The Acadia Killer

Chapter 18

It was a frigid morning when I stumbled out of the hospital the next day. A cold front had moved in around two in the morning with howling winds and steady rain that kept me awake for a couple hours in addition to the nurses constantly interrupting my sleep. Blake had opted to take the day off to help me get back to the beach house and settled in, although I'd tried so hard to convince him that Michelle could help me. Of course, Michelle had her own sneaky plans to get us to spend more time together and made some excuse that she had too many things to deal with at work and would have to wait to come by and see me later. I knew by the cheesy grin on her face when we video chatted that it was all a ruse, but to be honest, I wasn't exactly complaining about getting to spend more time with Blake anyway. He was gentle, caring and comforting. I needed that. Especially after the freak episode in the woods.

"What do you feel like for breakfast?" Blake asked as we pulled out of the hospital parking lot.

It was the first time I'd been in his truck, and I was surprised at how clean and spotless it was inside. He seemed like the type of guy who worked so much, he wouldn't have time to keep his work truck neat.

I shrugged, leaning the seat back a couple notches. "I'm really not even thinking about food at the moment. I'm so fucking tired."

I was exhausted from the combination of the lack of sleep the night before and the immense stress put on my body prior to that. I needed a lengthy bubble bath to relax my muscles and then I fully intended to sleep for a few days straight. As it was, I was going to have to hang around Maine longer than I'd originally planned anyway, per the doctor's orders. He'd instructed me not to drive for a few days and take it extra easy to let my body recover. Michelle, luckily, didn't have any renters booked for the beach house for the next two weeks and offered to let me stay the entire rest of that time. I knew I wouldn't be staying that long, but I definitely needed to heed the doctor's advice about letting myself rest for a change. Apparently, unbeknownst to me, I'd hit my head on a rotted out log when I'd fallen on the trail, and as a result, the back of my head felt like I'd been hit with a baseball bat.

As we drove from the hospital in Bar Harbor back to the beach house, I began to notice an unusual amount of patrol vehicles passing us, roughly half of them with their lights flashing. Blake stayed in the right lane and didn't seem to pay any attention to the passing authorities, but I knew he was noticing me taking note.

"Tell me there wasn't-"

He shook his head. "I don't know what it is, Mackenzie. I don't have my radio turned on for your sake. I was hoping you'd sleep on the way back."

I decided this time not to pester him to find out what was up. I was sure I'd find out later anyway, but Blake seemed extra stressed, and I didn't want to do anything to add to it. He'd already put up with enough of my nagging questions.

We turned right down the familiar gravel road, a cloud of dust forming behind us as we drove through the trees until we came to a stop in front of the beach house.

"Do you want some help getting out?" Blake asked quietly, like he was halfway lost in his own thoughts.

I waved him off and climbed out slowly. I probably should've let him help me, but I didn't want to be a burden. Besides, I needed to recover quickly on my own so I could get back to work. I couldn't afford to be out of commission for more than a few days.

Blake refused to take no for an answer on guiding me up the stairs to the entrance, however, which I did appreciate. When we got to the porch, he unlocked the sliding door and opened it for me, letting me walk in first. The familiar smell of diffused pumpkin and vanilla oils hit my nostrils as I stepped inside, and I paused to take in the feeling of comfort that accompanied the scent. Michelle had obviously stopped by the house earlier and refreshed the diffusers, knowing I loved little touches like that. I made a mental note to thank her later.