Her Destiny

by Aimée Thurlo

  “It shouldn’t be that way,” he said slowly. “If what’s happening between us is meant to be, it’ll unfold in its own time. In the meantime, we have work to do together. What we’re facing could be a battle for our lives.”

  She nodded. “Which brings me to the reason I was on my way to find you.” As she explained, her words came out in a torrent. In a spur-of-the-moment decision, she also told him about her childhood fears and why she’d approached the well.

  “I admire your courage, woman.”

  The simple words made her spirits soar. “Thanks. That means a lot to me, coming from you.”

  “Let’s go back to that well now. We may yet be able to find some tracks or other evidence.”

  “By the way, why were you looking for me?”

  He took a deep breath. “The accident in my Jeep this morning was no accident. Someone deliberately rolled that barrel into our path.”

  Chapter Ten

  The news that the “accident” had really been a deliberate attempt on their lives filled Lanie with bone-chilling dread. “Are you certain?”

  “The ropes holding the paint barrels had been cut with a knife.”

  “But were they after you or me, and why?”

  “I don’t know, except my gut instinct tells me it has something to do with the bowl.”

  “I had it with me this morning,” she admitted.

  Gabriel’s eyes narrowed. “They couldn’t have known that, or they wouldn’t have risked the bowl.” He stared at the ground for a moment. “Or maybe the accident was meant only to unnerve us.”

  “Well, it worked. Between that and the incident at the well, I’m going to be looking behind me all the time.”

  As they approached the well, Gabriel studied the area. “You say that Ralph brought you the ladder?”

  “Yes. He was on his way to Sally’s for lunch. I guess he decided to take a shortcut, too.”

  Gabriel crouched down. “I’ve always been glad our side streets were graveled—that is, until now.” Gabriel searched methodically for footprints. “There are only a few tracks here that are clear, but they’re right around the edge of the well where Ralph probably stood as he lowered the ladder. One set came from your flats, and the other two are clearly from athletic shoes. One pair, I figure, is about a size nine, which would fit Ralph. Then there’s the other set, which appears to be slightly smaller. But it’s hard to tell. The scuffle, and then your rescue, wiped out most of the evidence.”

  “Well, if you expect me to be sorry for fighting or for being rescued, you’re nuts. I did my best at the time. I was worried about escaping, not preserving evidence.”

  “Understandable, but just be patient. I’ll find answers.”

  “Let’s hope it’ll be in time. The way things are going, we may end up dead before long.”

  His eyes darkened and shone with the intensity of a fierce desert storm. “No one will harm you again. If you’re in trouble, I’ll sense it, and I will find you. I can’t explain it, but I know I will be there to protect you.”

  The conviction of his words sent vibrations right to her soul. She didn’t know nearly as much about Gabriel as she would have liked, but she felt safe when he was around. The problem was, she couldn’t be with Gabriel all the time. They both had jobs to do. “I’ve got to go back to the boardinghouse and change. I’m already late for an appointment at the library.”

  He nodded. “That was the first place I looked after I went by Alma’s. She told me you’d be there. When I didn’t find you, I knew you were in trouble.” Without being aware of it, his hand strayed absently to the medicine pouch that hung from his belt. “It was more than the obvious fact that people don’t get lost in a town the size of Four Winds. I actually knew you were in trouble. You know what I mean, don’t you?”

  She nodded, unable to trust her voice. She knew. It was all part of what was between them, the way she’d sensed his presence in the laundry room without ever having heard or seen him. And then there were her dreams. But she wasn’t ready to talk to him about those yet.

  “Then believe me, you won’t face anything alone.” He led Lanie back to his patrol car, then dropped her off at Marlee’s. “I wouldn’t discuss any of what’s happened with her.”

  “I won’t. I’m not really sure I trust her, you know.”

  “Maybe that’s for the best, at least for now.”

  A HALF HOUR LATER, Lanie finally arrived at the library. The small bowl was safely back among her sweaters inside the dresser in her room. She wouldn’t carry it with her again, or leave it in plain sight.

  As she entered the small adobe building, it seemed to welcome her. The stillness here was comforting. The library, obviously somebody’s former home, seemed like an oasis of serenity. There were whitewashed adobe walls, the thick, original kind one seldom saw anymore. Dark pine shelves, stacked ceiling high with books, filled each room. A ladder affixed to a wooden-and-brass rail that encircled each of the rooms was provided for patrons who wanted books from the top shelves.

  Crossing to the center of the house, she located the reference desk. The telltale click of her shoes against the brick flooring announced her presence as she traversed the room.

  Lanie had expected the librarian to be as quaint and charming as the library itself. Nothing prepared her for the burly man who came out of the shadows cast by two oversize bookshelves.

  Lanie took a step back, startled, and eyed him with suspicion.

  He smiled, but somehow that didn’t make him seem any friendlier. With his massive build, he resembled a hotwater heater with a head. His arms looked powerful enough to lift the ceiling-high shelf of books behind him.

  “I’m Jake Fields, the librarian,” he introduced himself in a gravelly voice. “Can I help you find something?”

  It took her a moment, but she managed a smile. “Sorry, you startled me when you came out from behind the shelves.”

  He gave her a rueful smile. “And I’m sure I wasn’t what you were expecting, either. It’s beyond me why so many people picture librarians as frail, gray-haired females.”

  His voice was brusque, but his expression was one of weary patience. She wasn’t quite sure what to make of him. “I’m Lanie Mathews. Alma sent me to take photos of the vanity table.”

  He shook her hand, and her own disappeared inside his beefy mitt. “I’m glad. I’m looking forward to selling it. This library needs more books and less fancy trappings. That’s why I pressured the town council into letting me sell the table from the librarian’s quarters to raise funds. I certainly don’t need it.” He led the way through to a back storage room, then gestured to an intricately carved oak piece.

  “I don’t know much about antiques, but that’s beautiful.” Lanie took several shots from different angles. Once she was finished, she returned the camera to her bag. “Thanks. If you have any questions, just call Alma at the shop.”

  By the time she walked back into Alma’s shop, Lanie realized news of her fall had spread. She could see the concern on Alma’s face and wondered how she’d found out.

  “Are you okay?” Alma asked, rushing toward Lanie. “I heard from Rosa that you fell into the old well. Is that true? Jerry; at the post office, told her about it.”

  There was no telling exactly how the news had spread, except that one way or another it must have come from Ralph or the person who’d pushed her in. The story would be impossible to track, though.

  “Are you okay?” Alma repeated.

  “Yes, I’m fine, but honestly, the last thing I need is to become the talk of the town again. Can you downplay this if you hear anyone discussing it?”

  She shook her head. “It gets worse, I’m afraid,” Alma said, giving her an apologetic look.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Before I knew of the accident, I called Ralph to tell him that you had brought the bowl for me to examine this morning. I was trying to debunk the stories about its being valuable. Only, after what happened with the pain
t barrels and the accident at the well, you and the bowl are a hot topic of conversation. In case you’re interested, people are saying that when the tide finally changes, and it starts bringing you good luck, you’re going to end up with everything you’ve ever wanted.”

  “If I survive,” Lanie muttered.

  “I had a call from Mike Madison. He’s a big-time dealer from Santa Fe who works with private collectors. He also learned about the bowl and wants to travel here to see it. If it’s genuine and can be dated and identified, he’d like to buy it. He says he can make you a very generous offer.”

  “Do you know him?”

  “Of him is more like it. I can tell you, though, that he’s as good as his word. Problem is, I really don’t think the bowl will stand up to the scrutiny a serious collector will give it.”

  “It doesn’t matter. I’m not ready to part with it, anyway.” Lanie had a feeling there was more to the bowl than she’d originally thought. She remembered the pulsing warmth that had radiated from the bowl into her body when she’d been chilled to the bone inside that well. And soon after, she’d been rescued.

  “You certainly aren’t going to start believing it has mystical properties, are you?” Alma stared at her. “I mean, I’ve heard stranger things, but I figured you to be the practical type.”

  “I’m not sure about anything nowadays,” she confessed. “I used to know my own mind at least, but ever since I arrived in Four Winds, my life’s been crazy.”

  “It’s that way for all of us at first. Then we find ourselves and begin new lives.”

  “Was it that way for you?”

  Alma hesitated. “This store was always Emily’s obsession. I never really thought we’d make a go of it here, and the first year we barely made it financially. But we’d used all of our money to produce the catalog, so we had to stick it out. I really hated the store that year. The way we’d locked ourselves in was almost like being caught in a trap. Emily didn’t agree, of course, but then this store was the culmination of everything she wanted. Just as I thought we’d have to move on or go completely bankrupt, orders started coming in.”

  “Are you happy here?”

  “I suppose. Sometimes I wish I’d married when I was younger, though. I would have had a family of my own by now, and something besides the store in my life. Then again, the way families are today, maybe things wouldn’t have been any different.”

  The loneliness in Alma’s words touched her deeply. Maybe it took someone well acquainted with that emotion to understand the cost it exacted. Alma had obviously lost her lifetime companion when her sister had died.

  After the death of her student, Lanie had lost her ability to teach, to do the work that had given her life purpose. If anyone could understand and sympathize with Alma, she could.

  IT WAS CLOSE TO FIVE when Lanie helped close up the shop. “Do you want me to stay and write catalog copy with you? I normally do chores for Marlee in the evenings, but I’m sure she won’t mind if I’m a bit late.”

  “No, thanks,” Alma said, continuing to study the reference manual before her. “Good night,” she added absently.

  Lanie walked back to the boardinghouse, making sure she stayed on the main path all the way. She’d taken all the picturesque side trips she ever intended to take in Four Winds.

  A short time later, she arrived at the boardinghouse. Marlee was standing near the window, a tense look on her face. Lanie stopped in midstep and glanced at the tall, thin man in the room with her.

  “This gentleman’s been waiting for you,” Marlee said. “I’ll be in the kitchen if you need me,” she added, excusing herself.

  Lanie watched her, suspecting that Marlee had done too much today, since she was favoring her leg more than usual. “What can I do for you?” she asked, turning her attention quickly to the stranger.

  “My name’s Mike Madison,” he said, shaking her hand. “I’ve heard that you recently acquired a very unusual bowl.”

  “I’m not sure what you mean by ‘unusual,’“ she said, “but it was a gift someone gave me, one that I value.”

  He nodded slowly. “May we sit down?”

  She gestured for him to have a seat on the sofa, then sat across from him on a chair. Madison seemed to exude that old-money style that was synonymous with class and breeding. It could have been an affectation, but she didn’t think so. He was probably used to success and undaunted by obstacles. “What’s your interest in the bowl?”

  “First I’d like to examine it. If it fits the requirements my buyer has given me, then I’m prepared to make you an offer right now.”

  “I’m sorry you’ve come all this way. It isn’t for sale.”

  “Would you mind if I took a look anyway?” Madison pressed. “If it interests me, perhaps the peddler who gave it to you could find me another comparable one.”

  So he knew how she’d acquired it. “I understand he’s very hard to find.”

  “I’m a resourceful man.”

  Lanie considered his request. It couldn’t do any harm, and it wouldn’t hurt to have the goodwill and interest of a big-time dealer, in case she ever did decide to sell it.

  “I’ll let you view the bowl, but please don’t handle it. It’s really not for sale, and I don’t want to risk any damage to it.”

  He nodded. “Very well.”

  She went to her room and returned a moment later with the bowl. Lanie lowered it carefully onto the coffee table before him, but remained close by.

  Madison crouched down and studied it from all angles. “Without specific tests, I can’t say for certain, but I’m willing to trust my experience. I’d say this is the genuine article, all right”

  “A skinwalker’s bowl?”

  “That I can’t say. But the markings and the weathered edges make it a rather interesting piece. of antique pottery, at the very least.” He stood up slowly. “I can tell you that I’d be extremely interested in buying it, should you ever change your mind about selling.”

  “You said you were prepared to make an immediate offer. But how can you do that without authenticating it first?”

  “I’ve been in this business for a very long time. I’m willing to gamble. Are you interested in selling?”

  Just then, Lanie heard the screen door open. Gabriel came in wearing a denim shirt and jeans. The medicine pouch hung from his belt, but his badge was nowhere to be seen. Giving her a nod, he sat in Marlee’s chair by the window and began to read the newspaper.

  Lanie stared at him, annoyed. She couldn’t shake the feeling that he was deliberately eavesdropping.

  “I understand you like to travel,” Madison said. “I could make sure you have a top-notch vehicle, suited to cross-country travel, in exchange for the bowl. You could be on the road by the day after tomorrow.”

  Lanie realized that he’d done his homework. He knew about her broken-down car and probably a great deal more. She glanced at Gabriel out of the corner of her eye. The paper was in front of his face, but she could tell he was watching, waiting for her response.

  Irritated, she turned her attention to the antique dealer. “Would you also be willing to add some expense money to that deal?”

  He wrote down a figure on a piece of paper and handed it to her. “How’s this? You understand that, between the vehicle and the cash, that’s the price I’d pay for an authenticated piece. I’m taking quite a chance.”

  She looked into his eyes. She doubted that this man ever took any real risks. He was darned sure that it was genuine, just as sure as Alma had been that it wasn’t Her curiosity was piqued. Now she was really interested to see how far the price could be pushed.

  She handed him back the sheet of paper on which was written the figure. “I appreciate your interest, but no.”

  Madison stood. “All right. Here’s my final offer. There’s no vehicle with this. It’ll be strictly a cash transaction.” He wrote a new number on the sheet. “And if you accept, we’ll seal the deal in a few hours. All I need to do is find
a bank.”

  Gabriel crossed the room, still carrying the newspaper, and bumped into the man hard. “Sorry! I wasn’t looking where I was going.”

  She scarcely glanced at Gabriel, stunned by the high figure written on the paper before her. The sum would support her for a very long time.

  “I’m prepared to give you ten percent right now, in cash.” Madison reached into his back pocket. Suddenly his expression changed. His confidence vanished, and in its place was shock, then anger. “My wallet, it’s gone.”

  He glanced around, obviously looking for Gabriel. “How long have you known the gentleman who was just in here?” He peered into the next room, the kitchen, searching.

  “I can assure you he’s incapable of stealing anything. Where else have you been today?” She helped him check the sofa where he’d been sitting, then look around the room, but they found nothing.

  “I’m going to call the sheriff and file a report. May I use the telephone?”

  She gestured to the end table, deciding not to tell him Gabriel was the sheriff. “Help yourself.”

  As she picked up her bowl, Lanie glanced around for Gabriel. She had no doubt he’d picked the man’s pocket, though she was just as certain he had no intention of keeping the wallet. His reasons, however, escaped her. Perhaps he’d been worried that she would yield to temptation and sell the bowl, despite all his warnings. That was the only thing that made sense. Yet what bothered her most was that, until now, she would not have believed Gabriel capable of pulling such a stunt.

  A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. Not that she’d ever thought him saintly. She thought of confronting him, though. She knew she’d never be able to intimidate or bluff him into admitting anything. If he did, it would be only on his own terms, and because he chose to. And undoubtedly he would insist that he’d only had her best interests at heart. Her smile faded. That argument reminded her too much of her experiences at the countless foster homes she’d lived in as a girl. For as far back as she could remember, when people claimed to do things for her own good, that seldom turned out to be true. Those who professed to care for her had been the least trustworthy of all.