant arrived, she’d suggest they enjoy a romantic candlelight picnic on the patio later. The fear that he wouldn’t want to marry and accompany her to New York plagued her like a buzzing bee circling her head. They loved each other, though, so surely they could solve their problems…couldn’t they? So much almost prevented them from being together that they couldn’t afford to allow any more obstacles to rule their lives. She was so excited about reconciling with Brant that, when the doorbell rang, she didn’t bother looking through the peekhole as she normally did to see who was there. Opening the door, she was disappointed to discover that her visitor wasn’t Brant.
“Hope you don’t mind me stopping by without calling first,” Rafe Wagner said. “I felt lonely so I thought perhaps you and I could have a cup of coffee and talk.”
“Come in,” she invited, feeling sorry for him when she noticed his swollen eyes and suspected he might have been crying earlier. “Actually, Rafe, I’m expecting someone to arrive soon and--”
“I’ve intruded, haven’t I?” He entered the house, then started toward the door again. “Maybe I shouldn’t have come. I so often do the wrong thing at the wrong time. I never used to be a jinx until--”
“Sit down and stay awhile,” she interrupted. “What I started to say was that I’m expecting company, but you’re welcome to join us.”
Brant probably won’t like this, she thought, especially since Rafe isn’t one of his favorite people, but Rafe looks sad, like a lost puppy. I can’t be rude and tell him to leave when all he seems to want is someone to offer him a little encouragement.
“Want that cup of coffee now?” she asked.
“Let’s have it a little later.”
“How’ve you been?”
Rafe sat down on the sofa and she relaxed on a chair across from him. “Not well. I haven’t slept at night in ages.”
“Do you suffer from insomnia?” She tried to pretend interest in their conversation.
“Yes. Among other things. What’s been happening in your life, Lindsay?”
“A lot. For one thing I start a new job soon.”
“As a radio host?”
“Yes. The job is in New York, so I’m moving.”
Pain covered his face as if a poisonous snake just bit him. “You can’t do that!”
Confused, she said, “Sure, I can.”
“No!” A glazed look of despair descended over his dark eyes. “If you move away from Ohio, you’ll take her with you. She’ll be out there somewhere and I’ll never know where she is or when she’s coming back.”
“What are you talking about, Rafe?” She rapidly grew impatient with him. Brant should arrive at any moment and she was anxious to be alone with him to discuss their future. She didn’t have time to waste playing guessing games with Rafe.
“Connie! I’m talking about Connie!” he raised his voice. “Did you think I’d ever forget her?”
The mention of her sister’s name and the demented look on Rafe’s face sent shivers crawling down her spine. “Why did you bring up Connie’s name?” She wasn’t sure that she was prepared for the answer he might give.
“Bec
ause I can never get away from her.”
Rafe’s words made no sense to Lindsay. “I don’t understand. Do you know something I don’t about how or why Connie died?”
His face turned florid before his voice filled with paranoia. “Are you accusing me of being involved with her death?”
“No! I just thought you might have seen or heard something that you didn’t want to tell the police. Besides, you’re the one who began acting strangely when you brought up Connie.”
“Don’t say that.”
Lindsay looked curiously at him. “Say what?”
“That I act strangely. I don’t…except when she’s around.”
“Who?”
“Connie.”
His unexpected answers worried her. The way his eyes narrowed with what she feared was desire made her uneasy.
“I really liked her,” he confessed, “more than any of the other girls at school. I never wanted anything terrible to happen to her. She was like an angel. Pretty and sweet. When I offered to drive her home after the party that night, it was only because I wanted to spend some time alone with her.”
“You began to drive Connie home? We all thought she walked!”
“She started to, but when I met her along the road, I offered to give her a ride home,” he recalled.
Lindsay was intrigued. “And she accepted?”
“She wasn’t going to, but I told her that pretty girls like her shouldn’t stroll alone at night. I persuaded her to get into the car. She finally agreed.”
A sick feeling settled in the pit of her stomach. “Then what happened?”
“We stopped for a hamburger and shared a chocolate milkshake. For a long time we stayed there and talked.”
“About what?”
“Life. Graduation. Our favorite hobbies. What we planned to do with our futures. Connie and I were alone so all her attention was directed toward only me. It was wonderful the way she noticed me then, like I was someone special in her life.”
“Where did you go after you left the hamburger joint?”
He leaned forward to be closer to her. “Remember Great Oak Hill?”
“I used to hear about it as being a favorite spot where couples liked to park.”
“That’s where I took Connie.”
Amazed, Lindsay said in disbelief, “Connie agreed to go there?”
“Actually, she protested…said she wanted to go home. I thought she was shy and frightened because she never went with anyone to Great Oak Hill. When we arrived there, I told her to relax, that I’d protect her and that I just wanted to kiss her.”
“Did you?”
“Yes. At least, I started to.”
“Connie began breathing hard. I thought she grew excited about being with me as I felt around her. Then she started wheezing and gasping for air. I knew there must be something physically wrong with her.”
Lindsay placed her hands over her eyes for a few seconds, almost as if to block out the sight of Rafe. She knew from her own experiences of being near Connie when she had an asthma attack that it could be quite frightening, not only for the asthmatic, but also for the person that stood by watching helplessly.
“I didn’t know until later that she had asthma and needed her medicine. I thought she was having a heart attack.”
“Didn’t you try to get help for her?”
“Panic gripped me, especially when she lost consciousness and didn’t regain it. When I finally checked her pulse, I thought she was dead.”
Lindsay’s head throbbed. “You mean she died while she was with you?”
“I think so.”
“Then why was her body found later in a ditch?”
“The situation terrified me! I didn’t know how to handle it. If I called the police or an ambulance, I was afraid people might think I killed her. So that no one would accuse me of murdering her, I drove to an isolated spot and left Connie in the ditch.”
Appalled by his revelation, she accused, “You just abandoned her to the whim of destiny!”
“Yes.”
Hearing the truth after all these years stirred the ever-present pain that resided in her since she lost her sister. Somehow she always suspected that another person had been solely responsible for Connie dying, but that didn’t make it any easier to stand face-to-face with Rafe.
“Why did you decide to tell me all this now, Rafe?”
“Because I couldn’t bear to keep the secret locked inside me any longer. It’s tortured me for years.”
“I can imagine,” she murmured, realizing that the guilt he stored inside him must have been a tremendous burden.
“Seeing you at the reunion was like being visited by Connie’s ghost. You look so much like her that the effect is startling. I can’t let you move away, then return to haunt me later when I’m not expecting you. No, I can’t do that.”
He talked in riddles again and she spoke sharply, “Rafe, would you please stop acting crazy so I can make sense out of what you’re saying?”
“If I’m crazy, you made me that way, Constance.” His voice sounded eerie.
I shouldn’t have invited Rafe inside tonight, Lindsay thought bleakly. Maybe I didn’t really want to know all these ghastly details, plus I don’t feel safe alone with him now!
She gasped in terror when he drew out a glistening silver knife from his pocket and shouted, “You won’t haunt me anymore, Connie! I’ll stop you! I have to!”
Just then, he lunged forward but she managed to rise and step back immediately as he stumbled over a brass urn which had been on the floor next to the sofa. Realizing now what she should have known all along—that Rafe was a sick and very dangerous man—her eyes darted around the room as she desperately planned her escape. Taking a chance, she dashed across the room and made it to the front door which, luckily, was unlocked. Shaken with fear, she ran outside and headed for the row of forsythia bushes where she hoped she could kneel down and hide from Rafe.
Stooped down behind the thick foliage, she crossed her arms so that her hands held her sides tightly. Bowing her head, she didn’t dare peek over the top of the bushes to see where Rafe was. She knew he followed her outside when she heard the front door slam shut behind them.
Leave! Please go!she prayed silently.
“Where are you, Connie? I’ll find you,” Rafe called as he searched around the yard.
When she didn’t hear the sound of his heavy footsteps trailing in the grass, she assumed that he slipped around to the backyard. Releasing a sigh after too many moments of holding her breath, she rose slowly to find out if she might have a chance to race into the house and call the police without him seeing her. As she stood, she saw that he didn’t leave the front yard after all and loomed directly in front of her.
“I told you I’d find you, Constance,” he said triumphantly, still holding the knife with both hands.
“You’re wrong about me, Rafe. I’m Lindsay, not Constance. Connie’s dead!”
His blank stare penetrated her gaze, and for a few seconds, she thought she might have gotten through to him. Her hopes shattered when he said, “You don’t fool me. Connie’s not dead. Not really. Her spirit is inside your body, isn’t it? Connie’s in you so deeply that I can see her in your face. Even in the dim light of the moon I can see that your expression is the same as the one she wore that night at Great Oak Hill.”
“No!” She was horrified at what he might do next.
“Don’t lie!”
“Rafe, please! Put the knife down.”
“No! I’ll chase away the memories of Constance once and for all. Now that I found you and no one is here to help you, there’s nothing you can do to stop me.”
Holding the knife in one hand and grabbing her arm with the other, he said, “Goodbye forever, Connie!” As he lifted the knife up to stab her, an agonizing scream tore from Lindsay’s throat.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Just my luck, Brant thought sarcastically when he drove into Lindsay’s driveway and spott
ed a strange car. He found it odd when he rang the doorbell that no one answered. Seeing that the door was unlocked, he entered the house. After looking around only to reach the conclusion that no one was there, he scowled and stepped back outside again. He was about to leave, believing he’d been stood up, when a blood-curdling scream came from the direction of the hedge. Turning, he saw Lindsay there struggling with Rafe, who tried to thrust his knife into her chest.
“Stop!” Brant yelled, springing forward and pushing her out of the way as he fought with her assailant.
“Come to save Connie? Well, I won’t let you!” Rafe vowed.
The blank look on Brant’s face reflected his disbelief, and he let his guard down for a few seconds. During this brief time, Rafe raised his arm, then flung it down quickly to stab Brant with the knife. Lindsay gasped when she saw red stains of blood appear on Brant’s left shoulder. Hoping she could assist him as he tried to snatch the knife from Rafe, she started to get between the two men, but Rafe’s elbow came up hard against her jaw and she nearly stumbled to the ground.
“Get back!” Brant shouted at her.
Realizing that her interference placed her in Brant’s way instead of helping him, she stepped aside. More blood spilled forth from Brant’s wound. She suspected that the pain must be worse because it seemed that his reflexes slowed. Grunting and struggling like a trapped animal, Rafe showed no signs of weakening, but the moon’s pale light shone on Brant’s face that was drawn tightly by exhaustion and rigid concentration. The two men continued to fight, and then Rafe accidentally dropped the knife. Brant grabbed both his wrists and Lindsay scampered over to where the knife lay on the ground, seizing the opportunity to grab it. The blade felt cold and sinister against her palm as she handed it to Brant.
Without a weapon now, Rafe seemed less dangerous, especially since his mood changed suddenly. “Don’t hurt me! Please!” he begged Brant. “Connie caused me to hurt enough already. I was only trying to chase her away.”
While Rafe huddled on the ground and sobbed like a child, Brant held the knife in his left hand now and used the right one to press against his shoulder that ached terribly. “What started all this?” he whispered to Lindsay.