Dark Echo

Chapter 11

December 25, 2014“God, what is it now?” Laura peers at the clock. “3:52 am,” she grumbles. Gruffly throwing the covers back, she scurries downstairs. What"s gotten Sammie riled up? She"s surprised his incessant barks haven"t wakened the girls. Turning on the kitchen light, and squinting at Sammie prancing to and fro and growling at the back door, she murmurs, “Calm down, Sammie … What"s gotten into you?” Sammie stops, sits on his haunch, and barks loudly at the door. “What? You wanna go out?” Slowly, opening the door and peering into the black backyard, she scans the veranda east to west. Curiously, Sammie peers from the other side of the door, his loud growl now a low grumble.

What"s gotten Sammie riled up“Okay, scaredy cat … are you going out?” With a tilted head and dangling tongue, Sammie stares into the darkness. “Okay, well, you had your chance,” she states and closes the door. Sammie glances around her leg expectantly. “Are you expecting guest?” Laura asks, noticing Sammie"s head peeking up. He remains on his haunch, staring at the door. “What"s wrong with you lately?” Laura mumbles and heads toward the coffee pot. “Well, I can"t just go back to sleep now, Sammie.” And she decides to prepare coffee for herself and the girls.

She eyes Sammie agitatedly, pondering his strange behavior. She recalls his sitting at the foot of her bed—head propped up guarding the door. Maybe the girl"s presence in the house has him riled. Startled by footsteps, Laura jerks her head around as Tara enters the kitchen with a massive head of curls obscuring her face. Like a zombie, Tara heads straight to the gurgling coffee pot, leans on the counter, and inhales the fumes. “Did you sleep at all?” Tara asks with a loud yawn.

Maybe the girl"s presence in the house has him riled“Not really,” Laura grumbles. “I had a hard time falling asleep, and then Sammie woke me up. He"s freaking me out … And with all the stuff happening in the house, I"m downright spooked!”

Laura"s fretful voice widens Tara"s narrow eyes with concern. She"s more frightened than she was a few hours ago, Tara thought. If only she could put her at ease. “Laura, you need a surveillance system. Have you ever considered installing one?”

She"s more frightened than she was a few hours ago,Remembering her negligible effort and interest in the modern surveillance she"d seen two years ago, she wishes she"d been more concerned about her safety. “Yeah, I did briefly after Daniel"s death. The sheer size of the house and being alone frightened me, but I got over the fear after a while. Now this …”

“Laura, do you realize how ridiculous that sounds. This estate is wide-open to criminals.”

“Tara, they"ll never get through the gate without the code.”

Tara disagrees inwardly, reflecting on the ponderous gate. It opens and closes so slowly, someone could indeed walk in if they tried. With the backyard open to the waterways, anyone with a boat can make their way to the property. However, she doesn"t want to spook Laura any more than she is already. “Well, anyway, you need surveillance around the home.” Laura"s lax attitude is bothersome. At the moment, Tara wishes she can shake some sense into her. She understands Laura"s reservations about selling the home. Although leery of broaching the subject, she believes Laura may reconsider selling given recent events. “I realize how much you love this estate and the difficult decision of putting it on the market, but, Laura, you"ll feel more secure in a smaller place.”

It opens and closes so slowly, someone could indeed walk in if they tried. With the backyard open to the waterways, anyone with a boat can make their way to the property.Laura sits silently alarmed by Tara"s thoughts of the waterway access to her backyard. The brazenness of someone just walking right onto the estate makes her shiver. She sensed Tara"s annoyance about the surveillance and realizes she"s just concern for her safety. Tara"s thoughts fill Laura"s mind before they reached Tara"s lips. She waits patiently for her to finish speaking. Sensing her final word, Laura replies, “Tara, I"ve thought about putting the house on the market many times … I"m still uncertain. My instincts tell me not to.”

“Well, Laura, I"m all about the gut,” she states with an uncontrollable yawn. The coffee maker beeps four times and Tara whispers, “Finally.” She pulls two large mugs from the cabinet and considers the steaming black liquid, mixing with the contrasting whiteness of the cups.

.”With a couple of sips, Tara"s more awake, but caffeine is only a temporary fix for her lack of sleep. Pensively sitting at the island with their cup of coffee, Laura and Tara stare out the window as charcoal skies fade midnight-blue over Charleston"s harbor. Dawn"s inky light reveals the elegant Ravenel Bridge, Patriots Point, and the Southeastern end of the Battery. The sinister mood of the night slowly disperses with the view.

Tara peers through unruly curls, beyond the kitchen, and into the family room—eyes fixed on the mysterious gift with a troubled grimace. “Have you thought about that gift anymore?”

Laura shakes her head. “All night …”

“You should cut the suspense and open it.”

“I thought we should wait for Callie and Leanne.”

“They won"t mind. We have other gifts to open.”

Laura doesn"t need much convincing. Just as curious to uncover the mystery, she heads toward the family room, retrieves the package, and brings it to the kitchen.

Intense chills races down Tara"s spine. Instantly, she senses a threat.

Laura unravels the blue velvet bow and peels the silver wrappings cautiously. A brown box emerges. She pauses and peeks at Tara, who appears troubled. She recognizes that expression from somewhere. It scares her more than the box she"s holding. Inside, she discovers an AHD keychain and an envelope. “Strange … This keychain was given to our Dream Home winners.”

“Open the envelope!” Tara urges.

With shaky hands, Laura tears it open and finds a note in bold-typewritten print. YOU BROKE YOUR PROMISE.

Alarmed, they stare at each other with quizzical expressions.

“Wha—what the … What does that mean? What promise?” Laura can"t fathom who would leave such a note. “And how did this get under the tree or in the house?”

“I have a bad feeling about this, Laura. Should we call the police?”

“I don"t believe there"s enough evidence of a threat. The police won"t believe the note is anything other than a joke …” Suddenly, Laura reflects on the sounds in the house the last couple of days. “You think someone has been in the house? All those sounds I heard can"t be a coincidence. And Sammie"s odd behavior the last couple of days—now this all makes sense.”

With stronger chills, Tara stares at the note. “We"re going to the police. And you"re getting surveillance as soon as possible.”

Tom

Heading toward East Bay Street, Tom delivers another package to Tara McPherson"s home. He will make two more deliveries before he checks into a hotel. A baleful grin slits his face. At any moment, Laura Alcott"s security will be ripped away in her own home. Now she"ll fathom fear as her secure world changes in an instant.

Pulling into Tara"s private driveway, Tom exits swiftly toward the side of the townhouse. He checks several ground floor windows. With no success, he rushes to the backyard and onto a covered patio. A basement window catches his attention, but like the others, it"s locked securely. Stepping backward and staring above, he notices a screened-in porch, and over the porch sits a small window slightly ajar. He considers leaving the package at the front door, but he"s determined to strike fear in their hearts.

Directly behind him, he studies the long branches of an oak tree that lean over the top of the porch. Without thought, he scuttles onto the first branch, climbing until he"s over the rooftop. Pausing, he looks down and studies the skylights below. Dangling from the branch, he takes a deep breath and drops with a loud bang on top of the porch, barely missing the skylight. The small window sits right at his waist. Noticing the size of the opening, he realizes his body might not fit. It"ll be a tight squeeze. Undeterred, he lifts the window high and pops his head inside a large glass enclosed shower. He deliberates how to position his body, and then enters feet first. For several minutes, he struggles. Scrapping his arms, he manages to wedge his entire body through, dropping into the stoned tiled shower.

It"ll be a tight squeezeHe makes his way out of the bath, down the hallway, and into Tara"s bedroom. He places the package in the center of the bed—a spot she"ll notice instantly. He exits the room and heads downstairs. Before he leaves the house, he draws all the shades on the first floor. This will chill her blood; he thought. Then he exits through the back door.

This will chill her blood