Blood in the Marsh (12 page)

Michael noted that on his pad. “What color hair?”

Lyra closed her eyes, “Brown, I think.”

“Long, short?”

“Long. It was long, hanging on her shoulders.”

“Good. Now, about the men. You said they took you and Patty into the marsh. Did any of them say anything?”

Lyra tensed and started shaking again. “One of them told me to shut up if I wanted to live.”

“Then what happened?”

She told him everything she could remember up until the point the men pinned her on the ground. Then she fell silent. Michael looked up from his pad and saw the hard look on Nick’s face. But he had to ask and Nick knew it.

“Okay, now I need to know what happened after they killed Patty.”

Lyra looked at him with an expression that was a combination of fear and humiliation. “They…”

Nick gave Michael a warning look as Michael opened his mouth. Michael’s eyes flashed but he fell silent.

Nick turned to face Lyra. “Lyra, look at me. I know this is hard for you to talk about and I know it’s embarrassing. But Michael can’t do his job and we can’t make sure those bastards get what’s coming to them unless you’re straight with us. And more importantly, if you want to get past this you’re going to have to let go of it and the first step is talking about it. I want you to be able to put this behind you. Will you please try to tell us what happened?”

For a minute Lyra didn’t respond. She looked down and sighed as she thought about it. She was embarrassed for everyone to know what had happened, and felt it would make them all think less of her. But she knew that eventually the truth would come out. In the end, she decided it was better if they heard it from her.

Looking up at Nick, she nodded. He smiled and gave her shoulder a slight squeeze. “Okay, just take your time.”

She turned to Michael and, as before, when their eyes met something seemed to seize her entire being. As much as she was drawn to Nick, there was something about Michael, something that called to her. It was terribly disconcerting. She had to look away for a moment to compose herself.

Summoning her courage, she met his eyes again. “Four men pinned me to the ground. I begged them to let me go but they stuffed a cloth in my mouth. Then one man knelt down and…and put his fingers inside me. I thought he was going to do more and I closed my eyes. Then I felt this terrible pain in the left side of my neck, just under my ear, and that’s all I remember.”

Michael nodded. “The doctor confirmed that you weren’t raped. And apparently the pain you felt was from an injection.”

Lyra’s eyes popped open wide and her breath caught in her throat. She looked quickly from Michael to Nick then looked down at the floor.

“When the man put his fingers in you, did you notice if he was wearing gloves, or if there was anything on his hands?”

Lyra looked up at him with an odd expression.

“There was evidence of a lubricant,” he said. “The doctor said it was the same kind used by most gynecologists.”

She thought about it. “I don’t know. They were all wearing gloves, black gloves.” Her brows knotted together as she concentrated. “No, wait! His hands were cold and slick. He touched my leg and it felt like his hand was wet or something.”

A puzzled look came on her face. “Why would they do that? I know they raped Patty. I saw them. So why did they…I mean, what was the point of what they did?”

Michael shook his head. “I know it sounds crazy, but it’s almost like they just wanted to know if you were a virgin or not. The doctor said there was no tearing or trauma to the tissue so you definitely weren’t raped.”

Chelsey had been completely still and silent up until that point. She looked at Lyra with wide eyes. “Are you kidding? Why would they want to know if you’re a virgin. You’re not are you? Oh, shit, Lyra, you are! You’re still a virgin!”

Lyra wanted the floor to open up and swallow her at that moment. She saw the expression on Michael’s face but didn’t have the courage to turn and look at Nick. She could, however, look at Chelsey. “There are more important issues here. In case you’ve forgotten those animals killed Patty.”

“I’m sorry.”

Lyra’s face was set in a hard mask as she turned back to Michael. “Is there anything else?”

“No. Listen, I really appreciate you telling me. I know it’s been rough but it will get better.”

She stood and walked through the house to the back door. Pushing it open, she stepped out on the porch and stared out across the yard. Nick followed and watched her for a few minutes from the door. At last, he walked outside.

“Can I get you anything?”

“How about a rope so I can hang myself?”

He walked in front of her and leaned back against the railing. “I don’t think that would solve anything. Besides, Michael’s right. It will get better.”

Lyra was exhausted and drained but her anger had finally surfaced. “Better? Well I sure hope so because as far as I can see this has been without a doubt the absolute most horrible night of my entire life!”

“But you survived.”

She barked a harsh laugh and stepped away from him, looking out at the yard again. “God, I can’t believe this! Of all the people on the planet, why did you and Michael have to show up out there? Why couldn’t Chelsey just call the police or her stepdad or something? Why did it have to be you and Michael?”

“What are you saying? She came here because it was the first place she thought of. And Michael is a police officer. Besides, what’s so bad about us being concerned and wanting to help you?”

Lyra whirled on him with her eyes blazing. “What’s so bad? Well, let’s think about it. I’m wheeled into a damn hospital and put on display for a room full of people—one of whom happens to be your friend, who, I might add, comes equipped with a camera. Then the doctor has to announce my…my…”

“Virginity? That’s it isn’t it. You’re a virgin.”

She put her hands to her face and turned her back to him. Nick walked around and pulled her hands away from her face. “Is that what has you so worked up?”

She looked down, embarrassed to meet his eyes. Nick put his hands on the sides of her face and made her look up. “Lyra, that’s nothing to be ashamed of. I’ll be the first to admit that it’s unusual. But it doesn’t change the way I feel about you.”

She pulled away from him and turned. “You don’t understand. I’m this way because I’m … I’m just one of those frigid women. I’ve just never been able to go through with it.”

Nick took her arm and pulled her to him. “You will, when the time is right. Now, do you want to go home? You really do need to rest.”

“No, I don’t want to go home. Can I sleep on your couch?”

“I think I can do better than that.” He took her hand and led her inside. The door to Michael’s room was closed and Chelsey was asleep on the couch, her head buried under a pillow. Nick led Lyra to his room.

“Make yourself at home. I’ll be in the den if you need me.”

She nodded and he turned to leave but she called out to him. “Nick?”

He stopped and looked back at her.

“Thank you.”

After a moment, he nodded. She climbed on the bed and turned her back to him. Even though she didn’t make a sound, he knew she was crying. Silently he edged out of the room and closed the door.

Sunday—Brunswick

Lyra rolled over and opened her eyes. The unfamiliar sight of Nick’s room made her eyes fly open wide and she sat up with her heart hammering in her chest. Then she remembered where she was.

Getting up, she walked out of the bedroom and down the hall to the bathroom. A few minutes later, she went into the den. Chelsey and Michael were sitting on the couch watching television and reading the paper.

Lyra fought back an unreasonable sense of envy at the sight. For goodness sakes, all they were doing was sitting on the couch together. She reminded herself that Michael wasn’t the man from her dreams.

She looked around, wondering where Nick was. “What time is it?”

Chelsey looked up and smiled. “Hi, you feeling better?”

Lyra nodded and took a seat on an empty chair. “What time is it?”

“Almost ten.” Michael checked his watch.

“God, I feel like I’ve been asleep for a week.”

“Actually it’s more like about twenty-four hours,” Michael said, laying his paper aside. “It’s Sunday.”

Lyra looked at him in disbelief then looked at Chelsey. “Have you been here all this time?”

“Yeah, I’m not leaving you behind anymore.”

Lyra felt that Chelsey was blaming herself unjustly. “Chels, it’s not your fault, okay? I don’t blame you so please quit blaming yourself. By the way, where’s Nick?”

“He went to the store but he’ll be back soon,” Michael said as he stood.

“Oh.”

“So how about some coffee?”

“Yes, thank you.”

She followed him into the kitchen. He poured her a cup of coffee and leaned back against the counter as she added sugar and milk. “You feeling any better?”

She nodded without looking up at him. He put his hand on her shoulder. “You don’t have to be uncomfortable around me, Lyra.”

His touch was like a current. For a split second she felt something swell within her, a familiar yet alien feeling that made her feel flushed and yet electrified. God how was she ever going to be able to be around him if he affected her like this?

“Easy for you to say.” She m oved away from him, setting her cup down.

“Yeah, I guess so. But I’d like for us to be friends.”

She looked up at him with a mixture of embarrassment and irony. “Well, we might as well be, seeing as how we’ve been so intimate already.”

Michael was surprised by her comment. He didn’t expect her to be strong enough to joke. But he was impressed. If he was honest with himself, he was more than impressed. Lyra Seville had somehow twined herself very close to his heart without even trying. It made no sense to him.

“You’re an amazing woman, Lyra Seville.”

“And you’re too damn charming for your own good,” Nick’s voice came from the back door.

Lyra whirled around. “Nick!”

He plunked several packages down on the table and scooped her up in a tight hug. “How’re you feeling?”

“Better.”

“Are you hungry?”

She nodded and he kissed the tip of her nose then put her down. “Well, let’s get cooking!” They started unloading the bags. Michael joined in and after a minute Chelsey wandered in to see what was going on.

The phone rang and Michael picked it up. “Hello?…Yeah, hold on.” He held up the phone. “Nick. For you.”

. “I’ll grab it in the den. You guys get breakfast started.”

He returned a few minutes later with a hard look in his eyes. “I’ve got to go out of town for a few days.”

Lyra turned around and looked at him with a question on her face. He walked over and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll be back by the end of the week. Think maybe we can take a look around Lucius’ house when I get back?”

“Sure, if you want to.”

“Great. Well, I’ve gotta get going. Do you want me to take you home?”

“No, I’m not ready to go back there yet.”

“She can stay here,” Michael spoke up.

“Is that so?” Nick turned to him with raised eyebrows. “With you?”

“With us,” Chelsey said with a smile. “I’ll stay and keep an eye on her for you.”

“That sounds better.” He turned to Lyra. “So, you’ll be here when I get back?”

She didn’t reply. Instead, she walked out of the room. Nick followed her and turned her to face him. “You didn’t answer my question.”

“Yes, I’ll be here.”

Nick pulled her to him and kissed her. Her body tensed. With regret, he backed away and held her at arm’s length. “Lyra with a ‘y’, you’re killing me. I gotta go. See you Friday.”

Before she could reply, he gave her a kiss on the cheek and walked out of the door. She watched him get in his Jeep and hen went back to the kitchen.

“Well, don’t just stand there looking beautiful!” Michael’s smile was teasing. “Get in here and earn your keep!”

She smiled and started buttering the toast. Michael looked at her and Chelsey then sat down with a smile, leaning back with his eyes closed. “I could get used to this. Two beautiful women to wait on me hand and foot.”

Chelsey turned and looked at Lyra with a wicked grin. Lyra looked down at the plastic tub of margarine and scooped up a glob on her fingers. Before Michael knew what had happened she had wiped the glob across his face.

He jumped up, wiping at his face and sputtering. Chelsey and Lyra both burst out laughing and after a moment, he did, too. Lyra handed him a napkin to clean his face and he grabbed her arm, jerking her closer and rubbing his butter coated hand all over her face.

She laughed and pulled away as he swiped at his face with the napkin. “Well, it should be an interesting week, anyway,” he laughed.

Chapter Five

Brunswick

Lyra and Chelsey had been at Michael’s for the last four days and in that time neither one of them had left the house. Michael didn’t think it was a wise idea for them to be out until they found out whether the men who had attacked them had chosen them randomly or if they had been specifically targeted.

He had the police making regular patrols by the house day and night when he couldn’t be there. Lyra appreciated his efforts but was about to go stir crazy and Chelsey was making it worse. The first day or so Chelsey seemed to be having fun playing house, cooking dinner, and having it ready when Michael got home from work. Yet, even with her making such a fuss over him, she hadn’t managed to get him alone. She made no secret about the fact she wanted to sleep with him and told Lyra that she was beginning to think something was wrong with him. She had done everything but come out and ask him to go to bed with her and he still hadn’t made a move.

Ashamed of the feeling, Lyra was glad Chelsey hadn’t gotten her way with Michael. In the past four days, she had spent a lot of time examining herself and her feelings. She had never been in the position of being interested in two men. She thought about Nick and Michael and her feelings about them. Nick made her feel the kind of excitement she could only relate to facing an enigma, something out of the ordinary and potentially dangerous. She felt a little like a mouse caught in a serpent’s gaze with him. She was mesmerized by him and yet frightened at the same time.

The most unsettling thing, however, was the strange images that flashed through her mind. The scenes were always of fire, a searing fire that seemed to swell all around her, licking at her skin. Through the wall of flame, she could see Nick. His dark eyes gleamed and his face wore an expression of what she could only interpret as excitement. Something silver glinted at the base of his throat. She tried to focus on it but could only tell that it looked like some small pendant or medallion.

Each time the images appeared, she tried to hold on to them, to examine them more closely. Was it a portent of things to come or was it simply her mind’s way of visualizing the attraction and anxiety she felt? She couldn’t decipher it.

Her feelings for Michael were even more disturbing. Not because she felt a sense of danger, but because of the strong attraction she felt for him. Every time she saw him, her first glimpse would inspire an immediate sense of longing. She found herself wanting him in a way that made her very uncomfortable.

The images that invaded her mind concerning Michael made her very ill at ease. It was more than memories from her dreams. I felt like true memories, as if she’d know him before. There were times she could see him in another place, a place unknown and yet familiar. In the visions, his hair was much longer, brushing the top of his shoulders. Each time the vision appeared it would abruptly vanish to be replaced with an image of Lucius gazing intently at her.

Lyra didn’t understand any of it. Despite all her education, she was unprepared to deal with it. Emotion robbed her of objectivity. And yet, she could not help but consider things she had read concerning past lives, the theory of reincarnation. Was it possible that people who played important roles in one’s past life reappeared in a later incarnation to complete some goal? She didn’t have an answer, only questions.

So far, there were no leads on the men who had killed Patty. There were no prints, and no clues had been left at the scene, which Michael found disconcerting to say the least. All crimes left some clues. All except this one. There were no skin or hair samples found on the dead girl; no blood or semen, not even fibers of cloth from the perpetrators clothing.

And to make matters worse, another girl had been reported missing, bringing the total to three in less than two weeks. Nothing physical linked the missing girls, the stolen calf, strange circles in the woods, and what happened to Lyra. Michael seemed to think that it was all connected but would not tell her why or how.

Lyra and Chelsey spent the morning doing laundry and sitting on the back porch. By noon, both of them were irritable and bored. Chelsey stood up and put her hands on her hips.

“I can’t take this anymore! If I don’t get out of here for a while I’m going to explode! Let’s ride down to the village and get some lunch then take a walk on the beach.”

Lyra smiled up at her. “That sounds great!” Then her smile faded. “But what about Michael? He said we should…”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. But what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him. Besides, who’s going to mess with us in broad daylight? More than likely those guys are halfway to Kalamazoo by now. Come on, it’ll do us both good. I’ll even go for a run with you.”

Lyra laughed as she stood. “You’re going to run?”

Chelsey tossed her hair and laughed. “Well, I’ll watch you run. Hey! Let’s stop by the mall and get some clothes. I don’t know about you but I’m pretty sick of wearing Michael’s old gym shorts and T-shirts.”

“Okay, let’s go.”

They got in Chelsey’s car and headed for the mall. Three stores and four huge bags later they left and drove back to the island. The village wasn’t very busy at that time of day so they had no trouble finding a table on the porch of one of the restaurants. Taking their time, they watched the few tourists wander up and down the street.

After lunch, they wandered through the village on their way to the beach. As usual, Chelsey had to stop in every store they passed. “Honestly, Chels! You’ve lived here all your life and been in these shops a million times. Do you really think there’s going to be anything new here?”

“You never know!”

To Lyra’s surprise, she was the one to find something new. A set of Japanese hair pins. The shafts were of polished silver with carved onyx heads in the shape of a phoenix and a dragon. She fell in love with them on sight and wound her long hair up on top of her head as soon as they walked out of the store, securing it with the long pins.

“It looks like your wearing knives in your hair,” Chelsey teased. “You want to go down to the beach?”

“Actually, how about if we drive down to the lot and take the boat out?” Lyra suggested. “We can change into some shorts and sail around a couple of hours.”

Chelsey grimaced. “I don’t know. You know how salt water makes my hair frizz. And…”

“Come on, Chels. We haven’t been out sailing in a long time. Besides, who knows, Michael might be into it, so you’ll want to sharpen your skills in case the two of you decide to go out. You can take my boat out if you want. Pack a picnic and sail up to Little St. Simons or Egg Island.”

The idea had its appeal and Chelsey smiled. “You know, I’ll bet Michael would be into that kind of thing. Just wind, the nature and us. Okay, let’s go.” They stopped and changed clothes in the restroom of one of the restaurants then went to the boat storage area. A few minutes later, they were pushing the Hobie out.

“Which way?” Lyra yelled into the brisk breeze.

“Let’s go up toward Little St. Simons and see if we can find a good place to beach.”

Lyra nodded and turned the boat north. The wind was strong and they made good progress. As they neared Gould Inlet, Lyra pointed to a big motorboat cruising toward them. It was painted entirely black with a diagonal slash of silver across its bow. Chelsey nodded and scooted over. “Someone with more money than taste, obviously.”

Lyra laughed and turned to catch more wind. The Hobie stood up on one pontoon, flying across the water. Lyra was paying attention to what was in front of them and didn’t realize the black motorboat had turned and was following them.

Chelsey looked behind her and pointed. Lyra turned and saw the boat coming right at them. “They’ll veer off. Sailboats have the right of way.”

But the boat made no move to change its course. It bore down on them, getting closer by the second. Lyra’s heart jumped and she turned the Hobie. The motorboat turned in a tight arc as it passed within feet of them. She looked over her shoulder and saw them coming again.

“We’ve got to head in!”

“Where?” Chelsey looked toward the shore. “There’s nothing but marsh!”

Lyra thought about it and realized that going ashore was probably a bad idea. Then her eyes widened. “Well, we can at least get in shallow water. They can’t follow us in too far. The keel of the boat’s too deep. They’ll ground before we do.”

“We’re not going to make very good time if we have to go into the breakers.”

Lyra made no comment. She headed the boat toward the shore, watching the water as she tried to determine its depth. They were almost to the point where the waves were breaking before the black boat veered off and headed for deeper water.

Lyra turned, heading back for the storage dock with the black boat paralleling their course. “Shit!” Chelsey suddenly screamed and pointed ahead.

“Damn!” Lyra turned and headed for deeper water. Just ahead, there was a large group of people in the water, many of them children. Going deeper kept them from hitting any of the swimmers but it put them too close to the black boat. Lyra eyed it suspiciously. “Can you see anyone on board?”

Chelsey stood up and looked then sat down. “With the roof on and those dark side windows I can’t see anything. Who are they and why’re they following us?”

“I don’t know and I don’t want to.” Lyra adjusted the sails to get more speed.

“Lyra!” Chelsey screamed at the top of her lungs as the motor boat moved closer, pulling alongside of them.

Instinctively Lyra unclipped the harness and fell down on the trampoline. Chelsey was already scrambling under the boom for the other side. Standing up on one pontoon, the boat wobbled under the added weight of its low side, threatening to capsize.

The black boat nudged the raised pontoon. Lyra felt one sudden jolt before the boat rocked up and over. She threw herself to the side, trying to land clear of the rudder. Her shin banged against the sharp paddle as she tumbled headfirst into the water.

As soon as she broke the surface, a swell caused by the motion of the motor boat washed over her. Salt stung her eyes and she wiped at them quickly, trying to spot Chelsey. The waves had pushed the Hobie farther in and were between her and the shore. She cut a look back, seeing the black boat circling.

“Chelsey!”

“Under here!”

“Get out!” Lyra screamed frantically as she saw the motor boat coming toward them again. This time a man was leaning over the side. He was dressed in black and wore a ski mask to cover his face.

Lyra didn’t have time to think. She dove under the water and kicked toward the shore. She felt her back bump against the pontoon then ran into a tangle of arms and legs. Knowing it had to be Chelsey she grabbed her and shoved as hard as she could.

A moment later, the motor boat hit the overturned Hobie. Trapped beneath the sail Lyra and Chelsey were pushed along by the violent impact. Lyra felt herself exhale sharply and frantically felt around, trying to find the edge of the sail, still gripping Chelsey’s wrist. They plowed along, their legs scraping through the sand.

Her lungs burned and she felt her body tiring, but panic gave her an added boost of strength. She pushed up as hard as she could and managed to raise the sail just enough to get her face above water. Chelsey came up spitting and gasping.

“Come on!” Lyra rasped. “We’ve got to get out of here!” They pushed their way from beneath the sail and crawled up out of the water. Lyra turned and saw the man in black pointing toward them. The boat shot forward, headed for the shore. She grabbed Chelsey’s hand and bounded forward.

“Run!”

Chelsey did not need encouragement. She ran as fast as her legs would carry her. Lyra heard the boat engine racing and looked back. It hit the sand and kept coming, the propeller roaring as it left the water. She and Chelsey splashed out of the water and scrambled up the breaker of stone at the edge of the beach then took off for the street.

Neither of them looked to see if anyone was following. They cut through yards and dodged traffic in the neighborhood around East beach until Chelsey was breathing so hard she could no longer run.

Lyra took her arm and tugged her along. “Come on! You can’t stop! We have to get back to the car!”

“It’s too far!” Chelsey was barely able to speak.

Lyra knew that Chelsey would never be able to make the run, but she was afraid to stop, afraid that at any moment the men in black would be right behind them. Seeing a couple of teenage boys getting into a car, she waved and yelled.

“Hey! Hey guys! Hold up!”

The boys stopped as Lyra dragged Chelsey over to them. “We need a ride. Can you take us to the boat storage? I’ll give you twenty dollars.”

“Sure!” The driver opened the door. “Hop in.”

Lyra pushed Chelsey into the back seat and climbed in after her. “We’re kind of in a hurry!”

The boy grinned and floored it. Smoke billowed from the tires as they took off. Lyra caught sight of her reflection in the rearview mirror and pulled the one remaining hairpin from her tangled hair, letting it fall in the floorboard. A few minutes later, they reached the parking area. Lyra told the boy to stop and pointed to Chelsey’s convertible Mercedes. “See that car? Keep your eyes on it while I go get our things from the man who runs the lot. If you see anyone else watching it or hanging around it I want you blow the horn three times then get out of here. You got it?”