Shadow of Suspicion (Haunted by the Past) (18 page)

“Are you feeling better?” he asked as
they approached the van.

Jason pulled out his keys from his
pocket and glanced in her direction. The cold air had certainly put colour back
into her cheeks. The rosy glow made her appear even more soft and feminine than
usual.

“I’m fine. I don’t know what came
over me. I feel so foolish.” She smiled up at him sheepishly. She had the most
beautiful smile. How come he hadn’t noticed that before?

Jason unlocked the van and helped her
into the passenger seat. He scooted round the vehicle and leapt in beside her.

“This feels familiar.” She glanced
over at him, her eyes shining in the street lights from outside. “It reminds me
of when you rescued me from the roadside when we first met. Feels like another
lifetime now.” She sighed, a wistful note in the sound.

“We just need a storm and it’ll be
total deja vu.” Jason grinned at her.

She laughed and clipped her seatbelt
into place. Her face turned serious. “It’s funny, but I actually thought of you
as my rescuer that night. Little did I know how true that would turn out to be.
It would appear that you’re always there for me when I need saving. I want you
to know how much I appreciate it.” She touched his hand and shivers raced down
his spine. He stared into her golden eyes, losing himself in their shimmering
depths. “Thank you, Jason. I owe you a lot.”

Her soft whisper skimmed over his
skin like a caress. Jason almost groaned. “It was my pleasure,” he whispered
back.

Jason found himself held spellbound
as he gazed at her beautiful face, so close to his own. He stared into her eyes
and was amazed that she seemed as transfixed by him as he was by her. His
heartbeat thudded against his ribcage. He could hear nothing but the sound of
their breathing. The van closed in around him and nothing else existed in the
world, save the two of them.

He lowered his head at the same time
as hers tipped upward to him. Their lips brushed against each other with the
barest hint of physical contact. Her sigh inflamed his blood and sent a tidal
wave of desire crashing through him. His hand slid to the back of her head. He
cupped her skull in his large hands and his mouth took full possession of hers.

Her lips parted under his passionate
assault. She tasted so sweet, like wine and strawberries in summer. He groaned,
sensations flooding through him so fast that his head spun. Callie’s arms
slipped around his neck and her tongue darted out to touch his lips. He moaned and
pulled that tempting morsel into his mouth.

Their tongues duelled, fuelling his
passion to greater heights. Callie sure knew how to kiss! His whole body burned
for her. She cradled his face with her soft hands, her fingers running over his
stubbled cheeks. The sensation made him shiver. Warmth flooded through his
heart. Jason drew in a shuddering breath and pulled back, suddenly fearful of
where this was heading. He didn’t want to feel this way again. Not yet.

“I’m sorry, that shouldn’t have
happened.” His voice sounded raspy and thick with desire.

“There’s no need to apologise. I
instigated that just as much as you did.” The forlorn note in her voice tugged
at his heart.

Callie trailed a finger over her
damp, kiss swollen lips. She gazed at him with such longing that Jason almost
groaned. His body quivered and ached for him to continue the kiss and so much
more with her, but he couldn’t do it. He wasn’t ready to start something so
soon after Lucinda. It wouldn’t be fair on Callie.

“It’s too soon for me. Do you
understand?” He glanced at her, afraid of what he would see in her expression.

She stared back at him, a hint of
sadness still reflected in her gaze. “I do understand. It won’t happen again,
but I can’t pretend that it wasn’t great.” Did she have to say that? It was
like a sucker punch to his gut. She held her hand out to him. “Friends only
then? Heaven knows, I need all the support I can get right now.”

He shook her hand and ignored the
little electric shocks that ran up his arm from her touch. “Friends would be
great.”

Jason reached over his shoulder and
pulled the seatbelt around his body. He clipped it into place and cleared his
throat. “By the way, your car will be fixed by the weekend as promised. The
engine will be arriving in a couple of days.”

“It’s not so urgent now.” He glanced
over at her as he turned the key in the ignition.

“Oh? I thought you were in a hurry to
get back to London.”

“I’m sorry. I forgot to let you know.
Mr Cunningham wouldn’t let me work from London and if I break my contract,
he’ll sue me. I can’t afford to walk away, so I’m stuck here for the time
being.” Callie’s sigh filled the air.

Jason shrugged. “I could be wrong,
but maybe it’s a good thing that Cunningham said no. After all, you seem to
want to know what happened to this Sophie person rather badly. Care to fill me
in on what happened tonight. I want to know what Sandra said to Fay too.” Jason
released the hand break and pulled out onto the road. “You can trust me. What
are friends for, if not to help?”

“Very true.” Silence filled the air
for several moments. “Okay. I have to talk to someone, especially after
tonight. But I have no idea if you’ll believe me. Just keep an open mind,
okay?”

Jason glanced at her, startled. “That
sounds intriguing.”

“It’s that and more. You drive, while
I tell you a story. It all started with the letter from my mother, or rather
from your father………”

*****

Lucinda seethed. Her hands twisted
around a branch of the bush she was hiding behind. She glared at the van that
swept past her and sped down the street. The tail lights glowed red in the darkness.
Lucinda didn’t remove her gaze from the vehicle until it had turned the corner
and disappeared.

A sharp snap echoed through the
night. She glanced down at the broken branch clutched in her hand. He’d lied to
her! She hadn’t wanted to believe it, but Sue was right all along. Lucinda
clenched her jaw. It was a good thing she’d taken to following Jason as Sue
suggested, or she may never have found out that he was hooking up with that
bitch. How could he forget about her, as though she’d never existed in his
life?

Lucinda removed her hand from the
branch. She gazed at its twisted form. The sight gave her an idea and her lips
stretched into a grin. She had to consult with Sue. Her friend would know how
to implement Lucinda’s plan. Sue always did.

One way or another, Callie would get
what she deserved. Once that redheaded bitch was out of the way, Jason would
soon come back to her. Things would be as they were meant to be. Nobody kept
Lucinda from what belonged to her. Nobody!

Silence reigned inside the van.
Callie squirmed in her seat. They’d been parked outside the Lazy Boy for the
past half hour, but neither one of them had moved an inch. Callie had finished
telling Jason of the events that had taken place since that fateful letter had
arrived, but so far he’d said nothing. The lights from the B&B windows
shone into the van and lit his features clearly, but she couldn’t read his
expression.

Callie hoped she hadn’t made a
mistake confiding in Jason. She’d desperately needed to talk to someone.
Normally it would be Jade, but Callie had kept her friend in the dark over the
events that had taken place. She knew Jade would be down the motorway before
she’d finished explaining. The last thing she wanted to do was to cause her
flatmate to panic, and there was no doubt that Jade would freak if she knew
Callie was under threat. Jason had been the safer option or so she’d thought.

“Please say something. Even if it’s
to say that you think I’m crazy. At least then I’d know what you were
thinking.” Callie twisted her hands in her lap.

Jason glanced at her. He opened and
closed his mouth a couple of times, but nothing came out. She’d never seen him
stuck for words before. It wasn’t a good sign.

He shrugged and ran a hand down his
face. “I’m not sure what to say. It’s such an outlandish story.”

“I know. If it hadn’t happened to me,
I’m not sure I’d believe it either.”

Callie bit her lip and instantly
regretted it. She could taste Jason on her tongue as if his mouth was still on
hers. Her heart ached. The kiss they had shared had been like touching heaven.
She’d never wanted it to end. Callie had never experienced such perfection in
her entire life, as if she and Jason were made for each other. For that one
sweet moment, she’d felt like she belonged to someone. If only it hadn’t ended.
She had no idea how she was meant to forget it and just be friends with him.
Why could nothing in her life ever be simple?

“I didn’t say I don’t believe it.”
Jason twisted in his seat to fully face her. “It’s just hard to comprehend. You
actually saw this girl, Sophie, before you ever saw the picture? And there’s no
possible way that you may have seen her somewhere before?”

“How? I’ve never met any of my family
before coming here. Today was the first time I saw Sophie in any way, except in
my visions.” Callie’s throat tightened with emotion. “I didn’t even know she
was a real person, let alone a dead family member.”

Jason stared out the front
windscreen, his brow furrowed. “It’s just a thought, but did Sandra ever leave
anything for your adopted parents to pass on to you? Perhaps a few family
treasures. Maybe pictures? Maybe you saw the photo years ago and forgot?”

Callie cast a withering glance in his
direction. “Don’t you think I’d have known every little thing left to me from
my birth mother? This is Sandra we’re talking about. Can you see her leaving me
little tokens from my blood relations?”

“Okay, you have a point.” Jason
sighed and rubbed his hands over his thighs. “So, what are you saying? You’ve
seen Sophie’s ghost?”

“I don’t know what other explanation
there is.” Callie hoped it wasn’t too much of a stretch for him to consider.
She needed someone to believe her. “Sophie showed up just before I was due to
travel here. She warned me to stay away. Turns out that warning was right.
Someone has been trying to hurt me ever since I arrived here.”

Jason blew out a breath. “So, the
fall down the stairs wasn’t an accident. You were pushed. Then there’s the car
incident and you said something about a photograph?”

“That’s right. That’s what I handed
to the officer after the car incident. I couldn’t bear to look at it.” She
shivered. The image was forever emblazoned on her mind. She was sure she’d
never stop having nightmares about it.

“I’m somewhat confused,” Jason
scratched his head. He propped his elbow on the back of his seat. “If Lucinda
is the culprit behind these incidents, why would your ghostly aunt turn up
before you came here? She wouldn’t have known Lucinda was a threat to you
beforehand, would she? Doesn’t this mean that Lucinda couldn’t be the one doing
these things?”

Callie shook her head. She shoved
down the surge of jealousy that welled up at his defence of his ex. “I
understand your reasoning, but if Sophie’s coming to me from the ‘other side’,”
she stuck her fingers up in the air quotes sign, “how are we to know what she’d
know or when. Can’t the dead see the future or something? I’m sure I read that
in a book on this kind of stuff.”

“This is just too weird.” Jason
scrubbed his face with his hands. His eyes looked slightly wild. “I can’t
believe I’m sitting here having this conversation. Did we just drop into the
twilight zone when I wasn’t paying attention?”

“If
you
think it’s weird,
imagine how
I
feel!” Callie laughed wryly. “I’m the one that’s
experienced Sophie’s visits first hand.”

“I’m not sure I’m ready to confront
the concept of ghosts. Let’s just deal with the threats to you. That is
something I can at least get my head around.” Jason rubbed his eyes and pinched
the bridge of his nose.

“You don’t have to get involved with
that.” Callie shifted in her seat, awkward with the turn of the conversation.
“It’s not why I told you all this. I don’t expect you to fix things for me or
anything. I just needed to get things off my chest with someone.”

“I can understand why. How have you
kept this all in without exploding?” He cast her an incredulous look. “I think
it would have driven me nuts.”

“I honestly don’t know,” Callie
admitted. “It’s been something of a burden to say the least.”

“Well, you don’t have to bear it on
your own. I’m here to help. After all, we are friends, right?” He grabbed her
hand and squeezed her fingers.

Callie’s heart soared and plummeted
all at the same time. She gazed at his face and practically melted in her seat.
Why did he have to be so damn handsome? It would be so much easier if he didn’t
make her heart pound and her palms sweat. She didn’t want to fall for him, but
she was very much afraid that she had.

“Yes. We’re…..friends.”

She hoped he didn’t catch her
hesitation or the hitch in her voice. She didn’t want just friendship with him.
Callie wanted so much more. Her heart yearned with desperate longing when he
was near her. She couldn’t pretend it was anything else. The tragedy was that
he wanted nothing more from her than her friendship. How was she to cope with
the situation when it hurt so damn much?

“Then let me help you. I suggest we
cover all bases. We can’t assume that Lucinda is behind all your problems.
Maybe Sophie was warning you about someone else. It would be foolish not to
look into your family history. If Sandra won’t give us the information we’re
seeking, I think we should try approaching a different person.” Jason stared at
her expectantly, as if she should know who he meant.

Callie’s mind refused to function.
She stared at him, completely lost. “Who? When I asked Uncle Max about my
father, he refused to tell me anything. He’s totally loyal to Sandra.”

“What about Trish? You said she would
have told you who your father was had she known. Chances are, she knows about
Sophie.” Jason cocked an eyebrow at her.

Callie’s heart raced. “Only if she
and Max were together at the time.” She sat up straighter in her seat,
breathless with the thought. “Do you think it’s possible?”

“Why don’t we find out?” Jason
started up the van and shot her a wicked grin.

“What, now?” Callie squeaked. “Jason,
it’s heading for evening. Isn’t it rude to turn up this late unannounced?”

“Callie Price! I never took you for
the shy, wimp out type. Where’s your courage?” He laughed at her.

“I think I lost it when some oaf
knocked me off my feet the other day!” Callie swatted at his arm and grinned
broadly. “Seriously, I’m not sure this is such a good idea. Max will probably
be home.”

“He won’t. I happen to know he’s gone
to Taunton with Mitch for a business meeting. He won’t be back until tomorrow.
This is the perfect opportunity. Trust me,” Jason released the hand break and
drove slowly out of the car-park, “I’ll charm the answers out of Trish. She never
could resist me!”

Callie rolled her eyes. “That’s if
your big head can get through the front door to apply your talents!”

Jason’s laughter filled the van. They
fell silent as he traversed through the narrow streets towards the outskirts of
town. Callie felt sick with trepidation. She found it hard to stay still in her
seat. Her mind ran over several versions of what to say when they arrived at
Trish’s home. Nothing sounded right.

She glanced over at Jason. He seemed
so supremely confident. She had to admit she was glad he was by her side. It
was a relief not to be alone with her worries. The strain was definitely
starting to erode her nerves. Now that Mr Cunningham had destroyed her hope of
leaving town, she needed all the help she could get to dig to the bottom of
this mess.

“We’re here.” Callie’s stomach rolled
at Jason’s announcement. How had they arrived so fast? She wasn’t ready!

 Jason pulled the van to the side of
the road in front of a large house. An iron fence with a gate surrounded the
property. Callie guessed the place had to have at least five bedrooms, probably
six. It was hard to see in the dim glow of the street lights, but it appeared
that everything was extremely well kept. From experience, Callie knew a house
like that would cost a small fortune to purchase.

No wonder Mitch and her grandmother
had accused her of being after money. She hadn’t paid it much notice before.
She could kick herself for her stupidity. They were minted. Obviously this was
what her grandmother had meant about the family reputation. It was ridiculous
in Callie’s eyes. As if anyone would care about an illegitimate child in this
day and age. Who did her grandmother think the Fuller’s were? The Royal family?

“Are you going to stand there staring
all night, or are we getting this investigation under way?”

Callie jerked and glanced at Jason.
At some point during her wool-gathering, he’d slipped out of the van and stood
on the pavement staring in at her. The small smile tugging on the corners of
his lips made her heart flip over.

“I’m sorry. I just didn’t expect all
this.” She waved her hand at the house as she climbed out of the van and
slammed the door shut. “I thought it would be another cosy cottage like
Sandra’s home.”

“The Fuller’s are kind of loaded.
Mitch doesn’t really have to work for me, but he wants to learn every aspect of
the car industry, in a business not run by his dad. He’s intending on entering
the family business in a couple of years.” Jason rounded the van and tugged on
her arm. He led her toward the gate. “Come on. You won’t find your answers
standing on the street.”

He opened the gate and pushed her
gently through it. Callie dragged her heels as they walked up the long
driveway. She didn’t hold out much hope that this encounter would turn out any
better than her disaster with Sandra.

Jason rang the doorbell and shot her
an encouraging smile. Callie grimaced back and ran her sweating palms down her
coat. The door swung open and Trish stood framed by the light behind her. She
stared at them, surprise written all over her face.

“Hello, dears. I didn’t expect to see
you two so soon. What brings you here? Is there anything wrong?”

“Sorry to drop in unannounced, but
Callie here wondered if you could help her with something.” Jason waved a hand
in her direction. “It’s rather delicate and may take a little time. Could we
come in?”

“You do realise that Max isn’t home.”
Trish clutched at her throat with one hand. “I thought you knew he was at a
meeting tonight.”

“We kind of thought that you’d be
able to help us with this, actually.” Callie was pleased to note that her voice
sounded steady. No trace of her anxiety bled through……….she hoped. “I’m not
sure Uncle Max would be the right person to ask, under the circumstances.”

“I’m not sure what help I can be, but
you’re welcome to come in.” Trish stepped back from the door and opened it
wider.

Callie stepped through the doorway
and into a large hall. She could hear Jason’s coat rustling as he entered the
house behind her. Automatically, Callie scanned the area with a critical eye.
The space was large and airy. A wooden seat sat to one side with a coat rack
next to it. The floor was covered with black and white tiles.

Callie resisted the urge to wrinkle
her nose. That type of floor design was a pet hate of hers and made her shudder
every time she saw it. The professional in her wanted to rip the tiles up and
start again. She’d never understood the enticement for that pattern anywhere in
a home. It was so clinical and depressing.

“Just hang your coats up and if you
don’t mind, I would appreciate you taking off your shoes. The carpet in the living
room is cream and I don’t want it to get dirty.” Trish smiled warmly. “Would
either of you like a drink?”

“We’re fine, thank you.” Callie
slipped her coat off and hung it on an arm of the rack. She bent over and
tugged her shoes off, placing them under the wooden bench. “We’re not here to
put you to any trouble. We shan’t stay long.”