A Profiler's Case for Seduction(75)

It was time to let go.

The afternoon whizzed by as she cleaned and did laundry and tried to keep her mind focused only on positive things. In May she would graduate with a degree in criminal justice and then it would be job-hunting time.

The world would be an open canvas for her to paint what she would do for the rest of her life, and although the blankness of the canvas was daunting now, the idea was also exciting.

A part of her wanted to remain in Vengeance, but her job opportunities would be limited here.

Hours later, as she luxuriated in the old tub full of bubbles, she thought about her future. The good thing was, unlike so much of the housing market around the country, her house value had gone up due to the influx of people returning to college and the home’s prime location.

She would be able to sell the place and pay back Micah every cent he’d invested in her, although she would never be able to repay his unwavering belief in her.

It was just after five when she finished her bath with a quick shower to wash her hair. When done, she dried off and pulled on a lightweight navy shift to wear until it was time to get dressed for the evening.

She turned on her old stereo unit and tuned to an easy listening channel, then made herself a cup of tea and sat at the table where she’d spent so much time in the past couple of weeks with Mark.

If he took nothing else away from the time they’d spent together, she hoped he’d take a new understanding about how important good fathers were in the lives of their daughters.

Dora had no idea how her life might have been different if she’d had a loving, caring father and if her mother hadn’t been an alcoholic.

She still occasionally checked out the newspaper for the small town of Horn’s Gulf that was available online. Two years ago she had seen her mother’s obituary and she’d tried desperately to summon sorrow, but she’d only managed an uncomfortable relief.

She hadn’t gone to the funeral and had spent a long time trying to figure out who might have been in attendance for the alcoholic who had bedded half the town’s men. Certainly Daisy hadn’t had any female friends who would have shown up to shed a tear. Most of the men Daisy had slept with had been married and wouldn’t be attending her funeral.

It was the sad ending to a sad life and Dora had only been grateful that she’d finally managed to break the chain of alcoholism and abuse in her own life.

Glancing at the clock on the oven, she sipped her raspberry tea and listened to the music dancing through the room. She was tired of thinking about everything. Tonight she would feel, not think. Tonight she would laugh and have fun despite the coming heartbreak of Mark.

Tonight there was no past, no future, just the moment and the fun of celebration. Then it would be time for Dora to put all things Mark behind her and get on with her goals.

She’d just about finished her cup of tea when a knock fell on her door. Startled, she glanced at the clock to see it was not quite six o’clock, far too early for it to be Mark.

A peek at the window showed Ben Craig standing on her porch. She opened the door and he offered her a wide smile. “Dora, I’m sorry to bother you, but could I come in for a minute?”

She opened the door wider to allow him inside. “I figured you’d be frantically finishing up the last-minute things at the bonfire pit,” she said, wondering why he was here.

“I am,” he replied as he followed her into the living room. “I just have a few more things to take care of and then we’ll be ready to roll. It’s going to be an awesome night.” His eyes glittered with excitement. “I’m really only missing one thing.”

“And what’s that?” Dora turned to face him.

He took a step toward her. “You.”

Before Dora had a chance to protest, he grabbed her, twirled her around and then slammed her against him as he held a strange-scented cloth over her mouth and nose.

Don’t breathe, a voice screamed inside Dora’s head as she struggled vainly against him. His body was hot against her back, his arms strong as they struggled.

Don’t breathe, Dora. The words played and replayed in her head. She attempted to twist out of his grasp, kicked one leg out as she lost her balance. The clumsy kick only managed to connect with a small accent table and she heard the pretty vase on top of it thump and roll on the floor.

She had no idea what was happening, why this was happening. The only thing she knew was she had to hold her breath until she could get away from him. Yet, even as she thought this, she felt the burn of her lungs, the desperate need for air.