Sam didn’t offer sympathy and she was grateful. She buried her fingers deep into Bailey’s fur and kept her gaze on the mist. With the sun in the sky, the wisps of fog had turned from the gorgeous lavender to slashes of crimson, so it looked as if blood spilled in rake marks across the surface of the lake. What should have been beautiful made her shiver. Those arrows of mist looked as if they’d been dipped in blood.
She wasn’t going to share that with him. She ran a multimillion-dollar resort because she was level-headed and detail oriented, not fantasy driven. The nightmares were screwing with her head.
“Things were okay for a few years, but then when I was sixteen, I started having nightmares again. They started the same way. Mommy, Daddy’s doing the bad thing again. I would always hear myself say that very distinctly and then I’d see a part of the murder. Each night a little more would come to me. The fifth night I’d see the murder and then I wouldn’t dream. A couple of nights later, I’d hear of a murder committed that exact way. I’d read about it or see it on the news.”
She pressed her fingers to her mouth. Her hand was shaking. She was suddenly the scared teenager, knowing if she went to the police the circus would start all over again. If she didn’t go, she might be responsible for others losing their lives. She didn’t want the notoriety. She detested the spotlight.
Stella forced air through her lungs, remembering how difficult it had been to make that decision. “I didn’t want to tell anyone, but I felt guilty that people were dying, and maybe by revealing the dreams, I might save lives, so I went to the police. They laughed at me. I was actually happy that they did, but the murders kept happening. My nightmares kept happening. My foster mother was very compassionate and she put me in counseling. I wanted to believe everyone, that the murders were triggering the nightmares because of my father, but I knew better. I was seeing murders before they actually happened.”
Stella sighed and picked up her coffee, took a few sips, grateful for her favorite outdoor to-go mug that kept coffee hot forever. “Eventually, the FBI came to me and asked me all sorts of questions. My foster mother and my counselor both were with me and they insisted the FBI promise to keep me out of it. The agents had me draw details of each of my dreams. They told me when I had a new one to contact them and start detailing everything I could remember. The serial killer was caught and the FBI did try to keep me out of it, as they promised. Unfortunately, my identity was leaked and it was too good a story to pass up for the media. My name was everywhere.”
She stole a quick look at him. Sam was looking out over the lake, and the air she’d been holding in her lungs left in a rush. He could be counted on, just like the Sierras. Her place of peace. Her rock. The world might be crashing down around her, but he was steady. Quiet. Confident. The same.
“Eventually, I inherited a large trust fund. There was enough money for me to live however I wanted. I legally changed my name. I got my degree and eventually ended up here. I loved this resort, hired on as manager and turned it around with a lot of hard work. The owner was older and wanted to sell. I made him an offer and bought four years ago, although we didn’t tell anyone at the time. I don’t like anyone knowing my business.”
Sam was silent for so long she wasn’t certain he would say anything. He drank his coffee, looking out over the lake, processing what she’d told him. His gaze shifted to her face. “The nightmares started up again.”
She nodded. “They did.”
“That was why you weren’t getting any sleep and you snapped at Bernice.”
“That still isn’t a good excuse, Sam. I did apologize to her.” If she hadn’t … She blinked back tears and sipped at her coffee. “I couldn’t believe a serial killer was here in our beautiful home. He’s going to make his kills look like accidents. The first is supposed to be a fisherman. I knew I had one or two days to find the kill spot so I drove around looking like mad. It was pure luck that I found this spot, since it’s secluded and no one really comes here that often.”
“You had a nightmare that ugly five nights in a row, Stella, and you didn’t even mention it to Zahra?”
She pressed her fingers to her mouth and shook her head, keeping her eyes on his chest. “If I told her, I’d have to tell her everything,” she whispered. “Sam, you wouldn’t have been here if it hadn’t been for me.”