“Hey.” She let out a relieved breath. “Welcome to Keane.”
* * *
They were drinking coffee while Val watched the back of the cabin, hoping to see a sign of Sully coming through the trees.
“So you’ve been up here the whole time?” Monica was talking to Josh. “Just hanging out?”
“I was doing some repairs to the water pump and trying to fix the place up a little. I had no idea about the police or Savannah’s accident or any of that.”
“It said on the news this morning that she was in stable condition at the hospital,” Monica said. “So that’s good news.”
Robin had lost all her inhibitions in the terror of gunfire. “There are so many ghosts up here. You all don’t even realize.” She was looking out the windows.
Josh went pale. “In the house?”
She looked at him, looked at Val. “Uh… no. Not in the house. Of course not.”
Judging by Robin’s expression, there were definitely ghosts in the house.
That wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. There was a spirit in Robin's antique shop. She was friendly, just sad. Val had felt the cool gust of wind in the shop at times, but the ghost had never bothered her.
“The dream woke me up in the middle of the night,” Monica said. “During the storm. I got a lot more than I had before. I could see the cabin. I could see Josh lying in the snow. I’m so sorry, but we had no idea how to get ahold of you.”
Mark said, “She called us and we left as soon as the light came up. Borrowed our neighbors’ snowmobiles. Told them it was an emergency.”
“We got the sleds up here fast and it wasn’t hard to find the village,” Robin said. “When we pulled into Keane, we thought it was going to be a fast visit. We thought we could just grab you guys and get out of here.”
Val sighed. “Yeah, Sully and I thought we’d be home by lunch yesterday.”
“Where is Sully?” Mark asked.
“There’s an old man on the other side of the settlement,” Josh said. “Bill has rifles and a radio.”
“Sully was going to try to call for help and get something better suited for the situation than a shotgun.” Val nodded to the shotgun propped near the door. “He left that one with us just in case.”
“Hate guns.” Monica shuddered. “But I’m glad Sully knows how to use them.”
Mark was looking out the windows. “Who the hell is this Anderson guy?”
“Apparently he’s a gold-medal biathlete.”
“What’s a—?”
“Ohh,” Robin said. “I know what you’re talking about. The ski-and-shoot thing?”
“Yes. Cross-country skiing and sharpshooting.”
Mark frowned. “Well, he’s uniquely dangerous, isn’t he?”
“I know, right? Why couldn’t Josh have slept with a snowboarder’s wife?”
Josh was sulking. “I feel like you guys are kinda victim blaming here.”
Mark nodded. “Yeah. We are.” He stood up and began to pace around the cabin. “Where is this guy shooting from? I don’t like sitting and waiting in this house.”
“Somewhere up the hill,” Val said. “But I can’t tell where.”
Mark was looking at the long skis hanging on the wall. “Do you have boots for these?”
Josh frowned. “Uh, yeah. In one of the closets, I think. That stuff is really old though.”
Robin said, “You have got to be kidding.”
“You’d rather just sit here?”
“I’d rather wait for Sully to call the sheriff’s department.”
“We don’t know if he can even reach them,” Mark said. “You want to wait here for this guy to get closer and shoot us?”
Val was very afraid that’s exactly what would happen. After all, like Josh had said, Anderson had to be desperate. He’d hatched a perfect plan that depended on Josh being a deadbeat and skipping town, not isolating himself in a remote cabin for two weeks where he had the luck to have an alibi.
Monica and Robin were looking at Val. She crossed her arms. “I don’t know what the right thing to do is. Monica, you have anything?”
Monica shook her head. “Nothing more than the dream I had. Sorry.”
“Don’t apologize.” Val paced in front of the windows, hoping to catch a glimpse of Sully through the trees. The cabin had felt full with three people inside. With five, it was darn near claustrophobic. “Sully is going to come back pretty soon. Let’s not do anything before he returns with better weapons.”
“Fine.” Mark was scanning the hills behind the house. “I’m going upstairs.”
“I think he broke a couple of the windows up there, so he can see in,” Val said. “Be careful.”
“If he can see in, then maybe I can see him.” Mark looked around. “Are there any binoculars around here?”
Josh pointed to the closet. “Some in the cupboard under the stairs. My grandma liked to bird-watch.”
Mark went to pull out the binoculars and Val tossed him a dark coat that was hanging on the hooks near the door. “Don’t be visible.”
“Got it.” Mark started upstairs, creeping when he got to the top of the loft.
Robin paced in front of the fireplace. “I’m going to put more wood on,” she said. “It’s cold.”
“Just keep in mind that pile is all we have without going outside,” Val said. “We were planning on leaving, but then Josh got shot.”
“Right.” Robin put a log on the fire, her head angled toward the loft upstairs where Mark was crawling around.
Monica walked over to where Val was standing near the rear windows. “Anything?”
“No.” She glanced up. “I have to admit, I’m with Mark. There’s six of us and one of him. Odds are in our favor if we move out.”
“Any place we move, we put someone at risk.” Monica glanced at the sofa. “And Josh can’t run. Not like that.”
Mark spoke from above in a steady voice. “I see him.”
“What do you see?” Val asked. “Everyone quiet.”
The cabin fell silent.
“He’s on a ridge above the houses. White suit. Like… it’s one of those full snowsuits in white. He’s wearing goggles. I caught the shine off them.”
Val tried to picture the ridge Mark was talking about, but she couldn’t. “Landmarks?”
“He’s parked behind an outcropping that looks a little like Jabba the Hutt.”
“Oh shit,” Val said. “I think I know where that is.”
Robin’s eyes went wide. “You do?”
“It’s a rock that looks like Jabba. Once you see it, you can’t unsee it.” She squeezed her eyes shut. “I can’t remember how to get there. I’m completely blanking.” She caught a flicker of movement in the trees and spotted Sully sheltering behind a large cedar. “Sully’s back. Mark, do you see Anderson moving?”
“He’s just looking through some binoculars. The rifle’s up right now.”
“Maybe he doesn’t see Sully.”
“Shit. No, rifle’s down.”
“Just now?”
“Yeah.”
Val leaned out the door and shouted, “Sully, run right now!”
Without a second of hesitation, he bolted from the trees and made for the porch. By the time the shot rang out, he was under the eaves.
He was panting hard. “You know something I don’t?”
“Mark is upstairs and can see him. Anderson saw you, but he’d barely lowered his rifle. Hadn’t had time to aim.”
Sully’s eyebrows went up. “Mark?”
“Long story.”
“So you told me to run on a guess?”
“It was an educated gamble.”
He muttered, “Same damn thing” under his breath as he walked into the house. Once inside, he pulled a revolver from his waist and unhooked the camouflage bag over his shoulder.
“Bill had two rifles I could use, but he didn’t have much ammunition.” He glared at the three women. “Why the hell are Monica and Robi
n here?”
Monica said, “I had a vision of Josh getting shot at the cabin. Unfortunately, by the time we got up here, it had already happened.”
“Visions?” Sully’s eyebrows went up. “Ghosts and tele—whatever Valerie can do with her hands—and now visions?”
“Unfortunately, they’re not always very useful,” Monica said. “They get clearer the closer to the event, but that doesn’t always give me much time. In fairness, if you’d been in mobile phone range, we could have avoided all this.”
Mark’s voice rang out. “It’s weird, but you get used to it, Sully.”
The sheriff was slowly shaking his head. “Mark, you still have eyes on the shooter?”
“I think so. He’s behind Jabba now. I think he’s on skis. Pretty sure I saw his poles sticking out from behind the rock.”
“He’s on skis,” Sully muttered. “Fucking Olympic sharpshooter on skis.”
“I say we try to take him,” Monica said. “There are six of us.”
“Forget it,” Sully said. He looked at Val. “I managed to get a message to my deputy in Glimmer Lake. He’s got to find some machines, but as soon as he does, he’ll be up here.”
“Where is he getting snowmobiles?”
“I don’t know.”
“So you don’t know when he’s coming?”
“He’s a resourceful kid. And he’s going to alert the forest service. Technically we’re on federal land, and those rangers don’t mess around.”
“So we’re just supposed to wait until they get here?” Val said. “Anderson almost picked off Mark, Robin, and Monica while they were riding in. Who’s to say he wouldn’t be able to shoot any help before they could get to us?”
“What are you saying? You want to mount an assault up the mountain when there’s a sniper out there?”
Val looked around. Robin nodded at her. Monica did too. “I’m saying that you have three resources here that you don’t normally have. And one of them might come in more handy than you realize.” Val turned to Robin. “What do you say?”
Robin was wary. “I don’t know any of the people around here. They probably wouldn’t listen to me. You want me to call Bethany?”
“Do you think you can?”
Sully asked, “Call who?”
“We’re pretty far from Glimmer Lake, but I can try.” Robin glanced at Monica. “Help me find some paper and a pencil.”
Josh said, “I think there’s some in the kitchen.”
Sully crossed his arms. “What’s she going to do?”
Val stood next to “There’s a ghost that’s kind of attached to Robin. A girl. She usually hangs out around the lake, but she might be able to call her here.”
“I’ve never tried this far from the lake before.” Robin found a blank paper in a kitchen drawer and immediately began to sketch.
Mark called from upstairs. “Honey, you need me?”
Monica moved next to Robin. “I’ve got her, Mark.”
Val whispered, “Headaches. She gets really bad headaches after. Sometimes nausea.”
“And you?”
“More nausea than headaches, but it depends on how long I’m in a vision.”
“I don’t seem to have any side effects from visions,” Monica said. “But they almost always come in dreams, so I’m asleep.”
“She’s here.” Robin smiled. “Hey, Bethany. How are you?”
Chapter 23
There was a long silence while Robin listened to the ghost.
“Aren’t you cold?” She wore an absent smile. “We’re okay, but we’re wondering if you might be able to help us.”
Another silence.
“Yes, that’s the one.” Robin frowned. Apparently Bethany had a lot to say. “I didn’t realize you’d seen him before.” She nodded. “Yes. We need a path to get to him without him being able to see us… Yes, we have the loud machines.” Robin glanced at Sully. “Bethany really hates snowmobiles. She says horses are much better.”
“Horses might get cold in this weather,” Sully said. “But I’ll keep that in mind.”
Robin smiled. “She knows you’re an authority figure. She calls you the ranger.”
The corner of Sully’s mouth turned up. “Oh yeah?”
Robin laughed a little. “You’re trying to bargain now?” Another silence. “Okay, I’ll ask.” She turned to Sully. “Bethany wants to know if you can make them stop riding snowmobiles at the snow park on the west side of the dam.”
Val smiled. “She wants a favor?”
Robin shrugged. “Hey, she’s a smart kid. We want a favor from her…”
Sully said, “I can’t guarantee anything, but I’ll see what I can do. If the snowmobiles are bothering her, I’ll try to get them off those trails.” He looked at Robin. “I’m insane.”
“You’re not insane.”
“She says she’d appreciate it.” Robin’s eyes flew to the door and then back to Val. “She’s out.”
“Is she still wearing a nightgown?” Monica asked.
“Yes. She makes me cold just looking at her.” Robin shivered. “No matter what time of the year, she’s always in that old-fashioned nightgown with bare feet.”
Monica patted her shoulder and stood. “I’ll make you some tea. Do you have aspirin in your purse?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll get it.”
Sully leaned against the wall. “I just made a bargain with a ghost child.”
“I promise you’re not crazy,” Val said. “But I completely understand if you feel that way.”
Josh was drifting in and out of sleep. “Robin, did you say you can see ghosts?”
Robin put a hand on his forehead. “No, honey, you’re just dreaming. Go back to sleep.”
“Okay.” He closed his eyes again and threw an arm over Robin’s legs.
“Yeah, no.” She carefully removed his arm and stood. “That man is going to be very confused when he wakes up.”
“Join the club.” Sully was pacing in front of the fire. “We can’t take the sleds. They’re way too loud. If we want to surprise him, we’re going to have to hike.”
“What about snow shoes?” Robin asked. “I saw more than a few pairs hanging on cabins around here.”
“I brought a pair myself,” Sully said. “But that’s only one set.”
“Look in the cupboard,” Mark said from above. “There was an old set in the back. They might be a little ratty, but better than nothing.”
Robin said, “If Bethany comes back with a path that will keep us hidden, we might be able to snag some snowshoes off porches in the village.”
Val nodded. “Snowshoes it is.” She glanced at the rifle bag. “And guns.”
“Forget it,” Sully said.
“I’m a good shot!” Val said. “I went shooting all the time with my dad.”
“Rifle?”
“No. Handgun.”
Sully nodded. “I guess you can handle the revolver.”
“I’m a good shot,” Robin said. “Ask Mark.”
“She’s better than me, and I’m pretty good,” Mark said. “Plus she’s fast.”
“Mark has better eyes than me though,” Robin said. “So does Val.”
Sully took a deep breath. “And I hate any of you being involved in this.”
“I have to go,” Robin said. “If Bethany is going to guide us, I have to be there.”
“And I can shoot,” Val said.
“And if I had a radio, I’d stay here and spot for you.” Mark creeped down the stairs and stretched his arms up and out. “But we don’t have a radio, so I think more people is better. Plus Robin’s not going out there without me.”
Monica raised her hand. “I have no desire to face danger of any kind, and I’m a piss-poor shot.”
“Good.” Sully nodded. “You get to stay and make sure this numbskull doesn’t do anything stupid.”
Monica saluted. “You got it.”
A chilled breeze drifted through the cabin.
* * *
Sully, Val, Mark, and Robin took turns slipping off the porch and into the trees. Sully went first, holding a rifle, then Robin followed with another. After her, Val crept out with the revolver, then Mark with a shotgun.
“This way?” Val crouched behind the neighbor’s shed. She wiggled her feet, adjusting the old snowshoes she’d strapped on in the house.
“We’re going to curve around the village,” Robin said, “before we start climbing up. Bethany says there’s an old road that leads to the river. We can take that and then climb the hill behind the ridge.” She frowned, staring into space. “It’s steep, but she says it’ll keep us out of sight.”
“Good.” Sully slid along the back of the shed and peeked out before he waved at Robin. “You lead the way, but stay behind as many houses as you can.”
The four moved in silence, ducking behind cabins and shuffling along narrow trails between houses. There were a few fences and more than one tree line.
Val stopped trying to figure out which direction they were heading and simply followed Sully’s lead. Every time they had to cross a clear patch of snow, Robin would wait, Sully would go first, then the rest of them would follow.
“I feel like we have to be getting close to the ridge.” Mark was panting behind her. They’d found a fourth pair of snowshoes for him, but they were really old and kind of rusty. Val tried not to wince every time the joints creaked.
Speaking of joints creaking…
“Sully, how’s your ankle?”
“I’m doing okay. It hurts like a bitch, but it hasn’t frozen up.”
“Robin, how’s your knee?”
“Sore,” Robin said. “Mark, you okay?”
“Surprisingly, all my joints are intact.”
“At least there’s one of us.”
“Two,” Val said. “My complete lack of athletic abilities is finally coming in handy during middle age. I have zero sports-related injuries.”
“Lucky.”
Val could only see one cabin left before the trees grew even denser. “I think we’re almost there, and I haven’t heard anything from above, so I’m feeling positive.”
Semi-Psychic Life: Glimmer Lake Book Two Page 19