by Claire Fogel
“Kev, who is that big kid who was yelling at me? Do you know him?”
“Ed Wilson. He’s always complaining about something, and he’s a bully. I’ve never seen him pick on anyone his own size. He’s 17, a junior. I don’t think anybody likes him.”
“What about the guys with him?”
“Only two of those guys go to school here, and they’ve been troublemakers since the fifth grade. I’ve never seen the other guys before; they must be from out of town.”
Principal Weiss went over to Wilson and his group and began reading them the riot act. It was the first time I’d ever heard him raise his voice. Unfortunately, Wilson started yelling back and I heard the same kind of complaints that he’d yelled at me. The big kid stood there with his hands on his hips, as though he was the victim.
I could hear Mr. Weiss’ angry voice. He suspended Wilson on the spot, threatened to do the same to the other kids who were students at Thornewood High, and told the unfamiliar kids that the police wanted to speak to each of them. The Thornewood students all looked shocked to see our normally easy-going principal so angry. The out-of-towners began looking nervous as two police officers descended on them and led them into two separate police cars.
After Chief O’Donnell sent the two police cars to the station, he walked over to Kevin and me. He had a few questions about what had happened, which I answered, but I had a few questions for him.
“Chief, Ed Wilson seemed to know a lot more than most of the students do. He knew that the fire at Amy’s bakery was linked to us. He said his father told him about me. He blamed me for the men who tried to shoot Amy. He also blames me for David’s death. I know the police force understands how I’m connected to all of these things. But how does his father know about my family and me?”
Chief O’Donnell looked at me and sighed. He actually looked embarrassed. “Cara, I’m afraid that Ed Wilson’s father is a cop, and I guess he’s been taking his work home with him.”
He looked down and shoved his hands into his pockets. “The accusations Ed was throwing at you had to come from his dad, who hasn’t learned to keep his mouth shut about cases we’re currently working on.” He shook his head. “I’ll be speaking to Officer Wilson tonight. I’m really sorry about this, Cara. I know you have enough to deal with right now.”
He turned to leave but stopped. “Please give my regards to your mother. She doesn’t have to talk to me today, but I will need her statement as soon as possible.”
“I will, Chief. We appreciate your patience.”
He nodded. “I’ll be following you home today, just to make sure no one else bothers you.” He got into his new cruiser, starting the car and letting it idle while he waited for us to climb into Kevin’s Jeep. Once we pulled away from the curb, the Chief pulled behind us, following us to my house.
As Ryan and I got out of the Jeep, Kevin said, “Let’s talk later, short stuff.”
“Okay, Kev. After dinner.”
He nodded and drove around the corner to his house. Ryan walked me to the front door. “See you in the morning, lass. I’ll be out here tonight if you need me.”
“Thanks for protecting me earlier. You and Patrick moved so fast, I thought you had wings. I’m grateful.”
He nodded, completely serious. “We would never let anyone hurt you, lass.”
He sat down on the front porch as I opened the door and walked inside. The house was quiet but I could smell coffee, so at least something was normal.
My parents were sitting in the kitchen quietly. Mom was drinking Kathleen’s tea, but Dad was drinking coffee. They both looked worn out.
I dropped my backpack on the floor. “What’s going on? You both look awful.” This didn’t seem to be the time for tact.
Mom was running her fingers through her curly hair, and it looked like she’d been doing it a lot all day. “If I could just get a decent night’s sleep, I think I’d be better able to cope, dear.”
My father was holding her hand. “Alicia, Kathleen makes another tea that she’s given Cara a few times when she was really upset, and it helped Cara fall asleep. Would you like to try it? If I ask, I’m sure Kathleen will be glad to bring some over. Besides, I’d like you to meet her, and I know she’d like to meet you. I think you’d like her.”
“Yeah, Mom, Kathleen’s great. She’s been a really good friend.”
Mom looked thoughtful. “Well, I do like this other tea Kathleen makes. Normally, it relaxes me. But right now, I need something stronger.” She nodded decisively. “Brian, please invite her over here. I’d like to meet her.”
Looking relieved, Dad said, “I’ll go outside and send her a message. I’m sure she’ll come as soon as she’s able to.” Smiling, he went out on the back porch.
There were times when telepathy was more efficient than a cell phone.
“Mom, there’s one other thing we haven’t had a chance to tell you. I spoke to Rowenna last night. She wanted to know how you were feeling. She wanted me to tell you that she’ll be nearby whenever you need her.”
Her eyes were wide as she looked at me. “If she hadn’t found me when she did, it would have been so much worse.” She looked down at her hands, frowning.
She was almost whispering as she said, “They were supposed to kill me, Cara. I wasn’t supposed to survive.” My father came in as she said those words.
“The police have those men, don’t they?” I asked him.
“I haven’t heard differently,” he told me.
She pressed her face into my father’s broad chest. I could see tears on her face.
I could barely hear my father’s deep, velvety voice, but I think he said something like, “This will never happen again, Alicia. I’ll protect you myself.”
Mom nodded and dried her eyes. “I’d like to thank Rowenna again, Cara. Would you call her please?”
I went out on the porch and began singing the dragon’s song. Rowenna must have been close because the air was full of magic within seconds and the huge dragon lowered herself into the grass in the backyard.
Mom joined me on the porch, my father right behind her. “I want to speak to her privately, dear.” She walked down the steps and kept going until she was just a few feet in front of the dragon.
Apparently, Rowenna could send her message to just one person when she chose to. I couldn’t hear what she was saying to Mom, and Mom’s words were too soft to hear. They were speaking for a while, Mom nodding every so often.
Finally, Mom placed one hand on the dragon’s face. “Thank you.”
Rowenna nodded her huge head and looked up at me. Good bye, Cara.
Spreading her great wings, she rose into the darkening sky and was lost to view within seconds, leaving a fine trail of magic behind her.
My mother was smiling as she walked back to the porch. She looked as though a weight had been lifted off of her. When she walked up the steps she threw her arms around me. “I love you, Cara. We are so lucky to have you in our lives.”
“I love you too, Mom.” Her mood had changed so much, I wondered what Rowenna had said to her.
She let go of me and walked to my father, wrapping her arms around his waist.
“I love you, Brian. I always have.”
He put his hands on either side of her face, bent down and kissed her. It was a lengthy kiss. Finally he raised his head. “I’ve loved you since the first day I saw you, Alicia.”
I was thrilled. I felt warm and happy on the inside. I couldn’t take my eyes off of my petite, redheaded mother and my tall, dark and handsome father. Together, the way they were always meant to be.
A few minutes later, my parents realized they had an audience and turned to me, looking slightly embarrassed.
I couldn’t get the smile off my face.
When I looked at the kitchen clock, it was only seven. “Is anyone else hungry?”
Mom looked at Dad and asked, “Pizza?”
The enthusiastic grin on his face was answer enough. I called and
ordered two pizzas. Ryan was on the front porch. I was sure he’d be hungry too.
My father still had his arms around Mom and seemed reluctant to let go, but sitting down at the table required it, and he contented himself by just holding her hand. When I looked at Mom, she was actually glowing. I was now convinced that love was the greatest remedy for any kind of pain. Apparently, Rowenna had been able to successfully communicate that fact to my mother.
When both pizzas had been demolished and I’d cleaned up the kitchen, I told them I had to call Kevin and went upstairs. I had a feeling they would need some privacy. Before I left the room, Mom said, “Cara, I’m going to ask Tommy O’Donnell to come over tomorrow afternoon when you get home from school. He has questions I need to answer and I’d like you and your father to both be here.” She pushed her curly hair out of her eyes. “I don’t want this miserable thing hanging over us any longer. I know we have other problems to deal with.”
“Sounds good to me, Mom. I don’t know what Rowenna actually did to you, but she’s obviously a miracle worker.” I dropped a kiss on her head and on Dad’s and ran upstairs.
I curled up on my bed with Ralph and phoned Kevin.
He picked up his phone with “Hey, short stuff. How’s your mom tonight?”
“Kev, you’re going to find this hard to believe, but I think she’s fine now. Better than ever, in fact.”
“Really? What happened?”
“Rowenna happened. She seems to care about Mom. They spent about a half hour together this evening and Mom’s much better now. She even agreed to see Chief O’Donnell tomorrow and answer his questions. She wants to get over this whole thing and just move on. I’m so proud of her.”
“Wow! I’m really happy for your mom. Are she and Rowenna bff’s now?”
“Seems that way. Rowenna took to Mom immediately. Mom hasn’t said anything about it, but I think Rowenna was speaking to her while she was still tied up in the kidnapper’s SUV.”
“Cara, I’m wondering what Rowenna did to those kidnappers. I was speaking to one of the cops parked out in front of my house a while ago. He said there’s only one of those two men in jail now. When I asked about the second one, he said, ‘he’s dead.’”
That was a surprise. “I wonder if Rowenna will tell me what happened.”
“It’d be interesting to find out, babe. If Rowenna is as fond of your mom as she seems to be, I’m kind of surprised both of those men weren’t found dead.
“By the way, did you tell your parents about that business with Ed Wilson this afternoon?”
“No. When I got home from school, there was no way I was going to say anything that would upset them. Of course, the Chief may mention it when he’s here interviewing Mom tomorrow, but I hope he doesn’t.”
“Actually, it would be to his advantage not to say anything. Think about this, Cara. One of his trusted officers killed David Somers, and another one tells his family confidential information about open criminal cases. I’m wondering about the integrity of the rest of the police force, and I’m thinking a lot of people will be wondering the same thing if it gets out.”
I sighed. He was right. “Well, with Wilson suspended, maybe the rest of this week will go smoothly.” I tried not to think of what Gaynes might try next.
“Don’t count on it. We have no idea how many other people Wilson has been shooting his mouth off to. He has a big mouth and no sense at all. He has what I call a persecution complex. He thinks every problem he’s ever had was caused by someone else. You know the type.”
“Kev, do you really think he’s stirred up other kids who will blame us for David’s death and all the other problems Gaynes is responsible for?”
“I think we’ll find out tomorrow.”
On that uncomfortable note, we said good night. I realized that if there was going to be trouble, it was better to be prepared.
The next morning I was in the shower, trying to meditate for a few minutes, when I realized I hadn’t heard from Sean the night before. Before he left to see the counselor at school, he had said he’d call. My mind had been so full of other things, I’d forgotten.
Worried, I barely noticed what I was wearing as I got dressed. But I made sure my knives were tucked securely into my boots.
Laughter was coming from the kitchen as I ran down the stairs. That was a surprise.
I walked in to find Mom and Kathleen sitting at the table, smiling and chatting.
When Kathleen saw me, she got up to give me a hug. “Cara, dear, it’s good to see you. It was such a treat to be invited to come and meet your mother.” She grinned. “I now know why you’ve grown up to be such a sweet girl. Your mother is lovely.”
She sat back down with Mom as I leaned down to drop a kiss on Mom’s cheek. Seeing my mother with Kathleen was amazing. Why had I never noticed it before? With their auburn hair, blue eyes, and peaches and cream complexions, Kathleen and Mom could be sisters. They were both smiling at me, probably wondering why I was still standing in the doorway staring at them.
“What is it, Cara?” Mom asked. “Did you forget that your father invited Kathleen to visit?”
I shook my head. Ducking back into the hallway, I took down a small mirror from the wall and set it in front of Mom and Kathleen. “Can you two see what I’m seeing?”
They looked at each other, looked into the mirror, and then looked at each other again and burst out laughing.
Mom looked at me with a big smile. “Sweetheart, I guess I understand why you talk about Kathleen so much. When you’ve been in Elvenwood, she’s looked after you the way I would. Am I right?”
“Mmm, sort of. Kathleen’s been a wonderful friend whenever I needed help. But you have to admit, you two look like sisters.”
Kathleen laughed. “Alicia, do you think we might be related?”
Mom shook her head. “It’s not likely. I don’t have a drop of Elven blood. We found that out when Brian tried to bring me to Elvenwood. The gateway wouldn’t open.”
“Well, Cara’s right. We do look a great deal alike. It makes me wonder.”
There was a basket of familiar-looking muffins on the table, so I took one and put a little butter on it. It was delicious. “Did these come from Arlynn?”
“Of course, dear. When Arlynn heard I was coming here this morning, she ran over to my cottage with these muffins before I left.
“Alicia, Arlynn wanted me to tell you she’s planning on coming by to see you in a day or two.” Lowering her voice, she said, “She feels terribly guilty about you being abducted right in front of her when she was assigned as your bodyguard. I don’t know that she’ll ever forgive herself.”
Mom shook her head. “There was absolutely nothing she could have done. It happened too fast. If it was anyone’s fault, it was mine. Brian specifically told me never to go outside without a bodyguard, and without thinking, I ran out of the store to mail some things at the corner, something I do almost daily. Those men must have been watching the store. I played right into their hands. It certainly wasn’t Arlynn’s fault.”
She turned to me. “I already called Tommy O’Donnell. He’ll be here after you get home from school.” She sighed. “Then I’m hoping we can put this whole awful thing behind us.”
I wouldn’t bring it up, but I knew Gaynes wasn’t through with us yet.
As I munched on another muffin, I asked, “Mom, how well do you know the Chief? He treats you like an old friend.”
She chuckled. “Tommy and I went to high school together. I think he had a little crush on me, but we never dated. We’ve been friends for years.”
I stood and slung my backpack over my shoulder. “Where’s Dad?”
“When Kathleen got here, he walked out to his camp to see his men. He’ll be back soon.”
I hugged them both and left to meet Kevin and the boys. I was thrilled seeing Mom looking and acting like her old self. Inviting Kathleen over to see Mom had been a stroke of brilliance. A female friend her own age, someone she could b
e open with, was exactly what she needed.
Ryan was waiting for me on the porch, and I told him that Mom was feeling like herself again. That put a smile on his face. “Wonderful news, lass. I’m happy for all of you.”
When we climbed into Kevin’s back seat, we were both smiling. Kevin knew the news was good. “Your mother has to be feeling better. I haven’t seen that smile in days.”
“Yeah, Kev, she’s so much better, I’m having trouble believing what I’m seeing. Kathleen came to visit this morning, which helped a lot. There was a lot of laughter in the kitchen this morning.”
Kevin grinned as he glanced over his shoulder at me. “That’s very good news.”
I remembered Sean. “Kev, have you heard anything from or about Sean since we left school yesterday? He said he’d call me last night, but he didn’t. I’m kind of concerned. He was going to see the counselor after school.”
“No, I only spoke to one of our classmates last night. Brandon Wong has been in all of my math classes since Ninth grade. He called to say he’d heard some talk from a few kids at school yesterday afternoon that all the threats the Thornewood police have been dealing with are directly linked to you and your family. He knows you and I are friends and asked if what he’d heard was true.”
“What did you tell him?”
“I told him who Donald Gaynes is and why he’s out for revenge. He didn’t know you’d been kidnapped last spring, but he knew your mom had been grabbed. He was shocked when he heard the true story. He thinks Gaynes is a psychopath. He said if he hears any more rumors, he’ll set them straight.”
“Well, you did say we’d find out today if Wilson’s been talking trash about us.”
We got to school and ran into the building, looking for Amy and Sean near the principal’s office, but they weren’t there. Kevin and I looked at each other. We both had the same bad feeling.
Mr. Weiss waved at me from his office and I walked over and handed him my knives.
“Mr. Weiss, do you have a few minutes?” I asked.
He said he did so I waved Kevin over.
“Kev, tell Mr. Weiss about the rumor that reached you last night.”