Deadly Deception (Deadly Series) (5 page)

Her eyebrows pushed together while Adam remained silent for a moment until he changed the subject.

“I have a case up in Duluth this week. What do you say we go up and stay at the cabin for a few days?”

Adam’s family had an impressive cabin in Little Marais which was a seventy-mile jaunt from Duluth.  They had been up there with Adam’s family during various holidays. It was a huge house and Anne couldn’t imagine staying there alone while Adam was in Duluth. However, the quiet and seclusion would probably help her
unwind, and get her away from all this Carter nonsense.

“I think that sounds wonderful. I love going up there.”

Anne could see he was pleased with her response.

“Great! How about we leave Thursday morning?”

“I have a patient at nine but I can leave after that—does that work?”

“Works perfectly.”

He leaned over and kissed the edges of her full lips.

“You have made me the happiest man in the entire universe,” Adam said. 

“You’ve been so patient with me. I know I haven’t been the most compliant girlfriend in the commitment department.”

“I would have waited an eternity. You’re worth it and I’m not going to pressure you into setting a date. If you want to elope in Las Vegas, I will call Elvis right now, or if you want a luxurious royal wedding I will buy you every inch of taffeta in the world. You know I would do anything for you, Anne.”

His face softened as he leaned in for an eager kiss. His fairy tale words made her dizzy with delight.

At that very moment, Anne felt like she was meant to be there, in his arms, feeling overwhelmed with joy and excitement. What she had with Adam she couldn’t have with Carter—she never could. Their relationship had been passionate, yes, but it was also tumultuous and reckless. It became obsessive for both of them and dangerous. He was now just a ghost in the unseen room that lays deep within her subconscious, simply a figment of her imagination.

“I’m going to jump in the shower. Why don’t you call Richard and tell him we’ll meet him later.”

Adam gazed at her with surprise, watching her nakedness saunter towards the bathroom.

“Really?
We don’t have to if you don’t want to,” Adam replied while in the process of locating his clothes that were puddled on the floor.

“I know, but you won your case today, and that’s something we should be celebrating instead of watching a sappy chick flick.”

“I thought we just did celebrate.”

“Funny!” Anne sang.

“I’ll run home, change, and pick you up in about an hour.”

“You know, you do have clothes here and we could celebrate more in the shower,” Anne said, coaxing her fiancé with a come-hither voice.

Having already turned the faucet on, Anne watched the steam from the shower begin to coat the mirror with thick condensation. His honey-hued skin silhouetted beside her. They each washed away their sins from the day, stripping the skin that had been tainted with memories of the past.

The tepid Thursday morning brought hope to the city of Minneapolis. It had been a long blustery winter and with spring rapidly approaching, the temperatures slowly began to rise. The dirty snow that lined the city streets was melting into the sewer which created more of a sloppy mess. Anne extracted her spring clothes from the back of the closet, eager to wear sun dresses and halter tops once again.

Her car was packed with two beige suitcases for their cabin getaway. They were initially going to drive up together but Adam had to be in Duluth a day early so Anne was going to make the trek alone. Casey was still waiting on the security office to show her the surveillance videos and they were continually coming up with excuses why they were unable to locate the correct video. Of course this did not sit well with her.

“I mean really, who
do I need to sleep with to see those videos,” Casey demanded as she and Anne quickened their pace through the parking garage toward the elevator. “Honestly! This is why they’re security guards and not real police officers. So incompetent!”

“Casey, they have to get approval from their boss. They can’t just hand them over to you.”

She rolled her eyes in annoyance at Anne’s response.

“Well, I pay quite a bit for my space in this building. I have every right to see those tapes. You know I have left the owner of the building at least a dozen messages and he hasn’t returned one of them, the little prick!”

“Good grief, did you not have your Starbucks this morning?”

Anne grasped for some pleasantries from Casey but her look shot them dead in the water.

“I did, but they are ineffectual and I don’t deal with that very well.”

Casey tugged on her red pea coat in disgust.

“They will get it when they get it. Stop thinking about it.”

“Why aren’t you bothered by this? This is for you, you know?”

“I’m in vacation mode. I’m leaving for the cabin after my patient, spending the weekend by the lake, reading and drinking wine,” Anne replied.

After a couple of stops, the elevator finally made it to their floor.

“Is Adam going to be in Duluth the whole time?”

“I don’t think so,
but I’m going to enjoy it either way.”

“Are you sure you’re al
l right? The other day you were such a mess and now you are Miss Happy Go Lucky,” Casey asked, stopping Anne right before they entered their office.

“I can’t deny the fact that Carter was a huge part of my life and I loved him more than
anything but that’s just it—
was
. Yes, I want closure and to know what really happened but Adam is my life now. He’s my future. It’s not fair to him to be wrapped up with someone who isn’t here anymore.”

“I know this has been difficult for you,” Casey took Anne’s hands, “and we will get to the bottom of this but I see how Adam makes you glow and how much he adores you. You have been through hell
and back no thanks to Carter. You deserve to have all the happiness in the world.”

Anne’s eyes glazed over with tears.

“Thank you. I appreciate everything you have done for me but no more of this mushy talk,” Anne said, nudging Casey with her shoulder.

Casey nodded, blinking away the wetness that was starting to form. They entered the office and went to their designated offices to prepare for the day. Anne went through her messages and emails. Shelly brought in the patient folder for her to look over. Anne opened it up, grabbing her mini voice recorder.

“Patient’s name is Stella McGuire, age ten, experiencing social isolation and destructive behavior since the divorce of her parents last year, and possible molestation by a family member about a year ago.”

Anne clicked the red stop button. One of the worst parts of her job was having innocent children describe the violation of adult authority. But at the same time she was pleased she could assist in putting that person or persons away for a very long time.

Shelly buzzed Anne and informed her that her patient had arrived. She gathered all her paperwork, her voice recorder and two fabric dolls, one a boy and the other a girl. Anne had a special room for the children when it came to these types of discussions. Children needed to be able to trust her and feel that they could open up to her, so she created a room that was warm and inviting.

“Good morning, Mrs. McGuire.”

Anne extended her free hand toward-the slender, auburn-haired woman.

“Good morning, Dr. Jamison. Thank you so much for seeing us.”

Anne knelt down to Stella’s level, giving her a soft, friendly smile.

“Hello Stella, I’m Dr. Jamison, but you can call me Anne, okay?”

Stella was a miniature model of her mother, with curly, long auburn hair and fair porcelain skin.

“Okay,” Stella squeaked out.

“I have some fun toys in my play room. We can blow bubbles or play dress up—whatever you would like to do,” Anne said in a low, empathetic tone. Stella seemed to be fond of this idea and placed her tiny little hand in Anne’s.

“Let’s go, shall we?”

The three of them entered the “play” room as Anne shut the door behind them. A silver-dollar-sized green light illuminated the room’s entrance, indicating the room was in use and others should not disturb the session.

***

Two hours later Anne was wrapping up her dictation notes on young Stella.

“Stella will need intense bi-weekly sessions. She’s almost to the trusting point but not quite there yet.”

She placed the recorder down, looking at the clock.

“I better get going,” Anne said, cleaning up loose papers on her desk.

Her goal was to arrive there before nightfall and hopefully shower and beauty up a bit before Adam returned to the cabin. He had sent her a sweet text message before heading in to court this morning.

I missed you last night. I didn’t sleep well at all.

I can’t wait to move into our new place. Waking up

without
you feels wrong. I love you my angel. Please

drive
safe and text me when you arrive.

Anne’s lease was ending in less than two months and Adam was selling his townhouse. They had found a stunning classic colonial overlooking Lake Of The Isles. Anne thought five bedrooms was a bit much for their first home but he assured her that they would fill the rooms with children’s laughter. Adam came from a large loving family, unlike Anne who was an only child and now parentless.

“Shelly, is Casey still here?” Anne asked while locking up her office.

“Yes, but she is in with a patient.”

“Okay well, I’m outta here. If you need me, call my cell. Sometimes the service isn’t all that great, so if I don’t answer, call the cabin’s landline. I’ll call and check in tomorrow though.”

“Have a wonderful time, Dr. Jamison.”

Shelly never called her Anne. I
t was always Dr. Jamison. She did the same to Casey, which drove Casey crazy. That was how she was raised in Louisiana. Good ole southern manners.

Anne left the office and was officially off until the following Monday. She wanted to change her clothes before leaving. Anne didn’t want to be traveling in the car for almost four hours wearing black trousers, a silk blouse and six-inch heels but she just wanted to get to the cabin, pop open a bottle of
merlot and relax by the fireplace.

Traffic on Interstate 35 heading north wasn’t too horrendous. A few pockets of clustered cars
slowed her progress, but the farther away from the city she got the more open it became. She left Adam a voicemail informing him that she was in the car and would be arriving around three-thirty. The early afternoon sunshine beamed down on her engagement ring, setting off lively prisms that waltzed above her on the ceiling. Anne’s phone began to ring, startling her out of her daydream. It was Casey; she placed the phone on her lap, putting it on speaker.

“Hey, what’s going on?” Anne asked.

“I just saw the surveillance tapes after shoving a Ulysses S. Grant down their throats and they did catch something.”

Anne felt a rush of blood surge through her veins.

“What?”

“It was a guy but he had a baseball cap on so you can’t see his face. He kept it hidden quite well,” Casey replied.

“Do you think…”

“I don’t think it was Carter. This guy looked too short and stocky, plus he had on a wedding band.”

“Who could it be then?”

“I don’t know, honey. I wish I had more for you. You’ll have to look at it when you get back. Maybe you will recognize who it is.”

Casey’s voice trailed disappointment.

“Thanks, Casey, for doing that for me. Just more questions
, I guess.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I know. Well, I’m getting closer so I’ll call you tomorrow,” Anne said trying to keep her focus on the road.

“All right, drive safe and please try to enjoy yourself. This changes nothing. Adam is still your future and whoever this guy is, he’s just screwing with you.”

Casey’s words were stern.

“I know, Dr. Alder, message received.” Anne wanted to end this conversation before it became a white couch session.

Every turn led to another dead end.
Whoever delivered the envelope didn’t want to be known
, Anne thought.
Why?
She was trying to take mental inventory of Carter’s friends and family who would have had those pictures. All at once her purpose for retreating to the cabin diminished.

Anne was reaching the homestretch to the Whitney cabin. She had driven through Duluth roughly forty-five minutes earlier and it was an hour to the cabin from there. The sple
ndor of the open wilderness in northern Minnesota was much more pleasing to the eye than the concrete jungle in which she resided. Though there was still quite a chill in the air, she still opened her windows to let the crisp movements fill her lungs.