"Please, let me stay here."
She looked frightened, but Kipp wasn't about to rescue her any further. He picked up his keys. "Let's go."
She followed him outside, quiet and sulky. On the way back to town, the only conversation they had was when she asked him to stop at The Fish and Ale so she could retrieve the jacket she'd left behind.
He swung into the parking lot, and before the Jeep came to a complete halt, she had the passenger door open and ran toward a red pickup truck. She hopped in, and the truck burned rubber swinging onto the main road.
Kipp turned around and headed home. He could never understand why women like Sherry went back for more. He hoped one day she'd wake up before it was too late.
While he cleaned up the kitchen, he thought about his daughter and how he would never want her to grow up to be like Sherry with low self-esteem, cowering at the hands of a man. He yearned to be instrumental in shaping Kelly's life. If only he could have the chance.
He reached for the phone and dialed Libby's number. No one answered. He left another message for her to return his call.
* * *
CHAPTER 15
Waves crashed over the rocks toward a row of weathered cabins. Libby's car was parked next to Cabin 1, The Starfish, at a rustic resort on the shores of the Straits, one of her favorite getaways. The cabin had a fully equipped kitchen, table and chairs, a sofa and a rocking chair--all in one large area--a bathroom with shower, and a bedroom with a captain's bed.
Libby hauled in the remaining items from the trunk of her car, including two sleeping bags. She set the bags on the sofa and watched Ellen in tee shirt and jeans teeter on jagged rocks, making her way up the narrow beach. The sun was beginning its descent, and the wind that had whipped wildly during the day was diminishing.
Twenty minutes later Ellen returned to the cabin, took off her sneakers, and smacked the soles together to release the accumulated sand. She came inside with a shiver. "It's cooling down out there." She warmed her hands over the propane heater. "I'm so glad you whisked me away for the weekend."
Libby smiled. "It's a good place to clear the mind. No outside distractions."
"You mean like Kipp?"
Libby ignored her by searching in the cupboard for a saucepan. "What do you want tonight, spaghetti or stew?"
"You didn't answer my question?"
"I was thinking of you."
"I can be depressed anywhere, distractions or no distractions."
Libby handed Ellen a bottle of spring water. "You had a nice long walk on the beach. Have you come to any decisions?"
Ellen's lips quivered, her smile turning into a frown.
Libby saw in Ellen's expression that her question was premature. Leaving Mel seemed so obvious a solution, but she had to be patient and let Ellen come to that decision in her own time. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked you that."
"I still love the bastard. I hate him and I love him. Can you imagine that?"
"You've had quite a shock."
Ellen stared out the window. Libby wiped off the table and left her alone with her thoughts.
After a long interval of silence, Ellen turned to Libby. "You know, I'm really tired. I think I'll go on to bed. I wouldn't be good company tonight anyway." She took a sleeping bag into the bedroom without waiting for Libby's comments.
Libby made herself a peanut butter sandwich and sat in a rocking chair near the window to admire the view. Each time the waves receded, tiny stones rolled toward the sea, creating a hissing sound. Farther into the Straits a tanker, making its way toward Puget Sound, passed a cruise ship, decked in lights, on its way to Alaska. The sights and sounds from the cabin were ideal for contemplation, and Libby thought about Ellen.
She hated to see her best friend this depressed. It was so unlike her, although she realized Ellen had probably been stuffing the emotions for years--laughing on the outside, crying on the inside. She missed having Ellen to talk to, but sleep would help clear Ellen's mind.
The sun dipped deep into the western sky, the most brilliant colors, an array of pinks, toward the left of the cabin. Except for the wave action outside, the cabin was quiet.
Ellen had asked her about Kipp. If it hadn't been for Ellen's problems, Libby would probably be talking to him instead of spending a weekend away from civilization, but supporting her friend came first.
Whenever she had time to think about her own life these days, no matter where she was--in her office, downtown, making dinner, sitting in a cabin on the Straits--her thoughts strayed to Kipp.
With Ellen in bed Libby was free to let her mind wander. She wondered how Kipp had fared in Connecticut. Closing her eyes, centering herself, she had a strong feeling he was trying to contact her that very moment.
She wouldn't admit to Ellen that he was indeed getting under her skin, but she couldn't afford to let him burrow deep. Her life was ordered, her future set as far as she was concerned, and no man would change that.
After giving Kipp and Ellen enough thought for one night, she slipped out of her jeans and sweatshirt, rolled out her sleeping bag, and curled up on the lumpy sofa. She let the hissing sound of the waves lull her to sleep.
* * *
In the morning Libby woke to seagulls screeching and crows squawking. She stretched her stiff muscles that had cramped from the confines of her makeshift bed. The sky was a dismal gray and the wind was whipping the water into whitecaps. Ellen was already roaming the beach.
She was tempted to join her, but remained inside to give Ellen more breathing room. She lit the stove under the coffee pot and tugged on her jeans and sweatshirt.
Ellen hurried in and emptied her hands of stones, smoothed and tumbled by the waves, and a few clam shells, adding to the pile she'd gathered yesterday. She washed her hands and poured herself a cup of coffee. She sucked in a shuddering breath. "It's chilly again this morning."
"Why didn't you wear a sweatshirt?"
"I don't know. I wasn't thinking. That's par for the course."
"I put some granola on the table if you want to get started on breakfast. The toast is almost ready. You must be starving. You didn't eat any dinner."
"I still don't have much of an appetite," she said. "Hey, maybe I'll lose weight. That's one good thing that might come from this."
Libby buttered the toast and brought it to the table. "So, how are you feeling this morning?"
"Like a truck hit me."
"No better, huh?"
"The only thing that's changed is I'm angry as hell. I woke up furious. I just wanted to scream."
"That's a good sign, Ellen. You should be angry as hell. Anger can spur you to do something about your situation."
"Well, right now I have enough anger inside me to move mountains. I could kill him."
"Are you angry enough to consider leaving him for good?"
"Like a divorce? God, I don't know." Ellen shoved her bowl of cereal aside and fled to the bathroom.
The pipes clanked as the hot water flowed into the shower. With a patient heart Libby cleared the table, washed dishes, and waited for Ellen to reappear.
When Ellen came out of the bathroom, her eyelids were swollen from crying. "I still love him, Libby. What's wrong with me? I hated seeing him with that woman."
"What you're going through is normal, Ellen. You are dealing with all kinds of emotions besides depression--anger, jealousy, low self-esteem. Just let your feelings out. Don't judge them." She handed Ellen a sweatshirt. "Come outside and help me chop wood. We'll have a fire on the beach tonight."
Libby picked up the ax. She didn't mind that Ellen wandered off down the beach. As a sensitive and a close friend, she had to work at keeping Ellen's energy from bleeding into her own field and causing her to take on Ellen's depression. Chopping wood helped.
The tide was too far in for heavy beachcombing. After splitting a few logs, Libby went inside to meditate and to make notes for another workshop. She let Ellen roam the thin strip of beach alone.
&nb
sp; * * *
Later that evening Libby built a fire in a sandy area surrounded by driftwood close to the cabin. She sat on a driftwood log and poked the fire with a stick to expose the glowing embers, the fiery reds matching the western sky. Ellen had gone inside for a jacket. Before Libby could drift into thinking about Kipp, Ellen returned with two cups of hot tea, a bag of marshmallows tucked under her arm, and then she combed the immediate area and returned with two twigs.
"We're so lucky the sun came out this afternoon to create this lovely sunset, and look at that huge freighter," Ellen said as she pointed out to sea. "I wish we didn't have to go home."
Libby stared at her friend, amazed. "Do you hear yourself, Ellen? This is the first time you've noticed the beauty of this place all weekend."
"Am I making progress?"
"I would say so. I'm happy you're feeling so good tonight."
"Me, too. Depression stinks."
"You'll probably have more times like these. The road toward separation, or wherever you're headed, isn't easy. Believe me, I know."
"I forgot. You've been through all this. And Dan was worse than Mel. A hundred times worse. How'd you get through it?"
"Just like you, Ellen, one day at a time. Even if you want a divorce, it isn't easy."
Ellen stabbed a marshmallow with a stick and held it over the fire. "Have you given Kipp any thought this weekend?"
"Let's keep this weekend about you, Ellen."
"You're no fun."
* * *
On Sunday morning, after all their equipment was stored in the trunk, Libby encouraged Ellen to take one last stroll on the beach before leaving the resort.
A few miles down the road toward home, Libby checked in with her. "Now that the weekend is over, how are you feeling?"
"Numb."
"You can stay with me as long as you like. Don't feel pressured to do anything rash."
"Like go back to Mel? Don't worry. I'm not planning on it."
"I was hoping you'd say that." Libby thought about the weekend and the information she'd received when she asked about Ellen during meditation. She glanced at Ellen, sensing whether or not to share what she knew. "I'll give you my impressions if you want them."
"You know I do."
"This is what I get," Libby said. "I feel that when you get past the shock of it all, if you choose to move on, there will be a huge surprise waiting for you. One that right now you could never imagine."
"That sounds wonderful. But it's so vague."
"I can't tell you any more right now because you have to make some choices first." Libby squeezed Ellen's hand. "Trust me. It's a wonderful surprise."
* * *
CHAPTER 16
Libby jiggled the key in the lock, hurrying to open the door. She could hear a man's voice on her answering machine, but by the time she made it inside and emptied her arms of a suitcase and sleeping bag, the machine clicked off, and she missed the call.
Ellen rushed in after her. "Was that the phone? Maybe it was Mel."
Libby pressed the missed call button and discovered two messages from Kipp. Each time he'd asked her to call him as soon as possible.
Ellen slumped in a dining room chair.
"I'm sorry, Ellen. I need to make this call."
"I'll be all right. Do you want coffee or tea?"
"Tea," Libby said, then went to her office and closed the door. She'd sensed excitement in Kipp's voice and hoped the reading she'd given him proved accurate, or at least close to it.
Kipp acknowledged her after the second ring. "Where have you been? I've been calling all weekend."
Libby explained she'd taken Ellen out of town to ponder her marital problems.
"Is she okay?"
"She'll survive."
"I didn't have your cell phone number, or I would have tried that."
"I had it off most of the time. Reception was bad. Plus, cell phones and cabins don't exactly mix. So, what happened in Connecticut?"
"That's why I called," he said. "It happened just as you told me it would. Mrs. Crowley did have something of Kelly's."
"What was it?"
"A stuffed animal, a teddy bear, something I won for her at a carnival. Kelly used to carry it around all the time. I brought it back with me."
"Are you willing to let me use psychometry on it?"
"What the hell's psychometry?"
"You said Kelly carried that bear around all the time, right? Well, her energy is probably all over that object. If you let me hold the bear, I may get information about her. It might give me a clue to her disappearance."
There was a long pause, and Libby knew Kipp was digesting this latest bit of information. She could practically see the wheels turning in his analytical brain. She knew he'd agree, but not without the usual push and pull.
"You're stretching me again, Libby. You know my first reaction is to write this whole thing off. If I weren't so desperate for answers...Why didn't you tell me before I went to Connecticut what you wanted the bear for? I can't say it would have made sense, but--"
"If I'd told you that, you wouldn't have gone. I know the whole idea of the paranormal is foreign to you. Let's just say your guides needed to ease you into it."
"There you go again with that business about guides. I don't see--"
"Kipp. Don't spoil it. Try to accept the fact that something good may come of this."
"You mean the end justifies the means?"
"That's exactly what I'm saying. Let me look at my schedule for tomorrow." Libby thumbed through her appointment book. "I could see you tomorrow at three."
"I'll be there."
"Don't forget the bear."
* * *
On Monday afternoon on his way out the door, Kipp remembered he hadn't returned his editor's call. Not wanting to be late to Libby's house, he wrote a note to remind himself to touch base with Jerry first thing Tuesday morning. That article was a thorn in his side, but right now he had more important things on his mind.
The traffic, slower than usual because of a summer downpour, delayed him, and he knocked on Libby's door ten minutes late. The trees around Libby's house wept with moisture.
When she greeted Kipp, he had a difficult time keeping his eyes focused on her face. She wore a ruby-red blouse tucked into a pair of tight blue jeans. Her sandals and the shade of her toenail polish matched the color of her blouse. Stunning was too mild a word for her. Charismatic. Isn't that what he and Charlie had decided?
He apologized for being late, but she was smiling and didn't seem to mind. She poured him a cup of coffee, and they went straight to her office.
Anxious to proceed, he produced the bear from his jacket pocket. "Do you want this now?"
She took it from him and had him sit down. "I want to see what impressions I get before I ask you anything."
Immediately upon sitting, she closed her eyes. Water, dripping from the downspouts, filled the silent void. After what seemed to Kipp like an insufferable amount of time, she said, "I'm just going to launch into this."
"Go ahead."
She paused for a second. "I see a light-haired girl, curly-haired, about three years old or maybe four, round face, big eyes, not unlike her mother's."
"She was four when she was taken."
Libby rolled the toy around in her hands. "Yes. I see her in a room with wooden floors and colorful scatter rugs. She's sleeping, but then she wakes up. The screen is unlocked, and she slips outside, unnoticed. They take her from the backyard."
"They? More than one?"
"I see two people. A man and a woman. It's easy. They saw an opportunity. They coax her with candy from the back gate. No one stops them."
"Mrs. Crowley was asleep in the living room," he said. "Do you know who they are? Is she alive?"
Libby turned silent for a few minutes, her eyes darting from side to side behind closed eyelids. By now Kipp was poised on the edge of his seat, desperate for her response.
She opened her eyes and scoot
ed her chair toward Kipp. "I do. I sense she's alive."
"My God, she's alive?" Kipp's voice wavered a little, and he kissed Libby's hand.
"But it's important you find her soon. I don't know why yet, but when I get this information, I feel like someone is pushing me from behind, pushing me to hurry."
"Where is she?"
Libby's eyes narrowed in concentration. "When I sense her vibration, I sense others around her."
"The man and woman who took her?"
"I'm not sure." Her eyelids closed again.
"What else do you see?"
"I feel she's with others. That's all I can tell about that."
Kipp's chest constricted. He felt as though he couldn't breathe. "Can you tell me where she is?"
"East of here."
"Connecticut?"
"I see mountain peaks, golden hills. I get the letter I."
"Indiana? No, that can't be right. That's not a mountainous state. Where else?"
"I'm sensing Idaho."
"Idaho? Of course, but where in Idaho?"
Libby quieted, then said, "The east. I get you need to look somewhere in the east or southeastern part of the state." Her eyes shot open, and she searched Kipp's face. "Are you okay? You look pale."
"Are you sure she's there?"
"All I can tell you is what I'm told, that you should search that area."
"I should notify the police."
"No!"
The sharpness in her tone alarmed him.
"I'm sorry if I sounded blunt, but that answer just came through me. I don't think you should get the authorities involved at this point."
"Why not?"
"You need to do this on your own. I can't say why. You'll have to trust me on this. That's just what's coming through."
Libby's remarks were sinking in, that his daughter might be alive, the first hope he'd had in two years. The tears welled up. He lifted his glasses and wiped his eyes. "I don't know if what you're telling me is true, but if there is even a remote chance she's alive, I've got to find her. I'll comb the area. But I don't understand why you can't give me more details."
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