***
After several incredibly slow hours spent behind the counter of that store, where almost nobody shopped, Cameron was itching to get out of there. And she would’ve liked to head to the Tavern for a drink, but Chad was waiting to drive her home. Something told her he wouldn’t drop her off at the bar. Even though the drive to their house only took ten minutes, the tension made it seem like hours.
“Sam filled me in on some details you left out,” Chad said finally. “Why’d you run away from Anne’s?”
“Wow,” Cameron said. “I guess small talk’s not your thing.”
“I don’t get it,” he said. “When Anne took you, the whole point was so you could have a future. A better life. No offense, but obviously that didn’t happen. So what went wrong?”
She couldn’t believe he thought he could ask her this—especially after how he’d acted toward her the other night. Unfortunately, he didn’t take her silence as a cue to stop and continued with his line of questioning. “Did you just get bored or something? Fall in with the wrong crowd?”
“You know, Chad, not everything is my fault. You might want to keep that in mind.”
“You’re so bitter and miserable, and it’s bullshit, okay?” A flush rose to Chad’s cheeks as he started to rant, “You weren’t completely broke while Sam worked his way through school, or completely alone when he tried to prove himself a good cop, or pulled into one of his cases. You had parents and money and you got to be a kid. I stopped being one when I was nine years old, so I think it’s time you got over yourself.”
Outraged, she clenched her hand into a fist. Who was he to think he knew anything about her time with Anne or when she stopped being a kid? The nerve. And then, some small part of her noticed one insignificant detail. Maybe it was the sister in her, but she was dying to ask. “Pulled into one of his cases?”
His jaw clenched as his eyes filled with pain, then immediately iced over as he fought it off. It was a trick she used many times herself, and she spotted it like an expert. Maybe avoiding problems ran in the family.
Remembering the box of letters, and the newspaper article in it, things started to make a little more sense. “The Carver, right?” she asked, watching as the signs of recognition flitted across his face. “I mean, why else would that article be in a box of letters and old photographs? So what happened?”
“You can’t just ask me something like that,” he said, his voice low.
“Like you can’t ask me why I ran away?” she shot back. “Did he hurt that girl or something? Amy.”
At the sound of her name, he pulled the truck over to the side of the road and yanked it into park. As the engine idly rumbled beneath them, his eyes looked stormy and a little scary.
Taking a slow breath in, she realized she’d really hit a nerve and felt a little guilty. But now, at least, he knew how she’d felt. And now, she knew where to hurt him. That would come in handy if he ever tried to be nosey again.
Finally, he pushed open the door and hopped out. “Take the truck.”
“Wait, what?” she asked, sliding across the seat to look at him.
“I’m not gonna just set you out on the side of the road,” he snapped, “But I need some air so just take the truck and go home, alright?”
With that, he started walking across the street.
She took a look at the truck, realizing it wasn’t an automatic. “I don’t know how to drive a straight,” she called.
“Just push the clutch when you shift gears,” he called back, sounding annoyed. “That’s it.”
Then he vanished around a corner.
She just sat there, staring after him. Knowing that she must have poked at one really deep wound, and considering that, she wondered why Chad hadn’t just booted her out of the car. That’s exactly what she would’ve done.
The least she could do was get his truck home safely, so she repeated Chad’s instructions silently, and then followed them. The truck jumped and then started to roll, so she guided it back onto the road, all the while wondering if Chad had a past just as horrible as her own. Maybe, just maybe, he would understand... if she could ever get the guts to clue him in.
***
Chad walked for about a mile before he realized he’d been clenching his fists the whole time and his hands started to cramp. Slowing to a stop, he stretched one out, wiggling his fingers, and then worked on the other hand.
Almost everyone in town knew there was only one person who could talk about Amy and get away with it; her cousin. For some reason, hearing her name come out of Cameron’s mouth had just sent him off. Especially with the careless way she’d asked about her.
He’d spent several years trying to pick up the pieces of his life, trying to move on without Amy. And he’d been okay because Sam, Shane, Sadie and even Bela all knew the story. There was nothing to explain or fill them in on. But with Cameron it wasn’t so simple. She was in the dark; she didn’t know any better than to ask. And still, even though she was a girl—his sister—he’d wanted to punch her in the face when she mentioned Amy. Those instincts scared the hell out of him.
Leaning against a nearby oak tree, he decided he’d overreacted. There was no excuse, really, to be so angry with Cameron. But he wasn’t itching to bare his soul when he knew she’d never do the same.
After taking a few minutes to breathe in fresh air and let it sooth the ever-constant anger, he pulled his cell phone out and called Sadie.
Instead of answering with a plain hello, she said in a chipper voice, “How’s my favorite Baker Boy?”
He chuckled. “Starving. Want to go get a pizza?”
“Sure. You want to meet at the grill in fifteen?”
“Actually…” he looked around Oak Street. “I kind of need you to pick me up.”
“Let me get this straight,” Sadie said, lifting her glass to take a drink of Pepsi. “She pisses you off, so you give her your truck?”
“I let her drive it home,” Chad corrected. “It beat trying to survive the ride.”
“She gets under your skin that bad, huh?”
“I don’t even know why.” Looking down at his pizza, Chad looked perplexed. “There’s just something about her that…I don’t know.”
Sadie raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure you don’t know what it is?”
Chad was quiet a minute before he answered. “I just think she’s a little weak. The way she’s always drinking, how she avoids giving straight answers. It’s weak.”
“I see,” Sadie said, taking another sip from her straw. “So, being the strong, macho man you are, I’m sure you leapt at the opportunity to fill in the painful details of your past, right?”
Glancing up, Chad hesitated.
“Right. That’s what I thought.”
“Come on, you’re my friend. You’re supposed to be on my side, here.”
“I am on your side, that’s why I’m telling you, that for your own good, you need to fix things with your sister. Before you don’t see her for another twelve years.”
***
As she landed, she noticed a pair of steel-toed Timbland work boots and her heart completely stopped and her entire body froze. She could only look up at him in complete terror, defenseless, helpless.
This was it. She’d caused too much trouble and he was going to kill her for it. He made this clear when he took a slow, taunting step toward her, brandishing a silver pocket knife. Climbing on top of her, he pressed the knife against her throat. She fought and struggled, but he was stronger and all she could do was scream at the top of her lungs.
His voice was a ragged whisper. “You’re going to make the last time good, aren’t you?”
Disgusted, she turned her head. And spotted a thin tree branch within reach. While he was busy messing with his zipper, she grabbed the branch. And when he looked at her, she shoved it straight into his eye.
He stumbled back, horrified, screaming while a mix of blood and ooze started pouring out of his eye. She stood to her feet, b
raced and ready for him. Seeing the pain he was in, seeing the horror, she smiled.
Then she kicked him. And she kept kicking him until he fell to his knees, then to the ground. He curled up in an attempt to protect himself, but she was lost in outrage. Years of bottled up pain spilled out and she screamed like a madwoman as she took her revenge.
Until finally, she stumbled back. Breathless, panting. The rapid sound of her heartbeat was all she could hear. Boom, boom, boom…
Huddled on the ground, blood pooled around him. He wasn’t moving. Wasn’t breathing. And an entirely new fear was born.
“Cameron? Cameron, wake up!”
She felt someone shaking her before her eyes flew open and she saw Bela sitting on the edge of the bed. Still holding on to her shoulders, Bela looked down at her with a look of pure concern.
Breathing heavy, Cameron pushed herself to a sitting position and looked around the darkened room. Surprised to find the dresser, window and all four walls instead of a never-ending group of trees. Her heart still racing wildly, she looked back at Bela.
“You were having a nightmare,” Bela whispered. “A really bad one.”
Cameron could only let out a sigh of relief, so thankful to be out of the nightmare that she didn’t stop to worry if Bela would be suspicious.
Bela studied her a moment before gently asking, “Are you okay?”
Cameron leaned her forehead against her hand and nodded.
“Are you sure? You were screaming and—”
“Too many horror movies,” Cameron said with a forced smile. “I really should know better by now.”
“Do you need anything?” Bela asked. “I could fix you some tea. I have this great herbal remedy that makes you sleep like a rock.”
“Thanks,” Cameron said, “But I’m fine now. Thanks for waking me up, though.”
Still looking concerned, as if she didn’t completely buy the story but was willing to accept it, Bela reluctantly stood up. Giving Cameron a tentative pat on the shoulder, she said, “Anytime.”
Once Bela reached the door, Cameron realized she was looking down the barrel of another long, lonely sleepless night. And a little bit of company, even if that company was Bela, wouldn’t hurt. “On second thought,” she said, prompting Bela to turn at the doorway. “Tea would be great.”
In the kitchen, Bela filled a teakettle with water and set it on the stove. Switching the burner on, she turned to Cameron where she sat at the table.
“I hope I didn’t wake you up,” Cameron said.
“No, I was awake,” she said, taking a seat across the table from Cameron. “I was just looking over some case files of a few patients I’m seeing tomorrow.”
“So you’re some kind of doctor?”
“Kind of,” Bela answered. “I’m a counselor, actually.”
“Really?” Cameron asked, feeling instantly uneasy. Of all the people to overhear her nightmare, it had to be a counselor. Of course it did, because that was just her rotten luck. She could only hope Bela wouldn’t read too much into the dream.
Seeing the look, Bela gave her a small smile. “Don’t worry. I won’t shrink you unless you ask me to.”
Cameron chuckled. “That’s good to know.”
The whistle on the teapot started to scream, causing Cameron to jump. As Bela turned to the stove, Cameron found herself wondering, once again, about the box of letters and the girl named Amy. Maybe Bela would be more talkative than Chad had been.
“Can I ask you something?” Cameron asked.
Bela glanced over her shoulder at Cameron as she placed teabags into two mugs. “Sure.”
“Did you ever meet Amy?”
Bela froze, with her hand perched on the handle of the teakettle.
“I found these letters,” Cameron explained. “And pictures of her and Chad. But whenever I mention it to Chad, he gets defensive. He’d rather jump out of the car than explain.”
“It’s a sore subject for him. I wouldn’t bring it up unless you want him to give you the cold-shoulder.” Bela paused to pour steaming water into each cup, then picked them up and carried them to the table. As she sat down, she began to explain, “Amy was his high school girlfriend. They were practically inseparable.”
Cameron took the mug of tea in her hands, feeling its warmth. “Until the Carver happened?” she asked.
Bela glanced up, looking a little pale.
“There was an article in the box of letters,” Cameron explained. “I didn’t get to read much before Chad busted me, but it sounded pretty scary. Something about a reign of terror?”
“That’s putting it mildly,” Bela said. “The Carver was a serial killer who’d stalk women, rape and murder them, then leave their bodies to be found with a number carved into their skin. The town was terrified.”
Cameron shivered. “I can’t imagine.”
Bela was quiet a moment, taking a sip of her tea before she finally said, “Amy was number four.”
“Wow,” Cameron whispered, feeling her heart go out to her brother. It was such a strange sensation, that for a second, she didn’t even know what she was feeling. Then she realized it was sympathy. She felt bad for him, but she didn’t know what to do about the feeling. “So she was murdered?”
“No, she survived. If you can call it that.”
Cameron raised an eyebrow in question.
“She was the only living witness, the only one to see his face and survive. Sam…he was just trying to catch the bastard, but he pushed Amy a little too hard to come forward, and she had her reasons for not wanting to.” Bela paused to take another drink of tea and gather the right words. “Even though they tried to keep her identity a secret, the killer knew exactly who was working with the police. He came after her again, but Sam killed him.”
“It sounds like a happy ending,” Cameron said, trying to shake off that heavy vibe that’d settled over the room. “All things considered.”
“In a few ways, I guess it was,” Bela admitted. “But Amy ripped Chad’s heart out when she left town.Even though he knew she was making the right choice for her future…he hasn’t been the same since.”
Cameron took a slow breath. “Well, it’s no wonder he didn’t want to tell me about it.”
“He’s still healing,” Bela said. “Some wounds just take longer than others, that’s all.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Taking her tea, Cameron stood up. “Thanks for the herbal fix. I think I’m going to try to lay down now.”
“I hope it helps.”
Shutting herself inside her room, Cameron leaned against the door. Seeing her brother in a different light, she wondered what it had been like for him back then. To care about someone so much, only to have them ripped away because of something as random and unpredictable as a psychopath. Of course he’d been upset when she stumbled across his box in the garage.She would’ve been livid and territorial, too.
But knowing this information didn’t change the fact that every time she tried to talk to Chad, something went wrong. Either she was pissed off already, or he was, or one of them turned defensive and shut the other down. She wondered if that would ever change, if she could ever mend the damage done to the relationship with her brothers.
***
The next morning, she didn’t know what to say to Chad. Should she tell him she knew? Apologize for how she’d acted the other day? Every time she tried, she’d notice the way his eyes passed right over her, like she wasn’t even there, or how he’d glance immediately away whenever their gazes happened to meet. His jaw was always tight, too, like he was gritting his teeth. He didn’t seem necessarily angry, just intimidating and unapproachable, and before long, she lost her nerve.
So she caught a ride to work with Sam instead, even though they didn’t talk much either. He made small talk, asking how she liked the job, but she’d just smile and nod or say something generic, like ‘fine’ or ‘really?’
After what seemed like an impossibly slow morning, Sam dropped he
r off at the gas station. As he drove away, she saw Shane standing outside the garage, leaned against the building with the wide-framed doors open behind him.
He waved at her, giving a smile that was so genuine and warm, it took her breath away for a second. It lit up his entire face, from his lips to his bright blue eyes. It was just a simple greeting, like he would give anyone, but it made her stumble on her words.
“Morning Sunshine,” he said, looking past her to wave at Sam as his cruiser pulled out of the parking lot.
Sam beeped the horn in response and Cameron jumped, tearing her attention away from his smile. Just long enough to break the spell and now she could finally think. But before she could speak, he headed back to the garage, motioning for her to follow.
“Got something for you,” he said.
As she turned into the garage, she saw her car parked in a cluttered room full of tires, tools and a wide array of car-related gadgets.
“It almost wasn’t worth fixing but after a good bit of work, she’s good as new.”
Of course, she didn’t believe the car would really be good as knew when he said that. Until she saw it. The front end, which already had a few dents prior to the car accident, was now nick free and completely smooth. And it looked like he’d repainted the whole thing, too, making it a sparkly forest green. “Wow,” Cameron said, eyeing the car. “You really are good.”
He gave a humble shrug, but a proud grin played at his lips. “So, you ready to pull her on out of here?” he asked, tossing her the keys.
Pulling open the driver’s side door, she came eye-level with something strange. Sitting on top of the dash, above the gauges, right behind the steering wheel was a stick. About the size of a pencil, it was thick and came to a point at the end. For a second, she just froze as she stared at it. It couldn’t have been…
She picked it up and held it up to show Shane. “Did you leave this in here?”
Plucking it from her hands, he took a look. “No. That’s weird.” With another shrug, he tossed it into a nearby trashcan.
Maybe to the average person, it simply looked like a broken piece of a tree. But to Cameron, it looked like a threat.
Another Life: Another Life Series #1 Page 6