Renee laughed even though Lorna’s tone was darkly serious. It was true. Beyond her natural ability to detect auras, she had squat. Lorna was the one the women chose to visit, and she was the one who ultimately had to figure out what they wanted. All she could do was be right behind Lorna with support and encouragement.
“I’m afraid so. You’re the one the story’s being played out for, but I’m the one who believes you’re not crazy and really are being visited by spirits. The women want or need something from you, and all we have to do it figure it out. We can do it together, Lorna, we really can.”
“I’m not so sure.” Her gaze settled on their touching hands. She didn’t pull away.
Renee squeezed gently. She loved the way her hand fit with Lorna’s and the warmth of skin against skin. “We’ll figure this out. Together. I promise.”
“I don’t understand, Renee. You don’t really even know me. Why are you so willing to hang in there with a woman who could be having a mental breakdown?”
She looked at Lorna’s bent head and smiled. “Funny thing about that. I feel like I’ve known you for a long time, and if you think about it, we really have. We met as children.”
“That was a long time ago. We’re not those little girls anymore. We’re different people now.”
“You really think so? I personally think we’re much the same as we were back then. Yes, we’ve grown up and we’re mature and responsible women now. Our hearts? Well, those are the same hearts of the little girls we were all those years ago. And for the record, you’re not having any kind of breakdown.”
Lorna finally looked up, her eyes a little brighter. “You are such a breath of fresh air.”
Renee put an arm to her nose and then grimaced. Her shirt reeked. “After going through my place, I’d say a breath of stale smoky air.”
This time Lorna laughed. “See, that’s what I mean. You face tragedy and come out making jokes. I’d have been crying in my beer.”
“Oh,” Renee said on a sigh, forgetting all about her smoke-drenched shirt. “Beer sounds good.”
“Come on.” Lorna pulled her hand away, and with a snap closed the latest book they’d been perusing. “Let’s call it a day and go find a nice pub.”
Renee made a tidy stack of the notes she’d made and grinned. “You’re on.”
*
Darkness flowed over bluffs, and the Watcher stepped into it with the ease gained by centuries of practice. Wind whipped around his body, but he didn’t feel the cold or the damp ocean air. None of it touched him. It had been millenniums since the world of humans had been his to experience. Like so much else, the right had been stripped from him on the day of his fall. He’d like to believe that had he known the ultimate consequences of his actions he would have done things differently. In his heart he felt the lie. The temptations before him had been too great. He would not have changed a thing.
Now, he stared at the house and felt its emptiness in his heart. Though three still remained inside the sturdy walls, the old woman, the man, and the new woman who carried the child, they meant little to him. Lost souls did not, could not, touch them.
It was the one they called Lorna he searched for. She was the key and the savior. Not just for them but for him as well. Her absence at this critical time was alarming. Keeping the evil one at bay was taking every ounce of power he still possessed. When she was there, his job was easier.
The evil forces that worked against him took back strength once she left the house. Without her heartbeat to keep them subdued, the darkness stretched and reached out invisible fingers looking to take purchase. It was not good. He carried darkness in his soul during life, and in death became one with it. The Watcher could not allow him to win again.
He crossed the grass and stopped when he was next to the house. He peered into the windows searching for any sign of the spirit that troubled his soul. The reflections that gleamed back at him were of trees and a wide expanse of lawn. Of night sky, endless stars, and a round, buttery moon. His own visage was part of the reflection and nothing else. No ghostly apparition to give substance to his sense of unease.
Icy wind whipped around him, the tendrils of cold snaking down his back. It was not the air coming off the turbulent ocean, rather something far more frightening. It pulled at him as if knowing he could nothing without her, taunting his impotence.
With concentration, he blotted out everything around him and brought his own power to center. The best he could do alone was to gather as much strength as he could and push back. Around the edges of his being, he felt the pressure as the other returned the push, upping the ante by prodding and pinching. The evil one wanted in so that he could destroy everything once more. Death hadn’t lessened his need to control and to wipe out anything and everyone he couldn’t.
It would not happen. He would not allow it. No. Not again. Not ever again. This time it would all end and the evil would be forever banished from this beautiful place.
Still, he worried even as he felt the other relinquish and shift again into the expectant background. It had taken everything he possessed to give chase to the darkness. Would he be able to do the same again tomorrow? The next night? How long before the strength that had been with him since his fall finally failed him? He sighed, knowing that the only thing he could do was try.
Inside the house, a light came on glowing bright and giving him a clear view of the people who walked into the room. A shiver ran through him as he studied them. Where a moment ago there had been nothing, now a shimmer of dark light began to grow around the man who gazed upon the young woman with clear adoration. The same man he thought had no hold on this place. Dread filled him as he considered why.
Time was growing shorter with each passing moment. He’d seen it happen before. The light would grow deeper, more intense, and he would lose his hold on those within the house until it slipped through his fingers like water. In the end, his quest failed.
He trembled and shook his head back and forth. Not again. He clenched his hand as if to stop anything from falling between his fingers.
He would not allow the worst to happen. Regardless of what befell him, he would bring them home as they deserved. She would help. She would return to the house and would see; would understand.
She had to.
*
A fire crackled in the big fireplace. His long legs stretched out on the ottoman, Jeremy leaned back in the chair and let the warmth spread throughout his body. Before retiring for the night, Jolene had fixed them a wonderful dinner, and he’d eaten like he was a teenager again. Now the big meal had him relaxed and comfortable. A guy could get used to home-cooked meals, warm fires, and a beautiful woman at his side. No question about it.
Jolene bid them good night and headed down the hall in the opposite direction. It was just the two of them. For a long time, he sat with Merry and just talked. The tension of recent weeks disappeared as if it had never been there at all. They spoke about everything from the baby to plans of the future. Talking like this was a breath of fresh air.
Even so, he had to summon the courage to bring up marriage. It scared him to think that he could very easily frighten her away again. The fear was so deep and strong it made his stomach roll and that great dinner threatened to make its return.
“Merry?” Was that really his voice trembling?
“Yes, baby?” Her head was resting on his shoulder and her eyes were closed. It had been a while since they’d sat together like this and he’d seen her so relaxed.
“I need to ask you something.”
“Sure.”
“Ah, what would you think about us getting married?”
“Of course we’re getting married.” She didn’t open her eyes.
“Of course we are?”
“Yes, Jeremy, we’re getting married.”
“I love you,” he said as he kissed her head. “I really love you.”
“Back atcha, big boy.”
The urge to throw up disappeare
d, thank God, and he leaned his head against the sofa. When he noticed her breathing turned slow and easy, he gently eased her down and covered her up with a throw blanket from the back of the sofa. He moved over to one of the big chairs that flanked the fireplace and watched her as she slept.
That she’d conked out pretty early wasn’t particularly surprising. It was a long drive from Spokane, and she was, after all, pregnant. When his assistant Penny had been pregnant, the first couple of months, she’d been exhausted. There had been many naps on the sofa in his office. He figured there’d be lots of naps for Merry too.
The silence was pleasant and comfortable. Sitting here with the fire filling the room with flickering light and warmth, the love of his life resting peacefully, he didn’t remember when he’d been so happy. He smiled and leaned his head back against the soft chair. All was right with his world.
Sort of.
At the edges of his vision, something flickered like a swarm of moths moving around in the darkest corner of a closet. Something was faintly disturbing about it. It didn’t make sense. Here he was in an incredibly happy place, and by all conventional logic, it should trump anything else. He opened his eyes and scanned the room. Even as full of magic as it was sitting in this tranquil room with his one and only at his side, a disquieting sense of something not quite right nagged at him.
Ignore it. That’s what made the most sense. Stretched out and relaxed in a sweet chair with the most beautiful woman in the world sleeping close by, a wise man would enjoy it. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and let the warmth in the room flow over him. The sounds of the logs popping and snapping as the flames licked the wood finally lulled him into drowsiness. Yeah, this was living in the moment and not letting anything else intrude.
Now he knew how Merry felt before she drifted off to sleep. Resting easily in the soft chair, his arms grew heavy and his breathing became slow and easy.
The moon was high and full, casting spikes of gold light across the thick grass. His back ached, and sweat trickled down his spine to soak into his shirt. He barely noticed. Again and again, he pounded the shovel into the hard earth, the vibrations shooting up his arms like thunder. With each thrust, the hole grew larger, deeper.
At last, he stood with his back straight and stared at the night sky. It was ready, as was he. With a mighty shove, he threw the shovel up to the grass and followed it out of the hole. He kicked the shovel out of the way. Around him, the night was eerily quiet; the only sound was his own labored breathing. His eyes, accustomed to the darkness, easily made out the cluster of bushes. He easily retraced his earlier path, and he was there in a heartbeat.
Even in death, she weighed little. He easily hoisted her small frame, tossing her body over one shoulder. With far less effort than it took to dig the grave, he carried her from the bushes to the edge of the hole. He shrugged and sent her lifeless body tumbling into the dirt six feet below. She landed with a thud on the damp earth.
For a long moment, he stared into the dark abyss. He couldn’t help smiling. “You had it coming,” he said into the silent night. “I warned you, and you did not listen. Are you listening now?”
Facedown in the cold damp earth, her black hair spread out around her head. The effect was odd in that it blended so completely with the dirt that it appeared she was headless. All he could make out in any detail was the unnatural angle of her arms and legs, and the pattern of her pale cotton dress. In the darkness, the blood didn’t show. The only trace was on the fine cotton of his shirt. He’d have to burn it, which was a shame considering the price he’d paid to have it custom made.
From where he’d kicked it, he grabbed the handle of the shovel. Blisters had risen on his palms, and they stung when he wrapped his hand around the wooden handle. He ignored the pain. Soon enough, this would all be over. Things would be as they should once more.
With renewed energy, he leaned down and filled his shovel with rich dirt. The earthy smell rose into the air and it filled him with peace. With a heave, he threw the dirt into the hole. The first shovelful fell on her head. The sight renewed his resolve and he picked up steam. Within a few minutes, her body was covered, erasing her as if she’d never existed at all.
When it was all done and the sod he’d carefully pulled up had been replaced, he leaned on his shovel and said once more, “I warned you.”
No more left to do, he turned and walked away without looking back. Nothing to see except a bit of dirt in his otherwise pristine lawn. By morning, even that would be washed away by the beautiful, cleansing rain. His heart was light, his conscious clear.
Jeremy’s head snapped up and his eyes popped open. “What the fuck,” he muttered under his breath and then quickly looked over at the sleeping Merry. She didn’t stir.
He ran his hands over his face. That was one fucking weird dream. What he saw lingered as if it didn’t want to leave him in peace. Since when did he start dreaming about a dead girl and the man who buried her?
Funny that it felt somehow right. That feeling didn’t make any sense either. How could a dream about burying a woman feel okay in any universe? Sure as hell didn’t in his. He might be a lot of things, but he wasn’t that kind of guy. Must just be all the changes and surprises sending his sleeping brain into overdrive. Yeah, that was it.
He got up and put a log on the fire. Sparks flew from the fireplace like tiny fireflies, and the sweet scent of tamarack filled the air. Jeremy walked to the windows and stared out. The night was very black, the storm clouds heavy with rain blocking out any starlight and obscuring the moon. Oddly, it didn’t depress him. Under different circumstances, it might. Not tonight, in spite of the disturbing dream.
At the featherlight touch of a hand on his shoulder, he smiled. While he didn’t hear her move, it was obvious Merry had finished her nap and was up. “Hey, baby,” he murmured.
He turned, intending to take her in his arms. The smile faded. It wasn’t Merry whose hand rested on his shoulder. She still slept on the sofa.
No one was behind him.
Chapter Thirteen
Lorna giggled. Giggled! Obviously, she’d had way too much beer. But it wasn’t her fault. Renee was the one who took her to the awesome microbrewery, and only being considerate, she drank the beer with genuine appreciation. It was, after all, the polite thing to do.
Now she was maybe just a little on the tipsy side. Usually she’d feel guilty for letting loose. Not tonight. No siree, she didn’t feel even a tiny bit remorseful. They’d had a wonderful afternoon sampling the different brews, snacking on salmon bites, fresh clams, and cheddar biscuits. The tipsy part sort of snuck up on her and as she studied Renee changed her opinion. It had snuck up on both of them, in a good way that is.
It did create a bit of a problem though. How exactly were they going to get home? It would be ill-advised and frankly, just plain stupid to drive back to the house. As Aunt Bea would have said, they were up a creek without a paddle, between a rock and a hard place, all dressed up and nowhere to. The old sayings made her giggle…again. Good thing Jeremy wasn’t here; he’d never let her live this one down.
Renee came to the rescue with her handy dandy cell phone and solved their no transportation problem. Half an hour later—time for one more brew—Willie showed up. He was a tall, dark-skinned man who smiled at them like they were naughty children. She didn’t mind, considering they actually were being a bit naughty. She took an immediate liking to Willie and liked even more that he herded them into the backseat of a late model SUV. She thought he was going to drive them to a hotel and was pleasantly surprised when he headed out of Seattle. Strangely enough, he was driving in the exact direction of home. How did he know that’s where she wanted to go? Was he psychic too?
“It’s too far for you to drive us to my place,” she protested, her arms on the back of his seat. He actually smelled pretty good, for a guy. Nice cologne.
He didn’t flinch when she brought her face close to his neck to breathe his great scent. It wa
s a testament to his good nature because she surely smelled like a distillery. Another plus in his column. “No worries, little Lorna. I plan to deliver you and my little pal, Renee, right to your front door. You’ll sober up a lot better sleeping in your own bed than you would in some strange place.”
Smart guy too. “You’ll have to stay with us then.”
He reached back and patted her hand. “Not necessary. My cousin Louie lives only about twenty miles from your place. I’ll be staying there. He’d kick my ass if I got out his way and didn’t come on by. It’s a family thing you know.”
She plopped back into her seat and turned to look at Renee. “You have great friends.” She was jealous really. She couldn’t think of a single friend of hers back in Spokane who would make this kind of drive at this time of night just because she’d sat around a bar getting loopy.
Renee nodded, her eyelids drooping. “I certainly do. You’re a peach, Louie.”
“Right back to you, my pretty.” He laughed and kept his eyes on the dark highway.
Her shoulders touched Renee’s as they leaned together in the backseat. They talked and laughed for what seemed like hours, though she suspected it was more like half an hour. Her eyes grew weary, and she leaned her head back. If she closed her eyes for just a minute, it would be okay. Renee’s head was resting on her shoulder, the pressure warm and natural. The motion of the vehicle was as relaxing as grandma’s rocking chair.
She woke up after Willie had stopped the car and reached around to tap her on the shoulder. “Ladies, we’re here.”
Slowly, her eyes opened. Her mouth was dry, and she was so tired she had no desire to move a single inch. What she really wanted to do was close her eyes again and go back to sleep. It didn’t matter a bit that she was sitting in the car with her seatbelt still on. She was too tired to move.
Renee stirred next to her, and the movement propelled her into reluctant motion. If everyone else was leaving the car, she supposed she could work up enough energy to drag herself after them and into the house. A glance at her watch made her flinch. Three in the morning. Not exactly her typical evening. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been out that late…or would it be this early? The house was dark except for a lone light in the front room. Probably Jolene making sure they didn’t come home to total blackness.
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