Touch of Rain

by Teyla Branton

  Of the three missing people connected with Harmony Farms, the one in this imprint wasn’t one I’d been hoping to find.

  Chapter 13

  “Why are you here?” I said.

  Or rather Harmony said, as it was clearly her voice in the imprint. She was speaking to Inclar, who had appeared in the circle of her flashlight.

  Trees loomed all around in the darkness, and I was horribly afraid.

  “Is he here? I don’t want him to know I came.”

  “Is who here?” I kept my voice gentle, forcing myself to approach Inclar. Slowly so he wouldn’t be startled.

  “I had a key. I came to tell him.”

  “Come back to the house with me.”

  “No!” Inclar’s crazy eye rolled wildly. “She’s crying. I can’t. He can’t know. Not about the key.”

  “Who can’t know? Inclar, you’re making no sense. Come in and have some food.” My voice was unsteady now.

  “I’m so tired.” Inclar slumped against a tree.

  “Then come with me.”

  “He’ll never let me leave again.”

  “You won’t have to.”

  “I did a bad thing.”

  That feeling I could relate with only too well. “Everyone does bad things sometimes. Look, I’m sure if you talk to Gabe and Korin, everything will be okay. Just come with me to the house.”

  Inclar’s right eye stopped rolling, and for a moment he stared at me intently.

  My breath went in and out and in again. My heart thundered in my chest.

  “He will never leave you,” he whispered, “but he will not be here.” All at once he brushed past me, knocking me down in the brush near the path. I screamed. My fingers lost their grip on the light, and the scene went abruptly dark.

  Instantly, the imprint was replaced by older, more pleasant ones. A colt taking its first steps in a darkened barn three years earlier. A view of stars from a hilltop where a woman I knew was Harmony lay curled in a man’s arms, his face hidden by the dark, a private tenderness between them. This last scene repeated itself, slight variations stretching over at least several years. Strong but so intertwined that the images changed before I could get a decent lock on them. Though joyful, they did nothing to erase or even calm the fear the first imprint had left.

  The images faded, and I was able to uncurl my own fingers long enough to drop the flashlight. It thudded to the cement walkway near the outhouse and went dark. I took a long, slow breath, feeling shaky. The terrifying imprint of Inclar had occurred not more than twenty-four hours earlier, and Harmony’s fear of him mingled with my own. Was he around still? Perhaps waiting to finish the job he’d started in the lobby of my apartment? Detective Martin had warned me that he couldn’t protect me here, and now I wish I’d heeded his advice.

  I held my breath and listened. Music still came from the dance, but that was far off. There was no other sound. The outhouses had been built in a small clearing in the forest, or the trees had been cleared for the purpose, and I saw that Harmony had been right about the moon. It was bright enough for me to see the path, even without the dim light coming from inside the bathrooms.

  Leaving the flashlight where it lay, I went inside to relieve my strained bladder. The walls were made of cinder blocks and painted a shade of pale yellow. A line of sinks stood opposite a row of toilet stalls. A space at the end that had once been a communal shower had been fitted with more sinks and stalls, so apparently the bathing facilities had been moved to the houses when they’d pumped in the water. I was glad for that. The bathroom was remarkably clean, though there were a few dead bugs under the corner sink and cobwebs near one of the small, high windows that were fitted with privacy glass. A bar of soap lay at each sink, and there were real hand towels that were so clean I knew they must be changed daily. No mirrors. Apparently, primping wasn’t encouraged here. A wall hanging with neat, even embroidery stitches reminded people to shut the door when they left in order to keep out the critters.

  I turned on the faucet gingerly, but no imprint reared to assault me. What now? I thought as I dried my hands.

  I wished it were already the next day so I could take a tour and figure out the most likely places for someone to be hidden. I wanted to be introduced to those who weren’t around tonight. While I was still determined to believe there was an explanation for Marcie and Victoria’s absence, I had a sinking feeling in my stomach that coming here hadn’t been such a wise idea. Meeting Harmony had only underscored this feeling. Something about her made me uneasy.

  Why had Inclar come here? Had he told someone about the key that was even at this moment tucked into a torn patch of lining in my suitcase? I hadn’t dared touch it again, but I hadn’t wanted to carry it openly to the farm, either.

  Well, one thing was certain, I wasn’t getting anywhere standing in this bathroom looking at the painted wall. My nerves felt jangly, disconnected from reading the imprint about Inclar. I needed something to steady me.

  Patting my dress to find my pocket, another reason I’d chosen this outfit, I brought out the tiny phone Ethan had given me. No service. I’d seen that one coming. But the two-way radio was working, which meant Ethan must be in range. I felt relieved.

  I shoved it into my pocket as giggling warned me someone was approaching. Two barefooted girls burst into the bathroom, the taller one carrying a lantern. Both had blond hair past their shoulders, and the older one had the beginnings of an overbite, but that was the only thing that distinguished them in the dimness of the bathroom. They stopped when they saw me, their eyes opening wide.

  “Hi,” said the older one softly. She ducked her head. The younger girl gave me a shy smile and disappeared into a stall.

  “Hi,” I replied and sauntered toward the door.

  Freed from further politeness, the older girl darted into a stall, clicking the door shut more firmly than necessary.

  Outside I picked up the flashlight with one of the hand towels I’d taken from the bathroom. No need to see the image of Inclar again; it’d been clear enough. But the flashlight wouldn’t go on, no matter how I fiddled with it. I hoped Harmony had extra bulbs.

  I was torn between hurrying back to the square and finding a secluded place out here where I could contact Ethan with the radio. I wasn’t scheduled to contact him until tomorrow night, unless there was an emergency, but Inclar’s showing up here seemed emergency enough. Maybe Ethan could contact Shannon and let him know. Was Inclar important enough for Shannon to call in favors from whatever police jurisdiction was responsible for this area, or would he come here himself? I couldn’t exactly depend on his fascination with me or the case extending that far.

  The woods appeared deserted except for traffic to the bathrooms, so I decided to find a place to contact Ethan. As long as I didn’t go too far away, I should be able to find my way back or at least scream loud enough for someone to find me.

  As I pondered which way to go, the girls came from the bathroom and tripped past me, running with sure feet down the dim path. The light from their lantern hit the trees more than the path, but that didn’t seem to stop them. Their giggles drifted back to me. No doubt they’d tell their friends they’d seen me here, looking blank and stupid. They might even come back with a few of those friends and an adult or two to see what was taking me so long.

  To the left then, away from where I’d seen the shadow disappear behind the house, though I was already some distance from there. I wasn’t afraid exactly. I was sure it had only been someone heading to the outhouse. Well, almost sure. Now that I knew Inclar had been here, it could have been him.

  I’d have to stay alert.

  Off the path, walking was a little more difficult because of the undergrowth. It was darker because the trees were thicker, but I felt more secure, as though the darkness caressed and protected me. I’d always enjoyed the darkness, even as a child. Perhaps that’s because Winter and Summer had taken me with them wherever they went regardless of the time of night. The darkness was
my friend, and this night I felt embraced by the shadows.

  For all that I was barefoot and the occasional stick poked my foot, most of the forest floor was soft and loamy, with much more give than I expected. It was colder, though, but walking kept the night chill at bay.

  I walked until I was sure I was out of hearing range of the bathrooms. The trees continued to stretch out before me with no sign of an end, and that surprised me. Harmony’s assurances that the children wouldn’t get lost or be in any danger had made me envision something much smaller.

  At last I spied a fallen log and settled on it, listening to the night sounds—the chirp of a cricket, the rustle of a rodent, the hoo-hoo of an owl. The air was fresh here, breathable and sweet, but now that I wasn’t walking, my arms felt cold. The elevation wasn’t much different from that of Portland, but it felt much cooler here. Perhaps because of all the vegetation. I’d give a lot for Jake’s leather jacket, but all I had was the hand towel. I set down the flashlight and shook out the towel. It was slightly larger than my hand towel back home but a far cry from bath-size. At least it covered my neck and capped my shoulders.

  Everything was quiet around me, and after waiting a few more minutes to be certain I was alone, I turned on the radio and called Ethan. Since he’d probably realized by now that our phones didn’t work here, he should have his radio on. He had plenty of batteries, so it was his responsibility to be ready in case I contacted him.

  “Ethan, it’s me. Are you there?” I released the call button to a light flurry of static and waited, hoping he was in range. I might have to move closer to the fence if he didn’t respond, though in what direction that was, I was no longer sure.

  Louder static and then Ethan’s voice, “I’m here.”

  I blew out a relieved sigh. His reply had been a little noisy for the quiet night, so I turned down my volume and put the receiver up to my ear.

  “Is everything okay?” he added. “Did you find Marcie?”

  “No. Sorry. I haven’t seen her or Victoria. They’re having a party here, but not all their members came.”

  He didn’t reply, perhaps too polite to ask me why I was contacting him early if I hadn’t found his sister.

  “I’m calling because Inclar was here,” I rushed on. “I think you should tell the police.”

  “Is he still there?”

  “He could be, but I haven’t seen him.”

  “Are you worried he’ll attack you again?”

  “I’m worried he’ll recognize me.” But I was worried about the other too. After someone tries to choke the life from your body, you can’t feel comfortable knowing they might be lurking nearby. “How far away are you?” I was wondering if it would be possible to meet him. Not now, of course, when they would be expecting me back, but maybe tomorrow after I’d had a chance to look around.

  “I’m quite close actually. That is, if you’re still wearing the earrings.”

  “I am.”

  “Then I’m point six miles away from your location. I hid the van off the road, and I’ve been checking out their fence. Eight feet high. Not very secure. A pain to climb but easy to cut through. But you’ll need to be careful because men are patrolling the area. They come around every fifteen minutes or so, at least along this stretch.”

  That seemed odd because the compound was so secret, and farm animals certainly weren’t going anywhere with that eight-foot fence in the way. That meant the patrols were there for another reason. “Maybe it’s because of Inclar.”

  “Or to keep people from leaving.” There was a stubbornness in his voice that I found unappealing.

  “They said I could leave any time.”

  “Yeah, but I’ve been thinking. If that’s true, why can’t I find anyone who knows where this place is? Anyone who would talk, that is. There are no ex-members. Not a single one.”

  “There’s Inclar.”

  “You said his brother unlocked a door to release him. Against the leader’s will.”

  “Maybe he was crazy even then.”

  “Anyway, Inclar’s wanted for questioning in his wife’s murder. Not exactly a cult success story.”

  “Which means we should definitely tell Detective Martin that Inclar came here.”

  “Yeah, you’re right.” His voice was tentative. “Except what if Martin comes blazing in and blows your cover before you find Marcie?”

  “He didn’t blow it at the hotel. At least about Inclar.” Belatedly, I realized Ethan didn’t know about that, so I quickly outlined my encounter with Shannon and Harmony’s founder. I was still irritated at Shannon for telling Korin and Gabe about my ability, but I’d let him know that myself when I saw him again.

  More static, and then Ethan said, “If the police think Gabe and Korin are hiding Inclar, and they come and actually find him here, you’ll be needed to identify him. They’d have no choice but to blow your cover.”

  I thought this over for a moment, not liking the idea or the fact that Ethan had pointed it out.

  Ethan’s voice came through again. “Look, if you feel you’re in danger, we should call the police right away.”

  I made a quick decision, one I hoped I wouldn’t regret. “Let’s give it another night or so. He’s probably gone now, anyway. I’ll ask around.” Or at least I’d touch things. If Inclar’s appearance had caused such a poignant imprint on the flashlight, there’s no telling what other imprints might exist because of him.

  “If you’re sure.” His voice changed, becoming deeper and slightly gravelly. “Your safety is the most important thing.” The words were a caress that sent a warm shiver to my stomach. I could picture him at that moment, blond curls ruffled by a worried hand, blue eyes drawn with concern. It was easy to forget my irritation when I thought of him that way.

  “I’m fine,” I said. “But I’ve got to get back now. They’ll be sending out a search party soon.”

  “You’ll contact me tomorrow?”

  “Like we planned.” I didn’t wait to see if he broke through the static again but shut the radio off quickly. It was a comfort to know that at least one of our contact methods worked. Two if you counted the tracking device in my earrings, which now felt like a weight dragging me down. A distinct ache matching the one in my wounded cheek had begun in the lower region of my earlobes. I took the earrings off for the second time that day and put them in the pocket of my dress with the useless cell phone.

  Picking up the flashlight with the hand towel, I began walking carefully in the direction of where I thought the houses should be. I hadn’t come all that far, maybe a half mile, and I was a strong walker, even though my toes were now officially cold. The smell of the earth and the trees and rotting and growing things was intoxicating, and I wanted nothing more than to find the hilltop in Harmony’s peaceful rendezvous and sleep under the stars. With a warm blanket or two. It was a beautiful night to be alive.

  My euphoria dimmed sometime later as even my tough soles began to feel the pressure of the stabbing twigs and the occasional rock or rotting splinter of wood. Surely I had been walking much longer than necessary to get back to the outhouse path. At this rate I’d end up in the fields or the pastures. There seemed to be only slivers of moonlight seeping through the branches above, as though I’d gone deeper into the forest instead of retracing my steps. Swallowing hard, I forced myself to stop and face the fact that I had no idea where I was. I heaved a sigh, disgusted at myself for being so directionally challenged.

  Wait, wasn’t that the music? I could hear it faintly but coming from behind me and slightly to the left. Apparently, I’d overshot the outhouses and was nearer the end of the side house where I’d seen the shadow, though deeper in the woods or I would have seen the bathrooms as I passed. Well, that was no problem. I’d angle back to the house, following the music, and find one of those lovely burning barrels and get warm. Happier now, I moved with purpose, using my free hand to steady myself against the trees.

  That’s when my foot landed on something both bulk
y and soft. Something that didn’t belong with the rest of the forest floor. Some animal that had escaped the pasture? A bag of grain abandoned on the way to wherever they were stored? I stepped backward, my eyes dropping, straining to make sense of the longish lump before me. I leaned closer to get a better look.

  Horror rose in my throat as I registered the sightless eyes, one of them staring up into the trees, clearly lit by a shaft of light stabbing through a break in the overhead leaves, the other rolled upwards at an odd angle.

  I’d found Inclar, aka Danny Foster, and he was dead.

  Chapter 14

  Panic welled in my chest. The darkness was no longer friendly but pregnant with malice. I knew from the imprint on the flashlight that Inclar had been alive the night before, and the corpse didn’t smell, so he hadn’t been here long. I saw no blood or visible signs of what had killed him. No trickle of red down his face, no crusted bullet hole or knife protruding from his stomach. But he wasn’t at peace. His mouth was stretched into a grimace, and his loose right eye was rolled up as if recoiling in terror.

  That was all my mind registered in one great information dump, and then I was backing away, circling the lump of lifeless flesh and running. Running. Heedless of the debris piercing my feet, of the brush that clutched at the skirt of my dress as I passed, as though trying to hold me back. I struggled on, the broken flashlight wrapped in the hand towel brandished like a weapon.

  Someone had murdered Inclar, and that meant I needed to get as far away from that spot as soon as possible. Except I was hopelessly lost in these cursed trees that seemed to stretch with no end across the face of the entire earth. I panted loudly in the quiet, and my heart clanged inside my chest like a dozen kids banging on pans with their mothers’ metal spoons.

  I hit a tree, tripped over an exposed root, and collapsed to the earth. Hugging my knees to my chest, I gulped in deep, heaving breaths, trying not to sob with my terror. Slowly sanity returned.