Shadow of Suspicion (Haunted by the Past) (21 page)

“No.” Jason smiled grimly. “As it
happens, I went to the cemetery.”

Callie’s mouth dropped open. “At that
time? Why so late?”

“I hadn’t been able to do it before
and I didn’t want to let you down. I decided to quickly run over there and
search for the gravestone, like I promised you.” He laughed softly. “I forgot
how much ground there was to search over. It wasn’t my brightest idea, to be
honest.”

“Maybe not, but it sure saved my
life.” She plucked a grape from the bunch she’d brought and popped it into her mouth.
Chewing slowly, she gazed at him with a thoughtful expression. “I know it
probably doesn’t matter now, but did you find it?”

“I did.” Jason pulled a grape off and
slung it into his mouth. The sweet juice burst over his tongue and he nearly
groaned with pleasure.

“So, Trish was right. Sandra did tell
my family that I was dead.” Callie shrugged her shoulders. “I’m not sure how
that makes me feel. Should I bother confronting her over this or about Sophie?
There is no reason for me to now, right? I mean, what’s the point of upsetting
everyone when there is no need any more.”

“I’m not sure what to say on that. It
depends on how important those answers still are to you.” Jason plucked another
grape and shoved it in his mouth. “Do you want to know why your mother
pretended to the rest of your family that you’d died? It is odd behaviour,
after all.”

Callie bit her lip. “You’re right
about that.” She sighed and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I’ll have
to think it over. After everything that’s happened lately, I’m not sure I can
handle anything else.”

“I can understand that.” Jason
grimaced and touched his raw face with the tips of his fingers. “I think last
night was my limit too.”

Callie grimaced. “Does it hurt
badly?” She nodded towards his face.

“It’s kind of raw.” He slid her a sly
glance. “I admit I’ve been too afraid to see if my natural charm has been
dented by the injury.” He assumed a wounded expression and leaned back on his
pillows, one arm draped over his forehead. “Do you think it will ever recover?”

Callie burst out laughing. “Truly, I
think your charm won’t have been harmed in the slightest.” She held her sides
and gasped for air. “It was never there to begin with.”

Jason flung a grape at her head with
a mock angry glare. Callie leaned back in her seat, helpless with laughter. It
bounced off the walls and echoed around them. Jason joined in. He loved the
sound of her merriment and resolved to find ways to tickle her humour so he
could hear more of it.

He started coughing and covered his
hand with his mouth. Callie instantly sprang from her chair. She handed him the
glass on his bedside cabinet and gently patted his back. He sipped some water
and sucked in a breath of air.

“Thanks. Probably another of my not
so bright ideas.” He admitted sheepishly.

Callie cast him a worried glance. “As
long as you’re okay, that’s all that matters.”

He grabbed her hand and stared into
her luminous golden eyes. “Were you worried for me, Callie?” he asked her
softly. Her concern for his wellbeing humbled him.

She stared at him silently for
several moments. Her small tongue slipped out from between her lips and
moistened them. Jason almost groaned, his mind immediately conjured up the kiss
they’d shared. A different kind of fire burned through his body, leaving him
with a restless yearning.

A throat cleared from behind Callie.
She jerked and moved away from Jason. He glanced around her to see the doctor
standing in the doorway. The man had a large grin plastered to his face.

“Sorry to interrupt, but I was hoping
to examine the patient.”

Callie’s face turned an alarming
shade of red. “Actually, I was just leaving anyway.” She grabbed her bag and
slung it over her shoulder. Callie avoided eye contact with both Jason and the
doctor as she scuttled out.

“I’ll see you again soon,” she flung
at Jason, just before the door closed behind her.

“The visit from your girlfriend
appears to have done you the world of good.” The doctor winked at him as he
pulled his stethoscope from around his neck. “Loved ones always are the best
medicine, I always say.”

“Oh, she’s not my girlfriend. She’s
just a friend.” Jason protested weakly.

The doctor threw him a knowing grin.
“If she isn’t your girlfriend, she ought to be.” He nodded towards the door.
“Women like that don’t come along every day. You’d be a fool to let her slip
through your fingers.”

Jason refrained from comment as the
doctor began his examination. Callie drifted through his mind. She certainly
made him happy, but then so had Lucinda in the beginning. Jason wasn’t sure he
trusted himself to take another chance at love. Then again, he didn’t know that
he could picture his life without Callie in it either.

The day would come when Callie had
finished the B&B project and would want to return home. The thought left
him with a hollow ache inside. Confusion clouded his mind. Did he let her go or
did he risk himself and see if there was something more to their relationship
than friendship? He simply didn’t know.

Callie’s fingers tightened around the
umbrella she held in her hand. She watched the rain fall in steady sheets,
soaking the small company of mourners that stood by the open grave several feet
away from her position by the cemetery wall. An unnatural chill shook her body
as she witnessed the coffin being slowly lowered into the ground. She shuddered
and glanced away.

As much as she hadn’t liked Lucinda,
she still felt immensely sad about the woman’s death. It was such a tragic
waste of life. Callie, at least, was well on the mend now. Her ribs still ached,
but her arm was mostly healed, and the bruises over her body had faded. She
would overcome what Lucinda had done to her. Unfortunately, Lucinda couldn’t
walk away from what she’d done to herself. Greed and revenge had killed Lucinda
in the end.

Callie shook away the depressing
thoughts. The past few days had been tough enough to deal with. Callie honestly
didn’t think she would have managed to cope so well if it hadn’t been for Trish
and Max. They had visited her the day after the explosion and offered their
support.

They had been shocked at Lucinda’s
actions, but grateful that the danger was now at an end. Max had been horrified
to learn of the car incident. He swore he’d have been straight over to see her
had he known, but his wife hadn’t wanted to worry him with the news. Trish
apologised for keeping the incident to herself, but Callie understood. She
still hadn’t filled Jade in on anything either.

Thankfully, Jason had been released
from hospital and was recovering at home. Fay had not stopped fussing round
him. She’d moved herself into his flat for a few days to take care of him.
Jason complained about being smothered, but Callie knew he appreciated his
sister’s efforts. She only wished it could have been her taking care of him,
but that was something a girlfriend would do. Jason had made it clear that he
didn’t want that from her. Tears blurred her vision and she swiped them away
with an impatient hand.

Callie glanced back at the funeral. A
few people were finally beginning to leave, slowly trickling away from the
graveside after tossing in the customary handful of dirt. She wasn’t sure why
she’d even come. It hadn’t achieved anything. The service had been awkward.
Even though she’d sat at the back of the church, she’d been terrified of being
seen by any of Lucinda’s family the whole way through it. Callie had been
relieved when it was over and she could slip away unnoticed.

She’d hoped Jason would attend with
her, but he had decided to stay away completely. He hadn’t wanted to upset
Lucinda’s family and he’d told Callie he thought she should stay away as well.
She wished she’d listened to him now. It hadn’t brought the closure she’d
thought it would.

“Well, if it isn’t Callie Price
herself. I hoped you’d be stupid enough to turn up here today. I’ve been
waiting for you.”

Callie turned at the caustic, rough
voice coming from behind her. A plump woman dressed in black glared at her. Straight,
dark hair peeped out from under the black hat perched on top of her head.
Callie had never seen the woman before in her life.

“Please, I don’t want any trouble. I
just came to pay my respects.” Callie stepped back a pace and held up her free
hand. The hatred rolling off the woman was disturbing. “There is no need for
any confrontation. This is a funeral, after all. It’s hardly appropriate for
this kind of behaviour. We don’t even know each other.”

“Oh, I know all about you.” The woman
stared at her, a slight sneer on her lips. “I happen to be Lucinda’s best
friend, Sue.”

“I’m truly sorry for your loss.”
Callie licked her dry lips. She didn’t quite know what to say to this hostile
individual.

“Save it.” Sue’s piercing grey eyes
unnerved Callie somewhat. She grinned at Callie, but there was no humour in the
smile. “I knew you’d be here today or at least I hoped you wouldn’t change your
plans. I’ve come prepared.”

“What are you talking about?” The
woman’s statement struck Callie as odd. Something about this encounter was
decidedly off kilter, but she was unsure exactly why. “How could you possibly
know I’d be here today? What do you mean you’ve come prepared?”

Sue’s grin widened. “We have much to
discuss, you and I.” Her gaze scanned the area around them. “Why don’t we take
a little trip somewhere much more private? I have the perfect place in mind for
this particular discussion.”

“I don’t think so.” Callie shook her head.
She didn’t want to go anywhere with this weird woman. Sue didn’t seem quite
right in the head to her.

She glanced around, but the street
was deserted. Most people were avoiding the funeral. There had been an article in
the local paper covering the car bomb. The community had been disgusted and
outraged. Nobody wanted to be seen as supporting Lucinda’s actions by attending
her funeral or even being in the vicinity of it. Sue certainly knew what she
was doing when she’d picked now to confront Callie.

“Oh, I wasn’t asking you,” Sue’s
brittle voice bit out. “I’m telling you. You are coming with me.”

Callie snapped her gaze back to the
woman before her. She gasped and backed into the wall surrounding the cemetery.
In Sue’s hand, neatly hidden from view of anyone else by her bag, was a gun.

“Like I said, let’s take a little
trip.” Sue flicked her head towards a car parked several feet away.

Callie gulped. What the hell was she
to do? She was definitely in the company of a fruit cake. Her eyes flicked
around her, desperately seeking assistance. There were several people exiting
the cemetery, but they were too far away for Callie to reach them before Sue
could stop her. If only one of them would glance in her direction! She might be
able to signal for help somehow. It was a long shot, but the only one she had.

“Don’t even think about it. I will
shoot you before anyone can come to your aid, not that Lucinda’s family would
be inclined to help you anyway. Is that what you want?” Sue grabbed her arm and
dug the gun barrel into her ribs. Callie winced at the sharp stab of pain that
shot through her side.

“Aren’t you going to kill me anyway?”
Callie forced the words out from between her stiff lips. Her body trembled. “I
may as well just take my chances.”

“How dramatic! I only want a nice
little chat.” Sue dragged Callie to the waiting car and opened the passenger
door. “Get in.”

Callie slid into the seat. She
glanced at Sue. Maybe she could make a run for it before the woman could round
the car. Sue shot her a warning glare, as if she’d read Callie’s mind. She
shook the gun in Callie’s face, the threat obvious.

Callie’s breath came in short,
panicked pants. What was she going to do? How had Sue even known she was going
to attend Lucinda’s funeral? The woman may say she only wanted to talk, but
Callie didn’t believe her. Who pointed a gun at someone unless they were intent
on harm?

Her head spun and little spots danced
in front of her eyes. Nothing made any sense. Why would Sue go to all this
trouble to kidnap her? She could understand Sue being upset over her friend’s
death, but this was extreme. There had to be more to it, but her fear induced
brain couldn’t seem to think clearly.

Sue climbed into the driver’s seat.
She aimed the gun at Callie and nodded at the glove compartment. “Open it.”

Callie leaned forward and opened the
small space. Inside was a set of hand cuffs. She lifted them out with shaking
hands.

“Snap one end on your wrist and the
other around the metal bar on the door.” Sue held the gun steady.

Callie’s heart sank. She had no way
of escaping Sue if she was attached to the car. She hesitated. A loud click
filled the air. Callie’s gaze shot to the gun. It was primed and ready to fire.
Gulping down her terror, Callie snapped one of the manacles onto her wrist and
secured the other end to a metal bar that had been screwed into the door. Sue
was nothing if not thorough.

“Very good.” Sue released the hammer
and placed the gun on the floor at her feet. She snapped her seatbelt into
place and glanced at Callie. “Best buckle up. We don’t want the police to stop
us, now do we?”

Callie bit back a caustic reply. She
couldn’t afford to antagonise the crazy woman. She grabbed hold of the seatbelt
and struggled to pull it across her body.

“Why are you doing this? Lucinda is
dead. This won’t bring her back and you are going to land yourself in a world
of trouble for this. Is it worth it?” Callie wasn’t sure if she could reason
with Sue, but she had to do something.

Sue laughed. “Nice try, but it won’t
work. You may as well save your breath. You won’t change my mind.”

Sue started the car engine and
released the hand break. Callie stared out the window. Her eyes scanned the
street frantically. She had to find a way to alert someone to her predicament. Panic
closed around her throat, nearly choking her.

Her eyes suddenly skimmed over a
small, pale figure that was seated on the cemetery wall. Callie almost gasped
out loud. Sophie! The child glanced from her to Sue, fear etched on her delicate
features.

“
Don’t worry. I’ll get help. I
won’t let you down
.”

The words whispered through her mind.
Callie wanted to believe that the child could save her, but nobody else had
ever witnessed Sophie’s visits. That time in the service station, the only
person the security guard had seen had been Callie. Was it even possible that
someone else could see the dead girl or hear her? If not, Callie was in deep
trouble.

The church bells pealed out to signal
the end of the funeral as the car pulled onto the road and moved rapidly
through town. Callie spent every second trying to catch someone’s attention.
Nobody paid her the slightest heed. She felt as though she was stuck in a film.
She could almost imagine an audience screaming at the people outside to notice
the victim trapped so near to them and yet so far from freedom.

Normalcy carried on all around her,
while her whole world had just been sucked into a nightmare. She didn’t want to
end up on tomorrow’s news headlines, just another unsolved disappearance or
worse.

Before long, Sue flicked on her
indicators and pulled onto the main road.

“Where are you taking me?” Panic
overwhelmed her. Callie yanked on the hand cuffs, but they held firm. She only
succeeded in hurting her wrist.

“You’ll see soon enough.” Sue flicked
a glance at her.

Callie fought to control her rising
fear. Her body shook and she prayed with all her heart that somehow Sophie
would be able to contact help. It seemed her only hope right now. Sue leaned
forward and put the radio on. Music streamed out into the car. Callie stared
incredulously as Sue tapped the steering wheel in time to the beat.

“Don’t you just love this song?” Sue
said conversationally. She glanced at Callie’s expression and laughed. “I’m not
crazy, no matter what you think. I’m not a bad person either.” Her voice
dropped, so that Callie had to strain to hear her over the pop song. “I’ve just
been pushed too far.”

“What do you mean? Pushed too far
with what?” Callie desperately needed to know. If she could understand Sue’s
motivation, maybe she could talk some sense into her.

“Ah, we’re here.” Sue flipped on her
indicator and turned off the road.

Callie stared at the tree lined, dirt
track. Her teeth rattled in her head as the car rolled over every bump and dip
along the way. Loud rattling emitted from the suspension. Callie half hoped the
car would simply die, but then again it probably wouldn’t help. Even if she
could free her hand, they were a long way from the main road and she had no
idea where the nearest residence was located.

“Where is this?” Callie demanded. She
gazed around, but there was no sign to indicate their whereabouts.

Sue didn’t respond. She pulled into a
small grassy layby and switched off the engine.  The music instantly died,
leaving a strange silence in its wake. Sue unclipped her seatbelt and stuck her
hand in her pocket. She tossed Callie a small key.

“Unlock the handcuffs and get out of
the car. Oh, and don’t try anything stupid. I will shoot you if I have to.” She
bent down and retrieved the gun. “Now move. No delays. I have everything ready
for you.”

Callie’s fingers shook so hard that
she nearly dropped the key. After three attempts, she finally fitted the small
metal key into the lock and twisted. The handcuff popped open. She rubbed her
wrist and slowly exited the car. Sue slipped out the driver’s side, her gun
constantly holding Callie in its sights.

“We have a little walk to do.” Sue
flicked the gun and indicated for Callie to move ahead of her.

Callie strode forward on stiff legs.
She gazed around her as they moved through thick woodland area. Something
tickled in the back of her mind. She’d never been here and yet she felt as if
she should know this place. A sense of doom closed in over her head and her
breath hitched in her chest.

Sue called out instructions as they
walked along. Callie wondered how the woman knew where they were heading. They
followed no path that she could see. Suddenly the trees opened up and Callie
gasped at the small lake before them. Her heart turned to ice in her chest. She
clutched a hand to her throat. Of course, how could she have been so stupid?