A Light So Cruel (Pioneer Falls Book 3)

by Heather Davis

  He chuckled. “Still think of us as killers, I see. Fine, but your pa won’t let anything happen to us. Look at him springing that drifter kid.”

  “Skyler’s not a drifter. He was with that gang that came up to deal with you, whatever that was about. And did you stop to consider maybe they’re the ones that have Nathaniel?”

  His eyes narrowed. “That pack would’ve killed him, left his body on display for us to find.” At my look of disbelief, he said, “What? That’s what they do. Maybe they’re the ones that killed Pinter, hurt Murphy.” Jonah glanced over his shoulder, toward the blue Honda Nathaniel had been driving around town but he was driving right now. “If you see my brother, let me know.”

  “Look, I’m sorry Nathaniel’s missing, but I have other problems.” I gestured for him to step back so I could drive away.

  “One wolf’s problem is every wolf’s problem,” he said in a loud voice. He moved back from the truck.

  As I pulled out of the spot, I caught a glimpse of Maggie watching through the front window of the coffee shop, obviously concerned. I worried how much, if anything, she’d heard, and I hoped she wasn’t good at lip-reading.

  ***

  The Spirit Sleuths van was driving out of the sheriff’s station parking lot as I pulled in. I turned the truck around. My skin crawled as I trailed the van at a safe distance. Not surprisingly, it stopped in Ms. Wilson’s driveway. I parked down the street, watching. I texted Dad quickly to let him know I had the notebook and where I was. I thought he’d be thrilled, but he didn’t text me back. I figured he had to be out on a call.

  After a moment, two guys got out of the van and began unloading black and chrome equipment cases. A couple ravens glided down and hopped onto the black iron fence in front of Ms. Wilson’s house. The ghost hunter guys didn’t even look over at them, instead carrying their cases around the side of the house, toward the garage.

  I didn’t see Ms. Wilson’s car. Maybe she was still at school. Butch barked at the strangers, putting his paws up on the living room windowsill, his brown and white head visible through the glass.

  I slid my backpack on my shoulder and got out of our truck.

  “Hey!” I called as the guys came around the corner of the house. “Are you for real? Spirit Sleuths is my favorite show!”

  One of the guys, the bearded dude that I’d seen Ms. Wilson kissing, beamed at me. “Guilty as charged.”

  “I watch you all the time!”

  The bearded dude extended a hand. “Always happy to meet a fan. I’m Chris Croft, and this is my cameraman, Otto.”

  Otto harrumphed as he schlepped another case out of the van and around to the garage. There was a squawk from a raven on the fence. Another fluffed his wings.

  “So are you guys investigating a ghost or something?” I asked, trying to sound casual.

  “At this place?” Chris cocked his head at me. “You’ve heard stories? I’ve got a release form you can sign if you want to be interviewed.” He grabbed a clipboard from inside the truck.

  “Interviewed? Oh, not me.” I took a step back.

  Chris frowned. “What is it with this place? People seem skittish around here. Local law enforcement won’t go on camera either.”

  “You’d interview them about a ghost sighting?”

  “We’re not just a ghost show.” Chris put his clipboard under his arm and looked at me more closely, frowning. “I guess you didn’t catch our Bigfoot special.”

  I widened my eyes. “You were after Bigfoot’s ghost?”

  He grunted at me. “We were going for a crossover audience. Never mind.” Otto passed him, giving him an angry glare. “I better help unload this stuff. You don’t know of any folks looking for a couple days’ work, you know, odd jobs? We could use some help.”

  “I might,” I said.

  He dug in his pocket and came out with a business card. “Just text me their info if you think of someone…ah…”

  “Lily,” I said. “Nice to meet you.”

  Chris went to the back of the van and pulled out the last case, something small. He glanced at me over his shoulder. “You want an autograph or something?”

  “No, I’ve got to get to work,” I mumbled. I strolled off toward the truck, which was in the Jensens’ driveway next door. I hopped inside and glanced at my phone again, saw a text from Dad.

  Avoid the ghost hunters.

  Too late, Dad, too late.

  ***

  “Oh, Lily,” Maggie said as I came back into the shop. She had several people in line and was struggling to finish some fancy blended drinks. “You just missed Morgan and his friend Skyler.”

  “Where were they headed?” I asked, pausing as I came around the corner.

  “Out on another delivery for me. They stopped by the bowling alley earlier but Nathaniel was apparently not there, since the lights were off. I had to put all that pizza dough back in the fridge. It barely fits. Man, I really need to think about expanding the shop. We need a walk-in fridge.”

  “I wish he’d texted me.”

  “He expected you’d be here. I mean, ahem, since your shift started five minutes ago,” Maggie said, with a wink.

  “Sorry. I got distracted.” I stowed my coat and backpack on a hook. I didn’t feel great about still having the missing records with me, but at least I knew where they were now. That they were safe from any hunter or wolf that might want them. I washed my hands and threw on my apron, then hurried to the counter.

  Maggie had finished the fancy drinks, and a couple girls from school took them to a table in the corner and started a chess game. A few parents in line picked up some sugar cookies for the PTA meeting later, along with their lattes. Finally, Mr. Delaney, the florist, stopped in for some lemon scones.

  Maggie threw a frantic glance at the clock. “I’m late for a zoning meeting for the society’s home,” she said, leaving me to ring up Mr. Delaney’s order. She pulled on her emerald green wool coat and stuffed her hair into a knit cap and then hurried out the door.

  When the rush slowed, I paced behind the counter. Across town, the ghost hunters were setting up shop to catch Millicent on film and I hadn’t heard anything from Dad or Morgan in a while. I pinged Cooper, asking him if he’d heard from anyone, but he didn’t answer either.

  The counter was fully restocked and everything was clean. The dishwasher hummed and whooshed with a fresh load. Half-heartedly, I pulled out my homework and did a few trig problems.

  The buzzer at the back door sounded. I hurried back there to answer it and found Morgan. He had Maggie’s Volvo parked there, Skyler in the passenger seat. He didn’t come in, instead standing in the doorway, his expression solemn.

  When I kissed him hello, Morgan’s lips were like ice. “I’ve got the missing notebook,” I said, placing a hand on his chest. “Isn’t that good news! I went by to take it to Dad earlier, but then I ran into this—”

  “They have Nathaniel,” he said, his voice tight.

  “What?” I was confused. “Who? Jonah was looking for him earlier.”

  Morgan’s amber eyes darkened. “Nathaniel transformed for a run this morning and never came back. That’s the story from Gladys.”

  “Skyler’s pack has him?”

  He shook his head. “That pack moved on to Portland. He got a text from them earlier today.”

  “What? Really?” Through the passenger window I saw disappointment in Skyler’s eyes. He looked away when he saw me studying him.

  “Where’s Maggie?” Morgan asked.

  “She’s at a meeting. We should call my dad,” I said, glancing nervously back toward the counter. I was the only one there. I couldn’t leave the shop. Not unless I locked up and closed it, like I did that one time. Maggie had been a little irked.

  “I’ve already informed George. He asked me to try to track Nathaniel. Any word from Cooper? He told me he was going out to cut some downed trees today from the last storm. Not sure if he’s out of range or what.”

  “It’s g
etting dark,” I said. “Cooper should be back soon. He can help look…but if Skyler’s pack doesn’t have Nathaniel, who does?”

  Morgan raked a hand through his hair, sheer frustration radiating from his expression. “When we were out on deliveries, Skyler and I saw Reverend Sutton loading a large animal cage into a truck.”

  “Oh no,” I said, feeling sick to my stomach. “Reverend Sutton,” I repeated, remembering one of my conversations with Mrs. Gillingham. She’d dismissed town rumors about them having an affair. Maybe there’d been something more to those rumors than romance. “I’d never have thought of him. No one would.”

  Morgan let out a slow breath. “Think back to Mr. Gray’s funeral. Remember his words over the casket, something about going to that forest in the sky. That wasn’t alluding to some kind of logging tradition. He must’ve known Mr. Gray’s secret. He’d been there that night.”

  I put a hand to the door frame, steadying myself. “What do we do now? I mean, you should go find Jonah, Ezra, and Gladys, try to get them to help you.”

  “That’s not the directive,” Morgan said. “Your father thinks they’ll make a mess of things, come in and create more carnage. Rip people to shreds. I’ll round up Cooper and we’ll formulate a plan.”

  The front door chimed, accompanied by the sound of some folks entering the shop. “I have to go,” I whispered, kissing Morgan on the cheek.

  “As do I. Vehicle swap? I know Maggie needs her car back.”

  I grabbed my truck keys from my bag and handed them to Morgan. “Be careful.”

  Skyler got out of the Volvo, and Morgan hit the locks. Then he pressed Maggie’s car keys into my hands and kissed me good-bye.

  I locked the back door behind them, saying a quiet prayer. They needed to find Nathaniel. Bad wolf or not, we couldn’t let the hunters have him.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Twenty minutes later, I hadn’t heard anything more from Morgan. I’d expected at least a followup, something to tell me what his actual plan was. Or that he’d found Cooper.

  Nervously, I wiped down the espresso machine and then took a fresh cleaning rag to the tables. In between my chores, I snuck another look at my phone. Finally, there was a text from Dad, telling me to stay put. Well, that was exactly opposite of what I felt like doing. I was worried Morgan and Skyler hadn’t been able to get Cooper to intervene with Ezra’s pack, that they’d confronted the hunters themselves and were injured or worse. I wondered if I should hurry along the remaining patrons, close the shop early, even if it meant risking Maggie’s disappointment.

  Then the front door swung open and Rose and Fawn rushed in. Out of breath, Rose slid her laptop down on the counter, looking at me expectantly.

  “Wifi password! Wifi password!” Fawn said, grabbing at my arm.

  “Sheesh!” I shook her off. “I’ll get it.” Maggie changed it up sometimes, so I consulted the little paper attached to the side of the cash register. “It’s ‘ugly naked guy’ all lower case, one word,” I told her.

  Fawn frowned at me. “What? Is that some kind of sick—”

  “It’s a Friends reference,” Rose said, typing it into the laptop. “You know, that old show. Seriously, Fawn, how do you not know that? We watch those reruns all the time.”

  The last few people in the otherwise-quiet coffee shop seemed annoyed by the burst of noise coming from the twins. The girls playing chess packed up their game. Another holdout folded up his newspaper and set his dirty dishes in the bus tub on his way out. Meanwhile, my sisters took the laptop over to the couches.

  “What is with you?” I said, walking over to join them.

  “Well, we’re not here for mochas,” Fawn replied, her gaze following the chess-playing girls as they left the coffee shop. “Lewis heard from someone at school something shocking was going down online and texted me the link.”

  “Got it!” Rose said, spinning the laptop around on the coffee table near the couch. My stomach dropped when I saw that she’d pulled up the Spirit Sleuths website.

  “Live feed from Pioneer Falls. What the hell is this?” I said, gawking at the screen.

  “Right?” Fawn said. “Not normal.”

  “No, no, no!” My hands felt sweaty and my heart began to race.

  The video player on the site showed a metal cage, lights lit up around it. I recognized the interior of Ms. Wilson’s garage. At the back of it lay a lanky young dark wolf with narrowed brownish-black eyes that looked otherworldly, reflecting harshly the studio lights. A wolf I easily recognized from seeing him in the forest.

  “One of us, isn’t it,” Rose said, her voice tight, small.

  “Nathaniel,” I replied. “He’s been missing since this morning.” A flicker of pain surfaced in Rose’s eyes. “I know you know how he really is,” I said, reaching for her hand. “But that doesn’t make it any easier to see him in trouble.”

  “But why are Spirit Sleuths even in Pioneer Falls?” Fawn asked. “Your hokey séance didn’t get rid of the ghost, so Ms. Wilson dragged the ghost hunters here?”

  “I know we saw a ghost. I’m not sure if Ms. Wilson ever did.”

  “You both saw a ghost?” Fawn said, rolling her eyes.

  “Yup,” Rose replied. “We didn’t want you to feel left out, but that’s what was happening at the séance. And now…Ms. Wilson’s working with hunters?”

  “You’re telling me a poltergeist busted up Ms. Wilson’s house?” Fawn’s lip curled in a disbelieving smile.

  “I doubt it now. I wouldn’t put it past her to have faked it herself,” I said. “I think she promised those Spirit Sleuths people some paranormal activity and when she stumbled across the wolf situation, she found a way to deliver it to them.”

  “What a fake,” Rose said.

  “Uh-oh! He’s moving,” Fawn said, pointing at the laptop’s screen.

  The live cam showed Nathaniel pacing in the cage. Groggily, he sauntered back and forth, seeming to test the boundaries of the small space. I didn’t know if there was even enough room for him to transform back into human form in the cage, but he wouldn’t be that dumb, anyway. The cameras might be hidden, but the lights were bright, professional studio lights to brighten up that old shack of a garage. He had to recognize that this was a setup, that he was being filmed.

  “We have to get him out of there,” Rose said.

  “Morgan and Skyler are on their way to find Cooper. Maybe they can help.” I grabbed my phone and texted Morgan the link to the live feed at the garage.

  Fawn gave me a dubious glance. “And what about Ezra’s pack? What exactly are they doing?”

  “Not lifting a finger, like they did with Skyler,” Rose mumbled.

  But we didn’t have to wait long for that question to be answered. The shot was wide-angle and showed the open side door of the structure. As we watched, another wolf entered the frame, stalking toward the cage. He was black, larger.

  “Jonah,” I said, sucking in a breath. “He must have thought it’d be easier to track him in wolf form.”

  “Oh, no!” Rose yelped. “Look out!”

  Jonah’s wolf abruptly dropped to the ground, some kind of tranquilizer dart in his flank. A few seconds later, human figures in dark clothing entered the picture, bringing a second crate.

  “Nathaniel wasn’t the prey. He was the bait,” I muttered.

  Fawn glanced at me in alarm. “Will Morgan and Skyler head there?”

  “Morgan wouldn’t be that stupid,” Rose said. “He’s not going to show up as a wolf.”

  “But someone else might,” I murmured.

  “You’re right. Ezra or Gladys could be. I’m calling the bowling alley,” Fawn said, punching numbers into her phone.

  “I’ll try Dad,” Rose said.

  I kept watching the feed. There was a viewer tally at the side of the pop-up video box showing that more than three thousand viewers had logged on, watching this unfold. The sickening feeling in my gut spread through my body. I forced a calming breath. We had to be
rational about this, strategic. It wasn’t time to rush in.

  “No one’s answering at the bowling alley,” Fawn said, still holding the phone to her ear. “And I don’t think the Laundromat has a number yet.”

  “We need to warn them not to go over there.” I dialed Maggie’s number but she didn’t pick up, either, so I texted her that there was an emergency at home, that I had to close the shop and use her car.

  Then I messaged Dad that we were on our way to warn Ezra and Gladys. I didn’t see any other choice. I grabbed Maggie’s keys and my backpack and after closing up the shop, we headed out the door to hopefully stave off a wolf apocalypse.

  ***

  As the girls and I piled into the station wagon, my phone was pinging with texts, but I ignored them. A few doors down, Tom Lindstrom was taking out the hardware store’s trash. “Hey! Everything all right?” he asked, waving us down.

  Rose, sitting in the passenger seat, hit my arm. “Don’t stop!”

  “Have to,” I said, between gritted teeth. I rolled down the window. “Hey, just running an errand for Maggie.”

  He leaned into the window. “Oh, hi, guys.”

  Rose and Fawn mumbled hellos.

  Tom took a step back. “See that crazy link everyone’s sending around? Some ghost hunter thing in town. They think they’ve caught some kind of creature. Probably a hoax. Looks like a plain wolf to me.”

  “I’ll check it out. See you tomorrow,” I said, rolling up the window. I sped down the alley, heading toward Main Street.

  My phone started pinging with texts again. “Can you get that, guys?”

  Rose dug in my backpack and came up with my phone. “Maggie is freaking out!”

  “Just text her that we’ll be back soon,” I said, turning onto the highway that led to Frontier Lanes.

  “She’s asking where you’re going,” Rose said. “Oh, shoot, it’s ringing now. It’s Maggie.”

  Fawn leaned forward. “Don’t answer, obviously.”