“I’m going back up to the house,” she said. “Jason, can we assume you’re done swimming for the day?”
He pretended to consider, then flashed her a roguish grin when she glared at him. “I’m sure I can find something else to do,” he acquiesced.
“Great. I’ll get started on lunch.” She took a step backward and swayed slightly on her unsteady legs.
“I’ll help,” Allie said, slipping her hand into Rain’s.
Rain slid her a grateful look as they turned and made their way back across the beach.
****
Rain retreated to her room after lunch, melting onto her bed with a sigh. She and Allie had planned a dinner menu while cleaning up the kitchen, and Allie had cheerfully volunteered to do the grocery shopping. Jason was on the porch, sweating through crunches and push-ups. He had invited Rain to join him for the workout, but she had quickly declined. His innocent offer reminded her of how she had somehow turned their Sunday night conversation into a discussion of his amazing abdominal muscles. She decided the last thing she needed to do was watch him exercise bare-chested in the heat. Lusting after Jason was not her purpose at the lake.
Her gaze landed on her bag of writing materials, and she reached over and hauled it onto the bed with her. Digging through the contents, she located a spiral notebook and a pen. It was time to start recording all of their strange experiences. Some logical thinking about the events of the last few days was in order, and maybe putting things on paper would reveal a sign she was missing.
Images from Sunday night’s terrifying dream floated through her mind. She recognized the nightmare’s setting, of course—the Stamford Metro-North Railroad Station, where she had been many times to catch a train into New York City. And it was the one place a clue to Brandy’s disappearance had been found. Her backpack had been left sitting next to a trash barrel in the station, not far from the ticketing office for the Greyhound and Peter Pan bus lines.
Items found inside the backpack included Brandy’s cell phone, a wallet with no cash, an empty liquor bottle, a plastic baggie containing a few miscellaneous pills, several articles of clothing, and a copy of the novel Jane Eyre. Rain couldn’t believe that Brandy would have left these possessions behind intentionally, but the police reminded her that she could have been traced by her cell phone use.
From there, the trail went nowhere. Or, more accurately, everywhere. Brandy possessed several fake licenses; however, no identification at all was required to buy a bus ticket. The Stamford Station was a hub for Amtrak Northeast Corridor trains and Greyhound and Peter Pan buses. It was also the busiest New Haven commuter line station outside of New York City. She could have taken that train line northeast to Union Station in New Haven, the busiest Amtrak station in Connecticut, or southwest to Manhattan’s Grand Central Terminal, the largest train station in the world. She could have gone anywhere.
No one even reported Brandy missing for days, which also hurt the investigation. Brandy was 18 years old, a legal adult, and had run away in the past. She had made it clear across the country once before, and her mother likely believed history would repeat itself and she would surface at her father’s house in California. Furthermore, Mrs. Pierce had surely balked at exposing her life, and her parenting, to the scrutiny of law enforcement.
Aside from the backpack, no other tangible clues were discovered. The last call from Brandy’s phone was the one to Rain. Posters and fliers and news stories generated only false leads. Interest in the case subsided and Brandy eventually became a statistic: one of the ten percent of missing persons in the United States that never return.
“Rain!” a woman’s voice called, and Rain jumped and flung her pen across the bed. Jesus, it was just Allie. Her heart thundered painfully as she rolled her eyes at her reaction. She was so tense these days. “T” for tense, she thought to herself.
“Yeah?” she called back, pulling her comforter up higher on her legs. Her skin was suddenly icy.
“I’m going to get started on dinner now—I was hoping you would keep me company and join me for some vino!”
“I’ll be right there!” she answered. Her eyebrows pulled together in frustration as her gaze fell on the notebook with three lonely words—‘train station dream’—written at the top of the page. “Fantastic progress,” she muttered to herself as she tossed it off her lap and swung her legs to the side of the bed.
The balls of her bare feet landed in a puddle of water as she shifted her weight to the floor. “Now what?” she grumbled. She gingerly stepped out of the spill and looked around for its source.
“Hurry up, Rain!” Allie called again. “I need advice, I think I’m screwing something up! This is harder than mac-n-cheese and chicken nuggets.”
Rain smiled and tried to shake off her foul mood. She couldn’t tell where the water came from, so she hurried to the linen closet and threw a hand towel on it. I’ll worry about it later, she thought to herself. Right now it was time to enjoy being with her friends.
Chapter 11
After Allie left for home on Wednesday morning, Jason suggested he and Rain go for a run. Jason tried to curb his stride at first to account for her shorter legs, but he could tell he wasn’t fooling her. She urged him to run ahead, but he refused the first few times. Finally he agreed when she argued that he was stressing her out, and he promised to double back and join her again. Then he took off, settling into a fast pace along the soft mossy ground of the woodland trail.
He ran quickly through the shady woods that surrounded the lake, trying to enjoy the cool peacefulness of the scenery. The shadowy, secluded path made him worry about Rain, however, and he was aware that he was listening anxiously for any indication that she needed help. Within fifteen minutes, he gave up. He sprinted back toward her as fast as he dared, taking care to watch his footing on the packed dirt trail. She eyed him suspiciously when they met up, but she turned around to follow him back to the beach. “Are you worried about me or something?” she called to him.
He shook his head in denial but then shrugged. They had decided not to keep any more secrets. He threw her a quick glance over his shoulder. “A little, maybe,” he admitted. Now that he could see her, the tension finally began to leave his body. He shifted into a more relaxed rhythm and they ran in silence for another five minutes.
When he slowed to a walk, she caught up to him and asked, “So, do you really think you weren’t in any danger yesterday?”
He didn’t answer immediately. She had him trapped, now, whether she was aware of it or not. On the one hand, he wanted her to be a little scared. Then maybe she would reconsider staying here by herself. But he didn’t want her to think he had been in terrible danger and start blaming herself again. He decided to go with the truth.
“I’ve been thinking about it a lot, and no, I don’t think I was in any real danger. First off, I dove under intentionally. I guess Allie just didn’t notice.” He saw Rain cringe at this statement.
The trees gave way to the coarse sand of the beach and Jason turned his visor around to shield his eyes from the sun. He looked out at the lake while he thought about his strange detour during his laps the day before.
“I was swimming, under the surface, not struggling,” he continued. “The disturbing part is how it felt like it wasn’t me making the decision. It was as though I was being directed in a day dream—I certainly wasn’t asleep. Something just compelled me to swim underwater. It’s hard to explain. When my lungs needed air, though, I sort of came back to myself and came up. And when I heard you all yelling my name, I realized how far away from shore I had gotten.”
Rain nodded thoughtfully. “Do you think it meant something?”
“I can’t imagine what. I’m still having a little trouble coming to grips with the idea of Brandy’s ghost trying to communicate with us. You think it meant something, obviously.”
“It’s hard to argue with the timing. I was talking about giving up on solving the mystery when you disappeared.” She sighed, pulling on her ponytail. “But I was just venting my frustrations. I’m not going to give up,” she added determinedly.
“I know you won’t. But I still don’t like the idea of you staying here by yourself.”
“I’ll be fine. I’m actually looking forward to it; I’ve never lived alone before. I moved in with Rick right after college.”
“Do you miss him?” Jason asked carefully.
“Rick?” Her blue-gray eyes crinkled with laughter as she looked up at him. “Not even a little bit. I know hindsight is 20/20, but I honestly can’t believe I married him.”
“Why did you?” The words rushed out before he could stop them, and he instantly regretted his blunder. “Sorry. It’s none of my business.”
She shrugged. “It’s okay. I can admit that I fell for the high school stereotype—the handsome, popular football star that all the girls loved. And then, he was a stable and comforting presence when everything I knew collapsed.” A look of pain crossed her face, and she dropped her gaze to the ground. “During college, we saw each other when we could, and then when we graduated, it felt like we had been together forever. Getting married just seemed like the natural order of things. That sounds pathetic, I know.”
“No, it sounds honest,” he replied.
“What about you? Do you miss Cara? I mean, while you’re here with us.” Color flared in Rain’s already pink cheeks.
“No, not really. Our schedules conflict, so we don’t see much of each other these days anyway. Things between us have gotten…complicated.”
“Oh,” she said, her forehead wrinkling in confusion.
He knew he owed Rain more than that—she had bared her soul to him. But his relationship with Cara was difficult to explain. He struggled to find the right words.
“We started dating in college, and it was great. We had a lot of fun. But real life is different. She and I don’t seem to have a lot in common anymore.” He paused and then laughed at himself. “That sounds lame. There’s more to it, but like I said, it’s complicated.”
She chewed on her lip, considering. “It sounds honest,” she decided, echoing his earlier statement.
Right, Jason thought, because I’m being so very honest about my feelings these days. Lifting his visor, he dragged his arm across his sweaty forehead. A subtle sting reminded him of the mysterious scratches that still marked his flesh.
He glanced at the dark red lines and frowned. They had agreed to tell each other about any unusual happenings. But the suggestion that Brandy had scratched him in a dream was just too outrageous to mention.
They walked the remainder of the beach in companionable silence, enjoying the panorama of wooded hills reflected in the glassy surface of the lake. There was no wind, and the air was still and humid. “It’s going to be another hot one today,” Jason commented as he held the screen door open for Rain.
He strode to the kitchen and pulled two water bottles out of the fridge, handing one to Rain. She tossed him a towel from the linen closet in exchange. “So, what should we do tonight?” he asked as he mopped his face with the towel. “Can I take you out to dinner? Or are you planning my good riddance party?”
She laughed and shook her head, sending her ponytail swinging. “Thanks, but it’s my last chance to cook for anyone other than myself for a while. I’ll make whatever you want and then we can watch a movie or something. I’ll save my happy dance for tomorrow after you’re gone,” she joked. “A whole week to myself—it’s hard to believe!”
“You will be careful, though, right? Just call me if you need me. I’ll keep my cell with me all the time.” He pinned her with a serious gaze.
“I promise. Now, pick something for dinner—I have a menu to plan.”
“Anything I want?” he asked, a smile tugging at his lips.
She nodded enthusiastically. “Anything. Although I can’t guarantee I won’t screw it up.”
“Based on my experience so far, I have great faith in you.” He drained his water bottle and put it in the recycling bin.
“Thanks, Jay.” The hint of a blush tinged her cheeks. “Okay, so decide on something while I change for the beach. Then I’ll make a list and send you to the store later, if you don’t mind.”
“Sure, no problem. Also, I’m doing clean up—that’s the deal.”
She raised her eyebrow at him. “Don’t think I’m going to fight you on that.”
“No? I’m disappointed. I really miss sparring, I haven’t had a good fight in almost a week.”
“That’s tragic,” Rain sympathized. “I’d love to fight you, but then I’d win and you would have to leave town in shame.”
He nodded thoughtfully. “I suppose I would just give you the studio in that case. I could never show my face again.”
“Certainly not,” she agreed. “I’m not sure what I would do with a karate studio, but at least I would have somewhere to go when I leave Holly’s. Do you think people would notice if I lived there?”
Jason pretended to consider the question as he poked around in the refrigerator. “I think you could pull it off. But we share a bathroom with the deli next door. That might get old.”
Rain carried their damp towels over to the laundry room by the staircase. “I’m certainly accustomed to more luxurious surroundings. Then again, I think I’ll take sharing a bathroom with a deli over living in a cardboard box under a bridge.”
He finally broke down and laughed as he piled some lunch meat onto a tortilla. “I don’t think they allow cardboard box houses in Westgate. Go get changed, I’ll meet you on the beach. I’ll bring the chairs, and you bring some paper and a pen. We’re going to have a long list, because now I can’t stop thinking about my favorite foods. Are you sure you’re up for this?”
She gave him a withering glance over her shoulder as she headed toward her bedroom. “Bring it,” she called out, her voice laced with challenge.
****
A cold blast of air woke Rain from her sleep. She pulled her covers higher, but the chill seeped beneath the blankets. Perhaps a storm was coming, she thought drowsily. She opened her eyes to check the windows, and saw something move near the foot of her bed.
She sat bolt upright, clutching at the covers, her heart slamming in her chest. There was someone there. A figure hovered in the darkness. It shimmered in and out of focus, then turned away as Rain pressed her back protectively into the wall.