by Alison Stone
"Do you know who might have done this?"
Tiny stars danced in Violet's line of vision in competition with the big flat flakes falling from the sky. She tried to blink back her dizziness, but feared it was a losing battle. Suddenly she had the urge to flee. But where was she going to go? She was stuck in a field out in the middle of nowhere with a flat tire.
Her temporary respite from panic was ebbing away.
Theo's question bounced around her brain. Do you know who might have done this?
The look of hatred in Elmer's eyes from earlier today immediately came to mind. Could he have done this?
No…
The Amish were a gentle people. Right?
However, when you believed with all your heart that you had a stalker at age twelve, you learned to watch people. Study them. Read them. Intuit their intentions.
Elmer was an angry man. A very angry man.
"Do you know who might have wanted to drive these screws into your tire?" Theo asked again when she didn't respond.
Violet looked up slowly, meeting the concern in his eyes. She hitched her shoulders, trying to act nonchalant, not to read the very worst into this situation. Hunters Ridge was supposed to be her safe place.
Nothing was supposed to hurt her here.
She cleared her throat. "Did you see anyone around the parking lot who didn't belong?" She studied his face, but it was obvious he hadn't seen any more than she had. And she didn't want to cause any trouble for Elmer and the Grabers if she was just being paranoid. "I don't know who would do this."
Violet touched the smooth metal of the trunk, trying to ground herself in the moment. Not allow her thoughts to race and spiral into a domino of panicky emotions, one falling on top of the other until they crushed her lungs, making it difficult to breathe.
Stop.
Deep breath.
She exhaled on a cloud of frozen vapor.
The car has a flat and it's stuck in the snow and there's no way to get out of here that won't take a really long time and meanwhile Theo Cooper is going to see me have an all-out panic attack and I'm going to embarrass myself and I won't be able to work for him because he'll see that I haven't changed. That I'm still weak and crazy and unable to control my emotions.
Stop. Violet made a fist and dug her nails into the palm of her hand. Then she tapped each finger with her thumb. It helped a little.
I'm not alone. Theo will help me. I won't be stranded for long. I can handle this.
A more rational voice tried to tamp down her growing fear, but it was a mighty battle.
Theo flipped back the carpet in her trunk to expose the spare tire. He stopped what he was doing and looked at her, really looked at her. He took her gently by the elbow. "Please, let's get in my truck. Your lips are turning blue. And I really need you to not get sick because my books are a mess." A twinkle lit his eyes, as he obviously tried to lighten the mood.
Violet bit her lower lip, as if that would put some color into them.
Too cold to argue, she allowed him to guide her over to his truck, her dress shoes making a crunching sound on the snow and the frozen earth beneath. He helped her into his truck, then jogged around to get in his side. He fired up the engine and turned the heater on full blast.
"Give it a second. We'll have hot air pumping out of here in no time." He adjusted the heating vents toward her.
"Thanks." The warm air felt heavenly on her frozen face.
"Would you have a problem if we left your car here? I'll call a friend of mine and he can tow it into town for you. Even if I change the tire, it'll be tough to get the car out of the field."
"That would be great." She yanked on the seatbelt and drew it across her body and snapped it into place, already feeling calmer knowing that she'd be getting home sooner, rather than later.
"My sister Olivia is a deputy. I can call her and report the incident."
Violet waved her hand, not wanting to make this something it wasn't, remembering the curt interrogation of the New York City policeman who let it be known he had better things to do than respond to calls about imagined stalkers from privileged kids who had probably watched too many Lifetime movies.
Her mother wasn't much help either, claiming that all the attention from strangers was a small price to pay for wealth and fame.
"Maybe I ran over the screws. I don't want to cause a fuss." She smiled weakly, hardly convincing herself, much less him. At age twelve, her stalker might have been imagined, but the resulting panic attacks were very real, leading her mother to eventually send her off to a quiet house in the country to attend high school and recover away from the spotlight. It had been exactly what Violet needed to rebalance her world after a couple years of looking over her shoulder. Her mother seemed to enjoy not having her worrywart daughter dragging her down.
But there had been nothing imagined about Abby's vicious murder in Violet's New York City apartment less than two months ago. A random attack, they said. A botched robbery. Not targeted.
Not a stalker.
Violet wasn't so sure.
Abby’s death had been a reality, so why was Violet still reluctant to report her new concerns to law enforcement? She blinked away her dizziness and reached out and redirected the heating vent away from her face. The horrific memory of her dear friend’s lifeless body welled up and crashed over her, threatening to forever trap her in a world of doubt, fear and anxiety. That’s why she wasn’t quick to report her flat tire as more than an accident. Her panic made her doubt her own fears. Violet ran her fingers through her damp hair, wondering if she’d ever get her head on straight.
"I won't call my sister at the sheriff's department right away, but I think you should consider it."
"Sure." Violet forced a cheeriness she didn’t feel into her tone. Right now her focus was single-minded: home.
Theo dialed a number, then whispered to her. "Do you have a preference where your car gets towed? I know a mechanic in town."
"No preference." Just hurry up, please. She'd agree to anything right now if it meant getting home. The thought of being stranded on the side of the road was one of her panic triggers.
Now here she was really stranded and really panicking. Funny how that worked.
Theo ended the call. "A tow truck's on its way." He seemed to look right through her. "I gave him the location. The car should be fine here. I’ll tuck the keys under the visor. Mind if we pick up my son? He'll be waiting for me at school."
A rush of relief lifted her spirits. "Of course. Of course. I'm sorry if I made you late." She tugged on her seatbelt, trying to ignore the cold, icy pulse of adrenaline coursing through her veins. "I didn't realize you had a son." Her gaze drifted to his left hand. No ring. She wondered what that meant. Maybe nothing. Some guys didn't wear rings.
"Yeah," Theo said, an air of pride in that single word, "Liam's in kindergarten. He normally takes the bus to work after school, but he convinced me to pick him up today. He has me wrapped around his finger. Let me take care of the keys and then we’ll get out of here."
“Sounds good.”
On the drive into town, Violet didn't ask any questions about Liam's mother because it wasn't her business. Right now, her focus was on getting through this panic attack. Thankfully, her symptoms began to subside.
An Amish gentleman bundled against the cold tipped his hat as he drove his buggy along the edge of the road in the other direction. Theo nodded in return. He put on his directional and turned into the loop in front of the school. A bus pulled away and a young woman stood holding a little boy's hand. Her face brightened when she noticed Theo.
Theo reached for the door handle. "I'll be right back." He climbed out of the truck and jogged around the front. The little boy broke free from the woman and wrapped his dad in a big hug. Violet's heart did a little flutter. She wasn't exactly sure why.
Theo got his son settled in the back seat, then climbed in behind the steering wheel.
"Liam, this is my friend Miss
Violet."
"Hi, Miss Violet," a sweet voice floated up from the back seat.
"Hello, Liam." She shifted in her seat to see him better.
An oversized backpack sat beside him with some completely unfamiliar cartoon character staring back at her. She remembered liking Scooby-Doo at that age, but her mother insisted her backpack be the latest brand name, along with her coat and shoes. And they always had to match. Appearances were everything when your mother was a famous movie star and entrepreneur.
"How was school?" Violet didn't have much experience with kids, but she figured that was a pretty standard question.
"I had a long day." Liam gave a world-weary sigh.
She turned and met Theo's gaze. She couldn't help but smile.
"I've had a long day, too," Violet commiserated. "A very long day."
Chapter 4
The engine on Theo's truck shifted into low gear as it climbed the hill leading to Violet's home. He had never been officially invited to the sprawling home on the ridge, but he had been here once and it wasn't for prom. Violet had insisted on meeting him in town that night.
As teenagers, he and his friends had come up here late one night after drinking and tried to break into the garage. According to the rumor mill, Violet Jackson was actually the daughter of the famous movie star Jacque Caldwell, not that anyone believed that to be true at the time. Turns out, joke was on them. Anyway, a limited edition Ferrari had been parked in the garage. Fortunately for all parties involved, the house was secured like Fort Knox, preventing him from adding grand larceny to his rap sheet of petty teenage offenses.
From the back seat, Liam asked, "Did you ever sled down this hill? I bet you would go really fast."
"You might end up in the lake," Theo said.
"No, I never tried sledding down the hill," Violet said. "I did learn how to snowshoe, though. Haven't done it in a while. I've been too busy with work and I've kinda gotten soft when it comes to snow."
As the house came into view, Liam gasped in the back seat. "Are these apartments?"
"No, it's my house. Well, technically, my mother's house."
"It's gi-gan-tic."
Theo reached over the seat and wiggled his son's knee and laughed. "It is pretty gi-nor-mous."
"Yeah, gi-nor-mous," his son repeated.
Theo parked in the driveway between the ornate entryway and the fountain. The water had been shut off for the winter but the remaining water had pooled and frozen in the basin.
Theo shifted in the truck to face her after he parked. "Are you sure you don't want me to call my sister and report the vandalism to your car?"
"Is Aunt Olivia going to arrest a bad guy?" Liam asked.
"First we have to see if there was a bad guy. Miss Violet had a screw in her tire."
"Hmm…" Liam scooted back in the seat and moved to his side window and pressed his nose against it. "Why are there two doors on the house?"
Theo hitched a shoulder and mouthed, "Sorry" to Violet.
"Nothing to be sorry about. It is a pretty big house."
"How many kids do you have?" Liam asked. "You could have like a gazillion kids in a house this big."
"Liam," Theo scolded his son, realizing he wasn't going to be able to discuss anything of significance with his precocious son in the back seat who thought nothing of sharing whatever popped into his brain.
Violet held up her hand. "It's okay. I don't have any kids. I'm not even married." She exaggerated the last bit, as if it would be hard to believe she hadn't taken a walk down the aisle.
Theo found himself waiting to see if she was going to reveal anything more about herself. Perhaps a boyfriend? But he didn't dare ask. Probing questions were cute from a five-year-old. From a grown man, not so much.
The sound of crunching footsteps drew his attention to the front door. Betty Weaver, the caretaker, was standing on the porch, waving to them. Theo pushed the down button on the window control and returned her greeting.
"I saw the 'Cooper and Sons' on the side of the truck. How are you, Theo?"
"Great. Just dropping Violet off." He figured he could allow her to explain about the flat tire.
"Something wrong with her car?" The way she said it suggested she feared something more was wrong. He wondered if Violet was going to confide in him.
Violet opened her door and climbed out. As she picked her steps carefully so as not to fall on the icy driveway, he could hear her telling Betty that she'd had a flat. Violet obviously didn't want to alarm her by telling her that someone had intentionally flattened her tire and she had run off the road as a result.
"Is that Liam's nose I see pressed against the back window?" Betty smiled brightly and pulled her plain blue sweater sleeves down over her hands and shuddered against the cold. His father had told him Betty and Isaac Weaver had grown up Amish, married, then left the faith, finding employment doing odds and ends until eventually settling in at the big house on the hill, as people in town tended to call it. Although Betty didn't dress in Amish attire, she did dress simply.
"Oh, yeah. He thinks you live in a castle." Theo glanced into the back seat and said to his son, "Say hello to Mrs. Weaver." The Weavers had been good to his family when his father fell ill, bringing food and well wishes to the house. But Theo had never brought his son to their home until now.
Liam scooted forward and stuck his head between Theo's seat and the window. "Hello." Then to his dad, as if he had something to do with it, "It's cold out there."
"I hope your dad is doing well," Betty hollered, holding her collar closed at the neck.
"I imagine he's doing better in Florida than we are right now."
Betty smiled as Violet reached the porch and turned around. "Thanks for the ride."
"Do you need a ride to work tomorrow?" Theo asked.
"I can figure something out."
"I don't mind. Besides, you're doing me a big favor by taking this job. I know it's not exactly going to be a challenge for you."
Violet hitched a shoulder. "It gets me out of the house. And yeah, a ride would be great." She sounded resigned as she lifted her hand to wave goodbye.
"See you tomorrow." Theo slid the window back up.
"That lady seems nice." Liam scrambled back into his car seat and buckled himself in.
Theo studied his son in the rear-view mirror. His brown eyes were wide with wonder as he took in the huge estate. Theo could relate. Even at his age, he was still impressed by the amount of wealth that could afford a place like this.
A knot tightened in his gut. Violet Jackson was so far out of his league.
Easy, buddy. She's only working for you. Doing a favor for Dad.
Still, the thought of having someone with Violet's credentials organizing his books brought back all those crushing feelings of when he was a kid and had to act like a tough guy. No one mocked you for not having a mom if they thought you were going to crack their skull for being stupid enough to mention it.
Theo winked at his son in the review mirror. Liam tried to wink back, but instead smooshed up his entire face and lifted a corner of his lip. Theo laughed at his failed attempt.
A hint of regret threaded its way into this simple moment. Theo'd never be able to look at his son's face without remorse for missing countless moments during the first five years of his life.
Other than the occasional weekend and a few weeks a year, Theo had been an absent father. He thought he had been doing the right thing by pursuing a career in the army, even if it meant leaving his son behind. It wasn't until he returned home for good after his father's heart attack that Theo fully engaged in young Liam's life. He wasn't proud of the fact, but he'd make up for it. Especially now that Liam's drug-addicted mother had proved unreliable.
"You buckled in?"
"Got it, Dad."
Theo stretched between the front seats to check the latch on his car seat. He'd never let anything happened to Liam.
Violet stepped into the foyer of the mansion she'd ca
lled home from the age of fourteen until she went away to college. The familiar scent of lavender and Betty's home cooking always made her feel like she had just emerged from a yoga class, all loose and de-stressed.
She'd been back to Hunters Ridge a handful of times over the past nine years, but only for a day here and there. And as life got busier, the visits were fewer and farther in between.
But after Abby's death, Violet had returned to try to reset her life. Find the peace and calm she had found after her mother had purchased this house in the middle of nowhere in the hopes of keeping Violet out of the spotlight as she struggled with anxiety. At Violet's request, her mother had changed her daughter's last name and left her here under the care of Betty to live her life and go to school free from a stalker no one could prove was out there.
After her mother had gotten Violet settled, she'd promised she'd be back every weekend, but being a movie star and using that power to brand her own clothing line and home goods wasn't a traditional job. Eventually, Jacque Caldwell didn't even pretend to be trying to clear her schedule to visit her daughter in that dreadfully boring small town, instead leaving Violet in the care of Betty Weaver.
Violet did white-knuckle it to New York City every so often, but mostly she stayed where she felt safe. Even though she missed her mom, Violet loved Betty. Where her mother was pushy, vain and judgmental, Betty was accepting and so calm. It went a long way toward Violet's recovery from anxiety.
"How did your day go?" Betty asked, holding out her hand for Violet's coat. Violet couldn’t help but smile. Sweet Betty was almost seventy, but her smooth skin made her look years younger. Violet often wondered if her lifestyle kept her young. Her mother’s housekeeper seemed to take everything in stride.
"I got it." Violet slipped the coat from Betty's grasp and the prescription bottle fell out of her coat pocket, hit the tile floor and the lid popped off, spilling the little pills. One rolled across the floor and disappeared under the table.