Deadly Secrets

By M.K. Stoddart

Elsie Davis had the life women dream about, a promising career in interior design, married only a month to her long-time boyfriend Alex. Everything was going as planned when it was all changed in a blink of an eye. In a devastating car accident, Elsie not only loses her husband, but memories from that day. Four years have passed when we find Elsie in Nanaimo BC, still shattered by an impossible love. Struggling day to day, visited in dreams by her dead husband, Elsie is unable to move on. She leads a new life, where she doesn't have to be a grieving widow. In what seems to be a chance meeting with a handsome stranger in a park, new meaning is brought to Elsie's life. Recent personnel changes at Elsie's work bring in a new handsome designer; Elsie immediately recognizes him as the stranger from the park. His name is Landon Hayes and the two of them will be partnering up on a new project. With a budding relationship, Elsie will have to overcome her pain and admit to her past as well as dealing with the fear of falling in love again with a man she knows nothing about. Landon is everything that was missing from her life, but is she ready to let go of her husband? When Elsie comes across a picture from her past, questions arise about who Landon is. Her friends and even a dream from her dead husband warn Elsie to make sure she knows what she's getting into. As Landon and Elsie get closer, Elsie's rival and jealous co-worker Laurel will try and drive a wedge between Landon and Elsie.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sands Press
• Release date: Sep 23, 2022
• ISBN: 9781990066177

Book preview

PROLOGUE

My ears were working overtime, and every little noise seemed heightened. I could hear the wind howling outside, and the door rattled as little pebbles and sand continued to hit the window.

I took a step forward in the dark, carefully trying to avoid desks, when a loud noise erupted into the office, making me scream and jump. Before my brain could register what had happened, I could feel the wind. My heart started accelerating, and I hurried to my office as quickly as I could instead of turning around to investigate. Crawling under my desk to hide, I sat huddled with my arms wrapped around my knees and my head down.

What the fuck was that?!

I wasn’t sure what I should do. I could hear papers fluttering around on the desks and the wind whipping through the front office. I estimated five minutes had passed when the power to the building finally returned. Lifting my head to look at my hands and arms, I noticed a cloud of shimmering dust. Tiny bits of glass clung to my blouse. My hands flew up into my hair, and my fingers slowly combed through it, removing tiny pebble-sized chards of glass. Did a tree come through the window? I couldn’t remember the last time the weather had been this severe.

Elsie, hello? Landon’s concerned voice echoed through the office.

I crawled out from under my desk. Back here, I called.

He was in my office before I was even back on my feet. Landon dropped the bag of Chinese food onto my desk, taking my hands to help me stand on my wobbly legs.

What the hell happened? His eyes were examining my body from head to toe.

I don’t know... the power went out. I think I heard the window explode? Did a tree branch fly through it?

Landon looked at me, worried.

You’re covered in glass, Elsie. Are you hurt? He turned me around, inspecting me closely.

I’m okay, just shaken up. Looking down at myself, I could see the shimmer of glass covering me, flecks of red forming on my now ruined white blouse, which meant I had been cut.

I pushed past Landon to get a better look at the destruction. I stopped short, my legs refusing to move further. My eyes popped out of my head when I saw what had crashed through the window.

Landon, that’s not a tree. My voice came out strangled.

CHAPTER ONE

I sat on the edge of my bed, my feet dangling over onto the cold, drafty floor. It was late. I should be asleep, but for whatever reason, I wasn’t. The moon had disappeared behind the clouds in the sky. It was the first week in March, and winter was still hanging on. So much for an early spring. The lamp on my nightstand reflected off the picture frame beside the alarm clock. It took some getting used to, seeing a picture of Landon and me in the very spot I used to have a picture of Alex and me.

For four years, I had stared at that picture of Alex and me, wishing he was still here. Never in a million years would I have imagined I could be looking at another man’s face with the same love and admiration. Landon had brought light into my life again. He was the breath of fresh air I needed.

I still had insecurities like most people in a new relationship. I’m sure it didn’t help that Landon had lied to me when we first started dating. Finding out that he had been at my side the day Alex died was shocking. Knowing he kept the truth from me had been difficult. Landon was still earning my trust back, but in the end, my love for him was strong enough that I could see past his deceit. I knew he was trying to protect me from reliving that horrible day.

It was incredible that after four years of not remembering the details of the accident—except for what people told me—I could now see it so clearly. The sound of metal crunching as our car smacked and bounced off other vehicles. Tires squealing, and glass shattering all around us. It was so vivid in my mind.

A shiver ran down my spine, and I hugged myself.

I missed Alex every day. He no longer came to me in my dreams, at least not in the way he had for several months. After years of nightmares, his visits were more pleasurable than one might think. Being able to sit with him and enjoy a beautiful day, to feel his touch, and be able to kiss him one last time was the closure I needed. I still didn’t understand the meaning behind his visits, and even though I asked, he was never willing to tell me. He knew about Landon, and I think he was waiting for me to discover the memories on my own. Even Alex admitted that Landon’s heart was in the right place.

Now my Alex dreams were replaced with nightmares of the car accident. They didn’t come as often, and to be honest, they didn’t affect me in the same way as before. This time I hadn’t fallen into a deep depression. I no longer sat locked up in my house alone. This time was different; I had Landon now. In the nights he was here, he would hold me in his arms until I calmed down, gently brushing the hair out of my face. He would rub my back and whisper to me, reassuring me that I was safe. Landon was taking care of me, mess and all.

I still hadn’t told him I was pregnant, I know this made me slightly hypocritical, but I wanted to make sure the timing was right. Announcing my pregnancy wasn’t something I just wanted to spring upon him, especially not over the phone or in a text. I wanted it to be special. Starting a family wasn’t something that had come up in our conversations either. Our relationship was still too new for that.

It had been a few weeks since Landon moved back to Vancouver, and I was still in Nanaimo packing up. Mr. Peterson was quite pleased that Landon and I would be heading up the new office. Trudy, on the other hand, was upset to see me leave. With me gone, it meant she would have to report to Laurel. Needless to say, I wasn’t Trudy’s favourite person right now.  Laurel was, of course, in hierarchy heaven. I was slightly annoyed that it was taking me this long to tie up loose ends in the first place. Landon had left within forty-eight hours of Mr. Peterson giving him the promotion. I, on the other hand, had been forced to stay and train my replacement.  I still hadn’t even told Carrie that I had accepted the job; she was going to be crushed. It had been so nice being close to her again. This time around, though, things would be different. I wouldn’t shut her out; plus, with her flashy new job, she really could move anywhere, even back to Vancouver. Besides, I wasn’t sure she would want to leave Rick. They were getting pretty tight already.

Landon was currently staying with Luke. Luke was an old college buddy. He was the one I had mistaken for Landon in Vancouver, sleeping with Laurel. We had become friends though I still gave him a good ribbing for sleeping with the enemy. Luke was still seeing her. It wasn’t my business, and as long as she stayed away from Landon, I guess I was okay with it.

I stepped out of bed, my feet touching the cold, drafty floor. I was going to miss this house, draftiness and all. I walked over to the dresser, where I kept my laptop. If I couldn’t sleep, maybe I should apartment shop. I climbed back into bed, careful not to disturb Alex, the Dog, who was curled up at the foot of the bed. He was extra stressed these days. With all the boxes around, he could sense change was in the air. I wonder if that’s what happened with his previous owners? Maybe they just left him behind. The thought made me sad.

I booted up my laptop and typed Vancouver apartments for rent into the search engine. I expected to find exorbitant prices, but they were pretty comparable to Nanaimo. Alex stretched out at the foot of the bed when it dawned on me; I needed to look for something pet-friendly. Duh! I plunked that into the filter options, and all my choices for apartments vanished. Shit. I quickly searched surrounding areas, West Vancouver, Burnaby, Coquitlam, New Westminster, North Vancouver, nothing. I growled at the screen. How could there be nothing? Okay, think. I tapped my fingers on the keypad. Maybe switching the search engine would help. My screen popped up with a few options. Phew! There was one beautiful house for rent, and it was split into four units. I wrote down the number. I would call first thing in the morning.

I was just about to log off when my Instant Messenger pinged.

Landon: Hey beautiful, why are you still awake? Did you have another nightmare?

Elsie: Researching apartments.

Landon: Oh?

Elsie: It's slim pickings trying to find a nice place that allows dogs

Landon: I wasn’t aware you were looking?

Landon wanted to discuss living together. I didn’t want to have this conversation, not right now and not over messenger.

Elsie: Did you think I was going to live in a box?

Landon: Well, nooo…

Elsie: I need somewhere that will take Alex.

Landon: I see.

I could sense his irritation through the computer.

Elsie: Why are you still awake?

Landon: I was at the office late unpacking and figuring out a to-do list. We will have to hire people ASAP. When do you think you’ll get here?

Elsie: Soon. Fingers crossed, maybe one more week or so tops, I’m almost packed here. I can come in this weekend to apartment hunt. I’m going to call one place in the morning to see if it’s still available. It’s in Kitsilano.

Landon: This weekend… okay, that’s good. I can help. Maybe I could get us a hotel room?

Landon and I hadn’t had sex since before my accident at the hotel. We had decided to wait, taking time to build on ourselves. We wanted the timing to be right the next time. I also wanted to make sure my head was on straight. In reality, though, it was driving me crazy.

Elsie: Whoa, cowboy, easy now. I’ll be staying with my parents. You should come by and have dinner with us. I know my mom would love to see you.

Landon: Yeah, your mom is pretty keen on me, isn’t she? Can I come apartment hunting too?

I sighed, not sure what to say. It’s not like I hadn’t anticipated this. He just wants to look at apartments with you! I rolled my eyes in irritation at myself.

Elsie: Yeah, I suppose that would be okay.

Landon: Luke’s fun and all, but I’m craving a space of my own.

He was still fishing, but I wasn’t biting.

Elsie: Well, I think I’m going to head to bed.

Landon: Okay. Good night sweetie.

Elsie: G’night.

I closed my laptop and rolled over on my side. I didn’t want to feel pressured to move in with him. If we did, I wanted it to be for the right reasons, not because he felt obligated. Of course, once I told him I was pregnant, our relationship was sure to go into overdrive. Once I moved to Vancouver, I’d hoped to concentrate on building our relationship. Hopefully, we would be able to do that.

The wind outside blew against the shutters of the house. It sounded like a storm was rolling in.

CHAPTER TWO

Yes, Mom, this weekend, is that okay? I was walking around the kitchen cleaning up after breakfast when my mother called.

Oh, honey, of course, it’s okay. Your father and I will be so happy to see you. I could hear the excitement in her voice. It will be so nice to have you close to home again too.

My parents still lived in the house where I grew up, in a town called Hope. If you have ever driven down Highway #1, you have probably gone through Hope. It sits on the banks of the Fraser River, surrounded by cascading mountains. It’s a very charming town perfect for retirement. I couldn’t wait to move away after high school. Carrie and I had our bags packed and ready to go on the last day of high school. University couldn’t happen fast enough for us.

I told Landon he could come over for dinner one night. I hope that’s okay? I knew that my mom wouldn’t have a problem with this.

Oh yes, you know, we like him, sweetie. The two of you are welcome to stay here as long as you like.

My mom clearly misunderstood me. No. No, Mom, he’s just coming for dinner. Landon is staying with his friend Luke until he finds his own place.

Oh. She sounded disappointed. I could tell she was holding back from saying something.

What?

Nothing, it’s your decision. She said softly.

Mother, I’m not rushing into anything, and I don’t need you pressuring me too.

Elsie. I didn’t say anything. You know what you’re doing. Just remember you are not getting any younger…

Thanks for that. Okay. I’ll call you when I get into Vancouver. I felt annoyed. The last thing I needed was my mom pressuring me into moving in with Landon. It also occurred to me that my mom might just want me to be happy, that she didn’t want to worry about me anymore.

Your father and I are looking forward to seeing you.

I looked at the clock; if I didn’t hurry, I was going to be late. Mom, I have to go, love you.

Love you too. Bye dear.

I couldn’t be late. Mr. Peterson was still as cantankerous as ever, and with Laurel in her new position, she was quick to point out anything and everything I did wrong. She was still annoyed that I had received the promotion over her to head up a new office.

I opened the door to the garage and was shocked to see the tower of Alex’s boxes I’d recently moved into the garage scattered all over the floor. That’s weird. I hesitated before entering. The hair on my arms started to tingle, and a shiver went up my spine. I hadn’t been in there all weekend, but how did I not hear the boxes fall over? My mind wandered back to a few months before when the alarm on the house had malfunctioned with no explanation. It happened the same time I had a mysterious flat tire. I took a step back into the house and looked at the alarm box. All the lights on the panel looked normal. You are ridiculous, Elsie. I pulled my jacket on and stepped down the stairs onto the concrete floor, slowly circling the car and stepping around fallen boxes. Other than the mess, the garage was pretty much empty. I took a quick look at my tires. They seemed fine.

Hmm. I rubbed my head in confusion.

It was still bothering me how they’d fallen over in the first place. I’d have to clean this mess up when I got home, but I knew it was going to nag at me all day. I looked at my watch, 8:15 a.m. If I didn’t leave, now I would never make it on time. I decided to call Trudy. She could relay the message that I was running behind. I told her to say I was having car trouble. I started collecting box after box; there were ten big ones and about half a dozen smaller ones.  Most of it was Alex’s old office work papers mixed in with some of his personal belongings.

I guessed I should probably get rid of some of this stuff. I couldn’t keep everything that belonged to Alex if I was going to move on with Landon. I don’t even know why I kept his office stuff; it’s not like I knew what to do with any of it. When I finished restacking the boxes, it looked like a giant Jenga tower. I was about to climb into the car when I noticed fluid underneath. I bent down on my hands and knees to have a better look; maybe something was leaking. I looked from the front to the back. My eyes stopped short on something shiny on the garage floor. I reached for the small object now covered in a slimy liquid.

It was an earring, an expensive-looking earring. Surely, nothing I owned. How did it get there? Had it been in one of the boxes? Maybe Alex had bought me something and never had a chance to give it to me? The only way to really know would be to go through all the boxes to look for the matching one. I was even more concerned about the fluid now covering my hand. I lifted it to my nose, smelling it. What, you’re a mechanic now? Like you will know what it is! It didn’t smell like anything, so I knew it wasn’t gas?

I went inside to wash what looked like yellow liquid from my hands. Maybe something was wrong with my car. Washer fluid would be runnier and blue … Considering I didn’t know what was leaking, it was probably best I didn’t drive for now. I didn’t want to take any chances. I would have to call the mechanic and have it towed in for a check-up. Ever since the accident that took Alex from me, I was a little leery about cars. Even though ours was an actual accident and not a mechanical failure.

I called Trudy back and told her I would be grabbing a cab.

What is wrong with your car? Is it not starting? I didn’t think it was that cold. Do you have gas in it? Trudy’s usual inquisition started.

There’s some sort of fluid leaking, and I’m not sure what it is, so I don’t want to chance it, I explained.

Okay, well, I would offer to come to pick you up, but Laurel has me contacting a bunch of old clients to see if they are happy with their designs. I could hear the annoyance in Trudy’s voice.

Happy with their designs? She’s ridiculous. She seemed to be on a bit of a power trip. I couldn’t wait to be far away from her. Okay, I’ll see you when I get there.

The cab wait time was around a half-hour, giving me time to go back into the garage to look for the other earring. I rifled through a couple of boxes. You would think I would remember what was in them, but I had been in such a daze when I packed them the first time around. I think some of them might have even been filled by my mom or Carrie. Dealing with Alex’s death had been so overwhelming, never mind packing up his things. If I hadn’t chosen to move, I’m not sure they would have been packed in the first place.

A car horn outside honked before I was ready. Damn, the cab must be early. My search had come up empty. I grabbed my purse and jacket, closing the door behind me. I would have to continue later tonight.

* * *

So let me get this straight? You are cancelling on me because your garage was a mess when you woke up, and you think your car isn’t working because you saw some liquid on your garage floor?

I was on the phone with Carrie Evans, my best and oldest friend, trying to explain to her why I couldn’t make our lunch date. She worked across town, and unless she was willing to eat lunch at my end of the city, we would have to reschedule. Carrie worked for an online blog, and most days, she worked from home, but sometimes her editor had her come into the office to work on some new ideas. I had been trying to connect with Carrie in person to tell her I was moving. I had mentioned it briefly before, but now it was coming down to the wire.

Maybe you could come over tomorrow evening after work instead? I was trying to brush over the mess in the garage. Carrie had witnessed my paranoia first hand, and I didn’t want her to think I was just acting crazy.

She ignored me, When was the last time you even had your car serviced? I could hear the mockery in her voice.

Sometimes I think Carrie thought I wasn’t the brightest tool in the shed.

Of course, I have it serviced. At least twice a year, thank you very much!

"Okay, well, you never know, sometimes you get busy and forget to do the essential things.

Are you coming over or not?  I wasn’t in the mood for her patronizing, and it was really annoying me now.

Yeah, yeah, I’ll be there.

Bye, Carrie. I didn’t wait for her to say goodbye. I was behind on closing up a client file, and I had to start training my replacement in an hour. I couldn’t wait to be finished with training. The sooner that was over, the sooner I’d be able to pack up my desk and leave.

Lynzey from the front reception appeared at my cubicle with what looked like a funeral arrangement.

Who are these from? I asked.

It was a delivery service, so I’m not sure, but I think there’s a card.

I looked at the flowers; it was slightly unusual. I searched for a card and found one slipped under the ribbon.

It had one word on it and nothing else.

Congratulations.

Maybe it was