Beau looked up from the rug where he slept near my feet.
A shiver ran up my back. “Oh. Good idea. More energy, right?”
Sky smiled. “Hope so.” When he tried to stand he stiffened with pain. “Damn, that hurts.”
Roberta put a hand under his arm and helped him up. “In the bedroom, I think. We can get you and Beau up on the bed at the same time.”
I followed as she led Sky to the bed, whistling to Beau, who trailed after us with his big tail wagging. I hopped onto one side of the bed to lure Beau after me. He looked at me as if I were offering to let him try on my underwear, so shocked that he was actually being invited onto such hallowed grounds. But after a few kissy noises, he leapt onto the bed, causing it to screech and bounce from his great weight.
Roberta motioned to me. “Hold him up there, Marcella. You stay against the wall, keep the dog where he is.”
I tried not to think of the last time Sky and I had lain together in bed. It certainly wasn’t with a two-ton Bernese Mountain Dog between us.
Beau was so excited when Sky lowered himself gently onto the mattress that it was all I could do to hold him back. He lapped at Sky’s arms and hands, and he wiggled all over. I wondered if he sensed a genetic connection to Callie. Could he know this was her big brother? Could all the years of Callie crying on his furry coat over her lost brother have reached into Beau’s heart and given him a special connection to Sky? After a bit, he settled down and laid his head on the pillow with a big snort and one heavy wag of his tail.
Roberta looked out at Quinn, who remained wooden-faced on the phone. She gently nudged the door closed, perhaps to keep our noise from bothering my husband. But when she told Sky to strip, I realized it was probably to spare Quinn more jealousy.
“Take everything off down to your skivvies,” she said. “Marcella, can you get Beau to lie down?”
With Roberta’s help, Sky slipped out of his dark green tee shirt and khakis. Quinn had lent him a pair of his own clean boxers with red, white, and blue stripes. They looked so familiar and yet unfamiliar on Sky. I tried not to notice.
“My oils,” Sky said. He seemed to have trouble getting the words out, and the lines around his eyes deepened. He caught my look of concern. “Sorry. I’m just beat. Haven’t really slept in a week, except for last night.”
Roberta handed him the backpack. He dumped the oils on the edge of the bed and seemed to perk up.
She helped him line them up on the nightstand. “Okay. Which do you start with?”
He pointed to one of the long slender glass tubes with a roll-on applicator. “Deep Relief. I need that for my muscle aches. My back. My neck. My shoulders. My knees.”
Roberta handed it to him, reading from the side of the bottle. “Peppermint, balsam fir, clove, vetiver, wintergreen, lemon, helichrysum, and copaiba. Nice.”
Sky unscrewed the cap, leaned sideways, and began stroking the slim roll-on bottle in ever widening circles on his lower back.
The aroma—crisp, minty, and refreshing—filled the room.
He reached up to his shoulder, rolled the oil blend onto one and then the other, then handed me the bottle. “Can you do my shoulder blades? I can’t quite…”
Feeling like I was in the beginning of a cheesy porn movie, I quickly rolled the stuff onto his broad back and briskly rubbed it in. “There ya go.” I patted him harder than I should have.
Rolling back on his pillow as if the whole thing had tired him out, he smiled with his eyes closed. “Thanks. Do you ladies know much about these ingredients?”
Roberta was distracted, looking at all the brightly colored labels. “I know a little.”
I patted Beau and tried to look anywhere but at the patriotic boxers. “Quinn’s been raving about them, and as much as I try to deny it, each time he puts one on me, I feel transported or something. The stuff really works.”
Sky smiled, but his eyes remained closed. “That’s why I work for Young Living, Marcella. And I helped Dr. Young with this blend.”
“The Deep Relief?” I said.
“Right. Did you know the copaiba oil is commonly used in anti-inflammatory recipes prescribed by traditional medical practitioners in the Amazon? It’s known to reduce inflammation and muscle spasms.” He put his palms together, edge-to-edge, and inhaled deeply. “And helichrysum has been studied by European researchers for regenerating tissue and improving circulation. It’s in really short supply, so it’s one of Young Living’s most prized oils. Lots of people use it to for tension relief, too.”
I copied Sky and breathed deeply over my open hands. The lift that coursed through me reminded me of days on my grandparents’ farm, smelling sweet ripe tomatoes or the sublime aroma of fresh lilacs. There was a definite emotional component, as if my endorphins had taken flight in a deep blue sky like a skywriter gone wild. “Why does it make me feel so good inside?”
Sky opened one eye and grinned. “You noticed, huh?”
“Yeah.”
“Many of the oils have been proven to cause a boost in endorphins, antibodies, and neurotransmitters milliseconds after the oils are inhaled. I’m talking real science, you know, brain scans and such done by medical research facilities. Same goes for topical applications. Partly, it’s the sesquiterpines. They penetrate and oxygenate the cells almost instantly.”
Roberta laughed. “So we feel better, fight germs better, and think clearer?”
Sky nodded. “You got it. But what’s probably working on you now is the palo santo essential oil, bursera graveolens. It’s known as a spiritual oil and is harvested at Gary Young’s Ecuador farm. Traditionally, it’s been used to purify and cleanse the spirit from negative energies.”
“Really?” I said. “Sounds a little kooky to me.”
Sky laughed, surprising me with the boisterous sound. I didn’t think he had that much energy left in his weary body.
“It sounds kooky until you realize there are many aromas that soothe you, make you feel better. The molecules float through the air and enter into your inner brain cells in less than a second. That’s where they do their magic.” He turned back to Roberta. “Lavender and Melrose, please.”
The sharp, sweet scent of lavender overwhelmed the milder aroma of Melrose. I watched as Sky layered the two oils over his raw wounds. “These are both good for healing the skin. Now give me the frankincense, that’s good for…well, just about everything.”
He rubbed the frankincense on top of the other oils, which seemed to dry quickly. The bedroom filled with a scent that reminded me of church.
“Do they use that in religious ceremonies, Sky?” I reached for the bottle when he was done and sniffed. “Wow. Powerful. I read a little about it in that guidebook you gave Callie. It’s good for depression, too, isn’t it?”
“This stuff is so multidimensional, Marcella, it’s like God said, ‘How can I help my people?’ and decided to give us frankincense to fix just about everything that ails us. Young Living uses a vendor in northern Africa near the Arabian Peninsula. The stuff is like magic; it eases aches and pains, clears the lungs, acts as a skin tonic, and lifts depression.” He took the bottle back from me and rubbed it on the back of his neck. “It’s stimulating and elevating.”
I inhaled the sweet, warm, balsamic smell. “I like it.”
“And if you want to get scientific, frankincense contains those very same sesquiterpines that stimulate the limbic system of the brain—the center of memory and emotions—and the hypothalamus, pineal, and pituitary glands.”
I snatched the bottle back from him. “Give me some of that stuff. Where should I put it?”
Roberta chimed in. “Don’t you rub it on the bottoms of your feet?”
I laughed, but Sky nodded. “Don’t laugh. She’s right. That’s where the largest cells are to receive the oils and distribute them around your body.”
“No way.” I stared at them both. “That sounds nuts.”
Roberta reached for the bottle. “I’ve actually got some o
f this at home. My healer friend gave it to me. She said to try an experiment. Put a clove of garlic between your toes, and see how long before you taste garlic in your mouth.”
I stared. “No kidding?”
She smiled. “I actually tried it. The essence of garlic gets transported fast through your cells—I really tasted garlic in just a few seconds. Made me a believer in these big cells on the bottom of my feet.” She tilted a few drops into my hand. “Go ahead. Put it on your feet. You’ll probably need it today.”
With a chuckle, I rubbed the oil on the bottoms of my feet and turned back to Sky. “Is that all you need? Can we try the crystal now?”
He settled down on his pillow, one hand on Beau’s collar and one hand stretched out to Roberta. “I’m ready.”
She suspended the crystal above his heart. It swung in a lazy circle, glinting in the light that streamed in the window. Slowly, she lowered it until it rested on his chest. “There you go. Now breathe deeply, in through the nose, out through the mouth.”
I held Beau’s collar from the other side, since he constantly tried to turn his head to lick Sky’s hand. With my other hand, I stroked his big head. “Good boy. Just relax now.” I followed Roberta’s breathing commands without thinking. In through the nose, out through the mouth.
It happened faster this time, and with more intensity than I could imagine. The world went fuzzy around the edges, and the black hole that appeared in the center of my vision grew rapidly larger, much like a migraine donut but shimmery, like a veil fluttering over a cave’s opening.
“Something’s happening,” I started to say. But I didn’t hear my own words, and was swept out of the cabin faster than Sky’s oils traveled into my sensory centers.
Chapter 33
The crystal sped me into Callie’s kidnapper’s hideout. I felt as if I were a spirit, floating in the air, rather than a human with my feet solidly on the ground. As the room came into focus, I noticed a thick-necked man in a black leather jacket. He stood over Callie, who curled shivering in a corner, clasping her crystal to her chest.
The crystal must stay close to your soul for the bonding to work.
Thick-neck leaned down and leered at her. “So this is her, huh?” He turned to another man, who leaned against the doorway.
I stood between them, amazed they couldn’t see me. Using the strength of the whole crystal combined with the piece in Beau’s collar had moved me from the experience of looking through a peep-hole into Callie’s immediate space, to actually standing in the room.
If you could call it standing. My feet touched the floor, but didn’t. I felt unbalanced, yet I didn’t fall.
Thick-neck smelled like fried liver and greasy onions.
So I could smell in this weird dimension?
I wrinkled my nose and floated closer to Callie, wondering if she’d sense me. With a start, I realized Sky—equally amorphous—was at my side. Somehow I sensed another presence lurking behind us, and idly wondered if it could be Beau.
A portly man watched Thick-neck and Callie from the doorway. “Watch out. I tried to nail her, but she fights like a bobcat.” His wide, round face should have owned a smile. Instead, dirty brown eyes glimmered with resentment. “She bites, too.” He rubbed his arm and scowled. “Crap. She’s not worth it. Skinny little bitch.”
“Good for you, Callie! Fight like hell.” I tried stepping forward, feeling as though I trod on a filmy slippery surface that held no purchase. I expected to fall, yet miraculously stayed upright. This crystal-vision stuff sure was odd. More like a ghost transportation device, with me being the ghost.
Callie looked up with a radiant expression on her face that reminded me of Shirley Temple in the movie Dimples. While the chorus and Philip Bailey (Pearl Bailey’s brother) sang “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot,” the dying little girl looked to the Heavens and saw the angels coming to take her home.
Callie’s expression of long-hoped-for-salvation made me want to sob and reach out to her.
With wide eyes, she clutched the crystal closer to her body. “Marcie? Are you here?”
Sky’s image towered behind Thick-neck, shimmering in the afternoon light.
Thick-neck turned, but didn’t see either of us. His near-white eyes glittered with purpose. Leaning down again, he fingered Callie’s unkempt hair. “I think she’d be a nice lay, Bruno. Maybe you just don’t have the right touch.” He laughed quietly, with a silvery voice that made my stomach turn, then yanked hard on Callie’s hair, pulling her toward the bed. She stumbled after him. “See? You just have to romance them a little.”
In a dizzying flash, Sky’s hand rose and fell on the man’s jugular.
With a sudden intake of breath, the man reached to his neck and howled. “Holy crap! Did you do that, you little witch?”
Sky’s voice broke through the barrier. “I did it, dickhead. Now leave my sister alone or I’ll carve out your entrails and fry them over the camp fire.”
Tears streamed down Callie’s face. She looked up, down, sideways, unseeing. “Oh my God. Sky?”
I raced to Callie’s side, still unsure of my footing. I tried to put my arms about her shaking shoulders, and felt her breathing beside me, but the connection was nebulous. I stroked her hair and whispered in her ear. “We’re coming for you, honey. Hold on to that crystal. And fight like hell.”
Eyes wide with fright, she looked in my direction. “Marcie? Where are you?”
Bruno put both hands on the doorjamb. His jaw hung open. “What the hell was that? Did you hear it, Rat Man?”
So, Thick-neck had a nickname. Rat Man?
Feeling like we were watching characters in a 1940s gangster movie, I watched as Rat Man ran a shaky hand through his shorn gray hair.
He turned to Bruno with a nasty smile. “Maybe she’s a ventriloquist. She sure has some fire in her.” He rubbed his neck and sneered at Callie. “Let’s clean her up. Get me a hair brush and a wet towel.” He reached out to touch Callie’s face, then gawked down at her legs. “I’d like to have those wrapped around me.”
Bruno left and came back with the requested items.
Rat Man sat on the bed. “Let’s see who’s under all that grime.” With a faux-tender touch that churned my stomach, Callie’s captor wiped her face as if cleaning up a messy child, all the while slowly raking his eyes up and down her body.
She sat still, almost catatonic, occasionally whispering my name.
“I’m here, honey. Sky’s here, too. He’s alive. And we’re coming to get you. But you’ve gotta help us.”
Her eyes welled with tears, wildly racing from left to right as if trying to see me. “How do I help?”
“You sit still, my lovely little kitten.” Rat Man started to brush her hair. I felt the touch of his hand, and tried to shove him off her, but couldn’t make my hands work. I half felt Callie’s shoulders, but his hands slipped right through mine when I tried to push them away. I wondered how Sky had channeled his energy so successfully. Maybe because the big crystal lay on his chest? Did it give him more power?
Sky moved closer. “Callie. Give us a clue. Tell us where you are.” He moved past me—no, it was more like through me—and whispered something in her ear.
She paled and trembled. “Sky.” Sobbing now, she tried to keep her head up so Rat Man wouldn’t pull her hair again. “I don’t know where I am.”
Bruno chuckled nervously from the doorway. “Man. She’s a psycho.”
Rat Man shushed her as if calming a wild horse. “It’s okay now, pretty one. I’m just going to clean you up some more. It doesn’t matter where you are, does it? Because you’re with your pals, now. Bruno and I just want to make you feel good, like a real woman. Won’t that be nice?” He started to pull her shirt up. “Now let’s just get this dirty thing off you.”
Sky’s arm went around Rat Man’s neck like a hangman’s noose, snapping tight. He dragged him off the bed and dumped him on the other side of the room.
I knew Sky was strong. He’d prob
ably killed hundreds of men in the war. But this was superhuman strength.
Sky’s translucent foot stomped on Rat Man’s thick neck, pinning him to the ground.
Bruno yelled from the door, pointing at Sky’s image that now faintly glowed, slightly visible. “Holy crap! It’s a friggin’ spirit, Rat Man. And he’s right on top of you!” Bruno turned and ran, still hollering.
Rat Man pushed up on Sky’s foot, unable to move it. “What the hell?” When Sky finally released him, he crab-walked backwards, toward the door. “Christ. The bitch is haunted. She’s got demons protecting her.”
I tried to reach out again to touch Callie, to tell her it would be okay. But something dragged at me, draining me away and out of the room, like a cosmic vacuum that whooshed me back onto the bed at Tall Pines. I opened my eyes beside Beau and Sky, drenched in cold sweat. I felt like I’d run a marathon on a hundred-degree day.
Sky’s eyes fluttered open seconds later. Roberta—whose head had dropped onto Sky’s chest—stirred and raised her eyes to mine. “I know those scumbags.”
With a start, I sat up. “You were there? You saw? I sensed someone behind us, but I didn’t know it was you.”
She nodded and stood, eyes wide and flickering with excitement. “I was touching Sky when the vision began. I saw it all.”
Sky’s face darkened. “Roberta, you know where those pricks live?”
“Not exactly. But I do know where they hunt. And that little cabin’s not too far from my shop.”
Beau leapt over Sky as if he knew we were going after Callie. He pranced on the floor, whining. I followed him, climbing carefully over Sky’s wounded body. “Just a minute, boy. I’ll let you out in a sec.” I turned to Roberta. “Where’s the cabin, exactly?”
Before she could answer, Quinn opened the door. He glanced at Sky’s practically naked body, picked up the khakis, and tossed them at Sky. “Put some clothes on, man.” With a possessive gesture, he put his arm around me and led me backwards, away from the bed. “McCann’s gonna call me back. I gave his secretary the landline number. They bounced me back and forth between various departments the whole time.”
Tall Pines Mysteries: A Mystery/Suspense Boxed Set Page 40