Reckless Surrender by Zoe Blake

Chapter 5

“It’s beautiful.”

Keeping her balance on the rounded wet rocks, Phoebe looked out over the bay. She was with Amber, an assistant professor from the math department, who had suggested the early morning walk. Amber was short and plump in all the right places with curly, mousy brown hair and a sweet smile. She’d taken an instant liking to Phoebe, glad to have another female under the age of fifty on the campus. She had made it her mission to see that Phoebe was acclimated and happy in her new position. Phoebe felt a pang of guilt for deceiving such a kind and open person but reminded herself that her motives were good. It seemed the whole campus was divided into two camps about the murders. Those who practically denied they had occurred and those who wanted to gossip about all the gruesome details. No one seemed fired up to actually catch the killer.

Everyone bought into the assumption some deranged homeless man just happened to wander into the area, kill two women over the course of three weeks and wander out. The fact that such a man would stick out like sore thumb in such a small, tightly-knit community and yet was never observed, didn’t seem to bother anyone. As far as she could tell, Phoebe was the only one actually trying to seek justice for the slain women.

“I thought you might like the view,” observed Amber.

Focusing back on the present, Phoebe nodded as she took a sip of her mocha latte. Her warmed breath created misty swirls of white each time she breathed. The view was stunning in its raw beauty. Large rocks gave way to smooth white sand beaches which were buffeted by surprisingly strong waves. It was difficult to tell where the slate gray water ended and the gray sky began. Only the faintest glow of soft pink on the horizon hinted at a sunrise. A few boats were braving the harsh winds as they maneuvered around the peninsula where the spider-like lighthouse perched.

They had stopped at an adorable cafe to grab coffee drinks and some pastries before following the path between the military academy grounds and the woods to the shoreline of the bay.

Phoebe loved the sights and smells. The late fall morning had an icy crispness to the air. Feeding off the energy of the woods and the churning waters of the bay, everything felt alive and invigorating to her. So different from the stale, rank smells of the city with its crush of harried people.

“Oh my God! You have to try this raspberry preserve croissant,” raved Amber.

Phoebe gingerly took the buttery pastry from Amber. Holding it by its wax paper wrapping, she bit into the warm and crusty bread. A burst of tart sweetness hit her tongue as she also moaned her appreciation. A small dollop of raspberry preserves had escaped the pastry from the side and dripped onto the corner of her mouth. The tip of her tongue poked out to sweep the delicate treat from her lips just as she saw him.

Emerging from the forest’s edge like some mythical beast, he was all hard muscle and harsh angles. Dressed only in dark blue sweat shorts, his naked chest was on full display. Despite the chill, a fine sheen of sweat made his skin glisten in the early morning light. It was entrancing to watch the fluid motion of his body as he ran. Although distance separated them, Phoebe was drawn into the intense scrutiny of his gaze. Alarmed, she watched as he slowed his pace and headed toward them.

Amber gasped. “Holy fuck. He’s coming this way! Jesus Christ, he’s built.”

Phoebe had actually forgotten Amber was by her side.

They became aware that he had a white T-shirt fisted in his hand when Michael pulled it over his head to cover his wide chest and flat stomach. Phoebe ruthlessly stifled a disappointed groan.

“Ladies.” Although he greeted them both with a nod, his eyes stayed glued on Phoebe.

“Good morning, Commander,” said Amber.

Phoebe just stared.

Amber elbowed her in the side.

“Good morning,” she softly uttered. There was a noticeable pause after her simple greeting. She watched his jaw harden and an unmistakable glint appear in his sharp eyes at her staunch refusal to call him Commander. There was something too charged in the term. Too sexual, as if she were submitting to him. Phoebe clenched her thighs at the tingling sensation caused by her wayward thoughts.

“You ladies should not be out here alone. This area can be dangerous.”

His voice was dark and low…commanding, like the schoolmaster he was. Once more the schoolgirl fantasy floated across her heated mind.

“Thank you, Commander. We were just heading back to the campus,” responded Amber.

“Good. I would hate to see either of you harmed.”

Phoebe just stared.

Amber once again elbowed her in the side.

Phoebe could only nod, still transfixed. It annoyed her how his presence affected her. He was just so male!

As Amber bent down to stuff her now-empty coffee cup in her backpack, Michael took a step toward Phoebe. Tilting her head back because of his superior height, she noticed how his dark blue eyes appeared almost black in the weak morning light. He reached out and stroked the edge of her mouth with the pad of his thumb. Her own lips parted as he raised the thumb to his mouth and licked.

Michael then leaned in to whisper in her ear, “You taste sweet, babygirl.”

Until that moment, Phoebe had not realized it was possible for a person’s heart to stop from a rush of desire. She felt as though she may never breathe again. She didn’t know if the endearment was a reference to her diminutive height or if it had a deeper, more sexually charged promise. Either way, it made her feel weak.

Taking a step back before Amber noticed their interaction, he said, “You ladies have a pleasurable morning.” His eyes were once again only for Phoebe.

They both watched as Michael turned and ran back along the path, into the forest.

“I’d play headmaster and naughty schoolgirl with him any day,” quipped Amber.

Phoebe’s cheeks heated as her new friend mentioned the precise fantasy she herself had been having about Michael…every damn night.

“Come on. We’ll be late for our classes.” Phoebe grabbed her own backpack and they followed the shore to get back onto the walkway which would take them to campus.

After walking in silence for a few minutes, Amber shivered and quickened her step. “We shouldn’t have taken this way.”

“Why? Isn’t this the quicker path back to campus?”

“Yeah, but this place gives me the creeps,” responded Amber as she motioned with her head to the right.

There was a small clearing between the edge of the woods and the beginning of the shore. Despite the gorgeous golden and crimson hues of the trees about them, there was one which stood out in stark relief. Its gnarled and twisted branches were bare. The thick trunk of the tree was marred with black scorch marks. At its base was a massive rock. Its top was smooth and flat, and along the edges there were numerous strange carvings. It was impossible not to feel a sense of foreboding.

“What is it?”

“It’s called the witch’s tree but legend has it that it’s where they burned the Mad Monk.”

A chill crept down Phoebe’s spine.

“It’s also where they found those two poor women,” continued Amber.

“They found them here?” asked Phoebe as she slipped her phone from her pocket. Turning her body slightly, she kept the phone low to her hip as she tried to secretly snap photos of the place and the carvings etched into the rock’s worn surface. If she wasn’t mistaken, several of the carvings resembled the symbol painted in blood on her door. The same symbol carved into the murder victims’ chests.

“Yeah. It was awful. The whole campus is still shaken by it.”

“Did you know them?”

Amber shook her head no. Leaning in, she whispered, “I heard the evil bastard who did it carved a pentagram on their breasts and left them naked on top of the rock. What kind of sick bastard would do such a thing?”

Before Phoebe could answer, they heard a soft mournful tune on the wind. If Amber hadn’t grabbed her by the arm and inched closer, Phoebe would have thought she’d imagined it. She listened intently. There, just above the sound of the crashing surf. A child’s voice. Singing. It sounded like Rock-a-Bye-Baby but the words were wrong. As they listened, a figure appeared. It was a female with a coarsely woven blanket draped about her shoulders. Her hair hung in wild, tangled waves about her shoulders.

Wee little fingers, eyes are shut tight

Now dead asleep - never again to see light

Amber huffed in disgust and quickly dragged Phoebe away. As Phoebe struggled to keep up with the other woman’s marching steps, she cried out, “Hold up, Amber. Who was that?”

“Fucking Loony Ludtz,” Amber snorted.

“That was Mrs. Ludtz?” Phoebe was incredulous. The figure was some ways off but still, it didn’t resemble the extremely restrained, pinned up woman she was accustomed to seeing scowling about campus.

“I don’t know if Mrs. applies any longer,” sneered Amber.

As they quickened their steps back to the safety and relative sanity of campus, Amber regaled Phoebe with the story of Mrs. Ludtz’s recent failed marriage. Apparently after learning her husband had been cheating on her with a much younger woman a few months ago, she had become unhinged. For a month she wore only unrelenting black to mourn the death of her marriage. Then she disappeared into the woods for over a week claiming she needed to go back to nature to find herself. When she returned to school, Ludtz started to chastise and verbally abuse any of the female staff who wore makeup or high heels, which explained her instant dislike of Phoebe.

“Her latest craziness is to claim her Indian heritage is demanding she cleanse the area after the murders.”

Phoebe didn’t know what singing an old nursery rhyme had to do with the local Indian culture, but she kept that to herself.

“Why does Michael… er… I mean the Lieutenant Colonel keep her on staff?”

Amber shrugged her shoulders. “He’s new to the position and Ludtz knows this school like the back of her hand. She wasn’t anyone’s friend before this but people still feel sorry for her. Besides, I’d much rather he focused on Drake and Casey than Mrs. Ludtz’s marriage problems.”

“Who are Drake and Casey?”

“You mean no other teacher has warned you about those two midshipmen?”

Phoebe shook her head, trying to picture her roster to remember if she had them in her class. “No, why?”

“Rumor has it they were suspects in the murders before they announced it was that homeless man no one can find.”

Phoebe was about to comment that she hadn’t seen their names mentioned in any of the articles she had read, but she didn’t want to clue Amber in on the fact that she was interested in or researching the murders.

“No!” she exclaimed with appropriate shock and horror.

Amber’s eyes were lit with gruesome excitement. “They both have an odd way about them, always getting written up for something or other, and they were caught trying to cut up a dead squirrel. You know what they say about people who kill and torture animals.” Amber nodded her head sagely.

Phoebe made a mental note to look into both Drake and Casey. She remembered Henry’s theory of the crime, that some rich politician’s son was actually behind the murders and was being protected because of their parents’ influence. She wondered if Drake or Casey had powerful parents. The only way to find out conclusively was to look in the student files. Unlike a regular school, Puller Academy would have extensive information on the parents’ backgrounds and professions. She might also learn more about the boys through their disciplinary records.

The only problem was, the files were guarded over by Loony Ludtz, and her office was right outside of Michael’s.

It was like some kind of macabre game, thought Phoebe with a wry smile.

You are trapped in Buzzards Bay.

Your goal is to get past the lunatic and fight the scary powerful king to learn the secret behind the mad monk murders.

Be careful not to fall under the king’s seductive spell or you may lose your life!

Good lord! Perhaps the monk wasn’t the only one who was mad around here.