Chapter Sixteen

“It’s not blood.” Paramedic Hannah Gwynn cleaned the red goo from Tammy’s hand. A crowd had gathered around the Subaru, and someone said the sheriff’s department was on the way. Another volunteer had switched on the outdoor spotlights on the side of the building, flooding the gravel parking area with yellow-tinged light.

“I think it’s stage blood.” Jake Gwynn leaned closer to the car to study the smears of red. “It smells sweet, like corn syrup.”

“Why would someone leave you a message like that?” Eldon asked.

“It’s because of me,” Vince said. His face was pale, the muscles along his jaw tight, as if he was grinding his teeth. He had both hands shoved in the pockets of his jeans and kept sneaking looks at Tammy, though he wouldn’t directly meet her gaze.

Her hands clean, she moved to his side and took his arm. “This isn’t your fault,” she said.

“This was done by the same person who trashed my truck,” he said. “It’s probably the same person who attacked you last night.”

“You can’t know that,” she said.

“The signature is the same.” He pointed to the message on the side window.

She read the threatening words again, freezing when she came to the single V , like a check mark near the driver’s-side windshield wiper. “I didn’t notice the V before,” she said.

“The message does seem to be referring to your previous assault,” Jake said. “And I’m no expert on graffiti, but this looks similar to the writing on Vince’s truck.”

“At least they didn’t smash my windows.” She was trying to make a joke, but the effect was spoiled when her voice broke on the final words.

The crunch of tires on gravel signaled the arrival of a sheriff’s department SUV. Sergeant Gage Walker exited the vehicle and strode toward them. Tammy had interviewed Gage many times for cases she had reported. Though similar in appearance to his brother, the sheriff, Gage was more easygoing and less intimidating. He nodded to Tammy, then studied the red-smeared car and the sinister message. Then he turned to the crowd. “I’ll talk to the rest of you in a bit. Meanwhile, give us some room, will you?”

The others moved away, herded by Jake. Gage turned back to Tammy. “Tough way to end the night,” he said.

“It sure is.”

“Any ideas who’s behind this and the attack on you last night?” he asked.

“None.”

“I think it’s the same person who trashed my truck,” Vince said. “The same person who sent those notes about Valerie.”

“ V ,” Gage said. He stepped back and took a few photos of the car, then turned to Tammy. “Why threaten you?” he asked.

She glanced at Vince. Their relationship wasn’t exactly a secret, but she also wasn’t sure where they stood. “Tammy and I are friends,” he said. “Good friends. If this ‘V’ has been watching me, they’ve seen us together. Maybe they think hurting Tammy is a way to get back at me.”

“I read the report on your assault,” Gage said. “You told Declan you thought your assailant was a woman?”

“Yes.” Vince frowned at her. Something else she hadn’t told him. But again, she hadn’t wanted him to worry. If V and her attacker were the same person, did that mean it was Valerie? Or someone pretending to be her?

“Why would V want to get back at you?” Gage asked.

“I’m not sure whoever this is has a reason,” she said. “Or at least, not one that would make sense to us.”

“In some of the communications, V seems to be assuming the role of Valerie,” Vince said.

“Any chance this is your sister?” Gage asked.

“The sheriff asked me that too,” Vince said. “I don’t know. Valerie disappeared fifteen years ago. Why appear out of nowhere now, and why try to hurt me?”

“When you came here tonight, did you see anyone or anything out of the ordinary?” Gage asked.

“No. And I was looking. After what happened last night, I was spooked.”

Gage took her through her steps that evening, from the time she left the newspaper office until she drove to search and rescue headquarters, and verified that she was the last person to arrive at the meeting.

“No one arrived or left after you?” Gage asked.

“No one,” she said.

“I didn’t see anyone come or go,” Vince said.

“All right. We’ll process the scene and see if we come up with anything,” Gage said. “You’ll need to leave your car here. Do you have someplace safe to stay tonight? And what about your mother? Is she home alone?”

“My brother is with her. He’s moved in temporarily.”

“I’ll see that Tammy gets somewhere safe,” Vince said. He straightened and took his hands from his pockets. “Do you need anything else?”

“Not right now,” Gage said. “I may have more questions later.”

“I have a backpack in the car I’d like to grab,” she said.

Gage slipped on a glove and opened the back door of the vehicle, and waited while she leaned in and took out the backpack. “Check to verify nothing is missing,” he said.

She did so, pawing through the notebooks, extra camera battery, tape recorder and other tools of her trade. “Everything looks okay.”

“You’re free to go, then.”

Vince led her a little ways to the white Ford Escape he was driving these days. “It’s my mother’s,” he said by way of explanation.

Tammy stashed her pack in the back seat, then slid into the passenger seat. Vince drove without speaking, not to her home but to his condo. “I’d feel better if you stayed here tonight,” he said. “You can call your mother and brother to let them know you’re okay.”

“I’d like that.” Spending the night alone, even with her brother and mother in other parts of the house, would be too uncomfortable. Even though Vince might be right and the attacks on her might be because V was targeting him, she felt safer with him beside her. If V came around again, it would be two against one.

He carried her pack into the house. Once inside, he pulled her close. “I felt awful when I saw you tonight, hurt.” He brushed his lips across her swollen eye, then barely touched her wounded lip. “When I think I could have lost you—” His voice broke.

“You didn’t lose me. I’m okay and I’m right here.” She kissed him. It didn’t hurt. Instead it felt good, the way his strong arms around her felt good. The kiss ended, and she looked into his eyes, trying to judge what he was feeling. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about the attack right away. It was just...a lot to process. I wanted time to think.”

“You think it was a woman?” he asked.

“I think so. She wasn’t much bigger than me, and she didn’t feel like a man.”

He loosened his hold on her a little. “What do you want to do now?” he asked.

“I can think of a few things.” She smiled. “But first, I want to take a shower.” Her hand was still slightly sticky from the fake blood, and she wanted to wash away the whole experience.

“Let’s take one together,” he said.

“Mmm.” A pleasant heat washed through her at the thought. “Let me call my mom first so she doesn’t worry.”

She was surprised when her brother answered the phone. “Mitch, why are you answering Mom’s phone?”

“She’s in the bathroom and I saw the call was from you. What’s up?”

Maybe it was better not to have to explain everything to her mother. “I’m staying with a friend tonight,” she said.

“Do you mean, Vince Shepherd?”

“How do you know about Vince?”

“Elisabeth told me you and he had something going on. I’m cool with that, as long as he treats you right.”

“I don’t need your permission to date someone,” she said.

“I’m just saying I think Vince is okay. Don’t be so touchy.”

“Is Elisabeth there with you?”

“No. She said she had something else to do tonight. To tell you the truth, I think she was uncomfortable with the idea of being here with you and Mom. She thinks the two of you don’t like her.”

“That’s not true,” Tammy said. “We hardly know her.”

“Yeah, well, it’s okay. I’ll see her tomorrow.”

“And I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said. “Make sure Mom knows I’m okay.”

“Have a good night.”

She ended the call and pocketed her phone. “Everything okay?” Vince asked.

“It’s fine.” She moved closer. She didn’t want to talk about her brother or Elisabeth or anything outside the safety of these four walls. She wrapped her arms around him. “What about that shower?”

V INCE LAY AWAKE after Tammy had fallen asleep. He might never think about his shower the same way after tonight. Something about steam and soap and slick skin... It had been just what he needed after the shock of seeing her battered face, then reading the sinister message written in what he was sure was supposed to resemble blood on her car.

His phone vibrated, then the first notes of the ringtone sounded. He lunged for it, silencing it before it could wake Tammy. Then he sat on the side of the bed and checked the screen as the phone continued to vibrate in his hand. Unknown number. Which usually meant spam, but he’d better check in case it was a search and rescue call from one of the team members.

He spoke softly. “Hello?”

“Vin, Vin, Vinnie, Vince.”

The singsong chant sent a cold shock through him. “Who is this?” he snapped.

“‘Vince and Tammy sitting in a tree, k - i - s - s - i - n - g .’”

“Who is this?”

“You know who this is. Or have you forgotten your sister so soon? The twin Mommy and Daddy gave away. You thought you would all be happier without me. But I can’t let that happen, can I?”

“Valerie?” He choked on the name as fear and disgust—that someone would stoop to impersonating his sister—warred with hope that she was alive. “Is that you? Where are you?”

“Closer than you think. But I’ll never tell.”

“Valerie, I—” The phone went dead. He stared at the screen, then hit the recall button. Nothing happened.

“What is it?”

He glanced back to find that Tammy had rolled onto her back and was looking at him. “Crank call,” he said, and set the phone aside.

“You said, ‘Valerie.’” She sat up now and put a hand on his arm. “Tell me.”

He told her about the call. The whole experience had been surreal, but talking about it solidified the details in his mind. He hadn’t dreamed it. “Did it sound like Valerie?” she asked.

“I don’t remember what she sounds like. It was so long ago. But she used to sing that rhyme, about kissing in a tree.”

“I used to sing that rhyme. It’s something kids do.”

“She started out the call saying ‘Vin, Vin, Vinnie, Vincent.’ She used to do that too, when she was trying to annoy me.”

She leaned against him, soft and warm against his back. “We should call the sheriff.”

“What are they going to do? Add this to their growing file of harassment?” He lay back down and pulled her close. “I don’t want to deal with them now. Do you?”

“No.” She laid her head on his shoulder.

“I had another call from Valerie once,” he said. “Or someone claiming to be her. I was fifteen and home with a friend. My parents were out, and when I answered the phone, the person on the other end said she was Valerie and needed me to help her. Then she hung up. It sounded just like her.”

“Oh, Vince, what did you do?”

“I told my parents and they called the police. They traced the call to a broken pay phone somewhere in another state. I remember being angry at Valerie for teasing me that way. My parents finally persuaded me that it had to be a cruel joke. This was probably the same thing.”

“Whatever it is, it’s horrible,” she said. “But we’ll get through it. Together.”

“Yeah.” He tightened his arm around her. As if that was all it took to protect them both. “I’m scared,” he said. “Then it feels silly to be scared of someone who writes vague notes and makes prank calls.”

“It’s like being harassed by a ghost,” she said. “That’s pretty scary.”

“I don’t believe in ghosts,” he said. “Whoever is doing this is a real person.”

“I don’t know what to tell you, except that I’m here for you.”

“As long as you don’t get hurt again. You should think about keeping your distance from me, at least for a while.” He had to force the words out, but keeping her safe was more important than his own feelings.

“No way.” She squeezed him tighter. “I’m sticking with you.”

“I’m that irresistible, am I?”

“You are.”

“I’m never going to be able to sleep now,” he said.

“Me neither. What should we do instead?”

“We could play cards,” he said, his voice teasing.

Her arm snaked around his waist. “I have a better idea.”

“Tell me about it.”

“I’d rather show you. After all, they say actions speak louder than words.”

He rolled forward and pressed his body against hers. “Then I’m ready to hear everything you have to say.”

O N W EDNESDAY , Gage Walker stopped by the Eagle Mountain Examiner office. Tammy’s stomach gave a nervous shimmy when she spotted him standing in the doorway in his neat khaki uniform. “Hello, Gage,” she said. “Can I help you?”

“I’m dropping off the weekly sheriff’s report.” He held up a single sheet of paper. The report—a summary of the number and types of calls made by the department during the previous week—was one of the paper’s most popular features. People seemed to delight in reading about calls to chase bears out of people’s gardens or put cows back into pastures. They speculated on who might be behind the more serious entries, from drunk driving arrests to domestic violence calls. But the report was usually delivered by a civilian clerk or a duty officer, not the force’s second-in-command.

Gage approached Tammy’s desk and handed over the report. “Any more word from V?” he asked.

“No. She hasn’t contacted me.” It seemed easier to refer to V as female since that was how she thought of her since the attack.

“What about Vince? Has he heard anything?”

“I don’t think so.” She had never been a proficient liar, and she was sure Gage would see through the falsehood. She had tried to persuade Vince to tell the sheriff’s department about the late-night call from someone pretending to be Valerie, but he had refused, convinced they wouldn’t be able to do anything.

“Did you find any fingerprints or DNA on my car?” she asked, hoping to divert Gage’s attention.

“No. Not on Vince’s truck either.” He held up a finger. “But that’s not for the paper.”

“I know, Gage. I’m not writing about either incident.”

“I just want to be clear. Tell Vince to get in touch if he hears anything else from V.”

“I will.” She stood and walked with him to the door. “I guess I’ll see you at the Fourth of July festivities tomorrow?”

“I’m on duty in the morning,” he said. “In the afternoon, I’m working the Elks’ Fun Fair.”

“I’ll stop and say hello. Maybe get a picture for the paper.”

When she was sure he was gone, she went into the back room, where old issues of the paper were stored, and pulled out her phone. When Vince answered, she said, “Gage was just here. He was asking if I had heard anything from V.”

“What did you tell him?”

“I told him no. That wasn’t exactly a lie, since she didn’t call me. But then he asked if you had heard from her. I lied about that too.”

“It doesn’t matter. It was just a prank call. We haven’t heard from her again.”

“You’re working the Fun Fair tomorrow, right? So is Gage. He’ll probably ask you about V.”

“My parents will be with me. I’ll tell him I don’t want to talk about any of this with them there. He’ll respect that.”

“Okay. I’ll see you later, then.”

“I’m making fajitas for dinner.”

“Then I won’t be late.”

Though it wasn’t official, she had all but moved into Vince’s condo. Her mother hadn’t even objected when she stopped by the house to get her clothes. “I feel better knowing you have a man to protect you,” she said.

The feminist in Tammy resented the implication she couldn’t look after herself, but the realist admitted having a strong, fit man who had made it clear he would do anything to protect her did make her feel safer. What neither of them admitted out loud was that they wouldn’t be able to truly relax until V was identified and stopped. That didn’t seem likely to happen anytime soon, so better for the two of them to stick together.