Chapter 9

 

MARISSA TRIED TO stop trembling.

She couldn’t tear her eyes away from the large puddle of congealed blood. All she wanted was a shower to wash away the memories of the last few hours. Instead, she’d walked into a scene out of a horror movie. It looked as if someone had been attacked in her bathroom. She started shaking as the implication of what that meant hit her.

There was a lot of blood.

Someone had been seriously injured in her bathroom.

“Are you hurt?” Firbin’s voice boomed in the doorway. His eyes were wide with concern and all she could do was point at the tub.

He walked over and pulled the shower curtain out of the way.

“Blood.” He crouched down to look at it more closely. “At least a day old.”

“It coincides with the blood on the car floor mat.”

“I just bought that vehicle. It’ll be ruined now.” Marissa said the first thing that popped into her head. “Oh God, that sounds so callous.”

“It’s on the floor mat.” Thero had pushed into the doorway beside Niail.

Thoughts of how ridiculous it looked to have two giants trying to squeeze through her bathroom door raced through her mind. She wanted to start laughing and crying at the same time. It was wrong, but she couldn’t help it.

“You need to sit down.” Firbin stood and took her elbow. “You’re in shock.”

“I need to figure out the last few days of my life.” Marissa shook her head. “From the looks of this place, it ended in a lot of violence.”

Firbin guided her past the other two and into her bedroom. He pushed her onto her bed and then stood back with his arms crossed. All he did was look at her and that was giving her a strange sensation in her stomach. She knew without being told that he was deeply concerned for her state of mind.

“I’m okay.” Marissa straightened her shoulders. “Shock affects people differently. Once I’ve processed all of this, I’ll be fine. I wish my memory would return.”

Niail joined Firbin. “It is a large quantity of blood, but not enough to mean death.”

“So no one was killed in my bathtub?”

Niail shook his head. “They wanted it to look like it was possible though. That’s why there was blood left in your vehicle and tub. Some was even washed down the drain.”

“How can you be certain they wanted to frame me?” Marissa’s voice rose and she fought back her hysteria. “Maybe they wanted to do something worse.”

“You’re alive.” Niail’s voice was brutally honest.

Marissa shuddered. “I suppose that’s a positive.”

At this moment she wasn’t so sure about that. After everything that had happened, she wondered if she would ever be the same again. Maybe that was why her memory wasn’t returning. Everything had been too horrible to contemplate and it was protecting her from a knowledge she wouldn’t be able to handle.

“We will protect you now.” Firbin’s words sounded like a vow.

For a split second Marissa wondered how Firbin had known what she was thinking, but then she realized that her emotions must be obvious. She’d long past the point where she wanted to hide herself from these men. They had saved her. They were her only hope of getting out of this nightmare alive.

“Thero says the amount of blood in the car is minor. He is taking out the floor mats now so you will not have to see it.”

“Thank him for me.” Marissa shuddered as she thought about the implications if the authorities ever found blood in her car. “Why would anyone do this?”

“I think they were setting up a scenario for your disappearance,” Niail suggested. “It is not unheard of on your planet for people to do such things.”

“You’re suggesting a conspiracy.” Marissa felt her body returning to normal. “That makes no sense for someone as insignificant as me.”

“It must be something you have knowledge of.” Firbin looked about her room. “There seems to be a bit of disarray here. Did you do this?”

Marissa frowned. She’d been too busy to notice anything when she’d first come in for a change of clothes. The room had been dark and she’d gone straight to her dresser and pulled out clean undergarments. Now when she looked around, she noticed several things out of place. Her closet was wide open and the floor was littered with clothes that had been strewn around. Even her bed was rumpled up.

“No.” Marissa stood and started to straighten her sheets. “I never leave my house looking like this.”

Firbin reached a hand out and stopped her. “Leave it. We may find something here that tells us who set this scene.”

“Do you have any injuries?” Niail had stepped into the room and was examining some papers that were thrown down by the window.

Marissa eyes widened. Injuries? Hadn’t she already suffered enough?

“We want to know if this is actually your blood.” Firbin’s voice was low and soothing. “Did you notice any cuts?”

“I haven’t had a chance to shower.”

“We will leave you to examine yourself, but please don’t touch anything.” Niail left the room, followed by Thero.

“Do not worry about this.” Firbin started for the door. “We will get the answers you need.”

“I hope so.” Marissa spoke under her breath. When Firbin had shut the door behind him, she pulled off her suit jacket, skirt, and top. She examined the front of her body and then twisted to examine her back in the mirror.

Nothing.

Not a mark, or cut, or scratch.

Whatever had happened to her, she’d gone without a fight. That could only mean one thing. She’d been drugged before they kidnapped her, otherwise she would have defended herself. Growing up with four brothers meant that she had learned at a young age to stand up for herself and fight.

She leaned back against the bed and put her head in her hands. What had she got involved in? For the life of her, she couldn’t remember anything in her job duties that would have warranted her being kidnapped, and then having someone stage her house to look as if she were dead.

At least that’s what she thought they had meant to do.

What if they were setting her up as a murderer?

It would be easy enough. She’d disappeared and there was someone’s blood in her house and car. Just match the DNA to a missing person and she’d be framed for murder. She took a gulp of air and forced herself to relax. Her mind was going crazy with the possibilities, but none of it made sense.

She needed to remember.

She reached for her change of clothing and started to dress. There was no point in taking a shower now. Jeans and a t-shirt would have to do. She pulled on socks and a pair of functional running shoes. The way this day was going, who knew what she’d be running from in another hour.

She stood and went to the door.

Firbin was waiting on the other side.

He raised an eyebrow and she shook her head. “No injuries. The blood isn’t mine.”

“Unless they found a way to get a quantity of your blood.”

“I don’t think very many people would have access to something like that.” Marissa’s voice was dry. “You guys should be writing fiction.”

“Are you certain that you did not donate blood?” Firbin persisted.

“There’s a blood clinic every other month. The company sponsors it.”

“That is how they were able to get a large quantity. I imagine that they stockpile all of their employees just in case they need it.”

“What difference would it make whose blood they used?”

“If the blood was yours, it would mean that they meant to stage it so it looked like harm had come to you. Otherwise, they want you to be blamed for killing someone else.” Firbin’s gaze never left her face.

“Do I look like a person capable of killing someone?” Marissa rolled her eyes.

“In the right circumstances, yes.” There was not even a hint of humor in Firbin’s voice.

Marissa opened her mouth to deny it and then stopped. He was right. Given the right motivation, she would kill someone. “I wouldn’t be stupid enough to leave the evidence in my bathtub.”

Firbin grinned. “I hope not. That would make it more difficult to cover it up.”

Niail walked out of the bathroom. “It was deliberately staged. From what I can see, they left no evidence of who they were. I would say they were professionals.”

“They had to have access to a large quantity of blood.” Firbin looked at her.

“I wonder what their resume looks like?” Marissa couldn’t help herself. The situation was so bizarre and beyond her normal experiences that it felt like she was in the middle of a comedy.

“There are such people.” Niail’s voice was quiet. “We have come across even worse scenarios.”

Marissa shuddered. “How can people do that?”

“Humans seem capable of almost anything.” Firbin picked up a piece of paper that was lying next to the desk in her bedroom. “Is this yours?”

Marissa frowned. “I’ve never seen it before. What does it say?”

“It is a threat on your life.” Firbin’s voice was devoid of emotion.

Marissa grabbed the paper out of his hand. He was right. In a collage of letters cut from magazines and newspapers the message was clear.

You must pay your debts or your family will suffer. You have two days.

“What debt?” Marissa handed the paper back to Firbin. “I don’t owe anyone.”

“Then this is another part of the staging.” Firbin handed it to Niail. “We should dispose of this and search for other planted evidence.”

“You think they were suggesting I had gambling debts because I live in Las Vegas?” Marissa snorted. “Anyone who knew me would see right through that one. I abhor gambling. It’s the most ridiculous time waster imaginable.”

“That may be true, but if you were reported missing, this is what the police would find.” Firbin continued to search through the desk drawers.

“Why would anyone care enough to make me disappear?” Marissa took a deep breath to control her exasperation. “Thousands of people go missing every day all over the world and no one notices.”

“Not all of them work for a major Oil Company, which has ties to the Shadow Government that is hiding the existence of aliens on this planet.”

“So we’re back to that?” Marissa plopped down on the bed. “I really don’t think that Douglas is involved in anything so ludicrous. Why would he risk everything he has, to protect monsters who intend to destroy Earth?”

“He believes he will be one of the few survivors.” Firbin pulled out another paper from her top drawer and handed it to her. “Is this real?”

It was a bank statement.

Marissa’s eyes widened as she noticed the balance.

“Where did my savings go?” Her voice filled with outrage. “It says I owe over one hundred thousand dollars. That’s ridiculous. I pay my bills on time.”

“So you don’t have debt?” Firbin’s voice was quiet. “They have managed to gain access to your personal bank. This is not a problem for Albirsion Corporation. They own most of the world’s banks.”

“How could you possibly know that?”

“We have had encounters with them over banking in the past.” Firbin put the bank statement on the bed and reached into the desk drawer and pulled out a stack of other statements. “They have control of most of the world’s banks. If your boss is involved, then he could easily have had these documents forged.”

Firbin handed her the stack of papers. It was more false bank statements, all of them showing the same thing. She owed money. She threw them on the bed and clenched her fists. Everything she had worked for over the years was gone. In the blink of the eye. It was as if she never existed and in her place was a made-up person.

“How can they do this?” Her voice was hoarse.

“It is how they gain control and keep it.” Firbin gathered the papers together. “We will try and see if we can follow the trail of these statements to the truth. It will be difficult though.”

“What else do you think they’ve done?”

Firbin glanced around the room. “They’ve probably taken something you’re not aware of. Something that a friend or family would recognize as belonging to you.”

“To leave it somewhere that would suggest that I’ve been hurt?”

Firbin nodded. “This happens too often.”

“And here I thought all those conspiracy theories were fake.” Marissa’s voice was dry. “I should have paid more attention.”

“Why? It would not have changed anything.” Firbin’s voice was intense. “Those who wish to do harm will always exist. They have no honor and no boundaries.”

Just then Niail came back into the room. He had a picture frame in his hand. “We found this in the spare room. It was turned over in a corner. He handed her the frame. Fear tightened around her chest as she realized what the picture suggested. It was a picture of her family that was taken when her brother Will had graduated from medical school.

Her parents were standing behind Will. Pride was evident in their smiles. Her brothers Charles and Jack were in their military dress uniforms. She was standing between the two of them and her younger brother Sam was beside her mother. It was her favorite family picture and someone had sprayed a red line through it.

“It’s a warning.” Her voice was a hoarse whisper. “They’re threatening my brothers and parents.”

“They want the police to believe that.” Niail’s voice was calm. “Remember the note we found.”

“This makes no sense.” Marissa fought back her panic. “I don’t know anything.”

“They think you do.” Firbin took the picture from her hands. “You have to try and remember what happened when you last saw your boss.”

“Nothing.” Marissa fought to keep her voice from rising. “I already told you that it was a normal day of reviewing reports on some oil acquisitions. There was the usual correspondence and a couple of invitations.”

“Did anything seem unusual about your boss?”

“Douglas is a very personable man. He is charming and even-tempered.” Marissa rubbed her hand over her forehead. “If anything, he was nicer than usual.”

“How?”

Marissa shrugged. “He said he thought I’d been working too hard and that I needed a day off. It was late afternoon, so he said to take the next day off.”

“Did you go home?” Niail asked.

“I remember getting my purse. After that, it’s a blur.”

“Someone must have given you something that would make you unconscious.” Niail crossed his arms. “Otherwise, you would remember what you did next.”

Marissa nodded.

Niail’s reasoning made sense.

She’d lost her memory after leaving Douglas’s office, so something had to have happened before that point. But what? For the life of her she couldn’t remember anything standing out. The day had been as normal as any other day. She’d gone to the main office, sorted through the mail, putting aside the invitations and letters that Douglas needed to look at personally. There had only been one that stood out.

“There was one invitation that seemed stranger than normal.”

“An invitation?” Firbin stepped closer. “This was for Douglas?”

“It was addressed to him, but the message inside was different.”

“What did it say?” Firbin’s voice was tense.

Marissa closed her eyes and tried to envision the note in her head. It took a second, but the strange words came to her. Why hadn’t she thought of it sooner?

“I remember.”