The Lost Door (14 page)

After a quick shower he filled the bird feeder with fresh seed—couldn’t let the little guys starve to death after all—hopped in his car and headed to town. As he drove his mind wandered to Elliott and why he had sent him a key. That made little sense to him. Perhaps the letter that had come with it would shed some light on it.

The willow tree stood majestically in the distance as he crossed Willow Creek Bridge giving him pause. His foot relaxed off the accelerator, and he pulled onto the shoulder as he slowed. He stared out the window at the tree, its thin branches swaying gently in the breeze.

Something from his childhood…

Willem put the car in park, got out, looked at the bridge. In the last week he’d been drawn to this place twice—first by a boy who was fishing, and now this moment. He felt something pull at him, something he couldn’t explain. His gaze fell upon the tree again.

The tree. That’s what he was being pulled to, but why? The tree had been there since he was a boy, and he had some vague recollection of it, but other than that the tree held no special meaning. He wanted to turn away, to just go get his breakfast, but he knew that it was useless until he investigated. Best to quench the insatiable urge and be done with it. Two minutes later he stood in the spongy moss field that surrounded the tree. The shadow beneath looked safe and welcoming; nothing appeared out of the ordinary, and nothing from his past came back. He parted the branches and entered.

The sensation he’d felt dissipated—not fully, but now it was just a dull throb in the back of his mind. He circled the tree taking it in. Nothing out of the ordinary. A squirrel had made a nest in one of the branches, though at the moment it was vacant. The base of the trunk was surrounded by rocks as if to weigh the tree down and prevent it from falling in a storm. Willem looked at the creek ten feet away trickling by.

Waste of time, coming here like this.

Yet while the drawing had subsided he felt a connection to Elliott and Sam. This place held a special meaning for him, or had in the past. Why couldn’t he remember spending time here?

Because you’ve chosen to forget
, a voice whispered.

No. If it was important he would have remembered.

The voice stayed silent as if challenging him.

He was tired and hungry, and all he wanted was some warm food and then a warm bed. He’d figure it out later.

He left the security of the willow and headed back to the car, a tiny voice following on the breeze.
You have to remember! Please remember, Willem. Please!

* * *

It was time to go retrieve the necklace he’d been unable to collect two days prior. David dreaded having to enter his old home again knowing the poison beneath, but Lilly had insinuated it was necessary. If she said he needed it then by God he was going to get it. After that he needed to pay Claire a visit.

Claire. His heart warmed thinking of the little girl he once considered the daughter they’d never had. The smile, the dimples, the happy go lucky attitude of that adorable little girl. Yet something had happened over the years, something he couldn’t quite figure out. Lilly had shown him what had become of her and she looked… troubled. Like something was eating away at her inside.

He wasn’t sure how he’d approach her, wondering if she’d even remember him after all this time. He wasn’t even sure what he was supposed to do with her but, like most of what was happening these last few weeks, it was a leap of faith.

David grabbed the hotel key off dresser and put on a light jacket. It looked nice out, but this time of year could be unpredictable. He opened the door and was taken aback by DeMarcus, poised ready to knock. Behind him was a man in a red trucker cap.

“Hello, David,” he said and pushed his way past. The man in the cap guided David away from the door and closed it. “So have you thought about our conversation from the other day?”

David looked between the two men nervously, finally settling on DeMarcus. “Not particularly.”

“I’m sure Lilly wouldn’t want me hurting you but I will if that’s what it comes down to.” He looked around the room, said, “Do you hear me Lilly? Come out or your sweet sweet husband will suffer the repercussions of your defiance.”

“I’ve told you she’s dead.”

DeMarcus wagged his finger at David. “I went to the cemetery as you suggested and did see the headstone. A well-played ruse if I do say so, but if she’s truly gone then why can I still sense her? She’s here, close by. I can sense it.”

“You’re mistaken.”

“And you’re naive, unless…” A quirky expression crossed DeMarcus’ face, one that showed confused amusement. “She made you forget.”

“You’re talking nonsense. Please leave,” David’s voice quivered.

DeMarcus approached David and reached out to him. He stepped back and bumped into DeMarcus’ friend who grabbed both his frail arms.

“What are you doing? Don’t…”

DeMarcus laid his hand on the side of David’s perspiring face. “Shh… Let me see.” DeMarcus’ eyes bore into his, the grin drooping as his eyes danced. Then the corner of his lip curled, and David felt as if a levee in his brain buckled. Memories long hidden washed over him in a torrential onslaught. His brain felt beaten.

“Nooo,” he moaned and grabbed at his temples as DeMarcus stepped away. “Stop it, please! Take it back!”

But DeMarcus just stood and stared as David fell back onto the bed, images drowning him, suffocating him. It was too much for him and he began to to feel his mind shutting down.

“Lilly,” he moaned. “Why?”

“Why indeed?” DeMarcus asked.

David felt his body seize. The last thing he saw was DeMarcus leaning in with his shit eating grin.

* * *

“Where are you going?” Claire asked as Emily breezed past without saying a word.

Emily was at the front door, jacket in hand. “Out.”

“Not until I say so,” Claire said.

Emily rolled her eyes.

“I’m serious.” Emily stared at her as if challenging. “Come here. Sit down for a minute.”

She badly wanted a splash of booze to take the edge off.

“What?” Emily asked as she leaned against the door frame.

Claire pursed her lips. “I’d like to talk about last night.”

Just a sip to make this easier.

“Are you going to hit me again?”

The words were like a slap. “I deserve that.” She sighed. “Do you want to know what really happened to your father?”

“He left you. What more is there?”

Whiskey. Vodka. Anything.

“Yes, but its
how
he left me. Us.” Claire gestured to the other chair. “Please. Sit.”

Emily did. “Can we make this quick?”

“Billy can wait.”

Emily looked at her phone then leaned back in her chair, pouting.

“When I was young my parents moved a lot. My dad was in the military and every few years he’d be transferred someplace new. Except when we moved here. Here we stayed twice as long as usual. That is part of the reason when we had you we moved to River Bend—it felt like home.

“My parents weren’t around much… even though I was young I still knew enough that they were having trouble. Because of that I spent a lot of time at the neighbor’s house, a nice couple who couldn’t have their own children. I had a fantastic bond with them, a connection, until one day my parents packed up and moved again. That was the one and only time I ever had a strong connection. Until I met your father, of course.

“When I was a senior in high school I went with a friend to a college party. It was my first time drinking alcohol and I was stupid. My friend ditched me after hooking up with a guy and I was left to fend for myself.

“I woke the next morning in the bed of a stranger. I was mortified and disgusted with myself, but when I realized nothing had happened, and the guy whose bed I was in was sleeping in a chair on the other side of the room…” She shrugged. “When I tried to sneak out…” The memory brought a smile to her lips, then a chuckle. “I tripped and landed face first in his lap.”

She could tell Emily was loosening up a little, that she wasn’t as mad.

Claire continued. “Our friendship blossomed into a romance. Your father was about to graduate from college, me from high school, and it was about that time that my parents told me they were moving again. It was the perfect excuse to stay put and move in with him.

“We rented a small apartment after graduation and got married a few months later. It wasn’t anything fancy—just us and witnesses in the courthouse. I became pregnant with you early on and played the good little housewife and stay-at-home mom. When you were born I thought things couldn’t get any better. I had a loving husband, a beautiful daughter, and a roof over our heads.

“But then your father started working later and later, and flew out of town for business more and more which allowed us to save enough to buy a house. Since he was always gone he let me find a place. River Bend always felt like home—probably because of those nice neighbors—so I decided that’s where I wanted to raise you. Your father seemed fine with the idea so we bought this place.”

The next part was harder to talk about. While the wounds had calloused they still brought a deep throb of resentment.

“I’m not sure when you father’s infidelities began,” Claire said. “But I’m sure they’d gone on for a year or more.

“Earlier in the day we were at a friend’s birthday party in Deerbrook. I can’t remember exactly how I found out that he had cheated on me—it’s a blur at this point—but the drinks I had were enough for me to confront him about it.

“We were driving home—you were in the backseat looking at a picture book if I recall— and I asked him outright who the woman was. He played dumb of course which infuriated me more so I lashed out. Stupid in hindsight, attacking someone who’s behind the wheel.” Not the hard part. “He lost control of the car and it flipped.”

Emily was sitting up and watching her mother wide-eyed.

“When I came to, you and I were in the hospital and he was gone. He never checked in on us, never visited, never called. Divorce papers came a month later which I happily signed. I got the house, custody of you, but no child support. That was fine though; I wanted nothing from him. The final paperwork came a short time later and I filed it away without even opening it.

“I managed to get a job working as a receptionist. It didn’t require a college degree, and I was able to work hours that still afforded me time to be there for you.” She reached out and took Emily’s hand.

“Why are you telling me all this?”

“Because, sweetie, I don’t want you to make the same mistakes I made.”

“Why do you think I will?”

Because I found your pregnancy test.
“Let’s just call it a hunch.”

A car horn sounded outside. Emily glanced out the window, said, “He’s here.”

“It’s just—it’s Sunday night. You have school tomorrow.”

“I’m just going over to his place to study. That’s all.”

“Why not study here? I can give you the living room, if you like. Or the kitchen—”

Her daughter stood with a sigh. “Not tonight. You’ve already passed judgment and I really don’t want to deal with an awkward introduction tonight.” She leaned down and kissed her mother. “I’ll be fine, mom. Really. You’ve trusted me this long, you can trust me now.”

And with that she walked out of the house.

Claire was shaking. She was angry, terrified, ashamed, contemplating what to do. She felt something else was going on besides teenage rebellion, something more troublesome. Maybe she’d gotten involved with a bad crowd, was doing drugs. Her paranoia exploded.

Claire made up her mind. She grabbed her coat and keys and ran from the house to her car. Time to find out what was really going on.

* * *

She followed Billy’s car to Jessica’s house. Emily’s friend was standing on the sidewalk waiting and jumped into the backseat when the car rolled up. Claire hadn’t noticed it until she’d gotten closer, but another boy was in in the car too. Keeping a safe distance she followed them through town and across Willow Creek Bridge, River Bend receding in her rear-view mirror. A pair of headlights winked.

Where were they going? The next town was Deerbrook, a smaller town than River Bend. God! She hadn’t been out this way since…

She didn’t want to think about it. That was in the past, and the only thing that mattered was Emily.

Did Billy or that other boy live out this way? A few miles later they turned left onto another two-lane highway. The farms gave way to silhouette forests, the road twisting and turning. She had no idea where they were now; she’d never been out this way before. She decreased her speed not wanting to startle them. But, then again, if they weren’t doing anything wrong why would they suspect anyone of following?

A car passed them from the other direction. She glanced up and watched as its red taillights disappeared around a corner far in the distance passing a vehicle in her lane.

She snapped her eyes forward as a deer shot across the road. Her foot reflexively stomped on the brake, the anti-lock mechanism ratta-tat-tatting.