Whisper Cape

by Susan Griscom

  Chapter 23

  Addie's face was hot, and she wanted to cry, but not in front of him. She wasn’t about to give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry over him. She took a deep breath as he grabbed her by the arms. She held on to his waist and closed her eyes.

  When they entered her apartment, he let her go and disappeared, leaving her standing alone without even saying goodbye.

  It was over, just like that? He wasn’t in love with her, said he had better things to do. The words stung, and she fought back tears. Sure, she knew he had an obligation to the Sectorium and would do everything possible to protect her, but throwing the sex in her face was cruel. Was it just casual sex to him? She really thought she had meant more to him, and now it was over. She stood there stunned for several minutes, not caring whether she lived or died.

  ***

  For a Saturday, the bar and grill didn't have many customers. Just as well, as far as Addie was concerned. She was in no mood to play nice with anybody today, her belligerent and rude behavior uncontrollable. Never before had she felt so used and betrayed.

  “Damn it, Darcy. Why didn’t you just say what you wanted in the first place? Now you made me waste a perfectly good drink.”

  “I did tell you. You weren’t listening. You have your head in the clouds today.”

  “I do not. You need to speak more clearly and stop mumbling so a person can understand what it is you need.”

  “It seems to me you’re the one who needs to pay closer attention to the orders and stop screwing them up. I don’t know what’s going on with you, but you’d better stop yelling at me, or you’re going to find yourself flat on your ass.”

  “You’d better watch your own ass, it’s certainly big enough.”

  Darcy's face turned red and she walked around the bar, hands fisted at her sides.

  Jared stuck his head out from the kitchen. “What the …?”

  Gerry grabbed Addie by the arm and pulled her out the back door, stopping Darcy in her tracks as Jared looked on with wide eyes.

  “Darcy, watch the bar,” Gerry barked on their way out.

  “Let go of me.” Addie squirmed to tug free.

  Once outside Gerry let go of her arm. It was nippy outside and Addie leaned up against the wall, crossing her arms over her chest, her sleeves still rolled up from when she washed glasses. Gerry stood facing her, his arms folded across his chest, mimicking her. Addie kept her eyes on the ground.

  It was no use. To Gerry, she was an open book. He read her moods better than anyone did. After all, they worked side-by-side most every day. There was an unspoken mutual respect and admiration between them.

  “What the hell’s the matter with you, Addie?”

  “Nothing.”

  “You’ve been jumping down everyone’s throat all morning. This isn’t like you. What’s going on?”

  “It’s really none of your business.”

  “Bollocks. Don’t give me any bloody bullshit. The man you’re seeing, Cael, did he do something to you? Did he hurt you then?”

  “I don’t want to talk about it,” she said, her arms still crossed and her eyes cast down toward the ground.

  “Oh, I think you’d better or ...”

  She looked up. “Or what, Gerry? You think just because I work for you I have to do everything you tell me to do, or maybe because you’re fucking my aunt you have the right to pry into my personal business? Well, you don’t. I don’t have to tell you anything.”

  Addie hadn’t meant to be so crude and spiteful but she’d had enough of people telling her what to do. She was unable to shake off the sting of Cael's words and had given up on controlling her anger when lashing out at everyone seemed easier. If she softened, she’d break down and she refused to permit herself that luxury right now. It took less effort to stay hard and angry.

  Gerry lowered his head and scrunched his eyes closed as he squeezed the bridge of his nose. Addie knew the gesture, knew the signs of the man gaining his composure before he said something he might regret.

  “No, not when you keep it outside of work, but when you start bringing your personal issues to work with you—throwing out insults to customers and other employees—that’s when I get involved. And no, I don’t think I have the right to pry into your personal business, I just happen to care about you ... and if he’s done anything to hurt you then, aye, I make it my business.”

  She turned to walk back in, snubbing everything he’d just said.

  Gerry grabbed her arm again, holding her back. “Addie, you will not ignore me. If you don’t want to talk about it, fine. Just look me in the eye and tell me he hasn’t hurt you.”

  His eyes searched hers; knowing he already knew the truth, but unable to face it herself, she lied. “He hasn’t.”

  He stood holding her arms—eyes steady on hers for a long, intense moment before he said anything—and she hoped he didn't detect the tears welling in her eyes.

  “Okay then,” he said with a tenderness she hadn’t expected. “I want you to take the rest of the day off. I’ll get Maia or Nick in to cover for you tonight.”

  “But, I ...” and then she broke. Tears flooded down her cheeks. “Oh God, I didn’t want to cry, I can’t cry. I need to be strong.” Her arms went up to her head as she fell against Gerry and sobbed.

  “There, now.” He gently stroked her head then lifted her arms. “What the fuck is this? Did he do this? He’ll pay for this, he’ll be sorry he hurt you.”

  Gerry’s voice cooed in her ears as she wept. She was absorbed in her own anguish, not paying much attention to what he was saying. She swiped her tears with the back of her hand. “I apologize; I appreciate your concern. I’m sorry I’ve been so hard to get along with today.”

  “Ahhh... I’m sorry, too, Addie. I should have realized what kind of man he was right from the beginning. Bart’s nephew or not, that son of a bitch won’t get away with this.”

  “Okay, I guess I should take the rest of the day off. It’ll probably be better for everyone.”

  “Good, you look exhausted.”

  She forced a smile, but her heart ached. Cael’s last words still rang loud in her ears. “I can’t keep hanging around, twenty-four/seven, having casual sex with you. It’s not as if we’re in love or anything. It’s over, Addison.”

  What would she do without him? Where should she go? If she left the bar now, how would she let Cael know where she was? Did he even care? They never bothered to exchange cell numbers—since up to now he was always with her. She wasn’t sure where she should go. If she drove to his house, Eidolon might follow and know where she’d been hiding. If she went home, he might follow her there. God, she was pathetic. Maybe Cael was right. She was depending on him too much. She had powers; she would use them if she needed to.

  Then it dawned on her. She would drive downtown to the stores where other people were. She’d be safe there, even pick up a few new outfits while she was at it. After being with Cael, she wanted to take better care of her appearance, but then if Cael was serious about ending it, what did her appearance matter, anyway? Well, she’d do it for herself. Obviously, he had been in it just for the sex and after this was all over, he would go back to New York and forget all about her.

  Could she forget him? She didn’t want to; no man could ever make her feel as wonderful as Cael had.

  She drove the short ten minutes up the coast to the little shops in the neighboring downtown area and parked her truck on the street. With a heavy weight in her chest, she found it difficult to get excited about shopping. Perhaps if she found something sexy she could...

  Who was she kidding? Cael was adamant about them not having that type of relationship.

  She’d been downtown a few times before, but until now never with the intent of actually buying clothes. Maybe she would just do some window-shopping.

  Walking along the charming cobblestoned sidewalk, she noticed a variety of little boutiques on both sides of the street, stretching a span of about two blocks.
There were antique shops, art galleries, clothing stores, gift shops, even a little pastry shop—all the usual tourist places. It was a small town with no traffic signals or gaudy business signs. She stopped for a few seconds to admire an attractive little garden tucked in between two buildings. A man and woman sat on a bench throwing an occasional crumb from a muffin they shared out to a bunch of hungry little birds. They looked happy and in love. She turned away from them as the vision made her think of Cael.

  She walked across the street, glancing in each window as she passed. She stopped at one of the dress shops, focusing on a few of the items when an ominous awareness came over her, as if someone was watching her. Addie looked over her shoulder, but didn’t see anyone suspicious. She walked past a café and considered stopping for a cup of coffee and maybe a muffin. Her stomach was in knots from all the arguing, and she thought it might be a good idea to put something in it. She ordered coffee and a banana nut muffin and sat for a long while thinking about Cael. She stared blankly into space, crumbling the muffin into tiny pieces, scattering them around the plate. She glanced down at it and realized she hadn’t taken one bite. She pushed it away, finished the coffee, and left.

  ***

  Cael kicked the wall outside the police station. It was an old building and the force of his foot caused the stucco to crack. He felt horrible about fighting with Addison. He’d wanted to hold her and take back the casual sex remark when he saw the anguish on her face. Why would she think he didn’t like her personality? It hadn’t been about that and he hated the way he had treated her. The argument had just been a necessary ruse to facilitate an end to the physical side of their relationship and his piss-poor lack of judgment. “Yeah, mission accomplished, fuck-head.”

  He had to make her understand how important her role was. They couldn’t let their emotions interfere. He wasn’t sure if she was in love with him or not, but he was certainly on his way to falling in love with her. One thing he was right about was the sex, though. They needed to stop or they just might end up dead. Discovering his ability to teleport had disappeared while he was aroused was staggering. He had no idea before, since he’d never tried it. The revelation scared the hell out of him. If Eidolon ever attacked when they were having sex, he would kill them both. He wasn’t sure about Addison’s powers. They were so new to her—she hadn’t even begun to realize her strengths. He hated ending things with her, but it was over, done with. She’d probably never want to talk to him again anyway, after this morning.

  Chief Thompson sat behind a wide desk cluttered with piles of files and pictures of the two dead women scattered in front of him. A black mug with an insignia of the police department sat half empty in the middle of it all.

  Cael walked in and the chief looked up.

  “Detective, glad you stopped by. We've identified the two women, the first as Lisa White and the second as Karen Strung—both from Portland.”

  Cael studied the photographs and knew immediately why Eidolon had chosen them as his victims.

  “They look alike.” Similar to Addison.

  “Yes, I agree.”

  “Since they resemble each other, it could be murder.”

  “Hmmm … I don't see any other connection between the two. One woman, slain by a wild animal and left mutilated in a field, the other washed up on the beach after having plummeted a hundred feet to the rocks below—most likely a suicide. I don't think either one of the women were murdered.”

  “Will you keep me informed of any new developments?”

  “Will do.”

  Cael kept his knowledge of Eidolon to himself. Divulging that information would only result in the Chief doubting his sanity, and it could risk exposing the Sectorium. The message was loud and clear, though. Eidolon was targeting these women because they looked like Addison. Cael was certain Eidolon hoped to scare her enough into revealing the whereabouts of the crystal and the book when he captured her. Cael had to make sure he never got the chance.

  ***

  Cael left the chief’s office and took off to the Sectory to check on the evidence he’d left there. He materialized directly in the laboratory, a room set up with mostly medical equipment, various machines and monitors with an assortment of wires hanging loosely from them. There were a couple of cots covered with white sheets and lightweight blankets folded neatly at the foot of each. It had all the current necessities required for testing evidence. The bloodstain turned out to be the victim’s, no surprise there. But the identity of the only fingerprint lifted off the broken beer bottle had Cael's heart in his throat.

  Addison must have served the bottle of beer to the killer who somehow left the bar with it, smashing it to use as a weapon. He had hoped, with any luck, that someone else’s prints would show up as well.

  Unfortunately, luck wasn’t on their side.

  The broken bottle hadn’t been what killed the woman, though. Maybe Eidolon had used it to threaten her, to go with him to the field before ... before what? Turning into an animal or a monster?

  What frightened Cael more was the thought of Eidolon taking the bottle directly from Addison’s hand. He ran his fingers through his hair as he walked down the long hallway of the Sectory to his mother’s office.

  He rounded the corner through the open double doors and knocked lightly, more to alert Siana Sheridan of his presence than to ask permission to enter. Her doors were always open and visitors always welcome. Siana sat behind her large marble-top desk studying her computer and looked up with a smile when he entered. Cael glanced around. Not a single piece of paper lay out of place and not a shred of clutter existed. Rays of sun danced down on a dustless table with two rich dark brown leather chairs tucked in on either side. He inhaled the sweet aroma he loved while growing up. Her office always smelled of gardenias.

  “Hi, Mom.”

  “Cael, honey, it’s good to see you.” She stood and walked to him, caressing him in a warm embrace.

  “Got a minute?”

  “Of course, I was hoping you’d come by. Any news? Come in and tell me; have a seat.” Siana gestured to the dark brown leather sofa against the wall.

  Cael stepped toward it but didn't sit. He turned and faced her, sticking his hands in his pockets, feeling like a ten-year-old reporting his day's adventures at school.

  “Uncle Bart says hello and he claims you owe him a visit.”

  “Yes, I do. It’s been a while, but you tell your uncle the train runs in both directions.”

  “I will, but then he’ll just remind me that you’re the one with the free ride.”

  Siana smiled. “Yes, I suppose I am ... but you haven't come here to talk about Bart. You have information about Addison MacKenna.”

  “Yes.” He always had a difficult time keeping things from his mother since her abilities were similar to his. He remembered having some weird conversations with her when he was younger, especially when his interest in girls had erupted—there was no point in trying to hide anything from her.

  “She’s definitely Ristéard’s daughter and she has the journal. It was in an antique box like one I think I saw in the old photographs, hidden under a false bottom. The picture of the box is missing or we would have found it sooner. Ristéard told her the box had belonged to her mother and Addison was using it to hold keepsakes.”

  “And the crystal?” his mother asked.

  “It’s hidden inside a large locket she wears around her neck. Ristéard gave it to her when she turned twenty-one. She never takes it off. In fact, the clasp is soldered shut and the only way to remove it is to break the chain. Mom, she didn’t know any of this. She’s totally innocent.”

  “I don’t doubt her innocence, Cael. What about her powers, has she started to develop any yet?”

  “Yes, a few. How did you know she has powers? I never said she had any.”

  “No, you didn’t, but she is the female child of a great man who had many powers.”

  “Right.” He shrugged off his jacket and laid it on the arm of the s
ofa while his mother walked behind her desk.

  “You say she’s innocent. Do you mean innocent or naïve?”

  “Well, in a way, both. She’s innocent because she’s a victim. She’s naïve in her skills, but she’s very intelligent.” And beautiful.

  His mother didn’t sit; instead, she turned to study Cael. “Your feelings for her are strong.”

  “Yes, I have feelings for her.”

  “You’re in love with her.”

  As he heard the words, he sat down and put his head in his hands. “I don’t want to be in love with her.”

  Siana grinned and walked to him and sat next to him on the sofa, her body facing his. “Do you really believe you have the power to choose the woman you fall in love with?”

  “Okay, yes, I love her.” He admitted it—hell, not only to himself, but to his mother as well—and all of a sudden, he felt sick.

  She placed her hand on his shoulder. “It's not supposed to be painful.”

  “I shouldn’t be in love with her. She’s Ristéard’s daughter, it’s just wrong.” He handed her the letter Ristéard wrote.

  She got up, walked behind her desk and while reading the note, lowered herself into the chair. When she finished, she looked at him, “Why would the fact that she’s Ristéard’s daughter prevent you from loving her?”

  He stood up, his hands clenched into fists. “Because, damn it, I’m just ...” He lowered his head, defeated.

  “You’re just what, Cael, just a soldier sent to protect her? Give yourself more credit, honey. You’re the greatest warrior groomed and chosen by Ristéard himself. It’s obvious to me he wanted you to be with her and trained you for this very reason. He wrote this letter to you. Don’t you see why? He loved you like a son. Couldn’t you sense the affection and the admiration he had for you? I know I did.”