Blake Pierce - Almost Dead

Looking across, she could see the children’s bedroom windows and in fact, in the light of the late-afternoon sun, she could make out the dark head of one of the children who was seated at a desk and busy with her homework. Since the two girls had identical ponytails and were similar in height, she couldn’t work out which one it was, because the back of the chair blocked her view of the dress, which would have clued her in. Even so, it was good to know that she could view them from her faraway room.

Cassie wanted to walk all the way around that horseshoe and get to know the children better, so she could be sure of getting off on the right foot with them.

However, they were doing their homework and were then heading out with their mother, so she would have to wait.

Instead, Cassie unpacked and made sure her room and cupboards were neat.

Ms. Rossi hadn’t asked her if she took any medications, so Cassie hadn’t had to tell her about all the anxiety meds that kept her on an even keel.

She stashed the bottles out of sight, at the back of her bedside drawer.

Cassie hadn’t expected that her first night in the house would be spent alone, making her way down to the empty kitchen and looking in the drawers until she found the menus.

The fridge was full of food, but Cassie had no idea if it was reserved for future meals, and there was nobody she could ask. All the staff, including the maid who had helped her, seemed to have left for the day. She felt self-conscious and awkward at the thought of ordering food in for herself on the family’s tab, on her very first night, but she decided it would be best to follow Ms. Rossi’s orders.

There was a phone in the kitchen, so she called one of the local restaurants and ordered a takeout lasagna and a Diet Coke. Half an hour later, it arrived. Not wanting to go into the formal dining room, Cassie did some more exploring. The downstairs area had many smaller rooms, and one of them, which she supposed was a children’s dining room, had a small table with four chairs.

She sat there and ate her food while studying her Italian phrase book. Then, exhausted after everything that had happened that day, she went to bed.

Just before she fell asleep, her phone buzzed.

It was the friendly barman from the guesthouse.

Hey, Cassie! I think I remembered where Jax was working. The town’s name is Bellagio. Fingers crossed this helps!”

Hope flooded through Cassie as she read the words. This was the town—the actual town—where her sister had stayed. Had she been working there? Cassie hoped that she’d been staying at a lodge or hostel as this would mean she could be traced. She would begin her investigation as soon as she had time, and Cassie felt confident that it would bring results.

What was the town like? The name sounded charming. Why had Jacqui chosen to travel there?

There were so many unanswered questions bubbling in her mind that Cassie took much longer than she’d expected to fall asleep.

When she finally did, she dreamed that she was in the town. It was quaint and scenic, with winding terraces and buildings in honeyed stone. Walking down the street, she asked a passerby, “Where can I find my sister?”

“She’s there.” He pointed up the hill.

As she walked, Cassie began to wonder what was up there. It seemed a long way from anywhere. What was Jacqui doing there? Why hadn’t she come down to find Cassie, since she knew her sister was in town?

Finally, breathlessly, she reached the top of the hill, but the tower had gone, and all she could see was a huge, dark lake. Its murky waters lapped at the dark, crumbling stone edges that surrounded it.

“Here I am.”

“Where?”

The voice seemed to come from far away.

“You’re too late,” Jacqui whispered, her voice husky and filled with sadness. “Dad got to me first.”

Horrified, Cassie leaned over and looked down.

There was Jacqui, lying at the bottom of the dark, cold water.

Her hair swirled around her and her limbs were white and lifeless, draped like seaweed over the sharp rocks, while her sightless eyes stared up.

“No!” Cassie screamed.

She realized this wasn’t Jacqui at all, and she wasn’t in Italy. She was back in France, staring over the stone parapet at the sprawled body far below. This was no dream, it was a memory. Dizziness overcame her and she clutched at the stone, terrified that she was going to fall, too, because she felt so weak and helpless.

“That’s what dads are for. That’s what they do.”

The taunting voice spoke from behind her and she staggered round.

There he was, the man who had lied to her and misled her and destroyed her confidence. But it wasn’t her father she was looking at. It was Ryan Ellis, her employer in England, his face twisted with contempt.

“That’s what dads do,” he whispered. “They hurt. They destroy. You weren’t good enough, and now it’s your turn. That’s what they do.”

His outstretched hand grabbed her shirt and he shoved with all his might.

Cassie screamed in terror as she felt herself lose her grip, the stone slipping from her grasp.

She was falling, falling.

And then she landed, sitting up, gasping, cold sweat chilling her even though the spacious bedroom was warm.

The layout of the room was unfamiliar, and she spent some time fumbling around before locating her bedside table and then, finally, the light switch.

She turned it on and sat up, desperate to confirm that she’d escaped her nightmare.

She was in the large double bed with its ornate metal headboard. On the opposite side of the room was the big bay window with its golden brown curtains closed.

To her right was the bedroom door, and to the left was the door of her bathroom. The desk, the chair, the bar fridge, the wardrobe, everything was as she remembered it.

Cassie let out a deep breath, reassured that she wasn’t still trapped in her dream.

Although it was still dark, it was already a quarter past seven in the morning. With a start, she remembered that she hadn’t received any instruction about what the children should be doing. Or had she, but it had slipped her mind? Had Ms. Rossi said something about school?

Cassie shook her head. She couldn’t recall anything and didn’t think she had mentioned the school times.

She climbed out of bed and quickly dressed. In the bathroom, she tamed her auburn waves into a tidy look that she hoped would be acceptable in this fashion-focused home.

As she stared into the mirror, she heard a noise outside.

Cassie froze, listening.

She picked up the faint sound of footsteps, scrunching over gravel. The bathroom window’s frosted glass faced outward, toward the gate.

Was this one of the kitchen staff?

She pushed the window open and peered out.

In the deep gray of the early morning, Cassie saw a dark-clad figure sidling around the house. As she stared, astonished, she made out the shape of a man wearing a black beanie and carrying a small dark backpack. She caught only a momentary glimpse, but saw he was heading toward the back door.

Her heart accelerated as she thought of intruders, and the automatic gate, and the security cameras.

She remembered Ms. Rossi’s words and the clear warning she had given. This was a wealthy family. No doubt they might be a target for robbery, or even kidnapping.

She had to go and investigate. If she thought he looked dangerous, she could raise the alarm, scream, and wake the household.

As she hurried downstairs, she decided on her plan of action.

The man had headed round the back of the house, so she would go out the front door. There was enough light now to be able to see, and the cold night had left frost on the grass. She would be able to track his footprints.