Last Seen.... Carla Cassidy

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СКАЧАТЬ knew there was no point in trying to rouse Alyssa. She’d awaken when she was ready and nothing Breanna did or said would bring her around sooner.

      Minutes ticked by, indicated by the tick-tock of the old schoolhouse clock on the wall. It was a sound as familiar as Breanna’s mother’s heartbeat. Many early mornings, the James’s bed had been filled with her parents and the kids, greeting the day with soft talk, giggles and the rhythmic beating of that clock.

      Breanna leaned forward as Alyssa released a soft, audible sigh. Her eyes fluttered open and shut…open and shut, then remained open.

      “Hi.”

      Alyssa sat up and looked around as if to orient herself. “Hi.”

      “Are you okay?” Breanna frowned with concern. Usually when Alyssa came out of one of these spells, she appeared refreshed and alert. This time she appeared fragile and her hand shook as she worried it through a strand of her brown hair.

      She hesitated a moment, then nodded. “I’m fine.” Once again she swept a strand of her hair behind her ear and frowned. “I haven’t done that in quite some time.”

      “What brought it on? Anything specific? Was it my neighbor?”

      Alyssa’s frown deepened. “No…I don’t think so.” Her blue eyes were troubled as she gazed at Breanna. “I felt something dark…something evil from the moment I stepped into the house today.” She placed a hand over her heart. “I have a horrible feeling of dread and I don’t know what’s causing it.”

      “Have you seen anything?” Breanna asked, referring to the various visions Alyssa had suffered with since she was a small child.

      “Blackness. Just blackness.” She shivered. “I’ve never had anything like this before.” She swung her legs over the side of the bed and drew a deep breath. “Whenever I’ve had a vision in the past, it’s always been like watching a snippet of a movie in my head. But not this time. This time there was just the blackness and a sense of horror like I’ve never experienced before.”

      A slight chill worked up Breanna’s spine. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

      Alyssa drew another deep breath, then offered a tentative smile. “I’m fine, just a little bit embarrassed. I can’t imagine what your poor neighbor thinks. You introduce me to him and I faint in his arms.”

      Breanna offered her a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, I’ll tell him you’re hypoglycemic and just needed a little sugar boost.”

      Alyssa leaned across and grabbed Breanna’s hand. “Don’t look so worried. My feelings and visions don’t always mean anything. Stress sometimes triggers an event and things have been really crazy down at the bed-and-breakfast.”

      Alyssa owned and operated a bed-and-breakfast on the square, along with an ice-cream parlor that was a favorite gathering place.

      She stood and released Breanna’s hand. “Now, we better get back to the party before we miss all the good food.”

      Breanna stood as well and opened the door, then stumbled into the solid chest of Adam. Worried blue eyes gazed at her as he grabbed her by the shoulders to steady her. “Is everything all right?” His gaze moved from her to Alyssa, who stood just behind her.

      “Everything is fine, Mr. Spencer,” Alyssa assured him and he dropped his hands from Breanna’s shoulders. “I should apologize. I don’t normally faint when introduced to a new person. I’m afraid I haven’t been eating right and…” She allowed her voice to trail off.

      “And it’s done and over,” Breanna said firmly. “Why don’t we all rejoin the party. I’m sure they’re probably serving up the food now.” As she moved past Adam in the hallway, she smelled his cologne, a woodsy, masculine scent that stirred something feminine in her.

      It irritated her, how this man affected her on some primal level that had nothing to do with intellect and everything to do with sex appeal.

      As the three of them walked through the house and out the sliding glass doors to the backyard, she decided she had done her duty and introduced him to everyone. He was now on his own for the remainder of the day.

      Sure enough, the food was being served and Breanna left Adam in search of her daughter. She found her sitting on her Aunt Savannah’s lap.

      “Hey, sweetie. Why don’t you go get yourself a plate of food and let me visit with Aunt Savannah for a minute.”

      “I’m starving,” Maggie exclaimed as she jumped down from Savannah’s lap. “Bye, Aunt Savannah, we’ll talk more after I eat.”

      “It’s a deal,” Savannah replied, the darkness in her eyes momentarily lifted as she smiled at Maggie.

      “How are you doing, sis?” Breanna asked as Maggie scampered away.

      “Good,” Savannah replied, but the sadness in her eyes that had been present for the past year was an indicator to Breanna that the heartache of losing Jimmy still consumed her.

      “You look tired. Are you working too many hours?” Breanna asked. The entire family had been after Savannah to take some time off, to get away from the misery of seeing murders up close and personal.

      Savannah shrugged. “It’s been a long week.

      “Still no break in the Maxwell murder?”

      “Nothing. Poor man is found naked and dead in front of the public library. Clay has been pulling out his hair because the crime scene was contaminated by dozens of gawkers and we’ve all been stymied by the fact that Greg Maxwell seemed to be loved by everyone who knew him.”

      “Something will break. It always does,” Breanna said.

      “Your new neighbor seems very nice,” Savannah said.

      Breanna looked over to the patio where Adam was talking to her father. The khaki slacks Adam wore hugged his slender hips and long legs and the short-sleeved dress shirt emphasized the width of his chest and the muscles of his biceps. “I guess. I really don’t know him that well. It was Mother who invited him.”

      Savannah smiled. “Big surprise. She’s always inviting strays home.”

      Breanna looked back over to Adam. He didn’t seem like a stray. In her brief acquaintance with him, he appeared to be a man who knew exactly who he was and where he was going. There was a quiet confidence about him she found intriguing, despite the fact that she had no intention of developing any kind of a relationship other than that of good neighbors.

      “Come and get a plate,” Breanna said and pulled her sister to her feet. Breanna fixed herself a plate and joined her daughter at one of the picnic tables that were scattered across the backyard.

      “Aunt Savannah said maybe she’ll take me to a movie next week,” Maggie said.

      “That would be nice, wouldn’t it?” Breanna replied.

      “I like the movies.” Maggie grabbed the little horse on her necklace. “I think Thunder would like them, too.”

      “Mind if I join you?” Adam stood next СКАЧАТЬ