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Meant For Her

By Joy Avery Melville

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PROLOGUE

Friday ~ November 15, 2013 ~ Vicksburg, Michigan

Stinging and prickling throughout her body, accompanied by a beep… beep… beep and muffled voices from a distance, invaded Candi’s senses. Convulsive shivers swept her extremities. She attempted to open her eyes. Too much effort. Where were those voices? They’d been different. Maybe she’d become delusional from prolonged pain. Wait. Hands and ankles free. On a real bed and covered with something heavy. No gag. Mouth dry… as dust. Throat scratchy. Odors different… Clean. Fresh. Antiseptic? No stale smoke. No musty or moldy smells. Candi relaxed when fear met seeming safety and comfort. The shaking eased as she drifted on the edge of sleep. “Good evening, Pastor Sam, Jaime. You’re the ones who found our Jane Doe?” A man’s words penetrated Candi’s haze. They weren’t harsh or demanding. Friendly, yet authoritative. “Yes. Jaime did.” Another man’s voice, softer than the first. “She wasn’t awake, Dr. Crandall, and she was icy.” “It’s a good thing you found her when you did, young lady. Pastor, you know anything about her?” “No, and as swollen and bloody as her face was, I couldn’t be sure if I’d ever seen her before. I’d taken Jaime hunting, hoping to get a deer today, and she went off the trail, following some fresh tracks in the snow. Within minutes, she was screaming she’d found a woman. Imagine my shock when I saw how right she was.”


“The lady was laying on her tummy, and her hands and feet were tied together behind her back with plastic things, and Dad took a rag out of her mouth. It was dirty and had paint spots on it.” “The sheriff’s going to want those items.” “The nurse put them in an evidence bag.” Something about those voices—If I could just reach them. Where were Steve and the one he’d called, idiot? “I’m not going to ask you to wait in the lobby, since you’re clergy, but if you go in to check on the patient, Jaime will have to stay this side of the curtain, at least until the police have been here.” It’s quiet. Did they leave? “In all my years as a doctor, I have never come up against anything like what’s happened to that woman.” Still there. “I wonder where she came from. How long do you think she was layin’ in the snow?” Who was that child? The throbbing and aching radiated in waves throughout Candi’s body. So cold. So much pain. If only she could be sure she was free. If only I could quit shaking. Awareness faded. “The lady must’ve been freezing, don’t ya think? What happened to her? Why do ya suppose she was out there, Dad?” Unwelcome consciousness intruded with that child-voice again. “I really don’t know for sure, pumpkin, but we’ll keep praying she’ll be all right.” “She’s got to be. God led us to her, right?” “Sure seems like it to me. You stay put here. I’ve got to call your mom, or she’s going to notice it’s gotten dark and begin to worry, thinking we’re still in the woods. I can’t use the cellphone in this part of the building, so I’m counting on you to obey me.” “Sure wish I could go sit with the lady.” “No, Jaime. You heard what Dr. Crandall said when he was leaving.” Candi strained to get more through the ensuing silence. “Jaime?” “Alright. I won’t go in, but, Daddy, I don’t want her to wake up without anybody around.” “There’s a nurse in there.” “Oh.” A smile tugged at the corners of Candi’s mouth at the disappointment in the little-girl voice. She opened her heavily weighted eyelids to mere slits and bit back a scream when the pale blue curtain at her side rustled then rolled on steel balls along the rod it hung on. A woman walked toward her.

Candi allowed her eyelids to drop. It’s got to be a dream. Steve or his buddy will show up any minute. They always do. “Good. I thought you’d awakened.” A warm hand touched her shoulder. Candi flinched. “It’s okay. You’re safe at an urgent care clinic. As soon as the sheriff comes and can ask you and the people who found you some questions, we’re going to send you over to a hospital in Kalamazoo. We’ve about got you stabilized.” Kalamazoo? There was a hospital a whole lot closer to Bloomfield Hills than that. Candi closed her eyes. “Oh, no you don’t. Come on. Stay with me.” Candi moaned, forcing her eyes to reopen. “That’s it. Look at me.” She tipped her head, pushing her gaze upward through half-closed lids. The tall, fair nurse peered back, smiling. Her blond hair was drawn from her face to the top of her head in a messy bun. Her top, its design one of multi-colored leaves, drew Candi’s attention. “Dad!” Candi jumped, glancing at the curtain. “The nurse in there is talking to our lady. She must be awake. Can’t we go see her now?” A sigh. Someone grunted. “Jaime, not before the police and doctor tell us we can. If you can’t be patient, I’ll have to call your mom again and have her come get you.” “I found her, and I wanna be sure she’s okay, Daddy.” “I know, pumpkin, but we need to wait this out. We don’t want to make her feel worse, right?” “I guess.” Resignation tinged the child’s voice. The pillow didn’t budge when Candi shifted, freeing her arm of the covers. She bit her lip then cried out. “Keep all of you under the blanket. You need to conserve the body heat we’re trying to restore.” “Wh… wh… who is that out there?” Candi’s voice grated just above a whisper. “They’re the people who found you and brought you in.” “Whe… where? Where’d they find me?” “I can’t answer that, but the sheriff should be able to tell you.”


“Sara Jo?” another man’s voice called. “Do you have the new admit there with you?” “Yes. Come in, Don.” The nurse patted Candi’s shoulder with a gentle hand. “That’s him, and he’ll answer your questions when he’s done asking his.” She reached toward the curtain as she spoke. “No.” Candi’s voice rasped. “Don’t leave… me.” She tried to grab at the nurse’s smock but couldn’t get ahold of it. Candi cringed. “I’m not going anywhere. No need to panic. Lie still.” Candi weakly tipped her chin and looked directly into a man’s face, very close to her own. She jerked. The beeping of the monitor at her bedside increased in speed. Pain sliced from the base of her skull to the soles of her feet so sharply, she froze. Sara Jo moved closer to Candi’s side. “It’s okay. He was looking at the injury to your face and neck. This is Sheriff Williams. He won’t hurt you.” The man nodded, stepping several feet from the side of the bed, while taking a small spiral notepad and ballpoint pen from his jacket pocket. Candi scooted, to settle against the rail on the far side, away from the large man, ignoring pricks of pain. She relaxed a fraction when she noticed his compassionate gaze. Still, when Sara Jo offered a hand under the heavy covers, Candi grabbed it. “Okay.” Her voice squawked. “You were found deep in the woods, and you weren’t wearing anything. We don’t know who you are or how long you were out there. We’ve had a freak blizzard with freezing rain and snow over the last forty-eight hours. Other than Pastor Sam and Jaime Stanwick’s, there were no human tracks to or from where you’d been placed.” “M… my…” She tried to clear her throat of its irritation. “I’m from Bloomfield Hills… Bloomfield Village. I’m Candice Reynolds…” She hesitated when the nurse’s hand tightened around her own. Sara Jo and the sheriff exchanged gazes. Candi frowned, unable to interpret either expression. She coughed again. “I was… two guys.” She changed position on the bed and winced. Convulsive shudders shook her body again, enough to make the bed rock. The nurse used her free hand to draw the covers higher under Candi’s chin before she checked the setting on the cord control lying on top of the blanket. “Take your time. You’re safe and sound, and we’re going to keep you that way. Right, Don… uh… Sheriff?”

The officer nodded. “Are you related to Dr. Cameron Reynolds of Schoolcraft?” “My brother… I need to let him… and Harper… they must be frantic.” Candi managed to croak partial thoughts out. “A lot of people have been searching for weeks.” Sara Jo said. “Can you tell me how you got to the woods where you were found?” The sheriff tapped his pen several times against his notepad. “I was working on the house my fiancé… and I will live in… after… the wedding.” Candi gulped air. “Two men. Heavy dark clothes and ski masks… tricked me into opening the front door.” She swallowed before rasping, “I thought it was Harper, my fiancé… before he—” “Were you expecting him?” “No. Thought he’d changed his mind… stopped by before… had to be at The Village Club. To… to pick up his mother to… for a… fundraiser. His father’s campaign.” “His father’s campaign?” Candi attempted a nod, yelped in response to the pain, scrunched her eyes closed, and inhaled. “Yes. Harper Bryant II. Second term… U. S. Senate…. My fiancé, Harper III… was supposed to introduce him.” “Oh, those Bryants.” The sheriff’s brows met his hairline. Candi quirked her swollen lips at his reaction. Ouch! The sheriff’s’ brows dropped, and he scowled. What’s that about? He should have known about Harper. Hadn’t the media interviewed him when she’d gone missing? The officer cleared his throat. “Okay, so you were alone in the house, and those two guys got you to open the door.” “The taller man, Steve… the boss… held a knife to my throat. He had the other one get behind me and tie my hands together. I couldn’t get away.” “Where did they keep you?” “In a cabin. We drove for what seemed hours.” “Close to three from where you ended up. How long were you there? Had they moved you from your initial stop?” “Only the one place… Not sure how long. I was in a room… no windows. They insisted I keep a light on all the time. Didn’t know night from day.” “You were in the snow quite a while. At least the last day or so.” “What’s today?” “November fifteenth. It’s my guess that’s what saved your life.” “Huh?”


“A local pastor and his daughter were out deer hunting, because today is the first day of gun season for deer. If that kid hadn’t seen deer tracks and decided to trail them, she and her dad would have most likely missed you.” He shuffled his feet and looked across the room for several seconds. “As bruised and swollen as you are, someone must have beaten you repeatedly, and according to the doctor, they came dangerously close to an artery in your neck with that knife cut. Can you give us anything else to go on? Either of them have any distinguishing marks?” “Never saw them without dark clothes and masks.” Candi closed her eyes. She snapped them back open. “Wait!” She swallowed. “Ice blue… Steve had ice blue eyes and a blue stone… yes.” She closed her eyes again. “Class ring with a light blue stone. Aquamarine, maybe?” She sighed. “Don’t know what school… or year. Couldn’t tell.” The nurse leaned over and lightly touched Candi’s face in front of her ear. “I’ve taken pictures and cleaned the cut to your face and neck. It should heal fine over time.” Sheriff Williams’ forehead furrowed beneath the edge of his hat, moving it slightly forward. “What can you tell me about the second man, Ms. Reynolds? Did he assault you, too?” Candi rolled her head away. Tears slipped from beneath her lashes. She slowly shook her head. “I can’t… No.” “Did he hit you?” The pen tapping against the notebook sped up a bit and drew Candi’s gaze back his way. She peeked up at his face, expecting to see impatience directed toward her evasiveness. Instead, it held concern. He shifted his stance, and his look hardened. “Is there anything else we should know that will help lead us to them?” He’s angry on my behalf. Candi warmed toward the officer. “Yes. Steve punched me. The other one… he…” She turned her cheek against the pillow. He nodded her way, his eyes downcast. “How did you get that slash, Ms. Reynolds? Why don’t you tell me about that?” She took a deep breath. Choked. “Steve told… the other one… to… take me out into the woods and…” She coughed and grimaced. Sara Jo helped Candi sip some warm water from a straw. “Take your time. Try to breathe through your nose and out your mouth. Your throat is extremely irritated, and talking probably isn’t helping.” “I won’t keep you much longer, Ms. Reynolds. About that cut?” “The other one was supposed to take me out and k-kill me. He tied

my hands behind me… put one of my paint rags in my mouth… When we got farther into the trees, he pushed me to my stomach.” She dropped her eyelids and took a deep breath. “He tied my ankles and wrists together. I… I could only see him from the corner of one eye. He raised the knife and was crying. He walked away and then came back and squatted down. He… he said he had to have blood on the knife. Steve wouldn’t believe he’d done what he was told.” I can’t say what he told me next. No! Candi sucked in a gasp-like breath then said, “I saw the knife up high, and I closed my eyes. I… remember the snow crunching when he walked away. I did… didn’t know I was bleeding. Thought it was tears until I saw b-blood on the snow later. The next thing I remember was waking up and seeing the nurse coming toward me.” His gaze became more penetrating. “Is there anything else?” Candi glanced away and shook her head, only to stop due to dizziness. “No. Wait.” She swallowed with difficulty. “Steve stuck me in the side… with his knife… at the house the… the day they took me. I think the cut’s infected.” “The doctor said as much. Ms. Reynolds, I’ll let you rest, but we’re going to visit again after you get to the hospital. I’ll have to call the Michigan State Police in. You’ll have more questioning along with any additional poking and prodding the doctors will do. Do you understand?” “Can’t you tell them?” “You were taken over county lines. I don’t have jurisdiction anywhere near Bloomfield Hills, so I’ll have to call them in. They’ll need to hear it all in your own words, Ms. Reynolds. Be assured it’s worth repeating yourself, as their investigative equipment is more up-to-date and sophisticated than ours. They’ll want to get to the bottom of this.” “But… I thought…. Where am I?” “Vicksburg. You were found a ways out of town near Indian Lake.” “I’m close to my brother’s place.” Candi half-raised her head in excitement, only to drop onto the pillow immediately. The sheriff smiled for the first time since he’d stepped into the cubicle. “That’s right.” “We’ll put a call into your brother and have him meet you at the hospital.” Sara Jo spoke. “I’ll ask him to contact your fiancé. Is that all right?” “Yes.” Sheriff Williams turned and yanked the curtain aside. “There’s someone waiting to meet you.”

“Is it Jaime?” Candi’s swollen lips and face halted her smile. He nodded. Relief seeped in. She’d be with Harper soon. He’d make a lie out of what… the… other one’d said when he’d lifted the knife. He’d been wrong. Had to have been. The sheriff and nurse stepped toward the corridor. “Imagine what she couldn’t tell us, Don.” “I can’t begin to fathom it.” Candi shuddered, tears forming. Forget any of this ever happened. Put it behind you.

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