"Oh, Caleb." Kymbria sat beside him, though she hesitated to touch him, given the fierceness of his tone and the look on his face. "Caleb, don't put yourself through this."
"Through what?" he snarled.
"Reliving what might have happened to your wife and son," she whispered.
He crumbled in on himself, his ferocity replaced by agony. "How can I not? I came here for revenge, but…I didn't stop to think what it would be like when I started comparing what happens here with….especially when I saw Len down there on the lake."
"Maybe you should come back to Duluth with me for a few days. Let Keoman and the Elders do whatever they can to help the sheriff."
"That might be a good idea," Hjak said. Then the radio on his belt crackled to life, and he stood, pulled it out and walked into the kitchen to listen to the transmission.
Kymbria moved closer, gauging Caleb's mood and steadiness. It flickered across her thoughts that this was similar to what Caleb had offered her earlier — a way to unburden herself to someone who might understand.
"You're welcome to come back with me. Mom's house has a guest room, even with my daughter having her own room."
He appeared to actually consider the invitation, then shook his head. "I can't leave. I might not be able to help, but again, maybe I can. I can't give up yet."
"I understand." And she did. Guilt ate at him for not being there when his wife and son were taken. Guilt did so much damage to the psyche, even unmerited guilt. For someone like Caleb, who had a personal interest in the situation, it could conceivably be worse.
She made another quick decision. Hjak had foregone his radio to use the kitchen phone now, but Kymbria still kept her voice low. "You were right, you know."
"About what?"
"Well, maybe I misspoke," she backtracked. "I'm not sure, really, I’m not. But maybe this…thing is trying to talk to me." Caleb sat up straight and stared, but she held up a detaining hand before he could start questioning her. "If so, I want you to think about something. If it can communicate, it might try that with others besides me."
His puzzlement lasted a brief second, then understanding dawned. "No way. That thing doesn't even know I'm here. You're thinking he brought that body here to show me what can happen to people who try to interfere with its hunting season?"
She shrugged. "I'm not about to try to analyze a supernatural entity. I'm just saying we probably need to keep open minds about it. You said yourself that no one's ever been able to figure out a way to kill it. To my way of thinking, that could mean no one's ever understood it. Understood its reasons, its goals."
"It doesn't have reasons and goals. It doesn't have a mind!"
"Are you sure about that? I don't know that much about the supernatural world, but I do understand people."
"It's not a person…." His voice trailed off.
Kymbria realized she was still clutching the tweezers in her fingers, working the tips back and forth nervously.
"Were you plucking your eyebrows amid all this?" Caleb asked.
She caught onto his comment as an attempt to shift subjects, a shift she also welcomed as a chance to ease out of this discussion for the moment.
"I was trying to get a splinter out. Dad's shotgun has some ragged spots on the stock."
"Let me see."
She held her hand out to him, along with the tweezers.
"You know," Caleb said as he worked, "once all this is over with, we owe ourselves a night out at some high-priced restaurant."
His words sent a fissure of pleasure up her arm, despite the slight pain from the pressure of the tweezers. Was he flirting with her? She tried to see his expression, but he kept his head bent over her hand. He had nice hair. Thick, soft, a wave here and there. He could have used a haircut, but the shagginess complemented him rather than detracted from his masculinity.
"You won't find anything like that up here," she finally replied. "There's good food available, but no candlelight atmosphere. No waiters at your beck and call, and you might have to get up and refill your own coffee cup."
"We won't be here forever. Isn't there a nice restaurant or two in Duluth?"
"There's a nice one up on the North Shore — "
"There." Caleb held the tweezers up, the small splinter captured. "Better put some alcohol on the wound."
Hell. Had he only been trying to divert her attention from the splinter? She pulled her hand free and stood rather abruptly. "I will after I get my shower."
Scarlet followed her this time, passing her to leap onto the bed as Kymbria paused at the door and turned. Had Caleb been flirting? She couldn't tell from his expression, since he squatted at the fireplace now, his back to her as he tossed a fresh log on the fire.
Chapter 17
The smell of frying bacon and brewing coffee intruded on Kymbria's sleep the next morning. Groggy, she stretched her body, mentally thanking her mother for caring for Risa and allowing her to sleep in. But the moment her eyelids slit, she realized where she was: at the cabin, a monster prowling the deep winter snows, seeking edible prey.
The previous evening crashed into her consciousness with a jolt, and she tossed off the blankets and sheet. Hjak and Caleb must still be here, or at least, one of them. She frowned when she realized she was hoping it was Caleb McCoy working in the kitchen. She'd only met the man hours earlier. Why should it matter if he was the cook?
Then she noticed her luggage beside the door. There was no reason at all why she should care if Caleb was still here. She'd be walking out of his life as soon as she had a cup of that coffee and got her suitcases and dog loaded.
The memories separated into brief individual glimpses of the previous evening.
The sweat lodge and the horrible howls. The journey through the dark, threatening wilderness with an uncommunicative Keoman. Caleb with her at the cabin and the creature leaving the body in front of her cabin. The whispers in her mind. The fright and terror Scarlet exhibited. The missing body. Retrieved by the entity?
Where was Scarlet? Normally, her dog stayed curled up until she had to shove her aside to make the bed. She grabbed her robe and shrugged into it as she hurried into the kitchen.
Caleb glanced at her from where he stood at the counter, dangling a crispy piece of bacon at Scarlet. The setter's dewlaps were drawn back, sharp, shining teeth exposed. For the first time in hours, Kymbria smiled. Someone who didn't know the dog would be shivering with alarm, waiting for those teeth to sink into soft flesh.
Caleb allowed Scarlet to gently take the bacon as he said, "Good morning. I'd ask if you slept well, but I heard you snoring. Hope you don't mind that I made myself at home. It's a lot nicer kitchen over here. I didn't have to build up the fire and jump back into bed until it got warm enough to move around."
She shook her head. The world moved on, didn't it? Had she not been a part of the previous evening and night's events, this would seem like a regular morning, the same type as in millions of households. Delicious morning odors, a nice-looking man in the kitchen. The coffee already brewed and waiting for her.
"I don't snore," she muttered with a grin, more than glad to stave off any discussion of previous events for a while.
Caleb stifled a chuckle at her defense. Probably she did snore. In fact, nurses sharing tents with her had grumbled about that, but she'd grumbled right back at them as to their restless sleeping habits.
"Hope it was all right for Scarlet to have a piece of bacon," Caleb said, interrupting her thoughts. "I couldn't stand her pitiful whine, even after I filled her dog food bowl."
"It's fine," Kymbria said as she headed for the coffeepot. "Just one, though. She's usually satisfied with that. How long have you been up? Did you get any sleep at all?"
He'd set out an extra cup, and as she filled it, Caleb moved the skillet to the back of the stove. "Hjak and I both got about an hour each. Took turns. He's already gone. And you're going to need more coffee today. There's only enough left for one more pot."
; "I won't need any more before I leave," she reminded him.
"Oh, guess not." Caleb carried the paper-towel lined plate with the bacon to the table. "But you need to eat before you leave. I even found a grapefruit in the fridge. They're out of season and expensive. Can't let it spoil."
"I'm not normally a breakfast person until after a couple cups of coffee. But I've changed my mind this morning. This looks nice."
He'd set the table with plates, silverware and all the necessary condiments. The grapefruit was halved in two matching bowls, and a small platter of fluffy scrambled eggs set in the middle of the table beside the bacon, along with several toasted muffins.
"Hope you like your eggs scrambled. I'm a fumble-fingers when it comes to sunny-side up or easy over."
"This is great." She sat down and ignored her coffee in favor of a large glass of orange juice he'd poured. "Come on. Eat before it gets cold."
He joined her at the table, and as he started to sit, she noticed his apron and stifled a giggle. "That's Dad's barbecue apron."
Caleb glanced down as he said, "It was the only one hanging over there that looked like it would fit me…oh, crap. I didn't read it before I put it on."
Then he burst into laughter. Kymbria joined him, any tension she'd sensed in the room dissolving as she re-read the saying on the apron she'd bought her father in New Orleans one year while she was on leave. SUCK HEAD, EAT TAIL, referred to crawfish, which she and her dad both enjoyed. Niona wouldn't even watch them eat the mudbugs. She said they reminded her of something that lived under a rock. Which they did, of course, in the Northwood streams.
They both dug into the food, and Kymbria found herself enjoying it. Maybe it was having some company for a change, especially someone who'd cooked for her instead of the other way around. Their plates only contained a few scraps when the kitchen door burst open.
Kymbria jumped from her chair as Caleb surged from his, kicking it backward with a clatter. Before she could say a word, Caleb shoved her behind him and squared off.
Kymbria giggled and peered over Caleb's shoulder. "She's too small to give you any trouble."
He had the grace to flush as he stared at the small, round woman. Luxurious tresses of coal-black hair intricately wound around her head, her red-knit stocking cap dangling from a gloved hand. She wore fur-lined mukluks on her feet, barely visible beneath the dark maroon full-length coat. Tiny as she was, had not Kymbria known her so well, she would have hesitated to approach that narrow-eyed, lethal expression.
"What are you doing here?" she asked her mother after an enormous hug. "Is Risa in the car?"
Niona stepped back and evaded Kymbria's gaze, although her tone didn't indicate anything to worry about. "Your daughter — my granddaughter — is with your brother's wife. And I'm here…" She gazed over at Caleb. "…interrupting something?"
"Not the way you mean." Kymbria took her mother's hand and led her over to Caleb. "Mom, this is Caleb McCoy. Caleb, my mother, Niona James."
"Uh…pleased to meet you," Caleb said as he took Niona's proffered hand. "Sorry about the jitteriness. I should have known Scarlet would warn us if there was someone at the door who wasn't welcome."
"You know the dog well, then?" Niona asked.
"Uh…"
"Never mind," her mother continued, not fooled for a minute. "What's going on? And I'm not talking about your having breakfast with a strange man, Kymbria."
"Sit down and have some coffee and breakfast, Mom. What are you doing here this time of morning, and why didn't I hear your car pull in?"
Caleb held a chair out for Niona, and after a second, she grudgingly sat. "Coffee I'll take, but I'm not hungry. And my car quit for some reason about a half-mile from here. I'll have to call a tow truck."
"Oh, Mom. You had to walk all that way? It's freezing out there." Did windigos hunt in the day? Had her mother been in danger? The tense atmosphere descended again, albeit with less of a dangerous feel than the previous evening.
Niona shrugged. "It's December in the Northwood. So yes, it's freezing."
Caleb handed Niona a cup of coffee, then pushed the cream and sugar pitcher closer. While she stirred a spoonful of sugar into her cup, Niona said, "And you are who, young man? Besides your name, I mean, which I already know."
"I'm renting the cabin across the lake."
"The one Paul Edison lets out? With no electricity? Well, I can understand why you'd rather be over here, where you can get a hot breakfast and warmth."
Niona sipped her coffee, but Kymbria knew her mother too well. She wasn't done with Caleb yet. She decided to give Caleb a little break from the barrage of questions her mother was no doubt lining up in her mind.
"Mom, I was getting ready to drive back to Duluth. My bags are already packed."
Rather than soothe her mother, Niona's face paled at Kymbria's comments. "Could I speak to my daughter alone?" she asked Caleb.
"Of course. Do you want me to go look at your car? Maybe it's something simple, which is about all I know how to fix."
"Yes, why don't you?"
Kymbria covered a gasp of fear at the idea of Caleb going out alone, but his eyes met hers with a reassuring look. He nodded slightly and laid a hand on the front of his shirt, beneath which the consecrated cross lay. She took a calming breath as he turned to shrug into his coat and boots at the front door.
Niona remained silent as she sipped her coffee and waited for Caleb to leave. The moment the kitchen door closed behind him, she set her cup down. It nearly dropped from her fingers, which were trembling now, and coffee sloshed onto the table. Uncharacteristically, her mother ignored the spill rather than rush to the paper towel rack or pull a handful of napkins from the holder on the table to sop up the mess.
"What's happened here?" She took Kymbria's hand and drew her into the chair beside her. "I left a couple messages for Keoman, but he never returned my calls. That's…part of the reason I came on up."
"You could have called me again."
Rather than respond, Niona stared at a corner of the kitchen, her hold on Kymbria's hand bordering on painful. In the silence, the events of the previous night seemed… if not bizarre, at least somewhat unrealistic. Yet they had happened. Kymbria had been there, felt her own cold fear, the budding anger against the entity. How much did she want to say? Then she studied her mother's face more closely.
"You know about the windigo, don't you?"
"My God." Niona pulled her hand back from Kymbria's. "It's hunting early this time?"
"Yes."
"We have to get out of here." Niona stood, a horrified expression on her face. "The hell with my car. I'll tell the mechanic to have someone bring it to Duluth for me after it's repaired. We'll drive back in your SUV."
Despite the fact her mother's plan mirrored her own, Kymbria frowned and sat still in her chair. "Why? Is there something about this creature that makes it more dangerous to you and me than the rest of the people up here?"
Niona firmed her lips. "We need to get back to Risa."
"I agree," Kymbria said, stifling the longing to hold her daughter's chubby, warm body close. "And I fervently thank you for not bringing her up here with you, no matter how much you knew I wanted to see her." When Niona dropped her gaze to her coffee cup, Kymbria went on, "Did you leave her behind to keep her safe?"
Niona sipped coffee, her hands now steady. "You were coming back, anyway," she said, not answering Kymbria's last question. "If I'd known that, I wouldn’t have bothered to drive all this way."
"Why did you?"
"I just wanted to see you," Niona replied evasively. "Now, let's call the garage. I'll leave my keys under the floor mat for them."
~~~
No matter how hard she'd pushed, her mother had refused to discuss the windigo. She'd finally managed to get Niona's agreement to wait for the mechanic, after Caleb returned and said maybe a simple battery connection erosion caused the car to quit. Now they all three stood beside Niona's older SUV as Gabe from the gara
ge in Neris Lake replaced a battery cable.
"There," Gabe said, backing out from under the hood and wiping his hands on an already greasy rag. "Let's see if that works."
He connected the two batteries, the one in his tow truck and the one in the SUV, with the set of jumper cables, then asked Niona to try to start the car. The engine rumbled to life as soon as she turned the key.
Gabe removed the battery cables from the SUV and called, "Let it run for a while. Re-charge your battery."
Niona did as he asked and slid out of the driver's seat, her purse in her hand. "How much is it?"
While she and Gabe settled up, Kymbria looked around for Caleb. He'd wandered off with Scarlet, and the setter was a red blur on the pristine snow as she chased a stick Caleb threw for her. Such a normal, everyday scene. With total faith that the setter would warn them if the beast approached, she shoved her hands in her jacket pockets and watched.
Scarlet barreled back toward Caleb, and Kymbria grinned. She knew what would happen next. The setter halted at Caleb's feet, but as soon as he reached for the stick to throw it again, Scarlet burst away from him, scattering snow. Head high and the stick grasped in her teeth, she raced in and out of the trees.
"She wants you to play in the snow with her," she called to Caleb.
But he'd already understood the dog's message. He ran after her, and when Scarlet dodged behind a huge pine, Caleb started around it. The setter went the other way. Caleb abruptly reversed direction, but Scarlet knew that trick well. She evaded him and took off across the snow again, Caleb hot on her heels.
The tow truck motor revved, and when Kymbria turned to watch Gabe leave, her mother stood beside her.
"He seems like a nice man," she said, the tilt of her head indicating where Caleb and Scarlet still frolicked.
"Appears to be," Kymbria agreed. "For the little while I've known him."
"Married?"
"Widowed."
Niona nodded. "Well, there's nothing keeping us here now. Is he…is Caleb going to stay up here?"
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