Silent Vows (8 page)
Todd grasped the letter. The paper was unlike any he had seen before. He had no idea how much information he held in his hand, but if he opened it and read it himself, Myra would know.
“Why are you giving me this?”
“Because I want you to trust me. Because I’m not the monster you think I am.”
He wanted to stop her when she turned to leave, but didn’t know what to say if he did. The misery etched in her eyes was something he knew he put there. Knew he couldn’t erase.
****
He’d left a note by the door asking her to meet him at a nearby park at twelve-thirty.
She was never one to exercise patience. Left with nothing to do but wait and worry, she manufactured a dozen reasons why Todd wanted to meet her outside his home.
Did he want her to leave? Was this his way of making her? Could he have her imprisoned for not revealing where Tara was? More importantly, would he? She thought of his lips on hers during their one shared moment, remembering how quickly he melted her resolve. She wanted to believe he would trust her now, even if she had given him so little to trust.
Once again, she pined for her family, and for her mother’s counsel.
****
Silent Vows
Todd asked Elizabeth McAllister to stop by the park on her lunch hour, thirty minutes before Myra was supposed to meet him.
His plan was simple. Give Miss McAllister the letter, and let her read it. If she wasn’t satisfied with its content, he would arrest Myra when she arrived.
His stomach clenched at the thought of putting handcuffs on her, but she left him no choice.
She
knows where the missing woman is and refuses to tell
me.
He pulled the letter out twice, fully intending to read it before giving it to McAllister. Each time, he put it back after picturing Myra’s striking brown eyes asking for his trust.
At exactly the time Myra should have been leaving his home, he stood in the park waiting for Miss McAllister.
Liz looks like her sister, he thought, watching Elizabeth walk toward him. Her hair was shorter than the photos he’d seen of Tara, and Liz’s was strawberry blonde. She was terribly thin, most likely from the stress. Having a missing family member probably took away her appetite. He couldn’t help feeling sorry for her.
“Miss McAllister, thank you for meeting me.”
Todd shook her hand, and asked her to sit.
“You know something, don’t you?” She left her sunglasses on and stared at him.
“I might.”
****
He drew in a long, audible breath then let it out slowly. “The woman in the hospital, the one who 63
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gave us your name, claims to know where your sister is.” Todd reached into his pocket for the letter. “She asked me to give this to you.”
Liz looked at the sealed paper with her name written on top.
A trembling hand went to her lips, covering the cry that escaped, “My God.”
“What is it?”
She finally sat and took off the sunglasses clouding her view. “It’s Tara’s writing.”
She ripped off the seal, pulled out the uneven parchment, and started to read.
Dearest Lizzy,
I have started this letter four times now, unsure
of how to tell you what you need to know. Forgive me
if I leave things out, and listen to Myra, as she will
fill in all the blanks.
First, know that I am safe. I can only guess at
what you and Simon have been through since I left.
And for that I am so very sorry. But I am safe, and
oh, so happy, Lizzy. I have found my Knight in
Shining Armor. The one you always told me to wait
for. He is the most wonderful man and I cannot
imagine my life without him. His name is Duncan
MacCoinnich. He is the same man who I’m sure by
now the police are looking for in regards to my
disappearance.
I could go on and on about him and the life we
are living. I can’t go into details in this letter in case
it gets into the wrong hands. Besides, if I wrote
everything that has happened, you would toss this
letter in a fire and claim it was forged. Again, I ask
that you listen to Myra. She is my sister-in-law now,
and more than that, a blood sister by choice.
Remember?
Myra needs your help, Lizzy. It wasn’t safe for
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her to stay here, so her family sent her there. I know
you won’t turn your back on her and in turn, on me.
The Gypsy woman from the Renaissance Faire,
the one Cassy and I attended, is very dangerous. I’m
sure you can find her picture, look at it, study it, and
I beg you to stay away from her. If she ever comes
near you or Simon, run.
She is, in part, the reason I cannot return to you,
at least not at this time.
Paper is sparse here, and I can’t write any more
than I have. Know I love you with all my heart. Let
Simon know Auntie Tara is happy, and if I can, I
will visit someday.
Love, Tara
Todd watched her silent tears fall. Slowly, she read the letter. An occasional gasp or sigh was all she uttered. She read it twice before shutting her eyes and giving into emotion.
“Are you okay?” What a stupid question, of course she wasn’t okay.
“She’s alive. Thank God, she’s alive.”
“Can I see the letter?” Todd put out his hand.
Liz shook her head and put the letter in her purse.
“That could be evidence.”
She was getting up to leave, and Todd was desperate for answers.
“If you thought that, you wouldn’t have brought it to me without reading it,” she concluded. “Where is Myra? I have to talk to her.”
He looked around the park, spotted her staring at them from the far side. When Liz’s eyes found her, her lips lifted in a smile.
“How do you know you can trust her?” he asked.
“Tara told me to.” ****
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Myra saw him sitting on a bench talking to a very attractive woman. In the time it took for her heart to lunge in her chest, she realized it was Lizzy sitting next to Todd.
He had given her the letter, just as she asked.
Maybe he trusted her after all.
The two exchanged words, and even from a distance Myra could see Lizzy wiping tears from her eyes. When they both looked up and saw her, she took it as her cue and walked toward them with a calmness she didn’t feel.
Myra spoke first. “You are just as Tara described. More beautiful in fact.”
“Is she okay? I know the letter said she was, but is she really?”
“Oh, Lizzy. She is better than okay, she and my brother make a lovely couple. She misses you so much.”
“Call me Liz, no one calls me Lizzy, except Tara.”
“Then I must call you Lizzy. We are sisters, all of us.”
Liz glanced over her shoulder where Todd stood silent, watching them. “I have so many questions.”
“You will have more before this day is done.”
“Ladies?” he interrupted them. “Would either of you mind telling me what is going on here?”
Myra watched his eyes shift between them both, waiting for one of them to speak. “Thank you, for trusting me.”
His jaw started to twitch. “Don’t thank me yet, Myra. I’m not sure I’ve done the right thing. Miss McAllister here seems to think everything is fine after reading that letter. Would either of you mind telling me what it says?”
They both stood silent.
“Great. That’s just perfect.” His police radio 66
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squawked in his ear, taking his attention away from them. “I’ve got to go,” he said after a brief contact with the voice on the other line. “But I’m not done with this yet. I’ll see you when I get home.” He pointed an accusing finger at Myra then ran off to his squad car.
“You’re living with him?” Liz asked once he was gone.
“No...well, I guess...” His car sped off, with lights and sirens blaring.
“Cute. Very cute.”
Myra gave a quick laugh. “You sound just like your sister.”
They both sat on the bench. “Where is she?” Liz jumped right in.
“Scotland. With my brother and the rest of my family.”
“Why can’t she call?”
“There are no phones.”
Liz started to ask another question, Myra stopped her.
“Let me start at the beginning. But I warn you, some of what I’m going to say will be difficult to believe. You might even think me mad before I am done with my story.”
Liz took a deep cleansing breath and settled in for Myra’s tale.
“My family, and now Tara, live in MacCoinnich Keep in Scotland. In the year 1576.”
Lizzy laughed. A short explosion of disbelief.
“Please, hear me out. I know this sounds crazy, but please listen. We are Druids. All of us, even Tara and you. We have certain gifts, powers, which separate us from all others. Grainna, the woman Tara warned you about, is the most powerful evil Druid who ever existed. She murdered countless people in her quest to gain more power. Many years ago, the Ancients stripped that power and sent her 67
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to this time. My brothers were sent here last summer to stop Grainna from finding a Druid virgin and regaining those powers. Tara’s life was in danger in this time, so Duncan and Fin brought her to our time to keep her alive.”
Lizzy put her hand up, stopping her from going on. “You want me to believe that my sister is sitting in some castle in the sixteenth century?”
“Aye. She is.”
“And you’re some type of witch with powers?”
“Druid, not witch. My gifts are part of who I am.
I was born with these gifts, like both you and Tara.”
“I don’t believe you.” Lizzy got up to leave.
She expected that. “If I can prove it, will you listen to the rest of my story?”
Arms laced defensively across her chest, Liz turned to her. “Prove it.”
“All Druids have some abilities. Each person’s is different from the next. My strongest gift is the movement of the wind.” Out of nowhere, the wind around them swirled, causing Myra’s hair to pull back as if she faced a storm. Just as quickly, it ceased.
Lizzy’s mouth gaped, then shut. “How do I know you did that?”
Myra looked around to see if others watched.
Two women sat on a blanket a few yards away while their children tossed a ball back and forth, an elderly couple walked hand and hand beyond them.
Being careful not to draw attention to them, Myra stood and took two steps away from the bench.
“Please sit down.”
The bench moved half a foot in their direction.
Enough so that Lizzy saw it, but no one else would.
“I speak the truth. When we are alone I can give you a better demonstration. It isn’t safe out here where we could be spotted.”
Speechless, Lizzy sat.
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“My mother has visions, visions the Ancients use to communicate with our family. Shortly after Duncan and Tara married, her vision warned us about my safety.”
“So your family sent you here, away from the danger.” Lizzy’s words were more a statement than a question.
“Aye.” Myra swallowed hard. “I believe Grainna managed to escape back to my time and is there now searching for a virgin.”
“And since Tara is married, she no longer fits the bill.”
“Fits the bill?”
“Sorry, I mean Grainna can’t break her curse by killing Tara.”
“Exactly. My family sent me because—“
“You’re still a Druid virgin,” Lizzy finished for her. She stood and started to pace.
“Aye.”
“This is really hard to swallow. I mean believe,”
she said after catching Myra’s eye.
“I understand your hesitation, but I swear all I say is the truth. Tara’s letter should offer some measure of proof.”
“So, what is it you want from me?”
Myra cast her eyes to her hands resting in her lap. “I need shelter while I’m here. I welcomed Todd’s generosity, but feel as if I’m overstaying my welcome.”
Lizzy swept a trembling hand over her face. “I have a son to consider.”
“Simon. Tara told me of him.”
“Then she must have explained my need to keep him safe.”
Myra stood and stepped closer, grasping Lizzy’s hand. “Please don’t worry yourself. I’ve delivered a wagon-load of information for you to absorb. Think of what I’ve told you, what I’ve said. Todd will not 69
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leave me on the street.”
“Okay. Damn this is crazy. You believe I’m a Druid? As well as Simon and Tara?”
“I know you are.”
“I can’t move objects with my mind.”
“All our gifts are unique, different to each of us.
Surely, you must have noticed some extra sense. A calmness or knowing something without being told?”
“Not me. Simon maybe,” Lizzy’s voice trailed off in thought.
“Tell me.”
She sat back down and stared in the distance.
“Simon said from the beginning that Tara was alive.
When Cassy realized Tara wasn’t coming home, Simon stared us both in the eye and said, ‘A visitor would come and tell us where she is.’ Holy shit, that’s you.”
“I look forward to meeting your son.”
“Yeah, well, not today.” Lizzy stood, dusted her hands on her pants, and took in a deep breath before pushing it out. “I need to think about all of this.”
“I understand.” The sting of rejection held tight in Myra’s chest. She shouldn’t have expected Lizzy to run to her with open arms.
****