She pushed the drawing away from her with irritation. “Great, this one is even more ambiguous than the last. We can’t see the person’s face.”
Stryker put up a hand. His face was white under his golden tan as he stood up. He shook his head and said, “Maybe we don’t need to see the person’s face, Holly. I think I recognize the car.”
Surprised, she moved to stand behind Stryker as he looked at her picture. “You know this car?”
He nodded. “Yes, I think so.”
“How? I didn’t draw the license plate and it looks pretty much like any other sedan on the market these days…after it’s plummeted over a cliff.”
“Ah, that’s where you’re wrong. Look at these.” He pointed.
She gasped. “What? Empty pop cans? How does that help identify the car? This is familiar to you?”
“Yes. I know someone who drinks this brand of soft drink and she has a tendency to toss the empties on the floor of her car when she’s done. I know the cans would have shifted during the fall, but they’re in that car. You drew them perfectly. She crushes them just like that.”
“Okay, I believe you, but tell me, who is it?”
His voice was barely above a whisper when he said the name. “LydiaBaldwin.”
Holly shook her head. “I’ve never heard of her. Besides you, is there any connection between Irene and Lydia?”
He looked at her, a world of sadness and regret in his eyes. He paused. She frowned at him impatiently she couldn’t help but push for an answer to her question. His reaction was scaring her. “What? Tell me.”
“Lydia can scry,” he said flatly.
He said it like it should mean something to her, but it didn’t. Puzzled, she asked, “Scry? What is that…and why do you look so ominous?”
“It’s amazing how little you know about these things.”
“It’s amazing how much you know about these things,” she countered.
He smiled wryly and explained. “Scrying is a form of clairvoyance or divination. Lydia can call up psychic images by gazing into a black mirror.”
“She’s a fortune teller?”
“After a fashion, I guess you could call her that. She doesn’t make a living at it though.”
Intrigued, she asked, “So how does it work?”
“It’s a triggering process. The scryer sits inside a circle and holds the black mirror in black velvet cloth. The room has to be dark and candlelit, but none of the flames can reflect in the mirror.” His tone was earnest, as if willing her to understand. “At first all that can be seen is an empty featureless pool in space. But for the experienced scryer, and Lydia is one, the pool becomes milky then clears and images can be seen.”
“Images of the future?”
He inclined his golden head. “The future, the present, the past. Lydia will one day see the future and the next the past. She has no control over that.”
“Psychic abilities. That’s one hell of a connection, Stryker.”
He nodded and looked pensive. He stayed silent. Holly didn’t.
She said, “We have to warn Lydia about this.”
“Yes and as soon as possible. I’ll call her first before we head over there.”
She smiled, pleased he understood and accepted the fact that she was in on this.
Stryker used his BlackBerry to call his friend. Holly heard only his side of the conversation.
“Lydia, it’s Stryker. I’m coming over with a friend. Don’t go anywhere…good…see you very soon.” He ended the conversation.
“That was abrupt,” Holly said.
He closed her sketch pad and tucked it under his arm. “I didn’t want to mince words. Let’s go now.” He took her elbow gently and escorted her to his car.
Once she was safely strapped in, he closed the passenger door and walked around the vehicle to the driver’s side. Once again, Holly admired the way he moved. He never seemed to be in a rush, but he sure as hell got places quickly. He was amazingly cool and smooth on the surface, but Holly knew underneath there was molten heat. She sighed and leaned back on the leather seat. He’d parked under a huge maple tree, so the interior was blessedly cool compared to the humidity hammering at them from the outside.
“Lydia’s place is about fifteen minutes away.” He pulled out of the driveway and spared a quick glance at Holly. He said, “Do you mind if I drive fast?”
“Knock yourself out.” She gasped, horrified at her poor choice of words, “Well, not literally…what I meant to say was…choose your speed. I’m not lead footed, but Avery drives fast so I’m used to pulling a few ‘g’s’.”
He pressed his foot to the accelerator. They took off like a shot. He handled the car like he did everything else, effortlessly and with great skill.
She leaned back and tried to calm her nerves. Turning toward him, she asked, “What will you tell Lydia about why I’m with you?”
He didn’t take his eyes off the road when he answered her. “She won’t ask but I’ll tell her that you did the drawing.”
Surprised, she said, “Are you going to show her my sketch?”
He nodded. “Yes, I have every intention of telling Lydia everything. She deserves it if her life is in danger. At the very least, she can get the car checked out by a mechanic to make sure it’s safe.”
Holly laughed. “I guess seeing as how she stares into a black mirror, whatever that is, and tells the future, Lydia has an open mind.”
“A black mirror is a piece of clock glass, Lydia’s is about five inches in diameter. The convex side of the disk is painted with several coats of black to make it opaque but shiny.” He sounded a little didactic and Holly grinned.
“Thanks, Professor Dumbledore.” She teased him.
He took his eyes off the road for a brief second. “Sorry, I guess I deserved that.”
“Not really,” she conceded. “It’s just that I know nothing of this sort of thing despite the fantasy books I’ve read or illustrated. They’re not rooted in reality. This stuff sounds frighteningly real.”
He shook his head. “There is so much to know.”
“I can appreciate that. I want you to teach me.” She turned in her seat trying to gage his reaction. There was none. He kept driving.
Finally, he said, “It would be my pleasure to teach you whatever I can, Holly.”
He grinned wolfishly at her and she noted the double meaning in his words, but before she could respond, he pulled the car into a narrow driveway and said. “We’re here. I’ll get your door.”
Chapter 12
Lydia was waiting for them. A tall dark-haired woman in her thirties, she wore a worried frown on her thin face as she sought Stryker’s eyes.
“That was fast,” she said as she held the screen door open for them. Stryker made introductions. Lydia graciously offered them both something to drink. Holly accepted the glass of water she was handed. Stryker asked for nothing.
They sat around Lydia’s kitchen table. Stryker set the sketchbook down in front of him. He didn’t open it and Lydia glanced at it curiously.
“Lydia, Holly and I have reason to believe that you’re in danger.” He didn’t mince words. “Earlier today she drew this.” He opened the book to the drawing and slid it toward Lydia.
“Oh my God.” Her hand flew to her mouth. “That’s my car! This is going to happen?”
“So far Holly’s drawings are always precognitive.”
“What do I do?” Lydia didn’t hesitate to put her fate in Stryker’s hands. She quite naturally deferred to him and Holly looked at her with surprise.
Stryker didn’t hesitate. He accepted responsibility for ensuring Lydia’s safety without question. “We don’t know when this is supposed to happen, but I think it’s safe to say that you shouldn’t drive anywhere in the next few days at the very least.”
She nodded and he continued, “If you need to go anywhere, let me know. I’ll drive you myself or arrange for another to. The most important thing is that you keep your
car in the garage until I tell you it’s okay for you to drive again.”
Lydia accepted his words with a nod. “Thank you, Stryker. I appreciate this.”
The older woman had completely deferred to him like it was second nature to her and Holly couldn’t help but wonder about their dynamic. What kind of relationship did they have? She deferred to him easily. Lydia was comfortable placing her fate in Stryker’s hands. Why?
As they took their leave, Stryker leaned down and kissed Lydia on the forehead. She closed her eyes at the contact and smiled up at him.
She said, “Thanks for coming. I know you’re busy, but you always take such good care of all of us.” Her words and the tone with which she uttered them surprised Holly.
Stryker smiled grimly and said, “I’m only a call away. You know what to do.”
Feeling awkward, when her time came, Holly said, “It was nice to meet you, Lydia I’m just sorry it was under these circumstances.”
Lydia nodded and put out her hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Holly, under any circumstances, and in this case, it looks like you may be saving my life. Anyway, no matter what, Stryker’s friends are always welcome.” She glanced at Holly then at Stryker and back again, a look of speculation on her face.
In the car on the way back to Holly’s house, Stryker handled the roads at a less breakneck speed. His luxury car positively ate up the miles.
Trying to rein in her curiosity, Holly said, “That was strange.”
He gave her a quick quizzical look and said, “Strange? How?”
“Well, for one thing Lydia asked no questions. She just took your word for it. She didn’t object to being house-bound even.”
“Lydia trusts me,” he said simply. “She knows I have her best interests at heart.”
“How long have you known each other?”
“Many years. You could say she’s a friend of the family.” He smiled at her.
“Has she lived here long?”
“Not really. As a single mother, she was looking for a quiet place to raise her daughter, Candice.” He shrugged. “I thought she’d like it here. Candice had some trouble adjusting at first, but she seems fine now.”
Holly said, “This is a great place to raise children. That’s something Avery looked into in-depth before coming here. The schools in Toronto are top notch, but they wanted a smaller school, something not so urban.”
“Ah, so they wanted to be able to see the stars at night, huh?”
Holly nodded sadly. “Yeah. The night sky here is spectacular. When I was a child, my friend Nicole loved the stars.”
“Nicole was the girl with the aura, right?”
“Yes. Hers was the first I’d ever seen. It was beautiful,” Holly said with a soft, reminiscent sigh.
He took his eyes off the road for a second and looked at her with concern.
“What happened to Nicole?”
“She died.” Holly still mourned the loss of a friend she’d never been granted the opportunity to get to know better. “They never caught the hit and run driver. She lingered for a few days in the hospital, but her injuries were too severe. That drawing hits pretty close to home. Automobile accidents can be so devastating.”
He took her hand in his and brought it to his mouth. Gently, he kissed her palm. It shocked Holly just how erotic a simple kiss on the hand could be. She shivered in the air conditioned car. He immediately turned down the fan.
“Do you remember the last time you saw her?” His voice was soothing.
Holly sighed. “I remember it all too clearly. Her Dad took me to see her in the hospital. I wish he hadn’t. I’ve never forgotten it. She wasn’t conscious. She didn’t know I was there and I can’t get her broken body out of my mind when I think of her. That isn’t the way I want to remember my friend.”
“That’s a hard call to make Holly. Maybe Nicole’s father thought she’d appreciate your presence. What did your own father say about you visiting her?”
She shrugged. “I never told him. If he had known, he wouldn’t have allowed me to go. He didn’t like Nicole much. He thought she was a flake.” Holly shook her head, mystified. “She was like, thirteen years old. We’re all flakes at that age. He thought she encouraged my interest in the arts.”
“Did she have an aura in the hospital?” Stryker asked.
“You know, I’ve never thought about that.” Holly paused for a moment, frowning. “No, she didn’t have an aura in the hospital. I guess she was already gone.”
“Could be.” He took her hand again, squeezing it gently. “I’m sorry you lost your friend, Holly. I can tell it still hurts.”
Holly looked at him and saw compassion. “I know it’s silly to still miss someone I knew when I was so young.”
“What’s so silly about it? When you lose someone you love it doesn’t matter what age you are or how long you knew them. Hell, I still miss my first dog and that was eons ago. It’s sad that your Nicole never had the chance to grow up, your friendship never had the opportunity to grow.”
“You say that as if you know what it feels like.”
“I guess I do. I’ve lost a lot of people I’ve cared about. It doesn’t get any easier.” They’d reached Holly’s home. Stryker eased his car to a stop and turned off the ignition.
He said, “I’ll get your door.”
By the time she unsnapped her seat belt, he was opening her door. Taking hold of her hand, he helped her out of the car. He had old fashioned manners that Holly found endearing. She liked being treated like a lady. What girl didn’t? It certainly didn’t make her feel weak. It made her feel cherished, respected…special.
It was getting late and Holly’s stomach had started to remind her of the time so she invited Stryker in for dinner. With masculine enthusiasm, he helped her prepare a salad while she heated one of the many casseroles her sister had dropped off for her.
“Your family really does take care of you,” he observed as he glanced at the carefully written re-heating instructions.
She laughed. “Oh, you mean the food?” He nodded and she explained, “That’s the one advantage to being Alan Seaton’s hapless daughter. The food. Father changes chefs like he changes his socks, so the meals they send up are always varied. I could manage perfectly well on my own, but I figure why bother? My family likes to do it. Who am I to take away their joy? Besides it gives my sister and brother a reason to visit.”
“What about your father? Doesn’t he come to your home to see you?”
She didn’t answer right away. Instead she moved to the refrigerator and pulled out some cheese for the salad. “My father has never set foot in my house.” She shrugged as if it didn’t matter to her.
“I’m sorry, Holly. He probably wishes you hadn’t grown up and moved away. It can be hard for parents to let go.”
She smiled at him appreciating that he could understand.
“It was hard for him. After my mother died, my father never even considered seeing another woman. He loved her so much.”
“That’s very sad. He’s been alone a long time. I’m sure your mother would have wanted him to be happy. Did she have abilities like yours?”
Holly thought for a second and said, “No one has ever told me that she had any unusual abilities, but now that you mention it, I’ve always thought she had something.”
“What makes you say that?” He looked at her solemnly waiting for her answer.
“When my father talks about my abilities, which is very rarely, he gets a look on his face that’s identical to how he looks when he’s asked about my mother’s artwork.” Finished preparing the salad, Holly put the bowl on the table. She looked over her shoulder at Stryker and his serious expression.
“What?” she asked. He obviously had something to say and was hesitating to do so.
“Why don’t you ask him point blank? He’d have to say something, clarify things for you. You could insist on an answer.”
Holly wanted to laugh. Didn’t Avery say some
thing like that to her earlier about Stryker and her dreams? Perhaps women really were attracted to men like their fathers. Not good.
He waited for her to answer.
She said, “No one insists with Alan Seaton. My father doesn’t do anything he doesn’t want to do. He’s kept this from me my entire life. I don’t think that’s going to change any time soon. You don’t know him, Stryker.”
He nodded in acknowledgment. “No, I don’t know him. What about others? Did your mother have relatives or friends who might be able to shed some light?”
“My mother was an only child. Her parents were killed in a car accident shortly after she got married. I don’t know of any friends, but I have some pictures of her from her university days.” Holly handed plates to him as she spoke. “She wasn’t alone in those old pictures. She had friends. My father couldn’t or wouldn’t tell me anything about them.”
“Do you know what university she attended?” Stryker asked.
“U of T,” she replied.
He looked baffled for a second then nodded, “Ah, you must mean the University of Toronto.”
Holly laughed. “Sorry, I forgot you’re not from around here.”
“Nice to know I fit in so seamlessly,” he said. “The university would have pictures of all the students who attended classes with your mother. If you want to find out more about her, I could help you locate some of the people in the pictures.”
Holly stood studying his handsome face. He was absolutely serious, anxious even. It appeared that Stryker was as curious about Helene Seaton as was her own daughter. The timer dinged, startling them. She turned to tend to the casserole and the moment was lost.
Over dinner, they avoided the subject entirely. Holly enjoyed their conversation. Stryker was a very interesting man. They didn’t have the same opinions on every subject, but he was pretty good at defending his beliefs when she challenged him. Their conversation was lively and filled with laughter.
Avery showed up just as they were finishing dessert.
Drawing Blood Page 11