Chapter 24

Tristan stared at the telephone receiver, now off the cradle and discarded atop the desk. Shaelynn called out to him seconds earlier. Before he could answer, she let out a frightened little yelp and nothing more. The chilling sound filled his soul with dread.

From the moment she walked out of the door, he restlessly paced inside her office. He didn’t have the heart or the mind to read any of the scanned documents piled on the table or continue his search through the MIA reports as she suggested before her departure. His troubled thoughts rested solely on her odd behavior. He did not want her to leave without him. Yet, for the first time since Perry’s attack, she insisted on going alone.

All sorts of disturbing notions plagued him because of that resolve. He tortured himself over the possibility that she desired to see Simon more than she admitted. Or perhaps once in his company, she discovered she harbored feelings for the man after all and wished to remain in his company. Then when she didn’t call him within a reasonable amount of time as promised, his doubts and worries escalated.

Logically, he knew other circumstances could detain her as well. She still needed to meet with Todd Andersen. Perhaps the professor’s meeting with Reuben ended early, and he simply joined Shaelynn and Simon for lunch. In all likelihood, they would have much to talk about, and it would take time for them to catch up. Then just as he accepted this explanation, for nothing more than the peace of mind it gave him, the telephone rang. In his haste to answer, he fumbled the thing, and it took him much longer to lift the receiver.

“Where do you think she is, Captain?” asked Chauncey.

One by one, the other spirits joined Tristan inside the office. They were all privy to the frightening phone call as well.

“I don’t know, Chauncey.” Tristan activated the play-message button and listened once again to the incoming call from Shaelynn. He listened for any background noise that would aid his search, playing the message repeatedly. Yet, they could hear nothing discernible, but what sounded like small pebbles moving underneath her feet. A sound like that could come from almost anywhere.

“She sounded scared, Captain, right after she said your name,” Timothy whispered. “You have to find her.”

Tristan turned toward him and managed a smile as he ruffled his hair. “Don’t worry, I will.” He gazed into each apprehensive face of his companions. “In fact, you all needn’t worry. I promise you, I will find her.”

“Chauncey and I will thoroughly search this entire community and its surroundings,” Beau said. “Maybe even pay a visit to Reuben, if we can find him.”

“After that, we’ll try the Chickamauga battlefield,” Chauncey added. “Perhaps with all the fuss surrounding the exhibits, Simon asked to see the place for himself.”

“What about me, Captain?” asked Timothy. “I could search, too.”

“Tim, I need you to stay here in case she comes home or calls again. She might find the opportunity to tell us where she is or at the very least, let us know what’s happening.” Tristan replaced the receiver and took hold of Timothy’s shoulder. “If she does either, I need you to find me as quickly as you can.”

“I’ll find you faster than lightnin’,” he promised.

“I believe between the two of us, we can gather you all in a hurry if the need arises,” Horace added.

“Very well.” Tristan glanced down at the name of the hotel, written on the notepad. He remembered passing that place on the way to the Chickamauga battlefield. Yet, before he could leave, Amy took hold of his arm. She locked her gaze on his.

“Bring her home, Captain. Just—bring her safely home and soon,” she said.

“You know I won’t come home without her, Amy.” He gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek and then disappeared.

Scant minutes later, Tristan stood in front of the hotel. He found the restaurant inside the building easily enough, but he did not see Shaelynn nor could he detect any visible remains of her perfume. That meant she left the premises quite a while ago. He didn’t know what Simon Hollander looked like, nor did he know what room the man occupied, but he would find that information nonetheless.

After making his way to the front desk and over to the clerk, he leaned close to his ear and whispered, “You need to know what room you assigned Simon Hollander, and you need to know that information, right now. Nothing else is more important.”

The clerk stared straight ahead. He furrowed his brow for just a moment and then turned toward his computer. Tristan peered over his shoulder as the man brought Hollander’s name up on the computer screen. Room 506. A scant second later, he stood in front of the door. He could hear the sound of water as it turned off and a shower door sliding open. That meant two comforting things. Simon and Shaelynn were no longer together, and Simon just ended his shower. Perfect.

From his position in the hallway, he waited as Simon tied the belt of his robe around his waist and quit the bathroom. Tristan made sure he didn’t make it all the way to his suitcase before he stretched his hand over the elegant door and caused the wood to bend inward. The action captured Simon’s immediate attention, and he stared at the thing with his mouth agape. Then while he pondered the cause of the phenomenon, Tristan burst through the door.

Simon screamed like a frightened little girl and dashed for the bathroom. Tristan shook his head in disgust as he blocked his path. Hollander screamed again, pivoted, and turned in the opposite direction. He took several unstable steps toward the closet, then after thinking better of it, turned and faced him with wide-eyed terror. Standing with his feet apart, Tristan folded his arms against his chest and waited for him to choose a course of action.

“You are um…a Civil War…Ah…wha-what do you want from me? Why are...why are you here?” he stammered. His hands covered his face and his bulging gaze filled with tears born of terror. “Please—j-just go away.”

Tristan eyed him from head to toe and back again. He disliked this man the moment Shaelynn mentioned his name. Now that he stood so fearlessly before him, his opinion wouldn’t change anytime soon. The man was every bit the gutless pansy Shaelynn accused him of being. He leaned toward his victim and raised a disdainful brow.

“Where’s Shaelynn?” he asked, getting right to the point.

“Why, I, I d-don’t know…” the pansy stammered. He knit his brow in confusion. “How—how do you, know Shae? What d-do you w-want with her?”

Tristan could hear Simon’s heart thumping wildly in his chest. The man also had a bit of difficulty meeting his gaze, and for a moment, he feared Simon Hollander would pass out before he extracted the information he sought.

“When did she leave the hotel?” he asked as he moved toward him. The very act caused Simon to shrink back and retreat even further.

“I’m, I’m really n-not sure,” he stuttered as he continued to gulp the air around him.

Tristan shook his head in disgust, gazed heavenward, and released a sigh. “Why don’t you tell me what you do know?”

Simon raised his brows as understanding dawned. “Why? Has s-something h-happened to her?”

“We don’t have time for this pointless conversation,” Tristan snarled. “Just tell me what you know. Now!”

“Oh!” Simon twisted the knot on his belt. “Well, I w-walked her out to the parking lot. I, um, hoped she would, um go with me to the—ah, to the, ah, Chickamauga Memorial. She wouldn’t come though. Because, let’s s-see, she said she needed to go somewhere else—”

“Where?” he demanded. “Where did she say she needed to go?”

“Um…yes, she uh, she said something about a church. Yes, I’m sure of it now. She mentioned a church and n-n-needing daylight to see the wooded area behind it. I know that sounds crazy, but…I swear that’s what she said. That’s all she told me.”

Simon’s answer stunned him. In the instant, he recalled the expression on Shaelynn’s face as they discussed the second dream, and he made mention of the forest as a possible place for their mystery rider to hide. At first, he wondered if she remembered that portion of the dream, but later dismissed it as impossible. He shouldn’t have. She attained a higher level of consciousness than what he first believed. Without giving Simon and his irritating cowardice further consideration, he left the hotel.

Moments later, he entered the forest in search of his woman. Despite the remote possibility, he needed to consider wild animals, and venomous snakes. If she suffered a snakebite, she could be unconscious and in desperate need of help.

He traced the path he believed she would follow, if in fact, she remembered the dream in its entirety. If she did, she would want to know for herself if the place truly existed, and she would want to do it alone. In all likelihood, this is the reason she wanted to go without him. Simon didn’t have anything to do with it. The man had merely been her tool.

He called out to her numerous times. She did not respond, even as he searched the area thoroughly. Then finally, he arrived at the place where they shared their private moments. He closed his eyes as he relived each precious memory. Did Shaelynn do the same? He detected excitement in her voice the instant she called his name. But then the excitement faded and fear took its place.

Tristan opened his eyes and swept the area, looking for telltale signs that she’d occupied this area. He found nothing indicative on any of the surrounding branches. Not a strand from her hair or a thread from her clothes adorned any of the bushes. But then, just as he convinced himself she hadn’t come this far after all, he spied her cell phone lying abandoned on a nearby rock. So, she did find her way here. This is where she made her call, and dropped her phone. But, what made her drop it? What terror did she encounter at that moment?

Once again, he called out her name. As before, he received no answer. A host of scenarios crashed into his mind. Something caused her to stifle that scream. If she happened upon a wild animal, surely he would see the evidence. Then, an awful possibility crashed into his mind and erased all others. The idea took root and grew of its own accord.

If Shaelynn remembered her dreams, she would need to take this path backward. Not from the direction he had just conducted his search. She would need to start her journey at the church because that’s the only way she could find this place. He began the dreams in the middle of the forest. Therefore, she would need to take such a step in order to find it.

Did Nils see her as she approached Adaria? If so, then surely he recognized her as the same woman who opened his door and stepped inside the chapel months earlier. He would know her as the same woman who spoke to Isaac outside his domain. The curiosity of his twisted mind would compel him to follow her, even if nothing else did. Subsequently, he would hear her say Tristan’s name when she made her call. But would he leave his sanctuary and follow her all the way out here? More important, did Adlundsen manifest himself to her if he had?

He did not need to ask those questions, for with absolute certainty, he already had the answers. Nils did see Shaelynn as she approached Adaria and he did follow her. The moment she uttered his name, Adlundsen’s rage compelled him to materialize. Fear seized him as those very conclusions led him to—

No! She wouldn’t have gone that far. She promised she wouldn’t go inside that church without him. She promised.

But she did go inside, the voice inside his head whispered. Right now, at this minute, her nightmare unfolded before her eyes. Detail by detail, the horrendous dream played out in its entirety. Right now, Nils held her captive inside his domain. Fear, anger, and his love for Shaelynn propelled him toward Adaria. Heaven help that man if he harmed her in any way.

A mighty roar of crashing thunder announced Tristan’s arrival inside the church. With his anger unleashed, he looked for retribution and found Nils Adlundsen waiting to receive it. He used that brief moment of surprise to grasp him tightly around the throat and slam his adversary against the wall of his self-made haven. A thing which stunned his old friend, and he noted it with satisfaction.

Strength and sheer power of will factored into accomplishing this difficult but not impossible task, and right now, he would not let Nils have Shaelynn. He possessed the stronger will as well as the greater need. A fact he just proved by bursting through the major’s domain, uninvited. Yet, in that same instant, he ascertained the walls of Nils’s sanctuary did not hold Shaelynn inside.

“Where is she, Nils?” asked Tristan as he tightened his grip.

“Why, Tristan! How…how very good of you to stop by,” Nils sputtered. “How did you… Ah, but of course, I expected you to come into my lair so you could retrieve that hideous woman. This is surely the reason you—”

“Where. Is. She?” He ground out between clenched teeth as he whirled him around and slammed him against the opposite wall.

“If you want to see her again, I suggest you let me go,” the major replied using a scathing tone. “At least, long enough for us to have a civil conversation. After our discussion, I will be quite happy to take you to her if that is your wish.”

Tristan loosened his hold, but kept his eyes fixed solidly on his opponent. At least for the moment, he would allow Nils to believe he held the upper hand.

“That’s much better,” crooned Nils. “Now, what shall we talk about first? There is just so much to cover!”

“I don’t see where we have anything to talk about, except of course, the whereabouts of the woman.”

“That’s cold, Tristan. That’s really cold. After all, how many decades have passed since we last laid eyes on each other?”

“Not nearly enough of them,” Tristan growled.

“You could at least tell me what has kept you so busy all this time,” Nils said, shifting to a more pleasant tone. “I mean you haven’t come by to acknowledge my presence or even see how I’m doing since we left our dusty old bodies behind. In fact, I didn’t even know you remained among the living until just recently. I find that puzzling. One would think heaven would throw open the doors and welcome the noble Captain Tristan Jordahl for all his heroic deeds, heralded by a concourse of angels singing your praises. I simply can’t understand why you are still here.”

“Can you not?” Tristan raised a mocking brow.

“Oh, surely our last squabble hasn’t kept you earthbound, has it?” he asked, feigning innocence. “After all this time, I should think you’d put that nasty piece of business behind you.”

“You know, I might be able to put ‘that nasty piece of business’ behind me, if I but understood it,” Tristan replied. “Why don’t you enlighten me as to the reason for it?”

“Well, why not then.” Nils smiled as if pleased with the question. He clasped his hands behind his back and shrugged. “I’ve always hated you, Tristan. Even when we were very small children, did you know that? You were too stupid to see it. In fact, you were too stupid to see many things. Still, I endured your loathsome company because it was advantageous for me. For whatever their reasons, you always had the right people clamoring for your attention. I wanted them to know me, as well.”

While Nils began his idiotic ramblings, Tristan found himself concentrating more on what he could hear in the background than on the incoherent, nonsensical things he said. He hoped to hear the sound of Shaelynn’s breathing. Hints of a sigh, moan, or even a tiny cough, would help pinpoint her location. Nils had to have confined her somewhere in the near vicinity.

“The whole situation became intolerable. Especially when you plotted to take what rightfully belonged to me, something I worked so hard to achieve. You might find it interesting to know that I considered giving you a glorious battle death, just to make sure you didn’t get one. Did you know that? They might have called you a hero, you know. Though difficult to stomach I must admit, I still planned to carry out that plan to the smallest detail. I even chose my assassin and I can assure you, with a man of your size, Tristan, he wouldn’t have missed his target no matter how nimbly you moved on the field.”

Nils began laughing then. Softly at first but his guffaws increased in volume and pitch. “And then we had the breach at Chickamauga. Would it surprise you to learn I designed, planned, and executed that breach? I set the whole thing in motion by sending the message to Rosecrans. Oh, not personally, of course. That wouldn’t have done, at all. My plan worked flawlessly, wouldn’t you agree? The Union lost the battle as prearranged and as customary, the Confederacy paid me very well for my talents—all in gold. I would only accept payment in that manner from them.

“Of course, you and I both know what happened next, don’t we? They assigned me to find the origination of the missive. How ironic, don’t you agree? Although a dilemma at the time, you laid the solution in my lap by having your little chat with the Confederate captain. The ever noble, self-righteous Captain Jordahl! At least you were finally good for something, and it gave me the option of making you anything but a hero.”

His gaze hardened then, and his eyes filled with suspicion. Tristan shrugged as if nothing he said concerned him in the least, a thing that enraged his adversary and pushed him over the edge.

“But why am I telling you all of this?” he ranted. “Surely you know the rest. You and that interfering woman. She pretended ignorance. But I could see through her lies. The two of you are working against me. Somehow, you found it. And now you think to expose my secrets to the world. Well, I won’t allow it! You will give it back, and after you have obeyed that command, you will tell me how you attained it in the first place. I will know your source!”

Tristan tossed him an arrogant grin, crossed his arms against his chest, and shook his head. “Nope, I’m afraid not. You will get nothing from me until you release the woman.”

“I am the one who will do the bargaining, Tristan,” Nils shrieked. “Not you. You will not tell me again, what you will or will not do. Right now, I crave a little more information before I enlighten you as to your eternal—”

Tristan choked off the rest of his sentence as he grabbed Nils by the shoulders and slammed him onto the floor. He pressed his knee hard against his chest to keep him there. “Where is Shaelynn, Nils? I will not ask you again.”

Comprehension dawned. Tristan could see it as it flashed across his twisted features. This newfound knowledge made the major chuckle gleefully, despite his precarious position on the floor.

“Ah, Tristan, you have fallen in love with your mortal pet. How perfect. How wonderfully perf—”

Tristan’s hands circled his throat. “Tell me where she is.”

The major’s chuckles now resonated with madness. “You are much too late, Tristan. Haven’t you guessed? She’s already dead.”