Read Online Fatal Tide by Iris Johansen - Free Book Online
Authors: Iris Johansen
Tags: Fiction
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She’s so strong, the strongest woman I’ve ever met. She wouldn’t let anything happen to her. I’m sure it’s someone else.”
“Then why go through this?” Kelby asked roughly. “A few hours, a day, can’t make—”
“Shut up, Kelby. I’ve got—” She turned to Halley. “Will you take me to this . . . morgue?”
“I’ll take you.” Kelby took her hand. “Let’s get this over with, Halley.”
The room was cold.
The glare of the stainlesss-steel table where the body lay covered by a white sheet was colder.
The whole world was cold. That must be why she couldn’t stop shaking.
“You can change your mind,” Kelby murmured. “You don’t have to do this, Melis.”
“Yes, I do.” She stepped closer to the table. “I have to know—” She drew a deep breath and then told Halley, “Uncover her face.”
Halley hesitated and then slowly drew back the sheet.
“Oh, God.” She shrank back against Kelby. “Oh, Jesus, no .”
“Out.” Kelby’s arm went around her. “Let’s get her away from here, Halley.”
“No.” She swallowed and took a step nearer. “There’s still . . . It might not . . . She has a birthmark beneath the hair on her left temple. She was always going to have it removed, but she never got around to it.” She gently brushed the hair back from the ruin of the woman’s face.
Please. Jesus, let it not be there. Let this poor, savaged woman not be Carolyn.
“Melis?” Kelby said.
“I’m . . . sick.” She barely made it across the room to the stainless-steel sink before she threw up. She hung desperately to the curled metal edge to keep from falling.
Then Kelby was there beside her, holding her. She could hear the pounding of his heart beneath her ear. Life. Carolyn’s heart would never beat like that again.
“It’s your friend?” Kelby said gently.
“It’s Carolyn.”
“You’re sure?” Halley asked.
She had been sure the moment he drew down that sheet. But she had not wanted to admit it to herself. “Yes.”
“Then get the hell out of here.” Halley turned away and began to draw the sheet over Carolyn’s face.
“No.” Melis broke free of Kelby’s hold and moved back across the room. “Not yet. I have to—” She stood looking down at Carolyn’s face. “I have to remember. . . .”
The pain was twisting hot and sharp through her, dissolving the ice and leaving only despair.
Carolyn . . .
Friend. Teacher. Sister. Mother.
Dear God in heaven, what did they do to you?
“This is your room.” Kelby unlocked the door and turned on the light of the hotel room. “I’m next door in the adjoining room. Keep that door ajar. I want to hear you if you call out. Don’t open the hall door at all.”
Carolyn lying still and cold .
“Okay.”
Kelby cursed beneath his breath. “You’re not listening. Did you hear what I said?”
“Don’t open the door. I won’t. I don’t want to let anyone in.” She just wanted to be alone. Close the world out. Close the pain out.
“I guess that’s as good as it’s going to get. Remember, I’m here if you need me.”
“I’ll remember.”
He looked at her with frustration. “I don’t know what to do, dammit. This isn’t my— Tell me what I can do for you.”
“Go away,” she said simply. “Just go away.”
He didn’t move, a multitude of expressions chasing across his face. “Oh, what the hell.” The door closed behind him and an instant later she heard him check to make sure it was locked.
He hadn’t trusted her to lock the door, she realized vaguely. Perhaps he was right. She couldn’t seem to keep two thoughts together.
But she had no problem with memories. The memory of Carolyn when she’d first met her. The memory of her at the wheel of her boat, laughing at Melis over her shoulder.
The memory of the broken, torn Carolyn lying on that slab in the morgue.
She switched off the light and sank down in the easy chair by the window. She didn’t want light. She wanted
“Then why go through this?” Kelby asked roughly. “A few hours, a day, can’t make—”
“Shut up, Kelby. I’ve got—” She turned to Halley. “Will you take me to this . . . morgue?”
“I’ll take you.” Kelby took her hand. “Let’s get this over with, Halley.”
The room was cold.
The glare of the stainlesss-steel table where the body lay covered by a white sheet was colder.
The whole world was cold. That must be why she couldn’t stop shaking.
“You can change your mind,” Kelby murmured. “You don’t have to do this, Melis.”
“Yes, I do.” She stepped closer to the table. “I have to know—” She drew a deep breath and then told Halley, “Uncover her face.”
Halley hesitated and then slowly drew back the sheet.
“Oh, God.” She shrank back against Kelby. “Oh, Jesus, no .”
“Out.” Kelby’s arm went around her. “Let’s get her away from here, Halley.”
“No.” She swallowed and took a step nearer. “There’s still . . . It might not . . . She has a birthmark beneath the hair on her left temple. She was always going to have it removed, but she never got around to it.” She gently brushed the hair back from the ruin of the woman’s face.
Please. Jesus, let it not be there. Let this poor, savaged woman not be Carolyn.
“Melis?” Kelby said.
“I’m . . . sick.” She barely made it across the room to the stainless-steel sink before she threw up. She hung desperately to the curled metal edge to keep from falling.
Then Kelby was there beside her, holding her. She could hear the pounding of his heart beneath her ear. Life. Carolyn’s heart would never beat like that again.
“It’s your friend?” Kelby said gently.
“It’s Carolyn.”
“You’re sure?” Halley asked.
She had been sure the moment he drew down that sheet. But she had not wanted to admit it to herself. “Yes.”
“Then get the hell out of here.” Halley turned away and began to draw the sheet over Carolyn’s face.
“No.” Melis broke free of Kelby’s hold and moved back across the room. “Not yet. I have to—” She stood looking down at Carolyn’s face. “I have to remember. . . .”
The pain was twisting hot and sharp through her, dissolving the ice and leaving only despair.
Carolyn . . .
Friend. Teacher. Sister. Mother.
Dear God in heaven, what did they do to you?
“This is your room.” Kelby unlocked the door and turned on the light of the hotel room. “I’m next door in the adjoining room. Keep that door ajar. I want to hear you if you call out. Don’t open the hall door at all.”
Carolyn lying still and cold .
“Okay.”
Kelby cursed beneath his breath. “You’re not listening. Did you hear what I said?”
“Don’t open the door. I won’t. I don’t want to let anyone in.” She just wanted to be alone. Close the world out. Close the pain out.
“I guess that’s as good as it’s going to get. Remember, I’m here if you need me.”
“I’ll remember.”
He looked at her with frustration. “I don’t know what to do, dammit. This isn’t my— Tell me what I can do for you.”
“Go away,” she said simply. “Just go away.”
He didn’t move, a multitude of expressions chasing across his face. “Oh, what the hell.” The door closed behind him and an instant later she heard him check to make sure it was locked.
He hadn’t trusted her to lock the door, she realized vaguely. Perhaps he was right. She couldn’t seem to keep two thoughts together.
But she had no problem with memories. The memory of Carolyn when she’d first met her. The memory of her at the wheel of her boat, laughing at Melis over her shoulder.
The memory of the broken, torn Carolyn lying on that slab in the morgue.
She switched off the light and sank down in the easy chair by the window. She didn’t want light. She wanted
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