In the Shadow of Love (18 page)

”Apparently.”  The anger seeped into his voice.  “Don’t I get a say in the matter?”

“That’s just it.”  Her words stumbled out of her mouth.  “I’m not sure I’m ready to let someone else have a say in my life.  And,” she looked away and stared rigidly through the windshield of the car, “I have my boys to think about.”

“When did you decide all of this?”  He jerked his head her way for just a moment, one eye still on the road ahead.

“Today.”  Her pronouncement was simple, straightforward.  “While I was waiting for you to call and worried sick that something terrible had happened.”  She avoided looking at him.  “I’m not sure how much of that I can take.”

“Are you sure that’s all it is?”

“What do you mean?”

“Nothing - forget it.”

But she couldn’t.  She’d keep it to herself for now, just wanting to find Owen as soon as possible.

The friction between them intensified as Morris steered the car towards Wisconsin, where city gave way to open farm land.  It didn’t take long before Maggie sat back in the seat and relaxed.  The detective in him wanted more information but the man in him didn’t want to further the distance that had been building between them.  Still he needed to know more about where they were going.  Geographically, that is, although he was determined to find out where their relationship was going as well.  Maggie may have given up on them but he hadn’t.

On one level Morris couldn’t blame her for feeling as she did.  He understood it.  He knew it wasn’t easy being a cop’s significant other.  It’s one of the reasons his marriage had ended.  But from the beginning he felt Maggie was different.  He believed she could understand what he did and why he did it.

“Can you tell me exactly where this cabin is and why you think Owen will be there?”

“He told me.”

“You’ve talked to him recently?”  Morris bristled at the thought that she might have kept that piece of information from him.

“No, not recently.”  Maggie sat up straighter and turned in his direction.  “I remembered him telling me that if anything ever happened to him that the answers would be at the cabin.  Nobody else knows about it.”

“Just when did you remember this?”

“Just before you arrived, but I didn’t realize it at first.”  She paused.  “After Davis called and got disconnected I remembered once when Owen called me from the road.  He was on his cell phone in his car headed towards his cabin and he passed through a dead spot.”  Maggie realized her choice of words after the fact.

“Davis got disconnected?”

“Yes, I think he was on his cell phone.”

“And he didn’t call back?”

“No, that’s why I thought you were Davis when you called earlier.  He called right before you did.”

“What did he say?”

“He asked if I’d seen or heard from you.”  She took a deep breath.   “Then the line went dead,” she took another deep breath.  “I tried the call back code but all I got was a busy signal.”

“Why didn’t you tell me any of this before?”

“It didn’t seem important.  Cell phones are always disconnecting.”

“Maggie, everything’s important at this point.  Even the smallest detail could be a piece of the puzzle.”

“I’m sorry.”  Her voice was strained.

The drive continued in silence until the sign, “You are now leaving the state of Illinois.”

“So, just where is this cabin?”

“Not much further.”  Her words were terse.  “I’ll tell you when I recognize the exit.”

He was almost afraid to ask.  “What do you mean, recognize the exit?”

He felt her look his way.  “Owen never told me the address – just how to get there using landmarks.”  He heard her breathing.  “I wasn’t sure you’d go with me if I told you I wasn’t exactly certain where the cabin was.”

“I see.”  He kept his eyes on the road ahead of him.  She still didn’t trust him, didn’t believe in him enough.  He’d go with her anywhere, if only to keep her safe.  The exits passed one by one.  The miles seemed like a hundred by the time he steered the car off the expressway and onto a narrow county road.

“That’s it.”  Like an excited child, Maggie’s voice broke through his concentration.  “That’s it.  Turn off here.”

“Turn left now.”  She continued giving directions.

Following the road they stopped before an expanse of water with dense trees.  The cabin was nestled in a portion of trees that gave a breath taking view of the lake.  Beautiful but remote, he understood why someone would escape to such a location.

The gravel from the unfinished driveway crunched under the tires as he pulled to a stop behind a thicket of trees.

“Look Maggie, before we go in there I just want to clear the air.”

Sitting still she didn’t say a word, her hands clasped tightly in her lap.  He’d seen her this way before and he didn’t like it.  It felt off balance.

“I don’t know what went wrong between us but I want you to know that ’m here for you.”

“Let’s just get this over with.”  She finally looked up.   “Please.”

“Okay.”  He paused before leaving the car – just in case.  She didn’t budge.

As he made his way to the passenger side, he noticed a sudden movement near the cabin.  Leaning in through the window, he motioned for her to be silent.  “I want you to stay here.”  His voice was barely above a whisper as he tossed her his keys.  “Roll up the windows and lock the doors.”

“Why - what’s the matter?”

“I think there’s someone behind the cabin.  Stay here and if anything happens leave immediately and get the sheriff.”

His early words nearly broke Maggie’s resistance then danger reared its ugly head reviving her doubts and fears.  Anxiously watching she saw him quickly work his way around the area, his weapon drawn.  She followed his orders, afraid to do otherwise.  What sounded like a car back firing broke through the painful silence then she saw Morris in pursuit, aiming his weapon and returning fire.

Opening the door to shield her as she tried to exit she was anxious for reassurance that Morris was okay.  More gun fire.  Slamming the door she dove down on the front seat tasting the leather.  She waited but the only sound was her heart pounding in her ears.

Peering above the dashboard she saw the flash before she heard the sound of gunfire.  That was the last shot fired as she saw the gunman head towards the lake and his escape by boat.

Leaving the car she quickly ran in the direction of the cabin following the path that Morris had taken only moments ago.  Unable to find him as she scanned the tree line and shore she headed towards the cabin’s back entrance.  Through the screened-in porch she could see that the back door was open.  Her throat constricted as she cautiously entered the cabin.  It was dark and musty smelling as if nobody had been here in quite sometime.

“Morris?”  She called out his name in a whispered plea.  No response.  She moved further into the cabin and it’s combination living, dining room and kitchen.  The sound of movement down the hall caught her attention.  Holding her breath she approached cautiously and willed herself to put one foot in front of the other.

The first door was ajar and she could see that the room was empty.  Then a sudden movement further on made Maggie step back.  She drew a deep breath and walked quietly towards the bedroom door.  As she peered through the crack between the door and its frame she noticed a man lying on the floor face down.  He looked so lifeless.

Her heart raced as she reached out to push the door open.  Suddenly grabbed from behind, her mouth was covered, halting her screams.  Terror filed her entire body as she saw her life flash before her.  An overwhelming feeling of regret and horror touched every nerve in her body.  She didn’t want to die this way, didn’t want to leave her boys motherless.  She prayed as hard as she could for some divine intervention.

“Maggie, it’s me.”  Morris’ voice penetrated her senses and she nearly collapsed in relief.

She was excited and confused wondering where he came from and why his hand was still clamped over her mouth!

“Stay quiet, the perp may still be here.”

Maggie shook her head vigorously until Morris released his death grip on her.

“I saw him flee in a boat.”

“When?”

“Shortly after I heard the last gun shot.”  Still trying to catch her breath, she leaned against the wall in the hallway.  “Who’s that on the floor.”

“Davis.  I was checking on him when I heard you come up the hallway.”

“Is he - dead?”  The last word fought its way up from her throat.

“No, just unconscious.”  Stepping past her he pushed on the door.

“Is he going to be okay - I mean shouldn’t we call the paramedics?”

Following close behind she watched as he tried to revive Davis, silently relieved that it wasn’t Morris lying unconscious on the floor.

“He’ll be okay.  His pulse is good, he’s breathing, but he’s got a nasty bruise on his head.”

It
was
nasty.  “What do we do now?”

“Stay here while I get the first aid kit from the car.”  He was gone before she could object.  She leaned over to see if Davis showed any signs of consciousness.  She didn’t like being left alone with someone who clearly needed more help and attention than she could give.  Administering first aid to two little boys with cuts and bruises was one thing, but an unconscious man was beyond her expertise.

Looking for anything that might make him more comfortable she saw a cell phone on the floor.  She picked it up carefully wondering if this was the cell phone Davis was using when they were cut off.

Morris returned with a dark satchel and began extracting a variety of first aid supplies.  He looked up to see her examining the cell phone as if she’d never seen one before.  “Where did you find that?.”

“On the floor,” she continued to examine it as she pointed.  “Over there.”

Morris took a vial and snapped it in half and waved it under Davis’ nose.  The strong odor reached Maggie and made her stand up to get away from it.

“If that doesn’t wake him up, nothing will.”  She waved a hand in front of her face hoping to clear the air enough to breath.

Davis began to stir, moaning while trying to push the vial away from his face.  He opened his eyes, struggling to focus, shielding them from the light that emanated from the bedroom ceiling.

“Maggie, turn the lights off and close the curtains.”

“What hit me?”  Davis’ words were slightly slurred as he tried to get up.

“Whoa, buddy, not so fast.”  Morris put a firm but gentle hand on his shoulder to keep him down.   “You’ve got a nasty bruise on your head.  Better take it easy.”

“No problem.”  Davis’ swallowed hard.  “Just do me a favor.”

“What’s that?”

“Stop the room from spinning around will ya!”

Morris reached back into his bag and pulled out a cold compress, squeezed it several times and placed it on Davis’ head.

“Better?”

“Yeah, that’s better.”

“Can you tell me who hit you?”

“I wish I could.  I’d like to find him and return the favor.”  Davis moaned as he shifted the compress on his head trying to steady it.  “Got me from behind – didn’t even hear him coming.”

“How do you know it was a he?”  Maggie was curious.  “I mean if the person came up behind you how do you know?”

Both men stared at her, Davis with only one eye open.  She took their sudden silence for annoyance and stepped back quietly.

The expression on Morris’ face changed as he rose and turned towards her.  “The person you saw running away and getting into a boat - was it a man or a woman?”

She thought hard for a moment.  “I don’t know for sure.  The person was too far away – but I think it was a man.”  Almost defensively, she added, “he, if it was a he, was dressed in black from head to toe.  Like a ninja.”

Helping Davis to his feet, Morris gently guided him into the living area and to the most comfortable looking chair.  “Davis – why did you come up here in the first place?”

“I was following a lead.”  He grimaced as he shifted the cold compress on his head.  “If this looks as bad as it feels, it must look really bad,” pausing, he squinted his eyes.

 “I did a search of the property records and found this cabin listed in Owen Cassidy’s name.  It seemed like a good place to hide something so I thought I’d investigate.  Only thing is someone else beat me to it.”

“Is that when you were disconnected from me?”  She pulled the cell phone from her pocket.

“Yeah, I think so.  The last thing I remember is talking to you on the phone and then nothing.  Until just now when I came to and saw your two faces staring down at me.”

“So, what do we do next?”  She was anxious to go home.

Both men looked up at her.  “Maggie, who else knew about the cabin?”  Morris was back in detective mode.

“I’m not sure.  Owen bought it after his wife died.  He wanted a private place to grieve.”

“Think, Maggie.  Could there have been anyone else close enough to Owen who would have known about this place?”

“Fred!”

“Who’s Fred?”  Both men asked at the same time.

“Owen’s stepson.”  Flashing back to her brother telling her that Fred called and wanted to talk to her made her wince.  “I didn’t know him very well.”  Both men waited for her to tell more.  “I only met him once – at a holiday party.”

Morris didn’t take his eyes off her face.  She squirmed under his intense scrutiny.  No wonder he was a detective, convinced he could make anybody talk.

“Is there something else, Maggie?”  The detective was back.

“That day I met you at the restaurant, after you left, my brother told me that Fred called asking for me.”  She willed herself to look at him. 

“Did you talk to him?”

“No.”  She glanced down at her feet.  “I forgot all about it until just now.”  She braced herself for his words of disappointment.

 “Call him now.”

“What?”

“Call him and tell him that you’re sorry you didn’t get back to him sooner.”

“Okay, but I have to get my purse.”  The jingle of keys as she pulled the set Morris gave her from her pocket reminded her that she desperately wanted to return home and the safety of her own little world.   She missed her boys and her normally quite life.