“The mage’s son tries to protect you with every breath he takes,” he continued. “The wolf does, too. Most of the people here would die for you, yet none of them may get the chance if you don’t take matters into your own hands.”
“So I’m still in danger,” I mused, rubbing my chin. “I thought maybe Melissa’s visit saved me.”
“You didn’t really think that.” The scarecrow made an odd clicking sound as it wagged its finger. “You knew when you saw the body that it wasn’t the end. Things don’t just stop being evil. You have to eradicate the evil to make things better.”
“You sound like a really annoying fortune cookie,” I snapped, shaking my head. “Why are you here if not to help me?”
“You have to help yourself,” the scarecrow replied. “I never said I was here to help you.”
“If you’re not the killer, who is?”
The scarecrow shrugged. “I think you already know if you give yourself permission to grasp the things you’ve been allowed to witness.”
“What does that mean?”
The scarecrow didn’t answer and when I turned my head in his direction I found the spot where he had stood moments before empty. “Well, this is just crap,” I snapped, ripping out a few stalks for good measure. “I thought for sure if I was going to be forced to have an annoying dream I could at least get a few answers.”
I jolted when I felt a hand close on my neck, a dark figure materializing out of nowhere behind me. “Be careful. You might just get what you’re asking for.” The scarecrow’s cold fingers dug into my neck. I knew it wasn’t real, yet I couldn’t stop myself from screaming.
I bolted to a sitting position in my bed, gasping as my heart fought to burst free from my chest. My body was slick with sweat, and Kade’s arms were around me before I had a chance to register what I’d seen in the dream.
“What is it?” Kade’s eyes were sleepy but his voice was alert. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing,” I choked out. “I … it was just a dream. I’m sorry I woke you.”
“Don’t worry about that,” Kade said, brushing a strand of damp hair from my forehead. “It must have been a bad dream to get you this worked up.”
“It was just a dream,” I lied.
“Okay.” Kade kissed my cheek and tugged me back down on his chest so he could get comfortable. “I’m right here. Tell me about it.”
“I … .” I broke off, biting my lip as I decided whether that was a wise course of action. “I was in the cornfield and the scarecrow was there. It chased me.” I decided to omit the conversation. He wouldn’t understand, and there were parts I couldn’t admit without laying myself bare and potentially breaking his heart. Max still had twenty-four hours to do the right thing. “He had red eyes.”
“It’s okay,” Kade said, tightening his arms. “I’ve got you. The scarecrow can’t get in here. I won’t let him.”
“Thank you.”
“It’s my pleasure,” Kade said. “Now go to sleep. You need your rest. We both do.”
He dropped off a few minutes later. I think he tried to hold on to make sure I fell back asleep, but his overtaxed mind and body wouldn’t allow it. For me, sleep seemed impossible. I didn’t drift off again for hours.
24
Twenty-Four
“I forgot the bacon on the counter. Can you grab it for me?”
I woke up the next morning more exhausted than when I fell asleep. My back and shoulders ached, and I spent so long in the shower I used all the hot water. Because Kade generally showered at his own trailer it wasn’t an issue, but I didn’t miss the occasional worried glances he shot in my direction while we made breakfast.
The idea of blow drying my hair proved too daunting – and too hot and sticky thanks to the Midwestern humidity – so I left it to air dry, instead setting about my morning tasks in simple track pants and a tank top. Luke joined us at the picnic table not long after Kade returned from his trailer. He looked as tired as I felt.
“Sure,” Kade said, briefly running his hand down the back of my head. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” I replied, refusing to make eye contact and blowing off the question. The last thing I needed was Luke getting involved and making things worse. He would psychoanalyze the dream and tell me what it meant – and no one wanted that. “I’m just hungry.”
Kade didn’t look convinced, but he gave my shoulder a soft squeeze before disappearing inside the trailer. Luke, his hair sticking up in a bevy of odd places, narrowed his eyes as he sipped his coffee. I didn’t like his pointed stare.
“I’m making bacon and sausage for you this morning,” I said, hoping to distract him from whatever truth he thought he was about to sniff out. “We’ll have to do a lot of shopping when we hit the next market, but our breakfast should be nice and hearty today and tomorrow.”
“Uh-huh.” Luke took another exaggerated sip of his coffee as he watched me, his eyes thoughtful. He was so intent on staring that I could feel sweat forming on my upper lip as I worked overtime to act natural.
The sound of Kade’s footsteps descending the metal trailer stairs was a relief, although what happened next was not.
“What’s wrong with Poet?” Luke asked.
“She had a nightmare that she doesn’t want to talk about,” Kade replied, dropping the bacon on the tabletop and then sitting across from Luke. “I tried getting information out of her but she blew me off.”
Luke silently poured Kade a mug of coffee and pushed it across the table, never once shifting his gaze from me. “What was the nightmare about?”
“She only said she was in the cornfield and the scarecrow talked to her,” Kade replied.
“You guys know I’m standing here, right?” Agitation caused my stomach to flip. “I can hear you. Heck, I can even crack that code you’re using. Oh, wait, there is no code.”
“Someone is irritated,” Nellie said, appearing at the end of the table. He was dressed in jogging pants and a T-shirt for a change. “Is it PMS time?”
Kade arched a curious eyebrow. He wouldn’t dare ask that question. Most men wouldn’t. Nellie wasn’t most men – and he was proud of that fact.
“She won’t have PMS for another week and a half,” Luke replied, not missing a beat. “I already stocked up on chocolate and Kleenex. We’re going to have a Hallmark Channel movie marathon.”
I scowled as Kade snorted. “Thanks for sharing that with the class, Luke.”
“Hey, it’s not my fault you’re crabby and distant this morning,” Luke said. “Plus, I thought that was a nice way of giving Kade a heads up that he’s going to run out of time to finish making his move if he’s not careful.”
Kade scorched Luke with a look that would’ve made most mortal men quake with fear. Luke barely registered it.
“You two still haven’t walked the tightrope together?” Nellie’s face reflected dumbfounded incredulity. “How is that even possible?”
“We’re not having this discussion,” Kade snapped, his cheeks coloring. “It’s nobody’s business.”
“They were going to open the bottle of wine and chug it last night, but mayhem and a dead body got in the way,” Luke explained. “I agree with Kade, though, we’re not going to talk about it. We’ve done nothing but talk about it for days. Frankly, I’m bored with the subject.”
“Thank you,” I intoned, blowing out a relieved sigh. “Who wants sausage and who wants bacon?”
“I want both,” Nellie replied. “Why don’t want to talk about your lack of loving? If it was me, I’d be crying. Tell me the truth, does the big guy have trouble licking the stamp and putting the mail in the slot? I’ve heard that about guys his size.”
“Shut up,” Kade snapped, mortified. “I don’t have any problems … least of all that one.”
“If you say so,” Nellie said, exchanging an exaggerated eye roll with Luke.
“I want both, too,” Luke said. “I’m sure Kade doesn’t have any problems firing the
acrobat out of the cannon. I think it’s more that his mind is so busy he can’t wedge another clown in the car.”
“Ah. That makes sense.” Nellie rubbed his scraggly beard. “Why don’t you two get a hotel room the first night of our next stop and … you know … shove that tiger through the hoop?”
“I can’t believe we’re even having this conversation,” I muttered, stopping my breakfast preparations long enough to pinch the bridge of my nose. “This is already the longest day ever and it’s barely started.”
“You only think that because you’re tired,” Luke said. “You’re tired because you didn’t sleep last night. Kade says you didn’t sleep because you had a nightmare. Tell me about your nightmare.”
Well … crud on a cracker. How did he manage to do that? He took one uncomfortable conversation and managed to shift it to an even more obnoxious topic without missing a beat. That is so … frustrating.
“Her heart was really pounding and I don’t think she fell back asleep for a long time,” Kade said. He was clearly annoyed with Luke’s insistence on focusing on our sexual lag time, but he was worried enough about my sleeping habits to remain friendly with my best friend in case he could solve the problem. “I tried to stay up, but … it didn’t happen.”
“That’s what I was asking before and you claimed that wasn’t an issue for you,” Nellie complained.
It took Kade a moment to realize what he’d said before he exploded. “You’re a pain in the ass! You know that, right?”
“I consider it an art form,” Nellie replied, unruffled. “What’s the deal with the dream? Was it a prophetic dream? You have those, right?”
Kade stilled, surprised. “Wait … is that really a thing? Is that why you were so upset?”
“It is kind of a thing, although it rarely happens to me,” I answered. “It was not a prophetic dream last night. It was a weird dream. The scarecrow was talking to me as if we were best friends. That clearly wasn’t prophetic.”
“Do you think the scarecrow is the killer?” Nellie asked.
“I don’t know.” I tugged on the ends of the bacon package and when it wouldn’t immediately open I grew frustrated and tossed it back down. “Well, that’s clearly defective. Nobody gets bacon because the package won’t open.”
Kade calmly picked up the package and tugged the blue ribbon on the back, wordlessly handing me the open plastic bag. If I was hoping to convince him this was a normal day at the circus, I’d failed … by a long shot.
“I could be wrong,” Luke said. “Maybe she does have PMS. I’ll check my calendar. Some of those months with five weekends throw me off.”
I sucked in a breath, reminding myself that every family has issues, and even though I wanted to smack all three of them I still liked them. When I was sure I had my emotions in check I forced a bright smile. “How does everyone want their eggs?”
“Scrambled.”
“Fried.”
“Poached.”
Well, that did it. I threw the bacon at Luke as hard as I could, internally screeching when he easily caught it and raised his eyebrows. “I am not your slave. Cook for yourselves!”
“WHAT are you doing?” Luke was leery when he found me staring at the scarecrow an hour later. I remained safely behind the dreamcatcher, my back resting against a tree as I held my bent knees close to my chest and hunkered low to the ground so I wouldn’t attract unwanted attention. “You’re not going to start throwing corn at me, are you? If so, then I need to go back and get a pot of water so I can boil it.”
I remained rigid and silent.
“Nothing, huh?” Luke sighed as he sat next to me. “Do you want to tell me what’s wrong?”
“I want to be alone, Luke.” I kept my voice low even though my agitation was high. I had no idea what was wrong with me, but it was as if the already flimsy walls on my house of cards were beginning to topple.
“Well, you can’t be alone because I’m here.” Luke reached over and grabbed my hand, flipping it over to study my palm as he decided how to proceed. “I think you might be dealing with some stuff that I’ve overlooked because I’ve been so self-involved lately.”
“You’re always self-involved.”
“So are you,” Luke shot back, his voice hitching as he worked overtime to control himself. “I didn’t come here to fight with you, Poet. I’m not leaving until you tell me what’s wrong. This isn’t like you. You never walk away from a fight. You usually dig your heels in until everyone else gives up. That’s how I know this is serious.”
I couldn’t tell him what was really bothering me. That would make him a witness to my guilt, and somehow that made it worse. He would be livid when he found out, because we never keep secrets from one another. I still couldn’t tell him. “I’m … on edge.” That was an understatement … and also fairly close to stating the obvious.
“I noticed that when I caught the flying bacon,” Luke said. “Since you’re not in the mood to open up, how about I drill down on my own? How does that sound?”
Painful. “I’m not in the mood, Luke.”
“Well, that doesn’t mean I’m going to let you sit here and pout all day,” Luke said. “We have a job to do and we all need to be on top of our games tonight. You especially need to be on point. You can’t be distracted.”
“Because you’re worried I’m going to die?”
“Because I love you and it will break me if something happens to you,” Luke replied. “Let’s start with the obvious problem, shall we?”
What was the obvious problem?
“I’m sorry I interrupted you and Kade last night,” Luke said. “I didn’t want to do it. If things didn’t happen once you got back to the trailer because of that … well … I’m sorry.”
Oh, good grief. “Do you really think that’s why I’m upset?” I snapped my eyes to him, frustrated. “Do you think I’m that petty?”
“I think you’re that sexually frustrated,” Luke clarified. “I think you’ve built this thing up so much in your head that it’s eating you alive. Sharing a bed with him and not getting to enjoy the fun stuff that usually goes with it has to be driving you insane. It’s like he’s torturing you … and me by extension.”
“I think you’re over-thinking this,” I challenged. “It will happen when it’s meant to happen. I’m perfectly happy the way things are. We’ve barely been dating for two weeks.”
“Then what is it?” Luke asked, exasperated. “Are you worried you’re going to die? Did you lie to me last night when you made light of it? I saw that woman in the parking lot. She did look a lot like you. Someone could be targeting you. Are you afraid? If you are, I understand, and we’ll get through this. I promise.”
“I am afraid, Luke, but not for the reasons you think,” I said, annoyed when I felt a lone tear slipping down my cheek. “Something bad is going to happen. Three people have died and I can … feel … something closing in.
“Generally I’m never afraid in situations like this, but since Melissa gave me that warning I feel as if I’m frozen, and I’m second-guessing myself,” I continued. “I feel like I should be doing something, yet there’s nothing I can do to fix this. I’m not used to being helpless.”
“You’re not helpless,” Luke said, gripping my hand so tightly he risked cutting off my circulation. “It’s okay to be frustrated. It’s also okay to be afraid. I think there’s something else going on, though. Whatever it is, you’re not going to tell me. You’re going out of your way to hide it.”
I hate that he can read me so well. I mean … I love him. I hate sometimes, too. He makes me vulnerable. “I just want to get through this gig, Luke. Things will be better when we leave Lincoln.” They’ll also probably be worse, but for an entirely different reason.
“Poet, everything is going to be okay,” Luke said. “I won’t ever let anything happen to you.”
The simple declaration was enough to pierce the shroud of my anger and cause it to deflate, like a slow leak in a balloon
. I blew out an exaggerated sigh. “I love you, Luke. I’m just out of sorts.”
“Because of the scarecrow in your dream?”
“Partly. He was definitely creepy.”
“Do you think that scarecrow is somehow possessed or something?” Luke asked, shifting his eyes to the straw man on the pike. “Do you think someone is using magic to make him do things?”
I’d considered the suggestion more times than I could count, but in the end I couldn’t come up with a feasible reason why. No one had actually seen the scarecrow running around. All we had were Kade’s suspicion and my dream, which could easily be a manifestation of Kade’s suspicion. “I think it’s something else.”
“Well, I want to be sure,” Luke said, pressing a quick kiss to the palm of my hand and dragging me to my feet.
“Where are we going?” I whined. “I’m hungry and crabby. I need to go back and eat something before the guests arrive.”
“We’re going to check out that scarecrow,” Luke replied. “I want to be sure.”
“It’s just a scarecrow.”
“Let me be the judge of that.” Luke kept a firm grip on my hand as he led me over the dreamcatcher border and toward the ugly man doll on the stick. I heard footsteps pounding behind us as we moved away from the fairgrounds, and I wasn’t surprised to find Kade racing to catch up when I glanced over my shoulder.
“What are you doing?” Kade asked, falling into step next to me. “Are you going after the scarecrow?”
“I’m not doing anything,” I answered. “Luke wants to see the scarecrow. I’m just … figuring out a way to apologize without actually saying the words.”
Kade smirked. “That’s good enough for me,” he said, grabbing my free hand. “I don’t blame you for being upset. You didn’t sleep and someone essentially insinuated you were going to die. I’d be irritable, too.”
“She’s not going to die,” Luke argued. “I won’t allow it to happen.”
mystic caravan mystery 02 - freaky lies Page 21