Chapter 13

Trey’s plane landed at a quarter to four, and the moment they began to disembark, he remembered the message he’d been given. Don’t linger. It will matter.

He had his suitcase in his hand as he headed for the parking lot to retrieve his car. He hit the remote to unlock it, then opened the back to stow his luggage. Then without thinking, he picked up the crowbar lying near the wheel well and took it with him as he got in. He put it in the front seat and buckled up.

It wasn’t until he started the engine that he saw the crowbar in the seat beside him and realized what he’d done, and wondered why.

Don’t linger. Don’t linger.

He drove out of the airport parking lot, through the city, and then headed up the mountain. He hadn’t stopped to even let Marley know that he’d landed, or to check and see if there was anything she needed from the city.

Don’t linger. Don’t linger.

The closer he got to the turnoff, the more tense he became. It was like watching a storm gathering, waiting to see what trouble it might create. And then he saw the sign to the lodge and gripped the steering wheel even tighter as he took the turn without slowing down.

His car fishtailed a little on the icy surface before it straightened out. All he needed was to see her smiling face and know all this nonsense he’d created in his mind was nothing more than another scene from a story he had yet to write.

He came around the curve, saw the lodge straight ahead, and then his heart stopped. Marley was coming down the steps, her mouth open in a scream he had yet to hear.

He slammed on the brakes to keep from hitting her, and when he saw a man come running out of the lodge behind her, obviously enraged and dripping blood, he grabbed the crowbar and got out just as Marley ran into his arms.

“Get in the car and lock the doors,” he said, and then bounded toward the man in long, angry strides and stopped in front of him, giving Marley time to get inside.

Jared was beyond rational thought, and when he saw her man getting out of the car, he roared and came at him with his hands fisted.

Trey didn’t back up. He didn’t duck. He didn’t flinch. He just swung the crowbar as hard as he could at the man’s knees.

The crack as bones crumbled under the impact was not unlike the sound of a piece of firewood being split apart.

One second Jared Bedford was all rage and payback, and the next he was writhing on the ground, flat on his back in the snow.

“You killed me! You killed me!” he screamed.

“Not yet, I haven’t,” Trey said. “But that possibility still exists. Shut the hell up, and don’t move.”

He looked back at his car. Marley was sitting in the driver’s seat on his phone. He knew she was calling the police.

“They’ll need an ambulance, too,” he shouted.

Marley nodded and kept talking, while Trey watched blood seeping into the snow beneath where the man was lying.

Trey needed to know what happened. He needed to hear Marley’s words, telling him she hadn’t been hurt. But all he had to hold on to at this moment was the angel message that had saved Marley’s life.

Don’t linger. It will matter.

Within a few minutes, he began hearing sirens, and then police cars came flying up the drive with an ambulance behind them. They got out of their cruisers with their hands on their weapons.

“Intruder is down,” Trey said, and handed them his crowbar. “I’m gonna need that back when you’re done with it.”

“What happened here?” an officer asked.

“I’m not real sure. I drove up just as Marley came running out of the lodge, screaming for her life. This man was right behind her, bloody and screaming at her in a rage. I stopped him. Whatever happened between them, you’ll have to ask her,” he said, and then opened the door to his car.

Marley climbed out shaking and crying.

“I’ve got you, baby. I’ve got you,” Trey said as he picked her up in his arms and carried her inside the lodge, then sat down with her.

An officer followed them. “Miss Corbett…Marley… I’m Officer Dewitt. What happened here? Where did this man come from, and do you know him?”

After that, Marley began to explain everything, beginning with Jared Bedford approaching her in the supermarket and putting his hands all over her, and when she’d objected loudly, he’d laughed and said he knew her daddy was dead and she was all alone.

She explained about him stalking her when she was in town, and then her walking to the mailbox this morning and guessing he slipped into the lodge while she was gone. Then she explained how she discovered he was hiding in the lodge.

“I thought someone had just accidentally left the light on in the attic, and without thinking, I flipped it off. Seconds later, I hear a huge amount of thumping and bumping and cursing. It scared me to death, thinking Jack must have come back and I hadn’t known it, and now he’d fallen down the stairs because I turned off the light. I was in a panic when I opened the door, but it wasn’t Jack. It was Jared Bedford, cursing me, telling me what he was going to do to me. I slammed the door shut, turned the lock and turned the light back off, and ran. I heard a loud crash, and then footsteps running behind me. He was already bloody and furious from falling down the stairs. I knew what would happen if he caught me. Trey’s appearance was a miracle. He’d just gotten off a flight from Phoenix. I knew his flight had probably landed, but feared he would be too late to save me. Only he wasn’t.”

She took a slow, shuddering breath, clutching Trey’s arms as he held her even closer.

“Where exactly is this attic?” Officer Dewitt asked.

Trey pointed down the hall, where the broken door was standing ajar. “Jack and I were just up there a couple of days ago. Marley, honey, will you be okay for a bit? I won’t be long.”

She nodded. “I called Jack and Wanda. They’ll be here any minute.” Then she explained who they were to Dewitt. “Jack and Wanda Wallis are like parents to me. They’ve worked here for years. When they get here, please let them through.”

Dewitt nodded, radioed the officers still outside, and then stood. “After you, Mr. Austin.”

“Call me Trey,” he said, gave Marley a quick glance and then took Dewitt up to the attic. It was easy to see the bloodstains on the stairs and on the walls where Bedford was grabbing for air as he fell.

“Sidestep the bloodstains. The techs from the crime lab will be here to gather evidence,” Dewitt said, so they took care to miss them as they went up.

The first thing they saw was a mattress on the floor by the chimney, and a quilt wadded up on top of it.

“Wow. Looks like he’d been up here a while,” Dewitt said, seeing the empty bread wrapper, pop cans, and the container the lunch meat had been in.

Trey pointed at the mattress and quilt on the floor. “About three days ago, that mattress was leaning against the wall over there and covered with that quilt. It’s part of the bedroom suite Jack and I brought up. The son of a bitch just made himself at home while waiting for everyone to leave,” he muttered.

“Okay for now,” Dewitt said. “I’ll get the techs up here later to gather evidence and take pictures. Might need it for trial if he doesn’t man up and cop to what he did. I saw security cameras outside. We’ll be needing copies of the footage.”

“The system is in her office. One of your techs can retrieve what they want from it,” Trey said.

They went back downstairs to find Jack and Wanda had arrived. Marley was filling them in on what happened as Trey sat down beside her. When she leaned her head against his shoulder, he put his arm around her. The rage on his face was for what she’d endured and what he’d seen in the attic, but his voice was soft, and his touch was gentle as he pulled her close.

“Are you still cold, sweetheart?”

“I can’t quit shaking, but it’s not from cold,” she said.

Trey took the afghan blanket from the back of the sofa and wrapped her up in it, then pulled her onto his lap. “It’s shock from the adrenaline rush. Better?” he asked.

She nodded.

Jack was livid. “I know who he is. I can’t believe he laughed because Dan and Lisa are dead. She told me about him manhandling her in the supermarket. I could have ended it before this could happen, but Marley told me to let it go. The deal is, he was part of the reno crew while she was gone. He had plenty of time to see the whole layout of the lodge, including a hiding place,” Jack said.

Marley shuddered. “I just thought he was being a jerk, and angry because I rejected his advances. I didn’t know he was a bubble off plumb.”

Trey grinned. “A bubble off plumb?”

“‘Crazy off his rocker’ sound better?” Marley asked.

“Fits better, that’s for damn sure,” Jack said.

“Well, the attic door and the door into the family quarters are always locked when the lodge is up and running, so there’s no danger of this being repeated. And we lock the lodge after midnight every night and unlock it by 6:00 a.m., or earlier if a guest has an earlier flight,” Wanda said. “Is there anything we can do? Anything that needs cleaning up?”

“We don’t do anything until the police are through here. Officer Dewitt said something about techs from a crime lab on the way, so we don’t go in the attic until they’ve taken pictures and collected evidence, but you’re going to need a new door,” Trey said.

Jack nodded. “Easy enough,” he said, then glanced at Trey as if he’d never seen him before. “Bug said you took him out at the knees.”

Trey nodded.

“With a crowbar?” Jack added.

“They cracked like treefall in the woods. He’ll never walk right or pain-free again, and it’s more than he deserves,” Trey muttered.

“Damn, boy. There’s more to you than meets the eye,” Jack said. “Listen, Wanda and I are going to drive into the city and pick up some food for you. Is pizza okay?”

Marley was still shivering. “It’s fine, but you don’t need to—”

“Yes, we do,” Wanda said. “Sometimes when you can’t fix the awful, terrible, frightening things life hands you, a little food goes a long way in resetting your clock. We won’t be long. Trey, just take care of our girl until we get back.”

“She’s my girl, too, and I plan to spend the rest of my life making sure shit like this never happens to her again,” he said.

After they were gone, Marley broke into sobs. “I thought I would die. You promised you’d be back, and you came. You saved me.”

He held her closer, hugging her tighter, as if love alone could put her back to the way she was before—before a psycho destroyed her sense of safety.

“No, baby, I’m not the hero. I just followed the blueprint the angels gave me. Don’t linger. It will matter. I thought about it constantly after you told me. I thought about it when the movers came early, like they were helping make sure I didn’t miss that flight. And then the plane had a good tailwind and we arrived about fifteen minutes earlier than scheduled. It’s what I was thinking about when I put my suitcase in the Land Rover, and looking back, I guess it’s why I picked up that crowbar lying by the wheel well and put it in the front seat with me. After I got in the car and saw it, I wondered why did I do that? Because it was going to matter. Your angels used me to save you, and I will never doubt their presence again.”

She was still crying when she turned her face against Trey’s chest and cried herself to sleep. She was still sleeping when Jack and Wanda returned. They left the pizza in the kitchen, blew them a kiss, and slipped out.

The police were still outside, but it was dark when the techs arrived. Dewitt took them to the attic, and to Marley’s office to get the security footage, and then came back to fill Trey in on what was happening.

“Jared Bedford is in surgery. He’ll be released to a prison facility for further care. After that, he’ll go through arraignment and back to jail, unless he pleads out to a judge, which means serving his time without a trial. We found his car parked up the mountain in a lay-by. Our men followed his tracks all the way from the car to the lodge and then found where he sheltered until he took advantage of the unlocked door and slipped inside. He planned this. It was sloppy, but he planned it. Just know that there’s not a lawyer in the state who could get him off of this rap.”

“Thanks for the update,” Trey said.

Dewitt nodded and went back to the attic. It was the bumping and thumping Marley heard that woke her. She sat up with a jerk.

“What’s happening? Who’s upstairs?”

“Techs from the crime lab. They’ll all be gone soon. Why don’t you go wash the tears off that pretty face? There’s cold pizza in the kitchen.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him until his heart was pounding, and then she got up and disappeared into the family quarters.

Dewitt and the crew from the crime lab were gone by the time Marley came out. Trey brought in the suitcase he’d left in the car, then locked the door to the lodge when he came inside.

The security lights were on outside, and Marley would set the alarm before they went to bed. Right now, he was concerned about getting some food in her so she could take some pain relievers. She’d cried so hard for so long that she’d almost made herself sick.

“My head is pounding,” she said as she downed a couple of over-the-counter pain relievers. “But probably not as much as Jared Bedford’s knees. You have a really good swing. Did you ever play ball?”

He nodded as he was making them something to drink. “At the boarding school and on an intramural team in college…for the fun of it, in between writing stories.”

“You wrote while you were in college?” she asked as Trey handed her a plate and then opened the pizza box.

He nodded. “I wrote the first two Chapel Hill books while I was still in college, but didn’t try to sell anything until I met my agent, Meredith Bernstein, at a creative writing class my junior year. Apparently, the instructor had mentioned my name as a promising writer. She asked me to send her something. I did, and the rest is history. Now, I write a book every nine months, and they release a new one every nine months, as well.”

“So, you’re always a book ahead?” she asked.

“Sometimes two ahead, if the story comes easy. Others I can struggle with a bit.” He scanned the pizza, then took pains to pick out just the right piece.

Marley laughed. “Are you looking for the biggest one?”

“No. Looking for the one with the least number of black olives.”

“Another facet of you that I am filing away. Now I know you don’t like matcha tea or black olives.”

“Truth, but I do like making love to you. Immensely so, in fact.”

“My sweet-talkin’ man,” she said. “It’s mutual.” She quickly polished off the piece of pizza and went for one more. But she’d barely taken a bite before her eyes welled.

He was immediately concerned and reached for her hand. “Baby, talk to me.”

She shook her head. “I’m okay. It was just a momentary flash of what-if. All I’m saying is I am so grateful I lived to have a life with you. Are there any packets of red pepper flakes?”

He pointed to the condiments in a little pile off to the side. “Pepper flakes. Parmesan cheese. Salt and pepper.”

She tore open a packet of the pepper flakes and sprinkled a few lightly on her slice, then took another bite and gave him a thumbs-up as she ate.

He got up once to refill their drinks. They finished what they wanted, then put the leftovers in a smaller container and the pizza box in the trash. Marley was putting their plates in the dishwasher when the lodge phone rang.

She frowned at the time, then wiped her hands and went to answer.

“Corbett Lodge. This is Marley.”

“Marley, this is Farrah Welty. We just learned of the attempted assault and were wondering if—”

“No,” she said. “Get the police report,” and she hung up.

“Who the hell was that?” Trey asked.

“Farrah Welty.”

Trey frowned. “They never quit, do they?”

That’s when she remembered the call from USA Today . “Oh, while you were gone, some reporter from USA Today called, wanting to interview me. Let me think… How did they preface that request? Oh yes… They wanted an interview with the woman who’d saved the life of the heir to Austin Enterprises. Of course, I said no, and then told him if he wanted information to watch the interview we’d already given, and hung up. Can you believe that angle they were going to take? It wasn’t you that mattered. It was who you were related to. Just so you know, I am insulted on your behalf.”

Trey was shocked and then silent. It took him a moment to get his emotions in check.

“And now you know why I never wanted anyone to know I was Chapel Hill. In the eyes of the world, the public would have assumed I got published because of my family connections. Publicly, I still don’t matter. Only the name holds the power.”

“What’s going to happen when they finally do find out?” she asked.

He frowned as he considered that. “Honestly, I think my record and books will stand on their own now. I sold my books to publishers without being an Austin. Chapel Hill became famous without being an Austin. And now, hopefully, I’ll be the Austin rebel who said no to my dad’s massive combine—the one that eats other little businesses alive.”

“Proud of you, love, and everything you stand for. And I feel like I’ve been run through the proverbial wringer. I need to soak in the tub until I feel cleansed from this day and then crawl into bed beside you.”

“I can make that happen for you, but first, show me how to set the security alarm. I am no longer a guest in this place. This is home.”

***

While Marley was in the tub, Trey slipped the ring he’d borrowed back into her jewelry box, then unpacked the suitcase he’d brought with him, tucking away the ring he’d bought for her at the back of a drawer behind a stack of T-shirts.

He showered and shaved while she was in her soaking tub, enveloped in lilac-scented bath salts and admiring the view of his soapy back and how the water ran in rivulets down his long, lanky body.

But she was moving on autopilot by the time Trey got her into bed.

“I’m so tired, and I don’t know why,” she said.

“It’s the aftereffects of a huge adrenaline surge. You were running for your life when I drove up. Rest easy now, darlin’. It’s all good.”

She rolled over onto her side as he slipped in behind her, spooned her up against him, and kissed the lilac-scented spot just behind her ear.

“Love you forever,” he whispered.

Marley heard the words and felt his breath on the back of her neck as she was falling into the void.

“And a day,” she mumbled.

He smiled. She didn’t forget a thing. Forever and a day was the bargain, and he was a man of his word.

***

When they woke the next morning, they soon discovered they were the lead story on all of the local TV stations, and when Jack and Wanda arrived later with a copy of the local paper, and a new door and doorknob set, the incident was the headline.

LOCAL CINDERELLA ESCAPES ATTEMPTED PREDATOR ASSAULT

She took one look at it and handed it to Trey. “I don’t even want to read it. God only knows what they wrote.”

Wanda sighed. “It was right along the lines of what you told us, Bug, and Trey is now ‘the hero’ for saving you.”

“They sure tore through Jared Bedford’s reputation…or what’s left of it,” Jack added. “Something we didn’t know before. Jared got fired for stealing from his boss the day before he came after you. Sounds like he was just pissed at the world and decided you were an easy target to take it out on.”

Marley frowned. “No. He’s been a creep for as long as I’ve known him. I heard every word of what he said he was going to do to me. If Trey hadn’t come home a day early, you all would be combing the woods today looking for my body.”

Trey shuddered. “Sweet lord, Marley. Don’t.”

She put the palm of her hand on his chest. “Truth is truth. You acknowledged my part in keeping you alive. Don’t ever discount what you did for me.”

He took a deep breath. “Understood. Now, what needs to be done today?”

“I need to verify that the commercial cleaning service is coming tomorrow. They come weekly when the lodge is open, but they haven’t been here since the renovation was finished,” she said.

“What do you want me to do, Bug?” Wanda asked.

“Would you do an inventory of the stores and the pantry for me? I started a running list a few days ago, and you know what we need. The first overnight guests will be partygoers here for New Year’s Eve. New Year’s Day is when regular guests with reservations begin again.”

“Are our sous-chefs back on schedule then, too?” Wanda asked.

“And the housekeepers?” Jack added.

Marley nodded. “Nobody moved. Nobody quit. I’ve already heard from all of them. Everybody is coming back.”

“Is there anything I can help with?” Trey asked.

She smiled. “My dear knight in shining armor. You have your own agenda already. Just watch for those movers who are due with your stuff, then when they’re gone, have fun setting up the best office ever in your new space, because that’s where you shine. I promised you peace and quiet to do your work, and there’s no such thing out here when we’re back up and running. So, take advantage of the lull before the storm.”

“Sounds like a plan, and we’ll weather this media storm just like we did before. One of these days, we’ll be old news and life will find its own level again,” Trey said.

“Lord, I hope,” Marley said.

Suddenly, Jack interrupted the conversation. “I hear a truck.”

“Hopefully it’s the movers,” Trey said, and left the kitchen with Jack right behind him.

“That’s one way to get Jack out of my hair. I’m off to the pantry and then I’ll be down in the basement for a bit,” Wanda said.

“I’m going to the office to confirm cleaners and florists, and then I’ll come help you,” Marley added.

Within moments, the only thing left in the kitchen was the newspaper, and it was already old news.