To Seize a Wayward Spirit

by R. L. Naquin

  We continued down the hall and found Jackie’s bedroom. Obviously, this is where it had all gone bad.

  The bedside lamp was on the floor. The sheets, pillows and a lovely quilt I was sure Jackie had made herself were flung around the room like a tornado had hit. Everything that had been on the dresser—framed photos, a vase of yellow flowers and a ceramic bowl—lay on the floor, smashed.

  Something violent had happened here.

  As I walked through the room, the floor crunched under each step I took. I lifted one foot and found sand. It was everywhere. The beige-gray carpet hid it at first, but once I realized it was there, I saw it everywhere in the room. A fine dust had settled over all the furniture and in the wrinkles of all the fabrics.

  “Everybody out,” I said, holding out my arms. “I think we’re messing up a crime scene here.”

  Tahm and Ash backed out into the hallway. Once they were gone, I backed out, too.

  “Here.” Ash handed me a pair of booties to cover my shoes. “You get a sample of whatever that dust is. I’ll take photos.” Tyrell had given us a bag full of tools that his people would have taken with them if they’d gone. It wasn’t much, but the kit would help.

  Tahm stood behind Ash, shifting from foot to foot and trying to look into the room over her head. “What can I do to help?”

  I took a bag and a scoop from Ash. “Double-check the rest of the house. And make sure nothing ambushes us.”

  He gave a curt nod. “Got it.”

  I scooted my covered feet back into the bedroom and examined the room as a whole. The dust or sand or whatever it was made a thin coating on the right side of the room, but on the left, small drifts had collected up against the wall. I glanced at the ceiling and found an uneven circle of worn paint, as if it had been sandblasted. The overhead light was dull with the residue.

  I opened the closet door. In the far back, I found the robot Sailor Moon costume Jackie had told me about. Closer to the front hung a white catsuit that looked like it might be a space uniform. A sparkly blue ball gown took up the most room and looked like it hadn’t been worn yet. I considered taking it for evidence, but we weren’t trying to make a case against someone. We were trying to stop a murderer. If we found the killer, someone else could come back and get the dress. It probably weighed twenty pounds. I just wanted to get my sample and get out of there. It was creeping me out.

  The spot directly beneath the splotch on the ceiling had the most sand piled up, with the exact center about an inch deep. I took a pinch of the material and rubbed it between my fingers. It was gritty with a slight oily feel to it. I scooped some into the evidence bag and scooted out.

  “Go ahead, Ash. We’re not taking the dress, so we need pictures of it.” I pointed to the ceiling. “Make sure you get a shot of that, too. It’s really weird.”

  The whole thing was really weird.

  When we were done, we found Tahm in the kitchen staring out the window with his arms folded across his chest. “I don’t suppose we should talk to the neighbors.” He turned toward me, and his face was lined with worry. “What do you think?” Tahm looked lost and out of his element. The death count and lack of answers was wearing me down, but for the first time, I realized it was taking its toll on Tahm, as well. He was usually so self-assured, barging into situations and doing whatever he believed was right, regardless of what I thought.

  “Okay, guys. I think we got what we came for. Let’s turn off the lights and get some air. You both did great. Let’s leave the neighbors to Tyrell’s team. They’re the professionals.”

  Ash nodded, and I couldn’t miss the relief spreading across Tahm’s face. Why hadn’t I noticed before how much he disliked all this? How much was it costing him to follow me around the country, solving murders and chasing souls simply so we could get to know each other?

  Seventeen souls could take a long time to catch. No wonder he was in such a hurry to keep us moving. I took a deep breath and let it out. I needed to be gentler with him, and I needed to make an effort to get to know him on a deeper level. He gave up a lot to be here. I gave up a space in my truck. I could afford to be more generous and give him more of myself. After all, I loved him, didn’t I?

  Maybe the person I thought I loved was a childhood fantasy. Maybe I needed to pay more attention to the real-life person standing in front of me.

  I brushed my dirty hands on my jeans and led my team out of the house. Tahm didn’t make a peep when I used my magic to relock the front door. We piled into the truck and headed back to the sushi place to drop off our dust sample and photos of what had to be a crime scene, though I couldn’t figure out what that crime had been.

  My hands on the steering wheel looked a little gray from the stuff in the bedroom, and when I turned a corner, I noticed it under my nails. It was such a strange substance. And it had been everywhere. Had something been on fire? There was no smoke, and nothing was burned. It didn’t quite feel like ash, either. Maybe something had exploded?

  My stomach dropped, and I nearly lost my breakfast. “Oh my gods.” I swerved the truck to pull it into a gas station we’d almost passed.

  “What’s wrong?” Ash reached to touch my arm.

  “Don’t touch me!” I realized I was shouting, but I was also trying not to be sick. “I have to wash my hands.”

  I shoved through the door to the convenience store, using my hip and holding my hands up like a surgeon with freshly sterilized hands. Except my hands were the opposite of sterile. My hands were so disgusting, I might never get them clean.

  Ash trotted into the store behind me and followed me into the public restroom. She turned on the hot water for me and stood back.

  A moment later, Tahm poked his head through the door. “Is it clear for me to come in?”

  I nodded. It was a regular bathroom with a single toilet. “Lock the door.”

  He closed it and locked it. “What’s going on?”

  I ran my hands under the scorching-hot water, then pressed the lever six times to get as much soap as I could. “It’s not sand. It’s not dust.” The water automatically turned off.

  “What is it, then?” Ash turned the hot water on for me again.

  “It’s Jackie.” I scrubbed harder. “I touched dead gargoyle. We probably breathed her in. Whatever was after her made her explode.”

  In the mirror, Ash’s face turned gray. “You can’t be serious.”

  I rinsed the soap off my hands and started the whole process again. My hands and forearms were bright red. “Totally serious.”

  Tahm put his hand on my shoulder. “Are you all right?”

  I stopped scrubbing and drew in a deep breath. “Yeah. I’m okay. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to freak out like that. It just sort of took me by surprise when I figured it out.” I rinsed again, and Ash handed me a wad of paper towels.

  He took his hand away. “I’ll tell you what. You finish up in here, and I’ll see if they have any baby wipes or something so I can clean off the steering wheel for you.”

  I nodded and swallowed the lump in my throat. He was going to make me cry in a minute. “Thanks.”

  Tahm let himself out of the ladies’ room and left Ash and I alone.

  “You better now?” Ash took the wad of paper towels out of my hand and tossed them in the trash. “You don’t look as green as you did when you ran in here.”

  “I’m okay. Thanks for helping.” I faced the mirror and smoothed the stray strands of hair into my ponytail. “Ash, am I horrible?”

  She laughed. “What?”

  “To Tahm. I haven’t given him much of a chance. I’ve done nothing to get to know him. He went to a lot of trouble to find me, and now he’s playing along with this crazy reaper-chaser gig, even though he really didn’t have to. He’s been a really good sport.” I dropped my hands and sighed. “I’m awful.”

  Ash shrugged. “Talk
to him. Give him a chance. Ask him about himself.”

  “So, you’re saying we should go on a date.”

  “Maybe. What do I know? I’m eighteen, and you guys are...well, older.” Her reflection smiled at me in the mirror. “But you’re not awful.”

  * * *

  We dropped off the photos and the evidence bag at the OGRE office and let Tyrell know everything we found and everything we suspected. Then we got the hells out of there. I wanted a shower more than I’d ever wanted one before in my life. And I’d been in some pretty disgusting places over the years.

  With the murders and the lack of OGREs when we’d arrived, the team had lost sight of the original mission. We were supposed to be collecting loose souls. And I needed to have a chat with my sort-of fiancé.

  Let the professionals work on the other stuff for a few hours. I needed to pull back and catch my breath.

  After a shower hot enough to make me feel like all the yuck had been boiled off my skin, I put on clean clothes and tapped on Tahm’s door.

  “It’s open.” Thanks to the thin walls, his voice was clear.

  I pulled back my shoulders and opened the door. “Hey.”

  He sat in a chair by the window, fiddling with his phone. “Hey.”

  “Would you, maybe...” My voice quivered and my stomach tensed. I swallowed hard and tried again. “Would you, maybe, like to go for a walk? With me?”

  He blinked and stared at me at first. “Yeah. Okay. That would be...nice.” He sprang to his feet and shoved his phone in his pocket, then stopped. His cheeks reddened. “You did mean now, right? Or did you mean later?”

  My tense muscles relaxed. He looked as nervous as I felt. I gave him a smile meant to reassure him and hoped it would help and not appear as if I was making fun of him. “Yeah. Now. If you’re not busy.”

  He shook his head and smiled back, flashing dimples. “Now is good.”

  We made our way outside and down the sidewalk in silence at first. I kept my hands stuffed in my pockets for fear our fingers might accidentally brush against each other and he’d take it the wrong way. I knew it wasn’t rational, but a lack of clear thought was why I was there in the first place.

  A man jogged past with his pit bull. I waved at the dog. After a few blocks, I realized Tahm was waiting for me to start the conversation. “I like blueberry pie.”

  “Excuse me?” He glanced at me with one eyebrow raised.

  “I like how the blueberries sort of pop in my mouth like little bubbles. And I love a really buttery, flaky crust. Lots of people leave the edge of the crust, but if it’s a good, buttery crust, I think that’s the best part. Butter is the world’s most perfect food.” I kept walking. “Okay. Now you go.”

  “Go what?”

  “Now you say something about you. Something I don’t know.”

  He slowed for a few steps, then hurried to catch up. “Oh. I see. Okay.”

  We passed some kids playing on a chunky red-and-yellow slide in a yard. I waved at them.

  Tahm chuckled. “Why do you wave at everybody?”

  I faked a stern look. “No. This part’s about you, not me. You have to say something about you.”

  “What if there’s nothing about me worth telling?”

  I spread my hands out and gave him an apologetic look. “I don’t make the rules, Tahm.”

  He chuckled. “Oh, I think you do.” His expression was thoughtful as he walked in silence. “I love Formula One racing, but I don’t like NASCAR. How’s that?”

  “Interesting. I approve. The cars are prettier, and they go to exotic places.”

  “I’m glad you’re okay with it. Now, tell me why you wave to everybody.”

  I shrugged. “I’m just friendly, I guess. And it makes people smile. I like it when people smile. It means they aren’t angry. Now your turn again.”

  He stopped and waited for me to turn around. His voice was soft and he reached out toward me as if to touch me, then dropped his hand. “People get angry all the time. Sometimes it’s good to get angry.”

  I folded my arms over my chest and stared at my feet. “I don’t care for it. I prefer happy people.” How could I tell him of all the years I’d spent unhappy and alone in a tiny box? How could I ever tell anyone the horrible things the Master had made me do through the years?

  I could see he didn’t want to let it go, but he must have read something in my face that warned him not to go too much deeper into it.

  He nodded. “Okay. That’s fair. Maybe someday you’ll tell me more.”

  We’d stopped next to a park, so we crossed the grass and settled beside each other on a picnic table.

  I sat with my hands on my knees and watched a squirrel shaking the limbs on a large pine. “I was gone a hundred years.”

  “A hundred and seven, actually.”

  “I didn’t mean to be gone so long.”

  “I know.”

  I couldn’t tell him everything. Not yet. But I had to let him in, at least a little. He’d come a long way and had given up a lot. I ran my fingers over my ponytail and examined the ends of my hair so I didn’t have to look at him while I spoke. “I’ve never really talked about the Master. I’m still not sure I’m ready. But bad things...happened. After the first horrible ten years or so, I realized I had to make a choice. I could become the angry, evil creature he was trying to make me into, or I could distance myself from the bad things and teach myself to always find one good thing in every horrible moment.” I took a shaky breath. “I’m sorry. This is hard to talk about.” I still didn’t look at his face. I was afraid of what I would see there. Judgment? Anger? Pity?

  His shoulder brushed mine, and he pushed a loose strand of hair from my face with gentle fingers. “I know. Thank you.”

  His kindness filled me with warmth and gave me courage to keep talking. “Sometimes that good thing was very, very small, like an open window bringing in the scent of roses from the garden or hearing a few notes from a child getting a piano lesson across the street. The more I did it, the more good things I was able to find in all the terrible moments. And sometimes I managed to escape and be free for a few weeks. When that happened, I could be anybody and do anything.”

  Tahm made a small sound in his throat. “Ah. That explains it.”

  I cocked my head. “Explains what?”

  “Why you like to dress up in costumes so much.” He leaned closer. His shoulder touched mine and stayed there.

  I hadn’t thought of it that way before, but he was probably right. Dressing up was comforting to me. I shivered, despite the warmth of his touch. “Wherever I went, I did my best to enjoy the time I had. And to pay for the bad things I couldn’t help, I always tried to make people smile when I saw them. I could never make up for the horrible things, but I could at least bring a little light into the darkness.” I dropped my ponytail and took another breath. “That way, he couldn’t break me, no matter what he did.”

  I watched a couple of kids play on the swings. I still couldn’t look directly at Tahm.

  He was silent and still for a few moments, then cleared his throat. “I need you to know something, Kam.” He angled his body toward me, shifting his shoulder away but now pressing one knee against mine. “I’ll never judge you for anything that someone else made you do. But if you ever want to tell me about it, I’ll listen. And if you never want to tell me about it, that’s okay, too.”

  My eyes filled with tears I refused to shed. I’d decided a long time ago I was done crying over my past. “Thank you.” My voice was barely a whisper.

  The kids on the swings flew as high as the chains could take them, then both jumped from their seats and landed in the sand below them. I winced, but the two kids climbed to their feet, laughing, and grabbed the swings to start again.

  Tahm turned to face forward, breaking contact with his leg. His voice was l
ouder and brighter, as if trying to lighten the mood. “Well, now I know why you wave. I asked the question, so I guess it’s your turn to ask me something.”

  I turned my head and looked at him from the corners of my eyes. “What did you do the last one hundred years?” I didn’t know what to expect. For all I knew, he’d been married and divorced three times.

  He shrugged. “I waited.”

  I turned my head and finally looked straight at him. “You waited. You waited a hundred years. Sorry. A hundred and seven. That’s ridiculous. No, seriously. What were you doing?”

  “Well, when you first left, I tried to go after you.” He picked up a twig that had fallen from the tree above us and twirled it between his fingers. “But I was too late. I didn’t make it to the portal in time to get through.”

  I nodded. “I squeezed through at the last second before it closed behind the Trademaster.”

  He chuckled. “That year was our last shipment of fake maps to the Lost City of the Incas. Once they discovered Machu Pichu, humans stopped buying djinn maps. It was a shame. My father had to change his entire business model.”

  “What did he come up with?”

  “Glitter. It didn’t take off right away. When the human war started, people were a little reluctant to put sparkles on everything. Now it’s our primary export.”

  “Glitter?” He had to be pulling my leg. “Seriously?”

  He didn’t answer. “So, how long were you here before you were captured?”

  A chill ran down my spine, and I rubbed my arms. “About six months. I was just a kid. I had no business running around on my own in another world. It made me vulnerable.”

  He raised his eyebrows. “Is that why you picked up Ash when she was hitchhiking?”

  I nodded. “I couldn’t let anything happen to her.” I snickered and changed the subject. “Did you make the glitter in the glitter mines, or did you help run the business side of things?”