Page 1 of Shadowed Rubies
1
Dani
Iheld my cell phone up toward the heavens, hoping for a miracle. “Come on, you stupid thing. Get a signal.”
Not only had I somehow managed to get myself lost in the woods, but now I was also talking to inanimate devices.That isn’t anything to worry about,right?
Taking a deep breath, I reminded myself to remain calm. I could handle this. I was a doctor, after all. I’d dealt with much worse situations than this during my residency rotation covering the pit at the Boston General emergency room. In fact, this was nothing compared to the severed limbs and mutilated body parts I’d witnessed and methodically helped fix during my stint there.
I’d woken up this morning feeling energetic and hopeful for the future. I’d been spending most of my time since returning to my hometown of Brunswick Bay Harbor sitting in hospital rooms or waiting areas, so I had decided it would be a good idea for me to go on a short hike through the mountains for some fresh air, peaceful quiet, and much-needed exercise.
Although I was back here for valid reasons, since my family and friends needed me, being back in town had dredged up loads of painful memories. The self-conscious, chunky girl I’d been while growing up in this small town was always lurking just beneath the surface of my newly found curvy body and confident façade. Her insecurities liked to rear their ugly heads the moment I crossed over the town line.
My hike had been a refreshing and joyful experience, until I realized I’d somehow managed to wander off the trail. The panic hadn’t begun to truly sink in until I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket and realized I’d meandered into a dead zone with no cellular service. That put a definite damper on my morning.
Now, I was traipsing around, holding my cell phone aloft and praying for reception bars to magically reappear on its screen. This was not the kind of situation a brilliant young doctor should find herself in, yet here I was.
I’d always been incredibly book smart, but no one would ever accuse me of having the most common sense in the room. And my sense of direction was practically non-existent.Hey, my brain was too full of medical terminology and symptoms of rare diseases to figure out foreign concepts like southeast or northwest, right?
When my phone suddenly began jangling, it startled me so much, I almost dropped it. My finger jammed frantically at the button on the screen lit up with my best friend, Meg’s, smiling face.
“Meg! Thank goodness you called. I’m lost somewhere in the woods just outside of town and my cell phone hasn’t had a signal.” The words rushed out in a flurry.
Static greeted me from the other end of the line. I moved the phone around in the air and tried to figure out what its precise location had been when it rang.
“Dani? Are you there?” Meg’s concerned voice greeted me, so I froze in place in an attempt to keep the tentative connection with her.
“I’m here! Can you hear me?” I yelled, as if being louder would somehow help fix the bad connection.
I caught a few words here and there between the static as Meg urgently tried to tell me something. “Dani… your apartment… fire trucks…”
“Fire trucks?” I screeched. “Is my apartment on fire?!? Meg, Bruiser’s in there! You have to make sure someone gets him out.” My voice had taken on a pleading tone, filled with hope that Meg would both hear me and be able to get help for the dog, who had been the only man in my life––other than my father and brother––for the past several years.
I heard Meg yell the words “dog upstairs,” and I could only hope that she was sending someone to save my beloved pint-sized Chihuahua mix.
Tears burned in my throat as I waited to hear if Bruiser was safe, but only static and random bursts of noise greeted my ear.
Finally, unable to remain patient any longer, I spoke desperately into the static-filled phone. “Meg? Are you still there? Is Bruiser okay?”
I could hear Meg’s voice trying to respond to me, but the only word I could pick out from the jumbled mess of noise was ‘fireman.’ Hopefully, that meant that firemen were already on the scene getting the danger under control, and they would be able to save my sweet pet.
A noise to my left startled me. I’d been so focused on my urgent phone conversation that I hadn’t been paying a bit of attention to my surroundings. It suddenly dawned on me that I might be in imminent danger from a wild animal. Praying that the noise came from something smaller than me, rather than a bear or moose, I peered warily into the overgrown brush in the direction the sound had come from.
When the figure stumbled out into the clearing where I was standing, my initial reaction was relief when I realized it was a fellow human. That surge of relief quickly dissipated when I got a good look at the dirty man and saw the scars covering the side of his face.
The blood drained from my head giving me the distinct impression I might pass out as recognition fully sank in. This was the missing man who had kidnapped Meg’s sister, Claire, and held her captive for a year. My voice came out as barely a croak when I said his name into my phone’s speaker, “Kevin Durley.”
2
Max
It had been one hell of a morning. I’d stayed out far too late last night to be able to properly deal with the blaring of the fire alarm that pierced the quiet in the fire station that was practically my home.
The sharp edge of pain the noise caused in my pounding head had me lifting my palm up to press against my forehead. Suddenly, I regretted that third glass of whiskey the guys talked me into drinking last night to celebrate Dean’s official engagement. Our friends from school were dropping like flies––I was the last of us that remained a carefree bachelor, and I fully intended to stay that way.
The rest of the fire crew darted around the station, donning equipment and looking as stunned by the shrieking siren as I felt. We’d heard the alarm many times before, but it was always for a drill or non-urgent situation. This morning was different. Something was terribly wrong. I could feel it in my bones.
Despite my significant hangover, I worked quickly and efficiently to get myself and the rig ready to respond to the call for help. Minutes later, when we rolled out of the station, the address that came through on the radio was one that I recognized immediately. Mimi’s Diner, the beloved hub of our tiny town, was on fire.
