Captured Lies (14 page)

CHAPTER
T
WENTY-FOUR

Bailey looked at her shining knight leaning against her
rock, his head tucked in an uncomfortable position against his shoulder and
chest. He was going to have a few kinks when he woke up.

Rubbing her face with her hands,
she tried to remove the dried tracks her tears had left. Here, she’d been
happy. Any flashes she had were of her smiling, giggling, running, playing.
Those were not memories that she generally had of her childhood. Until she’d
found this place, she’d never known she’d had moments like that. The pictures
on the walls of Lund’s office had started it. The memories had flooded back so
fast, she’d almost been paralyzed. She didn’t know what she’d find but she knew
that she had to find this place. The sketchy details she’d gotten from stuff in
his office had sent her to Jasper. The Jump Drive had given her the rest of how
to find this area. What was this place? And how come they stopped going there?

“Bailey, get back from the
water.”

“Momma, baby fish.”

“Yes there are lots, Bails.
Now come back from the edge.”

“Shiny, Momma.”

“Yes Bails, they’re shiny.”

“Catch some.”

“We’ve got to go, Bails.”

“Noooooooooooooooooo. Momma.”
She cried and she screamed and stared out the back window of the car as they
drove away.

It had become the routine of her
childhood. Only she’d learned to stop screaming. At least so anyone could hear.
Wiping her hands over her cheeks she removed any traces of her emotions before
sliding down off the rock, careful to be quiet so as not to disturb Guy. He had
his eyes closed. She just couldn’t tell if he was sleeping or just enjoying the
quiet solitude. She walked to the edge of the stream. Scooping up some water
she splashed her face. The chill of the recently thawed stream penetrated her
dulled senses.

As she stared down, a memory
flitted at the edge of her thoughts, like the quick vibration of the humming
bird’s wings, very quick and elusive. Placing her hand on the edge of the rock
she walked around the other side, stepping carefully over the snow so she
wouldn’t slip on the hidden stones and shrubs that lay underneath. She headed
back to the cabin. The pull from it had been incredible when she’d passed it
when they’d first arrived but she’d known that she hadn’t been strong enough to
go in there yet. Something told her that there were answers there. She just
wasn’t sure she was ready for them.

Although she hadn’t had much time
to look at the Jump Drive, it had been enough to know that she needed to spend
a few hours looking through all that Mr. Lund had kept on it. There hadn’t been
anything about her mother. At least there was no file for a Donna Saunders. But
there had been something about this cabin. If Guy hadn’t come when he had she’d
have found out what it was. The directions to get there had been laid out
fairly clearly though, in her mom’s note. Her memory of this place was very
strong. No distinct pictures, just a sense of fun, of safety...of something
bad.

You lied, Mr. Lund.
He had
told her that the cabin was in Alberta and that he no longer owned it.

As she looked at the padlock, a
memory flitted through her mind. It didn’t stick around long enough for her to
catch it though. Without the key she couldn’t get in so she checked the obvious
places, around the door and window frames and every nook and cranny the logs
offered but she came up empty. There was nowhere else on the building for her
to check. Looking around, her attention was snagged by the SUV. As if it was
happening now, she could see two cars parked in the cleared area. There was always
two cars. No faces would come to mind but there was a man. He’d walk away and
when he’d come back he’d open the door.

She knew she was looking for a
pine needle in a forest but she had to try to find what seemed to be the only
way into the cabin. She headed back to the water. Guy was nowhere in sight. His
footprints in the snow indicated that he was following the stream. A huge yawn
caught her off guard. Not ready to give in to the fatigue that was weighing her
down, she continued to scout the area.

Where would someone hide a
key? Why do I think it’s here?

Ten minutes later, after flipping
over every stone, looking around every bush, she realized that she’d been
wrong. Slumping against the rock she’d sat on earlier, she slammed her fist
against her thigh in frustration.

“It has to be here, dammit!”

“Weren’t you the one who was
giving me a lecture about swearing?”

“Jesus.” She jerked around to
face her wandering tag-along.

“No, actually I’m not but I can
see how you could make that mistake. Again.”

She stared at him for a few
seconds, before his joke clicked for her. She laughed. It was a breathless,
you’ve-got-to-be-kidding kind of laugh. But it wouldn’t stop. It was like it
had taken hold of her and wouldn’t let her go. Finally, she wound down and sank
bonelessly to the ground.

“Uhm. I’m glad you found that
funny.”

“I…” She burst into tears.
Horrified, she glanced at Guy before scrambling to her feet in an effort to
take off. But he was faster. He grabbed her and pulled her to his chest. At
first she was rigid, refusing any comfort. But since he wasn’t going away nor
letting her go, she gave in and sagged against him.

She cried, and cried, and cried. When
she finished, she felt as wrung out as a rag that had been put through an old
ringer washer. Trying to find some strength to stand on her own two feet she
weakly pushed against his chest. He didn’t budge. Instead he guided her to sit
on the stone and with his arm still around her he sat beside her. He was
leaving it up to her as to how much she took from him. Liking the feeling of
his strength she leaned against his side.

“Tell me about this place.”

“I don’t know much except I was
happy here. I only came here a few times when I was small.”

The picture in Mr. Lund’s office
flashed through her mind and she made the connection. Jumping up, she tore off
through the trees. Guy was soon crashing behind her. Coming upon the clearing
she stopped for a moment. It didn’t look quite right. She moved around looking
at it from all angles. Finally when she reached the road coming in and looked
back at the cabin, she was sure that was where the picture had been taken.
There were many changes, the cabin no longer had its new polished look. The
ground was no longer cleared. Stacks of wood were missing. But it was the
place. “Mr. Lund.”

“What about him?”

Startled, she stared at him.
How
much do I tell him
?

“He…” She realized that she was
tired, tired of always hiding, always telling only partial truths, always being
on guard. That had been her whole life and look where it had gotten her. “He
was my mom’s lawyer. But it’s not him I remember. He has this picture but it’s
not him. I know it.”

Seeing his puzzled face she
realized she hadn’t made much sense. “Mr. Lund has a photo of this view in his office.
So I’m guessing it was his place. But he’s not the man I remember. The man I
remember, although he has no face, he was a happy person. Mr. Lund just doesn’t
strike me as the one I remember.”

A bird chirped, catching Bailey’s
attention. “The bird house.” She jumped to her feet and ran through the trees
around the shack before stopping and listening. The Robin chirped, again. She
looked off to her right and then up.

“There.” She pointed high in the
tree. “How are you at climbing?”

He tilted his head way back. “Is
there a reason I need to get up there?”

Smiling, she turned to him. “Yep.
The key to the cabin is up there.”

“You’re sure?”

She nodded.

Ten minutes later, a few scrapes
and several cuss words, Guy scaled back down the tree. Looped around his finger
was the prize, which had been tucked away in the tiny wooden structure, fifteen
feet off the ground. Bailey slid it off his hand and stuck the key into the
rusty lock. Taking a deep breath she turned it and nothing happened. She tried
again and again. Cussing, she kicked the door.

Ignoring her protests, he reached
around her and took it out of her hands. He jimmied it a few times. Nothing.
She had a sinking feeling it wasn’t going to do anything. Swearing, she took
off but was back within a few seconds.

“Move!”

He pulled back just in time as
the tire iron she’d taken from the rented vehicle came slamming down on the
lock. A few whacks later it sprung open. Grabbing the door knob she turned the
handle and pushed. It didn’t budge. She raised the metal iron in her hand,
ready to start hitting it again.

Guy grabbed her wrists, stopping
her. “Let me.” Dropping his shoulder, he slammed it against the solid door
which scraped heavily against the floor, moving only a few inches. He grabbed
the edge of the door, lifting and pushing at the same time. It soon opened
enough so that they could squeeze through.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Late day sun filtered in through the two grimy windows,
highlighting the dust laden air. Cautiously, she stepped through the opening. A
‘70s style maroon couch, a rocking chair, a stand-alone fire place, a book
shelf totally covered in dust but sparsely lined with books. The kitchen had a
sturdy wooden table and six wooden chairs. Everything was neat and tidy, minus
the layers of dust and mouse droppings. It looked like someone had left and
planned on being back soon but that day hadn’t come. It all looked foreign to
her. She had hoped it would trigger more memories but she couldn’t even picture
herself inside, outside playing, yes, but in here, no.

Walking across the open space,
she entered one of the other rooms. A four poster double bed was pushed up
against the wall. A four drawer dark mahogany, tall boy was the only other
furniture in the room. She turned almost colliding with Guy. After only a
moment’s hesitation she side-stepped him and without more than a glance into
the bathroom as she passed, which had a toilet, pedestal sink, a shower and
open shelves, she headed to the kitchen. She had no idea what she was looking
for but she had a strong sense that there was something there for her. In the
cupboards, there was a set of china dishes, not very practical but probably
very expensive at one time. There were a few pots and pans and some utensils.
But that was it.

“Bailey, come here.”

Sighing, she turned and walked
back into the bedroom, where Guy had taken it upon himself to snoop through the
drawers. She walked towards him and peeked over his shoulder. As her eyes
riveted on one of the things in the drawer, she reached for it. Her hand shook
as she got a good look at what she’d picked up. Weakly, she sank down onto the
bed. Guy knelt in front of her.

“Are you okay?”

She couldn’t answer. She just
kept shaking her head, her eyes glued to what she held in her hands.
It’s
here.
She had been sure it was gone forever. At one time, she’d carried it
everywhere she went. One day it just wasn’t there. Her mom had told her she’d
lost it.

“She’s so ugly she’s beautiful.
Her dress is a little worse for wear and her hair needs a good cleaning and combing.”
She looked at the filthy matted doll. The pug nose on Miss Piggy looked like it
had been pulled on one too many times as it hung like a distorted snout poking
straight out from its face.

“This was yours.”

“Wh-what? Oh-oh yeah. I thought
it was long gone.” She tried to ignore that electric excitement that finding
this old toy was doing to her. “What did you want to show me?”

He reached in the drawer and
pulled out a packet of papers, rifling through them before handing a small
square one to her.

“A picture? Of who?” She stared
hard at the photo. “It’s me. Oh my god. It’s a picture of me.” The girl of
about four or five had long brown hair that looked like it hadn’t seen a brush
in days. A pink badly muddied ribbon, hung limply down the side of her face.
Mud dotted her forehead and one cheek but a huge grin minus a few teeth was
what grabbed her attention. She looked happy.

“Are there more?” She sat up
straight, reaching out.

“I’m checking.” He flipped
through the pages but found nothing else. “Sorry. That’s it.”

She slumped down.

“What were you hoping to find
here?”

She stared at her younger face
for a long time, before answering. “I don’t know. I just know that I had to
come here.” Meeting his gaze, she held up the two items. “I can’t believe that
this was all there was.”

“Does anyone else know about this
place?”

“I didn’t know about this place.”

He looked at her dubiously.

“Okay, well not consciously. So I
don’t know. I know my mother never talked about it. Mr. Lund told me he sold
it. I don’t know.” From her childhood there was that sense of peace, of fun and
then of something dark. That same sense was very strong. Something bad was
coming. She jumped to her feet, startling Guy who waddled backwards, bracing
himself by putting his hands on the bureau behind him to get out of her way.

“We have to leave. Now. Don’t
ask.” Stuffing the picture in her back pocket, she clutched the pig in her hand
as she hustled her way through the cabin. She didn’t wait for him but climbed
into the SUV, started it and turned around in the tight space. Guy jumped into
the passenger side just as she was going forward again.

“What’s going on?”

She hit the gas. If there had
been any paint left on the side, it was soon in the process of being scraped
off. They hit a rut so hard the vehicle slammed forward, only to send them
flying in the next moment. She held tight to the steering wheel but still
couldn’t stop her head from pitching forward and hitting the top edge of it.
Guy, she noted, grabbed the door and the dash as the seat belt didn’t seem to
be keeping him in place either. She knew it was crazy but she also knew that
she had to get out of there quickly. Easing up slightly, she maneuvered through
the tight, overgrown laneway. Finally they broke through the brush and were soon
back on the road, spitting gravel as she gunned it. Backtracking the way they
had come was no problem, for whatever reason the map of this place was as clear
to her as though it was sitting in front of her.

The only problem was that when
she hit the T intersection to go right, a half ton truck was barreling down on
them. Going with instinct she turned left.

“That driver either has a very
heavy foot or we’ve got company.”

He turned to look out the back
window. “Where exactly are we going?”

“I don’t know but out of here.”
Slowing only slightly she turned to the left, keeping a close eye on the
vehicle that was getting very close to her bumper.

“It looks like that truck that
was at the motel.” He turned to look at her but she was too busy concentrating
on what she was doing.

“Did you ask questions about
northern B.C.?”

Guy’s silence was telling.

She slowed enough to let the
truck get within six inches and then gunned it. Not quite soon enough but it
was enough to change the impact to that of a glancing blow. It caused them to
slam forward and then back while the vehicle fishtailed slightly. Before they
could much more than straighten out, he rammed them a second time. The seatbelt
cut into her shoulder as she flew forward after slamming back against the seat.
She shook off the sick feeling that was crawling its way up her throat. Her
hands gripped the wheel tightly as she cranked it, trying to straighten out their
wildly flailing vehicle. The rear end snapped from side to side. It took all
her skill and strength, to keep it from rolling or from spinning in the middle
of the road.

“He’s coming again, Bailey.”

She had to make a move. Glancing
in the mirror she noted that her ‘friend’ was moving towards them fast.

“Hold on.” Going with the natural
swing of the vehicle she turned the wheel to the left, just as the rear end hit
the far right of its skid. As they entered the ditch she hit the gas. Between
that and the snow sucking the tires into a path, the SUV straightened out. They
bounced down through the ditch and entered the narrow passage between the Black
Spruce. Branches slapped and scraped them sometimes giving such a high pitched
sound, it grated on her nerves.

Too busy to see how Guy was
handling the ride, she was glad that he wasn’t giving her instructions or yelling
at her. She hoped that meant he wasn’t knocked out cold.

Turning sharply to the left the
rear end slid sideways, wiping out two young trees. In the rear view mirror she
could see the half ton was no longer behind them but making its own path,
coming up on their left side. She focused on zigzagging through the trees,
driving through spaces that looked like a Smart car wouldn’t have fit.

“Look out!”

The snow was no longer their
friend. She cramped the wheel but not in time and the SUV slid sideways, smacking
into a large tree. She flinched but didn’t stop, instead she hit the gas.

“Duck.”

She did and slammed on the brakes
at the same time, which was all that saved her. The half ton zoomed past,
jerking the aim of the gun. The shot went high, just skipping off the top of
the vehicle. Cramping her wheel to the right, she gunned it. The tail-end slid
way around to the left, slamming into another tree, stopping them. The wheels spun
but they weren’t going anywhere. Looking around frantically, she saw that her
company had run into much the same problem. He was shoving his truck into drive
and then reverse, rocking to try to get unstuck.

“Dammit. Let us go.” Bailey
slammed her hand on the steering wheel, as she did the exact same driving
actions he was doing, again and again. A mixture of snow, dirt and grass flew
up behind them.

“Stop. STOP!” As soon as she
lifted her foot off the gas, Guy jumped out of the vehicle.

“What the hell are you doing?”

“Getting us some traction.”

She watched as he grabbed some
branches on the evergreens and proceeded to break them off. She had a moment of
guilt about the damage they’d done. Shaking that off, she turned to see where
the man was. The grill of his truck was aimed right at them. And coming fast.

“Guy!”

“Go.” He dove in, yanking the
door closed behind him.

She hit reverse. They spun. She
slammed it in forward. They got enough traction to move a few inches. She hit
reverse and then drive again. She glanced sideways. The emblem on the grill was
very clear and getting closer. It was the evil smile beyond it that scared her
senseless. Shoving into low gear, she hit the gas. The tires caught, shooting
them forward like a sling shot. But it wasn’t quite quick enough. He hit the
rear left corner, sending the SUV into a spin and then into a tree. The jolt of
the sudden stop sent Bailey slamming backwards and then forwards. She checked
to see where he was. The crash had sent him sliding down a knoll. It was the
break they needed.

Bailey stomped on the gas and
they surged forward, grinding and scraping as they pulled away. The SUV gained
speed as they went. A quick look in the mirror showed that the truck wasn’t
moving. He was stuck. Ahead, the road peeked at them between the branches. With
her foot hard on the pedal, she headed straight for it. It was so close. She
never saw the mound but she sure felt it. The Ford Escape went up the slight
incline and kept going. Her breath caught in her throat as the vehicle shot
through the air narrowly making it between two poplars that had to have been
stripped bare. The landing slammed them down hard. Each of them bouncing around
like rag dolls. Once she gained control again she didn’t waste any time in
getting out of there. The tires spun, spitting snow, dirt and grass as they
bounced out of the ditch.

Guy turned to face forward. “That
should slow him down.”

“What?” She didn’t take her eyes
off the road.

“He tried to follow us but he
went a bit sideways and hit an evergreen, head on.”

Going on instinct and what she
hoped was a good sense of direction, she zig-zagged down roads until she found
the one that hopefully lost him but took her to the main highway. She turned
left.

“Back to Jasper?”

“No.”

She wasn’t clear at all where
they were going but knew that she had to listen to what her gut was telling
her. She had to follow her past.