“You know I can’t surf,” I laughed and tried to focus on the here and now. Whatever the marking was, it wasn’t my job to figure it out. I had enough on my plate at the moment without worrying about some ritualistic murders.
Aaron had tried to teach me to surf a few years ago and it was a disaster. I never stood up once and even took him out a couple times.
“Hah! This is true. It’ll be nice to get out of the house though, and you and Becky can hang on the beach.”
“As long as you don’t try to get me on a board, I’m down.”
“Deal.”
Even though it was late in the day, Aaron was still able to get a few good waves in. Becky and I relaxed on the shore as I got some much needed work done. I looked over my notes for the Caltome Vineyard shoot I had coming up as Becky sunbathed in a two piece that was more dental floss than a bathing suit. I was excited to have my next big shoot at a winery and it was nice that my life was getting back to normal. Being in the sun and breathing the fresh ocean air made me feel lighter. It was the perfect way to unwind after my morning with Ian. I almost felt normal again as I sipped some of Becky’s famous homemade lemonade and enjoyed the warmth of the sun on my skin. Maybe my life could get back to normal after all.
Chapter 6
I unlocked the front door of my studio, anxious to get some work done. I had a lot to catch up on and really needed a day without interruption. The mail had piled up on the floor beneath the little metal slot in the door and I collected it onto my desk to sort through as I entered my office.
An envelope with just my name scrawled in perfect cursive made it to the top of the pile. I set everything else down on my desk and flipped it over. No return address, no stamps, weird.
I held it up to the light, peering at the contents and wary of white powder, but I couldn’t see anything through the envelope. I shrugged and tore it open. Only one way to find out who it was from.
Violet —
Meet me at the end of the pier. 12 o’clock.
I think it’s time we finally had that talk.
My heart bottomed out somewhere in the pit of my stomach. So he was back. I wasn’t sure this was a good thing or not. I had just started putting what happened behind me and getting back to a normal life; I wasn’t sure I wanted to meet him.
I glanced at the clock. It was eleven, which meant I had an hour to drive myself crazy. To go or not to go?
I paced around the studio trying to decide what to do. I desperately wanted answers to what happened that night, but couldn’t decide if those answers were worth opening still-fresh wounds. Spending time with Becky and Aaron had lifted me out of the fog and back into my life before the attack. Did I really want to rehash everything and start the healing process all over again? I thought about calling Becky, but what would I say to her? I was keeping so much from her these days she probably wouldn’t be able to give me any advice.
Back and forth, back and forth. I wore a path in the wooden floors. I looked up at the clock again: eleven-thirty. Time seemed to be in fast-forward, closing in on me to make a decision. Every reason to blow him off I came up with felt foolish and immature, but that fear always remained, keeping me in an ever-present state of indecision. I knew I wanted answers, but deep down I was afraid of what those answers might be. I wish I had someone to talk to, someone who could offer support. Unfortunately Robert was the only one I could speak openly with, without fear of ending up in a straight jacket.
And with that, I made my decision. I needed to face this head on. Hiding from the truth would get me nowhere.
The pier was only half a mile away and I still had thirty minutes, so I decided to walk and try to catch my breath. A million questions floated in and out of my mind as I stumbled down the street. Turning the corner a fresh ocean breeze crashed into me and sent my hair flying in every direction. The musty aroma of salt-laden humidity filled my nose clearing all the doubts from my head. I could do this. I was going to get answers and I was going to be okay. I’d been through hell and back when I lost my parents; nothing Robert would say could shake my resolve.
A newfound strength came over me when I reached the pier, stepping along the boards with purpose as I searched for Robert. A lone figure sitting on a bench facing the water soon came into view. I knew it was him. I took another breath to steel my nerves and made my way to the end of the pier. He stood as I approached and turned to face me.
“I see you got my note,” Robert said with a smile. “I’m glad you came. I wasn’t sure you would.”
“I wasn’t sure if I would either,” I remarked, shuffling my feet.
“Have a seat.” He gestured to the bench and ran his hand through his hair, his smile turning into a nervous grin. What did he have to be nervous about?
“So, you wanted to talk.” I sat down and looked out over the water. I needed to stay strong but for some reason my resolve always crumbled like stale pound cake around him.
“Straight and to the point, huh?” A slight chuckle escaped his throat.
“Yep.” I kept my focus on the ocean, wanting this over as quickly as possible.
“Well, I have some information on the man who attacked you. I don’t know how helpful it is, though.” He stared at the horizon.
“What kind of information?”
“I talked to the boys back home and they confirmed who sent your attacker.”
“Who was it?” My nails dug into my thigh.
“His name’s Aiden Patridge.” His jaw clenched into a hard line.
“Now that we have a name, we can go to the police.”
“No we can’t. This isn’t a problem they can solve. Aiden, he’s different…” he hesitated and licked his lip, “like I’m different.” His brow raised as he looked at me and I nodded in understanding.
“Okay, so what then?” I brushed the hair out of my eyes.
“It’s complicated, Violet. Aiden’s a dangerous man and now that he knows I healed you-”
“Healed me?” My heart pounded like a battering ram against my chest as I interrupted him. This was it; he was going to tell me how he saved me.
“Yes, you see,” Robert said, taking a deep breath before continuing. “He needed confirmation that you’re The Waker. When I healed you, it was all they needed to know to move forward.”
“Yeah, you’ve called me that before but I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Rolling my eyes I shook my head.
“That’s not important right now,” he said, finally looking at me. An anxious expression furrowed his brow as his lips formed a hard line.
“So let me get this straight. We don’t know who attacked me, but we know who sent them. And they didn’t kill me because they wanted you to heal me and confirm I’m The Waker?” I uncrossed my legs and counted on each finger the new pieces of information.
“Exactly.” Robert smiled with relief.
“Robert, what the hell are you talking about?” I threw my arms in the air. Maybe I was wrong in coming here. Clearly I wasn’t going to get any real answers out of him.
“You’re special and because of that, you’re at risk. We both are now,” Robert said, as if that clarified anything.
“All the crazy aside, you’re saying someone actually wants to hurt me?”
“No, they want to kill you.”
“But why? I don’t understand?” I pinched the bridge of my nose.
“You’re meant to do great things, Violet.” Robert gently pulled my hand from my face. “But some people, like Aiden, will stop at nothing to make sure you can’t interfere with his plans.”