“Whoa. Slow down.”
“I can’t slow down. Something is going on here. I didn’t believe it at first but now I’m sure. Her mailbox was full. And then Mole wouldn’t let me get into the house even when I tried to—”
“—Mole? What are you talking about?” Seth glanced over his shoulder. Tim was still busy in his office.
“Mole was there. With a rifle. On her front porch. The man is disgusting. I might have suggested it before, but now I am certain.” Her face twisted.
“Why would Mole be there unless it’s his house? Was it?”
Kate sniffed. “I don’t know. I was too scared to stand around and chitchat.” She frowned.
Before he could open his mouth to respond, Tim walked into the room carrying a stack of papers. “What are you two jabbering about out here? Where’s my story about the theater? Do you see the time?” He pointed to the wall clock. “Time is money, so let’s get it into gear. Kate, I want you to cover the hardware’s fiftieth anniversary celebration tomorrow morning. Get me some good photos of the place. I need to fill the paper this week. Lost another contributor.” He shook his head and left the same way he came into the room, carrying a stack of papers.
Seth waited for Kate to say something.
Instead, she blew her nose and fired up her computer. Her cell phone vibrated a few seconds later. She slipped it out of her purse and put her back toward him.
“Hello? Me too. Sure, that would be great. I’ll put it on my calendar. Thank you.”
He couldn’t squelch the question that rose in his throat. Blame it on being a reporter.
“David?”
The look she gave him said it all. It was none of his business.
But he’d make it his.
CHAPTER 35
Kate couldn’t believe Seth had searched her photos. Of course he wouldn’t see the auras but she couldn’t be certain. Just because her grandmother never did when she told her, meant nothing. Seth recently sustained a blow to his head. What if he could see what she did? Kate never told anyone or asked anyone to check her pictures after her grandmother did. She couldn’t stand the humiliation she would receive.
But what if her grandmother had bad eyesight? She’d never thought of that possibility until now. If she knew for certain that she wasn’t the only freak who saw the auras, it could change her life. Or maybe it was the pictures and not her.
Right now she had plenty to think about. Mole showing up and scaring her half to death was only part of her worry. Since coming to the Bend, she hadn’t impressed her boss much. She needed to write a great story and show him her worth or she would be moving again. She was so tired of doing that. The Bend was a perfect hiding place from the media and besides that, there was David.
His call earlier that day had helped calm her.
She couldn’t wait to see him at the parade on Thursday. He promised to treat her to pork barbecue and attend the fireworks display with her. Yes, she told herself not to get involved again. Told herself if she had to move again it would be hard to break it off. She told herself all those warnings.
Something about David swept them all out of her head.
Once she turned in her story, she left for home without another word to Seth.
He hadn’t seemed too impressed with her details about Becky anyway. Perhaps she was over-dramatizing it. Worrying when she shouldn’t. Though Mole had given her a scare. Had he meant to threaten her or was he like that with everyone? An outsider. When would she stop being an outsider anywhere?
After a toasted cheese sandwich and a cup of tea, she loaded her personal pictures onto her computer. She held her breath. Counted the shots. Would another person’s imminent death jump onto her shoulders? Sometimes the burden was too huge. She should work in a grocery store where she didn’t take photos. Maybe get a job as a school secretary.
Who was she kidding? Photography kept her alive. She could no more give it up than stop eating.
She waited for the pictures to focus. The church came into view. She’d snapped that one while people were milling around out front before she saw David.
No . . . no . . . She bent over her computer. She couldn’t tear her eyes away from the scene before her. The entire church glowed.
###
Kate finally called Seth at midnight when she couldn’t sleep. He answered on the first ring.
“What’s the matter?” he barked.
“Nothing earth shattering. I just wanted to run some things by you. We didn’t get a chance to finish our discussion about Becky.”
She could hear him groaning, sitting up in bed.
“Did you hear me?”
“She’s probably on vacation with Debbie.”
Kate moved to her open bedroom window. “I also remembered something Doc Brown told me the day he stopped by. He said Brother Earl’s parents moved to Arizona or something. They aren’t dead. David said the same thing.”
“They’re alive?” His normally flat voice elevated.
Good. Maybe he would take her seriously now.
“Yes. So who’s buried in that cemetery plot? I also think something happened to Becky. People—women— don’t disappear without telling anyone.” As soon as she said the words, she thought of herself. She disappeared all the time. But then she had a good reason. Did these women? “And her mailbox was jammed full. Who leaves town without stopping their mail or at the very least emptying it?”
“Maybe that’s what Mole was doing until you interrupted him.” Again his snide tone. Why did she bother with him? She pulled back her curtain. Studied the black outside.
“Another thing. Several men in the Bend wear the same gold ring. It has a hawk emblem on it. Have you ever noticed it before?”
A lengthy silence greeted her.
Finally. “Who?”
“Brother Earl, Mole, and Doc Brown. He had one hidden in his desk drawer.” She flinched at telling him the truth about how she saw it. “What does the ring mean, Seth?”
Another silence.
She let the curtain drop back into place.
“Seth? What does it mean?”
“Where are you right now?”
“In my bedroom. In front of the open window.”
“Shut it. Turn your light off. Now. Do it, Red.”
She stalked over to her bedside lamp. Clicked the switch. The room blew up into darkness. “Done. But I’m leaving my window open. What is it? What’s going on?” She lowered herself to her bed. “What do the rings mean?”
Another sigh. Seth finally spoke.
“It means the Bend is worse than I thought.”
CHAPTER 36
After his mother failed both he and his father, they worked to improve their skills each night after school. He practiced on rats, local cats, and an occasional stray dog. His father dubbed him the Trainer when he successfully controlled a pit bull they found.
Eventually, he needed a human candidate.
The girls at his school were too risky. Their parents watched them like hawks. Besides, the pretty girls didn’t like him much. Snobs. Stuck on themselves. He blamed his mother for that too. She was the reason he missed so much school. Taking care of her needs. Cleaning up her messes. Making him miss . . . No! He would not remember that day. Not like that anyway.
He had spent years creating a solution.
He’d have to bide his time. Besides, he wasn’t ready to put his entire plan into action.
When he turned eighteen, though, he did what he’d been planning to do for years. Tried his skill on his father. Called it a birthday present to himself. He found his father that day in the basement tinkering on the furnace. He’d been sick, coughing all night so much that the Trainer had been unable to sleep.
“Hand me that wrench.” His father pointed to his nearby toolbox.
Forget the wrench—his knife would do.
He’d graduated from whips to knives. Sharp knives. For the noncompliant. Quick and painless. At least for him. He also loved the
feel of the handle—how it fit his palm. He couldn’t speak for his father or the countless other candidates over the years, but when he brought his knife out, they behaved. Much better than with a whip. Did as he said. Eventually all women would obey his commands. Especially the one he wanted most.
He never got caught. Either he was too smart or the world around him was plain stupid. Maybe a little of both. And his property choices. Always perfect. Trees. Buildings. Everything he needed to execute his plan. Like how he wrote about it in the eighth grade.
Ms. Hibbard. What a fool. Thinking she could change his thinking about women. She’d made him read a book about women in America—how they had evolved into CEOs and worked outside the home. He’d burned the book. Burned it with the cat that had given him such a hard time until he sliced it beneath the chin.
He knew what a woman’s role should be. Breeder. Nothing more. Except for one woman. Only she was worthy of joining him in his final plan.
CHAPTER 37
Another nightmare. Running. Falling. Trying to breathe. Kate woke with slick sweat coating her body. She slid out of bed, pulled on her bathrobe. The room had cooled considerably during the night. She slammed the window shut.
Seth and his nonsense.
Just because someone broke into his house didn’t mean they would break into hers. If they did, they would get nothing.
She fumbled with the tie at her waist, shuffled into the kitchen. Coffee. That would help. Wake her up to meet with Seth at the cafe this morning. He said he would tell her what he knew about the men in the Bend—for her own protection he said. She would listen, but she didn’t need protection. Besides that, Seth was the last person in the Bend who would protect her from anything. If she lost her job, he would celebrate in the street.
She bit into a banana muffin.
Summer in the Bend wasn’t so bad. She looked forward to the carnival and parade on Thursday. With David.
As she pushed her mug away, a hard knock came on her front door. Kate reached for her nearby Mace and checked her robe. Doc again? Maybe he’d brought more of Mary’s treats. It was a little early though.
Another knock.
She peeked through the living room to the front door.
The delivery man.
She set her Mace aside. Last week she’d ordered a file cabinet. The same guy had delivered a new lens from Amazon when she first arrived.
She threw open the door.
“Good morning. You’re early.” Her gaze caught on the large box next to him.
The guy gave a half-smile. “Sorry, Miss Song. Couldn’t get this out to you last night, so I’m out early today. Can I carry it in for you?”
She stepped to the side. “Thank you so much. Is it heavy? I can get it from here.”
“No problem. Let me put it inside for you.” He hefted the package, setting it next to her couch.
“Thank you so much. Have a good day.”
He tipped his head, smiling. “Sure thing, Miss.”
If only the other men in the Bend were as polite.
When she was alone again, she pulled the top file drawer out. Here is where she would start. Here is where she would place the printed photos of people she saw with an aura. Maybe she’d see a pattern. Maybe she’d finally figure out how to turn her curse into a gift.
###
The cafe was empty except for Seth, Kate, and an older man at the counter. Seth ordered another cup of black coffee for himself. Kate nursed the one in front of her.
“Tell me about the rings. What do they mean?”
He rubbed his forehead. “Nothing like getting straight to the point.”
“You’re the one who’s trying to scare me.”
“You’re the one who asked.”
“Are we going to play games or are you going to tell me what you know about the Bend?” She checked her watch. “We’ll be late for work. Talk fast.”
“Doesn’t matter. Tim is out for a few days. Called me last night.”
She dumped a packet of sugar into her coffee. “Again? What does he do with all this time off? Is he sick?”
Seth lifted one eyebrow. “He owns a ring, too.”
She dropped the packet. “What? How do you know?”
“Saw it when I stopped by his place once. It was sitting on a table by his couch. Like he took it off before I came in.”
She considered his news. Tim didn't act like the other men in the Bend. He was sweet for the most part and treated women as equals. “Do you think he’s involved in a secret society? Is Brother Earl in charge of it? And the hawk? What about that symbol?”
Seth waved his hand. “Slow down.” He glanced to the entry where two men dressed in identical work pants entered the cafe. He lowered his voice, leaned across the table. “I think it has to do with their women. I think they train them.”
“Train them?” She thought of the local zoo where she grew up. “Like with animals?”
He nodded. “More like dog training 101.”
CHAPTER 38
Seth wasn’t stupid. He wasn’t going to confess all he knew about Brother Earl and his sect who somehow convinced their wives to dress like peasants and follow them like slaves. But never before had women disappeared from the Bend like they were now. Three women in under a year? Couldn’t be coincidental. There had to be a connection. Getting smashed over the head also made him realize Kate might be in danger herself. A target. Another reporter who could blow their secrets right out of the county into bigger headlines.
He absently rubbed the back of his head.
“Still hurt?” Kate stared at him with huge green eyes. If things were different...
“I’ll live. But if I were you I would lock my doors and keep watch. Whoever took my computer wanted to stop me from writing about them. What else could they want?”
“Or they could have wanted a computer.” She raised her perfectly plucked eyebrows.
“That too.”
“But what about Debbie and Becky? How do they fit in?”
He had never gone back to check on either of them.
“I haven’t figured that one out yet. I have an idea though,” he paused, hoping he might be able to convince her of the importance of what he was going to say next. “We need to get inside Earl’s home.”
A crease formed on her forehead. Figured. She was more skeptical than anyone he knew.
“I’m not asking anything you haven’t done before. Just take me there. I want to know what’s behind that property.”
“I looked out into the back when I used the bathroom. There’s nothing but a path into the woods.”
“A path that leads to cabins. Dozens of them.”
As Kate opened her mouth to respond, a terrifying boom exploded outside. Behind them, the cafe door slammed open. A bearded man thrust his head through the opening, shouted, “The theater just blew up!”
CHAPTER 39
Seth’s eyes widened. “Amy.”
He bolted from his seat.
Kate scrambled to follow, grabbing her camera. Already the street was pulsing with onlookers. She lost sight of Seth as she limped to keep up.
“Sounded like a bomb,” a voice next to her said. Kate glanced to the speaker. A mere child—sixteen at the most—dressed in prairie garb. “Maybe they’ll blow up the school next.”
Kate slammed to a stop in the middle of the packed street. The child sounded almost wishful.
She swallowed bile that rose to the back of her throat suffocating her windpipe.
How could someone wish for that? How could anyone suggest such a travesty? She glanced at the faces around her. Masks of anticipation. Macabre smiles tugging at the corners of their lips.
A man whistled. Whipped his arm in a large arc.
Kate peered ahead of her where the theater glowed from the arching flames.
She hobbled closer. The pain in her leg radiating deeper with each step. Reminding her. Piercing her. Flashing horrifying scenes she tried to forget.
&nb
sp; She moved closer.
Closer to the fiery furnace that was once the theater. She remembered her school. Blown up. A twelve-year old. A mere child herself.
Her pulse raced.
She could do this. She must. But her past threatened to roar into her face.
Not now! She must find Seth.
She pressed forward. Heard the faraway sirens.
Kate pushed around two women who stared at the flames as though they were diamonds. Was everyone crazy here?
She gripped her camera to her eye. Felt for the switch. The memories of her school bombing refused to leave. Bright lights, rocketing blasts, falling to her back, torturing pain as her head and her legs took the entire impact of a shredded wall.
She gave up and lurched to the curb, clutched the lamp post. Drew deep breaths. She must focus on the scene. Do her job. Try again. Her trembling hands pulled the camera to her eyes, steeled her sight on the hell in front of her—not the hell that was her past.
That’s when she saw it. Him. Seth.
Staggering through the theater opening. Covered in soot. Gasping for oxygen.
Carrying a limp woman in his arms.
Kate snapped the photo.
CHAPTER 40
The Trainer stood next to his truck, appalled at the sight before him. What happened? He pressed his lips together. She was supposed to be his next candidate. Her grandfather grew up here, she told him yesterday. She was perfect. Perfect!
He slammed his fist against the hood. Quickly straightened, reined in his anger.
No one noticed him. They were too busy watching a woman die.
More sirens. The whole dumb county wanted in on this fiasco.
This wouldn’t happen again. No one would interfere with his plans. He had been willing to take a risk with a city girl. Now he would have to start the selection process all over.
He scanned the crowd. The air hummed with speculation and excitement. These people would probably stay through lunch until every inch of ground had been sifted through. They’d find the cause. Then he would know who was responsible.
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