Leads Part 4

Anna shifted her bike into gear and pressed her feet into the pedals of her bike, easily getting a nice momentum going as she rode up and around the corner of Galley Crescent. The sun was low in the sky in the early part of Saturday evening and it was still a beautiful fall day. She turned left at Main Street and then into the parking lot of Chen’s Supermarket. She was locking up her bike when she felt her phone buzz in her jeans pocket with a text. Anna was someone who frequently had her phone on silent.

It was from Stephanie asking her to go for a drink tonight. She smiled and was about to type back and then laughed at herself and looked towards Sakura’s. It seemed silly to text back and forth about times when they were a parking lot’s distance apart. Anna hiked her backpack up higher on her shoulders and walked over to the restaurant. Stephanie beamed when she saw her come in. She was carrying a board full of sushi from the kitchen towards a table of 4.

“I just have to drop this off and take one last order. Is that a yes then?”

Anna laughed “Yeah. But I want to drop off my Dad’s mail first so I can just have a chill out day tomorrow after the brunch.”

Stephanie turned and stopped momentarily “Meet back here then? How about the Black Hole? I feel like dancing. Tristan’s sleeping over at my folks.”

“That sounds good.” Anna was about to reach for the door when she noticed Garrett waving at her. After he caught her eye he gestured for her to come towards the kitchen. Anna smiled and obliged. Garrett was a dear friend as well. He was in the process of massaging octopus to prep it for use. It was simultaneously fascinating and revolting to observe.

Anna turned up her nose a bit and said “That could be sexy if it wasn’t so gross.”

Garrett chuckled “I know right. Hey listen, remember high school?”

Anna gave him a tongue in cheek look and then said “Uh…can you be more specific?”

Garrett looked a bit embarrassed “Sorry grad, your grad.”

Anna grinned “Yeah you were my date. You bailed me out like a boss after Josh dumped me.”

Garrett smirked “I know. It’s my reunion next month. I was wondering if you would consider returning that favour and be my plus one? As friends of course…” he added quickly.

Anna felt her cheeks go unexpectedly warm “Yeah that would be fun. But don’t let me distract you from your date tonight.” She gestured at the octopus tentacle he was still pummeling.

Garrett laughed “Yeah this one’s putty in my hands. I’ll text you the details.”

Anna nodded “K Cheers” and left to head to Chen’s for the mail.

Michael Chen was at the till as she walked by and she greeted him with the intention not to stare. She was sure he had enough stares after the assault and robbery. She noticed he still had a small cut on the side of his face.

Anna emptied the mail box and added it to the pile in her backpack from the other day. She waved to Michael on the way out and then exited and unlocked her bike.

A small hand tugged on her sleeve as she was doing so and she jumped a bit and then beamed at her niece “Rosalee! You spooked me!”

Rosalee was Lee’s 6 year old daughter with wide blue eyes and shoulder length thick black hair. She threw her arms around Anna and said “Auntie we’re going for ice cream. Will you come too?”

Anna hugged her niece back and looked around. Sure enough her brother was trailing behind a bit from the direction of the school playground. She waved at him and he returned it cheerfully.

“Sorry Sweetie, not tonight. I’ve got other plans but next time OK?”

Lee caught up and Rosalee ran and took his hand “OK. Come on Daddy! Ice Cream time!”

Lee chuckled “Sugar before bedtime. Don’t tell Grandma or we’ll both be in trouble.” He gave Anna a knowing look and she laughed.

“Have fun!”

She took off on her bike pedalling hard up the hill, arriving a bit breathless at the top. She had regained both her breath and momentum by the time she reached the lighthouse. Easing the bike against the building she took out her key and unlocked the door. The sun was almost ready to take its dip into the sea.

Anna crossed the floor to behind the museum front desk to reach the door of her father’s residence. She noticed a bit of mud on the floor just in front of it and frowned at it. She was sure she hadn’t tracked it from the small amount she noticed by the dining table earlier in the week. In fact there was far too much of it for it to even be a possibility. Hesitating for a moment she thought. Maybe it was an animal that got it. But an animal wouldn’t open and shut a door. Her father had just texted her a picture yesterday from Manitou Alberta. There was no way he was back yet. It wasn’t Lee because she’d just seen him and Rosalee.

A chilling thought crossed her mind based on all the recent news.

Anna backed up very quietly from the door, trying to decide what to do next.

Suddenly there was an electronic chime from the other room like the kind some phones make when there’s alert of a text. She heard a cough afterwards followed by the unmistakable sound of footsteps.

Anna froze in terror for a moment and then her eyes darted around the entrance and the museum. Silently she tiptoed into the first exhibit room and eased her pack to the floor. She went to the Salish canoe display and picked up the formidable paddle.

The occupant of the next room got another text.

Text? Text! Text Tamela! She thought suddenly. As quietly as she could she pulled out her phone.

Tams, I’m at the lighthouse. I think that Martin guy might be in here. Help.

And now to stay hidden and hope the guy didn’t leave the other room. She backed herself up against the wall hugging the paddle to her and trying to hardly even breathe. Stupidly, she adjusted her stance and shifted her weight from one foot to the other finding the creakiest floorboard known to existence.

The door opened. Anna winced, now as motionless as a statue. The footsteps now went directly past the doorway where she was hidden and to the front door.

Her bike! Oh shit, her bike was right there.

The footsteps approached rapidly. She clenched her jaw and gripped the paddle like a baseball bat. Anna had never hit anyone in her life. She really hoped it didn’t come to that.

And there he was. David Leonard Martin, a perfect match for his poster.

Do not approach it had said. There were no instructions for if he approached you.

He walked towards her with a slow growing smile “Whatcha gonna do there sweethart?” His left eye twitched and it somehow increased his menace.

“Please leave me alone.” Anna blurted out between terrified rasping breaths.

Martin eyed her as if sizing her up and then lunged at her reaching out to grab the paddle. Anna swung wildly at him but he was surprisingly agile. He dodged the blows and then got in between the paddle and her outstretched arms on one side of her instantly wrapping his hands around her throat. She dropped the paddle and started trying to pull his hands away. It was a futile exercise. His grip was too strong and she was soon beginning to fight for air, her face turning red and her eyes watering. She tried to think through her panic. On a chance she turned the rest of her body to meet the angle of his and brought her kneecap to his groin. It wasn’t hard enough to completely incapacitate him since the choking had weakened her but he let go enough for her to push him back. She attempted to run for the door, moving slower than she’d wish to because of still getting her breath. She was coughing heavily as she reached the handle, having lost sight of Martin. Anna looked back for a millisecond to see if he was behind her and came face to face with the paddle as he swung at it her full force. She heard a crack and everything went hazy. The pain was dizzying. There was the sensation of warm liquid streaming from her nose across her lips. She tasted blood in her mouth and whimpered inaudibly as her body met with the floor and the whole world faded to black.

The sound of a car driving fast and breaking with small screech could be heard outside as Martin’s footsteps retreated back into the residence. Anna’s phone buzzed in her pocket with a reply from Tamela.

“Run. Get the fuck out right now. We’re coming for him.”