by Bobbi Holmes
Chris drove back to Frederickport, with Brian in the passenger seat, Heather in the seat behind them, and Walt and Danielle in the rear seat. Eva and Marie had vanished after they piled in the car and started back to Frederickport. Danielle passed around sandwiches, chips, brownies, and bottled water.
“I knew we could count on you,” Heather said, diving into the brownie first. “I need this—and a good shower.”
“The last time I had chocolate, it got me in trouble,” Walt said while unwrapping his sandwich.
“Does this mean you’re cutting down on sweets?” Danielle asked.
“I just won’t be taking chocolate chip cookies from strangers again,” Walt said before biting into his sandwich.
“So what happens now?” Heather asked.
“Arrest the Parkers,” Brian said.
Thirty-Six
They had been driving in silence for about twenty minutes, each reflecting on the recent series of events. Danielle glanced toward the front of the car and found Brian turned in his seat, staring at her. When their eyes met, he gave her a smile.
“You really didn’t dump all Cheryl’s clothes and open makeup in her suitcase, did you?” Brian said.
“So you finally believe me?” Danielle asked with a grin.
“I didn’t mean to ruin her clothes,” Walt said. “I just wanted to help and get the room cleaned for the open house.”
“She didn’t need her clothes anyway,” Heather snarked.
“Not nice, Heather,” Danielle good-naturedly reprimanded her. Heather countered with a shrug and leaned back against the inside of the right passenger door while she lounged on the bench seat, her feet up.
“I will confess,” Brian said, “after I got to know you better, that suitcase thing kept bugging me. It seemed out of character, but I couldn’t imagine who else had done it.”
“So, tell us, Danielle, what lie have you worked out to explain our rescue?” Heather asked cheerfully. She looked to Brian and said, “Danielle has a natural gift for coming up with creative lies to explain the unexplainable. Except for suitcases, of course. Obviously, she never came up with a believable story for that one.”
“You all managed to get free from the ropes and eventually found your way down to the highway. Someone was driving by, going in the opposite direction from Frederickport. They stopped, agreed to call me, and we picked you up,” Danielle explained.
“Who were these people?” Brian asked.
“I don’t know. They wouldn’t tell you their name. They were teenagers who had taken their parents’ car for a joy ride. They had to get home before they got caught,” Danielle explained.
Brian laughed.
“That was pretty nice of them to at least stop,” Danielle said.
“What does the chief know about all this?” Brian asked.
“Unofficially, he knows everything. Officially, he didn’t know about the phone call from our nonexistent teenagers until we picked you up this morning. I was afraid it might be a hoax, so I didn’t want to tell him until I knew you were safe,” Danielle explained.
“Did you really call him?” Brian asked.
“Yes. Just after we saw you along the highway,” Danielle said.
“Wouldn’t I have insisted they call the chief instead of you?” Brian asked.
Danielle considered the question a moment. “Hmm…actually, you wanted them to, but they were afraid the police department would trace their call, and then their parents might find out what they had done. Since you just wanted to get rescued, you didn’t push it.”
Brian laughed. “Okay. That story works for me.”
“What kind of car did the teenagers drive?” Heather asked.
“I don’t know. You saw them. I didn’t,” Danielle said.
“You might want to figure out what kind of car it was,” Chris said as he pulled off the highway onto the road leading to Frederickport. “We’ll be at the police station soon.”
“Can’t you take me home first?” Heather asked. “I so need a shower.”
“Sorry, we promised the chief we’d take you directly to the station. He wants to interview all of you, and until they arrest the Parkers, he doesn’t want you wandering about,” Chris explained.
“I’m not going to wander; I’m going to shower,” Heather grumbled.
“It’s good to see you,” Joe Morelli told Brian while he gave him a hearty handshake, which quickly turned into a hug. The others had gone into the interrogation room with the chief, where there was more room for everyone to sit down comfortably.
“While I wanted to be part of the arrest, I suppose you already have someone bringing them in,” Brian said.
“You still might do that,” Joe said. “Of course, not sure the chief will let you.”
“What do you mean? I figured they would have been in custody by now. I know Danielle called the chief after she picked us up, told him they were the ones who drugged and kidnapped us.”
“We don’t know where they are,” Joe said. “We’ve been staking out their house since this morning.”
“Great,” Brian groaned.
“The chief said they drugged you and then just left you there. I can’t imagine what you went through. Thank God you’re okay.”
“The worst was coming to and finding myself tied to a tree and not knowing what was going on. But once we got loose, it wasn’t so bad,” Brian said.
“Yeah, but I can’t imagine spending two nights out there with someone like Heather Donovan,” Joe said, giving an exaggerated shudder.
Brian shrugged. “Heather’s not so bad.”
“She’s out there.”
“I have to give her credit. She didn’t fall apart. As my grandfather would say, she was a trooper.”
“What about Marlow? How did he fare out there in the middle of the forest? He never struck me as the nature type. A city boy. You must have had your hands full, taking care of both of them.”
Brian chuckled. “Marlow would surprise you. I think he was probably a Boy Scout in his last life.”
“You mean before his amnesia?” Joe asked.
“Um…yeah. Sure.”
The next minute, the chief opened the door to the interrogation room and poked his head out. “We’re waiting for you, Brian.”
“I bet you’re glad to get Walt back,” Joe told Danielle when they passed each other in the hallway of the police station a few minutes later.
“Relieved they’re all okay,” Danielle said. “I just wish the Parkers would show up so they can arrest them, and Walt can go home.”
“For the time being, it’s best if the Parkers don’t know they’re safe,” Joe said. “I would assume if word got out they were rescued, the Parkers would skip town altogether.”
Danielle let out a sigh. “Yeah, I get it.”
“So where are you going?”
“Running home to feed Hunny, Max and Bella. But I’m coming right back.”
Joe was about to make a comment about Chris staying at Marlow House, but he caught himself. He knew it was none of his business, but he would never understand their relationship. Not hers with Chris—not hers with Walt. Not even Walt’s with Chris.
“See you later. Take care of them,” Danielle said before heading toward the lobby.
The moment Danielle climbed into the driver’s side of her Flex, she noticed glitter falling from the ceiling. Shutting the door and buckling her seatbelt, she glanced over to the passenger seat and said, “What, no snow today?”
The next moment Eva appeared in the passenger seat and the glitter vanished. “I felt glitter more festive for the occasion. I considered the fireworks again, but they might be too much for inside a car.”
Danielle chuckled and then slipped the key in the ignition.
“Where are you going?” Eva asked.
“Home to feed Hunny and the cats. Where is Marie?” Danielle asked, pulling out of the parking lot.
“We both popped in the station to make sure ever
yone arrived safely. Then she went to see what Adam is up to.”
“After I feed the animals, I’ll be coming back to the station. You want to go with me or stay here?” Danielle drove the car down the street, heading toward home.
Eva leaned back in her seat. “I think I’ll go along with you. I imagine Hunny, Max and Bella are anxious to hear if Walt and Heather are all right. I can update them while you fill their food bowls.”
“Good idea,” Danielle said, turning down another street. “I imagine Sadie would like to know what’s going on too.”
Feeling relieved and lighthearted, in spite of the fact the Parkers were still on the loose, Danielle failed to see the woman standing on the side of the road until she jumped in front of the car. Even Eva let out a squeal in surprise when the woman appeared, and Danielle slammed on the brakes.
It was the woman Danielle had called a hippy—the one who had found the necklace—the one who had told her where the Bairds had gone. And she was now standing in front of Danielle’s windshield—inches from it—the lower part of her body disappearing in the car’s hood. She wasn’t a hippy. She was a ghost.
Hands clinging to the steering wheel, Danielle stared at the apparition. Never looking away from it, she asked Eva, “Do you know her?”
“I’ve never seen her before,” Eva said. “But I believe she wants to talk to you. Perhaps you should pull the car over to the side of the road.”
As if she heard Eva’s suggestion, the ghost stepped back from the car and pointed to the side of the road. Reluctantly, Danielle drove her car along the sidewalk and parked. A moment later, she and Eva got out of the car.
“Please help me,” the woman begged.
“Help you how?” Danielle asked.
“I know you can see spirits,” the woman said.
“How do you know that?” Danielle asked.
The woman laughed. “You’re talking to me, aren’t you?”
Eva chuckled. “She has a point, Danielle.”
The woman looked at Eva and cocked her head. “Are you like her, or another spirit?”
“I’m like you. If you already understand you aren’t alive, why do you need Danielle?” Eva asked.
“Because someone is about to do something they will regret. And since they can’t see or hear me, I can’t stop them. Please come with me.” She turned and started down the street.
Danielle glanced at Eva. “What should I do?”
“Would it hurt? Might as well see what the problem is. Probably some child getting ready to play with matches or something,” Eva suggested.
“Fine. But stay with me, just in case you need to call for help,” Danielle said, reluctantly following the ghost.
To Danielle’s surprise, the woman turned down the next corner and started walking up the Bairds’ driveway. “Is something happening with Finola and her sisters?” Danielle asked, still following the spirit.
When she reached the front door, the ghost said, “Don’t knock, just walk in. Please. And hurry.”
Reluctantly she did as the spirit requested, and to her surprise came face-to-face with Davina Parker, who held a gun in her hand, now pointed at Danielle’s head.
“Oh crap,” Danielle muttered.
“I’ll get help,” Eva said, disappearing the next moment.
“What are you doing here?” Davina shrieked and then motioned for Danielle to move farther into the house. It took Danielle a moment for her eyes to adjust to the dimly lit living room. When she did, she saw what appeared to be Finola Baird tied up to a chair in the middle of the room, encircled by flickering candles, while the other two Parker sisters stood by her side, looking in surprise at Danielle.
“What are you doing here?” Bridget demanded.
“I really don’t know,” Danielle muttered, wondering how long she could stall them before one of the crazy witches used the gun on her.
“Tell them Gavenia sent you,” the spirit said.
Danielle frowned at the spirit.
“Why are you here?” Bridget demanded again, this time her voice louder. She marched to Davina and grabbed the gun from her hand, and then pointed it at Danielle, her aim more purposeful.
“Go on, tell them,” the spirit urged.
“Gavenia sent me,” Danielle said.
All the women went motionless. Finally, Bridget asked, “What did you say?”
“Tell them you are speaking for the White Hawk,” the spirit said.
Licking her lips nervously, Danielle said. “Gavenia sent me, and I’m speaking for the White Hawk.”
“What do you know of Gavenia…of the White Hawk?” Aileana demanded.
“I do not understand who Gavenia or the White Hawk is, but there is some hippy ghost here telling me what to say to you.” Danielle then paused and looked at Finola. “Wait a minute…I do know…”
Thirty-Seven
Danielle stared at Finola a moment and then said, “You told me about her. Gavenia, that was your ancestor they burned as a witch in Scotland. Her name meant White Hawk.”
“Yes. Gavenia Tolmach,” Finola said, still tied to the chair.
“What is all this nonsense about some hippy ghost?” Bridget demanded.
Danielle looked to the spirit and nodded. “She is standing right here. You obviously can’t see her.” She then asked the spirit, “What do you know about Gavenia Tolmach?”
“Who are you talking to?” Bridget demanded, no longer shaking the gun in Danielle’s direction, instead holding it at her side.
The spirit stood next to a floor lamp, facing Danielle. “I am Gavenia Tolmach.”
Danielle frowned at the spirit, ignoring the four women staring incredulously at her, each thinking how crazy she looked, apparently talking to a lamp. “You can’t be Gavenia. You don’t have an accent.”
The spirit laughed. “I have been far from Scotland for more centuries than I was there. But if you want an accent.” The next moment the spirit said something in her native tongue.
Danielle arched her brows and said, “I have absolutely no clue what you just said.”
“Stop talking to that lamp!” Bridget shouted. “And stop talking about Gavenia like that. You have no right!”
Danielle turned to Bridget and said, “Please stop waving that gun around. You might shoot someone. And you don’t want to kill me, because if you do that, you won’t know what Gavenia Tolmach is trying to tell you.”
“Are you claiming to be the White Hawk?” Davina asked, “because that is not possible. I’ve studied our family tree, and nowhere are you related to us.”
“Are you saying you’re a descendant of Gavenia’s? Do you seriously have one of your relatives tied up to a chair?” Danielle asked Davina.
“None of your business. And you didn’t answer my question,” Davina snapped. “Are you claiming to be the White Hawk?”
“Of course not. I’m obviously not Gavenia,” Danielle said.
“That’s not what she means,” Finola said. “In our family, the White Hawk is the chosen one.”
Danielle frowned. “I thought you told me that Gavenia meant white hawk, which is why her husband carved that necklace.”
“It is,” Finola said calmly. “But before they arrested Gavenia for witchcraft, she gave her only daughter the necklace.”
“And they couldn’t kill Gavenia,” Davina said proudly. “Not even when they burned her at the stake. She returned to her daughter, Blair. But Blair was the only one who could see her. Gavenia stayed with Blair and taught her the secrets of the craft.”
“So why did you call me a White Hawk?” Danielle asked.
“I didn’t. I said you weren’t a White Hawk!” Davina said.
“A White Hawk is one who wears the hawk necklace and can see Gavenia,” Aileana explained. “Blair gave the necklace to her oldest daughter. At the time she was the only one who could see Gavenia.”
“It has been a tradition in our family to pass the necklace down to the eldest daughter, searching for
the White Hawk to bring Gavenia back. But then Leona stole it!” Bridget hissed.
“My great-great-grandmother Leona did not steal it!” Finola snapped. “Her sister, Helena, ran away as a teenager and didn’t return until after their mother died.”
“By then Leona had stolen the necklace!” Bridget shouted. “And Leona was no White Hawk!”
“Neither was Helena. My grandmother said Helena never claimed to see Gavenia!” Finola countered.
“Says Leona,” Bridget hissed.
“There have been no White Hawks since Leona’s mother,” Davina said. “The legacy of White Hawks has been cursed since they stole the necklace from its rightful owner.”
No longer paying attention to Danielle, the sisters and Finola argued back and forth, bickering about the White Hawk. Danielle looked to Gavenia’s spirit and asked, “Do you know what they’re talking about?”
“I’m afraid it has been a great misunderstanding. Getting worse with each generation since Leona and Helena’s mother died,” Gavenia said.
“Was she the last one who saw you?” Danielle asked.
Gavenia nodded while her descendants continued to bicker.
“Were you a witch?” Danielle asked.
“I was a healer,” Gavenia said. “And a midwife.”
“What did you teach your daughter?” Danielle asked.
“I taught her about my herbs and potions that helped cure people.”
“Over there!” Bridget ordered, interrupting Danielle’s private conversation with the spirit.
Danielle looked up to find Bridget once again pointing the gun at her while the others watched.
“Unfortunately for you, you will be collateral damage like your husband and that police officer.” Bridget motioned to the sofa. “Sit down.”