Inevitable Sentences (21 page)

“Yes.” Adrian nodded. The true reality sunk in. “Oh, my God. The package. He’s here.”

“You have to stay calm and in control,” Celeste said firmly. “We don’t know who it is. You’re the oldest and the strongest emotionally.” She squeezed Adrian’s shoulders gently and kept her gaze focused on the younger woman’s face. “You have more strength than you realize. This is the time to use it. We knew this might happen one day and we’ve been through the drill many times. I need you now more than ever.”

“You’re right, of course.” Adrian lowered her hand and took a deep breath. “No sense in being panicked. It won’t get us to safety.”

Celeste and Adrian gave each woman a lantern and silently ushered them to their rooms. Celeste spoke in a whisper to give the women clear instructions about what they were to do. “Get dressed. That means parkas, hats, gloves and boots,” Celeste firmly ordered. “Then meet at the pocket window facing the woods. Stay calm and quiet.”

As the women dressed, Celeste checked every window and door to make sure they were all locked. That task done, she went into the kitchen to listen to the battery-operated radio. The news confirmed what she had glimpsed at the window.

Chad had finally come for her.

She leaned against the wall and assessed the situation. They had met before under such different terms, at Hawk Haven, with Chad shuffling in leg irons and her free to leave as she wished. This time there would be no protective glass between her and the killer, or the security of prison guards to keep her safe. The lighthouse had given her refuge, and also permission to hide. She would hide no longer. Chad might think his was the score to settle. Celeste had one of her own.

The women and children had no part in the private battle between Celeste and Chad. Celeste clenched her fists. She would not allow them to become pawns in Chad’s game. They would not be made into victims again, not while she had control over the situation. How long did she have?

Celeste joined Adrian and helped her bundle the children in traveling clothes. The little ones were too sleepy to be aware of much. Mostly they stood stock-still while Adrian zipped jackets and Celeste guided feet into snow boots. The two women worked swiftly, trying to keep the alarm out of their expressions. As Celeste tugged a hat on each child, she cooed gently, “There. All cozy. Isn’t this an adventure?” The child would nod, still half-dreaming. Hiding her anguish for their danger, Celeste kissed each child’s cheek, and nudged them toward their mothers.

Celeste saw that Marcy wasn’t moving. Her eyes had widened and her mouth dropped open. She had turned as pale as the whitest bedsheet. Fear had frozen her in place. The terror Celeste thought was slipping away from Marcy’s memory had clearly returned with vengeance. Celeste had expected that kind of reaction from Tomika, who hadn’t been at the safe house long enough to overcome any of her demons.

Marcy’s response surprised Celeste, though it shouldn’t. Hadn’t Celeste been living under a similar fear that one day her own devil would appear at her doorstep? And here he was.

Celeste put an arm around Marcy and said, “Everything will be fine. Adrian will explain what’s happening once you’re in the van.” She stared at Marcy, whose expression remained unchanged. “You must get dressed and get out of this house now. Do you understand, Marcy?” Celeste kept the scolding gentle, even though every instinct wanted her to scream, “Run!”

Although Marcy nodded, she still didn’t move. Finally, Celeste and Adrian dressed her. Marcy’s limbs were as limp as a rag doll’s.

Once everyone was ready, they walked in a single file to the escape exit—one purposely created for this occasion. Celeste had installed the pocket window that reached to the floor and that was similar to those seen in old Southern mansions. Sadly she had to put it to use tonight.

Celeste opened the door and searched the area. No movement. She motioned to Adrian. Celeste retrieved her cell phone from the leather pouch attached to her belt and handed it to her. “When you’re a safe distance from here call 911,” Celeste said.

Adrian put it into her coat pocket. “Aren’t you coming with us?” She sounded anxious.

“No. He’s not looking for me. I’m not the one he wants to hurt. He’s only looking for the one he thinks he can possess.” Celeste hugged Adrian, regretting she had to lie to her. “Get a move on. Be strong and careful, dear.”

Adrian nodded, then turned to her children and said, “You know the routine.”

They nodded although their wide eyes expressed their fear.

“Take care, Celeste,” Adrian said. Holding Matthew, Marcy’s son, she and the children crawled out the opening. They sprinted to the woods in a crouch run, the wind and snow blasting them.

When Celeste was sure no stranger followed Adrian, she sent Tomika with her daughter, Gemma. Last, Lorraine took Marcy’s hand and led her into the woods. One by one in complete quiet they ran from the house and disappeared into the darkness. Celeste believed the prowler wouldn’t attempt to attack the group if he understood he was outnumbered.

Once Celeste heard the van engine rev up and tires crunching in the snow, she closed the door. She went to the kitchen and picked up the receiver to the wall phone to call 911 herself. The phone was dead.

She should have known that if the electricity went off, the phone would too. Oh, why hadn’t she called 911 from the cell phone before sending it with Adrian? Maybe she should have kept the cell phone. No. Adrian would call the authorities shortly. Besides, Adrian needed it more in case she had trouble driving.

Celeste placed the receiver back on the wall. She saw a paring knife on the counter that she had forgotten to put away, picked it up, then set it into the wood block. She hesitated, took it back out, turned it over in her hand, and tucked the knife into the cell phone pouch at her waist.

“Now what should I do?” Celeste surveyed the kitchen then walked into the living room toward the rocker. She was determined to stay in control and not let her imagination take her into a dreaded place.

Suddenly she was freezing. She drew the rocker closer to the fire and grabbed the wool throw from the couch and wrapped it around her shoulders. It wasn’t her imagination or the weather that made her cold. She was scared. What did she think she could do if Chad did get into the house?

As Celeste was about to sit in the rocker, the living room door was kicked open. The flames in the fireplace flickered and sputtered from the draft. A vase fell from a shelf, shards scattering about the floor.

Celeste turned to face the intruder, her chest tightening. She could hardly take a breath. The throw slipped from her shoulders to the floor.

Chad Wilbanks stood at the threshold. His dark eyes settled on Celeste, his mouth set in a crooked, eerie smile.

O
N GUARD AGAINST THE
storm as well as the intruder, Adrian cautiously drove from the woods onto the road that had become narrowed by blowing and drifting snow. She could hear the collective heavy breathing of the panicked women. Some of it was her own. “Buckle up,” she directed. Clicks echoed as seat belts were snugged into place. “We could be in for a rough ride.”

She had only gone a few hundred feet on the country road when she spotted an SUV parked on the side with no lights. When she neared the vehicle, she saw that it had slid off the road and that one side had been buried in a drift. Her heart pounded so hard it hurt. Could the person they were running from be in that car? Might he only be someone in need of help? She doubted it. No one would be out in this remote area without an absolute purpose, a deadly purpose. What’s more, he would have knocked at the door rather than creep around the lighthouse peering in the windows.

“Lock all the doors,” Adrian ordered. “No matter what happens, stay in the van and do not open a door.”

Matthew cried. Marcy joined her son in a low, mournful sob as she held him close and rocked.

Lorraine screamed, “Oh, my God. Is he in there?” She pointed at the SUV.

The others were too terrified to utter a sound or move even a finger. Adrian knew they had all been through similar escapes in the past. She was sure tonight brought back fearful and dreaded memories.

Remaining vigilant, Adrian drove forward. She watched for any movement, any sign of a possible attack from the person or people who had left the SUV by the side of the road. It would be just like a stalker to frighten them into leaving the lighthouse only to ambush them on the road as they were fleeing.

Adrian saw nothing moving, which brought some relief. When she drove closer, she shined the van’s bright lights onto the SUV’s license plate. “Lorraine,” she directed, “get a pad and pen from the glove compartment and write the plate numbers down.”

Lorraine didn’t argue. She fumbled through the many items in the box. “Damn. Where’s the pen? Never mind. Got it.” She wrote down the numbers.

Adrian also noted that the SUV was a dark-colored Explorer. She was certain whoever drove the vehicle was the same person she had seen at the lighthouse window. Who was he and what did he want?

Adrian took the cell phone from her coat pocket and handed it to Lorraine. “Call 911. Tell them we think someone is trying to break into the lighthouse. Tell them I’m driving all of us, except Celeste to Big Bay. Be sure they understand Celeste is there alone.”

“Right,” Lorraine answered and took the phone.

Adrian put the van in drive and again made a careful progression down the road, the wipers slapping ferociously at the glass. It was still nearly impossible to see.

The smack, smack the wipers made was the only sound in the van. The women and children silently huddled close together as much for warmth as to ward off their fear.

The headlights brushed each tree trunk, illuminating them in slow motion one after the other. As the van inched along, Adrian’s imagination started to play tricks on her and it seemed she could feel the eyes of the forest following the van as though spying on them and telling the intruder where they were. She shook the dreary thought from her mind.

Adrian checked the rearview mirror every few seconds, but all she could see was the sinister night folding in behind them and the red outlined snowflakes reflected in the rear lights. She only had to make it to Big Bay, about three miles away. Maybe they could hole up at the Thunder Bay Inn. It would be far better than trying to negotiate the bumpy and perhaps impassible Highway 550 to the sheriff’s department in Marquette.

Lorraine punched the emergency number on the cell phone’s keypad. She lifted the phone to her ear and then lowered it and checked the screen. “There’s no reception.”

“Damn.” Adrian cuffed the steering wheel. “Keep trying every few minutes until you get through. The storm must be interfering with the reception.” She wondered why the instrument was touted as an emergency tool if it couldn’t be used when they actually had an emergency.

Lorraine kept punching. The beep, beep, beep sounded for each number. There was still no connection. If she couldn’t get through, Adrian wondered if Celeste would be able to use a conventional phone. Or maybe the prowler had cut the phone wires. Oh, God. Celeste should have come with them. What had they all been thinking? Were they concerned about saving only their own necks? That was all the more reason to stop at the inn. Hopefully Ned and Joan were there. And they’d certainly have an emergency system for when the weather got like this.

The van could only creep. “Can’t you go faster?” Tomika screeched. Adrian saw her wild expression in the rearview mirror and watched her rocking rapidly and beating her back against the seat.

Adrian didn’t answer her. What would be the use? The girl was too frightened to listen to reason. She’d never be convinced that no one was following them on this remote road in one of the worst snowstorms on record.

“We’re goin’ to die,” Lorraine wailed. “I know it.”

“If you haven’t died before now with all you’ve been through, I doubt tonight will be your night,” Adrian answered sarcastically. Although she knew she should be more understanding, she was growing weary of Lorraine’s dependency and whining. Then she caught herself. Who was she kidding? Hadn’t she been like Lorraine? Hadn’t they all?

If they were going to make it through this night, they had to pull together and work as a team. Adrian thought about Celeste again. Who would help her? It was stupid for Celeste to have stayed behind. Yet Adrian knew Celeste well enough to understand her. Once she had made up her mind to take on the intruder and get the rest of them to safety, no one could change it. Adrian’s only choice had been to get all of them to safety and get a hold of the sheriff.

“Still nothing,” Lorraine said as she let the cell drop to her lap. Her sad voice quivered.

“Keep trying,” Adrian said in a subdued tone, trying to sound more soothing. “We’ll be at the inn in a little while.” No sooner had she said that, than the van skidded sideways. The women all screamed, which startled the children, who began crying. Gemma abruptly awakened and joined in the weeping chorus.

Adrian lifted her foot from the gas pedal gingerly, turned the steering wheel away from the ditch, and gently pressed on the gas. She remembered being told not to pump the brakes or overcorrect the vehicle’s direction and managed to maneuver the van to the center of the road. How did she know what to do? She had never been in a situation like this before. Her husband rarely let her drive and never without him in the passenger seat.

“That was close,” she murmured.

“Yeah,” the women answered simultaneously. In a chorus, they all inhaled sharply and then let out their breath slowly until they became silent again. Every so often a whimper slipped from one of them.

Moments after everyone had calmed down, the van hit another patch of ice and slid sideways again. The vehicle moved too quickly for Adrian to react this time before the front right tire lodged deep into a snowbank. Once again women screamed and the children wailed. Adrian turned to the women. “Get control of yourselves. We’ve all been through worse than this. Screaming won’t get us out of the snow.”