Return to the Shadows (4 page)

“Yes?”

“Unfortunately, several people come to
mind.”

“Old boyfriends? Co-workers?”

“No. Old bosses. You must be new.” I rubbed
my eyes. “Last year, my house was turned into a stake out location.
My old boss, John Hanlen, paid men to hide out here and wait for
me.”

“Why were they waiting for you, ma’am? Did
you call the police?”

“They were probably waiting to kill me. And
no, I didn’t call the police. I dropped off anonymous evidence of
my boss’s money laundering at a police station and went into
hiding.”

“And you did this anonymously, you say?” He
looked skeptical.

“Yes, I was scared at the time.”

“What’s changed?”

“He’s in jail now.”

“How do you know there were men in your home,
Ms. Roberts?”

“Because your boys found one of them laying
in my backyard. Looked like they had turned on each other, or a
third party had attacked them. I really don’t know what happened.
The police never said.”

“So what you’re saying is you have
enemies.”

I didn’t like the way he said it, like it was
my fault. “No more than most people, I suspect. But I haven’t had
any trouble since John was arrested. Until now.”

“Any other incidents you want to tell me
about?”

“No. Nothing else has happened before
tonight.”

“Thank you, ma’am. We will call you if we
have any more questions. If you have any further trouble, don’t
hesitate to call again.”

“What about the prints on the window,
Officer?”

“Don’t worry, we’ve already had them lifted.
They’ll be analyzed by a lab technician. It could take up to a
week. But hopefully we can get a positive I.D. on the set. It’s a
good set of prints. It all depends on the alleged being in the data
base currently.”

“You mean if he has a prior criminal
record.”

“Or if he—or she—holds a government job. But
I have to warn you, no break in has occurred, and none of your
property was stolen or damaged…although the scratches on your
window frame could potentially fall into the category of
vandalism.”

“I understand. Thank you for coming out to
take the statement, Officer Jones.”

“Lock your doors and keep your cell phone
handy. We will be in touch.”

I did as he suggested and locked the door
behind him, setting the alarm for good measure.

“Mike, did you get all of that?”

“Yes. How do you feel?”

“Exhausted. It’s after midnight and Ashley
has school tomorrow.”

“Go to bed, Claire. I’ll stay up for a
while.”

“Sounds like a plan. Set the alarm before you
leave, please.”

“No way. I’m staying the night. I’ll sleep on
the couch.” He stretched out on my sofa and tucked an arm beneath
his head.

“If you think it’s necessary.” I smiled. My
brother, the guardian.

“I’ll feel better if I stay here, yes. Now go
get some sleep.”

“Goodnight, Mike.” I padded down the hall and
made quick work of my bedtime routine, changing clothes and washing
my face in less than three minutes, secretly grateful that he had
insisted on spending the night. I checked on Ashley one final time
before climbing into bed. It was a miracle that she had slept
through the turmoil of the evening.

“Just a kid playing a prank,” I mumbled,
wrapping the thick comforter snugly around myself. Too bad I didn’t
really believe it.

***

The smoke was so thick it was hard to
breathe. The pale curtains Marta had sewn for my room erupted in
bright flame as the glass in the window began to pop and crack. I
could see myself in the heated glass, my reflection distorted and
horrified. In the next instant, it shattered with a hiss and a
spray of shards. I had to get out of the house. I had to get to Bob
and Ashley and Marta before the whole house went up like a torch. I
stumbled from room to room, calling for them in turn, desperate to
find them, but they were gone….

They must have made it out of the house, I
thought in a numb state of shock. I all but fell through the front
door, gasping and choking. Where was my family? I searched the
front of the grounds to no avail; they were gone and I was frantic.
And then the smoke cleared. Blue mist rose from the street in front
of me in wisps that curled into the warm night. The stores, the
library, the streets of Grandview were all familiar to me. Light
glowed in the distance and I ran in that direction to investigate,
only to stop short halfway across the square. The fences were on
fire.

“Claire, wake up.” Mike was shaking me, and
it was a wonder I didn’t leap from the bed in shock.

“I’m up. I’m up. You can stop that now!” I
shoved him away from me and tucked my hair behind my ears.

“That must have been some dream. Care to
share?”

“Mhhh.” I yawned. “What time is it?”

“Six-thirty. Your alarm hasn’t even gone off
yet.”

“Thank God I’m not late.”

“No, you’re getting an early start to the
day, if not a pleasant one. What were you dreaming of?”

“Grandview…I dreamt there was a terrible fire
in Bob and Marta’s old place. Next thing I knew, I was in Bell
Ridge by the town square and the fences were on fire.”

“The protected fences?”

“Yes.” I nodded. “Do you think a fire would
destroy them?”

“Hard to say. I doubt it though. The
protection spells that were cast on those fences were supposed to
be very powerful.”

“True,” I agreed as I unfolded myself from my
bed and crossed to my closet. “The fences that enclosed the
protected zones had a shimmer, both on the actual wood and around
it, remember?”

“Yes, and if I recall correctly, none of
Kahn’s beasts could even get through that barrier to the wood of
the fence beneath.”

“So the fences wouldn’t ever catch fire,
would they?”

“In theory, no, they should not be able to
catch fire. Unless the protection spells were to somehow wear off
or be removed.”

“Do spells wear off?”

“You’re asking me? Now how would I know a
crazy thing like that? Really, Claire.” He sauntered from the room,
laughing at me as he went.

“Oh, sure— that’s crazy!” I yelled after his
retreating form.

I took my time dressing for the day in casual
clothing and low heels. After I dropped Ashley off at school, I had
to go to
Plant and Herb’s
downtown headquarters to do a
formal meet and greet with the staff and get my first assignment.
The day was a polar opposite from what I had been doing for the
past several years, and I found myself welcoming the change of
pace. Despite the previous night, my spirits were high as I pulled
up in front of Ashley’s elementary school an hour later.

“Who’s picking me up from school?”

“I am. I will be here at two-thirty to get
you.”

“What about your job?” Ashley questioned with
wide eyes.

“I got a new job, remember? Now I can pick
you up from school every day.”

“Yay!” She bounced in her seat and graced me
with a gap-toothed smile. “Can we go out for ice cream after
school?”

“We’ll see,” I grinned. “Now go on before
you’re late. Your teacher wouldn’t like that, would she?”

“Nope. Bye, Mama!” The car door clicked
loudly as she slammed it and practically flew up the walkway and
through the elementary school’s wide double doors. I couldn’t help
but be proud. She was such a different child from the one I had
found wandering the streets of Haelport over a year ago. She was a
happier child. More secure, and thus, more outgoing and sure of
herself.

Even though Ashley’s transformation hadn’t
come overnight, but gradually by hard won degrees, it still amazed
me. She had been so quiet, scared, and depressed at first. Could a
six-year-old be depressed? At any rate, she barely said two words
to anyone during the first three months she had lived among the
Roberts clan. She’d wet her bed frequently and had nightmares
several times a month. Normal bad dreams, near as I could tell.
Monsters and chasing and dogs with giant teeth. Although, I
reasoned as I swung into
Plant and Herb’s
parking garage,
there might have been something more to the “dogs with giant teeth”
that used to run through her dreams. It made me wonder if, at some
point, she had seen the Retrievers in action.

I shifted the car into park and closed my
eyes for a moment, letting the memory wash over me. We were
speeding along a darkened street, so many nights ago….

“
Do you know what the Retrievers
are?”

“
No.” Silence.

“
Do you want to know what the Retrievers
are?” he asked slowly.

“
Not really, no.” More silence.

“
Well, they are not as bad as the
Naule.”

“
Huh.” I shifted in my seat and pressed my
lips into a thin line, having had enough for one day. At that
moment, I did not want to hear another word about Kahn, the Naule,
scavengers, or any other beast. I was covered in scrapes and
bruises and had gravel lodged in places that were better left
unsaid. I just wanted to go home and take a hot shower.

We were halfway through the forest when the
first howl sounded in the distance. I jerked forward in my seat.
“What was that?”

“
Shit. Hang on.” Mark hit the gas and the
car shot forward past the trees. I dared a glance at the
speedometer and immediately wished I hadn’t. We were at ninety
miles an hour and the needle continued to climb. I took a deep
breath and fixed my gaze on the center console. Anything was better
than watching the trees fly past in a green blur. I was careful not
to look at the speedometer again too, and added “how fast we are
going” to my mental list of things I did not want to know. Two more
mournful howls sounded in the approaching night and I cast another
worried glance Mark’s way.

“
What is that?” I shouted over the noise
of the engine.

“
The Retrievers.”

“
Wolves?”

“
No.”

“
Dogs.”

“
Not exactly,” he hedged.

“
Oh, man.” I was fast learning that when
the people of Terlain did not quite know how to describe something,
it was usually very bad.

The small dog in the middle of the road took
us both by surprise. It was a golden-furred animal with round dark
eyes in an even rounder face. Actually, it was very cute.

“
Don’t hit it!” I cried out.

Mark swerved around the animal, nearly
losing control of the car in the process. We missed a large tree by
a matter of inches and I was thrown roughly against the dash as he
struggled for control of the vehicle.

“
Ouch!” I rubbed my bruised wrist for a
second before resuming my death grip on the door handle. “Hell with
it—hit it next time!”

“
That is a very bad idea!” he yelled
back.

I was alarmed all over again when he glanced
in the rear view mirror and went pale all of a sudden.

“
Mark? What is it? What’s wrong?” I craned
my neck to see what had spooked him so bad.

“
What’s the matter? It’s just the dog. He
is trying to follow us. He must be lost. I think that we can slow
down now.” Before you kill us both, I silently added.

“
That’s no dog. It’s a Retriever.”

I turned back to get a better look at the
animal, noticing that it looked remarkably similar to the golden
retriever breed of puppy that was so popular in my world. Of
course, it was much smaller and rounder in the face than a true
golden retriever.

“
That tiny thing? You have got to be….” I
trailed off and gripped the back of the seat as the dog began to
take on an entirely new and sinister shape. The tiny muscles along
its back began to bulge and shift. Its soulful howl became a
bone-chilling snarl as it transformed before my eyes. The animal’s
head elongated and its eyes became black slits in its lean
face.

“
Oh my God….”

“
Don’t look at it, just hang on.”

“
It’s half the size of the car, Mark!” It
was also fast and gaining ground on us by the second. I dropped
back into my seat and held onto the armrests until my knuckles
turned white.

“
Plan?” I managed to croak.

“
We just have to make it to the
fence.”

A break in the trees ahead revealed a
telltale shimmer. “How far?” I swallowed.

“
A hundred yards to the north, give or
take.”

“
We are never going to make it. Slow
down.”

“
Have you lost your mind?”

“
I’m serious! Slow down to sixty-five or
seventy and get off the road. It will have a harder time following
us if we put trees between it and us.”

Mark glanced in the mirror again and nodded.
“You’re right.” He eased his foot off the gas pedal and the car
began to slow. “There should be a spot up ahead where the trees
break off.”

“
Hurry, Mark!”

“
There!” He steered the car toward the
empty space to the left.

A beast appeared seemingly out of thin air
in front of us. Its massive paws thudded against the ground in
front of the car, effectively blocking our path. The beast that had
been chasing us stopped behind the car and began to casually lick
its paw. There was nothing else for Mark to do but hit the brakes.
Swerving in either direction would have meant crashing into a tree
at fifty-five miles per hour.

His hand gripped the steering wheel while I
still clutched the dashboard.

“
What now?” I whispered without taking my
eyes from the beast in front of us.

Before Mark could answer me, the Retriever
at the front of the car bared its teeth and lashed out with one
paw. I screamed as the entire front bumper gave way.