by Wayne Tripp
Yeah, life seemed normal in town, although Jamie, Kat, and Eric, united by the terrible secret they knew, began to look at their neighbors differently. They began to size up acquaintances they’d known for years, trying to decide if they were just poor souls trapped in this human sewer like themselves, or something trying to scuttle to safety in a place filled with shadows. Every so often, they’d notice people were starting to disappear.
Rosa Costa was the first. One day the well-liked woman didn’t show up in the office at Constance Paine. Repeated phone calls and inquiries got no response. Finally, Chief DeCosta sent MacLeod over to her house. Jamie found Rosa. Some of her. His discovery cost him most of his lunch.
Gertrude Shaw vanished next. Agnes Antonelli took over the library, and shortly after that, James and Eric were forbidden admittance to the Paine’s private collection room. Precious relics were missing, according to Agnes.
The trio met at night, in the Standish apartment. They welcomed Abigail into their circle and told her as little as they dared. They talked late into the night discussing their possible allies and definite foes. A hot debate raged between the two lovers whether they should flee for their lives or stand and fight. Brother and sister sat on the sidelines watching. Eric agonized whether he should tell the two women the one thing Jamie had kept from the others. Frustrated and angry, MacLeod excused himself abruptly, stomping down to his Escape for something. Eric had his chance. He knew Jamie had disappeared so he could give himself another of his dwindling injections. He’d be gone five minutes at best. In a near panic, Eric cornered Kat and Abby and told them that James was a werewolf. Although both women scoffed at it as a bad joke, Kat immediately realized if true, it explained why the moon figured so prominently in her lover’s life. Then Eric showed the two women his revolver, loaded with silver bullets. Laughing hysterically, Kat shook her head in denial and burst into tears. She fled the room seconds before James returned. When he asked where Kat was, both siblings almost shouted “bathroom”.
A very different Kat returned to the fold. The four friends made plans for another half hour, but their hearts weren’t in it. They split up a little later and trudged off to bed. All four took a long time before they fell off to dreamland. None of them slept well.
* * * *
In the morning, with tears in her eyes and her heart in her throat, Kat retook the same test she’d taken the previous day. The results were the same.
She’d borrowed MacLeod’s Escape for some bogus errand that morning, so within minutes she’d fled her apartment and roared out of town in frustrated fury. Agonizing how to tell James, she was half out of tears and most of the way through a bottle of Jack Daniels when she spun Jamie’s Escape around and headed back to town. She’d just have to be a big girl and tell him. He loved her, so what was the problem? She was just passing the Rodriguez farmhouse when she noticed two women going at it in the kitchen. Even though she was off-duty and out of uniform, Kat decided she’d better look in on Jamie’s ex. That was the day all hell began to break loose.
Chapter 31
Lacey was pissed. She suspected Julie of deliberately delivering her into principal Sweetling’s sweaty hands. Lacey had fled home in the town’s only cab, sick with humiliation. Her friend had been only mildly sympathetic, offering the flimsiest excuse for not picking her up after school. Blurting out what had happened; Lacey was shocked when Julie showed no sign of surprise. With her sight secretly restored, Lacey had good reason to be pissed off. It was crystal clear Julie had helped herself to Lacey’s bank account as well as her wardrobe.
“Julie, you’ve got on my pink and blue dress; the one with the little flowers. I can tell.” She had to think fast, realizing it might be better if Julie didn’t know she could see. If she knew, Sweetling would know. “I brushed against the little bow. Jamie bought me that dress. I’d like you to take it off right now."
“Oh, aren’t we snippy this morning. I didn’t think you’d mind if I tried it on.”
“It’s not just the dress. There are other things. Julie, I thought you were my friend. What gives you the right to just help yourself to my stuff?”
“I’m not taking your junk. And if I was, what are you going to do about it? It’s not like you’ve seen me doing anything!”
“I know you are. I know you set me up with Principal Sweetling too. How could you, knowing what a monster he is?”
“Oh you’re no innocent little virgin! You would’ve stuck MacLeod’s cock in your mouth in a heartbeat!”
“I loved Jamie. Sweetling forced himself on me!”
“Oh poor little you.”
“I want you out of my house today. Now! Is that clear?”
“Listen you little bitch. You’re in no position to demand anything; do you hear me?” Julie moved in fast, shoving the woman into her kitchen wall so hard, the back of Lacey’s head smacked hard into the plaster.
“I happen to know you’ve got this place mortgaged to your pretty little eyeballs. You want to quit teaching cause you can't stand Gerald's greasy hands, you go ahead. Throw away your teaching career; see who else will hire a blind twat like you. Yeah, I’ve been ripping you off. You had some pretty nice things here. Now they’re mine. Call it payment for listening to you whine. As for your bank account, well, Anchor Union will probably throw you out on your ass when they realize you missed a couple mortgage payments and are behind on your credit cards three months. Let’s face it sweetheart, you’re screwed.”
“Why, Julie? I trusted you!”
“You don’t get it, do you, you silly woman?” Julie shoved Lacey back into the wall again “It’s you, Lace. Little Miss Perfect. Always the prissy lady, so fucking cheerful. Even blind, everybody loves you. Yeah, we’ve been friends since college, but I’ve always been stuck in the shadows, hoping some of your friends, some of your men friends would notice me. Well, now you’ve taken a mighty fall, haven’t you? Not quite the perfect princess anymore. I was thrilled to hear what Gerry did to you. Who do you think drove your boyfriend away, told him you couldn’t stand the sight of him?”
“Jamie? You told him I hated him!”
“I did it for Gerald. I would do anything for him. And he wants you!”
“I loved Jamie!”
“I know. That’s what made your break-up so sweet!” She pulled back her hand to slap Lacey across the face; watching in amazement as Lacey flinched and pulled away.
“You can see!"
“What’s going on here?” Both women looked towards the open doorway, Julie as much shocked by the sudden realization that her intended victim could see as the surprise presence of the uninvited police woman.
“Miss Rodriguez, are you all right?”
“Who the hell are you? Julie backed away from her intended victim.
“Officer O’Hara,” said Lacey. “Thank God you’re here. I want this woman out of my house. She’s been robbing me.” She glared at Julie, who was already backing towards the door.
“Do you want to bring charges?” Kat faced the two women, wondering exactly what had been going on.
“No . . . I just want her gone."
Okay, that’s your call. You,” Kat used her most forceful cop persona even though she was out of uniform and far from sober, “Get out of here. Now! This lady isn’t pressing charges. If I were you, I’d make myself scarce before she changes her mind.” Julie was gone before Kat finished her speech.
* * * *
Kat turned back to Lacey, her features softening as soon as she faced Jamie’s ex. “I take it you’ve got your sight back–you can see now. You’ve been through a lot, haven’t you? I’m so sorry for you, Miss Rodriguez.”
“Yes. I’ve been able to see for a little while now. That’s how I knew Julie was robbing me. She didn’t know I could see. I thought she was my friend.” She dried her eyes, trying to be brave. “Thank you for showing up when you did."
&nb
sp; Kat smiled at the smaller woman, and Lacey forced her own shy smile in return.
“I think we’ve met before. I remember you sitting outside in the cruiser protecting me. I gave you a glass of lemonade.” She scrubbed her dark brunette hair out of her eyes, afraid she was about to burst into tears. “Besides, I hear Officer MacLeod thinks very highly of you.”
“You mean Jamie?” Kat took a second to really look at the other woman. She was dressed in some sort of prissy little dress, deep purple with tiny white polka dots. It looked expensive. God, the woman must put most of her teacher’s pay on her back.
“Yes, Jamie.” A wave of sadness swept across her face, and a few unwanted tears escaped. “Please tell him I said hello.”
“Sure. We’ve been seeing each other for a while now, you know. He gave me this ring.” She held out her left hand and fluttered her ring finger. A familiar looking sapphire surrounded by six small diamonds flashed up at Lacey. “It was his grandmother’s. We’re practically engaged. I love him so much. And you still love him too, you little bitch, don’t you? Well, he’s mine now.
"I-I'm so happy for you. Jamie's a wonderful man."
“Look, I’ve got to get out of here. I'm glad I was able to help you this morning, and we got this Jamie thing out in the open. I can't believe you took it so well, but I appreciate it. I really do. If there's ever anything I can do to help you, just call. Anything it’s in my power to give you.” She didn’t wait for Lacey’s answer, but left the hall and walked out the front door, closing it behind her. “Anything that you want.”
Lacey held her breath, listening to the thudding of her own heart. She waited until she heard the snick of the outside door closing, and then hugged herself as she began to rock back and forth, waiting for the other woman to start Jamie’s Ford and leave. Only then did she allow the sobs to come, collapsing in tears as she whispered one word to the gathering shadows. “Jamie.”
Chapter 32
In April the people of Grim Island noticed Miss Rodriguez walking through their small downtown shopping area. Nathaniel Slocum, working for his dad at Slocum’s Hardware sold her a couple new door lock sets and gave her the number for a reliable locksmith. She came in special to see the bank vice president at Anchor Union Bank and straighten out her financial fiasco. On another day, she was seen at Lady Sofia’s Boutique, indulging herself in a couple of flowery summer dresses. Each time she came to town she looked all around herself, as though seeing the small brick and weathered shingle buildings for the first time, or looking for someone special. Unable to find that certain someone, she always returned in a few days’ time on another shopping mission. People began to wonder, and talk.
Jamie was nowhere around. He’d been assigned a missing person case and was following the coastline down beyond Goosefish Beach. He got the job because no one else on the force was willing to go near the place. Too close to the abandoned asylum. A local housewife’s car had been seen headed toward that part of the island, and she’d not been seen since. Finding the abandoned Chevy had been easy. Yet after two days of intense searching, Jamie couldn’t find a trace of the woman.
Chapter 33
On an ordinary day, he would have noticed the scent of the perfume she’d always worn; he might even have recognized the smell of the woman herself. He definitely would have known her voice, raised in song, nowhere near as polished or melodious as his lover’s, but springing from the heart with the fiery passion of one completely alone.
Yet today was not an ordinary day, and he neither heard nor sensed her coming. Jamie MacLeod had slipped away from his job, his woman and the others clustered under his protection, for a moment alone with his frustration and his bitter sorrow. He and his friends had enlisted a few others, but by far the larger force in town chose to stay in the dark. The others might not sense it yet, but he knew that an ancient evil was stirring on Grim Island, rousing its slumbering beasts to come forth and feed. Jamie knew because he was a beast too. Luckily, he had a potion to keep his particular monster at bay. Most of the time. His potion was almost gone. He’d asked Reginald for more, but there’d been no answer from Salem. Time was running out. The moon would be full in a few days. After that—
Throw into the situation that his fiancée, Kat, was chafing at the bit to get engaged, constantly needling him with far from subtle hints. He just wasn’t ready. He’d made his excuses, jumped in his SUV and fled to the coast.
He picked the wrong place. Wolf Head had always been a favorite spot of his, and most of the other sea-loving people of the island. High rocky cliffs topped by rolling lawns begging for summer picnics. It offered a view of surf, gulls, and sailboats to die for. Romantic sunsets and stirring sunrises. All it needed was a lone bagpiper playing Amazing Grace. No wonder so many of the state’s young couples found their way to this shore to exchange their vows. Once, he’d even thought he and Lacey would stand here together. Stop that. It’s dead and buried. Why then, does the undead corpse refuse to lie quiet? God, he missed her.
He sat all alone, halfway down the cliff, his back to the edge of a huge table of surf-riddled slate. Herring gulls and terns wheeled overhead, riding the brisk air currents, and looking for an early morning meal. Three of their more brazen brothers stood staring expectantly at the remains of Jamie’s breakfast scattered at his side. He was all alone in this hidden cove, most of the weekend visitors busy at school or work. All alone with his chaotic thoughts.
The gulls told him someone was coming. They began to squawk. Then one at a time, they took to the air. Never guessing, Jamie straightened up, and turned around. Just like that, he saw a ghost.
* * * *
There’d been a spring thaw, and then this brace of freaky warm days. She’d grown restless around the house, and since rumors flying around town made certain that most people already knew her sight had returned, no one would be shocked to see her. Deep in thought, she fingered the heart-shaped locket she wore at her throat, and decided to head down the coast. Her locket had just been returned by mail along with a vindictive note from Julie. The tiny picture she’d had inside of Jamie was gone of course. Since it was so warm, she threw on a sleeveless spring dress; clawed back her wayward hair, snared it in a butterfly clip, and headed out the door. At the last second, she decided to grab her powder blue cardigan; there was always a cool breeze blowing at Wolf Head.
She parked her Camry in the lot nearest the old black and white striped light house, grabbed her things and started hiking away from the point. There’d been a storm a few nights back, and both the thundering surf and whistling wind were up. She wanted somewhere a little calmer with a lot less southwesterly wind. The cove. Their cove. Being a weekday there weren’t many people around. A retired couple enjoying a late breakfast outside their slab-sided RV, a gaggle of school kids yammering around the whip thin ranger, waiting to take their nature walk. She knew the chaperoning teacher. She didn’t wave; they’d share no friendly chit-chat. She’d lost a lot of her friends at Constance Paine. None seemed to know the true story, or really care to learn. Most felt she’d been trying to seduce principal Sweetling, curry favor so she could keep her job. Without a wave she turned away, knowing full well the teacher had seen her and was probably glaring at her back.
When she came over the rise, she’d been singing the words to You Raise Me Up, trying in vain to cheer herself up and make the best of a beautiful day. Inside, her mind was at war. She didn’t know what to do about teaching. She was due back the following week. Should she return or just quit and go. Sweetling would be lurking, gloating. Would he try something else? She was on her guard now. She’d bought pepper spray, watched a DVD on self-defense. In a pinch, she was determined to fight like hell. Her kids needed her. She was a good teacher. But, maybe she should just leave. Quit school and quit Grim Island. Could she do that; just leave? He was here. But he was lost to Kat, gone forever. Kat had finally cornered h
er downtown. Gloating, she couldn’t wait to reveal her secret, more devastating than any engagement ring. She should go. Tears formed in her eyes. She blinked them back, and singing louder, topped the rise to the cove.
There was someone already there. A man with wind-blown hair and a full beard. She should leave, but he’d already seen her, was turning around as he rose.
“Oh…I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to disturb you. I-I’ll just go.” Suddenly shy, wanting to be alone, she lowered her eyes, avoiding looking at the guy. She started to turn, suddenly unsure of her footing. There was something about that man though.
“Lacey? It is you. Lacey, wait! Please don’t go!”
“J-James?” Oh my god. Jamie. You look so thin, so worried, my love. Yet so sexy with those damned kissable lips. So irresistible with those rakish bad boy looks. “I should go.” Emotions at war, and close to panic, Lacey turned to go, catching her boot heel on some exposed roots and snagging herself on clutching bramble fingers. “Lace, stay there. Don’t move. I’ll come to you. That path’s pretty slippery. I don’t want you to fall.”
I’ve already fallen. Damn you for being here. She struggled against the briars, plucking her sweater’s hem from the wicked thorns. Then she turned to scurry up the path. She had to get away before he saw the truth, before she lost control of her emotions. Why was her heart hammering so?
Suddenly he was there, just ahead of her, offering her his hand from the top of the cliff. How had he moved so fast? Reluctantly taking his hand, she let him pull her up next to him. He was uncomfortably close. She could smell his aftershave, the same aftershave she’d picked out for him almost a year ago. This close, she could smell the sheer animal musk of the man. Her man. No more. Her knees started to go weak.
“It’s great to see you Lace. To know you can see me. I was thrilled to hear your sight’s come back. I’ve wanted to–” Instinctively, he reached out to touch her shoulder, draw her closer.