My parents exchanged glances. “Partly.”
“I know you did it for the sheriff, so I assume you can do it whenever you need to.”
They nodded. I turned to Mayes. “You also have a talent for energy transfer. You helped the sheriff and me, twice.”
He shrugged. “You needed it.”
“But I didn’t ask for your help.”
“You didn’t have to,” he said. “I’m on your team.”
“My team,” I said uneasily. I glanced over at my parents. “Is that why I feel so much better around Stinger? I’m sucking energy from him?”
“Stinger’s a generator,” my mom said softly, tipping her head toward the camper.
I caught the meaning of her gesture and realized I was talking too loudly. I leaned forward and softened my voice. “What does that mean?”
“It means he radiates energy constantly. With the rate you burn energy dreamwalking, you two are a good fit.”
“Who’s this Stinger guy?” Mayes said, his face clouding.
“A medium she helped at home. He’s also a member of her team,” Dad explained. “While I had a few trusted individuals who helped me recover from time to time, Baxley attracts people and animals who help her.”
Mayes turned to me. “Like your ghost dog.”
“Oliver is free to go off on his own. He is invited to stay with spirits all the time. White Feather even asked him to stay with her and Haney.”
“You’ve seen them again?” Mayes asked.
“They came to me in a dream last night.” I explained their new role as greeters on the Other Side. Then I gave an edited version of what went down between Lizella Tice, the selkie-gone-bad, and Rose. “What I don’t understand is the limit of possibilities when it comes to reality.”
“The universe is open to possibilities,” my father said.
“All my life, I’ve known there was life and the afterlife.” I stared into the flickering flames. “Now I find out about the Little People, people who aren’t of this world or the next. Lizella Tice also originated from a category I’d previously thought were folk tales. Myths and folklore have a basis in reality. I’m struggling to believe these facts.”
“As well you should,” Mom said. “You’ve opened many new doors of knowledge at the same time.”
Her cryptic comment added to my frustration. Words boiled out of my mouth. “Why didn’t you clue me in to this stuff before? And how much more is there? Are vampires, werewolves, and Big Foot real?”
“Difficult to say,” my father said.
Mayes nodded his agreement. Mom said nothing. It was too much. “Why so many secrets? Why can’t I get a straight answer?”
“There isn’t one,” Mom said. “Dreams span the gamut of imagination across time and space. Reality is subjective.”
“You mean objective?”
“I meant what I said,” Mom said, going all cryptic again.
An uneasy silence followed. I stared into the fire and tried to wrap my head around what Mom was saying. Each of us knew otherworldly things from firsthand experience. Each of us had a subjective lens through which we viewed the living and the dead.
“So, there’s no actual list of what’s real and what isn’t?” I asked. “No cheat sheet to memorize and prepare myself?”
“No. Every day, every case, is a new world of possibilities,” Dad said.
Bottom line, the cast of bad guys I might encounter spanned the length and breadth of time as well as the imagination of all the people who’d ever lived. No wonder there wasn’t a manual for this.
“And Roland?” I hated that my voice broke.
“We don’t know,” Dad said. “Since he doesn’t appear to be here or on the Other Side, there’s a strong possibility he’s elsewhere.”
“Where, elsewhere?”
“We don’t know,” my mother said, gentling her voice again.
I didn’t like that answer. It was on the tip of my tongue to tell my parents about my watcher in the woods at home, but I didn’t. Guess I was getting the hang of this need-to-know thing, but I didn’t really know enough myself, yet, about that mysterious figure to tell them much of anything.
“Did everyone stay up all night?” I asked.
“Only me,” Mom said. “Tab slept because he needed to be rested to drive home this afternoon. I stayed up to make sure you got your rest.”
I had yet to figure out all my mother’s talents. She had an affinity for crystals and natural medicine. I had no doubt she could soothe a splinter out of a bear’s paw or accomplish any Herculean feat put before her.
“Thanks. Thanks to each of you here,” I said. “I couldn’t have done my part in stopping the energy vampires without your help.”
“To him whom much has been given, much will be asked,” Mayes said.
A movement beyond the campfire caught my eye. Mayes followed my line of sight and vaulted to his feet, his hand hovering over his holstered firearm. “Who goes there?”
My brain kicked into action. Only one person I knew would walk around out here in the first pink of dawn, and that person was heavily armed. Burl Sayer. I shouted, “Blue marmalade,” and scrambled to my feet.
Sayer waved a hand in greeting as he trudged toward us with a smaller someone in tow. He wore a rifle on a strap across his shoulder. “You’re all right, Red Rooster. No need for code now that I recognize ya. This here’s Sunshine. We met at a meeting.”
I caught the grateful glance Sayer shot Mayes. Guess Mayes had been successful in getting Sayer some help. I’d thank him later.
Sunshine looked like she’d lived in twilight for years. Her clothes were dirty and dark-colored, her pale face smudged with black. A skullcap covered her head, even though the temperature was in the seventies. But she walked with the same boots-on-the-ground swagger as Burl Sayer, and there was a bright gleam in her shockingly blue eyes.
“Hello, Sunshine.” I introduced us, one by one. She nodded but didn’t say a word. She seemed a good fit for Sayer. “Where y’all headed?”
“Finishing our rounds on the mountain, then we’re getting some shuteye.” Sayer glanced around the perimeter and leaned toward me. “You never know when the invasion will start. We have to be prepared.”
“Gotcha,” I said. “You’re welcome to share our fire.”
“No can do, but thanks for your hospitality.” With that, they waved and continued on toward the lake. I had a moment’s heart pang for Charlotte and Duncan, but Charlotte knew the code words if Sayer crossed her path. I had a feeling Charlotte and Duncan weren’t paying attention to much besides each other.
“They seem like a good match,” Mom said.
“You don’t know the half of it,” Mayes said. “Sunshine is a group therapy counselor. She helps her clients by literally walking in their shoes for a few days. Sayer may respond to her treatment plan, or it may be a waste of her time, but at least we tried to move him toward reintegration into society.”
“Speaking of matches,” Mom said with a yawn, “I could use your help in the camper for a few minutes, Tab.”
“What?” My father looked up from poking the glowing embers. “Oh. I see. Help. Yes, I will help you.”
And just like that I was alone with Mayes. Real subtle, my mom.
Chapter Sixty-Three
“And then there were two,” I said to fill the awkward silence.
Mayes reached for my hand, intertwined his fingers in mine. The corners of his lips lifted. “Remind me to thank your brilliant mother later.”
I felt like I was in junior high all over again. A boy liked me. I liked him back, but I couldn’t actually like him because there was someone else. Or was there? It was too confusing to parse.
I stared at our linked hands. “I can’t do this.”
“This?”
I couldn’t look up. The heat of the fire burned on my already warm cheeks. “Us. I can’t do us.”
“Have I asked you to turn your back on your family or beliefs?”
“No, but—”
“I am a patient man, Baxley. I wish to be friends with you.”
“Friends?”
“To learn from you. To share knowledge with you. To dreamwalk with you.”
My heart was beating much too fast, and I could barely hear for the subsequent rush of blood in my ears. Mayes hadn’t mentioned dating or kissing or personal relationships. He wanted to know more about our shared abilities.
“Is that all right with you?” he continued. “Even though you’ve invited me, will you be angry if I visit?”
A visit. He wanted to come see me. At home. He wasn’t calling it a courtship, but that’s what it felt like to me. “Uh. Not sure that’s wise.”
“There are so few of us, Dreamwalker. You would shut me out? After the energy we’ve shared?”
“I owe you. I know that. It’s just that …. Well, it’s complicated.”
“Complicated I understand. We are brothers and sisters in the spirit, right?”
“Yes.”
“That’s what I’m talking about. Nothing more.”
“But our hands.”
“That’s to remind you.”
“Of what?”
“Of the other.”
The other. I could pretend not to understand, but I knew exactly what he meant. The synergy between us wasn’t solely because of our outside interests and abilities. He wanted more with me. Much more.
“I don’t want you to be disappointed,” I ventured, finally having the courage to look him straight in the eye. “I’m not looking for a romantic relationship, even though I enjoy your company.”
He smiled, a true smile this time. “I also have constraints. My people have certain expectations of me, even though I have nontribal responsibilities and a law-enforcement career. But I’m not one to blindly follow rules for rules’ sake, and neither, I think, are you. Ours will be a professional relationship until we say otherwise. Agreed?”
I liked the sound of that. “Agreed.”
“Shall we sit?” he asked. “Or would you rather take a walk?”
I glanced at my leased RV. “Sit. My daughter is sleeping. I won’t leave her alone.”
He nodded, squeezed my hand gently, then released it. We sat cross-legged in front of the fire. “How’s the sheriff?” I asked.
“She checked out of the hospital last night. First thing she did was commandeer her vehicle.”
“No more sheriff’s SUV for you?”
“Maybe one day. When I’ve earned it.”
“You’ve earned it already. If not for your efforts, Twilla Sue would have died from her encounter with that psychic vampire.”
“If you say so.”
“I know so, and so do the other deputies. You stepped up and did her job. The case is closed, and two serial killers are off the street.”
He made no effort to respond to that remark. “And Gail?” I asked. “What’s the word on her cases this morning?”
The fire crackled and hissed before he answered. “She had the files from the mass gravesite shipped to her Atlanta office. Last I heard, she was leaving town right about now.”
I was happy to see her go. “And her other case? The one about the Sandelman child?”
“The GBI rounded up the key players yesterday. Senator Hudson inherited the red car from a cousin and didn’t change the registration. They found the car in a storage unit listed under his name. Hudson was arrested.”
The red car. My lead had helped solve the case. Maybe I could work some of Gail’s cold cases. From home. Turned out, I didn’t like being on the road very much.
“What about White Feather? Will she have a Native American funeral?”
His face shuttered. “White Feather’s ceremony will be private.”
My head jerked back at his curt tone. “I expected no less.”
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to sound rude. Some people try to insert themselves into our ways, and we are wise to their manipulation.” He shot me a guilty glance. “I didn’t mean to imply you were like them.”
“No need to apologize. I understand.” Another conversational dead end. “What’s the word on the rehab center?”
“Listeria poisoning from caramel apples is suspected. Coincidentally, the illness symptoms ceased once Lizella Tice left the center.”
“They can prove the poisoning angle?”
He shrugged. “All I know is that’s how the incident is being labeled.”
“Are the symptoms the same as being drained by a psychic vampire?”
“Some are similar.”
“Huh.”
I couldn’t think of one single thing to say. We sat together in silence for a while, and it felt comfortable. I liked that I didn’t have to entertain Mayes. Roland …. No, I wouldn’t compare Mayes to Roland. They were very different.
The deputy’s stomach rumbled. The very normal sound making me laugh. “I should start breakfast,” I said.
Mayes stretched his arms. “I’ve got a better idea. Let’s round up anyone who wants pancakes and take them to the breakfast place in town. My treat.”
“Yes. We should do that.”
* * *
After breakfast, we packed up the campers and headed to the lakeside recreation park, where they rented paddleboards. It suddenly dawned on me what day of the week it was. “Will they be open on Sunday morning? I should’ve called ahead.”
“They’ll be open. I checked,” Mayes said from the seat beside me, little Elvis nestled in his lap. Deputy Duncan followed our camper caravan in Mayes’ car, and Charlotte had opted to ride with him.
“Thank you.” I eased around another turn, noting Mayes’ death grip on the armrest. “I’m a good driver. Relax,” I said.
“We have a lot of weight behind us,” he said. “Going slower on the curves would give you more time to correct for errors if something went wrong.”
Larissa laughed. “He sounds like Dad, Mom. Can we keep him?”
Our eyes met in the rearview mirror. My daughter looked so happy with Maddy the lab beside her and Muffin the Shih poo on her lap. Our cats perched on the seatback to oversee everything. Good thing Sulay couldn’t talk or else I’m sure we’d get an earful.
“He’s not a stray we can take home with us, Rissa-roo. His life is in the mountains. His job and his family are up here.”
“Oh. Too bad.”
I sent her a private message. Don’t go getting any ideas, young lady. Just because Charlotte is smitten with Deputy Duncan, there’s no reason to pair me up with anyone.
I happened to glance over at Mayes, saw the smirk on his face, and got a sinking feeling in my gut. Had he listened to our nonverbal conversation? We’d had telepathy when we shared energy, but it hadn’t happened since. I’d believed the effect would be temporary, but I had no basis for that belief. I didn’t begin to know all the skills the deputy chief had. Like my father, Mayes was cagey about what knowledge he shared with others.
“You just never know,” Mayes said. “I might be very adoptable.” He turned around to look at Larissa. “Is it okay with you if I come for a visit?”
“Yes! That would be so cool. As long as it’s okay with my mom.”
He nodded at her. “Already cleared it with her, so it’s settled. I’ll come for a visit.”
“When?” Larissa asked.
“Depends.” His gaze rested on me, and my face flushed.
“On what?” Larissa asked.
“Schedules, that sort of thing,” Mayes said.
“Good. Don’t wait too long.”
“I won’t,” Mayes said. “I have a feeling it will be easy to hitch a ride to the coast.”
I took the next curve slower. “I have that same feeling. I hope it works out for them.”
“They have the same chance as anyone. Nothing’s a given in this world. Opportunities are what you make of them.”
There was the Mayes I’d come to know. Cryptic and freighted with double meaning. We could be holding ha
nds and singing love songs like Duncan and Charlotte if I accepted Roland wasn’t coming back. I wasn’t ready to give up on my missing husband—though I had to admit, it was easy to be around Mayes.
When I pulled into the parking lot, the first thing I noticed was the sheriff’s SUV. “Is Twilla Sue here?”
Mayes nodded. “She is. Her nephew runs this place, so she got him to open up for you today.”
“Is she better?” Better wasn’t the word I wanted to use, but I didn’t want to go into the details of the case with Larissa listening so attentively.
“See for yourself.”
We joined my parents, Charlotte, and Duncan outside and walked toward the rental office. Twilla Sue came out on the porch and waved. Her face looked thinner than when I’d met her a few days ago, but the sparkle in her eyes and the pep in her step were unmistakable.
The sheriff was back in the land of the living.
“Morning!” Twilla Sue called. “Come on up here, and let’s get this paperwork done. I swan, there’s too much paperwork in this world.”
Turned out that everyone except Charlotte and Duncan wanted to paddleboard. Charlotte took one look at the paddleboard demo Mayes provided and said she didn’t want to ride home in wet clothes. Deputy Duncan rented a jon boat for them, and soon everyone was on the water.
Both my parents were spry and fit for their sixty-something years, and they took to paddleboarding like they’d been doing it all their lives. Larissa also seemed a natural. Mayes spent a good deal of time getting her stance and paddling stroke grooved.
I putzed around in the shallows, learning the ins and outs of paddleboarding from the directions Twilla Sue shouted from the shore. Our dogs flanked her, except for Elvis, who’d managed to get picked up by the sheriff.
A chilly blast struck my legs. I glanced down and there was Oliver, barking his ghost-dog head off. Seemed he approved of paddleboarding too.
He went invisible again, but the chill remained, letting me know he was here with me. The sun blazed on this last day of summer vacation. We’d be home a little after dark, and then the fall schedule would take priority. I welcomed the coming routine, and I’m sure Larissa looked forward to seeing her school friends again.
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