Burden Of Blood (5 page)

“A little of both Jim.  How have you been?” Luke asked making polite conversation.  “Pretty good, I woke up this morning so I guess that’s a good start for an old codger like me.” He flashed a sly, toothless grin at his own twisted humor.  “You got time to sit a while and chat with me?” he motioned a shaky hand toward the empty spot on the end of the bench.

“Sure, if you don’t mind me eating my breakfast while we talk.” He took a seat as he removed the paper from his bacon-stuffed biscuit.  “So what’s new?” he asked, deliberately taking his time chewing so Jim would feel obligated to fill the silent space between them.

“I’ve been seeing a bunch of out-of-state tags coming through our little town lately.  I can’t imagine what anyone would be here for.  All we’ve got is one lake and a bunch a nature trails but I’m no expert on travelers.” he shrugged.  “I guess some people want to see every inch of this great, big, ol’ world.” He paused as if in deep thought, eyes a million miles away.  He looked up again, taking in the passing cars on the road in front of where they sat.  “Yesterday I saw three shiny, new, black SUVs, all with dark tinted windows and New York plates.  They stopped in to fuel up here.” He pointed an arthritic finger in the direction of the gas pumps where Luke’s patrol car still sat.  “Only the drivers got out pumping the gas and they were in dark blue suits that screamed government to me.  Now you tell me Luke, if that doesn’t strike you as strange.  The government has been sticking their nose in too much if you ask me.”

“Yep, Jim, that is kind of fishy but what can we do?  We can’t question every person with an out-of-state tag.” Luke said “Besides some people do come here for the forest and the lake, both are beautiful and our town has always been glad to share them with the world.  Maybe you’re just getting paranoid in your old age.” Standing up, he dropped his empty wrapper into the trash, then stretched out his long, lean body trying to relieve some of the stiffness of his muscles.

Jim shrugged his shoulders, “Could be, I guess.  I just don’t like people causing trouble around here.  Why, just this morning some guy stopped in and walked straight up to me like he knew me.” His gray brows shot up into his wrinkled forehead.  “He started asking me questions about Nicole.  He said he was an old friend, but I knew better.” He snorted as he leaned back causing the bench to squeak.  “I’ve known that girl all her life, her daddy and her granddaddy too so I wasn’t about to tell a bad seed like that anything about our sweet girl.”

“What was he asking?”

“First he asked if I knew her, and I told him yes, then he asked where she lived and I told him it was none of his damn business.” Jim laughed as he slapped a hand down on his knee.  “If you could’ve seen the look on that man’s face!  He was so shocked an old geezer like me told him no, he got back into his truck and left without another word.”

Luke stood with his hands in his pockets as he gazed around the parking lot.  A sinking feeling knotted his stomach as he thought about who the man could be.  Maybe just an old boyfriend looking to rekindle things with Nicole.  “Maybe it was just someone she knew,” he sighed as he turned his attention back on Jim.  “Guess I better get going, I’ve got to start my patrol.  I’ll see you around.” He straightened his shoulders trying to hide the unease he felt by the news of this stranger as he started toward his car.  Reaching for the door handle, a sound of one shot from a high-power rifle froze him in place and sent his heart into double time.

“That’s strange, I would just about bet my good leg that bang was inside the town limits, Officer Sparks and, if I’m not going senile, that’s the same reason Sheriff Thompson wrote me a ticket a few years back,” called out Jim, with a mocking “Uh oh somebody’s in trouble” tone to his voice.

“It was only one shot, Jim.  If I remember correctly, you emptied a whole clip into a stop sign, two streets over from the court house,” he said jokingly, trying to calm the uneasy feeling that had crept under his skin with the one gun shot.  Opening his car door, he stepped in, but before he had time to shut the door, two more rapid shots fired off in the distance.  Luke knew the area it was coming from so he jumped into his car, turned on the sirens and floored it onto the road.

He raced back through town, headed in the direction of the shots.  A panic began to well up inside of him, but why?  This is a normal part of a policeman’s job, right?  He had been on calls like this time and time again but for some reason, this felt different.  The closer he got to where the shots were fired, the more fear gripped him.  His hands began to sweat and his heart lodged in his throat.  Thoughts of Nicole started to push to the front of his mind, flashes of her face played out before his eyes, the floral scent of her perfume filled his nose and her presence permeated the space around him.  It was so vivid that he thought she could easily be sitting in the passenger seat of his patrol car.  “It has begun,” he gasped.

As he approached the next road, he felt a pull in his soul as if he were being tugged by an invisible rope to turn that direction.  Not questioning these strange feelings any longer, he followed the path laid out for him.  Lights flashing and sirens screaming, he barreled down the worn country road until he spotted a familiar figure slowly stepping out of the woods.  Luke slammed the car to a stop and jumped out.  It was only when a few feet away, that he saw the blood trickling from underneath her hand.

“My God, Nicole!  What happened to you?” he sputtered, reaching out for her as she weaved on her feet, looking like she might pass out any second.  Her clothes were dirty and torn, her hair sprinkled with bits of twigs and leaves, and she was ghostly white.

“Let’s just get in the car and go!  I don’t know where he’s at but he can’t be far.  We should be able to catch him if you’ll stop babying me and get your ass moving.”

“What are you talking about?  Who are we catching?  Are you saying someone did this to you on purpose?” He rambled off the questions, not sure which one was most important but knowing that he demanded answers to all of them.  Nicole pushed past him moving toward the patrol car still idling in the middle of the road.

Luke ran around to open the door for her, still determined to get answers, but trying to suppress the urge until they were moving again.  As he reached for the door handle, Nicole’s knees buckled but he managed to catch her before she hit the pavement.  He swung her up into his arms holding her tight against his chest.

“Nicole, you are going to the hospital, you don’t realize how bad you’re bleeding, honey.  I’ll call the situation into the dispatcher so they can send another officer out here, then we will figure out the rest later.” He placed her gently into the passenger’s seat then brushed her hair off her sweat-drenched forehead.

“No, I’m fine, just get the creep that did this to me, Luke!  Now get in the car and drive, he couldn’t have gotten far.” Her voiced quivered as she tried to remain firm, her words coming out more a mumble than a demand.  She grabbed onto Luke’s arms as he tried to put the seat belt across her.  “Luke…”  Then her arms dropped to her sides and she passed out.

Chapter 4

Beautiful rolling hills in varying shades of green, dotted with blankets of small violet flowers, surrounded her.  The sky was a pristine blue without a single cloud floating by.  Birds sang cheerfully as if it was the first day of spring.  Nicole didn’t understand where she was or how she had gotten there but she loved this place.  Her heart soared with the happiness of a homecoming.

A white cotton sun dress kissed the top of her feet as a gentle breeze filled the air with the scent of sea water.  Her hair was loose, hanging in long perfect spirals to the middle of her back as her bare feet reveled in the softness of the deep green grass beneath her.  She closed her eyes, turning her face toward the sky as she breathed in deeply, trying to drink in some of the beauty and serenity into herself.

When Nicole opened her eyes, she was under a canopy of giant oak trees with the occasional Wych elm towering high and stretching wide.  The trees created a natural wall all around her casting everything into shadows.  The soft pillow of green grass had been replaced with a mixture of yellow and brown weeds like the brittle grass you find in the middle of December in the South.  The only touch of beauty in this dark gloomy place was small yellow flowers which sat on top of five leaves that formed a star beneath the bright petals.  They looked out of place among the lifeless undergrowth.

Her eyes followed the trail of flowers from her feet, reaching out from under the canopy of trees.  Her eyes continued forward, stopping with a start when she realized she was standing at the edge of a cemetery.  The scattered head stones were weathered from time with most having green moss creeping over them and very few of the inscriptions were still legible.  A large weeping willow towered in the center, its long, dangling limbs dancing in the breeze, giving the place an ancient and magical ambiance.

This graveyard had been forgotten long ago and how she managed to be standing here was a mystery.  Nicole shook her head slightly, squinting her brows together, as she tried to figure out where she was.  But a fog clouded her mind, and kept her from thinking past the moment.  She caught a glimpse of movement ahead of her, making her heart skip a beat and her breath catch in her throat.  A woman with beautiful flowing white hair who was dressed in a drab, long-sleeved, brown dress stood only a few feet away.  She moved up to a Celtic cross shaped headstone with her back to Nicole, seemingly unaware of anyone else.  “Hello there, excuse me.” Nicole said softly, hoping not to startle the woman.

The woman stopped and turned toward Nicole, as a gentle smile played delicately across her face.  Her age was hard to judge, her skin was slightly lined with a few dark spots on her face and hands but the way she carried herself appeared young and strong.  This woman had a timeless beauty about her that years of age would never be able to end.

“Hello, Nicole.”

*****

Nicole awoke with a gasp, the old woman’s piercing blue eyes flashing in her mind, eyes identical to her own.

“She knew me….but how?”

“Who knew you, baby?  Open your eyes, Nicole!  Come on, honey, focus.” a familiar voice pleaded with her.  A soft caress swept across her forehead.

“Dad….Where am I?” she said, her tongue feeling thick in her mouth.  She cracked her eyes open only to close them again from the blinding light.  Her body felt heavy and sluggish.  She tried to sit up, but the slightest movement sent pain shooting across her chest and down her right arm.  She groaned with frustration, hating nothing more than feeling helpless.

“You’re at the hospital and that’s exactly where you are going to stay until the doctor says otherwise.  Do you hear me, Nicole?” James said.  “You are as stubborn as your mother ever was.  Luke told me about the stunt you pulled, not wanting to come to the hospital, which was just plain crazy.” He loomed over her bed talking in a tone he hadn’t used since she was a teenager.  He ran a shaking hand through his salt and pepper hair.  The stress in his body radiated from him as he started to pace the small room.

“Dad, you’re overreacting, please calm down, okay?  I’m fine, really.  It’s only a flesh wound so I’m sure I’ll be back to normal in a few weeks.”

“Yes, it could have been a lot worse than it is, but the fact remains that someone tried to kill you, baby.” He stopped at the end of her bed, his eyes steely hard as his mouth tightened into a line.  “I know you’re a police officer and it’s all part of the job, but you weren’t even on duty this morning.  Did you piss someone off while you were jogging?” His face was a mix of worry and confusion, the lines deepening as his jaw grew tight with tension.

Nicole lay still, not saying a word.  She was hoping the medication in her system would knock her out so she could put off this conversation for a while longer.  She knew when she told her dad the full story, his stress level was going to go through the roof.  She loved him more than life itself so she hated causing him to worry.  She could handle this herself but she knew he would never see it that way.  She let out a frustrated sigh when she realized “Plan A” had failed, in her still being conscious, so she was relegated to telling the truth.