A Silent Terror (12 page)

Her blood thrummed, adrenaline picked up and heart thudded madly against her chest. Fight or flight? There was another stairway to her right about ten feet away. Paranoia or legitimate danger? Her thoughts scattered like scurrying ants as the remembered feel of her cheek crashing into the bleacher shuddered through her.

The elevator doors slid open. She bolted inside.

Would they close in time?

Ethan leaned back into the leather chair facing the elevators and sighed. A cup of complimentary hotel brew teased his nose, and he took a sip, surprised that it tasted as good as it smelled. Rich, creamy and dark. No sugar.

He glanced at his watch. Eight fifteen. He’d talked to his boss, Victor Shields, briefly and the man had once again imparted orders to keep Marianna safe. Ethan wondered about the pressure. Victor didn’t usually take such a personal interest in cases such as this.

The elevator finally dinged and the doors slid open. Ethan stood and smiled as Marianna stepped out. Then he frowned as he noticed she didn’t look quite…right. Because she was endowed with naturally dark skin, it took him a moment to notice the stress on her features, that she looked a little pale.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” She chewed her bottom lip. “I don’t think.”

“Then why do you have a permanent crease between your brows and you’re about to use your lip as an appetizer?”

Raising a hand to her head, she closed her eyes for a moment, dropped her hand and said, “I’m not sure, but I think someone’s followed us here.”

Instinct had him glancing around the lobby. A man at the check-in desk, a woman and child playing checkers, two love-birds on the love seat ensconced in front of the gas logs. An overweight security officer leaned against the wall, reading the paper.

“What makes you think that?”

“I…I’m not sure. It’s just…you’re going to think I’m losing it.”

Ethan took her hand and pulled her over to the leather chairs. “Sit.” She sat. “Now tell me.”

“I was in the hallway getting ready to enter my room and felt someone watching me. Then when I got your text, I came out of my room, walked to the elevator and still felt someone watching me. But no one was there. As I was waiting for the elevator, someone came up through the stairwell and started down the hall toward me. The elevator arrived, I stepped on and…here I am. See? It’s nothing. I’m overreacting, right?”

She left out the details of what she must have felt, such as fear, terrifying memories and so forth. Ethan felt a surge of protectiveness hit him. If he hadn’t been sitting, it would have brought him to his knees.

God, I don’t think I can handle this.

But he would. For Marianna’s sake.

“I don’t know that you’re overreacting. It’s certainly understandable that you would be a bit leery, though. However, I don’t think there’s any reason to call in the police at this time. If someone was watching you, he’s probably long gone by now.” Jaw tight, he mentally slapped himself. He should have walked her to her room. And for this little meeting, he should have gone up and gotten her, escorted her down to the lobby. “From now on, until we get home, I’m your shadow, okay?”

Protests hovered on her lips. He could see them as clearly as the painting on the wall above her head. She swallowed them and nodded. “You know, I come from a wonderful, loving family, but sometimes I felt…smothered by them. It’s as if I had to fight so hard for my independence that accepting help from someone now seems like a weakness.”

“Not a weakness. It’s the smart thing to do when you’re in over your head. So, do we have a deal?” He stuck his hand out for her to shake.

Big sigh, then she said, “Deal.” Her small hand slipped into his, and he felt as if she’d just grabbed hold of his heart with a handful of superglue. He was in big trouble.

He then decided to ask a question that had been preying on him since his boss’s call yesterday. “Where’s your brother Joseph?”

“Huh?” His abrupt topic shift threw her.

“Joseph. Where is he?”

“Mom texted me and said he had to leave to go back to New York this morning. Some big missing person case came up and they called him back early. Why?”

“Just wondering.” No doubt Joseph had some connections with the local police department and probably called in a few favors concerning protection for his sister, since he couldn’t be in town to personally oversee her safety.

At least that was one mystery solved.

Now, he had to figure out how he was going to keep this woman safe and his heart out of the equation. At least for now. He’d already lost one person he’d failed to protect. He wouldn’t survive losing a second. He continued, “What I wanted to tell you was that Catelyn called and said they’ d traced the TTY call. It came from the downtown hospital.”

“Of course. They have several TTYs throughout the hospital. No one would think twice about someone using one. That’s what they’ re there for.”

“Catelyn questioned the afternoon personnel in all locations of the phones. One worker did say she remembers seeing a man using it around four o’clock yesterday afternoon but couldn’t describe him.”

“What about the hospital cameras?”

He smiled. She was quick. “Catelyn checked those, too. The only person she could come up with on the camera that might be a likely suspect had on leather jacket and a baseball cap pulled low. There’s no way to identify the guy.”

Dejected, her shoulders slumped. “So, what now?”

“We go to the funeral, then go home and try to figure out what’s going on and what it is someone wants you keep quiet about.”

In line to pay their respects, Ethan took note of the somber crowd.

Friends, family and campaign supporters all turned out to say goodbye to a good man and friend. The governor hopeful, Clayton Robertson, had sent his sympathies to the family with regrets he couldn’t be there owing to a bad case of the flu.

At the funeral the newly appointed campaign manager, Steven Marshbanks, a handsome man in his mid-fifties with a head full of gray hair that made him look older, gave a short eulogy. “Roland will be sorely missed. He was a good man, a good father and great at his job. His senseless death saddens and angers those of us left behind.

Our prayers are with Roland’s parents and young Joshua. May God grant you peace in the days ahead.”

Then it was time to say their goodbyes and head home. Thankfully, the return trip was uneventful. Marianna and Ethan dropped Joshua back at the dormitory, since his grandparents felt he would do better getting back into his usual routine. He didn’t fully understand that his dad was gone for good. Only time would help with that.

They returned the state vehicle, retrieved Ethan’s car from the lot and headed to Marianna’s parents’ house. Ethan broke the comfortable silence by tapping Marianna on the shoulder. She looked at him, a question in her eye.

“What are you thinking?” he asked.

A hand reached up to rub her forehead. “Just how weird it is that in less than two weeks, two people that I knew have died.”

“A bit strange, I have to admit, but I guess we just kind of have to roll with the punches life throws at us…with God’s help, of course.” Something he was still working on. His phone rang and he grabbed it, sending Marianna an apologetic look. “Hello?”

“Hey, Ethan, it’s Catelyn.”

“What’s up?”

As Catelyn spoke, Ethan put the phone on speaker and set it in his lap. Left hand on the wheel, he signed the conversation for Marianna with his right.

“We got a fingerprint off the car that’s not Marianna’s or Suzanne’s. We’re running it through the system as we speak.”

“Great. I guess the next step is to question everyone on staff – and the students, too – who was around that night.”

“We’re already on that. So far no one remembers seeing anything or anyone suspicious. But you might be interested to know that several of the lights around that parking lot had been vandalized. Marianna’s car was sitting in virtual darkness.”

Ethan remembered he’d had to move away from the car to the light in order to read the note the perp had shoved in Marianna’s hand. He’d not thought much about it except that the school needed to put in more lights. Now he found out the lights had been purposely broken.

Someone had put some thought into this – and that chilled him.

The question that now occurred to him was: How many people were involved in this attack? Was her car trashed before or after she was attacked in the gym? It really could have happened either way.

“Do they have any security cameras on campus?”

“Nope.”

“Figures. All right, keep digging. Marianna and I are almost home. I’ll catch up with you in the morning.”

“Good deal. See you later.”

Ethan hung up, his thoughts racing. Marianna’s brow furrowed in thought. She’d followed the conversation well with Ethan signing it.

However, confusion flickered in her tired eyes, and Ethan knew exactly how she felt. It was strange that two people she knew had been killed so close together in time. But Roland’s death was an accident, having nothing to do with Marianna. Suzanne’s death, however, seemed to be another story.

One to which he’d like to know the ending.

By Thursday afternoon Marianna didn’t know whether to feel relieved or worried. Relieved because things had been so quiet or worried – for the same reason. Ethan couldn’t stay with her twenty-four/ seven, so she’d sent him on his way promising she’d be careful and not go anywhere by herself except straight to her students’ basketball game. He’d reluctantly agreed but promised to be back and meet her at the game.

Twenty minutes ago she’d entered the gym and that had been hard, memories of her attack pulsing full force. Now the well-lit place buzzed with more activity than a beehive, causing her fears to slowly slide away.

Breathing in the scent of gym socks, tennis shoes, sweat, hot dogs, hamburgers and soft pretzels calmed her and brought her senses into focus. She was here for the students. She could do this. You’re my strength, Lord.

Soon her girls arrived, and she lost herself in a part of the job she loved. Becoming engrossed in the game allowed her to forget her anxiety. “Let’s play, girls!” Even though most couldn’t hear her, she still yelled while signing so they could see her encouraging them. A couple of the players had enough hearing that they could hear her cheering for them even if they couldn’t understand what she was saying.

Trina dribbled down the court and passed the ball off to Bailey, who went straight to the middle for a beautiful layup. Marianna clapped her hands, cheered and whistled, then motioned for defense to set up.

Then Ethan walked in the door. For five solid seconds she froze, drinking in the sight of him; then warmth filled her and she realized how much she was starting to care for this guy. The whistle blaring caused her to whip her head around, to seeing Paulette signing furiously, her teeth bared in a snarl. “I didn’t foul her, Ms. S. That ref can’t see. He’s blind. Needs to see an eye doctor!”

Forcing herself to concentrate on the action in front of her, not the man behind her, she signed back, “Don’t be disrespectful. If the referee says you earned a foul, you earned it.” Then she winked and said, “And if you didn’t, we’ll fuss about it later, okay?”

Paulette rolled her eyes but nodded, accepting Marianna’s direction.

When the buzzer signaled the end of the game, Marianna’s team had won and she felt so proud of the hard-playing girls.

“Whoo-hoo! This calls for a celebration.”

“Pizza!” The team yelled and signed simultaneously.

She’d promised them pizza if they’ d won. She would have taken them even if they’ d lost.

A hand landed gently on her shoulder, and she turned. “Ethan.” Her heart beat double time at the feel of his touch, and she ordered it to quit. It disobeyed.

Admiration glinted in his eyes. He smiled. “Way to go, Coach.”

Heat crept up from her shoulders. Hoping her dark skin would hide the flush she knew would stain her cheeks in mere seconds, she pretended nonchalance. “Thanks.”

His wicked grin said she didn’t fool him. “So, you’re going to get pizza?”

“Yep.”

“You have room for one more?”

An eyebrow shot up before she could stop it. “You want to come eat pizza with us?”

He shrugged and seemed a little embarrassed now. “If you don’t mind.”

Suspicious, she narrowed her gaze. “You found out something?” That attractive little quirky thing he did with his mouth flashed at her, and her stomach flipped. “Can’t hide anything from you, can I?”

“No, so don’t try.”

“But I’d want to go anyway, lead or no lead.”

She gave him a smile that felt a little wobbly. “Come on, you can follow me to the restaurant. The girls will be focused on their pizza, and you can fill me in on what you’ve found out.”

Seated in the booth at the pizza restaurant located about a mile from the school, Ethan waited while Marianna loaded up her plate with the little triangular slices.

He wondered if she’d really eat all that.

She slid in the booth opposite him and grinned. “Yes.”

“Huh?”

“Yes, I will eat all this.”

He felt his face flush. “Caught me.”

“It’s okay. On game days, I’m starving by the time everything’s over, simply because I’m too worked up to eat beforehand.” She turned serious and asked, “So, what did you find out?”

He swallowed his bite of pepperoni pizza and wiped his mouth with a napkin. A swig of tea chased the food. Her gaze stayed steady, waiting. He didn’t fool her. A clur1k sounded as he set down the glass.

Tea sloshed over the edge. “Okay, I’m stalling.”

“Just tell me.”

“Forensics turned up some DNA at your house. A hair with the root still connected.”

“And?” Anticipation mingled with fear danced across her beautiful features.

He hated to disappoint her. “Nothing back from the lab, yet. Sorry.”

“Oh.”

“But, your car is a different story. The guy was obviously mad at not finding what he wanted. When he busted out all your windows, a fragment of cloth was left on one of the edges.”