Reunited on Sugar Maple Road, page 2
Another kid nodded. “That’s what it said in the book.”
“Seriously? There really is a book about the Seaton sisters?” Em whispered.
The Seaton sisters were Highland Falls’ answer to the Sanderson sisters of Hocus Pocus fame. Except without the coming-back-to-life-on-Halloween-thanks-to-a-virgin part. Although the way rumors spread, that version of the story had probably made its rounds too.
“According to the kids, it’s called The Haunting of Seaton House.” He glanced over his shoulder, lifting his chin at a black-and-gold-striped tent. “Three Wise Women Bookstore is selling copies here tonight.”
As several of the teenagers discussed whether there was any truth to the rumors that the Seaton sisters had been witches, someone on Em’s right whispered, “If you ask me, the Sisterhood are witches.”
Em couldn’t tell who’d said it but she had to nip this in the bud. When she’d been in eighth grade, there’d been a brouhaha about the Sisterhood dancing in the woods to welcome spring. Everything had gotten blown out of proportion, and the town didn’t need a repeat.
“Aunt Em, you live down the road from the Seaton House. Is it really haunted?” Izzy asked.
“No. It’s a dilapidated, old house that needs to be torn down.” Em might like to keep busy but the last thing she needed was the teenagers of Highland Falls going “haunting” as they used to call it.
“And it’s off-limits to all of you.” Josh glanced at an attractive redhead making a beeline for him, and he slid a muscled arm around Em’s shoulders. “Just go along with it, okay?” he said out of the side of his mouth. Then he smiled at the woman. “Hey, how’s it going?”
Em shook her head. The way Josh went through women, he probably didn’t remember the redhead’s name. He hadn’t dated for a couple years after his divorce, but he’d been making up for lost time this past year.
Em spotted two men doing the chest-shove thing at another bonfire and jumped to her feet. “Duty calls.”
Josh followed her gaze and stood up. “I’ll give you a hand. You might need backup.”
He was as overprotective as her brother. Something else that annoyed her. “I think I can handle it, thanks.” Em eyed two other women headed their way. “You, on the other hand, might require backup.”
It wouldn’t be her. Unless a fight broke out amongst the three women, she supposed. Then again, Josh had charmed his way out of detentions in high school, and rumor had it, he’d even made their former principal laugh out loud. A big deal because no one could recall the woman ever smiling.
Em headed for the other bonfire, disappointed to see the two men hugging it out.
Izzy flagged her down with a couple of her friends in tow. “Aunt Em, are you sure you haven’t seen lights at Seaton House? Or heard a woman screaming?”
“Positive. And, Iz, I don’t want you near that place. It should be condemned.” Now that she thought about it, that was something she should look into. “If you hear anyone planning to go, I want you to tell me.”
Izzy glanced at her friends. “I’m not a narc, Aunt Em.”
Em got it. Izzy had been living in Highland Falls for all of two years, and she wouldn’t want to jeopardize her hard-won social standing at school.
“You’re right. I shouldn’t have asked. But do me a favor, the three of you—if you hear someone making plans to go to Seaton House, shut them down. Same goes for anyone talking smack about the Sisterhood.”
The blonde beside Izzy ducked her head. At least Em knew who to look at if the rumor mill heated up. The teen’s mother had been a mean girl in high school. “There are laws against defamation of character. It’s a serious offense that comes with jail time.” When the blonde raised her gaze, Em held it, letting her know she’d heard her.
Figuring she’d made her point, Em said, “Okay, I’ve got a job to do. I’ll see you later, Iz.”
Em walked the perimeter of the Village Green, avoiding making small talk by staying in the shadows of the trees. Then her stomach grumbled, reminding her there was a corn dog with her name on it.
She spotted her brother and Bri. They were almost at the front of the food truck line, talking to a group of friends while Gus played with a golden retriever. Em spotted a line of teenagers outside the black-and-gold-striped tent and decided to grab a copy of The Haunting of Seaton House while she waited for her corn dog. At least she’d know what they were up against.
Retrieving her cell from her pocket, Em pretended she was engrossed in something on her phone. Someone walked into her, and she reached out to steady them. As a blue-veined hand closed around her fingers, Em raised her gaze, sucking in a breath when she met the vacant stare of Granny MacLeod.
It was said that all the woman had to do to see your future was hold your hand. It’s why she routinely wore gloves. She wasn’t wearing them now, and her viselike grip tightened around Em’s fingers.
As Em struggled to free her hand, Granny MacLeod said in a disturbing monotone, “Beyond your sorrow, a man with hair the color of ravens’ wings and a child with eyes the color of the morning sky wait for you. But your journey to the other side of sorrow shall not be an easy one. Only by dying will you free yourself from your past and find your future. This I see, so it shall be.”
Em felt the blood draining from her face, and her knees went weak. Granny MacLeod hadn’t seen her future. She’d seen her past. Brad and the baby weren’t waiting for her. There was no such thing as life after death. It was a myth created to give people false hope. To give them something to hold on to when their world fell apart.
Brad and the baby were lost to her forever, and she was to blame.
Chapter Two
Granny MacLeod’s grip loosened, and Em jerked her hand free, stumbling backward. Gus grabbed a mouthful of her jacket, steadying her on her feet. When she regained her balance, he went up on his hind legs and gave her a hug. She bent over, wrapping her arms around him and burying her face in his fur.
“Em, what’s wrong? What happened?” Bri asked, her voice laced with concern.
“Nothing. Nothing’s wrong,” she lied.
The sights and sounds of that bright blue April morning were like a runaway freight train, barreling toward her. Em knew, from those early months, when just a voice, a sound, or a smell brought everything back, what would happen next, and she needed to leave. She’d learned how to lock the memories of that day away. It was only at night, her barriers lowered in sleep, when they’d escape, coming back to haunt her. But Granny MacLeod’s prophesy had unlocked the box.
“It was my gift, wasn’t it? I said something that caused you pain, and for that I’m sorry. I can’t help it, you know. I should’ve kept my gloves on but we’ve been doing readings for hours.”
Em lifted her head. There was no longer a vacant expression on the older woman’s face. She stood in her purple robe, wringing her hands.
“I’m fine, Granny MacLeod. I pulled my hand away before you said anything.” Em stepped back. “I’m just worried about Gus. Something upset him.”
“Was it the dog’s future I read then?”
At any other time, Em might’ve laughed. She supposed if she did, it would explain the tears welling in her eyes at the memory of Brad’s smile minutes before he’d rushed to the woman’s rescue.
Em tipped back her head, blinking up at the fairy lights to keep the tears and memories at bay, focusing instead on the fact that Granny MacLeod didn’t remember what she’d said to her. “No. It wasn’t you. Something must’ve scared Gus. Probably all the noise.” She looped her fingers through Gus’s collar, looking around as if searching for the culprit. As she did she noted the way Bri’s troubled gaze moved over her face. Her best friend knew her too well. Em had told her things she’d never told anyone. But she hadn’t told her about the baby she’d lost. She hadn’t told anyone.
Em curled her fingernails into her palm, struggling to contain the memory of that rainy night when she’d miscarried, a week after Brad’s funeral.
“What’s going on? Em, are you okay?” her brother asked, coming to join them with a box of drinks, corn dogs, and candy apples in his arms.
“I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be?” she asked, her tone more defensive than she’d intended. “It’s Gus. I’ve gotta go.”
Her brother frowned. “What about him? He looks fine to me, and you’re on duty, aren’t you?”
Her heart started racing at the thought of staying. She couldn’t do it. The memory of the day her life had changed forever had begun clawing its way to the surface.
Bri placed a firm hand on Em’s shoulder, grounding her. “It’s okay. Gabe just got here. I’ll let him know you had to take Gus home.” She held Em’s gaze. “I can come with you so you can hold him.”
She knew. Bri knew this had nothing to do with Gus. “Thanks, but it’s fine. He’ll be okay.”
“I’m sure he will. But you’ll call me anyway. After you get him settled,” Bri said, the tone in her voice brooking no argument. Her best friend wasn’t about to let this slide.
Em nodded, ignoring the way her brother’s narrowed gaze moved from her to his wife. Walking away with Gus at her side, Em focused on her feet, silently counting her steps. When she reached the shadows of the trees, she sprinted for her car. The moment she slid behind the wheel and Gus settled in the passenger seat beside her, the memories slammed into her.
Em fingered the lace on the cocktail-length pale pink dress, feeling a little foolish and a lot uncomfortable. She rarely wore dresses, especially a dress as outrageously feminine and as outrageously expensive as this one.
Brad glanced at her from behind the wheel of the SUV and reached for her hand. “You’re not having second thoughts, are you?”
“About marrying you? Not a chance. About this dress? I’m beyond second thoughts.” She smoothed the fabric over the slight pooch in her stomach. “I don’t know what I was thinking. It cost more than our rent.”
He smiled and brought her hand to his mouth, pressing his lips to her palm. “It was worth every penny. You look amazing.”
“You look pretty amazing yourself, and you didn’t have to spend a small fortune.”
It was true. Brad, with his olive skin, dark hair, and hazel eyes, was stop-and-stare gorgeous. She’d certainly stopped and stared when they’d been assigned to the same case three years earlier. But it wasn’t his good looks that she fell in love with. It was his dry sense of humor, his confidence and compassion, his drive and street smarts. The way he listened to her, looked at her, and loved her.
“And unlike me, you’ll actually get to wear your wedding attire again. Today, in fact.” They’d gotten a break on a big case late last night, and they’d decided to go into work after their wedding at the courthouse. She had her own black suit waiting for her in the backseat.
“You’re sure you don’t want to take the day off? The case will be waiting for us tomorrow morning.”
“But we might get lucky today, and the judge will sign off on the search warrant.”
Brad waggled his eyebrows behind his aviators. “As long as I get lucky tonight.”
“No doubt about that, Slick.” She smiled, and he smiled back.
“You still want to wait until next weekend to tell Cal?”
She laughed. Brad wanted to share the news over the phone in case her overprotective big brother took his unhappiness out on him. Cal had been thrilled when Em had agreed to get married in their hometown. Eventually. She wasn’t a fan of big weddings but her brother had been looking forward to it. “Please, Cal loves you as much as he loves me. He won’t care as long as we’re happy. And if he’s ticked, we have our secret weapon. He’ll be over the moon when we tell him he’s going to be an uncle.”
“Yeah, he…” Brad trailed off as he leaned forward.
Em was about to ask him what was going on when she saw what he did. There was a carjacking underway at the gas station on their left. A man was attempting to pull a screaming woman from her car, waving a gun in her face.
As Brad turned the steering wheel sharply to the left, Em unlocked the glove box, removing his Glock and hers. By the time he brought the SUV to a screeching halt half-on, half-off the sidewalk, she’d inserted a full magazine and chambered a round.
“Call it in, and stay in the vehicle,” Brad ordered, holding her gaze as she handed him his gun. He slid it into his jacket pocket and got out of the SUV.
He’d become annoyingly overprotective since learning they were expecting three weeks before. In any other situation, she would’ve shared how she felt about him ordering her to stay put. But they didn’t have time to argue about it now. The last thing she wanted was him distracted.
Still, she had to be prepared in case he needed her and loaded her own gun while calling it in. She disconnected from dispatch and scanned the parking lot as Brad slowly approached the vehicle.
“Just relax, man,” Brad said, his stance and voice nonthreatening as he tried to de-escalate the situation. “Let the woman and her little boy go. Then you can take the car and drive away. I won’t try and stop you.”
“You a cop? You look like a cop.” The man waved his gun, his free hand fisting in the woman’s hair as he dragged her away from the car. She was crying and so was her little boy.
“Just a concerned citizen. If you let her and the boy go now, you might get away before the cops arrive. You’re drawing attention. Someone will have called it in.”
The guy was jittery, looking from left to right. Brad eased closer, sliding his hand into his pocket. He was going for his gun. He needed backup. He needed her. Staying low, she eased her door open and kicked off her heels. She was about to run to the right side of the vehicle and come up behind the gunman when she noticed a white sedan inching froward from the far side of the building. The carjacker wasn’t working alone.
Brad must’ve noticed the white sedan at the same time she did. “NPD. Drop your weapon,” he ordered as sirens wailed in the distance.
The man yanked the woman in front of him. Brad didn’t have a clear shot, and neither did Em. But one of the men in the white sedan did.
A warm tongue licked Em’s cheek, dragging her out of the memory, but not fast enough that her screams weren’t still echoing in her head.
“Thanks, boy,” she said, her voice a hoarse whisper. She wondered if she’d screamed out loud and glanced at the fogged window. If she had, no one appeared to have heard her. No one but Gus. Resting his head on her thigh, he looked up at her with sad eyes. “You miss him too, don’t you?”
The courthouse hadn’t allowed dogs or they would’ve brought Gus with them that morning. It was another scenario she’d played over in her mind. If Gus had been there, he would’ve rushed the carjacker, and Brad would’ve had a chance. Same as if she’d stepped out from behind the door and distracted the gunman.
A truck’s high beams lit up the interior of the Camaro, and she ducked her head, her fingers white-knuckling the steering wheel. She had to get out of there before someone noticed her sitting in the car with bloodshot eyes and a tearstained face. She pushed the vestiges of her memories back in the box and pulled away from the curb.
She lived fifteen minutes out of town in a small Craftsman bungalow on an old country road. She liked the quiet and the reasonable rent. If there was one drawback, it was driving the winding road along the river when the weather was bad. She’d have to trade in the Camaro for an SUV a couple of months from now.
As the lights from town disappeared behind her, Em reduced her speed. A gray mist snaked across the dark, twisty road that was bordered by woods on the right and the narrow, fast-flowing river on the left. Her headlights illuminated the yellow deer crossing sign and the taillights of a vehicle up ahead. She noticed the out-of-state plates and the stick figures of a man, woman, and child on a sticker in the back window. She checked her speedometer. They were driving over the speed limit. Not by much but enough that it warranted a warning. The driver might not be aware of how dangerous this stretch of road could be.
She pressed the gas, about to turn on the light bar to alert the driver to her presence, when out of the corner of her eye she caught movement. She had no time to react before a deer darted out of the woods and into the path of the SUV. She braked hard, her car fishtailing before she regained control.
Up ahead, the SUV swerved to the left, hitting the shoulder and then losing control. Em watched in horror as it barreled toward the guardrails. She was out of her car and running for the rocky shore as the SUV flew through the air and into the river, the beams from the Camaro’s headlights illuminating the driver’s panicked face.
Em called it in, yelling their location into her shoulder mic before screaming at the occupants in the SUV. “Get out! Get your seat belts off and lower your windows!”
They had minutes before their vehicle was submerged. The water was already lapping midway up the doors. There was a little girl in a car seat in the back. Em kept yelling, repeating the same instructions as she pulled off her boots and tossed her jacket and radio on the shore.
Gus danced in and out of the water, barking. “Stay!” Em ordered as she jerked the glass breaker off her utility belt and ran into the cold water.
The man frantically pounded on the window while the woman beside him leaned over the front seat to get to her crying child in the back. The SUV bobbed in the middle of the river, the current carrying it downstream. As Em swam after it, there was a loud thunk, and the SUV shuddered to a stop. It must’ve hit a rock. By the time Em reached the vehicle, the water had risen to the base of the still-closed windows. “I need you to stay calm. Throw the blanket over your daughter.”
“Okay, okay.” The mother nodded, tears streaming down her cheeks as she did what Em asked.
The second the blanket landed on the little girl; Em punched out the window with the glass breaker. “You need to get out now. I’ll take your daughter.”
“I can’t swim,” the woman said at the same time the man said, “My seat belt’s stuck.”
