Summer Fire
Page 98
He sighed. “It’s where we keep the guns.”
“Why?”
“Why we keep guns or why we keep them in here?”
“Both.”
“We keep guns because we hunt, and because we occasionally must deal with snakes and other varmints like rabid skunks. We also keep them for protection because this is an isolated place. The Sheriff’s department is about an hour or more away even though the house has an alarm that rings there. When I was a kid, it was safer. Now, my grandparents have had three break-ins including one committed by someone who followed them home from town.” He unlocked one of the metal cabinets.
“Is that why there’s a big gate at the road?”
“And why the guns are locked up here. After the last break-in, Granddad got worried they might get the guns and use them on him and Grandmom. That’s when my brothers, my dad, and I came out and put in an alarm system in the house, the automatic gate at the road, and the rolling garage doors on the barn.”
David pointed at an old fashioned wall phone. “That landline phone is for the alarm plus it’s tied to an app on all our cell phones so we know if the alarm is set off. This secret room was always here so we just put the gun safes in here and fixed the door so it can be closed and locked from inside to be used as a panic room.”
“Wow. People think living in the country is peaceful and safe.”
“The world has changed. I don’t know if there’s any place that’s truly safe. Not like in my grandparents youth.” He opened the doors wide.
Tessa pointed. “I see you have a Glock 21. Would you take it so I can shoot?”
When David stared in surprise, Tessa’s eyes rounded. Her outstretched hand, pointing to the Glock slowly fell. She sagged against the wall. “How did I know that?”
“That’s a good question. How did you know that?”
“I have no idea. Did I go shooting with you in the past?”
“Never.”
A long moment of silence passed. “Okay. You can shoot the Glock. I’ll take the Sig.” He lifted a canvas backpack from a hook on the wall and placed several clips in it. Then he pointed to the doorway. “After you, warrior princess.”
Tessa did an eye-roll to the ceiling and left the closet.
They went through the living room and out the front door into a large screened porch. She saw the lake again, and it was breathtaking in the morning sunshine. The screen door squawked, and she winced.
“I need to oil those hinges,” David said, letting it slam behind him. He followed the stone-paved walk to the garden gate bisecting the low wall. He didn’t bother opening the white picket gate. He just clambered over the wall next to it so Tessa did too.
The path led down to the lake. She saw a dock built out onto the water. The far end of the dock was a large wide platform. Across the lake, the field was covered with bluebonnets and other wildflowers, creating a landscape of blue, pink, orange, and yellow.
David veered off to the left toward the hill. It looked steeper up close, but Tessa didn’t protest. They hiked through the brush on a path that was barely visible as a path. The cheap shoes chafed her feet, and she knew she’d probably have blisters. Tall grass brushed against her legs, making them itch. Finally, they came out on a clearing about halfway up the hill. There was an open structure that looked like a metal carport. Beneath it was an old picnic table and benches. Unlike the surrounding woods, short thin-bladed grass grew here. “Did you plant this grass?”
“Granddad sowed Bermuda grass in a big square a long time ago.” He pointed toward hay bales at the far end with plywood tied to them. “The targets are set up at a hundred and three hundred yards. You can shoot standing or lying prone.”
Puzzled, Tessa studied the setup. “Why would you have something so elaborate?”
“My brothers and I used to competition shoot. When they visit, they like to keep their skills sharp.”
“You said I never met your brothers. What are their names?”
“John and Bobby. Robert. John’s two years older than me, and Bobby’s two years younger. No more questions.” He laid the guns and clips on the table. “Let’s see what you can do.”
Tessa picked up the Glock and hefted it. She opened the slide and checked it then reached for the clip, slapped it into the grip, and walked over to the firing line. She jacked a bullet into the chamber, pushed the safety release off, and lifted the gun. She took a deep breath and sighted in the target.
That’s it, sugar, exhale and press the trigger, not pull it.
Startled, the shot went wild. Tessa blanched and turned to David. “I remembered something.”
“What?”
“A man’s voice. He called me sugar. He told me how to press the trigger not pull it.” Her face brightened. “Oh, David. Maybe I really will remember everything, and it will be all right between us.”
David didn’t reply to that. “Shoot at the hundred yard target. Group your shots if you can.”
Exhilarated, despite his skeptical expression, Tessa turned back and lifted the pistol. Muscle memory took over. She fired five shots, moved to a different spot and fired five more. She repeated the process until the gun was empty. The smell of cordite floated in the air.
David watched through the binoculars. “Nice grouping.”
“Thanks. It’s easy with a target. Different when you think about shooting a man.” Her hand clapped over her mouth.
David looked at her, waiting.
“Why did I say that? Oh, my God. Why would I say that?” Tessa walked back and laid the gun on the table. Her knees felt weak. She sat on the bench and stared up at him.
David picked up the gun he’d brought. “Do you know what this is?”
Tessa glanced at it. “Sig Sauer. I don’t like those because there’s no safety.” She dropped her head into her hands and moaned. “Why do I know that?”
“That’s a good question.” He walked up to the firing line and shot every bullet in the clip, one right after the other with no hesitation. When he walked back, Tessa gave him a tremulous smile. “Good shooting. You must have won a lot of trophies.”
He shrugged. “I guess. The best training I had was in the service.”
Surprised at his volunteering something personal, Tessa asked, “You were too?”
“I left when I had to take over for Dad. I’d planned to make it a career, but, you know how it goes.” He shrugged. “Life happens while you’re making other plans.”
They shot for the next hour until Tessa started grimacing when she lifted the gun. She laid the gun down and rubbed her arm. “Out of shape I guess. Being in a coma for four months will do that to you.”
“Let’s head back. He packed away the empty clips and the guns. “After you, Xena.”
Tessa smiled despite herself.
Back at the house, David disappeared into the den with his laptop and cell phone, saying he had more work to do. Tessa didn’t bother him. She explored the rest of the house. She loved the vintage knotty pine paneled walls and ceiling in most of the rooms. The screened porch had a double-size chaise lounge and a couple of chairs arranged to catch the view of the lake and wildflowers. A storage chest yielded comfy cushions in a colorful blue and yellow stripe so she arranged those on the chaise and chairs. She found some yellow check throw pillows in a linen closet so she added those to the chaise. Then she went through the rest of the house, opening blinds and drapes, plumping cushions, checking out the contents of the closets as if she had the right to do that. She could easily imagine living here. Safe. Hidden away from danger.
The thought gave her pause. What kind of danger? She shrugged. Whatever had led to her being dumped into a river she supposed. Tired of all the weird thoughts, she found a Susan Elizabeth Phillips romance novel on the shelves in the den and settled onto the chaise to read.
At sunset, she decided to try her hand at a simple dinner. The freezer yielded ground beef and frozen green beans. She browned the beef and added a jar of marinara sau
ce from the pantry. She cooked rigatoni to go with the sauce and sautéed the green beans with olive oil and a pinch each of sea salt, rosemary, basil, and thyme.
David came to the kitchen without her calling him. “Smells good.”
That was about the only conversation during dinner. He thanked her and helped her clean the kitchen. After she’d stored the leftovers in the fridge, he said goodnight. Tessa frowned, tired of his distancing himself from her. “Would you like to talk or play a game or something?”
“No, he said politely. “I have work to finish.”
She pleated the dish towel nervously. “Okay. I’ll be up reading a while if you’d like to join me when you finish. You know. To talk.” Flashes of what they’d done last night made her blush. “Or whatever.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Oh. Okay.” She turned away, hurt and confused. Last night had been so wonderful. What had she done during their marriage that made him hate her? “Goodnight then,” she managed.
David hesitated. He felt like a shit for the way he was acting. He started to say something, but she walked out of the kitchen and rushed up the stairs. He heard the bedroom door slam. With a sigh, he returned to the den.
Much later, showered and wearing the pink tee shirt and boxers she usually slept in, Tessa couldn’t stop thinking about David. She tossed the book aside and went to open her bedroom door. No light shone beneath the door to his bedroom. She was too restless to try to sleep. She lay on the bed and waited, hoping David would come to her. But he didn’t. After stewing about the situation, she rose and went downstairs.
The moon was almost full and so bright it was like a spotlight above the house. Tessa went out to the front porch, leaving the front door open. She settled onto the wide chaise lounge and punched the throw pillow a couple of times, trying to get comfortable.
Off in the distance, lightning flashed. She waited for the roll of thunder but none came. Curious, she opened the screen door, wincing at its metal screech. She walked down the stone path to the low wall and sat there, waiting. Soon the lightning flashed again. Still no sound. After a bit, she got the weird feeling someone was watching her. Goosebumps raised on her arms. She shivered and decided to go in. She opened the noisy screen door and saw David standing in the doorway to the house. Her cheeks warmed. “I was watching the lightning. It was curious because there was no thunder.”
“It’s what they call heat lightning. It’s actually so far away you don’t hear the thunder. All the power and energy but no sound.”
“Could we talk? I need to know more about me.”
“Like what?”
“I asked you if I had a college degree. Do I?”
“You told me you didn’t.”
“Is that a yes or no? Did I or didn’t I go to college?”
“Yes, you did.”
“So why did I tell you I didn’t?”
“That’s a good question.”
She was tired of all his evasions. She could understand if he was angry or hurt, but she needed honestly. “I need an honest answer to a question. Do you hate me?”
“Let’s just say that I’m reluctant to trust you.”
“But why? What did I ever do? Why don’t you trust me?”
“Because everything you ever said to me was a lie.” He said it quietly, not with anger, and that just made it so much worse.
She jerked. “What … what do you mean?”
He shoved his hands through his hair. “Maybe it’s time to get it all out in the open. You told me your parents were dead, and that you had no brothers or sisters, aunts, uncles, or cousins. You came to me all alone in the world. Those were your exact words.”
With her heart pounding so hard she thought she might faint, she asked, “Wasn’t that true?”
“No. It was a lie just like everything you told me from the moment we met.”
Feeling faint, Tessa whispered. “I don’t understand. “What do you mean?”
“It took Aron Sosa, the private investigator I hired months, but he finally dug up all the dirt on you, sweetheart.”
“Don’t call me that. Not now. Not in that tone of voice,” she murmured, eyes wide and burning as she held in the tears.
He snorted. “He uncovered your past. You hid it well. He said it was a pro job. After you had your fake identity established, you then had your name changed legally. Aron is good, but he said this was the biggest challenge of his career.”
“Do the police know?”
“On the advice of my lawyer, I decided to keep it confidential. For now.”
Tessa heard the threat implied in the last two words. “But, I don’t understand.” She stroked the scar, not surprised that pain was starting to shoot through her head. “If I’m not Tessa, who am I? What’s my real name.”
“Teresa. Tessa is considered a form of Teresa. I guess that’s why you chose it. You were born Teresa Louise Thompson in Barstone, Arkansas. It’s a small town near the Red River. Your father was killed in an accident, and you were adopted at the age of ten by Xavier Kyle when your mother married him. Your mother Margo Kyle was a state senator for several years. There’s talk she may make a run for governor. Any of this sound familiar?”
When Tessa silently shook her head, David crossed his arms and eyed her. “You graduated from the University of Arkansas with a degree in accounting. Your parents are alive and living right where you left them. After graduation, you told everyone you were going abroad to live and work. Later, your mother received letters with foreign postmarks then a final letter saying you’d been killed in an accident, and your body had been cremated.” He made a sweeping gesture at her. “Yet, here you are. Not dead. Just disappeared from your parents’ lives. Just like you did when you left me.”
Tessa gasped and held her head. The pain was blinding. “That makes no sense. You’re telling me for almost—what—five years I haven’t spoken to my family?”
“I’m just telling you what Aron found. It turns out nothing you told me is true. I should have known by the way you acted after we’d married. Whirlwind courtship?” He snorted. “More like whirlwind take advantage of the dumb bastard. Looks like you’re my kryptonite, babe. I even thought you might be in witness protection. That would explain the lies, but not the way you changed after we married. But you weren’t in WitSec. I had a way of checking.”
Tessa had about as much truth as she could stand. The pain had grown so bad she thought she might vomit. But, please, God, she prayed. Not here. Not in front of David. Not while he was looking at her as if she were something scraped off the bottom of her shoe. “Please, David,” she pleaded. “I … I need one of my pills. Can you help me?” She reached a hand out, imploring him for mercy because she knew she couldn’t get to her room on her own.
After a long moment, he sighed. “Where are they?”
“In my room.” To her surprise, he helped her up and walked with her inside. She leaned against the doorway and held her stomach. She waited a moment for the nausea to pass.
David got a bottle of water from the fridge and helped her up the stairs. She walked slowly, like a tired old woman, grateful for his assistance even though she knew he resented helping her.
At her bedroom door, he handed her the water. “Can you get the pill yourself?”
“Yes. Thank you. I’m … I’m sorry. I don’t know what else to say.” She closed the door before she was forced to watch him walk away. She didn’t understand any of this.
Her hands shook, but she finally managed to take one of the pills with a gulp of water. She snapped off the light and lay in the darkness, staring with dry, burning eyes at the ceiling. Surely life could never be worse than it was in this moment, could it?
*
David’s conscience bothered him after he left Tessa. He told himself he was too soft, too easily affected by her. But she’d been in pain. Physically and emotionally. He didn’t know why she had such a murky past. Aron was still working on that, quietly, without arousing
suspicions in the Arkansas town where she had lived.
After a while, he fell into a restless sleep. He didn’t know what had awakened him. Maybe he should have turned on the alarm. He lay there and listened, but he didn’t hear it again. He rose and went to the bathroom. He was on his way back to bed when he heard a muffled cry. He walked down the hall. The sound came from Tessa’s room.
Silently he opened the door. She tossed restlessly on the bed. Several times she hissed, “No. No. No.” Each word growing louder, more filled with fear.
Her head rolled on the pillow. Left. Right. Left. As if she were trying to avoid something coming at her. Then gasping words replaced the muttered negatives. “I’ll tell Mom. I will. Stop. Don’t. No!”
David stared. The words revolved in his head, and he didn’t like their implications. He went to the side of the bed. She sat bolt upright in bed. Her eyes flew open. She saw him, but he could tell she didn’t recognize him.
“No!” she screamed, the word long and drawn out. “I won’t let you.”
Then Tessa collapsed onto the bed and curled into a fetal position. She moaned and wept. David’s blood ran as cold as ice. Sick at what he’d heard, and what he suspected it meant, he sat on the edge of the bed. Tessa screamed and came up fighting. She slapped and punched and screamed, “Go away. I’ll kill you. I’ll kill you.”
“Tessa, it’s me.” He managed to get his arms around her, subduing her and keeping her from hitting him again or hurting herself. “Tessa, it’s David. It’s me.” He said the words over and over until she suddenly went limp in his arms. He held her that way for the longest time, rocking her, crooning softly to her.
Then he carefully lay back with her, holding her as gently as if she were made of glass. She didn’t stir again. He pressed his fingertips to the pulse in her throat. It was rapid, but strong and steady. Later, her arms clutched his neck and clung to him as if she’d never let him go. He blinked rapidly to dispel the unexpected moisture in his eyes.
Dr. Rhone had told him she was subject to nightmares, but dear God. What Tessa had experienced was worse than any nightmare. And she had these dreams most nights? He lay with her all night. When she whimpered, he soothed her. He lay awake a long while, piecing together a story that explained the lies Tessa had told. He tried to figure out how he was going to handle this. He didn’t want to tell her what he suspected, but he didn’t want her to suddenly remember and get back these awful memories.