Page 45 of Justified Lies

Chapter Fourteen

Lianna felt the best she had in months, maybe years. Her body was languid, her muscles felt loose and limber. As she reached the bottom of the wooden stairs leading to the ocean, she easily picked up her jogging pace. It was cold this morning, with a thickness to the air that promised rain soon. The sun was tucked away behind the clouds, peeking out occasionally to remind everyone it was still there.

Lianna had second guessed her decision to run alone, but then quickly dismissed her doubts. If anything, it was even safer than usual. With the uptick of police and attention drawn to this trail, she was probably in the most secure place.

Running faster, she hoped the speed would push the negative thought bubbles away. Every so often, one would pop up and try to dampen her feeling of contentment.Had Gabe really needed to get to work suddenly on a Sunday?Maybe he did have an important case to work.Or maybe he doesn’t care about you the same way you care for him.

Shoving the bad thoughts aside, she rounded a tree, their tree. How pathetic was it that she got warm and fuzzy memories from being propelled into a giant maple tree?But it was by Gabe. Stepping over tree roots and dodging fern bushes, Lianna pushed herself along the dirt and gravel trail. Just as her lungs began to burn, she ducked into the tunnel under the train tracks. When she re-emerged a few seconds later, the vast ocean appeared before her.

As always, Lianna stopped and took it all in. The sight, the smell, the sounds, the ocean was her grounding place. Regardless of her state of mind, looking out over Semiahmoo Bay, which led to the mighty Pacific, always humbled her. Its vastness reminded her that she was one of the small fish on thisplanet. Its beauty making her proud, fortunate to be one of its many.

To her left, several eagles perched on oversized rocks watching for their breakfast. Straight ahead, she could see the peaks of the Gulf Islands in the distance. Just under the cloud line, they protruded from the water, before disappearing into the heavens above. On her right, the North Shore Mountains were already snow-capped—it would be a good ski season. Spinning full circle, she inhaled deeply to fill her lungs with the salty air. When Lianna felt centered, she turned back to finish her run.

The muscles in her legs protested now that they had time to cool, but she pushed on. She had just rounded her favorite tree when she skidded to a halt. There, about ten feet in front of her, a man stood blocking the path. He looked up at the sound of her startled breath and their gazes locked.

Lianna recognized her neighbor immediately, but that did nothing to lessen her unease. Tim remained frozen, looking unsurprised to see Lianna there. Despite her heart beating exceptionally fast for her slow pace, she forced a smile.

“Morning.” She injected as much enthusiasm as she could.

Tim was wearing jeans, a flannel jacket, and work boots, not exactly exercise attire. Often locals would come down the hidden steps to clear their minds. Teenagers would smoke weed and couples would sneak kisses on the jagged rocks alongside the ocean. Tim was most likely just in search of the water’s wisdom.

That theory went up in smoke when instead of returning her greeting, he narrowed his eyes in silence.Odd. He pushed a hand through his already harshly slicked back blond hair, then jammed it into his pocket. Alternating his weight from foot to foot, he seemed agitated.

“Is he your boyfriend?”

“Pardon me?”

“Are you screwing him?”

“What?”

Lianna was so unnerved from the disgusted look on his face and equally disgusting words, she instinctively stepped backwards. Her left foot rolled over an exposed tree root, tweaking her ankle. The pain flashed up her leg before subsiding, but it hurt enough that she leaned her body weight against the tree in search of relief.

Sparing a glance at her ankle, she heard gravel crunching ahead. Panicked, she jerked her head up to see Tim walking towards her. There must have been enough fear in her eyes to stop his approach. The neighbor’s face was gentler now, almost remorseful as he slowly reached out.

“I didn’t mean to scare you. I just want to talk.”

But Lianna wasn’t listening. She saw his hand reach out and she reacted. All of her senses, especially her sixth one, were screaming for her to get away from this man. Pushing past him, she bumped his shoulder in her haste and started hobbling towards the stairs. She felt his long fingers on her arm moments before he tugged it hard enough to turn her back towards him.

“I’m trying to talk to you,” he said sternly.

“Get off of me!”

Twisting in his grip, she tried desperately to tug her arm away. As she squirmed, his voice turned ugly again.

“All of a sudden that guy is around, and you don’t need me anymore? I should have never bothered warning you!”

“What are you talking about? Let me go. Please.”

This time when she jerked her arm, it slipped free. Lianna registered the pain as his nails dug into her skin, but adrenaline forced her to turn and flee.

She couldn’t outrun him but tried anyway. Tim’s heavy breathing reached her ears as he followed her up the stairs. Nottrusting him at her back, Lianna turned towards him and began to ascend the stairs backwards. Tiny pieces of wood splintered her palms as she blindly gripped the wooden rail for balance. He was less than five steps behind her now.

A frenzied panic stole the air from her lungs as she struggled to take a complete breath. Her vision tunneled, making the two of them all that existed in this moment. Tim’s breathing was coming in severe gasps, but his eyes seemed eerily calm. He slowed and put his hands on his hips.

“This is the only place I can talk to you, so stop!”

Lianna started putting distance between them, eight steps, ten. Then she tripped, falling backwards until a wooden riser painfully jarred the middle of her back. Tim capitalized on her mistake and double-timed it up the remaining stairs. He lunged, reaching for her ankle.

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