She climbed to her own bedroom on the third floor, not bothering to turn on a light. The room was large with two bay windows on each side and a tiny, railed widows walk at the end facing the town green and, past it, Ravens Cove and the Atlantic. Light filtered in from the pale gray fog.
She dropped her shoes beside the bed and, opening the French doors, stepped out onto the walk into the damp mist, feeling oddly vulnerable. She no longer felt safenot when she couldnt trust her judgment any more than she had tonight. Who had she gone to dinner with?
She drew in a breath of the cool, wet night air and looked out at the wisps of mist moving like ghosts through the town green, trying to convince herself that she wasnt her mother. But more and more when she looked in the mirror, she saw the startling resemblance to the old photographs of her mother.
Worse, she feared the similarities were more than skin deep, since her first choice of a man had been deadly wrong, a choice shed paid for dearly a year ago. Now, it seemed, shed made another mistake tonight, and to think shed been tempted to let him walk her home.
The fog drifted across the green, weaving in and out of the trees. She caught a glimpse of the gazebo just beyond the wide sweeping branches of the witch-hanging tree, the white lattice of the gazebo dark with its cloak of dense ivy. It had been on a night like this almost twenty years agoshe shuddered and stepped back inside to close and lock the doors. How could she not help but think of her mother tonight?
KAT WOKE IN A SWEAT, the sheets tangled around her, her heart pounding. She sat up, terrified. Her hand shook as she reached to fumble on the lamp beside her bed, frantically trying to fight off the horrible images that surfaced to consciousness within her. The clock beside her bed read 2:28 a.m.
Shed had the dream again. Only this time, she swore she could smell her mothers perfume. And for a moment, she would have sworn she wasnt alone in the room.
She hugged herself as she glanced around her bedroom, seeing nothing but familiar objectsand no place for anyone to hide. After a few minutes, she curled back under the covers and, although she fought sleep and the possibility of the nightmare coming back, she finally dozed off again.
She woke to the sound of the radio alarm. It jolted her out of bed, dragging remnants of the nightmare with her. She stumbled to the bathroom, disrobing to step into the shower. The hot water and the light of day helped. By the time she dried off, shed convinced herself that thered been nothing to fear last nightincluding the dream and her mystery date.
Logically, if hed meant her harm, he wouldnt have taken her to the Moriahs Landing Inn on Main Street. Hed have suggested someplace where there was less chance of them being seen together. And even though shed heard footsteps on her way home, it didnt mean whoever it was had been following her.
By the time shed dressed for work, shed discounted her fears from the previous night, even coming up with a logical explanation for the nightmares return after all these years. The twentieth anniversary of her mothers death was only days away. Just the mention of her mother and her death had no doubt
spooked her last night on the walk home and triggered the nightmare, even making her believe she smelled her mothers perfume. Just as shed imagined hearing someone in the room, before her eyes adjusted to the darkness.
But as she left for work, she didnt cut across the town green as she normally did each morning. Her lapse in judgment last night and the dream still had her feeling a little vulnerable. She knew it was crazy, since she was trained to be able to take care of herself in most situations. And what did she have to fear in Moriahs Landing in broad daylight, anyway?
On Main Street she spotted Arabella coming toward her and braced herself for another of the womans dire warnings of impending doom. But to her surprise, Arabella appeared to cross the street as if to avoid her. Kat saw the poor woman make the sign of the cross and duck down one of the narrow brick alleys.
Normally, Kat found Arabellas bizarre behavior amusing, but this morning it made her a little uneasy.
Worse, Kat found herself looking for her mystery date in the faces she passed. She couldnt help wondering who he was and if she really might have been in danger last night.
As she neared her office, she spotted something lying on the front step. She slowed, glancing around, suddenly feeling as if someone was watching her, waiting for her to find what hed left for her.
On her office doorstep lay a small bouquet of daisies tied loosely with a short piece of frayed red satin ribbon. No white floral box. No card. Just freshly picked daisies and a worn red ribbon.
As she stooped to lift the flowers gently, as if they were an armed bomb set to blow at even the slightest movement, she told herself they were just flowers. Nothing sinister about daisies. Of course, they had to be from Ross. A small gesture after standing her up last night. Maybe shed give him a second chance.