A Face in the Shadow Part 2 Chapter 26

Twenty-six

“It is great to see you. How was your trip?” Curtis leaned forward with his elbows on the table as he spoke.

“Relaxing. I need to get away more often.” Rachel sipped her water after she spoke. She had enjoyed two nights of restful sleep. In Chicago there was no fear of roses appearing and noises that go bump in the night. She had shopped and ate out and enjoyed girl talk with Shannon well into the night.

“I’m glad to hear it. You’ve been pretty uptight the last few times we’ve talked.”

“I have a lot on my mind. It’s been an eventful couple of months.”

“How?” He asked and reached out to put his hand on top of hers.

She looked down at their hands as butterflies flapped in her stomach. She wanted to be comforted by his touch but right now it made her uneasy. It made no sense for them to be attracted to each other at all. Curtis was the kind of guy a woman would settle down and start a life with. Before they met she didn’t think she was ready yet to be that kind of woman.

“I find myself thinking a lot about the future these days.”

“You do?” He gently squeezed her hand. “Am I in it?”

The truth was always nice but that would require submission that was beyond her ability right now. It would mean allowing him to not only penetrate but remove the armor she wore. She couldn’t allow a man that close.

On the other hand, life without Curtis in it would be unbearable. She had figured that out while in Chicago. For all the glitter and fun she had more than once wished it was Curtis rather than Shannon at her side.

“You might be.” She made her voice playful. Coy was always best.

“Good. I want to be in your future.” He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it, then he gently sat it back down on the table. “Rachel, I’d like you to come to church with me on Sunday.”

“Why?” She hadn’t meant for her voice to sound so disgusted but the request had surprised her.

“I want you to get to know me better.” He sounded defensive at her response.

“That is what we’re doing right now. We are taking time to know each other.”

“Yes but Rachel this is only the smallest, most superficial part of me. I want you to know who I am at my essence, my core.”

“Has this whole thing been some evangelism device for you?” It wasn’t how she planned to bring up the subject but now there it was. She wasn’t going to retract them.

“Do you think that poorly of me?” He leaned back and folded his arms. His eyes were intense. It was something she hadn’t thought he was capable of and it made her feel like a naughty child who’d gotten mud on her good clothes. “I don’t prostitute myself for the gospel.”

“I’m not sure what I think. I’m not trying to change you, Curtis, but every time I think I may have feelings for you, you throw church at me.” Her voice was steadily raising. She looked up. They were beginning to get an audience. She leaned in slightly and lowered her voice. “I want to have a good time with you but I’m not interested in church stuff.”

“Fine.” He sat up straight. She knew that pose. It was the same one she used when she knew there was no further debate.

They sat in almost complete silence until the food arrived then the silence was only broken by the occasional slurp or fork squeaking on the plate. They finished their meal, passed on dessert and walked to the parking lot.

Curtis pulled his keys out of his pocket and folded his arms. “I’m glad you got home safe.”

“Thank you.”

“I’ll call in a few days if I don’t hear from you first.” He fidgeted with his keys.

“Fine.” She wanted this fight to be over but she wasn’t going to be the one to make the first move. The fact that he wouldn’t admit that he had ruined their afternoon by brining up church again. “I’ll talk to you later then.”

“Yep.” He turned and walked away from her.

She watched him walk away. As much as her body cried out “Come back”. Her pride wouldn’t let her do it. Why couldn’t he accept her answers? Some people have reasons for not going to church. It didn’t make them bad people.

He put his car in reverse and pull out of the parking lot. In her romance novels this was the moment that her phone would chime and he’d apologize… She reached in her purse for the phone. He didn’t understand her reasons. Maybe she should apologize now, not let him go. She flipped it open. A silly picture of her and Shannon appeared on the screen. She closed the phone and climbed in her car.

She turned up the CD that on the way over had made her skin ache for Curtis’ touch. Now as the final notes played it was more a haunting reminder that some people out there were happy and in love. She brushed away a tear and pushed the back button to start the song over again.

The pain felt good, familiar and tangible. The sweet first words of the song talked about the freshness of new love. Rachel let them wash over her as she began her short drive home. Slow teardrops rolled out of the corners of her eyes. Loneliness gave way to anger and frustration. Why would she date him knowing he’d want to change a chunk of her?

When they were together she felt safe, truly alive. Curtis made her want to strive to be better, as if, in some way, all her accomplishments weren’t quite enough.

But if she wanted to change then why was she mad at him?

The song ended and she pushed the repeat button. The music cleared her thinking. He had something she wanted. He was genuine. There were no ulterior motives when she was with him. They didn’t have awkward moments because she knew that they wouldn’t spend the night. He wouldn’t give himself fully to her yet which only made her want him more.

Even with all that she wasn’t about to find religion for him. Frustration rose up in her again. Just this past spring she had it all together and now everything changed. Of the two men in her life the decision should be duh-simple. One is was successful, handsome and passionate for her. The other is was successful, cute and passionate for her soul.

As the song started up for the fourth time she turned in to her driveway and pulled behind the house into the garage. She popped the CD out of the player and carried it in the house. The evening was cool and she averted her eyes from the long shadows made by the streetlights. The dog a few houses down barked. She jumped.

“Stupid dog. Can’t they hear that thing barking every night.” There always had to be one neighbor that ruined it for the block. She knew she’d be home after dark so this time she’d left every light on in the house. She reached in and pulled the mail out of the box then felt around to be sure she hadn’t missed any and locked the door. After she placed a mug of water in the microwave she walked to the counter next to the trashcan to go through her mail. The stack of papers turned in to three bills after throwing out the solicitation and credit card offers.

She ripped open the credit card bill. Might as well get rid of the worst one first. She scanned down the page and saw the body shop charge. “There is how much in new charges? I’d better call Jeremy.” She scrolled through the contact list in her phone and pushed send after highlighting his number.

“Hello.”

“Hi Jeremy, this is Rachel.”

“Hello Rachel.”

“I got the car fixed and I realized when I got my credit card statement that I never mailed you the statement. Can I get your address again?”

Her call waiting beeped. She’d let it go to voicemail.

“Sure thing it’s-.”

Her other line beeped again.

“I’m sorry. Jeremy, can you hold on just one second. My other line keeps beeping.”

“Of course, no problem.” His voice had a hint of hesitation.

“Hello?”

“Rachel, it’s Curtis.”

“Um…I-.”

“I want to talk.” He sounded more like ‘Let’s see other people.’ Than ‘Let’s work things out.’ She wasn’t ready for that.

“I have someone on the other line. Can we maybe talk tomorrow?”

“I really think we should talk now.” No, she couldn’t hear this right now.

“I can’t. I’ve got to handle this on the other line.” She choked back tears.

“Fine. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” The tone in his voice didn’t give her much hope.

“Bye.”

“Yep.”

She punched back over.

“Jeremy?”

“Yes.”

“The address?”

“Do you still have my card?”

“Yes.”

“It’s on there.” He hurried her with clipped answers. It was just as well. She wasn’t in a chatty mood.

“Okay, thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Good-bye.”

“Bye.”

You are reading A Face in the Shadow by Tiffany Colter.

Tiffany is a writer, speaker and writing career coach. She is a frequent contributor to print and online publications in addition to her regular marketing blog at www.WritingCareerCoach.com

Get each new chapter delivered to you by signing up for the Tiffany Colter Fiction Blog using the link on the right.

This story is copyright Tiffany Colter. 2007. It may not be copied, distributed, sold or included in any larger work without the expressed written permission of Tiffany Colter.

Bloggers may comment on or link to this blog from their own blog. To link directly to this posting click the title, then copy the address in the browser.

A Face in the Shadow Part 2 Chapter 25

Twenty-five

An owl hooted on a branch. Logan sat crouched in his hiding spot from which he could clearly see Rachel’s house. During his nights under Aunt Tulla’s Oak he’d heard owls hoot. He pushed the button on the side of his digital watch. A small light brightened the LCD face. It was after nine and she wasn’t home. He balled his fist, trying to defeat the urge to pound it into the tree at his right.”

“Rachel what do you think you’re doing.” He whispered through clenched teeth. “Didn’t you learn your lesson?” He was going to have to teach her. The message last week hadn’t been enough for her. He turned to watch a cop car drive up the street. The next one wouldn’t be through for a few hours. Slowly he stepped out of his hiding place and crossed the grass to the back door. He pulled out his key ring and fingered her house key.

The key slid in the lock and turned the knob. After he put them in his pocket he wiped down the door handle and slid on his black leather gloves.

Street lights illuminated her kitchen. The counters were impeccably clean. Not a scrap of paper laying about. Bananas hung from a wooden holder and papers were stacked neatly in a basket. He removed his shoes and left them by the back door then walked through the kitchen stopping from time to time to open her cabinets. He shined a flashlight in the cupboards and admired the rows of canned goods. Each was grouped with its own kind and the labels were lined up facing out.

“My beautiful Rachel is neat and tidy.” The cupboards had various canned and boxed goods neatly arranged on paper covered shelves. The refrigerator had little more than a calendar and a few magnets in neat rows. It was perfect.

He stepped in the living room but quickly moved in the dining room so the small lamp on her end table wouldn’t give him away. He wiped his white handkerchief along the wooden piece of furniture that held her linens. Not a bit of dust and the linens were neatly folded and arranged in the drawers. A group of wicker balls in a ceramic basket sat in the center of her dining room table. He’d seen these before. They were overpriced cat toys that decorators used to pad their commissions. Poor Rachel had fallen for the scam.

He left the dining room and tiptoed up the steps. These were the steps Rachel walked up and down every day. His mind drifted to images of her in her night clothes on the steps wrapped in a fluffy robe. At the top of the steps a hallway opened to the left and to the right. He walked down the hall and peaked in to each of the rooms ending with her room. Soon that would be their bedroom where they would be one together. Where they would start their perfect life.

He walked in to her bedroom, clicked on the light looked at her bed. Waiting had been good for him. In the past he had always taken what he wanted, what was owed to him. This time he was doing it right. He would slowly romance her. Heighten the desire so when they were finally together it would be.

Perfect.

Her bed was a bit more modern then he would have chosen but he knew she was a modern girl. He walked around the bed but didn’t touch any of the things on her dresser.

“Which side of the bed is mine?”

He looked and saw the alarm clock on the right.

“I guess I’m on the left.”

He went back to the left side of the bed and knelt down. His body vibrated with excitement. What would she do if she came home and found him waiting in their bed for her? Would that make her happy?

“No, Alpha Mu Epsilon.” He whispered. “Stick to the plan, Alpha Mu Epsilon.” Of course that was right but he couldn’t leave quite yet. He went back around to her side of the bed, noting the way she tucked in the sheets. They were in tight with the blankets turned down at the top then tucked under the mattress. Two pillows were at the head of the bed with a round pillow and two tootsie roll decorative pillows leaning against them. He reached behind the decorative pillow, lifted her pillow to his face and inhaled deeply. Laundry detergent mixed with the Vanilla scent of her perfume. It was the smell of desire.

“Oh Rachel, how predictable.” He reached down and touched the blade of the knife she kept under her pillow. “A small piece of metal won’t keep us apart.” He laughed and shook his head while he put her pillow back and smoothed down the blankets.

“I am growing weary of your disobedience Rachel but in time all will be amended.”

He stepped away from the bed and opened the small top drawer of her dresser. Satin night gown in jewel tones were lined up next to pantyhose. He lifted out the top night gown. It was sapphire blue. This is the one he would pick for her to wear. He tossed it on the bed. The spaghetti straps landed near the pillows and the end draped over the edge of the bed. He walked to the side of the bed, moved the decorative pillow and repositioned the gown. He looked over to the nightstand where a photo of Rachel and that other woman sat is a black wrought iron frame.

He layed the photo down and put the gown on top. She smiled up at him much like she would their first night together. He walked to the bathroom. Her toiletries were all gone. No toothbrush. No perfume.

Who was she with tonight?

His skin that had burned with lust now burned with rage. She tried his patience. Rachel would learn about loyalty.

He snatched up her gown and put it back along with the picture. He would leave her a message, this one unmistakable. Next would have to be punishment.

God required punishment.

Alpha Mu Epsilon required it.

You are reading A Face in the Shadow by Tiffany Colter.

Tiffany is a writer, speaker and writing career coach. She is a frequent contributor to print and online publications in addition to her regular marketing blog at www.WritingCareerCoach.com

Get each new chapter delivered to you by signing up for the Tiffany Colter Fiction Blog using the link on the right.

This story is copyright Tiffany Colter. 2007. It may not be copied, distributed, sold or included in any larger work without the expressed written permission of Tiffany Colter.

Bloggers may comment on or link to this blog from their own blog. To link directly to this posting click the title, then copy the address in the browser.

A Face in the Shadow Part 2 Chapter 24

Twenty-four
Rachel hoisted a bag on her shoulder. “I’ve been counting down for this Chicago trip. I’m going to make my MasterCard groan under the weight of my shopping spree.” She loved their fall excursion to Chicago. The weather was cooler this year than last year so they wouldn’t spend as much time peering in to shop windows as they usually. Instead they’d booked a spa day, well spa afternoon really, to get pampered before returning to the chaos leading up to the holidays.
“No you won’t. You’ll agonize all day over a few purchases, decide on one and then put it back because it’s too expensive.” Shannon held the screen door open so Rachel could lock up the house. Then they walked down to the car where Shannon already had a few bags leaning against the back tire.
“I’ve got to be smart with my money. I want to settle down in a few years and I hate stories of people getting married and having all those credit card bills.” Rachel pushed the unlock button on her key ring.
“And that is why you handle the books at the office.”
“I wouldn’t go in to business with you if I didn’t.” She raised her eyebrow in a motherly scold and set the bag down by the car. Shannon’s lack of responsibility with money was legendary. “Do you ever think about starting a family?”
“Where in the world did that come from?” Shannon put her bags next to Rachel’s.
“Thoughts pop in my head sometimes…So do you?”
“Sure I dream about it sometimes. Then I wake up screaming in a cold sweat.”
Rachel folded her arms and glared at Shannon.
“Where’d your sense of humor go?”
“I’m not trying to be funny right now. I really want to know.”
“I’d say with the right guy I’d love to start a serious relationship and maybe have a kid or two. But I haven’t found him yet so I’m not too worried about someday.”
“I wonder if I’ll recognize him when I find him.” Rachel dug her toe in the dirt.
“We’re only thirty. I have a couple more good years of freedom and I want to enjoy them without longing for something I don’t have or worrying about whether I’ll find him.” She pretended to swoon like the women in black and white western reruns.
“I wonder sometimes if I did things in the wrong order.” Rachel folded her arms across her chest. “I wonder if I should have looked for a family and then started a career.”
“It’s not what you did so why worry about it?”
“I don’t know.”
“Rachel, I know this guy’s got you freaked with the roses. I’m pretty freaked about it too. The police are watching the area and watching your house. Those other girls…” Shannon’s voice trailed off. She took a deep breath and continued. “None of them had a chance. If he wanted you dead he would have killed you.” Her eyes were intense. She touched Rachel’s shoulder. “I am not entirely convinced that it is really him. The news didn’t make any mention of him leaving flowers along the way. He left flowers on dead bodies.”
Rachel wrapped her arms around her waist and tears burned in her eyes. She wanted to believe every word of what Shannon was saying but how could she? Who could understand a crazy killer? And even if it wasn’t the guy on TV, what if it was Drew. The crazed look in his eyes as she pulled out of his driveway gave her chills.
“Rachel. You are going to be fine. We are going to Chicago. There are no white roses there. No relationship issues or any of that. There are only clothing stores and massages. Let’s go and relax.”
Rachel nodded her head in agreement and walked around the car to the back. Shannon followed her with the bags. The release latch clicked and she lifted the lid. Inside was a single white rose, with a black ribbon.


You are reading A Face in the Shadow by Tiffany Colter.
Tiffany is a writer, speaker and writing career coach. She is a frequent contributor to print and online publications in addition to her regular marketing blog at www.WritingCareerCoach.com
Get each new chapter delivered to you by signing up for the Tiffany Colter Fiction Blog using the link on the right.
This story is copyright Tiffany Colter. 2007. It may not be copied, distributed, sold or included in any larger work without the expressed written permission of Tiffany Colter.
Bloggers may comment on or link to this blog from their own blog. To link directly to this posting click the title, then copy the address in the browser.

A Face in the Shadow Part 2 Chapter 23

Twenty-three
Rachel pulled a long French fry out of its box and dunked it in ketchup.
“You know you didn’t have to pick Wendy’s for lunch.” Curtis said for the second or third time.
“Don’t you like Wendy’s”
“I do but when I invited you to lunch I didn’t expect to bring you some place where your food was served on paper. I would have sprung for more.”
“I know.” She looked up at him. “This doesn’t count. You still owe me dinner.”
“I see.” He picked up his cheeseburger and started eating again.
Shannon would not approve at all if she knew where she was today. And a couple months ago she probably wouldn’t have been here either. Possibly she would but she wouldn’t be here feeling the way she did. Curtis balled up the paper his burger came in and set it off to the side of the table.
“You’re awfully quiet.” His hand moved toward her side of the table then hesitated. She desperately wanted his hand to cross the invisible line down the center of the table and touch hers.
“Sorry. Not much of a conversationalist today I guess.”
“I wish I could do something. Do you want to talk about it?”
Of course she did but talking wouldn’t help, especially not with Curtis. She couldn’t risk Curtis getting upset over her date with Drew and there was no way to tell him about the roses and not tell him who she thought could be leaving them.
“Not really. I don’t want to think about it right now.” She moved her hand closer to the invisible line down the middle of the table that separated the two of them. She, of course, couldn’t stop thinking about ‘it’. ‘It’ had been her all consuming thought since last night. Before that there was a lingering voice in the back of her mind warning of danger but that danger now had a face. A face her mother had brought in to her life. A face that knew her address and all about her.
Curtis reached across the line and touched the back of her hand. “Why don’t I take you to your mom’s house and you can come out and pick your car up another day. You look exhausted.”
She heard the sounds of his words but her attention was on the searing heat below his fingertips on the back of her hand. Tingles ran up her arm and straight to her heart. Her muscles relaxed in a moment and she knew that this was one of the little loves penetrating the armor that had surrounded her heart since Nate hurt her.
Since Shannon had helped her erase the pain.
Since the days when she had stopped praying.


You are reading A Face in the Shadow by Tiffany Colter.
Tiffany is a writer, speaker and writing career coach. She is a frequent contributor to print and online publications in addition to her regular marketing blog at www.WritingCareerCoach.com
Get each new chapter delivered to you by signing up for the Tiffany Colter Fiction Blog using the link on the right.
This story is copyright Tiffany Colter. 2007. It may not be copied, distributed, sold or included in any larger work without the expressed written permission of Tiffany Colter.
Bloggers may comment on or link to this blog from their own blog. To link directly to this posting click the title, then copy the address in the browser.

A Face in the Shadow Part 2 Chapter 22

Twenty-two
Rachel turned in to the gas station and groaned at the price. It had jumped up six cents since the day before. It was like the lottery and she kept picking the wrong numbers. She closed the gas tank and looked at the dent. She didn’t feel like messing with that thing but she was only going to get busier moving in to fall.
The repair wouldn’t take long at all and then she could go get a nap at mom’s house. She scrolled through the contact list on her cell phone until she saw Jeremy’s name. He answered on the second ring.
“Jeremy, this is Rachel. With the car.” She pulled in to the parking space next to the gas station.
“Hi.”
“I wanted to go try to get this thing fixed since I’m off work today. I was wondering if you could give me the name and number of that body shop you like.” She was trying to mask her exhaustion with an overly happy voice.
“The one in Woodhaven?”
“Yes.” She started to look for something to write with. It would have been smart to have that ready when she called for a phone number.
“Here it is.” He gave her the number and the shop name. “Then mail the bill to the address on my card and I’ll get you paid back.”
“I will. Thanks.” She flipped the phone shut after he said goodbye and then called to see if the body shop had an appointment open for a small dent. Fifteen minutes later she was sitting in the corner of the repair shop’s lobby. She slumped down in a seat and closed her eyes. She wouldn’t fall asleep, no just a small rest from the noise and lights going on around her.
Her cell phone hummed against her hip. She glanced at it, Curtis.
“Hi Rachel.”
“Hello.”
“I called the office and they said you were sick. Are you okay?”
“Exhausted. I’ve had trouble sleeping the last few weeks.”
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. Having a hard time adjusting to the new house?”
His voice was soothing. She fought to keep her voice from cracking into tears. “I’ve been under quite a bit of stress. I’m going to my parent’s later to try to rest at their house. Right now I’m getting a dent fixed on my car then I’m heading over there.”
“I’m going to come get you and take you to lunch.”
“You don’t have to do that.” She said it but the thought of his company was starting to appeal to her.
“No, I feel bad after dinner the other night. I want to make it up to you.”
“Okay, I guess you do owe me.”
He laughed. “Where are you at?”
“Smitty’s in Woodhaven.”
“Really, I know the owners. They’re great people.”
“That’s reassuring.” She looked around the three other dirty chairs that made up the waiting room. It had to be pretty difficult keeping a place clean when everyone there had their hands in oil and grease all day.
“I’ll be over there as soon as I can. How long is it going to take them to fix the car?”
“They told me it shouldn’t take more than a few minutes to do but they have a few cars ahead of mine. I have to be back before five.”
“I won’t keep you that long. You need your rest but I would like a chance to see you again.”
She hung up the phone and walked in to the restroom which consisted of a toilet, sink and small mirror. A dried out air freshener in its white column couldn’t overpower a windowless bathroom that lacked ventilation and a roll of paper towels sat on the back of the sink.
She looked at her reflection in the mirror and groaned. When she drug herself out of bed to meet her mom she had barely bothered to clip her hair up. The mop of brown hair on top of her head resembled a fountain.
She dug around in her purse and pulled out her lipstick. She couldn’t tell in the dim yellow light if this was making things better or worse. She pulled her hair down out of the clip and tried fluffing it with her fingers. That was even worse. Her eyes were puffy from sleep deprivation.
“This is a lost cause.” She combed her hair back with her fingers and flipped it back up to the fountain hair-do.
He wanted to see her again.
Rachel put everything back in her purse and went out to the waiting room. When had everything changed? She had fun with Adam and Curtis at her parents house. He was like a friend of the family who was as comfortable talking business with her brother as she was the church calendar with her parents or Chinese food with Rachel. But somewhere along the line something changed and now he called because he wants to see her again.
She looked out the front window to see if his car was coming yet. The scariest thing was she wanted to see him again too. Despite their differences there was enough sameness in the two of them that she smiled more when he was around.
There was nothing that would have made her stop in a bar and talk to him, not that he’d ever step in to a bar. It was little things. Her mom told her when she used to cry about a boy at school not liking her that Rachel needed to look for little things.
Rach, honey, you can’t go lookin’ for some guy who’s handsome, or popular or any of that. You need to find a man who’s got the little things. Gentleness, genuine, respects you, those are the little loves that when they’re all together make the big love. You go looking for the big love without those other little loves then your love’ll die.
But she wasn’t talking about love here. No it was vulnerability. Her happiness could be affected by something as simple as lunch with Curtis now and she didn’t know when it happened.

You are reading A Face in the Shadow by Tiffany Colter.
Tiffany is a writer, speaker and writing career coach. She is a frequent contributor to print and online publications in addition to her regular marketing blog at www.WritingCareerCoach.com
Get each new chapter delivered to you by signing up for the Tiffany Colter Fiction Blog using the link on the right.
This story is copyright Tiffany Colter. 2007. It may not be copied, distributed, sold or included in any larger work without the expressed written permission of Tiffany Colter.
Bloggers may comment on or link to this blog from their own blog. To link directly to this posting click the title, then copy the address in the browser.

A Face in the Shadow Part 2 Chapter 21

Twenty-One
Rachel sat quietly in the corner of the coffee shop with her back to the wall. She sipped at a double espresso and nibbled on a bagel to try to calm the waves of nausea in her stomach. Was he here in this coffee shop, watching her? Two tear drops leaked from her eyes. She wiped her cheeks dry and tried to calm down with deep breaths. Deep breaths did nothing to calm the shaking inside her.
“Excuse me miss?” A lanky young man walked to her table and stared down at her.
She looked up at him without speaking.
“Is this seat taken?” He pointed to the chair to her right.
“Um, I.”
Her mom walked to the table and plopped her large purse on the table. “Sorry I’m late. Had a devil of a time finding a parking spot.”
“Are you expecting others?” The man said again, this time to her mom.
“No, please. You can have the chair.” She said and pulled the edge of the chair out for him.
“Thanks.” He lifted the chair just above the floor and took it to a table full of high school or new college students. She wasn’t sure which.
“Rachel!” She spun and looked at her mom. “Honey, you feelin’ alright? You look pale.”
“Didn’t sleep well.”
Her mom eyed her for a moment then dug a ten dollar bill out of her wallet. “I’ll be right back. I need to get my coffee. You want me to get something for you?”
“No. Thanks.”
“You look completely exhausted.”
“Yes, I am. I think I’m taking the day off to try and get some rest.”
“Glad to see you taking some time to yourself.” She scooted her chair up to the table. “If you’re not feelin’ well how bout you come on over to the house? Stay with your dad, Adam and me. There is nothing worse than being all alone when you don’t feel good.” She smiled and patted Rachel’s hand. “I best get up there. Coffee’s not bringing itself over here.” Her mom turned and walked over to the line in front of the counter.
Rachel wanted to tell her mom what was going on. She mouthed the words “Mom, the fratboy killer is after me.” Tears caught the words in her throat. Her body ached. Rest was what she needed. Uninterrupted sleep for more than thirty minutes at a time would do her so much good. She wiped her eyes again.
No she needed the creep caught. She needed some peace. She pushed her coffee cup away and concentrated on the people around her.
Any one of these people could be the killer. She looked around at the tables of guys in their twenty’s and thirty’s. It was close to half of the people. She turned and looked over her shoulder then quickly turned forward again. No less than eight men were looking in her direction or stole a passing glance.
Her mom walked back to the table, her coffee in a to-go cup and sleeve. “So you want to follow me home?”
“Uh, I, no. I need to swing by the office for a few things first.” Rachel tried to wipe the fatigue from her eyes. “I’ll be by in a little while.”
“Rachel, I don’t think you’re in any condition ta go drivin’ all over.”
“I’ll be there soon mom.”
Her mom hugged her, first time she’d done that in quite a while, then walked to her own car. Rachel climbed in her car and locked the doors behind her. Her body melted in to the seat. If she could close her eyes for two, maybe three, minutes she’d feel so much better. She blinked long blinks and allowed her body to soak up the moments or rest.
Her cell vibrated in her hand. She jumped and fumbled with the phone.
“Hello.”
“You sure you don’t want me driving you?” Her mom said. Then Rachel heard to honks on a horn outside her window. “Caught you nappin’” Her mom said through the phone. She was about four car lengths from Rachel.
“I’ll see you later this afternoon, mom.” Her mom waved and slowly pulled her car on the road.
Rachel felt a little guilty for calling off but she would have been completely worthless in the office. She couldn’t concentrate on anything. She only needed to stay awake and alert for another hour and then she could rest.

You are reading A Face in the Shadow by Tiffany Colter.
Tiffany is a writer, speaker and writing career coach. She is a frequent contributor to print and online publications in addition to her regular marketing blog at www.WritingCareerCoach.com
Get each new chapter delivered to you by signing up for the Tiffany Colter Fiction Blog using the link on the right.
This story is copyright Tiffany Colter. 2007. It may not be copied, distributed, sold or included in any larger work without the expressed written permission of Tiffany Colter.
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A Face in the Shadow Part 2 Chapter 20

Twenty
Rachel sat erect with her back against the headboard, legs drawn up against her chest. She stared at her bedroom door, ears alert to every sound. Each time a dog barked or the house creaked the hair on her arms stood up. He was out there. He knew she was alone.
She reached under the pillow beside her and ran her fingers along the handle of the knife she had taken to bed. A baseball bat was propped against her night stand. If he came for her tonight she wasn’t going without a fight. The police said they would patrol her street and keep an extra eye on the house.
She should try to sleep. The alarm was set and the police were patrolling. If he wanted her dead he’d have killed her tonight. He was scaring her. Tears ran down her cheeks. Loneliness enveloped her. Her bedroom was silent except for her breathing. She slid down under her blankets. Her eyes were heavy. It was two-thirty in the morning. She only had to last four hours. Then this night would be over.


You are reading A Face in the Shadow by Tiffany Colter.
Tiffany is a writer, speaker and writing career coach. She is a frequent contributor to print and online publications in addition to her regular marketing blog at www.WritingCareerCoach.com
Get each new chapter delivered to you by signing up for the Tiffany Colter Fiction Blog using the link on the right.
This story is copyright Tiffany Colter. 2007. It may not be copied, distributed, sold or included in any larger work without the expressed written permission of Tiffany Colter.
Bloggers may comment on or link to this blog from their own blog. To link directly to this posting click the title, then copy the address in the browser.