Walks Through Mist

by Kim Murphy

  “I perform my chores at Colwell House without fail and attend to my studies.”

  “And Lee?”

  Lowering her gaze, Phoebe clasped her hands in her lap. “I have not seen him. He calls to inquire how I’m faring, but I’m uncertain what to say.”

  “Phoebe, he’s concerned about you. Just tell him that you’ll talk to him. The rest will work out. I’m certain of that.” Shae was hit by a wave of nostalgia. At one time, she had felt the same for Lee. “Is there anything else you’d like to talk about before we call it a day?”

  “Nay.”

  “Just remember to call me if you need anything before our next session.”

  “I shall. Thank you, Shae.”

  Shae escorted Phoebe to the door and breathed a sigh of relief. Phoebe was her last patient of the day. After a goodbye, she returned to her desk and looked over her calendar for the following day, when her receptionist buzzed her. “There’s an Ed Bailey here to see you.”

  What could Lee’s partner want? “Send him in.”

  The door opened, and Ed entered. “Shae, I hope I haven’t inconvenienced you by dropping in.”

  “Not at all,” she said, standing.

  He approached the desk and shook her hand. “I was hoping to catch you before you left for the day.”

  She motioned for him to have a seat. “What brings you here? I admit, I’m a bit puzzled.”

  He pulled up the chair to the desk and sat. “It’s about Lee.”

  “If it’s in reference to a couple of weeks ago...”

  With a wave of his hand, he said, “I wish it were that simple. He’s been preoccupied lately. In one instance, he mishandled evidence, nearly jeopardizing the entire case. On another case, he put himself in an unnecessary situation that could have gotten ugly real fast. I trained him myself. He’s the best. It’s not like him to make rookie mistakes. I know the two of you haven’t been together for quite sometime, but I didn’t know who else might know anything.”

  “I don’t see how I can help.”

  “Have you met Phoebe?”

  “I have.”

  “Is she the cause of his distraction?”

  “Possibly.”

  Frustration wrinkled his forehead. “And you’re not going to say any more.”

  “Ed, you know I can’t.”

  “Can you at least speak to Lee? The last time I saw him this distracted by a woman...” His gaze met hers. “I shouldn’t have said that, but it was you, when you asked for the divorce.”

  She nodded in understanding. “I’ll let him know your concern.”

  “Thanks.” He stood, and they shook hands again.

  As he exited, Shae blew out an exasperated breath. When she had initially taken Phoebe’s case, she would have never guessed where it would lead. Regret? Not in the least. Phoebe continued to intrigue her.

  * * *

  When Phoebe had finally agreed to see him, Lee debated whether or not he should go. For two weeks he had kept calling her, only to be turned away. If he wasn’t on duty, he spent the time nursing a beer until he lost count of how many he had consumed. Drunken Indian, drunken cop. He had two strikes against him.

  Sober again, he refused to sink to the same level he had after Shae left. When Meg called, she said Phoebe didn’t want to talk on the phone, but to meet him face to face. He had nearly said “no,” but who was he fooling? He wanted to see her, even if she only wanted to see him to part ways.

  With some nervousness, Lee knocked on the door at Colwell House. It cracked open.

  “Lee...” The door widened, and Valerie allowed him to enter. Her hands trembled. “I’m glad you’re here.”

  “What’s wrong? Is it Phoebe?”

  “Phoebe’s fine,” she gulped. “Phoebe and Meg are upstairs, trying to calm a situation.”

  “What kind of situation?”

  “Carol’s boyfriend is upstairs. He says he’s not leaving without her.”

  “Does he have a weapon?”

  “I don’t think so, but I’ve heard Carol crying.”

  He didn’t wait to hear more. Male visitors were strictly forbidden upstairs. He charged up the stairs two at a time. Near the landing, he overheard Phoebe and Meg begging Carol to come out of her room. He reached the top and waved the women away from the door. Heated voices came from inside the room. As a patrol officer, he had hated handling domestic disputes. As a detective, he got the call when someone was severely injured or dead. Standing to the side of the door, he knocked. “Carol, I’m Detective Crowley with the county police. Are you all right?”

  Behind the door, she choked on a sob but gave an affirmative.

  “Open the door and let me see that you’re all right.” Nothing happened, and Lee tensed with his hand near his gun. “Carol...”

  The door slowly opened, and a man with a tattoo that had a heart and Carol’s name on his right arm held his arms away from his body to show he carried no weapons. He knew the procedure, which meant he likely had run-ins with the law before. Lee remained alert.

  The woman squinted as if in pain but bore no physical evidence of abuse.

  “Do you want to press charges?” Lee asked.

  Shaking her head, she cried into a tissue.

  Lee reached for the man’s arm. “I’ll escort you out of here.”

  “I’m going,” he said, jerking free of Lee’s grip.

  They left the room, and Phoebe and Meg went to check on Carol. With relief spreading across her face, Valerie waited at the bottom of the stairs. Lee accompanied the man outside and made certain he was leaving before returning to the house. “He’ll be back,” he told Valerie.

  Still visibly shaken, she swallowed hard. “He’s the one I told you that I had a feeling about being trouble from the start. I came downstairs to call the cops when you arrived.”

  “If you can give me his name, I’ll run a check on him. I’ll also see if the patrols can swing by more often.”

  “Thanks.” She closed her eyes. “His name is Kevin Fletcher.”

  “Are you all right?”

  With her hand on the banister, Valerie took a deep breath and gave some semblance of being in control. “I need to see how Carol is.”

  “I’m willing to bet Fletcher hit her, but without obvious bruises, I had no probable cause to arrest him. I was hoping she’d press charges.”

  “Few of them ever will.” She started up the stairs. “I’ll send Phoebe down.”

  As Lee went into the parlor, he phoned in the details on Fletcher to the department. When he finished, he heard someone enter the parlor behind him. He turned.

  Phoebe stood in the entryway with her eyes gleaming. Around her neck, she wore the arrowhead he had given her on a leather cord.

  “I didn’t get a chance to say ‘hi’ earlier,” he said.

  She ran toward him and threw her arms around his waist.

  He responded with a kiss to her lips. “I missed you.”

  Tears were in her eyes. Unashamed, she brushed them away. “I love you, Lee Crowley.”

  Her words caught him off guard. He didn’t know how or why—only that they were connected. “I love you, Phoebe Wynne.”

  * * *

  34

  Phoebe

  From the first moment upon seeing Lee again, I realized I had been mistaken in withdrawing from him. Though I could not recall how long ago Dark Moon had died, my grief had eased. I would always ache from the memory of my loss, but he had traveled to the afterlife, where he joined his ancestors. The kwiokosuk had comforted me by letting me know that he would grow up there. In time, I came to know peace.

  I had much yet to uncover from my past, but I could now go forward without fear. My confession of love to Lee seemed so natural that I had given it little thought when uttering the words. Upon hearing the same returned to me, my heart sang. I knew not what our future held, only that I cherished our time together.

  In haste, we returned to his apartment and “made love.” The expression
for what we shared seemed gentler than the English phrase “to fornicate.” Whilst I dare not say our unions were always docile, they were gratifying and not given to the pious shame that had been drilled into me during my brief visit to James Towne.

  Afterwards, we lay with our naked bodies pressed together, each breathing in the other’s scent. I longed for these moments of contentment to ne’er end. Still, I had left something unsaid and did not wish for it to linger betwixt us. “I shouldn’t have shunned you.”

  He twisted a few strands of my hair betwixt his fingers. “You needed a little time and space. We all do, every so often.”

  “I behaved shamefully.”

  “You didn’t.” He kissed me upon my lips. “You were grieving for your son. As someone who has had to deliver the news to parents that their child is dead, I can’t even begin to think of what it must be like to be on the receiving end.”

  “You have no children of your own?”

  “By the time Shae even considered the prospect, we split.”

  I detected sorrow in his voice and recalled the joy of carrying Lightning Storm’s children. “Mayhap, I can give you a child someday.”

  “I think it’s a little soon to be discussing kids, when we have no idea who you really are or where you’re from. What if you’re still married?”

  I had not stopped to broach such a question. My memories were of Lightning Storm, yet I had a Welsh surname. In my heart, I could ne’er have loved Lee so freely if I truly believed Lightning Storm were alive. The only Wynne I could recollect was Captain Henry. Was it possible? “If I am, I shall divorce him.”

  Lee took my head in his hands and held it. “It may not be that simple.”

  “This century allows it,” I protested. “I love you.”

  “I love you too, but...”

  I withdrew from his embrace for I did not wish to hear anything that might give me pause. I got up to dress.

  He grasped my hand as I slipped from under the bed covers. “Phoebe, you can’t keep doing this.”

  I turned to him. “I don’t understand.”

  “Anytime you recall something uncomfortable or painful, you run from me. Do you want to discover the answers on how you came to be here or not? You need to decide what’s more important and face the consequences, whatever they may be.”

  I traced a finger along the side of his face. “I’m afraid.”

  “That’s understandable, but aren’t we stronger when we stand together?”

  Part of me wished I could remain blissfully unaware of the past. I could love Lee without any thought for the morrow, but I would not be whole. “Aye, I must know what happened.”

  “I thought you’d say that.”

  “Will you...”

  “Go ahead.”

  He already knew what was in my thoughts. Why did he make me utter the words? “Will you join me in the dreaming?”

  “If you promise me that no matter what happens, you won’t run. We’ll work through it together.”

  “I shan’t run.” With my vow pledged from the heart, I clasped his hand, intertwining our fingers. The answers I sought would bind us, not separate us.

  * * *

  Flame, smoke, mist. The fog engulfed me, and the white dog appeared afore me. Something that could ne’er happen in Shae’s office, Lee walked aside me. Because of our connection, he could cross into the spirit world with me. Though he did not carry a bow, in this realm, he was bare-chested and wore a breechclout. He had the heart of a warrior, and I saw him as such.

  My belly was so full with child that I had difficulty walking. The child wriggled within my womb, kicking me wildly. I placed Lee’s hand against my abdomen, as I had with Lightning Storm. Pressing his hand on my bare skin, he smiled at the child’s movements.

  But my task ahead was part of a world that allowed no men, for I was about to give birth. The women would watch over me ’til I had my babe.

  Momma approached me. “Phoebe, it’s time.”

  Momma always reverted to my English name during emotional moments. “Momma, I wish for you to meet Lee Crowley.”

  Confused, she narrowed her eyes. “Irish name, but you appear... What tribe do you hail from, Master Crowley?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Have we made acquaintance afore?”

  I grasped Momma’s arm. “Come, Momma. Lee has accompanied me whilst dreaming. You cannot have met him afore. He hails from the twenty-first century.”

  The century formed on Momma’s lips, but she uttered no sound.

  I guided her to the mat-covered house, where I would give birth, for the blood was more powerful than that of the moon time.

  We stepped inside the house, and Momma spoke, “Phoebe, I wish to know more about Master Crowley. The twenty-first century? How is that possible?”

  “I know not the answers. Somehow I made my way there, and Lee is helping me to discover what happened here. Momma, I must know, do you regret leaving the colony?”

  Momma licked her lips. “Sometimes I wonder what might have been, but... Nay, I gave you a chance for life, and you will soon be presenting me with my grandchild. I also wouldn’t have had Sly Fox or known Silver Eagle’s love.” She frowned in a troubled way.

  “You can speak of Poppa, if you wish.”

  “There is a part of me that says I should not know such love, for I am guilty of adultery.”

  “You were properly wed in Paspahegh tradition.”

  “But I was also wed to your Poppa, which makes no allowances for divorce.”

  “You thought he was dead.”

  “Aye, and I fear he will return to claim you.”

  A shiver ran through me, and I rubbed my belly. “Let us think of my child. The kwiocos has predicted that she will be a girl.”

  Momma smiled. I was comforted that she was near. When Dark Moon had been born, I had been unable to travel the river to reach her. His birth had come sooner than anticipated. For another day, the women brought me food and attended to my needs. When my pains began, a kwiocos entered the house and said a prayer in each corner. He then circled the room to ward off vengeful spirits.

  Aft he departed, I drank snakeroot tea to ease the pain. Turtle Shell, a renowned midwife, was in attendance, and I was comforted by her presence.

  As my pain grew stronger and more frequent, Momma spoke to focus my thoughts on her voice. I refused to shame myself by complaining. I had a task ahead—to birth my daughter. Turtle Shell prepared more tea, which I drank with relish. We sang and prayed to the health of my child.

  Momma held my arm, and I paced the floor. The pain increased. I took deep breaths but kept from crying out. Soon, I knew the time had come. With Momma on one side of me and Turtle Shell on the other, I knelt. I took deep breaths, whilst Momma rubbed my back. Turtle Shell pressed on my belly, attempting to force the child out.

  The pain became so intense that I gritted my teeth. Turtle Shell spoke comforting words. I felt like I was on fire and closed my eyes. Warm blood trickled down my legs. The child was coming. Turtle Shell urged me on. I strained with the pain, and a blood-covered child slid into Turtle Shell’s arms. As predicted, my daughter had arrived.

  * * *

  35

  Lee

  The crow flew ahead of Lee, leading him out of the mist. He blinked. The candle had burned down to a nub, but he was back in his apartment. He looked across at Phoebe. “What did you namehy her?”

  “You saw the birth?”

  “I did.”

  The blood drained from her face. “I should not have involved you.”

  “Why? Do you think I’m going to get queasy from seeing a baby born? I assisted once when I was on patrol duty.”

  She touched his face and relaxed slightly. “You were not harmed?”

  “Why would I have been? The mother was quite happy that I happened along. She tried driving herself to the hospital, but the baby came a little sooner than expected. I called for an ambulance, but the baby wouldn’t wait
to meet the new world. There really wasn’t much for me to do besides keeping the mother calm until the paramedics arrived.”

  “Things are very different in this time. I could ne’er have fathomed a man helping to birth a child.”

  “It’s fairly common. Even if they’re not helping, many men are present when their wives deliver.”

  Her face wrinkled. “I was raised that it was bad luck for a man to be present.”

  “Even if it were, I wasn’t actually present when your baby was born.”

  She forced a smile. “She was named Little Hummingbird.”

  “That’s a pretty name.” Sometimes he regretted that Shae and he had never gotten around to having kids. He stood. “It’s time that I take you back to Colwell House.”

  She got to her feet.

  He pulled her close. “I wish we had more time together than a day or two a week.”

  “As do I.” With a shiver, she pressed a hand to his chest. “Lee, I fear that what you have viewed during the dreaming is an ill omen.”

  Her arms had broken out in goosebumps. He wished he could ease her mind from old wives’ tales and gently rubbed her arms to help warm her. “I’ll be fine.”

  Seemingly unconvinced, she drew away. Her face remained sad as he collected his keys and gun. Once they were on the drive to Colwell House, Phoebe asked, “Is there not some way you can locate your tribe?”

  Wondering why her question had arisen now, he responded, “I’ve already explained to you that I was dumped. Even if that weren’t the case, adoption records are closed.”

  “Closed?”

  “The government seals the records so that adoptees can’t easily find their birth parents, unless the parents wish to be found.”

  “Are you not a detective?”

  First Shae, now Phoebe—the discussion nearly made him miss a red light. He screeched the T-Bird to a halt. “If you’re asking me whether I can cut through the bullshit red tape, yes, I know ways around it. My adoption papers say that I’m Indian, but I have no real comprehension of what that means.”