44 Book Five

by Jools Sinclair

  I said goodbye and finished the last bit of strong coffee at the kitchen sink. I stared out the window at the pond and the waterfall, wishing I had a little bit more time to linger and enjoy the morning.

  ***

  Kate was right. Club 6 was pretty sketchy.

  “We don’t have to stay long,” I shouted into Ty’s ear over the pulsating dance music.

  “Okay,” he said, taking my hand and leading me toward the bar.

  It was crowded and hot in the club, the smell of beer and sweat and smoke floating around, the beat of the music rumbling through my body. We walked past a group of guys arguing.

  There was a dance floor in the middle of the large room, filled with people, some just talking, others throwing their bodies into one another. High in the air, hanging from the ceiling in the far corner was the large cage that David had described.

  Someone was in it. For a moment I thought it might be Paloma but then noticed the dancer had long hair that she started whipping from side to side to the beat of the music.

  I texted David to meet us at the bar. Supposedly he was here, somewhere in this gyrating, unwashed crowd.

  We walked past girls in short skirts, the lights from the disco ball moving across their faces. Just as we got to the bar I turned and saw David on the floor, waving. He kept his hand high in the air as he danced over to us.

  “Abby Craig!” he said, throwing both arms around me.

  “Hi, David,” I said, smiling.

  “And Ty is here, too!” he said, giving him his own hug.

  “Hey,” Ty said, looking at me.

  “I didn’t know you were coming tonight too. I thought you were busy concocting vodka or whiskey or something. Yea, us! We’re all here together!”

  “It’s crazy in here,” I said.

  “It’s always like this,” David said. “That’s why it’s so fun. Most of the clubs in this little town are dead, dead, dead. But not here. You do have to wait till after 11. You guys got here at the perfect time. Come on. First round’s on me.”

  Paloma was at the far end of the bar, stacking glasses.

  I hadn’t told Ty the real reason I wanted to stop by Club 6, just that we were meeting David for a drink. I would tell him about Paloma and her problem eventually, but I figured I might as well make sure there really was a ghost before we had that talk.

  “What’ll it be?” David asked us, his eyes glazed and happy.

  “I’ll just take a Mirror Pond,” Ty said.

  “Me, too.”

  “You two grab those seats and I’ll go order and tell her you’re here.”

  We slid onto the stools, sitting next to a group watching boxing on the television above the bar. I scanned the crowd, looking for the ghost, but didn’t see anyone who fit the description that Paloma had given me.

  Behind the bar was the typical long mirror and shelves filled with glasses and bottles. Another bartender was working with Paloma, shaking a mixer and singing along to the music.

  “Thanks for coming,” I said to Ty.

  “Of course.”

  Paloma waved when she saw me and then grabbed two beers. She opened them as she walked over and put them down in front of us.

  “Hey, Abby!” she said. “Thanks for being here. It means a lot.”

  Ty tilted his head at me, like a dog trying to understand human speech.

  “Paloma, this is my boyfriend,” I said. “Ty.”

  She smiled and said hello, shaking his hand across the bar.

  Like she had said, she wasn’t wearing much. Mostly strings tied to other strings.

  “Drinks are on David,” she said. “He told me to tell you he’d catch up with you guys after this song. Anyway, enjoy. Let me know when you need another.”

  We sat and sipped our beers.

  “To a great season,” he said, raising his bottle.

  I picked mine up and we toasted, the glass clinking together loudly.

  “Indeed,” I said, taking a big gulp.

  The music seemed even louder than before as I scanned the dance floor for David, but he was lost in a sea of people. It was hot in the club and I felt for a moment like I was back at Back Street.

  I studied the crowd. I didn’t see the ghost dancing, didn’t see him at the bar, or around Paloma.

  “I’ll be right back,” I said. “Save my seat if you can.”

  I walked to the back. People were standing in line waiting to use the bathroom. There was a door that read “Staff Only.”

  When I came back out, I saw Paloma watching me as she made a drink. Her eyes were dancing to their own nervous music.

  I weaved through the crowd, looking for the ghost. People were slouching against the wall and sitting at the bar. I looked over at the tables and at the different clusters standing around and drinking and talking.

  But I didn’t see him.

  I went back over to the bar, squeezing between two girls who gave me dirty looks.

  “Over there,” Paloma said suddenly. “Do you see him?”

  She pointed to a spot not far from where I was standing.

  “There,” she said. “Abby. Please tell me you see him. He’s right there, staring at me.”

  I couldn’t see anything.

  “Sorry, Paloma. But I don’t see him. Does he look the same, like you described the other day?”

  “Yes,” she said, her voice high. “Damn it, he’s right there.”

  “I’ll keep looking,” I said.

  “I’m on next,” she said, throwing down her bar rag and heading toward the cage.

  I felt for her, but I had to be honest. There was no ghost. None that I could see anyway.

  I made my way back to Ty.

  “So what’s going on, Abby?” he asked.

  “I’ll tell you everything when we get out of here,” I said.

  I took another sip and looked around once more. David wasn’t anywhere to be found and neither was the ghost.

  Paloma was up in the cage. The original Beatles version of Helter Skelter was playing, the lights in the club flashing to the music.

  We watched her for a little while.

  “Your friend’s got some moves,” Ty said.

  “And a lot of guts,” I said.

  It was time to go.

  Suddenly an animal-like wail cut through the music and bounced off the walls. It had come from the direction of the cage. I looked up and saw Paloma hanging onto the bars and screaming.

  “Get away from me, Cucuy! Get me out of here! Bring me down! Bring me down!”

  I think most people didn’t even hear her, or if they did they probably thought it was part of her act. But the bouncer made his way over and lowered the cage. Paloma slammed the door into him and took off into the back of the club.

  I looked for her, checking the bathroom and dressing room, but she was gone.

  ***

  Later as we walked along Bond, I told Ty the real reason we had been there, about how Paloma had come to Back Street looking for me and said she thought she was being haunted by a ghost.

  He didn’t say much. He took my hand and we walked quietly for a moment, heading back to his truck.

  “I wish you had told me,” he said. “You know, before we went. I know I haven’t always been understanding about that stuff. But I just wish you would have told me.”

  I nodded.

  “I’ll work on it,” I said.

  He didn’t like to hear about my ability or gift or whatever it was. Every time I talked about ghosts or visions, he froze up without saying too much, leaving me feeling like I used to a long time ago.

  “It’s just that it was easier,” I said. “To find out about it first. I didn’t even see a ghost in there tonight. So what would have been the point of that conversation?”

  He shook his head.

  “The point would have been honesty.”

  We got into his truck. He was quiet on the drive home. He didn’t seem angry exactly, more like disappointed. We pulled up to
the house and he left the engine running.

  “Bye,” I said.

  He sighed.

  “Just tell me the truth next time, Abby. I can handle it.”

  “Okay,” I said. “I will.”

  He gave me a hollow kiss and drove off.

  CHAPTER 13

  It was the nightmare that woke me.

  I was submerged in cold water, holding my breath, refusing to take it into my lungs while they all watched me from above.

  Waiting.

  Waiting for me to die.

  My eyes flew open and I gasped for air, staring at the bright glow from the television lighting up the living room. I was on the sofa, my head on a cushion with a blanket over me. The end of Casablanca was playing. It was the final scene, the part where Bogart watches the woman he loves get on an airplane with another man and fly away forever.

  I turned it off after he and Claude Rains walked off together.

  “Just a dream,” I said to my reflection in the bathroom.

  Most nights I was sleeping better. Most nights I made it through without waking up and didn’t have those kinds of dreams. Maybe it was the club, or Ty. Or maybe I had been thinking too much about Paloma before falling asleep, wondering if she really was crazy.

  I washed my face and walked back out. I grabbed the fleece blanket and wrapped it around my shoulders, turned off the security alarm, and stepped outside.

  It was a beautiful night. Cool and breezy. I sat down by the pond and listened to the water.

  It hadn’t felt like a lie, not really. But Ty was right that I shouldn’t have been so secretive about why I wanted to go to the club. I didn’t like keeping things from him, but the truth was I was never sure if he could handle my ghost sightings. I rarely told him much about the other world I saw sometimes. It was just easier to not talk about it.

  Until something happened, like tonight, that reminded us that there were things in our relationship that still needed work. Would I ever feel comfortable talking about ghosts with him? Would he ever be able to handle it?

  But when I thought about him on the river and how his eyes looked in the sunlight when he was standing by the rafts and laughing, I felt better about us.

  The kitchen light went on and Kate poked her head out the door and then headed over.

  “You okay?”

  “Yeah.Just a little trouble sleeping, no big deal.”

  “Me too,” she said, sitting down and yawning.

  We sat listening to the water falling gently over the rocks in the pond.

  “So you survived?” she asked. “How was it?”

  “It was all right,” I said. “I didn’t see a ghost or anything.”

  “That’s good, I suppose.”

  “Yeah, it was kind of weird.”

  I told her about Paloma freaking out and about how I was wondering if she was crazy. I also mentioned some of the Ty stuff.

  “You guys will figure it out. Every relationship has its baggage.”

  “A small carry-on would be fine. I just don’t want it to turn into one of those refrigerator boxes held together with duct tape you see going around and around on the carousel at the airport.”

  “Yeah. Speaking of, I got an email from Ben earlier,” she said.

  “Anything new?”

  “Not really. He seems better. He sent a picture of himself standing in front of the hospital where he’s working. I forwarded it to you.”

  She looked over at me and then sighed, letting her head rest against the back of the chair.

  “So, how long will you wait for him?”

  “I don’t think I’m waiting anymore,” she said. “I love him, but that’s just not going to be enough for this relationship.”

  It made me sad hearing it, but it was probably a good move. He seemed to be starting over somewhere else, with different people.

  “But I’m better about it now,” she said. “No worries. It’s nice to be back at work. I’ve missed it.”

  “You seem good, Kate,” I said because it was true and because maybe she needed to hear it.

  “Yeah, I kinda feel like my old self lately,” she said. “Well, I better start getting ready for work.”

  “Really?” I said. “What time is it?”

  The darkness was fading, but it still had to be early.

  “Almost five,” she said. “I have an interview at seven and need to prepare.”

  I followed her inside, leaving the peace of the pond behind.

  CHAPTER 14

  After the third run of the day, something changed.

  Dark clouds had blown in from the mountains. The hail and thunderstorm alert seemed to be getting closer to becoming real. We stood waiting to hear from the front office to see if they were going to cancel the last go around.

  I looked up at the dark sky. The sun, so strong just a few minutes earlier, was gone. It wasn’t raining, but there was no other way this could end.

  Blue jays squawked high up in the pines. I watched the water glide by. I visualized how it had looked for most of the morning. Warm with the sun threading through the thick trees along the shore, hitting the water, making it look like there were little diamonds riding the waves. I wanted to remember it like this through the upcoming fall and winter.

  Ty came up from behind and wrapped his strong arms around me.

  He was his old self and wasn’t upset at me anymore about Paloma. I promised him that in the future I would just tell him about those things right away. And then it would be on him.

  “So what do you think?” he said. “Wanna come?

  Ty was going backpacking up in the mountains, hiking in about eight or nine miles and spending the night. I wanted to go but was still thinking about it. Being in a tent all night with Ty made me nervous. More than nervous.

  My heart raced and I was quiet.

  He held me tightly and whispered in my ear.

  “Come with me, Abby. It’ll be a great night, I promise. I’ll take care of you up there.”

  His gentle words sent an electric current up and down my arms and back.

  “Plus, I’ll carry all the heavy stuff.”

  “Well, that was a given,” I said.

  “Do I scare you that much?” he said after a moment of silence.

  “Yes.” I laughed nervously. “But I was just thinking about work. I’d have to get the time off. You know, Mike already scheduled me. I don’t know. I guess I could ask him.”

  “Okay,” he said. “Let me know. I want you to be there.”

  Amber announced that we were approved for the final run. I finished putting the life vests in piles according to size while Ty got the rafts ready. The wind picked up and I felt a few drops. You had to expect to get a little wet out here.

  CHAPTER 15

  It was a good beginning to the new season.

  We won our first game in the coolness of a clear September evening. I didn’t score but had a nice assist on the game’s lone goal.

  I felt like my new running regimen was paying off already.

  “That’s how it’s done,” Ty said, clapping from the sidelines. “Great game!”

  “Yeah,” I said. “That was all right.”

  “You guys meeting us, right?” Tim said, walking up. “We’re stopping over at McMenamins for a victory beer.”

  I looked over at Ty and he nodded.

  “Sure,” I said.

  “I’ll get us a table in the back by the fire pit. See you guys in about half an hour.”

  I stretched for a few minutes.

  “I like watching you play,” Ty said. “You’re really good out there.”

  I smiled.

  We drove over and found the team. They were in the back, by the pit like Tim said, already with pints in front of them, talking in a large circle. We joined them.

  “Ty, you should play with us,” Sam said. “Victor sprained his ankle last week. We have an opening.”

  Ty laughed.

  “No way. I would sprain more t
han that if I actually had to play in a game.”

  We didn’t have instant replay, but we did have Tim. He relived his goal for us, from several different angles, in super slow motion.

  “I knew their goalie was super aggressive, so I figured I’d use that against him. I just waited for him to commit himself.”

  “You totally outwitted that guy,” Bree said. “It was awesome.”

  “It’s just the beginning,” he said. “But it’s nice to get off to a good start. I tell you what. There’s nothing like winning. I think we can all appreciate how good it feels after last season.”

  “Well, we didn’t have Jack last season,” Bree said. “That would have made a difference.”

  I hadn’t thought about Jack that much lately. And because no one on the team had mentioned him in a long time, I sometimes forgot that they still didn’t know what had really happened, that he had kidnapped me and taken me to a remote island where Nathaniel Mortimer was waiting. They still thought of him as a friend and a good guy.

  “For sure he would have gotten us into the playoffs,” she said.

  I looked over at her, but didn’t say anything.

  “Doubt it,” Ty said to my surprise.

  “What?” she said. “What are you talking about? Did you even know Jack?”

  “I think I know him a lot better than you,” he said.

  “You know nothing,” Bree said. “And you have no right to say that about our friend.”

  I looked away at the fire and then at the people at the next table, hoping Ty was done, but he wasn’t.

  “I do know him. Jack is a shapeshifter.”

  “What are you talking about now?” she said loudly.

  “He’s like a character from Native American mythology. A character that changes form. He pretends to be one thing, then another, then another. No one knows who he really is. That’s your Jack.”

  No one said anything, their eyes shifting from Ty to Bree and then over to me.

  I stared at the flames that were shooting up toward the sky, the smell of wood burning in my nostrils. I wasn’t sure how to feel. While I hated talking about Jack, I hated it even more that they all thought that he was a great guy. Maybe it was time for them to know the truth.