My Darkest Rose

Chapter 12

Someone There

He'd never felt more alone in his life. The house was like a tomb, the only sound the occasional hum of the refrigerator.

He thought of how he must have looked to those teenagers hiding in the woods. Had they watched him run around the house slamming doors? Had they heard him talking to himself?

How pathetic he must have looked to them. How sad.

He laid on the couch and stared at the ceiling. He wanted to leave the door open for Theodore, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Instead, he left an open can of tuna on the deck, hoping to lure him home.

Outside, deep in the shadows, near the rotting husk of a fallen Sycamore, the creature watched the house. Inside its chest, what might have been a heart or maybe just a matted nest of fish bones and lake detritus, began to vibrate in sync with Jack's fear, developing into a rhythm that fed its body like lifeblood.

Sometime near sunrise, as the shadows were gently pushed away and the creature returned to the dark places beneath the forest floor, he finally slept.

He dreamed of a storm so strong the trees that surrounded the lake broke and fell into the water. But when he got close, he saw the broken limbs were not made of wood, but flesh and bone, floating atop the water.

When he woke, it was near noon, and his head pounded. He went onto the deck to smoke a cigarette and found the can of tuna in the corner of the deck, empty.

It could have been anything that ate it, but he had hope that it was Theodore and he was off somewhere in the woods, chasing mice and squirrels through the underbrush.

He'd decided sometime in the night to track down Mandy and tell her about the teenagers that had been on the property the night before. He figured it wouldn't do much good to file a report, but he could at least let her know what was happening.

It felt good to have someone on his side working for the Tacoma police department. He knew she was young and just a deputy, but it had to count for something.

After finishing his cigarette, he sat out a fresh can of tuna for Theodore and changed into clean clothes. He grabbed his phone and got back into the car.

If he remembered correctly, Mandy still lived in her mother's house just a few miles south of Moonwood. He hoped she would be there. He didn't have any interest in driving across town to the police station.

The storm had been worse than he realized the night before. Large trees were down all alongside the road, and road crew were out cutting limbs out of the way and fixing power lines. He was lucky he hadn't lost power the night before. He doubted he could have stayed in the house without it.

When he got to his aunt's house, there was a police car in the driveway next to a black truck. She must have seen him pull up, because she ran out the front door just as he was getting out of the car.

"Jack!" Mandy shouted.

She was tall like Jack with short hair and an infectious smile. She still looked far too young to be a cop, but she was twenty-one, old enough, he guessed.

"Mandy Loo," he said, remembering her nickname.

"Hey, Handsome," she said, wrapping him in a tight hug. "Fauna said you were coming up."

"Is there an APB out on me yet?"

She laughed as she pulled back, taking a full look at him. She studied him the way his sister did, to see if he was OK. Like there was some outward sign that would tell her all she needed to know. "Not yet. You been to the house?"

"Spent the night there," he said. "Had some visitors."

"You're actually staying out there?" She looked horrified. "You don't need to do that. I have an extra room."

"No, that's OK," he said. "There's a lot to do at the house and I brought my cat with me."

That made her laugh. "You have a cat?"

"Fauna got him for me. I didn't really have a choice." His chest ached at the thought he might be hurt out in the forest somewhere, but he pushed that aside.

"Sounds like her."

"Yeah. Hey, listen, there were some teenagers out hiding in the woods last night. They were tapping on the windows and opening the doors. Teenager stuff, but I'm not sure how to keep them away."

She nodded. "I know, they act like it's some right of passage to go out there. They dare each other to tap on the windows or swim in the lake. I drive by on my shift, but it's always new kids every time. I think you should fence off the lake and house, as much as you can. We can try to keep them off the property, but if one of those kids gets hurt out there, you could be liable."

"What?" He hadn't even thought of that.

"I know, it's shitty, and I've talked to Fauna about this before, but I'm not sure she realizes just how popular Moonwood has become with the kids around here."

It didn't seem like a good time to bring up the Jackies, so he didn't.

Movement from inside the house caught his attention. He turned toward the front bay window and saw a man standing inside, watching. It was Rose's brother, Robbie Bernardi.

Their eyes locked.

"Shit," Mandy said, "This is not how I meant for you to find out."

"Find out what?"

"Robbie and I, we're together. We started dating about a year ago."

"You're dating him?"

Robbie turned around and walked away.

"A friend introduced us," she explained.

"Was that before or after he came to my opening and threatened to destroy my painting?" A cheap shot, he knew, but he was pissed. Of all the guys she could date, him?

"I tried to talk him out of that," she said.

"I bet," Jack said, cutting her off. "I'm sure he's a great guy." He took a step away from her. "I better get back. Gotta get my Home Depot on." He turned to walk back to the car.

"Jack," she said.

"I'll see you around, Mandy."

"He's been through a lot, Jack," she said.

He waved, but didn't turn around. After the night he'd had, he had zero patience left. He wasn't about to get a lecture on considering others feelings.

As he drove back to Moonwood, the reality of his situation became clear. He was on his own. Fauna and Andrea were pissed about the painting. Theodore was off in the woods somewhere, or worse. And Mandy, the one person he was counting on to help him, was dating Rose's brother, who hated him and believed he murdered his sister.

Fix the gate. New gravel. Power wash. Roof. Fence.

He ran through the list of tasks in his head, using them like a protective shield against the growing certainty that he wasn't ready to face whatever came next. Because there were more than trespassers and house projects waiting for him in Moonwood. And more than shadows lurking in the night.