In Memory's Shadow

by Linda Wisdom

  “You wanted to see me?” Rick appeared at his side.

  Sam nodded. “I want you to schedule drive-bys several times a night for the Harper house,” he ordered. “Mrs. Harper feels kids have been hanging out around there. Let’s deter anyone from making mischief.”

  The deputy looked as if he had questions, but the implacable expression on his boss’s face suggested they wouldn’t be welcomed right now. He settled for a nod.

  “Will do.” He looked off. “You know, it might be someone older than kids.”

  Sam whipped around. “Why would you say that?”

  He shrugged. “She’s a good-looking woman. Some of the men around here might be hanging around hoping they can get lucky.”

  “What exactly do you mean by that?” he asked in a tight voice, not wanting to have it spelled out but needing to hear it.

  Rick was surprised by the darkening of Sam’s features. The anger in them. “What I mean is, anything can happen. There hasn’t been a rape in this area for almost three years. But we’ve had some new people move in, some so-called hermits high up in the woods who might have decided they’re in need of feminine company.”

  Sam felt the chill run through him at Rick’s words. Only because they could be true. So far, things had been kept quiet in town. The hermits were survivors of wars who returned only to discover they couldn’t live in a civilized world again. They refused to live in civilization and came into a town only a few times a year for staples. They were usually quiet, wary of any human, and didn’t appear to relax until they were on their way out of town.

  “I just want the drive-bys,” he said quietly. “And if anyone sees anything suspicious, I want it followed up on. Get me?”

  “Loud and clear,” Rick drawled sarcastically. “Wouldn’t it be easier if you just screwed the lady and spent your nights in her bed?” He stepped back at the fury emanating from Sam’s eyes. He held up his hands in mock surrender. “Hey, you can’t kill me for making a suggestion that you’ve probably been thinking about for a while.”

  “Take a suggestion from me, Deputy,” Sam said in a low voice that fairly throbbed with anger. “Don’t make that suggestion again.” As he walked away, Rick noticed his hands were clenched at his sides. The younger man knew he had come very close to being a victim of Sam’s fist planted in his face.

  “Hi, Allison, is Melanie busy?” Sam greeted the nurse as he stepped into the medical center.

  “She’s finishing up with her last patient before lunch,” she replied. “Did you need to speak to her?”

  “I’ll even go one better and take the lady to lunch if she doesn’t have prior plans.”

  “Well, I did expect Harrison Ford to drop by and whisk me off, but I guess I can settle for you,” the doctor teased as she walked out of the examination room in time to hear Sam’s offer.

  “Good enough.”

  “So what’s up? I thought you were making time with our newest resident,” Melanie quipped as they made their way to the coffee shop.

  “Everyone’s a matchmaker,” he grumbled good-naturedly as he walked alongside her.

  “It’s natural when you haven’t shown much interest in anyone since you moved back here.” She waited as he pushed open the door and preceded him inside.

  Sam chose his regular booth in the back and waited until Melanie was seated. He suffered curious glances from all around and quickly ordered. Throughout the meal, they made light conversation. Since they had dated a few times, they were familiar with each other’s likes and dislikes. It hadn’t taken long to realize they were better off as friends rather than lovers.

  “All right, you’ve lulled my senses with a fine meal,” she said wryly. She clasped her hands and placed them on the table. “So, why don’t you tell me why you really wanted to have lunch.”

  Sam grimaced. “No secrets, huh?”

  Melanie smiled and nodded.

  He took a deep breath. “All right, what can you tell me about blocked memories?”

  “Blocked memories?” she repeated. “Such as?”

  “Such as a kid who suffered through a horrible trauma and blocked that trauma from her mind.”

  “Amnesia then,” she clarified.

  Sam shook his head. “Whatever. Trauma from severe illness.”

  Melanie picked up her glass and sipped her soda. She rolled the carbonated beverage around in her mouth as she ruminated.

  “Illness can affect the memory,” she replied. “Especially if there are memories that one wants to forget. What else can you tell me?”

  He hesitated. “A small child suffers through a personal horror that destroys the life she had once known. Manages to keep it in perspective for a certain length of time then falls very ill. During the recovery period, it’s discovered the child doesn’t remember anything of that horror.”

  Melanie stared at him for several moments. “You’re talking about Keely Harper, aren’t you? I saw her medical records when we bought the practice,” she explained at Sam’s look of surprise. “Her family doctor extensively charted her trauma, illness and loss of memory. Has she started to remember what happened to her parents? Is that why you’re asking me about this?”

  “She’s just had dreams about a little girl,” he said in a low voice. “But I don’t know what to do. How to handle it if she starts asking questions about her parents. I’ve heard you can create emotional problems if you talk about something a person is not ready to remember yet.”

  “These are questions you should ask a psychiatrist, not me,” she explained. “I can only tell you that if she isn’t ready to confront those memories, she shouldn’t be forced to. Coming back here might be releasing some of the memories she’s buried and maybe it’s time for them to surface. But they need to surface at her speed. No one else’s.”

  Sam nodded. “She’s scared, Mel. Really scared.”

  “Then be there for her when she needs you. For now, that’s all you can do.” She reached across the table and covered his hand with hers. “Now it’s time for me to get back to the clinic.”

  “Thanks, friend.”

  Melanie smiled back. “At least the woman who caught you is someone who deserves you.”

  “Hey, I’m not caught yet,” he protested.

  Her expression said otherwise. “Trust me, Sam. You don’t have eyes for anyone else but her. Talk about falling fast. I guess we all should have known you’d fall hard when the right one came along.” She slid out of the booth and stood up. She leaned down to brush a kiss across his cheek and walked away.

  Sam remained at the table for a few more moments as he thought over what Melanie said. From what Keely said, she was remembering what had happened thirty years ago. He wished he could put her out of her misery and tell her the truth. The trouble was, he had no idea what the truth would do to her.

  Sam had to be watched. There was no reason for him and the witch to stop by the old lady’s house. It was easy to figure out why they had. She had parked her truck in front of the old lady’s house and they hoped she had seen something. No problem there. She wouldn’t have seen anything that looked funny. Nothing out of the way. Just a bunch of the town’s residents walking past. Some stopping to talk.

  That was the best part. Knowing there was no worry about getting caught. Of being under suspicion.

  Good thing he was so visible. He’d be easy to keep tabs on. As for the witch, it would be even easier since she had stopped at the hardware store today to pick up some supplies and mentioned she was going out to her family home to do some work there.

  And while she was there, there was no reason why a little surprise couldn’t be arranged for her at the other house.

  Surprises were a specialty.

  Chapter I3

  Keely hadn’t completely mastered her anxiety while spending time in her childhood home, but she forced herself to put her fears at bay while she finished cleaning the kitchen and then went on to scrub the downstairs bathroom. As she moved though the downstairs
rooms she mentally placed her furniture in what she felt were the most advantageous spots.

  She knew her furniture would fit in after the walls were painted and the floors sanded and varnished. The chimney would be cleaned and a fire burning merrily in the fireplace to warm the room. So why did she still feel it would be best to sell the house?

  With bones aching and muscles crying for a hot bath, she packed up her cleaning supplies and headed out to her truck. She’d completely lost track of time and realized it was starting to grow dark. She had no idea she’d stayed there so late. Out of habit she glanced at her watch, wondering about Steffie, then laughed.

  “That’s right. Steffie’s at a slumber party,” she reminded herself out loud. “I’ll have the house to myself. I can do whatever I want without my darling daughter asking why I can’t act like an adult.”

  She sped home in anticipation of an evening to herself and relaxing with a good book and a glass of wine.

  Keely parked in the garage and entered through the kitchen door. She flipped the light switch in the dim room then swore when nothing happened.

  “Just what I need,” she muttered, blindly seeking the drawer that held the flashlight “Hopefully, it’s a burned-out bulb and not a blown fuse. I’m coming, puppy,” she called out when she heard the pup scratching at the laundry room door and crying piteously. She felt guilty that she hadn’t thought of taking him with her while she cleaned. It would have been better than his being locked up in the laundry room with his toys and plenty of papers laid on the floor for accidents.

  Keely barely had the correct drawer pulled open when soft strains of music drifted in from the family room. She was hearing music she knew she didn’t own and she sensed it wasn’t coming from the radio that might have been mistakenly left on.

  She froze as the haunting lyrics about pills and a white rabbit invaded her brain with frightening images. A man and woman freeze-framed in her mind’s eye. Mouths open as if they were screaming. The color red everywhere.

  She forced herself to move. She scrambled for the drawer, but the flashlight eluded her frantic pawing though the contents. A sob broke from her lips when she finally realized the flashlight wasn’t there.

  “Does the music make you remember, Keely?” a whispery voice echoed throughout the house. “Does it frighten you?”

  Her eyes darted everywhere, but with the room so dark she couldn’t see anything. Even though they were adjusting to the darkness, she could see little but outlines of furniture. She crept along the wall, her hands splayed out at her sides. Where was the damn phone? She suddenly couldn’t remember.

  “You made a lot of people suffer, Keely,” the voice taunted. “Did you know that? Do you know what you did long ago? How many lives you ruined?”

  She breathed shallowly through her mouth, so she couldn’t be heard. She wanted to scream, to demand the music be turned off. The images that flashed inside her head were just as frightening as the dreams she’d had.

  “Keely,” the whispering voice sang out. “Do you want to play hide-and-seek? You hide and I’ll find you.”

  AH she could think of was she wanted Sam. He would protect her. He would keep her safe. Except for now, it was up to her. What did this person want from her? The question screamed inside her head, but her lips couldn’t form the words. She found her way into the living room. No matter where her eyes darted, she couldn’t see anyone in the corners or long shadows slicing across the large room. She focused on getting to the bedroom. There, she could lock her door and call Sam.

  “Do you like the song, Keely?”

  She jammed her hand in her mouth to keep from crying out By now, she’d reached the hallway opening. All it would take was a run to the other end.

  “Oh, Keely, pretty Keely.”

  Keely cried out when a hand touched her shoulder. She started to run, but the hand held on to her tightly. She sobbed, jerking around to strike out with her fists. She heard a soft grunt and a curse when she hit a soft area and the hold was loosened.

  “Witch!” Cursing followed her flight from her tormenter.

  She had just reached her bedroom doorway when her feet seemed to fly out from under her. Keely fell hard on her front, momentarily knocking the wind out of her. She tried to scramble to her feet, but hands held tightly on to her ankles.

  “You can’t escape me, Keely. I watch you at night. But you know that, didn’t you?” the asexual voice whispered. “You know I was out there watching you. You know everything, don’t you?”

  Keely tried to claw her attacker, but the figure evaded her attempts. At the same time, hands touched her here and there. She battled ineffectually as they teasingly patted her neck, stroked her breast, her upper thigh and along her waist. Sobbing louder, she tried to kick and bite, but she couldn’t connect. She crab-walked backward in an attempt to get away but the taunting voice and hands merely followed her.

  “Get away! Get away!” she screamed. “I don’t know why you’re doing this, but leave me alone!” She sobbed with frustration when her back hit the side of the bed and she found herself in the room’s comer.

  “I was tired of watching you from afar, Keely,” the voice went on at the same time the touching continued. “I wanted you to know I’m here for you. I want you to remember.”

  Her head whipped back and forth. “I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

  “You will, Keely. You will. You will know everything and you will suffer for what you did. You were a bad girl, Keely, and you need to be punished.”

  Keely was past hearing. She screamed and kept on screaming until her throat was raw. By now, she was huddled in a comer of the bedroom, her body curled up tight against the enemy.

  “Oh, my God! Keely!”

  The moment hands touched her she began screaming again until her voice gave out. Her eyes were wild and unseeing, her hair damp around her face as she swung her head back and forth.

  “Keely!” Hands planted themselves on her shoulders and shook her so hard her head snapped forward and backward.

  She blinked several times until Sam’s face came into focus.

  “He touched me,” she said in a voice still raspy from her screams. “He played music. He touched me.” She kept saying the two lines over and over again as Sam hauled her into his arms and held on tight.

  His chest rose and fell with labored breaths. “Honey, do you need to see a doctor?” he asked in a raw voice. “Do you want me to take you see Melanie?”

  It took a moment for her to understand his meaning. She still refused to let go of him. She shook her head.

  “He—only—touched—me,” she whispered.

  Sam rose to his feet while keeping a strong hold on Keely.

  “I want the entire house dusted for prints!” he shouted.

  Rick appeared in the doorway. “Wow,” he muttered.

  Keely turned her head just enough to see her dresser drawers open and the contents pulled out. Every piece of lingerie had been scattered about with spots of red marring the exquisite silk pieces. She started shaking violently.

  “It’s red nail polish.” Sam read her mind. “A scare tactic.”

  “It’s working.” Her teeth chattered.

  “She’s going into shock.” Sam started to pull away, but she only tightened her hold. He looked at Rick. “You’re in charge. I’m taking her to my place.”

  “What about her kid?” the deputy asked.

  Keely clutched Sam’s shoulders. “No, I can’t let her see me like this,” she pleaded. “She’s at that slumber party. She doesn’t need to know.”

  Sam wasn’t about to argue. Not when she was right. Keely looked as if she’d been through a war.

  “Call me as soon as you have something,” he ordered, guiding Keely out of the room.

  “I’ll go ahead and take the pup home with me,” Rick offered.

  Sam almost forgot about the dog. “Thanks. I’ll pick him up tomorrow.”

  Keely trembled viole
ntly in Sam’s arms as he practically carried her out of the house. She whimpered when she saw deputies wearing latex gloves as they checked out the living room, one was in the kitchen.

  Sam wasted no time in bundling her into his truck.

  “Sweetheart, I need to get around to the other side of the truck and get in,” he said gently as he tried to disentangle himself from her stranglehold.

  She watched him with wide eyes as he quickly walked around the front of his vehicle and climbed in. He reached over and fastened her seat belt.

  His brain cursed long and hard as he stared at her white features. Her eyes were dark with shock against her pale skin. Her arms were tightly wrapped around her middle as she rocked back and forth in her seat. Someone had frightened the hell out of her and he vowed to make sure that person paid for this crime.

  He switched on the engine and drove down the driveway.

  Sam had no idea how to handle the situation. Should he talk to her? Assure her she was all right? He had a sick feeling he would have to treat her the same way he would treat a rape victim. Because, unhappily, she had been raped, even though it had been her mind that had been violated and not her body.

  As Sam parked in his garage, he was grateful Lisa wasn’t home and Steffie wasn’t around to see her mother so distraught. Speaking softly, he guided Keely into the house, being careful not to touch her.

  She stood in the middle of the kitchen looking around as if she’d never seen the room before. Her body still shook and her teeth chattered.

  “I’m so cold,” she whispered, wrapping her arms around her body.

  Sam didn’t waste any time. He hustled her through the house to his bedroom and into his bathroom. He turned on the shower full blast and once the water was warm enough, gently pushed her into the cubicle, not hesitating to step in after her.

  “It’s okay, Keely,” he soothed, running his hands up and down her arms, then pulling her against his chest so he could stroke her back. “You’re safe now.”

  “No!” Her head whipped back and forth in argument. “I’ll never be safe again.” She buried her face against his shoulder.