As he drove home, Grant told them what had been happening back in Blossom Hill. “There was a trail of blood from where you were hit all the way out to the parking lot. According to the crime scene techs it looked like it was dripped as you were carried.”
“So this woman picked me up and carried me?” Sadie asked, raising her eyebrows. “I’m not exactly as light as a feather.”
Marcus thought about the woman he’d seen. She was about Sadie’s height, but a lot thinner—one of the Hollywood types. He didn’t say anything yet, however, he just listened.
“Yeah…I mean, not that you’re large or anything,” Grant said, “but we also thought it was odd that this woman picked you up and carried you. The other thing was that the tech said the blood splattered when it hit the ground like you’d been held up high. According to the descriptions we got of this woman from Marcus and Peter and a couple of other people in the bar that saw her, she wasn’t much taller than you, if at all. So that’s the main reason the detective wanted to ask you if there was anyone else, someone that might be angry with you for some reason.”
“I just don’t know. If it wasn’t her, then who?”
“I wish we knew,” Grant said, shaking his head. “You’re sure there’s no one else that might want to do you harm? No one that’s angry with you or holds a grudge against you? Maybe an old boyfriend or something?”
Sadie had a thoughtful look on her face. Marcus could’ve kicked himself. He hadn’t even thought of that. Of course Sadie hadn’t been sitting celibate for the eight years he was gone.
Finally, she said, “There was this guy…Brendan Michaels. We were together for a couple of years. Then just about two years ago…” She looked over the seat at Marcus and continued, “Right before you came home, we got into a big fight. He’d never been physical with me, but that day he had been drinking and he was so angry. I left the house and went to take a walk. He followed me. We ended up in Mason’s store. In the midst of the argument, he picked up a jar of pickles and he threw them at me.” She looked like that still shocked her, even after all of this time. “The jar hit me in the side of the face really hard and I fell down to the floor. The glass shattered and cut me and he just stood there, watching it all like he was fascinated. Mason heard the ruckus and he came running with the gun he keeps under the counter. He told Brendan that if he ever saw him again, he’d use the gun. Brendan left and Mason tried to call Mickey but I wouldn’t let him. I was embarrassed and I just wanted to go home. He closed up the shop and drove me to Doc’s place first against my wishes. Doc just cleaned up the cuts and checked out the bump on my head and let me go. By the time Mason and I got to the house, Brendan was gone. He’d taken some of his things. He never came back for the rest…”
“He lived there?” Marcus asked. He hadn’t meant for it to come out sounding so harsh or judgmental, but it just came out.
Sadie winced slightly. “Yes. He was living in San Antonio when we met. We moved in together about a year after we started dating. He was a traveling salesman, so he could do his job from anywhere. He’d lived with me for almost a year by then.”
“So have you seen him or heard from him lately?” Grant asked, trying to redirect the conversation.
“No, I haven’t seen or heard from him since that day. Like I said, it was two years ago, so I doubt that this is his doing. But he’s the only person in my life that was ever that angry with me, at least enough to do something violent.”
“Why haven’t I ever heard anything about this guy?” Marcus asked. He was telling himself that his questions were all about helping Sadie, but he knew it was about a lot more than that.
She shrugged. “I don’t know. Once you came back everyone seemed to forget Brendan and focus on our history instead. Mickey never liked him so when I told him we broke up, he was happy. He didn’t ask questions. You know how Mickey is. Cade didn’t care for him either, but they all just seemed happy that he was gone. I mean, in their defense none of them knew what happened that day at the store.”
“Sadie, I know this is really personal,” Grant said apologetically, “but can you tell us what you were fighting about that day?”
She looked at Marcus again. It was dark in the car but he thought he could see the color rising in her face. “I’d heard at the bar that Marcus was coming home. I was on the phone that afternoon with Laura, telling her about it and Brendan overheard me saying that I was…well, something like I was looking forward to seeing him.”
Grant looked at Marcus in the rearview mirror. It was beginning to seem more likely that this guy was responsible, rather than the woman stalking Peter. But why wait two years? Marcus wasn’t happy to find out about Sadie’s history with this piece of shit, but he did feel a little better that at least they’d have more of a starting point than they would with the woman…the “ghost,” as Peter called her.
When they pulled into Sadie’s driveway, Grant put the car in park and Marcus helped her out.
“Can you hand me your keys, Sadie?” he asked.
She reached into her little bag and pulled them out. After she handed them to him, she started up the driveway to the door, but he laid a gentle hand on her arm.
“Stay here with Grant,” he said, looking at Grant, who nodded in understanding. He slammed the door behind him and silently crept up the driveway to her door. He felt angry with her and he had no idea why. It was ridiculous.
He slid his hand in the back of his jeans and pulled out his gun as he unlocked the door. With his back to the wall, he slid in through the foyer and flipped on the overhead light. The living room was neat as a pin and there was no one there and no sign of a disturbance. He continued on into the kitchen and the bathroom in the hallway, leaving the lights on in each room as he went. Lastly, he stepped into Sadie’s bedroom and flipped on the light. He was at once overwhelmed with the sights and smells of her. The room had a comfortable looking double bed with a hand-made quilt on top. Big white pillows were stacked against the headboard. There was an oak nightstand on each side of the bed and a big dresser with a mirror on the other wall facing the bed. This room wasn’t as neat as the others. Articles of clothing and bags and shoes lay here and there. The dresser top looked like it was covered with things she emptied out of her pockets at night and her clothes hamper was full and running over. Marcus smiled. He was secretly glad to discover that she wasn’t perfect after all.
He checked the closet and the small bathroom attached to her bedroom. It had a big, deep, claw-foot tub and he couldn’t stop himself from picturing her relaxing in it, buried in a sea of bubbles. He chastised himself, shook off that thought, and went to check out the last bedroom. Sadie had turned that one into a crafting room of sorts. There was a sewing machine, a craft table, and various half-finished projects around the room. There was no sign of anyone in the house, which was good. As he headed back down the hallway he took the time to look at the photos on the walls. Most of them were of her and Laura or her and Mickey, and there were a few really old photos of her mother, but at the end of the hallway there was one that stopped him in his tracks. It was a five by seven photo of her and Marcus at prom. The smile on her face was radiant and Marcus was instantly transported back in time once again. Pictures were taken as soon as they got there, before dinner. The photographer had him stand behind her and hold her around the waist. Sadie’s smile was focused on the camera, but Marcus was looking at his date and the look in his eyes was one of awe. He couldn’t believe she’d kept that picture, much less up on the wall of her home.
He forced himself back to the present and went outside to get her. She and Grant were both standing outside of the car now, talking. Grant stood more upright when he saw him and said, “All clear?”
Marcus nodded. “Yeah. It doesn’t look like anyone has been there, but Sadie will have to check that out for herself since I didn’t know what to look for.” Since I was never invited into her home…much less to live with her. He didn’t know where that thought came from. Maybe it was exhaustion; he was so tired all of a sudden.
“Good,” Grant said. “Sadie says she has some pictures of this Brendan guy. I talked to Cade. He wants us all to meet at his place in the morning at nine. He asked Sadie to bring the pictures and anything she can find that might have his DNA on it.” The idea of that scumbag’s DNA in Sadie’s house made him nauseated once more.
“Okay. I’ll walk over and get the truck in the morning…”
“Wait, you’re planning on staying here?” Sadie asked, alarmed.
“Yes. You’re not staying alone until we catch this guy…or at least talk to him and clear him.”
“Oh, I’m not?” She raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow.
“I’m sorry if that sounded bossy, Sadie, but it wouldn’t be safe for you to be alone right now.”
“It’s okay,” she said with a sigh. “I’m sorry. My head hurts and I’m just so tired.”
“I know,” he said. “Thanks Grant. We’ll see you in the morning.” Marcus put his arm around Sadie and followed her into the house. The first thing she did was call Mickey and tell him that she was home. Marcus heard her telling him that he was going to stay with her. She was sure to say, “Marcus is staying in the guest room.” He wondered how Mickey handled it when she was living with that Brendan guy. That alone was probably reason enough for Mickey to not like him. He didn’t seem like your ordinary daddy, but when it came to his little girl and men, he had some strong opinions. Marcus knew that firsthand.
“I’m going to take a shower,” she said. “Are you hungry?”
Marcus realized that he hadn’t eaten since lunch and his stomach rumbled in answer to her question. “Starving,” he said with a sheepish grin. Sadie smiled.
“There might not be a lot to pick from in there,” she motioned toward the kitchen, “but help yourself to what you can find.”
“Are you going to eat?” Her pretty face was as white as a sheet except for the dark purple circles around her eyes.
“I’m not really hungry,” she said, “just tired.”
He watched her go and found himself worrying for a minute that she’d fall in the shower or slip and hit her head on the tub. Finally shaking that off, he went over and opened the refrigerator. She was right, there wasn’t much. Marcus found some sausage that wasn’t expired and some eggs. He hunted around until he found a skillet and put the sausage on to fry while he scrambled the eggs and put a couple slices of bread in the toaster. By the time Sadie came out dressed in a tank top and a pair of yoga pants that made parts of Marcus’s body stand up and take notice, he was almost finished eating.
“Feel better?” he asked. Her face was scrubbed clean and she had a towel on her head. She was still as white as a ghost, but she looked slightly more refreshed.
She nodded. “A lot better.” She went over to the cabinet and took out a bottle of Tylenol. After shaking three into her hand she popped them in her mouth and went over and got a bottle of water out of the fridge to wash them down.
“I made extra, just in case you want to eat.”
Sadie looked at the sausage and put her hand over her belly. “I don’t think I could keep anything down right now. I think I’m just going to go lie down now.”
Marcus nodded. “Yell if you need me,” he said.
“There should be plenty of towels in the guest bathroom and there’s a fan in the guest bedroom if you get hot and…”
“Hey, I’ll figure it out,” Marcus said gently. He didn’t want her to stress out about anything. “Go get some rest, okay?”
She nodded wearily and started out of the kitchen. Before she got far, though, she turned back around suddenly and grabbed Marcus in a tight hug. He was still sitting down so his face was pressed into the side of her breast as she held him tightly.
“Thank you,” she said quietly. Her voice was thick with tears and Marcus couldn’t stand it. She didn’t deserve this. He pulled her down into his lap and pushed back from the table at the same time. Sliding his arms underneath her, he cuddled her to his chest. He sat there like that for a few moments, just enjoying the feel of her face pressing against his ribcage while his heart hammered in his chest. At last he stood up, taking her with him, and carried her down the hall. When he got to her bedroom he carried her over to the bed and lay her down in the center of it. She looked up at him with wet eyes and a gentle smile.
“Thank you,” she said again.
“You’re welcome. Get some rest.”
He turned to leave the room and was almost to the door when he heard her say his name.
He turned to look at her. “Don’t leave me. Lay with me, please.”
He wordlessly went back over to the bed and slipped off his boots. Then, in jeans and t-shirt, he lay down next to her, cuddling her into his chest. Feeling her snuggled into him with her chest rising and falling slowly and her breathing gradually deepening was the most exquisite form of torture he’d ever experienced.