Not Forgotten (15 page)

“Well, look at you,” Aunt Maggie had said, looking her up and down critically. Natalie had wished she had brushed her hair on the bus and rushed to finger comb it now. “So grown up. Your father would be so proud of you. Come on, let’s go home, I bet you’re tired, huh? Uncle Roger is there waiting for you.”

Natalie knew she owed her entire life and future to Maggie and Roger. They had been there for her when her own parents had failed.

A thunderclap brought her out of her reverie. Her hands shook and tears were rolling down her face but she managed to keep the sobs bound within her. This was why she helped other people and never thought about her own past. Nothing good came from it and she always wound up in a state.

She put the article down as another thunderclap rolled across the black sky. Rain drops started to splatter against her large bay window that overlooked her backyard. She lifted up another newspaper clipping highlighting the details of the gruesome murders. She could see the crime scene in her head, like she had just arrived there and it was fresh in her mind. She saw the mutilated bodies. She could smell the metallic stench of blood and death. She swallowed hard to keep the bile that was threatening to surface at bay.

She took in other news clippings of the other murders accredited to the Butcher. Their crime scenes too found their way into her head. The graphic images swirled around and she swore she could smell their decomposed bodies and the coppery taste of blood in her mouth and imagined she could feel the blood warm and sticky on her body. The lightning outside flashed over her face as she struggled to the surface from the nightmare she found herself in. Her hands flailed about as she tried to grab hold of something solid in this reality. Natalie knocked over her wine glass spilling red wine all over her table, the glass smashing into tiny pieces as it hit the hardwood floor.

She grabbed the table, holding on as she waited for her vision to stop spinning. Her nails dug into the shiny table top as images flittered across her mind. She opened her eyes and looked out into her garden just as another bolt of lightning lit up the sky. Staring right back at her from the other side of the glass were the blackest eyes she had ever seen.

Chapter 18

Natalie jumped up from her seat screaming. She knocked over her chair as she got to her feet and scrambled backwards. The light disappeared from the sky, returning the world to black once more. Her heart pounded in her chest and threatened to burst through her ribcage. She placed her palm over her heart for a few seconds in a futile gesture to still it before she took off for the kitchen.

She opened the top drawer of her merle-grey granite bench top and immediately located her flashlight buried amongst her other emergency items such as candles and matches and tested the batteries. Satisfied they were in working order, Natalie made her way to the front door, collecting her car keys from the island bench on the way past. Her keys cut into her palm as she held onto them tightly. She could feel the panic button attached to her key ring and felt somewhat protected.

Armed, Natalie opened her front door and stepped out into the night. She clicked on the flashlight, the strong beam lighting her way as she slowly walked towards her backyard. She could feel the fear induced perspiration coating her skin, making her uncomfortable in the muggy air. Her street was quiet, the promise of rain keeping her neighbours inside. She could hear a dog bark several houses down and wondered if he could smell her intruder.

Lights shined brightly in the surrounding houses but no porch light came on. No one came to investigate her scream. She felt saddened by that fact and a little annoyed if she was honest with herself. What if she’d been attacked? She didn’t like to think what would’ve happened to her if she had been. How long would it have taken before help arrived? Would anyone miss her? She was alone in the world now with no real friends and no close relatives. She barely knew her neighbours, only enough to say hello.

Natalie shrugged off her lack of involvement in her community and tried to remain calm as she thought through her situation. Panicking never helped. In the back of her mind, she knew what she was doing was stupid and dangerous and that an intelligent person would go back inside and check that all the doors and windows were locked but her feet wouldn’t allow her to retreat.

She moved carefully, keeping her steps quiet and poised to run at any moment. Her nerves were raw and her body stiff with tension at what she might find, or who. She knew her imagination hadn’t run away with her. She had seen exactly what she thought she saw. Natalie shivered at the memory of the cold, dark eyes looking back at her. How long had he been there, watching her, and why? She nibbled on her bottom lip as her mind came up with several possibilities, none of them good.

Natalie listened as thunder continued to rumble across the sky, crackling at the end nearby. At the same time the sky opened up and drenched her down to the bone. She cautiously walked through her side gate and moved the flashlight across the yard left to right before going over it again. Her breaths came in fast, short bursts. She trailed the light beam over the glass of the window where only days ago Matt had stood and innocently watched her. Now an unknown person had been there for God knows how long, doing God knows what.

Her body went cold as she saw the fingerprint marks glow in the bright beam of her flashlight. The bastard had his hands on her window. She looked past the smudged face outline on the glass into her home at the very place she had so recently been. Her hand shook as a shiver travelled down her spine and she nervously wet her lips. The rain pounded down on her head, running into her eyes and she blinked rapidly.

The man had pressed his face against the glass. Had been close enough to her that he could’ve counted the number of freckles on her nose and she hadn’t had a clue he was there. Had it not been for the lightning and her glancing up at that exact moment she might never have known. She probably would’ve gone to bed with him watching her every move. She shivered again at the thought of that man getting his jollies watching her undress, at what he might do next. She looked down at the ground and knew he’d been there for hours. His man-sized footsteps had left an impression on the soil beneath his feet. For a second she had thought it was Derek, returning to taunt her, but after a few terrifying seconds her brain began to work through the terror and she realised it wasn’t him and her heart almost failed her.

Natalie pulled her intruder’s image from her memory and kept it close, reviewing his features over and over so as not to forget. She looked about her backyard to determine if anything was out of place. She wondered what she was doing. Why was she outside in the rain looking, investigating something she shouldn’t be?

Natalie lost what was left of her bravery and turned around, moving fast towards her car. She pressed the button on her key ring and watched the indicator lights blink as the doors unlocked. She jumped onto the passenger seat and pressed the central lock button, hearing the delightful sound of the doors locking.

She turned around in her seat and played the light beam over the backseat and foot-well. Satisfied she was alone in the vehicle, Natalie deftly climbed over the gear shift and into the driver’s seat, plunged the key into the ignition, and revved the engine as she tore out of her driveway. She didn’t slow down once as she sped downtown. The windscreen wipers were working overtime swiping the raindrops away and clearing her vision. She felt the tyres buckle under her as they ran through deep puddles, the rubber leaving the asphalt for a brief second. Her stomach twisted into knots as she held on tight, her fingers curling into the leather of the steering wheel.

Natalie didn’t dare take her hands away, afraid of losing control of her vehicle as she made several sharp turns. She pulled into the parking lot near her office building and forced herself to let go, almost falling out of the car in her haste to get out of the open. She took off for the entrance and ran up the three flights of stairs, not wanting to wait for the elevator, never once thinking to check if she was being pursued. Not that it mattered. She was scared and wanted to feel safe again. Rational thinking did not enter into it. After securing the doors behind her, Natalie collapsed into her chair, her legs no longer able to hold her weight and caught her breath. With trembling hands, she reached for her phone.

Chapter 19

Matt opened the door to Natalie’s office and looked around. He spotted her immediately and after assessing that she was alone, he silently closed the door behind him and carried a cardboard cup of coffee over to her.

Her eyes were closed and her breathing shallow. She was asleep. Her naked feet were resting on her desk, her chair reclined. Her hair was knotted around her face and she smelled of damp, mouldy fabric. Her panda pyjamas were slightly askew and one corner of the button-up top was folded back to give him a tantalising view of a flat, creamy stomach. She looked a mess, so far removed from the coiffed and elegantly dressed woman he was used to seeing. But no matter what she wore—or didn’t wear—she was still beautiful and all Matt could think of was touching her.

He stamped down on that need and focused on why he was here. He’d been out all night trying to track down any CCTV cameras in the vicinity of the crime in hopes of finding a glimpse of the perpetrator and when he had returned to the station earlier that morning, he had been told by the officer on duty that Natalie had called constantly throughout the night trying to reach him since his mobile had gone to voicemail. Stupidly he had forgotten to charge it before leaving the LAC and he’d been too busy to think of it and regretted not forwarding his calls to Darryl’s mobile.

His night had proved futile once again. Frustration at not being any closer to finding the bastard bubbled to the surface and caused him to have a short fuse. He had used his siren without guilt as he cut across the morning’s traffic to get to Natalie’s office. He had tried to call but no one had picked up. Seeing as it was too early for Natalie’s receptionist to be there, he had taken a chance that she would still be at the office.

He leaned down and whirled the coffee under her nose before gently nudging her awake with his index finger. She groaned and blinked a couple times as she looked up at him, surprise etched onto her face. Natalie rubbed her hands over her face to wipe away the last vestige of sleep and frowned. Matt could see her wondering why he was there and wondered at that himself.

“Matt?” she asked, her voice croaky from sleep.

Matt raised the cup. “Coffee?”

She groaned again. “Yes, please.”

Natalie took the cup from his hands and sipped it, making another delightful sound that travelled the length of his spine to the ends of his toes.
Please
, he begged for sanity and control.
A man can only take so much
. He prayed she’d quit making noises that made him think things he shouldn’t. Any longer and he wouldn’t be able to hold off and might grab her and pull her down to the floor.

He watched as pure bliss passed over her face and thought she looked like she was in nirvana. Well, at least she was enjoying her coffee and he wondered if she enjoyed other things half as well. He shook his head to clear it and scolded himself for his undisciplined mind that was often wandering when he was around her. He had to be careful. As a cop he had to be vigilant at all times. One moment’s distraction could cost lives. He had to get his head in the game and keep it there or pack up and go home.

He sat down on the edge of Natalie’s desk as she sat up, tucking her feet beneath her chair. He watched as ten brightly painted pink toes disappeared before giving her his full attention.

“Officer Jeffries says you called last night—a lot. Want to tell me what’s on your mind?”

Natalie’s face paled, tension causing her lips to tighten. She clamped her hands harder around the coffee cup as if sucking the heat from it. Her eyes glistened in the light and Matt had to restrain himself from comforting her. She looked so scared and lost he felt pained. He made himself mentally take a step back. Natalie was just a consultant. He mustn’t treat her any differently. He waited patiently as she collected herself and watched as her hands loosened their hold on the cup.

The process took less than a minute but to Matt it felt like a lifetime. He rested his palms lightly on his thighs as Natalie swallowed and then in a clear voice spoke.

“I saw a man at my window last night.”

“What?”

He jumped off the desk so fast it gave him a head rush. He spun around to face her. He was furious to think someone had gotten close to her, someone who caused such a reaction from her. Natalie was hardly the type of woman to get riled up over nothing and she was clearly distressed. He was outraged on her behalf for the invasion on her privacy and he had to admit it, he was scared for her too. In such a small span of time, she had been hit, stalked, and now had men staring at her through the window. Something had to be done before this escalated any further. His hands became fists and hung uselessly against his thighs.

“Was it Derek?”

Natalie shook her head. “No. At least I don’t believe so. It was dark but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t Derek. I can’t tell you who it might’ve been though. I only saw his face for a second. A long heart stopping second,” she added. “And it was dark.”

How could she be so calm? He was sweating bullets just at the thought of someone being that close to her. He took a deep breath, telling himself to relax, forcing his fists to straighten out. He flexed his hands to work out the stiffness and when he felt his voice would be steady again he asked, “Have you seen him before?”

Natalie shrugged and took another sip of her coffee. “If I had, I wasn’t paying attention. I see so many people professionally and my social life leaves a lot to be desired.”

The blood pumping through his veins was cold. While he hadn’t had a chance yet to talk to Derek, he couldn’t rule him out even though Natalie was adamant it wasn’t him. Matt liked to believe it was him. Dealing with Derek would be a real pleasure, one he was certainly looking forward to. He didn’t like the thought of her being in danger.

“What did he look like? Can you remember?”

She picked up her notepad and handed it to him. Matt looked down at the roughly drawn face on the paper. She wasn’t by any means an artist but the impression was there.

“The only thing that really stuck with me was his eyes.”

“What about his eyes, Natalie?”

“Think about the darkest night you’ve ever seen. No moon, no stars. Nothing. Just lifeless black wells. As dramatic as that sounds, it’s the only way to describe them. I didn’t even know he was there watching me until by chance a flash of lightning lit up the sky.”

Matt’s hand became a fist again. He could hear the fear in her voice, even though she tried to hide it. Natalie would never admit it to him but he knew she was scared and when he found the man responsible, he would personally see to it that everything he inflicted on Natalie was paid back with interest.

“You know who else has dark eyes?” he asked. He shuddered to think that maybe Natalie had a new admirer. One who would not leave roses and chocolate on her doorstop.

“Who?”

“The Butcher.”

She laughed but the sound fell flat. “Why would he be interested in me?”

“Well, that’s the fucking question isn’t it?” he shouted. “One we don’t have a damn clue about and if he has his sights on you—”

He broke off as Natalie lay her hand on his arm. “I doubt that is the case, Matt, so let’s not go buying trouble. There could be a number of explanations as to my midnight visitor. The Butcher isn’t the only criminal in Harbour Bay and although my neighbourhood isn’t usually one targeted for burglary, we can’t rule it out.”

Matt stared stonily at her. She made it all sound so damn reasonable and had him looking like a jackass in a matter of minutes. He wasn’t ruling anything out though. The Butcher was out there and Natalie was standing in his way to get to Hallie.

“You know, at first, I thought I was imagining it. Overstimulated brain, a trick of the light…but when I went outside, I saw a footprint in the dirt and—”

His eyes widened as what she’d just said sank in. His voice was dangerously quiet when he spoke.

“You went outside?”

Natalie frowned at his tone.

“Well, yes.” She gave him a ‘duh, what else could I do’ look.

Stay calm,
he told himself.

He gritted his teeth, reminding himself he could get in trouble if he shook her. Besides he didn’t think she would appreciate being shaken. She would more than likely return the favour by bopping him over the head with something hard. If the Butcher really had fixated on Natalie, she was in a mass amount of danger and for her to foolishly exit the safety of her home was more than enough to piss him off. For an intelligent woman she was being extremely stupid and he assumed she wouldn’t like being told so. He would have to be careful how he phrased things, because antagonising her wouldn’t help the situation.

“Are you fucking out of your ever-loving-mind?” he practically yelled at her. What the hell happened to finesse? He might as well jump right in with both feet. “You should be the one locked up inside Paradise Valley for your own safety. Jesus, haven’t you ever watched scary movies? You never go outside to investigate strange noises and you never go looking for trouble.”

Natalie stood up, planting her hands on her hips. Not a good sign. Matt took an instinctive step back. Growing up in a household of women had taught him when to back down or shut up or both, and right in front of him was one very pissed off woman and
he
had caused it. Natalie was really spinning him for a loop for him to miss the warning signs. He knew she was only human and did what any person would do in the situation and he shouldn’t have lectured her. He was halfway towards an apology when she narrowed her eyes at him.

“And what would you have me do?” She stepped closer to him while he moved back. “Stay locked inside my house, unable to sleep for fear that a man could be looking through my windows, wondering if every sound I heard was him breaking in?”

She had a point. He wouldn’t have put up with that shit either. He looked into her angry eyes.

“Well put it that way,” he conceded.

“I won’t live my life in fear. No one will take my choices away from me.”

Again.
He heard the word even though she hadn’t spoken it. He wondered what was hidden beneath the beautiful outer shell and if she would ever trust him enough to tell him. Her voice was fierce and he could see the determination in the deep blue of her eyes. She was shaken but wasn’t about to let the fear rule her life. She reminded him of Hallie. No wonder the two got on so well. There was a connection between them, one he hadn’t seen until now.

“Sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything. I just don’t like to think of you in danger. It’s more than I can deal with right now.”

She gave him a small nod. “I’m not totally unreasonable. I promise not to take any more unnecessary risks.”

She flashed him a bright smile, melting the ice that had fallen. Matt ran his hand through his hair and took the truce she was offering. He wasn’t entirely sure what had happened over the past few minutes. He had been through so many emotional changes his head spun, but he was a smart guy and smart guys didn’t question or argue. They just agreed.

“So what else happened last night?”

She shrugged, looking ridiculous in her pyjamas but cute at the same time. He wondered if she knew the sight she made.

“Oh, not much. The face at the window was the highlight of the evening.” She paused. “Which reminds me, if any speeding tickets pass your desk…it would be greatly appreciated if you could push them under the rug.”

He let out a long suffering sigh and muttered an explicative under his breath. “Let’s go.”

He waited as she grabbed her keys and put on her daffodil yellow smiley face slippers. She glared at him when he glanced down at her slippers and tried to hide a smile.

“Hey,” she said and poked his ribs with her index finger. “I wasn’t expecting a midnight camp out in my office, okay?”

“Didn’t say anything.” He held up his hands in surrender.

She gave an unladylike snort. “You didn’t need to. I can read your expression.”

He opened the door for her. “Yeah, well, I should at least get points for not mentioning your relaxed work wear.”

He flashed an amused look at her and stifled a chuckle as she glanced down at her clothes. He watched with delight as a mortified look crossed her face followed closely by embarrassment and could only guess what was going through her mind.

She raised her head, her face tomato red, and with her back straight passed by him and out the door.