Page 38 of From the Darkness

She dragged in a breath and let it out in a rush. If he was using hypnotic tricks, he was manipulating her. Manipulating her perceptions and her emotions. And not simply because he wanted to make love to her. She was pretty sure of that. He was up to something, and she didn’t know what. Now, more than ever, she needed to have a straight conversation with him. But she knew that conversation would be at his convenience. Maybe next time he’d climb down the wall of the building and let himself into her room—like Dracula. She snorted. He’d been a mountain climber. Maybe he could do it. Meanwhile, she was going to get the help she needed from the Decorah Security Agency.

***

The person who had been following Bree’s progress since she’d stepped out of the grove crouched down behind a large clump of huckleberry bushes, the compact foliage working as an excellent screen.

The watcher kept a sharp focus on the woman as she stood for a moment staring out to sea, the wind off the ocean blowing back her long blond hair in a golden curtain. Too bad she was such a pretty little thing. Too bad she’d brought herself to Ravencrest.

A few minutes ago, she’d come out of that grove of trees.Thegrove, of all places she could have wandered on this godforsaken estate.

What was she doing nosing around in there? She’d been under the trees a long time. Plenty of time to find . .

The watcher canceled the thought, unwilling to deal with the unthinkable. She hadn’t found it! She couldn’t have found it.

But they’d better be prepared, if the worst had happened. And they’d better not let her talk to anyone else about what she’d seen and heard here.

***

With renewed purpose, Bree marched back across the headlands, into the garden and then into the house.

After that, it took another twenty minutes to locate Nola. She found the woman sitting behind the desk in a small room on the first floor that was set up as an office. Nola’s face was slightly flushed. Had she maybe been outside? Or had she been talking to her husband?

Bree dragged her gaze from the woman and eyed the communications equipment with a mixture of thanksgiving and disappointment. There was a phone in here—the only one she’d seen in the whole damn house. And a computer sitting on the desk el. If she could come back later and use the machine, she could send an e-mail to Decorah Security. But she’d have to be alone for that.

But she might not need e-mail. She might be able to solve her immediate problems here and now. Right in front of Nola.

The woman made her wait for several seconds while she finished writing on a sheet of paper on the desk—giving Bree more time to wonder if Abner had talked to his wife about the incident outside.

After carefully turning her work face down on the blotter, Nola looked up questioningly at Bree. “Can I help you?” she asked, her voice calm and controlled.

“My car won’t start. I was wondering who you’d recommend from town to come fix it.”

“Nobody is going to come out here.”

“Why not?”

“They don’t like this place. There are stories about things that have happened here.”

“Like what?”

“I already told you about the woman who went over the cliff—and her husband who haunts the house and grounds.”

Despite her earlier resolve, Bree felt a wave of cold travel over her skin before getting control of herself again. “That was years ago.”

“The folks around here have long memories.”

“Well, can I use the phone? Maybe I can get somebody to change their policy.”

Nola pushed back her chair and dug an old phone book out of a bottom desk drawer. “Be my guest,” she said as she handed over the book.

Bree sat down and began going through the listings of car repair places and gas stations. It wasn’t long, since the nearest town had only about six thousand people.

Quickly she found out that Nola was correct in her assessment of the situation. Mechanics seemed willing to drive out of town to look at a disabled car—until they found out the work would be done at Ravencrest.

She glanced up from the last call to find Nola’s gaze fixed on her. “I said you were wasting your time,” she murmured.

“Well, there are some things I forgot to bring with me from home. Would it be possible for me to borrow one of the cars here and go into town?”

Nola pulled a long face. “I’m sorry, that isn’t possible. Apparently, Mr. London had some trouble with his car insurance. Someone who wasn’t on the policy was driving one of his vehicles and had an accident. So, he was warned that his insurance would be canceled, if there was another accident with an unauthorized driver.”

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