Dark Corners READY FOR PRC (30 page)

“I know, but I'd gotten used to what little we had. It was part of my routine. It sort of feels like we lost you again.”

Guilt about neglecting Susan gnawed at me. Even if she was a fair weather friend, she was still a friend. . . .  “We could have dinner the day after tomorrow. Why don’t you and Doug come over to the house? You guys can meet Gabriel as a person and not a cop. We can talk about all the things our investigation has dug up.”

She hesitated.

“Look, Susan. If you want to be in my life I need you guys to all get along. The last thing I'll put up with is squabbling.”

“Is he really going to be around that long?”

“I don’t know, but right now his belief in me is a big part of what keeps me going, so I’d appreciate if you would at least try.”

“Doesn’t it bother you?”

“What?”

“That he investigated you. That he pulled your name through the mud and caused all of this animosity the town has for you.”

“Susan, we have talked about this. I don’t blame him. He was doing his job. I don’t care if they camp outside of my house with pitchforks and torches. If he catches the killer, it's worth it to me. This town’s opinion doesn’t mean all that much in the grand scheme of things.”

Susan sighed, hopefully understanding she would never win this argument. “Okay, we’ll be there. What time?”

“How about eight?”

“Fine.”

“I’ll see you then. I should get back to work, bye.”

“Bye,” she echoed as I hung up. All that had transpired in the last hour wove through my mind like the beginning of a new tapestry. I wondered if this is what starting over felt like. I took a deep breath before picking the receiver back up to call Gabriel.

“Yeah?” He answered the phone very gruffly, very cop like which made me smile.

“Hey, it’s me.”

“Just a moment,” he said much softer. I could hear him moving around. Then a few seconds later, he asked, “Is everything all right? Has anything happened?”

“Everything's fine. Did you switch rooms?”

“Yeah, I went into my office; I was in the bullpen with the guys.”

The mental image I had threatened to make me laugh, but I pushed through and got to my reason for calling. “I searched the attic this morning.”

“Did you find anything?”

“I found the sock.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yeah. It was in a wardrobe. It was very strange. Judging from all the dust no one appears to have been up there in years. I don’t know how it got there.”

“Was it dusty?”

I had to think back to when I found it. “No.” I answered with some certainty.

“Where is it now?”

“I left it on the shelf. I figured I’d be less likely to lose it that way and I probably shouldn’t touch it.”

“I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

“You don’t have to come now; you can get it tonight.”

“It’s not a problem. With our track record of losing things, sooner is definitely better.”

“Okay. I’ll be here.”

“See you in a bit."

I considered going back to the attic to get the sock, but decided it was best to leave it where it was. I cleaned some of the mess I had left in the study. As I was clearing random crap from the floor and top of the desk I realized something was missing. The blueprints. I knew Grant had just been looking at them, but where did they go?  He hadn’t carried them away and they were too large to fold into a pocket.

I put everything that was out away, except for a few of the files we hadn’t looked through yet.  Those I left stacked as neatly as possible on the desk. Going into the kitchen, not sure what else to do to waste time, I stood by the sink looking at the wall where I found Danny. There was no longer a trace of the horrific murder, but if I closed my eyes I could still see the brutal scene I stumbled upon that tragic morning.

So much had changed in the last couple of weeks, however, it was like it had been years since I floundered aimlessly in my guilt, pain, and self-pity. It was hard to look back at myself without cringing from embarrassment. And it seemed even longer since I’d been with Danny. The beginning of our marriage was but a dream—and the end a nightmare I was still trying to wake up from. I walked slowly over to the wall and reached out with a trembling hand to touch the smooth repaired and repainted surface. As my fingers met the wall, I heard a loud thump.

I pulled my hand back startled, with a feeling of fear and shame like I’d been caught doing something wrong. The noise could have come from anywhere. I stood very still listening, my heart beating thickly in my ears. The thump came again, this time from behind me. I turned, able to see all the windows from where I was standing. I couldn’t spot a thing.  I went to the nearest window and peered outside. Nothing was out of place. I stuck my head out of the backdoor to see if anything had been thrown against the house from the cover of the trees. Still no obvious sign of anything awry.  I shut the door, locking it against the ghosts in my mind.

“Keep it together, El,” I said to myself just as a hand touched my shoulder, sending chills through my body and my heart into my throat blocking my scream. I flung around prepared to fight. Gabriel was behind me already braced for my normal reaction.

“You said nothing strange was happening.” His eyes narrowed as he studied the panic written all over my face.

“And nothing was until you snuck up behind me. I just heard a thump and was looking to see what it was. Christ!” I had a hand on my heart and one still on Gabriel’s chest in what would’ve been a vain effort to block an intruder.

Gabriel couldn’t hold back his smile. “I’m sorry I frightened you. Are you okay?”

“I think you enjoy doing that. I’m fine, just a little spooked. I was thinking about when I found Danny and I worked myself up. I didn’t expect you here so fast. The sock is upstairs,” I said, letting my arms fall to my sides.

“I’m not worried about it. I’m more concerned with how you’re doing. Has anything else strange happened today?”

“No, not really.” I started up the stairs and then I remembered. “Well, the blue prints have gone missing.”

Gabriel flinched. “When did you last see them?”

“Today. Grant came over to visit and he was looking at them before we went out on the porch, but when I came back in they were gone.”

“That explains the wine glasses. Do you know his last name yet?” I could hear mistrust in his voice.

“No, I forgot to ask. I offered him a drink before I realized my selection of beverages is a little limited.”

“What kind of car does he drive?”

“Um, I’m not sure. I don't think I saw one, but then again, I wasn’t really paying attention.”

“How did he know where you live?”

“He said something about it being a small town. What’s with all the questions? Why don't you trust him? That's rather cynical, isn't it? You don’t even know him.”

“It’s not that small,” he mumbled then added in a normal voice, “Just curious why this complete stranger keeps popping up in your life. Aren’t you the least bit suspicious about that? Besides no one seems to know him and as he said it’s a small town. He shouldn't be that hard to find.”

“You've been asking about him? I'm a little curious, especially when you put it like that. He just seems so familiar. And he doesn’t give me a creepy feeling. Maybe he’s a bit unsettling, and he does seem to be wherever I am a lot—no, not even. Just the hospital, and it makes sense for him to be there.”

“I’ve asked around the station. No one knows him. Promise me next time you see this man, you’ll get a last name, license plate, whatever. Something I can use to run a background check.”

“Would it help if I stole his license?”

“That would be perfect. How do you plan on doing it?”

“My seduction skills, of course.” I hoped teasing Gabriel would get him to ease off the questions I couldn’t answer.

“You have those?” he asked dryly.

“I’ve never heard any complaints.” I tried to be pouty, but couldn’t maintain the farce. I began snickering at the ridiculousness. “How about I get him good and drunk— then he will be like putty in my hands.”

“Women and their sneaky tricks.”

“It works on all the boys.” I smiled at Gabriel and he smiled back. “You ready to see the attic?”

“Sure.” He seemed more relaxed as we headed up. I opened the attic door and led him to the wardrobe, while his eyes fluttered over the room, assessing the dangers and hiding places. I opened the door and there was the sock. Gabriel pulled out rubber gloves and evidence bags and collected the item with care, before briefly walking around the room.

“I think you’re right,” he said when we were back in the study. “From what I could see, it doesn’t look like anyone’s been up there in quite some time. The only disturbances are most likely what you left up there.”

“How does that make sense?”

“It doesn’t, but what’s new.” He raked his fingers through his hair frustrated at our inability to suss this out. “We'll talk about it more later. I need to get this to evidence before it disappears again.”

“Right, good thinking.”

He waved as he walked out the door which I locked behind him. I knew I should start going through the paperwork I found in Danny’s desk, not to mention the old letters and photographs I found in the attic, but I had little desire to do so. I made myself a cup of tea and went into the study, grabbing the stack from the desk. I sat it next to me on the couch and picked up the first piece of paper.  I couldn’t even look at it. Everything that happened over the last couple of days started flooding over me. I leaned my head back against the couch and closed my eyes, telling myself it would only be for a minute or two.

“Ella. Ellllla wake up.”

 A hand lightly brushed my cheek and jawbone. I opened my eyes to look into Danny’s calm blue eyes—they always reminded me of a peaceful lake, deep and liquid, hardly ever a ripple.

“What time is it?”

“Almost ten.”

I became aware that I was in a strange place. Looking around I saw a lot of white and many cords. Nothing that was familiar to me.

“Where am I?”

“The hospital.”

“What am I doing here?”

“You fell.”

“I fell?”

“Down the stairs. Don’t you remember?”

I tried to remember, but it was like watching for water to boil. “I don’t—what  happened?” Danny looked up at someone. That was when I noticed I wasn’t alone with him. A man in a white coat stood next to my bed. He looked familiar. Where did I know him from?

“You remember Dr. Livingston, Ella?”

Dr. Livingston, Dr. Livingston. How did I know that name? “He’s familiar.”

“That’s normal with head trauma. Ella, who is the President?” Dr Livingston asked.

“George Bush.”

“What do you do for a living?”