away on the quiet road. In his anger and against better judgment Craig had driven away in the opposite direction to the guest house that he lodged at, pride preventing him from chasing after her.
The last he saw of Melly was her angry back as she marched off. The guilt he now felt at leaving her in the middle of nowhere gnawing at his insides. It was all consuming. He should have driven back to find her. Instead he'd left her, alone on a deserted road. He felt a deep seated sense of blame and believing that he was responsible for whatever had happened to Melissa.
He wished that Melly would suddenly pitch up telling everyone that she'd went off with a friend to the city of London but deep in his heart Craig knew that something awfully dreadful had happened to Melly, the love of his life. He had wanted to hate her for mocking their relationship but he'd always know that his feelings were not reciprocated.
Melissa had commitment issues.
The aroma of baking bread brought Craig out of his deep reverie, Emma had been up at dawn attending to the chores that were required to running a farm. She loved it, claiming it was rewarding and made her life feel so purposeful.
Since their parents had died while they were quite young, Emma had taken the role of much older sister-cum-mother to Craig. He'd been born when Emma was 12 years old and 7 years later when their parents had been killed in a tragic airplane crash Emma had become Craig's legal guardian. She'd been the solid rock that he could lean on through all the trying challenging times, especially when his anger and rage had consumed him making him lose sense of reality. The killing of innocent little farm animals, when Emma had found out she hurriedly sought professional help for Craig. He'd spent many long years in his childhood with his therapist, slowly coming to terms with the festering wound in his heart. Emma was the best sister ever, she stood by him through it all, as protective as any mum could be.
Craig put down the axe, carrying the pile of wood inside and setting it down near the hearth. Breakfast was already set at the table. Freshly baked bread, scrambled eggs, sizzling aromatic coffee, all prepared over the old fashioned coal store. Emma was setting plates, telling Craig to wash up and join her. Sitting across from Emma at the old polished mahogany table Craig discussed with her his part played in what had happened to Mel. Brother and sister both agreed that the police should not learn about his troubled past. Emma reassured him that Dr. Lenard was very discreet. They both knew that if the police dug too deep into Craig's past, he could be considered a suspect in her disappearance. Talk about his past coming back to haunt it – this time with disastrous consequences. It needed to remain buried where it belonged.
That was Emma's decisive sentiment.
- Chapter 10 -
The winter had turned nasty. Its icy fingers curling around the little town of Rosewood Creek and Hanover law bordered just outside the city of London. People who loved Solitude opted to live in these sleepy towns with their scattered farms and cottages miles apart from each other in exchange for the quick pace of the bustling city of central London. Rosewood composed of the usual eternal stores, the bank, a city hall, the famous courthouse built in the 1800 still stood firmly through the sands of time. Little children walked the streets happily playing ball on the sidewalks, their rosy cheeks smiling happily. A man parked his car and pulling the collar of his tweed coat tighter around his neck and walked up to the general store.
He'd decided to buy what he needed from old Adam. He inwardly smirked thinking how clever he'd been. As he walked his thick boots made large imprints on the cold hard snow as he trudged into the store. A rope, some toiletries, a few blankets, etc. and he was quickly on his way with his purchases.
He placed the purchases on his backseat of the truck as he drove off out of the little town. Rosewood faded into the distance. He was going up to the cabin in the woods. He'd lay low for a while as he orchestrated his next move.
The sound of sirens blaring loudly as the squad of police vehicles in blue and white sped wildly up the uneven track. The Icy wind whistled loudly as police descended on the farmhouse. Emma and Craig exchanged knowing looks, horrified that their worst nightmare had just began. The policemen rushed the farmhouse and immediately arrested Craig for the charge of murder of Melissa. They had uncovered Craig's past and believed that he had kidnapped Melly. Craig kept shouting that he was innocent and he loved her but it fell on deaf ears as he was forcefully taken away. Emma shrieked at her brother not to worry. She'd get him the best lawyer in town. Craig's face wore a shattered look as he gazed at his sister helplessly through the window and he was whisked away. That image would haunt Emma forever.
A few miles away the man stood at the cabin window staring out into the blackness. He stroked his beard and thought pensively at this brilliance. A steely glint in his eyes, he thought how easy it was and he smiled at himself. He knew that the boy would be picked up just about now. He'd followed him to the farmhouse in the past. It was quite isolated, not as the cabin was. He'd done a background check on the boy. He would make the perfect fall guy, his past would definitely ensure that. He walked away from the window and threw a log into the fire, the crackling wood creating a warm ambiance. He reveled in the thought that he and the girl would be together very soon. It was destiny. His very own destiny.
- Chapter 11 -
Suzie could feel the bitter coldness soak her feet as she ran in the mist. The smell of old cold stone filling her nostrils as she tripped and slipped on the green moss and rocks. The mist had enveloped her. A sharp stinging pain in her knee, the wet stickiness and the droplets of red on the cold white snow telling her that she'd injured herself. She grimaced and rose slowly, up ahead she could hear Melly calling out to her. Suzie began running on the old bridge near the riverbed, Melissa needed her, and she could hear her getting closer. As she approached the figure near the edge of the bank, near the old abandoned mill, she saw her, the blond figure with her back facing her. She called out, “Melly, Melly, I'm here!” she shouted breathlessly. She reached out her hand to touch Melly's shoulder when the figure turned with a wide lifeless blank stare in the pool of her irises. Streaks of blood running down her cheeks. Suzie cringed her hands in mid-air, a blood curling scream tearing at her throat as she jerked awake. Her pajamas's were soaked in cold sweat. It had been a nightmare, one of the worst kind ever. She clutched at the bed covers trying to relax her racing heart. It was the 3rd nightmare this week. Ever since her parent’s death and Melly's disappearance, she had been having recurring nightmares. They plagued her. Her bedroom was still and dark. She reached over to the night table switching on her lamp. The warmth of the light adding a touch of security, she gently pushed away the covers and got out of bed, reaching into the drawer she pulled out a fresh clean nightgown, pulling of the sweat drenched gown, she put the clean one on and padded bare-feet to the kitchen. A warm glass of milk with honey would soothe her frayed nerves. These nightmares were taking its toll. They left her exhausted. Suzie stood at the lounge window sipping her warm milk gazing out into the darkness. Her hand tightening on the glass as she squinted peering into the darkness. “Is that a figure near the willow tree at the end of the driveway?” she asked herself. She blinked hard looking again. It was just the shadows. Suzie shook her head and reassured herself that her imagination was playing tricks on her with everything going on, this was no surprise.
- Chapter 12 -
Suzie clutched her file tightly against her chest, with her right hand she adjusted the strap on her handbag pulling it higher onto her shoulder and quickly walked up to the lecture hall. She had requested a meeting with the English lecturer. Her studies were lagging behind. She’d been given extensions on all of her assignments, but she knew that she wasn't coping, she'd decided to continue only in the next semester. She needed time, she needed to come to terms with everything that had happened in her life. She needed to lose herself in an unknown city, away from Rosewood Creek, away from university where every lecture room and cafeteria reminded her of Melly and her parent’s tragic death.
To date there didn't appear to be any leads to the person responsible for her parents death. The pain, just thinking about it was overwhelming. She found herself blinking hard to stop the onset of fresh tears threating to spill. She took a deep breath and swallowed hard as she saw the kind lecturer approach her. He'd been so helpful and kind with his twinkly blue eyes masked with concern. He'd tried to help Suzie update her notes. She felt a bit guilty that so many strangers like Mr. Cole had took the time to be kind and supportive. She felt that she would be letting them down dropping out of the semester. Suzie knew that she owed it to herself to heal so she could begin to feel whole again. She owed it to herself, she owed it to her parents to be okay, and they would want that!
Walking away from Mr. Cole, a sense of relief washed over her. She'd been surprised that Mr. Cole had been so understanding and supportive telling her that she should take her time before she renewed her studies. It was understandable. Under the circumstance, she needed time. A lot of her friend who had overhead