Point of Attraction (19 page)

Mason nodded, then he too stood. They
even talk to each other without saying a word, Georgie
thought.

But Mason didn’t go anywhere. Instead,
he came to her side and slipped a hand behind her neck, squeezed
gently. “Think your kids will tolerate me dating their
mom?”

“If not today, soon, but I’m the one
you’ll be dating,” she smiled, pressing her head into the hold. “I
think they liked you.”

“I’m glad, cause I really want to see
more of their mom,” he said, taking her left hand to toy with the
ringless finger.

The motorcycle came to life, bombarding
the garage walls with its roar as it sped out.

“I need to get the flashlight out of my
car,” Mason said. “I’ll be right back. Keep your coat
on.”

When he came back in, he flicked on the
flashlight and put his arm around her shoulders as they walked out
through the laundry room. Before going out the door into the patio,
he flipped off the outdoor light. The breeze teased them as they
stood at the edge of the patio next to the barbecue. Faint odors of
the meal’s drippings on the dying coals hung in the air until the
breeze pulled it along. They had an unobstructed view of the stars
on this absolutely clear night.

Mason drew her head to his chest, his
cheek pressing into her hair. “You know... I considered my life
pretty much settled, calm, and all but buried, except for my
writing,” he said. “Then I thought... I’ll take my fifteen years of
notes and see about a writing class. And there she was; in the
corner, all composed and unassuming, sitting next to the most
outspoken, capricious, redhead. Little did I know the quiet one was
the central eye of chaos.”

His warm hand cupped her chin and held
it up. “Do you know the stars are reflected in your eyes?” He
sighed, not waiting for a response. “I shudder to think where this
center of calmness will take me, yet I find myself hurrying to get
there. Is that crazy or what?”

Georgie wanted to reach inside his
jacket and encircle herself with his warmth, like Max, curling up
into his own fur. She too, thought her life quite settled and
tranquil, until now. But she was not as brave as Mason, and the
pain of the heart was not something she wanted to experience. Sam
had never hurt her, and she had no desire to feel what she so often
saw and heard from other women, and even some men while they sat in
her chair as she worked on their hair. But even knowing the flame
will kill it, the moth still flies to its destiny.

Oh, Georgie, she thought, what are you
doing?

The roar of Nick’s motorcycle pierced
its way through the brush, and she looked toward the sound. Now and
then a flicker of its headlight could be seen. Then, there was
silence and no light, time held still, but the moment had been
broken, and Mason guided her to the left corner of the yard. Daisy,
having gotten there before them, sat waiting very patiently. It was
a while before a ray of light jostled its way through the brush,
but it was off to the side, not the left corner. Daisy stood up,
her tail wagging as she whimpered.

“Mason, I need you to drive up here,”
Nick’s voice came through before they actually saw him come through
the brush. “Georgie, do you still have your camera?”

“Yes.”

“The batteries still good?”

“Yes.”

“Give it to Mason...”

“No,” she said flat out. “I’m coming up
there.”

“Georgie...” Nick tried to
reason.

“You don’t know how to use my
camera.”

“There’s no camera made I can’t use,
and you know it!”

When she felt Mason’s hand on her arm,
she pulled clear of it. “You both gave me your word.” But the night
suddenly felt colder as her breath billowed in a cloud with each
word.

“Should I call this in?” Mason asked
Nick.

“You come up here and tell me,” he
said. “My choice would be yes. It’s the second small turn-around.
Pull into the one across the street and walk the edge as you
approach. I’m going to look around some more. Just make sure you
bring that camera. There are tire tracks and footprints you don’t
want to mess up. Georgie Girl, I don’t think...”

“I’m coming.”

“God damn it, Georgie.” There was a
small pause, then... “It’s Raggs.”

Chapter sixteen

“Raggs?” Georgie spun on her heels and
headed for the house. As she ran through the kitchen to the garage,
Mason grabbed her arm, nearly pulling her off balance. Her fingers
ached from trying to pry herself free of his grip, but he refused
to let go.

“George! The camera.”

It took a second for his words to sink
in and she nodded. When he released her, she dashed down the
hallway to the linen closet. On the middle shelf was her camera.
She pulled it out of the case, but when she turned to go out, Mason
stood in her path.

“George, maybe you
shouldn’t...”

“You either take me up there, or I’ll
drive myself.”

He stepped aside.

Without another word, they both went
out the door, but like the first night, Mason made sure she locked
up behind her. To Georgie, it took forever before they spotted
Nick’s motorcycle. Mason pulled the 4Runner in the turnaround
across the street from the bike. The car had barely stopped when
Georgie unlatched the safety belt and shoved open the door. Not
even bothering to look in either direction, Georgie darted across
the dark quiet road as Mason shouted her name.

Just as she approached the wide dirt
shoulder, Mason caught up with her. Once more she fought his firm
hold as a dark form lurched out of the brush.

“Stop it!” Nick hissed, but it might as
well have been a shout. “You want to destroy evidence? Act like a
grown up, for goddamn sakes.”

When her muscles relaxed, she felt
Mason’s arms loosen their grip.

“Now,” Nick went on, his hand very
gentle at her shoulder while he pointed to where and what he spoke
of. “See? Tire tracks in this entire area. That, in itself, means
nothing. No telling how many vehicles use this turnaround. But it’s
the same tread mark all over. Even after the rains, it still
appears to be the same tires. Got a solid impression over
here.”

“Are you up to taking a photo?” Mason
asked.

Georgie readied the camera and knelt
down. The wet soft earth soaked through her sweat pants at the
knee. Both Mason and Nick fixed their flashlight on the deep
grooves so shadows would not distort the pattern. Once satisfied
with her photos, Georgie got up.

Nick motioned for them to follow him,
making sure they walked the edges of the area, and guided them to
what Georgie saw was a narrow parting of the shrubs. Even in the
dark, she could tell it was indeed a path recently made. Nick shone
the flashlight on the ground where footprints went in both
directions, fresh prints smudging others beneath. It wasn’t hard to
see it was the same set of shoes. When they came upon a pristine
print, once more, Georgie used her camera. Nick then led them on
until they reached a small clearing, hardly more than ten feet wide
in either direction.

Nick turned off his flashlight and
waited a moment before pointing below them. The moonlight was
bright over the backyard of a house. Georgie’s lips parted, her
mouth dropping open. In the rustling breeze, the swinging flap of a
small door echoed up a second before she heard excited
barking.

Daisy.

Georgie blinked. Her large kitchen
window was a light in the darkness. The more she looked at it, the
more clear the features inside became. With binoculars, it would be
as close as eye to eye.

That
close
, she thought.

“Oh, man,” Mason murmured behind her, a
hand on her shoulder.

At first, Georgie thought he was
referring to the spy view of her house. He wasn’t, and she turned
to see what he was talking about. She followed the focal point of
his eyes and flashlight. It took a moment before she put together
what she was looking at and her outcry caught in her
throat.

Enclosed in clear plastic was her
Raggedy Ann Doll, Raggs. Beads of moisture still clung to the small
see-through body bag. What appeared to be an ice pick stabbed Raggs
through the heart, pinning her to the trunk of the pine
tree.

Georgie was immobile. She was
breathing, but there was no air to be had. She didn’t even protest
when the camera was taken from her. Mason’s solid body pressed
against her before she realized he had pulled her to him, his hands
easing up and down her arms. Nick carefully made his way around the
edges of the clearing to Raggs. When the camera flash burst
brightly, a painful gasp tore through Georgie’s throat.

“Give her to me,” she asked, trying to
hold back her tears, but they burned their way down her cheeks on
their own.

“We can’t,” Mason whispered in her
ear.

“We can’t, Georgie Girl,” Nick also
said.

“You... you can’t leave her like that,”
she cried.

“We have to,” Mason said, his arms
completely around her now, cradling her, trying to make her
understand. “The police need to see this just as it is.”

She felt Mason’s chest rise and fall
with his deep breathing.

“Maybe we’ll be lucky and the bastard
that did this left his print behind. Something... ” Nick
said.

Georgie understood the logic in what he
was saying, but each time Nick took a photo, the flash highlighted
Raggs’ startled, pleading button eyes. It was an ice pick driven
into her own heart, to those precious memories of her mother sewing
and embroidering that now frightened little doll face.

Nick turned the camera to a spot on the
ground near the tree base. Georgie saw a cluster of cigarette
butts, then looked down the slope. There were footprints heading
toward her fence, and she remembered the impressions around her
trashcan. Had they been her own... or not? Had whoever it was
gotten inside the fence? How close had he come to entering her
house... if not for Daisy?

“Nick, take her home,” Mason said,
reaching for his cell phone at his waist. “I’m calling this
in.”

Georgie didn’t even argue that she was
getting on a motorcycle, let alone without a helmet. The cold night
failed to penetrate her state of shock. All she could see were
those startled button eyes looking to her for help, and she buried
her face in Nick’s jacket.

There was no memory of time up to the
moment the swirling police lights entered her driveway. Nick went
out through the garage to meet them, while she sat at the kitchen
table trying to swallow some water. Just an hour or so ago, this
room was filled with laughter, friendly playful talk, future
grandchild talk, and now this. She dropped her face into her hands,
then pulled them away to look. They were wet. She took napkins out
of the heavy glass holder and dabbed at the tears.

Outside, Daisy barked in objection to
the intrusion of her world. Georgie’s head was filled with visions
of lights and camera flashes documenting Raggs’ torment.

There was a faint sound of tires
mashing the gravel in her driveway, a car door opening and closing,
then more murmurs from the garage before the kitchen door opened
slowly. She looked up and saw Mason poke his head in. Before she
could think, she was on her feet in his arms, his hands smoothing
up and down her back while his cheek pressed into her hair. After a
moment, he moved them away from the door to let in Nick followed by
two police officers.

“George,” Mason murmured, “This is
Officer Roberts and...”

Daisy burst in from the laundry room,
barking, growling, teeth bared as the two officers entered, and
they drew back.

“Whoa, Girl!” Nick quickly stepped in,
managed to catch Daisy by the collar, and led her back out into the
laundry room. Daisy jerked her head trying to get away from the
grip, still snarling and barking, but Nick held firm trying to
console her. “I know, Girl, I know. But we need to fix this. Lie
down, lie down.”

He closed the door behind him and
rejoined them. Every now and then, Daisy’s whimper came through
followed by her pawing at the door. Max sat by the door, ears
pulled back.

Georgie numbly let everyone enter her
home. Officer Roberts leaned forward to shake her hand. Strange,
when her family was in this room, it never seemed crowded. Mason
guided her to the table and motioned that she should
sit.

“Mrs. Gainsworth, we need to ask you
some questions,” Officer Roberts said. “May I?” he asked,
indicating the chair opposite her.

Georgie nodded, still unable to draw
out her voice. Nick took the chair on the other side of her, giving
her a quick squeeze while Mason came to stand behind her, one hand
on her shoulder the other at the nape of her neck.

“What...” She cleared her throat,
demanding her voice to rise from the depths. “What do you want to
know?” she asked. Seeing the second officer standing at the
counter, she said, “You can have the other chair,” then noticed who
it was. “Oh, hello, Tonie. I didn’t realize it was you. I’m
sorry.”