Shadow of Suspicion (Haunted by the Past) (3 page)

Jason moved to the front of the car
and propped up the bonnet. He switched on the torch and shone the light into
the engine. Jason carefully examined the damage. It didn’t take him long to
locate the problem. The engine was a mess. There was only one thing that could
cause this kind of damage.

He leaned on his forearms against the
car and sighed. This was serious. He wouldn’t be able to get the woman back on
the road anytime soon. He hoped she wouldn’t pitch a fit when he told her.
Experience taught him that this kind of news would not go down well.

Callie blew onto her frozen fingers
and slipped them into her armpits in a vain attempt to warm them. She wished
now she’d listened to Jade and kept a pair of gloves in her car. She was so
cold, she was beginning to feel numb. Her toes had long since lost their
feeling.

She wiggled them inside her shoes to
attempt to bring back some kind of sensation in them, but they felt stiff and
unyielding. She truly hoped the mechanic wouldn’t take long to fix the problem.
All she could think about right now was a warm bath, hot food, and dry clothes.

She glanced toward the front of her
car, but she couldn’t see him. The bonnet covered him completely, despite his
considerable bulk. She’d been really worried when he’d first turned up. He
seemed to be heavily built, but it was hard to tell with the thick padding of
his coat.

Without a doubt, he was tall. She’d
been able to determine that much at least. The thick waterproof coat and the
scarf wrapped around his face had made him appear like a car thief. Callie had
been so relieved when he’d announced he was from the breakdown company that
she’d nearly cried.

The man suddenly appeared by her
window and Callie jumped. She’d been so lost in thought that she hadn’t noticed
his approach. He tapped on the glass and Callie wound the window down. Her
stomach flipped as her eyes collided with his intense stare. Something about
this man drew her, but she couldn’t figure out why. She couldn’t even see him
properly and yet when he’d leaned into her car earlier, he’d made her heart flutter
like some silly teenager.

Annoyed with herself, Callie thrust
aside her reaction to him and quirked an eyebrow. “Is it fixed?”

He leaned in closer. “I’m afraid not.
It would appear that your timing belt blew when you were driving. The engine is
a mess. This car isn’t going anywhere for quite some time to come.” His
apologetic tone didn’t really help matters.

“What is this timing belt you’re
mentioning? Don’t you have one you can fit now? Would it take long?” Callie
could feel her anxiety rising. She really needed to reach the B&B as soon
as possible. The idea of being stuck out on the roadside was intolerable.

“You don’t understand. The engine is
completely wrecked. You’re going to need a new one.” He shuffled from one foot
to the other and blew into his cupped hands. Rain pinged off his hood like
small pistol shots. Callie could not believe what she was hearing.

“That is ridiculous. This car is in
perfect working order. I have it serviced regularly.” She stared at him
suspiciously, sure he was trying to pull a fast one.

“Really! Would you like to try
turning on the engine?” His sarcasm grated on her nerves and Callie gritted her
teeth.

“There is no need to be rude,” she
forced out, anger rising up like a tidal wave. “I know what mechanics are like.
I’ve seen the TV programmes. Just because I’m a woman, don’t think you can
fleece me!”

“Great! I have an armchair mechanic
criticising me.” He threw his hands into the air. “You can sit there and argue
that your car is perfectly fine, but I’m telling you it’s going nowhere until a
new engine has been put in.” He hit his chest with one hand. “Since I’m the
qualified
mechanic, how about we take my word for it? Otherwise you can stay here in your
perfectly fine car and I’ll go home. I have no intention of spending hours
standing out in a storm, arguing with you.”

“Fine!” Callie thumped her steering
wheel with a fist. She really didn’t have any choice but to listen to him. He
seemed like the kind of jerk that would actually abandon her if she pushed him
any further. “So, what do you suggest I do since I can’t drive to my
destination?”

He glanced back down the road. “Where
are you headed? About the best I can offer is to tow you to a garage close to
your destination.”

Callie bit her lip and tears welled
up in her eyes. She blinked rapidly. Crying wasn’t going to help. “I’m booked
in at the Lazy Boy. It’s a bed and breakfast. It shouldn’t be too far from
here. Do you know it?”

The man choked. It sounded
suspiciously like laughter. Callie clenched her teeth, anger boiling in her gut.

“Seriously?” His eyes ran over her,
disbelief shining from them. Callie’s cheeks heated and she shifted in her
seat. “Well, if that’s where you’re staying, my garage is very close by. If you
want, I can drive you to your accommodation and take your car to the garage
until you decide what you want to do about it. You’ll need to give me a key for
your car, if you want me to work on it.”

Callie sagged. She didn’t really want
her car in his garage, but what choice did she have? She’d let him have his way
for now and see if she could sort something else out later. “That would be
wonderful, thank you.” She rummaged in her bag and handed him the spare key,
which he pocketed.

“I’ll get you settled in the van and
then I’ll hook up your car.” He opened her door and offered his hand.

Callie grabbed her bag and umbrella.
She opened the latter as she slid out of the car. A strong gust of wind caught
hold of the bright blue contraption and turned it inside out. It knocked her
off balance and her foot slipped on the wet mud. She stumbled forward with no
way to save herself. Her bag and umbrella tumbled to the ground.

A strong hand grabbed her before she
could hit the concrete. She shrieked and clung to his solid strength. Rain
pelted her, running in cold rivulets down her face. She was soaked within
seconds. Callie stared into his dark eyes and wondered what colour they were.
It was too dark to tell. Amusement tugged at the corners of his mouth and her
face heated. She glanced away, completely mortified. Why did she have to make a
complete idiot of herself in front of him, of all people?

Her saviour bent down and swept up
her bag and broken umbrella. He held her elbow as he guided her to his van. Her
feet slid around under her as they crossed the muddy layby. Despite herself,
she was grateful he had a hold of her or she was sure she would have landed on
her backside. By the time they reached his van, her clothes were stuck to her
like a second skin and her hair hung down in rats’ tails. Callie couldn’t
remember the last time she’d been such a mess.

The man opened the van door for her
and helped her settle into the vehicle. He slammed the door shut and hurried
around to the driver’s side. He climbed in.

“What are you doing?” Callie
stuttered, staring at him in shock. “My car!”

“Don’t worry,” he shot her an
exasperated glance, “I am only turning the van around. I’m facing the wrong
direction to get your car hooked up.”

Callie felt stupid. It wasn’t
something she was used to. In most aspects of her life, she was in control. She
was renowned for being cool, calm and collected at all times. She’d never
blushed as much in her whole life as she had in the last half hour with him.
She hoped it was too dark for him to have noticed.

“Oh, of course. I should have
realised.” She drew her hair together in one hand and swept it to the side.
Cold drops of water slid down her neck and she shivered. “Could you possibly
turn on some heat or something? I’m freezing.”

The man cast a quick glance her way
as he turned on the engine. A long, drawn out sigh escaped his lips, but he
leaned forward and turned on the heating.

“You’ll have to wait for the engine
to warm up. This van doesn’t have heated seats and I don’t have anything you
can wrap around you for warmth,” he said as he threw the van into reverse.

Callie bristled at his tone. He’d
obviously noted her car had heated seats when he’d stuck his head in through
her window. She was tempted to cut him down to size, but wasn’t sure the
Neanderthal was worth the effort. A naughty idea floated through her mind and
she couldn’t quite talk herself out of it.

“It’s fine,” she replied smoothly. “I
just hope you don’t mind that I’m getting your van rather wet.”

Callie drew her hands around her hair
once more and this time squeezed the excess moisture from the long strands. A
stream of water splashed down onto the floor and the edge of her seat. She
smiled innocently at the shock in his eyes as he whipped round to stare at her.
It gave her a tremendous surge of power, after having made such a fool of
herself earlier. She could feel the material of the seat beneath her slowly
getting damper by the minute. She was sure if she moved, she’d emit a
satisfying squelch.

His eyes glittered with annoyance.
“Don’t worry about it. The van has had worse.
Kids
, for example.” He
turned the vehicle around with expert precision. Callie squirmed in her seat.
Her behaviour had been somewhat childish. Somehow, he brought out the worst in
her.

“I’m sorry. I’m wet and cranky.” She
sighed, wanting to put the whole silly business behind her. “To be honest, I’m
just looking forward to getting to the Lazy Boy. The thought of a hot bath,
food, and a warm bed feels like heaven right now.”

“Then maybe I ought to take you
somewhere else to book in.” The man stopped the van and pulled on the hand
break. He turned to regard her, his eyes serious. “Did you actually research
the Lazy Boy at all before you booked?”

“Of course.” Callie knew the place
needed remodelling. It was why she was engaged to work there.

“Really? Do you have any idea just
how rundown it is? I’ve heard rats refuse to stay there.” She heard no jest in
his voice.

“I know it’s in need of remodelling.”
She twisted her fingers together in her lap. “It’s actually why I’m here. I’ve
been engaged by the new owner to revamp the whole place. I’m an interior
designer.”

He shook his head. “Then you’ve got
your work cut out for you.” His gaze travelled over her form and Callie felt
the hated heat of a blush steal over her cheeks yet again. “So, Handy Andy
hired you did he? Figures.”

Callie’s embarrassment drained away
at his words and the derisive tone she heard creep into his voice. “I beg your
pardon! What is that supposed to mean? Who is Handy Andy?”

“Andrew Cunningham, of course. He is
the new owner of the Lazy Boy, as I’m sure you must know. He’s quickly picked
up a reputation for having a roving eye and hands.” He quirked a brow at her.
“It figures he’d hire a young woman to do up his place. I gather your
credentials didn’t need much checking into.”

Callie glared at him. “How dare you!
If you must know, I am very highly regarded in my profession. I was hired by Mr
Cunningham because I am the best. Not for any other reason!”

He snorted and opened the door of his
van. “You keep telling yourself that. Nobody’s going to believe you.” He shut
the door before Callie could respond.

She seethed and cursed the arrogant
man under her breath. How dare he sit there and judge her! She was a
professional that had worked in some of the most exclusive places in London.
She was hardly in need of using her appearance to get work. She’d never met a
man quite as rude as him. Had he never heard of customer service? She had a
good mind to report him!

Callie gripped her hands together
tightly as if she had his neck between her fingers. Drawing in a deep breath, she
pried her hands apart and forced herself to relax. This wasn’t like her at all.
Callie prided herself on being a calm and reasonable person. She wasn’t the
type to fly off the handle and had earned herself a reputation for being able
to stay in control under the most difficult circumstances. She wouldn’t let one
arrogant mechanic get under her skin, no matter what he said or did.

Callie jumped violently as the van
door opened and prince not so charming climbed back into the vehicle. “Ready to
go?” he enquired.

“The sooner I’m out of your boorish
company, the better!” she sniffed, her nose rising several degrees. He laughed,
further igniting her ire.

He twisted the key in the ignition
and the van roared into life. The man pulled his seatbelt around his body and
clicked it into place. Callie would have dearly loved to strangle him with it.

As he pulled slowly onto the road,
she glanced back at the layby through the large wing mirror on her side of the
van. Her heart skipped several beats and she stared in shock.

Standing in the middle of the layby
was the girl. Even though the rain poured down around her, it didn’t seem to
touch the child. Callie shivered. Was it her imagination or did the rain
actually pass through the girl? Even though she knew it was impossible, Callie
was sure the girl’s eyes clapped onto her own through the mirror. She could
sense the intensity of the child’s stare. A deep foreboding flowed through her
body.

She snapped her eyes to the road
ahead. It wasn’t possible that she’d seen anything. It was her imagination.
Maybe this trip to meet her real mother was taking more of a toll on her than
she’d thought. Callie dismissed the encounters as nothing more than her
overwrought imagination.

“
Turn back………..before it’s too
late
.” The whispered words were soft, as if they’d been tossed on the wind.
Callie shivered and drew her arms around herself.

The dark road sped past, carrying her
towards her destination. There was no going back now!