Chapter 22

Shae awakened to the distinct memory of Tristan’s kiss. Even though she knew the memory occurred in a dream, she could still feel the warmth and pressure of his kiss against her mouth. She lifted a hand and traced her lips as she tried to break though the jumbled recollection, and found the task most difficult. The dream she experienced concerning the events in the chapel were just as vivid and distinct as they were the first time. But this time—

This time something else transpired before the events inside the church took place, she could feel it. She concentrated on bringing the memory to the forefront. Yet, she just could not break through the dense, thick fog that continued to muddle her mind. The forest, she could remember the forest. Again. Did it belong to the part of the dream Tristan shared with her, or did it belong to another dream entirely?

She sighed as she turned onto her side and hugged her pillow to her chest. Perhaps she loved Tristan so much that her subconscious made up the forest, the kiss and the—

No, wait a minute. With a start, she recalled the snippet of memory with vivid clarity. Tristan kissed her inside that forest. She could see the expression on his face before he kissed her. The way he looked at her sent delicious shivers up and down her spine. She drew her knees to her chest and buried her face as she relived the precious memory. If Tristan shared that part of the dream with her, then why did it seem so unclear and difficult to remember when the rest of the dream did not? Surely, her own personal desires extended the dream in the direction she wanted it to go. Unless—

All at once, she felt an overwhelming desire to discover if the forest in her dreams existed. The place shouldn’t be hard to find if it did. The direction she faced as she walked toward the church would be her guide. And if it did exist, and appeared just as vivid and precise as the church in her dreams, then surely Tristan showed it to her. That would also mean he shared it with her, and in turn—

“Shaelynn, are you awake?” he called out from the other side of her door.

“Yes.” She leaped from her bed and as she hurried into her clothes she said, “Sorry. I didn’t mean to oversleep.”

She opened the door and slipped past him. “Come on, I’ll tell you everything I remember, just as I remember it. Also, I have a few questions of my own I want to ask you.”

Tristan followed her into the drawing room, yet all the while his eyes probed deeply into hers. She had the distinct impression that her facial expression mystified him in some way, Had he expected to hear her cry again?

“What did you see?” he asked.

“Well, to begin with, that red spot is blood. And it existed well before you came through the door,” she replied and emphasized her conviction with a very satisfied nod of her head.

“Did you locate any droplets or splatters on the floor this time around?”

“Nope, not a single one. However, the direction of the smear came to an abrupt halt about three and a half, maybe four feet away from the pulpit. I could see a blunt edge and wondered if a rug could have sopped up the blood, thereby creating the boundary. There is also a possibility that the major’s missing bedroll is to blame. I thought Nils might have used one or the other to wrap up, conceal, and then move the missing body elsewhere. That could also explain the missing trail of blood if he did. Don’t you think?”

“Yes, that’s very possible,” he agreed.

“Then as I looked for the logical place he could take the body, I noticed a small hallway. I thought it might lead to the church office or the stairs to the belfry. Either place would be perfect to hide a person away temporarily. But when I tried to explore that possibility, I found I couldn’t leave the chapel. I could feel some kind of barrier I just couldn’t pass. So I need you to explain why I couldn’t go into the hallway.”

“I am not taking you back in time, Shaelynn. I’m only sharing a memory. You get to experience that same memory through my eyes. See the same things my eyes witnessed and nothing more. Since Nils and I never left the chapel, neither can you.”

“Oh.” Shae pinched her brows together and blew out a dejected sighed.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” He tilted his head to the side as once again, his eyes probed hers. She made a conscious effort to mask her feelings of disappointment over his rational explanation.

“Nothing.” She waved a hand in dismissal, briefly dropped her gaze, and toyed with her fingers. “Except, well—that doesn’t make sense. If I can only see the same things you did, then why could I search the entire room? Not only did I traverse the room looking for a trail of blood and the missing body, I also looked for the major’s missing saddlebags.

“I searched along each of the benches, as well as looked underneath them. I even walked behind the pulpit, which is something you never did. In fact, I walked over and stood behind Nils as he sauntered toward you. I witnessed his every movement. Why would I be able to do those things if I only experienced the dream through your eyes?” she asked.

“The eyes can see more than we give them credit, Shaelynn. Our subconscious level picks up small little things that go unnoticed by our conscious level. We record movements as well as the smallest details of our surroundings. This is why I suggested sharing the memory with you in the first place. You must also understand that you didn’t necessarily have to see the event in the same order it transpired. After one creates a memory, everything within that memory becomes a three dimensional panorama. The memory can be viewed from different points and from different times, depending on how one wants to look at it.”

She took a few moments to absorb his explanation before she lifted her shoulders and nodded. “I suppose that makes sense,” she replied.

“Did you see if Nils carried any self-inflicted wounds?” he asked.

“He didn’t. I looked him over quite thoroughly while he stood near the pulpit. As far as I could see, he didn’t have any blood on his clothes, nor did I see any blood on his hands.”

“What about the knife?”

“Yes. He kept his knife hidden in the folds of his coat as you approached each other. So I had to wait, but as Nils exposed the knife to my view, I could see blood on the blade,” she said.

“Then someone else entered the church before I got there,” Tristan replied. “I wonder why Zepheniah Henry never located him.”

“I think it’s safe to assume he searched the ground floor, but do you think he searched the belfry?” she asked.

“I would certainly think so,” Tristan replied. “If someone gave me the assignment, I would have checked every nook and cranny possible. You have to remember, another life was at stake. I don’t believe the men would have left without a thorough search.”

“Well, I’m going to call Isaac and make sure. He might remember if his grandfather mentioned any specifics,” she said as she dipped her hand inside her pocket and withdrew her phone. Seconds later, she placed the call. Once he answered she said, “Hey Isaac. It’s Shae Montgomery. How are you doing today?”

“I’m very well, thank you,” Isaac replied. “How are things progressing at Starling?”

“We’re making progress,” she answered, knowing he referred to Tristan’s situation. “We seem to find a little here and a little there, but nothing conclusive, yet. That’s why I’m calling. I need to ask you one more question.”

“I don’t know if I have anything else to offer. You picked my brain quite thoroughly when last we spoke, but feel free to ask your question, anyway,” he said.

“When Captain Berntsen ordered your grandfather to search the premises after discovering the uniform, did he say whether or not he searched the entire building and surrounding grounds? More importantly, did he mention the belfry?” she asked.

“I don’t recall any specific mention of the belfry. However, he did mention the extensive search of the grounds, the office, and the private quarters belonging to the minister. They searched each room very methodically from what he said. But you have to remember, Shae, if the major hid a body inside the building, regardless of where, and my grandfather missed it, surely the smell of decaying flesh would manifest itself in the days to come. As I recall, the incident happened on a Friday. Therefore, surely by Sunday when the congregation tried to hold services, they would have smelled the stench, if present.”

She glanced up as Tristan nodded in agreement. “Well, that answers that, and you’re right, of course. Thanks, Isaac. As usual, you’ve been very helpful.”

“No thanks necessary,” he replied. “If I can be of further assistance, just give me a call.”

“None of this makes any sense, Tristan,” Shae said as she ended the call, and gave the phone a toss on the tea table. “I mean, it’s obvious that with fresh blood on the floor and the knife, as well as the presence of the third saddled horse, someone else preceded you into that church. He just couldn’t disappear into thin air. And since the major died where he stood, he could not come back to move it elsewhere after the fact.”

Or could he? Shae fixed her gaze on Tristan as she considered the unique abilities that spirits possess. Aulric could pick up some very heavy tools and send them flying through the air. Tristan lifted Perry off his feet as if he weighed no more than a loaf of bread and pinned him against his truck.

“Or am I wrong about that fact?” she asked as she raised a brow in question.

Tristan shook his head. “No, you’re not wrong. Nils could not have attained those skills in a few short days. It takes quite a while for a spirit to figure such things out. Learning how to move objects, projecting oneself solidly, and speaking audibly are all abilities we acquire with time and patience. They are obtained over a period of time through trial, error, and a whole lot of practice.”

“Then how do we explain the missing person?” she asked.

“There is one possibility we’ve yet to explore,” Tristan said. “Perhaps our missing person not only survived his attack, but walked away from the church on his own accord.”

“Then why didn’t he take one of the horses? We know he suffered a gaping wound. Therefore, a horse would give him the best means to escape Nils and get the help he needed,” she said.

“Not if he didn’t want Nils to know he survived. Just follow along with me for a moment. What if Nils only thought he killed our missing individual?” Tristan’s hand went to his jaw as he paced the floor. “Let’s just say for the sake of argument that he attacked the man with his knife, and the man fell unconscious to the floor. We’ll theorize that Nils wrapped the body in his bedroll or made use of a rug. Then, he placed our individual somewhere outside the chapel, in the hallway, or even in the minister’s quarters. You have to remember I arrived at the church earlier than what Nils expected. Therefore, he needed to divert his attention to me and not bother with the body from that point forward.

“What if during our fight the man somehow extricated himself from his confines and left the building unnoticed by either of us? He wouldn’t want to tip his hand by taking the horse. Perhaps he hoped he could get far enough away that Nils wouldn’t be able to find him if he proved the victor of our contest. Perhaps he maneuvered his way into the woods behind the church and from there he—”

“Woods?” Shae seized on the word. Tristan whirled around to face her. He cocked his head to the side as his puzzled gaze met hers.

“You say there’s a forest close enough to the church for an injured man to reach on foot?” She made every attempt to sound calm and nonchalant even though her heart thudded inside her chest as she awaited his answer.

“Most certainly,” Tristan replied. “During that time period, forest surrounded most of the structures in the area.”

Tristan’s penetrating gaze continued to probe. She didn’t know what he sought, nor could she ask the question she wanted to ask. After all, she couldn’t come right out and say something like, “So, I’ve had this dream where you and I are kissing passionately. If I’m not mistaken, we are inside a forest very near the church. You wouldn’t be responsible for that amazing memory, would you? Because if you are…”

Before she said something like that, she would need to know if the exact forest in her dreams existed. But what if time and modern development destroyed their forest? She needed to face the fact that she might never find the place, even if Tristan truly took her there. And she still needed to figure out why that part of the dream seemed so hazy when the rest of it did not. The whole thing continued to confuse her.

He crossed his arms against his chest and lifted his chin as if he wanted her to say something.

So, say something, she silently commanded. She cleared her throat. “Do you think he might have died inside the, uh, the forest, or do you think he went for help?”

“I don’t know. I think it’s reasonable to assume that if he survived, he would tell someone that Nils tried to kill him. That statement alone would have cast dispersions on what happened between the two of us.”

“Not unless he involved himself with something illicit that he didn’t want anyone else to know about,” Shae replied. “Perhaps he had personal knowledge about the major’s plans and didn’t want to be implicated.”

“That is also very possible,” Tristan agreed.

“Still, at the very least he needed someone to look after that knife wound. He lost a lot of blood.” Shae gasped as a sudden notion occurred. “I wonder if he came here looking for help. This is the closest place, after all.” She called for Amy then and just as the name left her mouth, she appeared inside the room.

“You need me, dear?” Amy asked as she tilted her head to the side.

“Yes, I’m hoping you can help us.” Shae glanced over at Tristan before giving Amy her full attention. “We just wondered if someone came to Starling, either by himself or with assistance, around the same time Tristan did. This person would have suffered at least one horrific stab wound, maybe more.”

Amy pursed her lips and furrowed her brow. Finally, she shook her head. “No, I’m sorry. I don’t really recall anyone that fits your description. Of course, you are asking me to remember something that took place over a century ago, and my memory might be faulty.”

“Thanks, Amy.” Shae gave Tristan her full attention the moment Amy disappeared from the room. “Let’s go to the office and see if anything is recorded in the medical journal that can shed some light on this situation.”

As she stood to her feet, Tristan turned around to face her. He might just as well tell her about the phone call now. “By the way, while you slept half the morning away you missed a phone call from Todd Andersen,” he said, keeping his tone casual.

“Did I really?” she asked as she fell into step beside him. “Did he say what he wanted?”

He shrugged as he lifted a hand to his chin and gave it a rub. “Among other things, he mentioned taking a trip to this part of the world in the near future. Seems that Reuben called a meeting to discuss displays for the museums. Your professor also said that as a special surprise for you, he is bringing someone else along with him.” Tristan halted their progress short of the office door as once again, he caught and held her gaze.

“Who?” She raised a brow in question.

“Simon.” If he still possessed the ability to breathe, he would be holding it right now. Shaelynn’s look of utter disdain gave him the relief he sought.

“Are you kidding me? Why on earth would that man come here? He has nothing to do with this project at all.”

She turned on her heels and while muttering something he didn’t quite catch, made her way to the answering machine, and activated the message button.

“Good morning, Shae!” the voice on the recorder sang out. “Todd Andersen here. I cannot begin to tell you about all the glowing reports I have received concerning your progress. Everyone is simply delighted. Of course, they couldn’t be anything but de—”

Tristan studied her face as the voice droned on. While she listened to her message, he pondered the instant recognition in Shaelynn’s eyes when he mentioned the forest. She couldn’t possibly know about the place, could she? He took that memory away from her. Yet, not only did she look at him as if she knew exactly to what he referred, but also that she had knowledge of what transpired between them.

Her sudden look of disdain interrupted his silent ponderings. She stared at the phone as if it had become her worst enemy.

“Well, never mind all of that now,” said the professor. “Needless to say, Simon is quite looking forward to seeing you again, as am I. So, we’ll both see you soon. Have a good day.”

Without saying a word, Shae hit the delete button, and then as she continued to glare at the phone, she punched the same button again for good measure. Afterward, she sat down, and took hold of the file containing the medical records. At once, she thumbed through the pages seeking the patients that met her criteria.

Tristan cocked his head to the side and observed her demeanor while she conducted her search. She kept her mind on the task well enough, but she did it with a definite edge. Without doubt, Simon’s impending visit caused that edge, he just didn’t know why. Simon ended their engagement, and that’s all she ever said about the man. Did he really want to know more than just that? Would knowing the circumstances ease his mind?

After reading all of the handwritten notes beside each name, she released a sigh. She shook her head as she closed the file and tucked it back in its proper place.

“I’m sorry, Tristan. If the man survived Nils’ attack and sought medical help, he didn’t do it here. Even so, we are still waiting for the arrival of the Prisoner of War/Missing In Action reports for the same period from the national archives. Perhaps those records will give us the clue we need to figure this whole thing out. At least, I hope so.” She raked her fingers through her hair and tossed it behind her shoulder.

Ignoring the comment altogether, Tristan said, “Shaelynn, would I be treading into places that are none of my concern if I asked you about Simon?”

She met his gaze with directness and he appreciated that fact. “No, not at all. What would you like to know?”

Everything. “You told me once he ended your engagement. Did that upset you?”

“At the time, yes it did,” she said, using a tone of nonchalance. “But not for the reasons you might think.”

He masked the pain her words inflicted with a quiet chuckle. “I’m not at all certain you would come close to what I think, but I would like to hear your explanation, nonetheless. If you don’t mind, that is.”

“How shall I put this?” She put a finger to her mouth and gazed out the window for several long moments. He waited without interruption.

“By breaking our engagement, Simon managed to shatter the tranquility I needed in my life,” she said as she took on an expression of self-reproach.

“I don’t understand what you mean by that,” he said.

“Well first of all, I want you to know I never gave any of this much thought during our engagement, and I hope you will take that into consideration as I tell you the rest of the story.” She bit down on her lip as her eyes begged his understanding.

“I can do that.”

She took a deep breath then, and slowly released it. “Okay, here we go. I should start by telling you that I met Simon Hollander in Oslo, while we both attended college. He and I shared a couple of classes taught by Professor Todd Andersen. The professor could see something in the two of us, I suppose, that excited him. Perhaps he found our love of the Norse culture unique, or maybe our over-abundance of enthusiasm is what thrilled him most. Whatever the motive, he took us under his wing and gave us opportunities and experiences in the field most of our peers never had. Even some of the graduate students didn’t get to do all the things we did. Those experiences set us above the rest.

“During this particular time, Simon and I worked very close together. We became good friends, and we arrived at a point where we were comfortable in each other’s presence. One evening, we worked late at the museum. Simon paused, cracked this goofy grin, and bounced his eyebrows. He said with the schedule we kept, working so many days in a row and so many late night hours together, it might be wise just to marry each other. That way we would never have to put up with a crabby spouse who just didn’t understand our passion for our work. I laughed at his little joke and said he had a valid argument. Then he got all serious on me and said, ‘Well, why don’t we then.’” Shae shook her head and let out a bit of a laugh.

“Without giving a whole lot of thought to the repercussions, I accepted his very romantic marriage proposal once I understood he meant what he said.”

“Why would he end it then?” he managed to ask in an even tone. For whatever the reason, he didn’t like the idea that she promised herself in marriage to anyone. For that matter, what would possess the man to end an engagement once she agreed to it? If during his lifetime she said “yes” to him, he would have carried her off to the nearest preacher before she could change her mind.

Shaelynn tossed him a half-hearted smile and then hid her face behind her hand. “If I’m brutally honest, then I must confess the blame is mine. Would it surprise you to know that during our twenty-two month engagement, neither one of us ever once said, ‘I love you’ to the other? That it never once even occurred to me to express such a sentiment? I could never force myself to set a wedding date either, despite his numerous requests that I do so.

“This is going to sound so horrible, but I found that by simply being engaged, all of my friends finally left me in peace. They no longer dragged this guy or that guy over to my apartment in the hopes one of them would turn out to be the love of my life. My distant extended family members quit expressing their pity and concern over my single status. So, in making this long story a bit shorter, I discovered I just didn’t want to marry the man, I only wanted to wear his ring.” Shaelynn briefly nibbled a nail and shrugged.

“Anyway, when he ended our engagement, which he did in the most cowardly way imaginable, I might add, he ended the tranquil existence I found for myself. However, in my defense, you also have to understand that I truly didn’t realize any of this until after he broke off the engagement. I just didn’t take the time to sit down, think about, and scrutinize our relationship from every possible angle until then.”

“How did he break off the engagement, if you don’t mind my asking?”

She gave her head a little toss and rolled her eyes. “Believe it or not, Simon Hollander couldn’t muster the nerve to end our engagement in person. In fact, he couldn’t even find the courage to tell me on the phone. He left me a recorded message while I worked my shift at the museum.”

Tristan shot her an incredulous look. “Not very gallant or courageous, is he?”

“Nope, not at all. He’s more of a gutless pansy, and I’m sure I must have suffered from sleep deprivation when I accepted his proposal in the first place. That’s the only explanation I can come up with right now. However, if you give me a little more time, I might be able to come up with something that doesn’t make me sound quite so hideous or self-centered.”

Tristan couldn’t help but laugh outright over the declaration. He only hoped she didn’t detect the relief in that laughter. Joy filled his heart in knowing she never gave her heart or her love to Simon Hollander. She never once uttered those precious words to him. Yet, she bestowed both upon him.

The tone of his laughter told Shae he understood. Part of her feared he would think badly of her, but the way he looked at her this moment spoke otherwise. In fact, right now he looked at her just as he did during the drive home from Chickamauga. His expression also mirrored the one he wore inside the forest before he left her there. The full memory of the dreams crashed into her consciousness now and became clear and distinct. In that same instant, she drew in a breath as she returned his gaze.

The need to find her woodland superseded all else at that moment, even the need to clear his name. Because only there in that very place, could she tell him that she remembered every treasured kiss and every cherished word they shared. She could also tell him, without the cloak of dreams, that she loved him.

Tristan folded his arms against his chest and tilted his head to the side as he regarded her. Did the look in her eye or her facial expression give away her thoughts? She tried so hard to keep both under control as the precious memories flooded into her mind.

He pointed a finger at her then and said, “You know, if I didn’t know better, I would say you are up to something.”

Unable to string a coherent sentence together, Shae simply lifted a brow and smiled in return.