Is Three A Crowd? (14 page)

While dusty now, it had been her home. Maris opened the window over the street, the cool air flushing out the musty air and bringing in all the noise of the city. Instantly she remembered the quiet of the land and the Chateau. Going to her bureau, she pulled out the key to the bank box that held her history. She walked to the building, signed in, and took a deep breath when she was left alone in one of the private rooms with the contents of the safe box. A memory became clear before her, a memory of her mother and her, in this very room together. Her mother was wearing a black coat with a white silk scarf. She could almost smell her heavy perfume hanging in the space. It was a perfume Maris always hated, strong and overbearing. She once teased her mother that her perfume entered the room before her, but didn’t get a comic response, only a stern look.

“Don’t ever open these, Maris. You won’t like what you find.” Her mother’s expression was stern, as if she were a child being chastised. The cases still held her perfume scent, and she decided that brought the memory back.

“I won’t, Mom,” she’d assured her mother, but now she knew she would. Maybe if she’d been honest with Maris from the start, her life would have progressed differently. Her fingers ached to open the first files, but she refrained. It dawned on her that Margo could have destroyed all this documentation if she truly hadn’t wanted her to see it.

On the flip side, her heart attack had come out of the blue. Other than her typical ornery and rude attitudes, her mother hadn’t been sick. Maris got a queasy feeling realizing that if Margo had lived longer, she might never have known Nathan or Blake. Never known her men or what they once meant to each other.

There were three large, black leather portfolios. None had any markings or labels. She took them and stuffed two in the tote bag she’d brought. The third she had to carry. After turning back the empty box and keys, she left quickly, knowing she’d never set foot in that building again, even if she did decide to stay here in the city.

Taking a taxi back to her apartment, she put the portfolios in an old suitcase, hoping to keep the perfume smell from her living space. She left a second time, just wandering around her neighborhood. While she always felt safe, today she was apprehensive, unable to shake the feeling that she wasn’t alone. She wondered if Blake or Nathan followed her even after they promised they wouldn’t. But that didn’t feel right. She called the Chateau on a whim, instantly relieved when Aminta answered.

“Good evening, Aminta.”

“Good evening, Miss. Your trip was unhindered, I hope.”

Maris held back a laugh but smiled. “Yes, longer than I remembered. I just wanted to let my men know I arrived safely.”

“They’ll appreciate that. Would you like to talk to them?”

What would she say?
I feel like someone is watching
me, following me. Come and guard me, take care of me?
No, she decided quickly, she wouldn’t put her paranoia on them.

“No, please tell them I’m safe, that I have the files, and I’ll be back in a few days.” She paused, adding, “Is Shin giving you any problems?”

“Of course not. She’s welcome here at home.”

“All right, I won’t be too long. Tell the men I said… Just tell them I’m okay.”

“I will, but they’ll be disappointed they didn’t get to speak with you.”

“I’ll smooth it over when I get back. Night, Aminta.”

“Travel home safe, Maris.”

She hung up feeling better, at ease in her space. It was silly that a few words from a fatherly figure would make her feel better, especially since she never experienced the same feelings in real life. Maris knew her real father abandoned them. To her stepfather, Walter, she was just baggage that came with his second wife. He seemed annoyed that she existed. She sighed aloud and wandered around the apartment.

“It just feels strange because Shin isn’t here.” Saying the words aloud to the empty space was one more step of separation.

Her supper was take-away, eaten behind her locked door. Maris missed Shin more than she realized she would and wondered again if she’d made a mistake leaving her up in the mountains.

Sleep didn’t come that night, and she was at the office before seven. Her boss, Ron Conleth, seemed to have anticipated her return, accepting her request for vacation time and a leave of absence. There was little to take from her desk and few goodbyes to the people who worked in the cubicles around her. She had no plants or personal objects in her workspace, no photos or mementos. Leaving the office, she felt she’d never go back. I wasn’t a bad feeling, instead it felt very freeing in an abstract way.

Maris forced herself to stay in the apartment one more night, not wanting to arrive in the mountains after dark. She decided she’d start out first thing in the morning and began to access her packing duties. There was no food to toss from her fridge, she’d cleaned it out before she left for this assignment.

Shin’s spare leash and the rest of Maris’s clothing fit in two small suitcases. She left the bed made and a few towels in the bathroom. Other than paper products, the place could be re-rented without her return. It was then she realized how stark the place truly was. Again, she had no plants or photos, no artwork hung on the walls. Even the small television was left behind without regret. She did call and cancel her cable and she’d never set up a phone line, choosing to use her cell as most people did these days. Her computer was already in the stone house, waiting for her return.

That night, she tried to sleep, but the dreams woke her several times. Nightmares, she decided, of a very dark man stalking her. Watching her every move, every step. She gave up at
four a.m.
, dressed, and made several trips to her pickup with her possessions. While the streets were almost empty, she still felt the heavy foreboding of being watched.

With two cups of coffee in their holders, she was through the city before the sun broke.

Her trip to the mountains the first time had been angst-ridden, not knowing the roads. This time, she remembered the few turns and interstate changes with ease, finally relaxing when she was well away from the city and the mounting traffic heading towards it.

She forced herself to stop along the way several times to stretch and gas up whether she needed it or not. At each stop, she’d looked over her shoulder more than once, not noticing anything to be concerned by. A few times she’d thought to call Aminta and let him know she was arriving back much earlier than originally planned. Each time she reached to push the button, she hesitated. By
noon
, she was well on her way, and by late afternoon, she was entering the
Lake Placid
area. It was so familiar she decided it was welcoming her back.
 

* * * *

Maris arrived back on the property to find Shin waiting for her on the doorstep of the stone house. Aminta was there, helping her in with the few bags she’d brought. He was polite, but not talkative.

“Do my men know I’m back?”

“By now they do.” His statement was fact.

“What did they do, monitor my movements by the chip in my phone!” What was said in jest made her anxious in a strange way, her stomach souring.

“I don’t believe so, Miss.” He glanced around the living area as if checking for anything out of place. “Call the main house if you need anything.”

“Thank you for taking care of Shin.” He nodded and left without further conversation. Maris noted the dog was already asleep before the fireplace, even thought it wasn’t lit.

She wandered into the kitchen and put on a pot of coffee. While it brewed, she decided to take the portfolios of papers and put them on the bench on the back porch, hoping the perfume smell would dissipate. As soon as she opened the back door, Shin came running, sliding to a halt beside her at the door on the shiny tile floor.

“No carpet here, Shin. Take it easy.” She reached down and ruffled the dog’s ears, but she didn’t run out. Instead, the dog sniffed around the room and settled in front of the now closed exterior door.

Coffee mug before her, she checked her e-mail. It was then she realized that other than work and spam, she never received anything personal. Today she found two separate mails. One was from Nathan: “Come back soon, be safe, N.”

“Well, that was short and to the point.” She opened the second one, from Blake, which was even shorter:

“Waiting, Blake.”

“I suppose they’re both still pissed I wouldn’t take them with me or let them take me.” She reached to pet Shin and closed the computer. Pushing it aside, she paused, as if a bolt of lightning went through her. Pulling it forward, Maris put her name into a search engine and wondered if it would turn up any information. She wasn’t prepared for what she found.

Chapter Twelve

An hour later, she pushed the machine away from her, unsettled to say the least. The information that was general knowledge amazed her. What annoyed her most was that she hadn’t done this sooner, like when she that realized Nathan and Blake were more than just landowners. What really pissed her off was that she hadn’t done it years earlier, deferring to her mother’s wishes to regain her memories naturally.

While some of the sites listed her name and degrees, they were all work or university related. Then there were the newspaper articles. Scanning to find her name, it became clear she had been the victim of a crime, that her accident, as her mother always referred to it, was actually an act of assault.

Apparently, it was assumed she’d slipped on the wet walkway surrounding
Niagara Falls
. They related tidbits of her rescue and injuries. While she’d only suffered bruises and scrapes, it did mention she had no memory of the incident. She scanned a few more articles, which related the same facts. She was about to give up, contemplating this new information, when the next link brought her to an article dated a few days later.

Several witnesses had come forward and said they’d seen her arguing with someone and she’d been pushed. None of the eyewitnesses could tell who the person was, as he or she was covered with a yellow rain suit, making it impossible for any of them to see the actual person. The next articles related the same facts, adding that while an investigation had been launched, it was still undetermined who her companion had been.

Maris took deep breaths to control the panic welling inside her. She had no memory of being at
Niagara Falls
or why she would have gone there. Considering what she’d read, she began to wonder if it had been Nathan or Blake. But that just didn’t feel right. Yet there was blankness when she tried to think back. It only made her head ache. The harder she tried, the worse the ache became.

On impulse, she snapped her fingers, and Shin came to her side. “Let’s go, girl. I need fresh air.” Grabbing her jacket from the front closet, Maris wandered outside and walked the main road towards the Chateau. About halfway there, she left the road and wandered through the grounds, pausing to stare at a flowerbed or tree. Nothing came back to her.

If she thought she’d been frustrated, this was worse. Before, it had just been an accident, now it was assault. And robbery, she decided, knowing the last five years of her life had been taken from her by someone. The same years had been taken from Nathan and Blake, who waited for her to remember them.

* * * *

Maris sat heavily on a wrought iron bench in the center of a large garden, the stone fountain spilling water down the front of a lion sculpture, his mouth open in a roar. She still had no memory of designing the space around her, yet she could name each plant.

The content from the newspaper articles swam in her mind. Whom had she been with, and why was she at the Falls that day? While she’d visited them often to enjoy the majestic sight, she usually went alone, using the time to put her thoughts in order. Had she gone there while drafting the plans for this property? No, her men said her job was finished here. She did remember stopping there the first time, the day she met with the Chateau’s previous owner. Clearing her mind for the interview, she remembered wandering the area and looking for inspiration. Did she remember the interview? No, not really, only that she’d gotten the position, and according to Nathan and Blake, did an amazing job.

Frustrated, she snapped her fingers and waited while Shin scampered to her side. “Come on, girl, let’s go back.”

Wandering the road towards the stone home, she saw two vehicles parked in front of it. Both black SUVs, which meant her men were waiting. The chill of anticipation that ran through her made her lower lips moist and her breasts heavy. Approaching, she noted they were sitting side by side on the steps.