Scene of the Crime Deadman's Bluff - By Carla Cassidy Page 0,6

want to claim as her own.

Sand...and sun...and a terror so huge she couldn’t now embrace what she knew she’d felt before. Safe. She was safe now. Her head filled with a vision of a handsome, dark-haired man with soft gray eyes. He’d told her she was safe and she’d believed his low, calm voice, the steady assurance of his gaze.

She heard the approach of a rattling cart in the hallway, smelled the scent of coffee and bacon and realized she was ravenous.

A hand control allowed her to raise the head of her bed at the same time a nurse came in. “Ah, good. You’re awake,” she said cheerfully. “And just in time to enjoy Amber Lake Memorial Hospital’s finest cuisine.” With an efficiency of movement, the nurse pulled out a table and swung it across the center of the bed and then placed a tray on top.

She looked at the nurse with her short, curly dark hair and eyes that were a blue-gray and remembered her from the night before. She’d been kind.

“My name is Linda,” she said as she pulled the cover from the tray, exposing a plate of bacon and eggs and toast. There was a cup of coffee, a carton of orange juice and a small fruit cup, as well.

Linda smiled at her once again. “It was my brother, Seth, who found you yesterday.”

So, Gray Eyes had a name. Seth. Even just hearing his name took away some of the knot of anxiety that pressed tight against her chest.

“I don’t know if you remember or not, but we got you off the IV in the middle of the night. Your vitals are all good and the doctor should be in later this morning to see you. I know Seth and the sheriff are going to be here anytime, so you’d better enjoy your meal in peace and quiet before they get here and start bothering you with questions.” Linda’s smile faded into a look of concern. “Is there anything else I can do for you now?”

Tell me this is all a dream, she thought. Tell me I’m going to wake up soon and all of this has just been a crazy nightmare. She shook her head to indicate that she was fine and then picked up her fork.

As she began to eat, Linda hesitated a moment at the door. “Can you tell me your name this morning?”

Her hand trembled slightly as she shook her head.

Linda offered her a reassuring smile. “It’s okay...maybe later.” She left the room. The scrambled eggs were cooked perfectly and the bacon was crisp. The coffee was a bit strong, but it warmed her a little bit as she drank it. And she needed the warmth, for there seemed to be a cold hand clenched around her heart that refused to release its hold.

She focused solely on the meal, not wanting to think about anything else, afraid to delve too deeply into her own mind until she figured out some things.

She ate everything on the plate and then swung the table away so that she could get out of bed. She needed to use the restroom. She moved her legs to hang off the side of the bed and sat up, wanting to make sure there was no dizziness that would create a potential fall.

As she got to her feet, she was grateful that the IV was gone and pleased to discover that she felt strong. She quickly made her way into the bathroom, the green-flowered hospital gown swimming around her small frame.

The reflection that greeted her in the mirror was that of a stranger. The knot of anxiety that had momentarily subsided grew bigger, tighter in her chest.

She didn’t recognize the woman in the mirror with her blue, widened eyes and her dark hair hanging limp and dirty to her shoulders. She reached up to scratch her itchy scalp and her fingers came away with tiny granules of pale sand beneath the nails.

Sand...everywhere, pressing in on her, suffocating her. She couldn’t move as she heard the scrape of a shovel, felt the weight of the sand covering her. As the strange memories shot through her she slapped a hand over her chest to keep her rapidly banging heart from beating right out of her skin.

She whirled away from the mirror, took care of her needs and then quickly exited the bathroom and got back into the bed. Safe, you’re safe now. The words reverberated through her head, finally slowing her heartbeat to