“I don’t think I’m supposed to drink water from the river,” she said. “It can make you sick.”
By Boney’s dangling—David sighed and speared his fingers through his hair. The child wasn’t thinking clearly, and neither was he. He set down the bottle and crouched in front of her.
“What is your name?” he asked.
Her lips trembled a little, but she held his gaze. “Megan.”
“Then listen to me, Megan. It’s a long way down that hill.”
She tucked her hands under her arms. “I can go back by myself. In a minute.”
“I suspect you are lost, and someone is no doubt looking for you as we speak.”
She shook her head with a sharp toss of her bangs. “No. No one.”
“That I don’t believe. Would you like to try again? Who cares for you?”
Her gaze fixed on the dirt between the toes of his boots. “My uncle. Al Aguilar.”
David almost laughed. “Your uncle?”
“I only came to stay with him on Monday. He doesn’t care where I go.”
Al Aguilar. Jesse’s friend and confidant. And this girl was his niece?
David hesitated, oddly afraid to ask the next question. “Do you know Jesse Copeland?”
The girl’s skin flushed with more than the heat, but she didn’t answer. David stood up and paced the length of the little grove of trees. His agitation made no sense, but he knew he had to deliver this girl to her home as quickly as possible. Making and keeping himself physical long enough to carry her all the way down the mountainside was certainly not within his power. But if he stayed by her side …
He turned abruptly and extended his hand. “Come. I’ll help you get home.”
She paused, stared at his hand, reached for it. For a moment her fingers curled in his, and then they slipped through as if she had tried to grasp air. She gasped.
David realized the enormity of his carelessness. For an instant he hadn’t concentrated, had allowed himself to relax and let go of his physical form, and that instant had been too long.
He had no time to berate himself further. Megan had scrambled to her feet and was running—away from him, as fast as her small feet would carry her and with no regard to direction. David set off in pursuit, wondering how in hell he was to stop her, quiet her terror. If he touched her again, would he make it worse?
It hardly signified, for Megan was headed directly for the river. For the high cliffs that overlooked the turbulent water. David abandoned physical form for a burst of speed. He’d almost reached her when she came to a sudden stop, flailed her arms, gave a heart-stopping cry, and slipped over the crumbling edge. Her glasses went flying into emptiness.
David took shape, flung himself belly-down on the earth and clawed for her hand. He caught her just before she was out of reach. This time the contact lasted more than a second, long enough for David to see the panic in her unshielded eyes.
Her eyes. Windows to the soul.
Even a ghost could be expected to stand only so many revelations in a matter of hours. He recognized her as completely as he’d recognized Gary at the party, and the effect was no less startling. Or devastating.
Elizabeth. Megan … was Elizabeth.
Perhaps it was those few seconds of inattention, or merely that his strength wasn’t sufficient. Or maybe she felt the same shock he did, and let go. Her fingers slipped through his, and she fell.
But he’d slowed her just enough. She landed on a narrow stone ledge halfway to the river, her small body very still. David heard a cry between a moan and a roar and knew it came from his own throat. He went to her, perched on what little flat space remained beside her.
“Megan,” he whispered hoarsely.
She stirred, rising on her arms, and gave a low whimper of pain. He took her arm and helped her to her knees. She was all right—not badly hurt, though her skin showed scrapes and would be bruised later on.
She was all right. She looked at him from those great tear-washed eyes, only the immediate trauma of her fall numbing her fear of him. When she recovered, the fear would return and might drive her to fatal recklessness. There was nowhere for her to run but into the river itself.
David could feel his strength waning rapidly. Soon he’d be no more than a wraith even to eyes that could see him, incapable of aiding Megan. He could barely touch her now.
Later he could reflect on this new twist of fate. Now he had to find another who could help the girl, and he knew who that person must be.
But he couldn’t leave Megan. He would have to try again what he’d done at the party, and use his thoughts to call for help. If urgency were enough, he could reach halfway across the world.
He had only to reach one woman.
While Megan shivered, eyes tightly closed against the sight of the river below, David threw his consciousness into one thought, one vivid image. He projected a part of himself across space, a fragment of his soul borne on a spectral wave of desperation.
He called Jesse as Jesse had called him. Within his mind he saw a moving picture of her standing beside the woman Kim, speaking without sound, looking up as if distracted.
And focusing. Seeing him. Her mouth formed an “Oh” of surprise. And then the shape of his name.
“Jesse,” he called. He made another picture of himself where he watched over Megan, the lay of the land around them. He willed Jesse to see what had happened, to know how little time he had left on this plane.
There was nothing more he could do. He withdrew and crouched like a pale shadow beside a girl who wouldn’t look at him, praying that Jesse had understood. And would come before he was forced to leave.
With any luck he was about to witness a miracle.
CHAPTER NINE
Thank you, David,” Jesse whispered.
“What is it, Jesse?” Kim, who’d arrived at her cabin a few minutes ago, gave her a quizzical look. “You had this weird expression on your face.”
Jesse started for the truck parked in the driveway. “I know where Megan is,” she said.
“Did I miss something?” Kim said, jogging to keep up. “Or did you suddenly become psychic?”
“No time to explain.” And how in hell do I explain when there is time? Jesse thought, tossing her backpack into her truck. How to explain that she’d asked her own personal ghost for help—and he’d responded? She’d almost given up on David before his image appeared, startlingly vivid, in her mind.
She knew he hadn’t been with her in anything but thought. Some kind of telepathy, which was par for the course on top of the rest.
And she didn’t give a damn how David had done it. Or how he’d found Megan. All she cared was that he’d been able to show her where Megan was.
That picture was indelibly etched in Jesse’s memory. Megan wasn’t badly hurt, thank God. And Jesse recognized the exact place where Megan had fallen.
The ledge. The ledge where Bobby Moran had died.
Jesse had no time to dwell on the past; she was too busy calculating the quickest route to Megan. A dirt road wound along the river, close to the spot in question.
“You know the ledge over the river where Bobby Moran fell?” she said as Kim came up beside her at the truck’s door. “That’s where we’re going. Megan’s fallen, but I don’t think we’ll need an ambulance.”
Kim’s open face reflected the concerns Jesse didn’t put into words. The ledge was dangerous, but Megan, unlike Bobby, wouldn’t be half gone on drugs and fighting her rescuers. A descent and rescue from the cliff to the ledge wasn’t a complicated or lengthy maneuver. The greatest peril was that Megan would fall the much longer distance from the ledge to the rocky riverbank below.
Jesse slid into the driver’s seat and closed the door. Kim leaned on the open window.
“How do you know, Jesse?” she asked.
“Trust me, Kim.” Jesse started the engine and met Kim’s gaze. “Please.”
It was a blessing that Kim wasn’t the kind to stand around
debating a point when there was work to be done. She gave a quick nod. “All right. You go, and I’ll be right behind you with the rescue truck. I’ll radio the others to meet us there, and alert Doc Thielman that we may be bringing in a patient.”
Jesse was already halfway down the lane toward the highway when Kim reached her own truck. She was only vaguely aware of the way her heart slammed in her throat, her tense grip on the steering wheel. Once she reached the dirt road, she concentrated on driving as fast as safety would allow. The tumult of the river seemed as loud as the roar of her truck.
The last span she had to cover was off-road, but she’d been this way before. She pulled up parallel to the cliff above the ledge and stopped the truck. She nearly dropped the keys as she yanked them from the ignition.
She hadn’t expected to be here again. Not so soon. She got out of the truck and swallowed a surge of nausea. It was still daylight, not night, and there were no frightened teenaged boys watching a rescue that failed. The situation was totally different.
But the stakes were just as high.
With stubborn determination she ran to the edge of the cliff and looked over.
Megan was there, drawn up in a compact ball on the ledge. She must have heard Jesse or the truck, for she was looking up, her gray eyes large and vulnerable without the glasses to shield them. Her stare hinted of mild shock, but at least she was responsive. Her legs and arms were obviously working, and Jesse saw no signs of blood.
And David …
David was barely visible beside Megan, the river and rocks below filling the transparent outline of his body. He too was looking up, and she thought she saw him smile and lift one hand in a silent salute.
Then he vanished. Megan didn’t seem to see him go. But of course not; she wouldn’t be able to see him at all. Thank God the child hadn’t had that to contend with as well.
“Megan,” Jesse called. “Listen to me, honey. I’m going to get you back up here as quickly as I can. I just want you to sit very still and wait while I make up a special harness for you. Okay?”
Megan’s chin twitched in the slightest of nods. She was responsive. She was okay. Jesse felt a flood of joy that went beyond relief, came from a source far deeper than the satisfaction of helping someone in trouble.
Self-doubt couldn’t hope to stand against such joy. She was ready when Kim’s rescue truck pulled up beside her own, and together they set about sorting and preparing the ropes and gear necessary for Megan’s rescue.
“Bruce, Craig, Nance, and Manuel are on their way up,” Kim said, “And Doc knows we’ll be coming in. How is Megan?”
“She’s okay, but I want to get down to her as soon as possible. It looks as if she’ll only have a few minor cuts and bruises.”
“Thank God,” Kim murmured, passing Jesse a length of rope. Pulleys, carabiners, and harness were rechecked and assembled. Jesse inventoried her personal first-aid kit once more.
“You okay with this, Jesse?” Kim asked. “You’re still the best one to go down to the ledge. But I’ll assign someone else if you don’t feel you can—”
“I’m doing it, Kim. Megan knows me, at least a little. If I can’t handle it, I don’t belong on this team.”
Kim had no argument for that. Lives depended on each search and rescue team member acting as a professional. And Jesse knew she was a professional. When she went down over the cliff, she’d be challenging herself—but she’d also be saving something, someone, infinitely precious.
And not just because Megan was a child and a human life. The determination Jesse had felt earlier to help the girl had blossomed into an almost maternal attachment, though she and Megan had only spoken the one time in Al’s study. Danger could do that sometimes, create such instant bonds. But she couldn’t dismiss her feelings as mere instinct.
Maternal. Jesse returned to the cliff’s edge, stunned by the direction of her thoughts. She had never planned on having children, of even being married. She’d never questioned that assumption or probed for the source of her conviction.
She was questioning now. First David, and then Megan …
She crouched and looked down at the girl. Megan remained pale and tight-lipped, but her eyes fixed on Jesse as on a lifeline.
“Only a few more minutes,” Jesse said. “Hang in there, Megan. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
And she meant it. She meant it with her entire soul. She’d give her own life for this child’s, gladly. Personally.
Within minutes the other team members arrived and went to work helping Kim put the evacuation system in place. Fortunately, the cliff area afforded several good anchor points in the form of sturdy trees and outcrops. The volunteers moved efficiently to secure the ropes and pulleys, complete with the harnesses that would allow Jesse to descend and bring Megan back up.
“We’ll get a litter ready, in case you need it,” Kim said.
Jesse nodded, secured her harness, and positioned herself for the descent, while Kim stayed above to act as belayer and the others stood ready to help. The river roared below them, a blue and white blur, but Jesse did not look down. She looked only at Megan’s pleading, frightened eyes.
When her feet hit the ledge, she tested her balance and went immediately to Megan. The girl unfolded from her defensive huddle, and Jesse was engulfed in the sweaty, dirty, grateful warmth of a child’s arms.
Jesse returned the hug and brushed dusty bangs from the girl’s forehead. “You okay, Megan? Does anything hurt? Any part of you hard to move, or feel like it’s broken?”
Megan’s lower lip quivered, but she shook her head. Nevertheless, Jesse did a quick examination of Megan’s body, making sure that she wouldn’t need the litter or splints. All the blood was from minor surface scratches, and there were no telltale bumps on Megan’s skull to suggest a concussion. Jesse cleaned and bandaged the worst cuts and gave Megan water and energy food from her pack.
“We’re going to get you back up now, Megan,” Jesse said. “I’ll need you to help me. You’re going to climb into this special harness, which will let you ride up on the rope. I’ll be right behind you, so there’s no way you can fall. Does that sound okay?”
Megan clung to Jesse for dear life, her fingers digging into the folds of Jesse’s jacket. “Okay,” she whispered.
Jesse gave Megan her brightest smile. “You’ve been very brave.”
Megan squeezed her eyes shut, nodded, and let Jesse help her into the harness. Jesse gave Kim the signal to begin. Soon Megan was being lifted into Craig’s arms, and two other volunteers helped Jesse over the lip of the cliff.
At first Jesse felt lucky to lie flat on the dirt and simply breathe. Everything was okay. Everything was wonderful. She felt Kim’s touch on her shoulder and scrambled to her feet.
“Good job,” Kim said. “And you were right about Megan. Nance says she’s lucid and doing fine—only a little scratched and sunburned. Nothing that a few days and some rest won’t heal, but we’ll take her to Doc’s just to be certain.”
Absurdly giddy with happiness, Jesse joined Nance as she bandaged Megan’s scraped palms. Megan was quietly cooperative until the last of the cleanup was done, and then she flung herself at Jesse again. Jesse held on tight and stroked her hair.
“We’re going by Doc Thielman’s just to give you another quick checkup,” Jesse said, “and then home. Your uncle will be very glad to see you.”
The accident had subdued Megan’s rebelliousness. “I was so scared,” she said. “I thought I was going to die.”
“No. I’d never let anything happen to you. I promise.”
Megan drew back and wiped her nose with the back of her bandaged hand. “You were right,” she said with painful dignity. “I shouldn’t have come up here alone. I wanted to show you that I—” Her face crumpled.
“Hush. It’s over.” Jesse gathered her close. “We’ll talk more about it later, when you’re feeling better. And I’m not going to yell at you.”
Megan almost smiled, b
ut she wouldn’t quite meet Jesse’s gaze. “Good.” She yawned. “I’m really tired. I … don’t know why.”
“I do.” Jesse scooped the girl up and half carried her back to the truck. “This kind of thing would wipe anyone out, and you’ve been walking all day.”
She opened the passenger door and began to boost Megan into the seat. But Megan hesitated and looked back at her. “How did you know where to find me?” she asked.
Kim had asked the same question, and it was just as impossible to answer now. “I had a feeling,” Jesse said. “A very strong feeling.”
“Did you … see anyone else around when you found me?”
Anyone else? Jesse searched Megan’s eyes. “Was someone here with you when the accident happened, Megan?”
Megan bit down on her lower lip. “No. I just wondered.”
And that was not a satisfactory answer, either. But Jesse wouldn’t press the girl now. Megan couldn’t have seen David—he’d defined his “rules” pretty clearly. And David hadn’t projected a sense that someone else had been with Megan.
Further explanations would have to wait. She settled Megan into the seat and tucked a light blanket around the girl while Kim and the others disassembled and packed the equipment. Jesse joined the team for a final conference.
“You take Megan to Doc’s and home, get her into bed,” Kim said. “We’ll handle the rest. I’ve radioed town to let Megan’s uncle know she’s okay.” She glanced toward the truck. “The way she was hanging on to you, I’d think you’d known her more than a few days.”
“It is a bit unusual,” Jesse admitted.
“Kind of like your intuition about her being up here.”
“Speaking of intuition,” Jesse said quickly, “I’ve been thinking that we ought to put some signs or a fence along the cliff. We might be able to ward off some of these accidents.”
Kim took the abrupt change of subject in good stride. “I’ve been thinking the same thing myself. I’m sure folks in town would be more than willing to contribute some money after what happened today and last week. In fact, that Emerson guy would have been good at drumming up support. Although—” She looked sideways at Jesse. “I got some pretty mixed vibes from him at the party. Heard that you and he had some kind of argument.…”
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