Page 73 of In Safe Hands
“Um…thank you.” This was an odd conversation. “What was on the ceiling?”
“Well, it was just a few dark-colored spots, and I didn’t think anything of it. He became rather interested, since he was determined that it was…well, blood. He mentioned being an avid hunter, and said that he knew what dried blood looked like. Since it was such a small amount, just a few drops, I didn’t think it was worth focusing on, even if he was right about it being blood.”
Natalie paused, her eyes narrowing on Daisy’s face. Daisy wasn’t sure if the realtor was checking to see if she believed her story, or looking for signs of murderous guilt. Either way, Daisy kept her expression blank, and Natalie resumed her story.
“I pointed out the lovely stone fireplace and the two-year-old windows, but he wasn’t paying attention. Instead, he was checking the floor and the walls—looking for more blood. He thought he found it, just a light pink swipe on one wall and a few traces on the floor. It didn’t look like anything to get excited about to me. He kept asking what had happened, if someone had been seriously injured in that room, and if that’s why the owners were selling. I told him it had been a relocation, but he’d already made up his mind that it was…well.”
Natalie paused, looking flustered. Not breathing, Daisy waited for her to continue.
“He was talking as if it was a murder house or something equally ridiculous.”
The word “murder” made the image of the deputy carrying the tarp-wrapped, body-shaped bundle resurface, and Daisy sucked in a breath.
The realtor stared at her. “Do you know something?”
“No.” It wasn’t really a lie, since Daisy didn’t know anything for sure. “You should tell the sheriff’s department, though, so they can check it out.”
Natalie shook her head, her hands coming up as if to ward off any oncoming deputies. “Oh, no! I couldn’t bother them with something so…silly. It was such a tiny bit of blood—if it is blood—that I would look like a hysterical fool if I told them about this. The client just made me paranoid with his theories of bloodshed and murder, so I knocked on your door on a whim. Since nothing actually happened there…”
“But what if something did?” Daisy asked. The tarp-covered form wouldn’t leave her head. “Better it be a false alarm than have them miss an actual crime scene.”
Her eyes widening at the phrase “crime scene,” Natalie all but ran toward the door, skirting Daisy as if she were the killer. “It’s a small community. I can’t be known as the realtor who calls the cops on her clients. Please just forget what I told you. I’m sure it’s nothing. Have a nice day! You have a beautiful home!” As she spoke, Natalie grabbed for the door and yanked it open, diving through it as if escaping from a haunted house.
“Wait!” Daisy lunged for the inner door, trying to close it before Natalie opened the exterior door. Her fingers fumbled, and the door banged against her hip before heading back to the wall. Self-preservation peeked out from her overwhelming panic and sent her to her knees so she would be closer to the ground in case she fainted. Her position made it harder to get out of the way of the door, though, and then it was too late. Natalie shoved open the exterior door.
Daisy’s throat closed, making breathing impossible. The rectangle of light burned its image against her eyes. She could hear the strange noises coming from her throat, but she couldn’t get herself to stop making them. The usual darkness ringed her vision, shrinking her field of view until just a small circle of light remained.
That small bit of illumination disappeared. It took Daisy a few seconds to realize that she hadn’t fainted. She blinked a few times, ignoring the burn as a droplet of sweat touched the corner of her eye. The light was gone because the door had closed. Just as that thought occurred to her, the sharp click of the exterior lock made the world return in a rush.
Shuffling backward on her knees, she got her body out of the way of the inner door and slammed it shut. As soon as it latched, Daisy twisted around to sit on the floor, leaning against the blessedly closed entrance. Her head fell back, landing against the wood panel with a thump. She didn’t mind the slight ache, though. It actually felt kind of good, showing her that she was alive and she was conscious. She’d looked directly at the outside world, and she hadn’t fainted. Sure, she’d freaked out a bit, but she’d survived.
Her fingers didn’t seem to be working as she fumbled her phone out of her hoodie pocket. Daisy felt like she was wearing thick gloves as she tried to bring up Chris’s contact and tap the screen to call him. On her first try, she dialed her dad’s number by mistake, and she quickly ended the call. Her second attempt was more successful, and she raised her phone to her ear with shaking hands.
She laughed, too loudly, as the cell rang on Chris’s end. Her hands weren’t the only part of her that was shaking. In fact, her whole body was vibrating like she was a human earthquake.
“What’s up, Dais?”
His usual greeting had her laughing again. It wasn’t that she found anything funny, but she was just filled with such relief and the residue of her earlier terror that she had to laugh. There must have been an edge of hysteria remaining in the sound, though, because Chris’s voice sharpened.
“Daisy? You okay? Talk to me.”
“I’m good.” Her teeth had started chattering, apparently feeling left out when all her other body parts were shuddering. “Both doors were open, Chris, and I was right there. It’s okay, though. I’m okay. I didn’t pass out.”
“Dais, I can’t understand you.” There was a pause and some background noise before he returned. “I’m headed your way. Now tell me what’s going on. Talk slowly.”
“No, you don’t have to come,” she protested, but then her jumbled brain cleared enough for her to change her mind. “Actually, it’s good you’ll be here. You can check out the blood.”
“Blood?” The tension in Chris’s voice ratcheted up several notches. “What blood? Do you need Medical?”
“No!” She needed to immediately become more coherent, or Chris would send Fire, Med, and every on-shift deputy to her house. “I’m fine. Really. Mentally and physically. Especially mentally. Chris, I didn’t faint!” Okay, maybe that wasn’t quite as comprehensible as she would’ve liked.
“That’s…good, I guess.” It seemed to have helped a little, at least, since he was no longer threatening her with ambulances. “Whose blood are you talking about, then?”
“A realtor stopped by my house.” Daisy was relieved that her words were coming in a more logical order. “She said there was blood on the ceiling of number 304.”
In the following silence, Daisy could hear chatter from the squad radio in the background, although she couldn’t make out any of the words. “How much blood? And why didn’t she call it in? Hang on. I’m pulling up in front of your house now.”
“Okay. I’ll see you in a minute.” She ended the call and scrambled to her feet, feeling like a newborn foal as she swayed, forcing herself to brace her weight against the door. By the time she’d managed to get upright, Chris’s fist hit the outer door. Daisy pushed the unlock button and, before she could think about it too hard, yanked open the interior door.
