Shadow of Suspicion (Haunted by the Past) (13 page)

Callie sat up slowly in her bed, her
eyes never leaving the small face. “Who are you?” she breathed out softly. Was
she dreaming?

“
You must beware. Trouble is
coming
.” The child stuck a fat curl into her small mouth. She cocked her
head to one side as she stared at Callie.

Callie shook her head slowly. “What
kind of trouble? What are you warning me against?”

“
Death. It hovers over you.
”
The girl pulled her curl out from between her lips and examined Callie closely.
“
You must take care. I couldn’t bear for anything bad to happen to you
.”
Her small face crumpled and her eyes shimmered.

Goose bumps raced along her spine and
spread out over Callie’s entire body. A sense of foreboding crawled up her
spine. “What are you talking about? Please, tell me.”

The child climbed to her feet and
skipped towards Callie. She leaned forwards and cupped her small hands around
Callie’s face. It was like being encased in ice. Callie shivered, but couldn’t
pull away. The small girl held her spellbound. She couldn’t remove her gaze
from the light brown eyes before her.

“
I will guard you, just like I
promised
.” The child kissed her cheek. “
I will do better next time
.”

Callie gasped at the burst of
overwhelming love that enveloped her. She had never felt anything as powerful
and pure as the sensations that flowed through her. She clasped a hand to her
heart and her eyes overflowed with tears. Through her blurred vision, she
watched the child step away from her. The girl pointed to the door of Callie’s
bedroom.

“
Beware. Remember, keep your guard
up. Trust no one
.” The girl gradually faded, until Callie could see nothing
but a glowing light in the room. Finally, that too disappeared and all that
remained was the smell of roses that filled the air.

Callie snapped on the light by her bedside.
She glanced at the door, wondering why the child had pointed it out to her. A
white rectangle of paper caught her eye where it lay on the carpet. Someone had
pushed something under her door.

Callie slipped from her bed. The cold
night air wrapped around her and made her shiver. She folded her arms around
herself for warmth. Callie padded across the bedroom to retrieve the paper. She
picked it up gingerly and realised she held an envelope. Callie licked her dry
lips and examined it closely. There was nothing written on the smooth white
surface, not even her name. She ripped it open and pulled out the contents.

Callie realised she held a
photograph. Puzzled, she frowned and turned the picture over in her trembling
hands. She screamed and clasped a hand to her mouth. Terror held her immobile.
Her brain struggled to comprehend what her eyes were seeing.

The picture was of a body stretched
out in the morgue, complete with a tag over one toe. It was like something from
a crime drama on TV. She had no idea who the body belonged to, but someone had
attached her face to the corpse. Her own eyes stared out at her from the
grotesque spectacle. It looked chillingly real, as if she were seeing a portent
for her own death.

Who had done such a thing? Callie
shivered again, only this time the cold wasn’t responsible. She stared at the
picture until her eyes hurt. Was this just an attempt to scare her or was there
something more behind it? The night she’d fallen down the stairs flowed into
her mind. Someone had pushed her that night and now this.

It would appear that someone wanted
her dead and they weren’t afraid to let her know it. Why anyone would want to
harm her was beyond her comprehension. The room swam and Callie clutched at her
head. It would seem her little guardian angel was right…………she was in trouble
and she had no idea what she was going to do about it.

Callie stepped down from the bus and
made her way towards Jason’s garage. She stifled a yawn and rubbed at her
bleary eyes with her good hand. She hadn’t slept a wink after the ghostly
encounter and the mysterious midnight delivery to her room. Questions pounded
around in her head with no answers in sight. They just left her with a dull
headache.

Callie had contemplated cornering
Sandra over this latest development, but she had no evidence that it had
anything to do with her family. The person behind this campaign of fear could
be anyone, including Lucinda. The whole situation left Callie with a sick dread
in the pit of her stomach. She couldn’t bear to think that someone hated her to
the point that they wished her deadly harm. It was inconceivable.

She had phoned the police first thing
that morning. The officer she spoke to requested that she bring the photo to
the station and make a statement. So far the investigation into the stairs
incident had turned up nothing. Nobody had seen or heard anything, and there
had been no incriminating evidence left behind by the perpetrator. The officer
hoped something would show up on the photo, but Callie could hear the doubt in
his voice. Still, she had to do something. She would speak to Jason and then
make her way to the police station.

As much as she’d like to think
otherwise, Callie couldn’t shake the notion that the threat to her safety was
far from over. If she hadn’t been pushed down the stairs, she would have
dismissed the whole thing as a sick prank. The incident on the stairs coupled
with her ghostly visitor painted a sinister picture. After all, the girl had
told her that death hovered over her. That wasn’t something she could dismiss easily.

Callie shuddered and pulled her coat
closer around her. She stumbled down the small side street that led to Jason’s
garage. She really had no other choice. She would speak to Jason about her car
and leave as soon as it was fixed. Surely she could manage a few days without
any mishap befalling her and once she returned home, she would be safe.

Callie entered the garage forecourt,
her footsteps drowned out by the loud clangs of men at work and the sound of a
radio blaring out. She scanned the area, but could see no sign of Jason among
the mechanics. Her heart sank. What the hell was she going to do now? She had
to find him.

“What do you want?” Callie turned
around and found Mitch standing behind her. His hostile glare chilled her to
the bone.

“I came to speak to Jason.” Callie
refused to cower in front of him. “Is he here?”

Mitch tightened his grip on the
wrench in his hand. Callie swallowed hard. His hardened expression made her
nervous. Could he be the one behind the threats to her? Her heart skipped a
beat.

“He’s not been at work for the past
couple of days, thanks to you.” Mitch’s unfriendly tone didn’t soften in the
slightest.

Callie sighed. Mitch obviously knew
about the incident between Mr Cunningham and Lucinda. It appeared he was
holding her responsible. Great! “Can you tell me where to find him?”

“Why? You want to ruin his life even
more than you already have?” Mitch stepped closer to her and stuck his face
within inches of her own. “Seems to be a speciality of yours. Ruining people’s
lives.”

“I don’t see how you can blame me for
what happened with Jason. If you want to point fingers, how come you’re not
sticking it in his ex’s direction?” Callie held her ground. How dare he place
responsibility for Lucinda’s actions on her shoulders!

“You always think you’re in the
right, don’t you.” Mitch stabbed his thick finger at her chest. “Sandra has to
see you and answer all your questions, the rest of the family have to put up
with you being here, and Lucinda has to face the music for her indiscretion.
Tell me, who made you God?”

“That’s not fair.” Callie gritted her
teeth. “Did you ever stop to think how you would feel, if it was you who’d
never met your real mother?” Callie struggled with the anger that surged
through her. This was so unjust. “You have no idea how it feels to know your
own parents gave you away. How dare you judge me! You’re just stuck in your own
narrow little view point. I’m sure you’d feel different if you were in my shoes.”

“Whatever!” Mitch turned his back,
but Callie wasn’t done with him. She grabbed hold of his arm and held on tight.
Mitch glared at her over his shoulder.

“That’s just a lame cop out because
you know I’m right!”

“You tell yourself whatever you need
to.” Mitch gripped her fingers and pried them from his arm. “Nothing gives you
the right to hurt this many people. You aren’t wanted here. The sooner you
realise it and leave, the better.”

“Perhaps you should check with all
your family members, before you come to the conclusion that nobody wants me
here.” Callie forced her voice past the giant lump that lodged itself in her
throat. “Max is your father, isn’t he?”

Mitch froze, his face so stiff it
could have been carved from stone. “What has my father to do with anything?”

“He came to see me yesterday.” Callie
almost stopped speaking as a dark anger rolled over Mitch’s features. She
forced herself to continue. “He welcomed me as family. If he can, why can’t
you?”

“I don’t believe you. My father would
never go against the rest of the family that way,” he snarled. “Especially not
for a nasty little bitch like you.”

Callie’s body shook from the
magnitude of his anger as it whipped through her with the force of a tornado.
What the hell was wrong with him? He seemed hell bent on painting her as a
villain, no matter what. It seemed unlikely that she would ever change his
mind, so why was she putting herself through this?

“Don’t believe me then. I’m past
caring! Why I would ever dream of bothering with any of you is a mystery to
me.” Callie threw her hands up in the air. “To be honest, I only came in here
to sort out my car as soon as possible. You should be thrilled to know that I’m
leaving the first chance I get. You can pass it on and throw a party. Maybe now
you will tell me where I can find Jason!”

Mitch stared at her with a stunned
expression. His mouth opened and closed a few times. If Callie hadn’t been so
completely fed up, she might have found it amusing.

“Really, Mitch, didn’t your father
and I teach you better manners.” A feminine voice drew Callie’s attention. She
glanced behind her. A middle aged woman with short, sandy blonde hair
approached them. A smile lit the woman’s face as her gaze flowed over Callie.

“Hello, my dear. You must be Callie,
Sandra’s daughter. I’m Trish Fuller, Mitch’s mother.” She held out her hand and
Callie shook it tentatively.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Callie
marvelled that the moody Mitch could have parents like Max and Trish. They were
so warm and friendly.

“Mum! You can’t be serious. What’s
with the welcoming committee?” Mitch glared at his mother.

“Come now, dear. You can’t always
side with your grandmother on everything.” Trish wagged a finger at her son.
“You should give your cousin a chance.”

“Don’t call her that! She is not my
cousin and I don’t want to give her a chance.” Mitch bit out. His jaw muscles
jumped as he gritted his teeth. “She’s a menace or have you already forgotten
how she’s split up Jason and Lucinda?”

“I rather think Lucinda did that all
by herself.” Mitch opened his mouth, his eyes blazing at his mother. Trish
rolled her eyes and held up a hand. “I don’t want to argue about it, dear. I
only dropped in to bring you your lunch. You left it behind again.” She handed
the bag she had draped over her arm to Mitch. “We’ll leave you to it. Maybe you
can think over what I’ve said instead of just dismissing it.”

Mitch grunted and grabbed the bag she
offered him. He threw one last glare at Callie before he stalked away.

“He’s rather stubborn, I’m afraid.”
Trish told Callie, her eyes on her son as he disappeared around the corner. “He
listens far too much to his grandmother’s opinions. I wish now that I’d never
left him with her so much when he was small. Unfortunately, I had to go back to
work after he was born and couldn’t afford child care. Oh well, hindsight is a
great thing.” She laughed wryly. “If I’d known then what I do now, I would have
found the money somehow!”

Callie didn’t really know what to
say. She shifted on her feet as she regarded Trish. The woman noticed her
discomfort. She smiled and laced her arm through Callie’s.

“It’s okay, dear. I know all this
must be so overwhelming, but you shouldn’t give up on getting to know your real
family.” She patted Callie’s hand and tugged her forward. Callie allowed
herself to be led to the exit. They stepped out onto the street and headed back
towards town.

Callie sighed. “As much as I wish
that were possible, I’ve decided to head home as soon as my car is fixed. Could
you possibly tell me where I might find Jason?”

Trish squeezed her fingers. “I can
give you his home address. You could try him there. He was pretty cut up after
Lucinda’s little stunt and I believe he’s holed up in his flat since it
happened. Never did like that girl.” She wrinkled her nose as if she could
smell something nasty. “It would be a shame for you to leave so soon, though.
Sandra is bound to come round. So will Mitch, given time and my magic touch.”

Trish wiggled her fingers as if
casting a spell. Callie laughed. “You are so kind. Thank you.”

“For what, dear? Welcoming a member
of our family?” She grinned widely. “It’s the least we should be doing.” She
cocked her head to the side as she regarded Callie. “So, do you think you’ll
stay a while longer?”

Callie shrugged. “I don’t know. I
have a lot to consider.”

She bit her lip, her mind on the
photo hidden inside her handbag. Someone meant her real harm. It could even be
Mitch. Trish and Max would soon lose their friendliness towards her if their
son landed up in trouble because of her. Could she take the chance and stay,
knowing that her life could be at risk? Was it worth it?

“I think you owe it to yourself to
ferret out the answers you need from Sandra. She has no right withholding them
from you.” Trish gazed at her with sympathy and understanding reflected in her
eyes. “I would want to know so much if I was in your position.”

“I do have a lot of questions. Most
of all, who my father is.” Callie paused. She tried to hold the hope fluttering
in her heart in check. “I don’t suppose you know?”

Trish shook her head sadly. “I wish I
could help you, dear, but I don’t know. It’s not something Sandra has ever told
me and Max hasn’t either.” She shrugged. “You’ll have to persist with them, if
you want the answer to that particular question. Believe me, if I knew, I would
tell you. I do think you have the right to know.”

Callie smiled. “Thanks. That actually
means a lot.”

“Well, if you still want to speak to
Jason, his flat is just over the road.” Trish pointed to a large building with
pretty gardens spread out in front of it. “His flat is number 1323 on the third
floor.”

“You’ve been so kind. Thank you.”
Callie pulled her arm from Trish’s.

“I hope you change your mind, dear.
It would be so lovely to have the opportunity to get to know you.” Trish grasped
her hand and squeezed her fingers gently.

“I’ll think about it,” Callie
promised.

She waved farewell and stepped onto
the kerb. Callie checked both ways for traffic and started to cross the road.
Her gaze landed on the small figure of a familiar child standing on the
pavement in front of her. The girl’s arms waved frantically, her eyes wide with
terror. Callie frowned.

A loud revving filled her ears and
the screech of tires howled through the air. Callie turned her head and froze
in shock. A car sped towards her at a deadly speed. The sun glinted off the
windscreen and blocked the face of the driver from her gaze. All she could see
was the bright glare of sunlight in her eyes as it bounced off the glass.

Callie’s heart pounded in her chest
so hard, she was sure it would burst right out of her body. She flung up her
arms as if she could stop the oncoming vehicle by her will alone. Her mind
screamed at her to move, but it was as if someone had bolted her feet to the
tarmac.

Screaming echoed all around her, but
she couldn’t tell if it was hers or someone else’s. Everything seemed to flow
in slow motion. The car drew closer and closer. The whole world narrowed down
to that one vehicle as it hurtled towards her.

Suddenly, just when she was sure the
car would hit her, strong arms grabbed her around her waist and flung her to
the side. Callie flew through the air and landed on a solid, warm body. Pain
lanced through her sprained arm and ribs. She hissed out the agony in her chest
and tears sprang to her eyes. A grunt burst from her rescuer and arms tightened
around her. The car that had been headed straight for her, zoomed past and
roared down the street. It turned the corner with loud screeching tires.

Callie struggled to draw breath. She
gripped tightly to her rescuer’s broad shoulders. A loud ringing persisted in
her ears and her eyes refused to focus. Hands gripped her and pulled her into a
sitting position.