Wild Keepers

by Dee Bridgnorth

  Keeley’s eyes were wide as saucers. “Hold on,” she said, putting up a hand. “You’re telling me that my book is written by these…demons? And that they murdered your brothers?”

  He nodded, sorrow twisting his heart. It was still so hard to talk about, even after all this time. Would it ever get any easier?

  She frowned. “I don’t understand any of what you are saying,” she said. “I heard that your house burnt down, and your friends died within it. Was that wrong? It was your family?”

  Thad shuddered. “My wolf family,” he said carefully. “It gets harder to understand, Keeley. When I call them my brothers, it was because we were part of the same pack. A pack of wolf shapeshifters called the Wild Keepers.”

  She stared down at the coffee table, seemingly deep in thought. When she raised her head again, her eyes flashed with anger. She stood up, slowly, staring down at him.

  “You really are crazy, aren’t you?” she hissed. “Everyone in town said you were unbalanced. Holing yourself up in this cabin, never seeing anyone. But it’s beyond even what they suspected.”

  Thad looked stricken. “I had to tell you all this, Keeley,” he said. “So that you will believe me when I tell you what is in that book.”

  At the mention of the book, she snatched it up from the coffee table, stuffing it quickly into her bag.

  “You should have just told me that you couldn’t translate it,” she said, in a shaky voice. “I would have preferred that to this wild story about demons and shapeshifters and murder.” She took a deep, shuddering breath. “You’ve used my book as part of your twisted story. You used my desire to know what happened to my father against me!”

  “No,” he said, standing up quickly, approaching her. “It’s not like that…”

  Her eyes flashed again. “Goodbye, Thad. I hope you enjoy your delusions, cooped up here in your cabin in the mountains. But I’m not feeding into them for you.”

  She rushed to the door, opening the flywire.

  “Keeley!”

  She turned, staring at him. He could see how pale she was. He had devastated her.

  “Your father was looking for them.” His mouth felt parched. “That’s why he was in the desert. It’s all in the book.”

  Her face twisted in a rictus of pain, before she slammed the door and ran to her car. Thad followed her out, watching as she desperately jammed the keys into the ignition, before finally firing up the engine and tearing away down the dirt track.

  His heart was thudding painfully. He should have known. It was too much for her take, but he had to explain it before he got to what was in the book. Now, she would never know. She had made her decision, and he had to respect it.

  He tried to swallow a sudden lump that had formed in his throat. She thought he was crazy. A wild crazy mountain man, sprouting delusions about demons and shapeshifters. He would probably never see her again, and if he ever did, she would avoid him like the plague.

  Thad leaned over the porch railing, trying to calm himself. It was for the best, really. His conscience was clear now. She had wanted him to translate her book, and he had done it. He had attempted to tell her the truth of it. If she didn’t want to, or wasn’t able to, hear that truth then that was none of his concern. He had at least tried.

  He stared out over the lake, watching the sun dancing on the water, a shimmering twist of gold and blue. It was time. He would never see her again, anyway. His days at Coyote River were over.

  He walked back into the cabin. He glanced around it, his heart twisting in sorrow again. He would always remember it as a brief respite from the constant battle that was his life. A place where he had tried to leave it all behind but failed. He smiled at the irony. It was Keeley who had brought it all back to him, and she didn’t even believe it was real.

  He pulled out his tattered backpack from underneath the bed, tossing clothes into it without even noticing what he was doing. It would take just a little over three hours to get there if he pushed the old truck to the max.

  He thought briefly of Evan, imploring him to return to Covenester and start the Wild Keepers again. He had disappointed him, as well. But where he was going, and what he was about to do, would change the situation in Covenester anyway. Once and for all. If he succeeded, of course.

  He sighed. He knew that the odds were stacked against him, but he had to try. His life meant little anymore, anyway, since the fire and the death of his brothers. He would probably die trying. But at least it was better than holing himself up in a cabin forever, wallowing in his own misery like a pig in mud.

  As he hoisted the backpack over his shoulder and walked to the door, he thought briefly of Keeley again. It was better this way. Much better. What she didn’t know couldn’t hurt her, and he didn’t know if he could bear to lose anyone to them again. It might just be more than he could take.

  ***

  Keeley let herself into the house, trying not to make a noise. It had been a long, painful day and she didn’t feel like speaking to anyone. All that she wanted to do was draw herself a deep, hot bath and relax into the bubbles. Let her mind check out for the day.

  Dean had been angry with her, of course, when she had finally got back to the Magnet. She had taken too long again, and she couldn’t tell him about her ridiculous visit to Thad Morgan. The humiliation of it was still fresh and sharp in her mind.

  The day had dragged after that. She had tried to concentrate on writing her real estate feature, but it had proved almost impossible. As soon as the clock had hit five, she had grabbed her bag and hightailed it out of there.

  “Keeley?” Her mother’s voice was far away. “Is that you?”

  Keeley bit down a sigh of frustration. “I’m just going to have a bath, Mom. I’ll be with you in a while.”

  Guilt settled on her as she turned on the taps in the bath, watching steam fill the bathroom. Her mother would be needing a rest, and she had pushed her away. But she knew that she needed some time to think things through by herself before she put on her brave face once again. She didn’t want her sour disappointment at the day’s events to show on her face.

  She settled back into the bath with a soft sigh. This was good. This was just what she needed. She closed her eyes, drifting away for a moment.

  And then his face popped into her mind again. His earnest eyes as he had fed her his tale about demons writing the book and the fact that he was a wolf shapeshifter. It was so strange, she thought, frowning slightly. She had never got the impression that he was crazy when she had spoken to him before. Quiet and defensive, yes, but not crazy.

  Keeley smiled ruefully to herself. She didn’t know much about crazy people, but she had heard that they sometimes used things—people or events—around them as part of their own delusions. Thad Morgan had used her book as part of his delusion. It still made her angry just thinking about it, but she supposed she should try to let it go. He was crazy, after all. It wasn’t as if he could help it.

  She just felt duped. Stupid. He had sensed how much the book meant to her and used it against her. It was cruel, and it was humiliating. He had realised that the book was her vulnerable spot; or maybe not the book itself, but her desire to find out what had happened to her father. The book was just a part of that quest.

  Suddenly, her heart filled with a deep sadness. Poor, crazy Thad. The recluse who lived in the mountains, hiding away from everyone, convinced he had the power to turn into a wolf and that it was his life’s mission to hunt demons. If it wasn’t so ludicrous it would be heartbreaking.

  She sighed, picking up the soap and rubbing herself vigorously. She just had to put it behind her, that was all. Start afresh. There had to be someone on this planet who could translate that damn book for her.

  She sat up, suddenly, causing water to splash haphazardly on the floor. The book could wait. It had waited a long time already. She knew now where her father had been in the days before he had been found lost, wandering a back road in the dark.

  That’s
what she must do, she thought excitedly. She had to go to the desert. Retrace his steps. It was another piece of the puzzle that might surely yield some answers.

  Chapter Eight

  Keeley wound down the car window, letting the wind whip around the car and causing her hair to stream behind her. It felt great to be on the open road at long last. It had taken her so long that the day was starting to drift towards sunset already. A small voice in her head had said to leave it to the next morning, but she had ignored it. Once she had made up her mind to take this trip, she had been determined.

  A favourite song came on the radio, and she reached down, cranking up the volume and singing at the top of her lungs. She had no idea why she was in such a good mood when everyone had been so mad at her, but there it was.

  She looked down at the speedometer, seeing that it was hovering around sixty-five miles an hour. She reluctantly took her foot off the accelerator. As much as she wanted to make it to Farrow Valley before dark, she also didn’t want a speeding ticket.

  Her spur of the moment decision to drive to the tiny town in the desert still shocked her a little, and she knew that it had shocked her mother and Dean when she had informed them. Her mother had been completely bewildered.

  “You want to go to the desert?” she had repeated a few times, as if Keeley had said that she wanted to go to the moon. “But why? And why right now?”

  She had been deliberately vague, saying that she just needed a few days away and that the desert had always intrigued her. She still wasn’t sure if her mother had accepted the reason judging by the suspicious looks she kept throwing at her, but she had no choice but to let her go. Keeley was an adult, after all, and even though she chose to still live in the family home that didn’t mean she had to ask permission to do anything.

  She had felt guilty, of course, but that was normal. She always felt guilty where her mother was concerned. Guilty that she wasn’t helping her enough, guilty that she wasn’t there enough, guilty that Claire Walters had to sacrifice her life to look after her husband. It was in never-ending supply. Keeley often thought that she couldn’t remember a time when guilt hadn’t featured strongly in how she felt about her mother.

  So, she could live with it.

  Dean had been a different story. He was her boss, after all. And he didn’t take too kindly to being informed that she wanted to cash in a few of her stockpile of leave days. Immediately.

  “Keeley,” he had said, his mouth tight, “you have stories that need to be submitted before the next edition goes to press.”

  “I’ll take my laptop,” she had answered blithely. “There’s only two, and I’ve almost finished them anyway. I’ll send them to you via email.”

  He had stared at her, his eyes narrowing. “And what if I refuse?”

  She had gotten a little angry then. “Dean, I have worked my butt off for this paper. Do you remember last Christmas? And Thanksgiving? While everyone else went and stuffed themselves sick with turkey, I was here, keeping the coal fires burning.” She took a deep breath. “All I am asking for is a few days. I need the break.”

  He had kept staring at her. “It hasn’t got anything to do with your damn obsession, has it? You’re not heading out to do some amateur sleuthing?”

  She had kept her nerve. “Dean, I just need a break,” she said slowly. “It’s been an intense few weeks at home with Daddy having to be rushed to the hospital. That’s all.”

  He had sighed. “What about your poor mother, Keeley? When does she get a break?”

  Her mouth had tightened. “I’m sending Mom away for a holiday later this year,” she spat. “I’ve been saving for it a long time. You can’t begrudge me a few days off. I’m hardly globetrotting.”

  He sighed again. “Where are you going, by the way? If I let you go?”

  “The desert,” she said, vaguely, waving her hand. “I just want some wide open spaces. The mountains get a bit…claustrophobic. A solo road trip with plenty of candy and pretzels.” She forced herself to smile. “I’ll even bring you back a souvenir t-shirt, if you like.”

  “What choice do I have?” he had muttered. “Go. But watch those dirt roads out there, they can be tricky. Promise me you’ll be sensible…”

  “Sure,” she had grinned. “I even promise to eat my greens.”

  At long last, he had given his permission. But when she had finally reached home to start packing, her mother had needed assistance bathing her father. Usually her grandma came to do it, but Iris had suddenly had to attend a funeral out of town. And that chore had eaten away at least another hour.

  It had been close to three by the time she had finally pulled out of her driveway and hit the road. She had been a bit anxious that her gas gauge was only on half a tank, but she had been impatient, and wanted to get going. If she filled up at the general store, she would waste another fifteen minutes talking to Dot and explaining where she was going. There would be gas stations on the way that she could stop at.

  She frowned, now, gazing at the gas gauge. It was dipping well under a quarter of a tank. She needed to find a gas station soon, or she would be stranded on the side of the road, and she didn’t fancy walking or hitching out here. The landscape had already changed, and she could see fewer trees and the vast open vistas of the approaching desert.

  After half an hour she finally saw one in the distance, when the gauge was hovering just above empty. Breathing a sigh of relief, she pulled into it, noticing when she got out that the sun was just beginning to set. She would be driving in the dark. It would probably take her another hour and a half to get to Farrow Valley.

  She studied the gas station as she pulled the pump. It was tiny; almost a shack, with only two pumps and a weathered sign above the doors. Somehow, she had been expecting the super gas stations that peppered the route towards Covenester, which had fast food outlets attached and sold every convenience known to man.

  She grinned to herself. She would be lucky if this place sold out-of-date packets of beef jerky to chew on.

  No matter. She could find something to eat once she hit Farrow Valley. She had read last night, when she had booked a room at the Hacienda, that the little town had a bar that sold food. She would just have to take herself there once she had settled into her room.

  She finished filling her tank, then walked to the shack. The doors creaked as she opened them. It was dark in here; they obviously hadn’t turned on the lights yet.

  A large man was sitting behind the counter, staring out the window. He jumped visibly when she entered. Keeley smiled, a bit puzzled. He must have realised that she had pulled up and filled her tank. This place wasn’t exactly crawling with customers.

  He stared at her, not returning her smile. Keeley shrugged to herself. Maybe he didn’t like strangers.

  “You got gas?” he asked softly, frowning.

  “Yes,” she replied slowly. How could he not know? Didn’t they have buzzers or something to alert them when the gas was being pumped?

  “Ah, yes,” he said, vaguely, staring at his monitor. “I was miles away. That’ll be sixty-two dollars exactly.”

  Keeley flourished her credit card. The man took it as if he had never seen such a thing in his life, then took a maddeningly long time to process it.

  “You’re lucky,” he said, looking up at her so suddenly it startled her. “Another ten minutes and I would have been closed for the evening.”

  “Very lucky,” she said, smiling. She waited for him to hand over her card.

  “You don’t want to get stranded out here,” he drawled, nodding his head. “No traffic for miles after dark. And it ain’t no fun getting lost in the desert, either.”

  “Just as well as I made it, then,” she said.

  He handed back her card. “Where are you heading?”

  Keeley smiled again. “A little place called Farrow Valley,” she replied. “Have you heard of it?”

  The man looked as if all the blood had drained from his face. Keeley studied him,
mystified.

  “No,” he said firmly, shaking his head. “You don’t wanna go there. That ain’t a good place.”

  Keeley felt the hairs on her neck prickle. “What do you mean?”

  But the man didn’t answer. He just kept shaking his head.

  “Okay,” she said slowly. “I should get going. It’s getting dark. Thank you.”

  She was almost to the door when he called out to her.

  “Miss,” he said, his voice high and thready. “You really don’t want to stay in Farrow Valley. Just keep driving through it. You’ll hit the nearest town beyond within ten miles, give or take.”

  Keeley frowned. “Thanks for the tip,” she said. “But I’m afraid I have business there.” She paused. “Why do you dislike it so much?”

  He gazed at her almost fearfully. “There’s been strange things happen there over the years,” he said. “Strange things. It ain’t a place to linger in, if you get my drift.”

  Keeley’s frown deepened. What on earth was the man going on about? Was he touched in the head?

  “Well, thank you again,” she said, slamming the doors behind her.

  Damn. She had wasted almost ten minutes here, listening to the ramblings of the man. The sun was almost entirely set now. She could see rivulets of gold and pink stretching across the sky. Within ten minutes it would be almost pitch black.

  She climbed back into her car and started the engine, pulling back onto the road. Suddenly, she felt the hairs on the back of her neck start to prickle again. Without thinking, she glanced in her rearview mirror at the tiny gas station.

  The man had come out and was standing near the pumps. He was so still he could have almost been a statue. And he was staring directly at her car as it sped down the road towards Farrow Valley.

  Keeley shuddered, trying to push the feeling of unease away. He was a little addled, that was all. She supposed that working alone in that tiny place would do that to someone. Still, he didn’t need to be so adamant that she shouldn’t stay in Farrow Valley. She was a woman travelling alone, and she didn’t need to hear stories that she should just push past her destination because it wasn’t good. Didn’t he realise that he could scare people?