Chapter 7

Raven woke first to a strange feeling. When he opened his eyes he couldn't believe it. For a moment he was stunned. He couldn't remember how he had gotten there or how Rose had ended up in his arms. A strand of her hair lay across his face and it felt like pure silk.

Suddenly he found himself scrambling off the couch. Rose grunted as his knee came down on her thigh. Somehow he got tangled in her legs and the next thing he knew the both of them came tumbling to the floor. The back of Rose's head hit the corner of the coffee table. She screeched with pain. She saw stars dance behind her eyes. The breath was knocked out of her lungs.

She lay there helplessly beneath Raven as her eyes tried to focus on his face. Then she felt the slicing pain in her ribs. She thought she was going to pass out with its intensity.

Raven stared down at her watching her expression. Her face turned green beneath his weight. He could see that she was suffering but that she was fighting the feeling. She was tough, strong.

Finally he pushed himself off of her. He held out his hand and helped Rose to her feet. He reached for the spot at the back of her head where she'd made contact with the coffee table. But she slapped his hand away. She doubled over, grabbing her side.

“Rose, what is it?” His voice held urgency.

“I'm fine,” she said, sitting down on the couch. “I just hurt my ribs again. That's all. I'll be fine in a minute.”

“You're ribs?” Raven's eyes gleamed with worry and concern. “I need to look at them,” he insisted.

“No you don't,” Rose said. “I told you I'm fine.”

Raven ignored her and reached for her shirt. She pushed it down, turning away from him. She tried to stand to get away from him, but when she did, she grew dizzy. She stumbled and fell backward. He saw her fighting tears. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly, gritting her teeth against the onslaught of agony that edged its way through her body.

“That does it,” Raven stormed at her. “Let me look at you right now. Or else,”

“Or else what?” Rose asked.

“Or else, I'll kiss you. That's what. Now let me look. You have ten seconds to make up your mind.”

Rose looked into Raven's eyes and knew the minute she did that he was serious. Did she want him to kiss her. Her first instincts were no. But she knew that was one big, fat lie.

“Okay, fine,” she seethed, rolling her eyes in irritation. “Look if you must, but there's nothing you can do.”

Raven had seen the bruises on Rose's arms and the deep scratches around her wrists where he had been bound. When he lifted her shirt slightly he froze in terror at the sight of the swelling and bruising he saw there. He just sat there gawking at her. He swore an oath under his breath.

“Why didn't you tell me you had broken ribs?” There was a touch of anger in his question.

“I didn't think it was necessary,” she replied, pushing him away, forcing space between them. She was beginning to feel a little defensive. She stood then and headed toward the kitchen to make a pot of coffee.

It was still the predawn hours and the cabin was filled with a subtle blue gray darkness. She filled the coffee pot with water and poured the grounds into the receptacle. Before long the kitchen was filled with the fresh scent of brewing coffee.

Rose took a seat at the table. The coloring had come back in her face. Raven sat across from her. His expression looked pitiful. “How bad did they hurt you, Rose?”

“Bad enough,” she answered. “Can we just forget about it? I'm healing. It will take a few weeks. That's all. Now forget it.”

She obviously didn't want to talk about it. “I'm sorry,” Raven said softly.

When their eyes met, there was so much meaning between them that Rose found herself swimming in his gaze. Quickly she tore her eyes away from his even as he continued to gaze down at her.

“It must have been awful,” Raven said, gritting his teeth at the savage feelings that burned deep in his gut. “How could someone do something like this?”

“I don't know, Raven. Sometime it just happens. I told you, I don't want to talk about this.” Rose tried to steer the conversation away from herself and back to safer grounds. “You need to drink a cup of coffee then you need to get to the hospital. I need to know how my mother's doing.”

Brother. There she goes issuing orders again. She sure was bossy in the mornings. Raven tried to find a streak of annoyance with her, but there wasn't any to be had. Instead he found it appealing. He was growing to like this side of Rose. He saw it as it was, a defensive measure. She didn't like drawing attention to herself. She didn't want to feel dependent on anyone. It went against her nature. She was a pro at keeping people, and him, at a distance. But it was only a matter of time before she let her guard down. When she did, he was bound to strike.

And he couldn't wait for that perfect opportunity. He would be patient. There was no man alive that was more patient than he was.

In his job, he'd gained a lot experience waiting on just the right moment to make a move in a given situation. Timing was essential. It was of the essence where his career was concerned. Rose was no different.

She didn't know it yet, but she would soon. She was going to fall in love with him. Whether he wanted it to happen or not, it was inevitable. Just as sure as he knew the sun was going to rise and fall, he was certain of that fact. Because he knew he was beginning to fall in love with Rose. It was crazy. Completely absurd. But it was the big, bald truth. And how he was going to handle that was beyond him. He didn't want to love Rose. Or anyone for that matter.

What was he doing here? He should be sending Rose on her way. Send her back to his uncle and let him do what he wanted with her. But deep down Raven knew he couldn't do that. He'd seen the extent of Roses injuries. He'd seen the fear flash in her eyes. And he knew that no matter what happened, he could never turn his back on her. He could never fail her, abandon her, or relinquish the hold she had on his feelings.

When the coffee was finished brewing, Raven poured them both a cup of coffee, then he retreated to his room, leaving Rose sitting at the table by herself. After a few minutes he re-entered the kitchen, placing his coffee mug in the sink. He grabbed his car keys and few other essentials and stuffed them into the pockets of his jeans.

“I'm on my way, Rose. Will you be okay here by yourself?”

“Of course.” She didn't want to look at him. She was afraid to look at him. Every time she did, she saw something new glaring in his eyes. And it was beginning to scare her. Her heart was growing fond of him. It's the last thing she needed or wanted.

“Well I'll see you later this evening. I'll stop by the grocery store and pick up a few things. If you're going to stay here for any length of time, the least I can do is make sure you have a decent meal.”

Raven was hoping she would turn to him, say something. But she just sat there, distant and quiet. Her shoulders were stiff. Her back straight. Finally he gave up and turned to walk away. A few minutes later, the front door shut. Rose her the locks turn and she knew soon Raven would be driving away. Far away. Already she was missing him.

She hated herself for feeling this way. She needed out of this situation. If she could, she would run. But they were in the middle of know where. Millions of miles from civilization. She was sure there were no other houses for miles around. No signs of human life. It was just her, and the lonely, empty house.

Rose was startled by the ringing of the phone. Her heart beat so fervently she clutched at her chest. It rang four times before the answering machine clicked on. Raven's voice boomed through the kitchen. When his message was through playing, a slight beep followed.

Rose sat and listened, her heart thumping savagely in her chest. She had an intense feeling of fear racing through her entire body. She was paralyzed by it.

The voice was scratchy, almost undetectable. “I know what you are up to, Rose. I urge you to let the secrets remain hidden or your mother will be hurt. Bad things will happen and I can't be responsible for the actions you take from this point on. This is the only warning I'm giving you.”

The phone went dead.

Rose bowed her head and began to weep. What was happening to her? Who would be doing this to her? Would they really hurt her mother? If they had wanted to scare her, they certainly had. But did they scare her enough to make her want to stop her pursuit of the truth? No. The answer was no.

She had to know the truth.

Rose thought about the message. The caller had told her to let the secrets remain hidden. Secrets. What secrets. Did her mother have secrets? Is this what it was all about? Suddenly she had the urge to talk to Raven. But she didn't have any way of contacting him. She didn't have his cell phone number.

She wondered just how safe she was here in this cabin all by herself. She didn't have a very good feeling about this. Suddenly she wished she had a gun, or some kind of weapon to defend herself with. At the moment she felt vulnerable.

She moved deeper into the cabin hoping the phone wouldn't ring again.

Raven pulled up in front of Green Lake Hospital. It was certainly an eye-sore. The outside of the building was dilapidated. Bricks were dirty and chipped and the windows were cracked. Debris littered the area surrounding the building. When he opened the car door, the stench of decaying garbage hit him.

As he'd driven through the small town, he hadn't been impressed. He could tell the place was nothing more than a poor town, barely capable of surviving. There were ruts and potholes in the street. Rats scurrying around scrounging for food. There had been no sign of life other than that.

It was quiet and still and eerie. Creepy was more like it. Just looking at the outside of the hospital, Raven now understood why Rose had run away. He would have run away himself if he had been there.

He moved inside the hospital. The doors creaked open. Fumes of alcohol stung his throat as he entered. He heard a patient chanting some where down the hall. He could hear someone else crying. Another was laughing, almost taunting.

When Raven reached the nurses station he grew wary and cautious. The nurse that looked up at him seemed perturbed because of the unexpected interruption. Her eyes were big and round and mean looking. They seemed to pierce him with an intensity he had never seen before. The woman made him nervous just by the way she was glaring at him.

“I'm looking for Doris McKenna. I'm a friend of the family.”

“Doris McKenna is no longer a patient here. She was released a few days ago.”

“Do you know where I might find her?” Raven asked cryptically.

“I'm not sure,” the nurse replied. “Try Winterpark. That's where they send all the crazies. If anyone belongs there it's that woman. Her and that daughter of hers. I swear if I ever set my eyes on that girl, I will make her pay . . . .”

Raven had heard enough. He couldn't stand much more of this. The atmosphere in this place was enough to make anyone insane. He understood this place much better having seen it for himself. The people who worked here had to be the lowest life forms. Who else could work in a place like this.

Raven's job had taken him to some bad places in his lifetime. But this was far the worst. As he stood there the walls shifted. There were creaks and groans. He thought the building might collapse on him at any moment.

As he was leaving he heard shouts and screams. Male and female. He heard a nurse yelling at a patient. He could hear the echo of her hands as they slapped the patient over and over again.

This place needed to be shut down. And the sooner the better. He didn't know how a place like this stayed open. They had no business operating under conditions such as this. And the staff. What made them think they had the right to treat patient's like that?

As Raven walked to his truck, he pulled out his cell phone and called Rose's office. The receptionist patched him through to Luke Conrad immediately. The man picked up on the second ring.

“Luke Conrad, speaking, how may I help you?”

“Luke, this is Raven Daniels. I'm a private detective. You don't know me. But I have an interest in Rose McKenna. I'd like to meet with you if I can, sometime this afternoon. I have a few questions I'd like to ask you.”

“Look, man,” Luke spurted out. “I know she's missing. And I know some really crazy things are going on around here. But I don't know anything about Rose's disappearance. The police have questioned me, but I already told them what I know.”

Raven clamped his teeth together and the grip on his phone tightened. He needed to remain calm. Now was not the time to lose his patience. If he made Luke any more upset, he might night meet with him. Then he wouldn't get the information that he needed.

“I understand you don't know where she is,” Raven said abruptly. “But I still have some questions I'd like to ask you. Please, can we meet some where? Any where? You just name the place. It's very important.”

“Meet me in tan hour, down by the river. There will be a run down barn just on the edge of the banks.”

“I'll be there,” Raven acknowledged.

He clamped the lid of his phone down. He opened the car door and climbed into the seat. At first he didn't see it. He started the engine and kicked the truck in gear. That's when he noticed it. As he was backing out, something slid onto the floor board of his truck. He stopped, reached over and picked it up.

It was a small plastic container and inside was a single purple, almost lavender flower. It was pretty and delicate. He held it in awe. But as he held it in his grip he wondered how in the world it ever got inside his truck. He was sure that he had locked the truck up before he went inside the hospital. There was no sign of forced entry. Nothing had been damaged. The windows weren't broken.

Suddenly he had an uneasy feeling. He set the flower on the seat beside him as he drove away.

He had just enough time to drive to the river to meet Luke. He was anxious to talk to the man. He wanted to find out exactly what he did and didn't know about Rose's disappearance.

Luke scurried through the thick grass. His feet were thumping against the hard ground beneath his feet. He pulled up to the river just where he'd told Raven he would meet him. He didn't see or hear anything unusual as he got out of his gray Lexus. He kept his eyes on the road and paid attention to every little detail. He wasn't going to be taken by surprise. Not by anyone.

Luke walked to the edge of the river and looked deep into it's murky water wondering what lay beneath. The current was swift. The water swept over big boulders and rocks that had been tossed into the river over a hundred years ago. He could hear the force and feel the vibrations of the water as it made its way downstream. He wasn't comfortable standing so close to the river's edge.

Luke was a little jumpy these days. Something mysterious was going on and and he didn't have a clue what it was. He'd been receiving strange calls in the middle of the night asking about Rose. It seemed everyone was looking for her. Interested in finding where she might be.

At first he couldn't understand why the curiosity. But, after she'd been gone for longer than everyone thought normal, even for her, then he began to suspect something was wrong.

Worry had started to set in. He loved Rose. He had for a long time and he missed her deeply. He couldn't imagine what might have happened to her. He was scared. Frightened in a way he would never have thought possible. Rose had been and still remained an essential part of his life.

He knew things hadn't been good for them the last few months. There was definitely tension between them since their break up. People had blamed him for her disappearance. But it hadn't been him. He had nothing to do with her running off, or disappearing. If it were true that she was running from him, he hadn't had a clue that she was getting ready to bolt. He felt certain that if she had needed time away from him, she would have at least mentioned it to someone. She wouldn't have just up and left them hanging. Especially when she had some of the most profitable deals waiting for her. She was looking to make nearly a half a million in profits on a mansion in Beaver County. Another 750,000 on a lake-front house located only a few blocks from the mansion in Beaver County.

Even though they had split up, their parting had had no bearings on her productivity. She had still remained the top seller amongst the partners. Luke couldn't remember a time when she had fallen to number two or three. No. Rose was always the leader. In essence she carried the group. Yes, everyone made sales. But no one was as good as Rose. She was the best and everyone knew it too.

Was someone jealous enough to want her out of the picture. Luke, like all the other partners, knew that there was an an agreement that if one of the partners dies, the partnership would dissolve and that whatever money was in the company bank account would be split equally among the partners.

Luke thought about Justin Parrish and Rachel Gomez. They hadn't been acting unusual in any way. But he wondered, secretively of course, if either of them were behind Rose's disappearance.

The three of them seemed to get along. There were never any rifts between them. But that didn't mean there wasn't any jealously between them.

Luke tried to remember their last income statement. How much has been in the bank account. Six or seven million. He couldn't remember the exact figure. But it was no surprise to anyone that the business was flourishing.

Rose was very capable at her job and she managed to bring in a lot of potential buyers and sellers. She was well-organized and the company was structured in a way that allowed each of the partners an equal share in the profits. Until a week ago, Luke had trusted everyone he worked with. Now he wasn't so sure he trusted anyone.

Luke heard something behind him. Expecting it to be Raven Daniels, he turned around, his heart fluttering. There before him stood an old man. He was thin, with a face full of jagged lines. He was pale and lifeless. His eyes were sunken in and in them lurked something sinister.

Before Luke had time to react, the old man raised his arm and aimed. The shot rang out and a bullet blazed through the air hitting Luke in the chest. His foot slipped on a rock. Luke felt himself falling. He screamed as he plunged backward. Just before his head hit a rock, he saw the old man standing at the edge of the river. Laughing.

Luke's body drifted downstream with the river, then was swept away, never to be seen again.

Raven arrived at the cabin at half past five that evening. He'd been too tired to go grocery shopping, so he had stopped and picked up a pizza on the way home. The drive had seemed so long and fruitless. The whole day had been a waste of time. He didn't know how he was going to tell Rose the details of his day. He thought of lying. But he knew that would only get him in trouble. He knew at this point, truth was the only thing that mattered.

Raven entered the kitchen where Rose was sitting with her head rested against her folded arms. She was asleep. It looked as if she had been crying for a long time and had given into pure exhaustion.

He set the pizza on the table beside her along with the flower. It had begun to wilt and had lost its luster.

Raven got some paper towels and laid them down on the table next to the pizza. Gently he shook Rose. Her head darted up. Her arm swung out and grazed Raven across the chin. Quickly he ducked back missing the brunt of the blow.

“Rose, it's me. Raven.”

Her eyes adjusted to the dimness in the room. She ran her fingers nervously through her hair. Raven could see how terribly shaken she was.

“Are you alright, Rose? Is something the matter?”

“Yes,” she snapped. “Every thing's the matter. You have a half a dozen messages or more on your answering machine. They've been coming in every half hour. Listen for yourself.”

Raven listened to the first message that Rose had received that morning just after he had left to go to the hospital. Then there were others that proceeded them. The clarity of the voice wasn't that good, but he could get the gist of what was being said. The messenger claimed that Doris was being held as a prisoner at Winterpark Sanitarium and would remain there until Rose decided to give herself up. Each message was a threat in itself. In all honesty they were terrifying. Raven could understand why Rose had been crying. He'd left her here to face this alone. She had needed him and he hadn't been there for her. God how he hated himself.

Raven stared down at Rose. Her eyes were transfixed on the flower he had brought in. Confusion crawled its way through Raven.

“Rose?”

Rose lunged to her feet and grabbed the flower from the top of the pizza box. Her eyes grew big, almost as if she were in shock.

“Where did you get this?” she demanded. She opened the small box and removed the flower. Her fingers stroked the silken petals with gentleness.

“Someone left it in my car. I'm not sure how, or why.”

“Do you know what kind of flower this is?” Rose asked. She held out her hand so that Raven could get a better look at it. He examined the flower more closely than he had earlier. It was just a flower. It held no relevant meaning to him.

“No, Rose, I have no earthly idea what kind of flower this is. Why don't you tell me?”

She set it carefully back into its box and closed the lid. She looked up at Raven with her eyes glazed over. “It's an Iris.”

She expected some form of recognition from him. What it was he didn't know. He just stood there looking at her, dumbfounded.

“Don't you get it?” Rose asked in desperation. “Iris. The nurse at the hospital. Remember, her name was Iris?”

“But why would someone put it inside my car? And who put it there?”

Rose stared down at the flower. “I think someone's trying to tell us something. How many florists are around the area? We need to visit all of them and see if someone has recently purchased a purple iris.”

“Wait a minute.” Raven put up his hand to halt Rose in her tracks. “What do you mean we? You aren't going any where until I know it's safe.”

Rose was outraged. She crossed her arms over her chest and heaved a sigh. “You can't stop me. I'm going with you. Tomorrow. We, you and I, are going to find out who planted this in your truck. And we're going to do it together.”

Raven watched her carefully and knew that she was determined, one way or another, to go with him and nothing was going to stand in her way. He had no choice but to concede to her demands.

“Okay, but under one condition,” Raven said sternly. “You do as I say. You stick close to me, and you don't say a word.”

“Fine, now let's eat and you can tell me about your day.” Rose grabbed two slices of pizza and placed them on a paper towel. She took a bite of one slice. “Did you get a chance to talk to Luke?”

Raven hated doing it, but he had to tell her the truth. “I talked to him briefly on the phone. We had scheduled a meeting, but he decided not to show. Obviously a lot of people, even the police have questioned him about your disappearance.”

“Do you think he's afraid and he's running away?”

Raven shrugged. “I'm not sure what to think. He was very adamant on the phone that he was not, in any way responsible for your disappearance. He seemed willing enough to talk. I didn't have any reason to believe that he wouldn't show up.”

“Could it be foul play?”

“Possibly.” There was a moment of silence where neither of them looked at the other. A sick feeling came over Rose. She pushed her plate away.

Her mother was locked up in Winterpark. Now Luke was missing. Was there a connection? Did someone hurt Luke? Maybe kill him? Bile rose in her throat. She ran to the bathroom. Her stomach heaved. After a few minutes Raven entered the bathroom with a glass of water and a warm wash cloth. Rose hung her head over the toilet, her eyes watering.

“What's going on Raven? Why is this happening?”

“I don't know, Rose. But I assure you, we're going to find out.”

She didn't feel to confident about that. If they kept searching for the answers, there was every possibility her mother might be injured in some way. Or even killed.

“Luke wasn't a bad guy,” Rose simply stated. “He didn't deserve to die.”

“We don't know for sure that he is dead, Rose. We don't need to be making assumptions.”

“What are we going to do about my mother?”

Raven didn't have an answer. And that bothered him. There was no way they would give up her mother and take Rose instead. They'd kill one or both of them. Raven was certain of that.

“I don't know right now. The main thing is to find out where to flower came from. Once we know that bit of information, may it will lead us to some more answers. All I know is we need to approach with caution. One false move and your mother may end up dead.”

Rose didn't like how this was turning out. She was worried about her mother. Frightened for her. She had to get her out of Winterpark any way she could. Even if she had to take her place, she'd be willing to risk her life, knowing her mother would live.

Rose tried to finish off her pizza, but she'd well lost her appetite. She tossed it into the trash and left the room feeling very somber and distraught. She had to get her mother out of there. There was no question about it. How they would accomplish that was unknown at this time.