Ingress

by Mary Ann Poll

  His truck slid to a halt in her driveway. He jumped out, still in his old grey sweat suit that doubled as pajamas. His hair stood up and out in all directions, naturally curly like hers. He bounded up the stairs.

  “You said you didn’t see the intruder.”

  Kat shook her head from side to side.

  “Then how do you know someone was here?”

  She led Bart to the bedroom, over to the rug and pointed at the slight, wet spot that had begun to dry.

  Bart crouched down and touched it. The small circular outline was still darker than the dry rug.

  He stood up. “You sure you didn’t drop some ice on your way inside sometime today?”

  “I haven’t been to the window or that side of the bed all day. So, I don’t know how ice would get there.”

  “BC?”

  “He doesn’t have outdoor privileges when it gets this cold.”

  “You heard scratching?”

  “Yeah, I thought it was the bush outside the window. And, it was rubbing on the window. But then I was sure the sound was closer and BC seemed to be tracking something. It almost sounded like scuffling across the floor, when I think about it. Anyway, I turned on the light and didn’t see anyone. But then I went over to check and there was this wet spot. That’s when I called you.”

  Bart checked his wrist and realized he had forgotten his watch. He looked at the clock over Kat’s sink. Five o’clock.

  “I’m sorry for calling you out here. I could have sworn there was someone in my room. You go on home and I’ll see you in a couple of hours.”

  “Nothing doing. You grab some clothes and that cat. You can stay at my house.”

  “That’s not necessary, really.”

  “With what’s going on around here, I believe it’s more than necessary. I had a pretty weird night last night. This makes it even weirder.” Bart told Kat about the run-in he and Ken had with the two-footed creatures.

  “You’re kidding, right? You just want to scare me like when we were kids so I’ll do what you tell me, right?”

  “I wish. I wasn’t going to tell you this but it seems necessary now.”

  “We went to see Mrs. Tellamoot last night and …”

  “We?”

  “Grandma, Paul, and Josiah went with me.”

  “She didn’t want to tell us at first but she did. Her people believe the buildings in Old Town were responsible for all those deaths a century ago. They talked about some white man who brought a new religion to the village and some evil Native girl who married him. To make a long story short, they opened a portal of some kind to the spirit world and everyone that was in the village died except a small hunting party who returned to find them.”

  “Relevance, here?”

  “She also talked about these little people that worked for the evil ones and were like slaves to them. And about a white wolf turned warrior that fought demons and won and buried the dead to boot. Then—you’re gonna love this one—it shot into the sky like a blue streak. Sound familiar?”

  “I’ll say. Get your stuff and that darn cat. You’re coming with me. I need to find Melbourne then we’ll get to the office.”

  “I can stay right here.”

  “He’s involved and you know it. You call Gram and Paul. Looks like we are back together for a reason.”

  Kat knew he was right. She didn’t want to believe it. But she grabbed a change of clothes and they were on the road, BC tucked under her arm and then in her lap.

  Large, yellow eyes watched the taillights recede. “Nihilist won’t like this, Mandor.”

  “I almost had her; that infernal animal of hers wouldn’t obey me. Why?”

  “That animal is in a household that is protected by the Great One.”

  “We need to meet with our fellows and we need to find a way to get them before they discover the plan.”

  They galloped on their small goat feet toward the path and quickly disappeared.

  Chapter 10

  Retribution

  A demanding beep brought Ken out of his alcohol-induced sleep. He fumbled for the cell phone.

  “Yo,” he croaked. His mouth was so dry he was sure someone had stuffed cotton in it while he slept.

  As Bart began to explain everything, he sat on the edge of the bed and in spite of a pounding headache was coming around fast.

  When Bart got to the part that someone or maybe something had broken into Kat’s, adrenaline washed any remaining fog from his mind.

  “I’ll meet you at Jo’s in twenty minutes.”

  Ken was on his second cup of very strong coffee when Bart walked in. His bloodshot eyes met Bart’s tired but clear ones.

  “Where’d you end up last night?”

  “At the only bar in town.”

  “Since when are you a drinking man?”

  “Since I got back to this forsaken place.”

  “We like you, too.”

  Ken broke the silence. “The bartender shared an interesting bit of trivia with me. Seems he’d seen one of those creatures, well the shadow of one of those creatures, a couple of days before we had our run-in.”

  “You don’t say?”

  “I do say. Anyway, he had a name for it—a Kumbayee or something like that.”

  “A Kumrande.”

  “That’s it. And how do you know? I get really ticked that I can learn more from a stranger in this town than I can from someone I consider a friend.”

  “Sorry, just taught to keep my mouth shut. And, I wasn’t sure that’s what it was. Needed to do a little more research before I named it. Less than twenty-four hours ago, I thought it was a myth.”

  “Whatever. It seems we are not supposed to be alive and it seems those things are going to try again until we are the blue-plate special.”

  Bart closed his eyes and put his thumb and forefinger on the bridge of his nose. “I really miss plain old run-of-the-mill police work.”

  “I hear you, brother.”

  “I don’t know who or what has brought this into the town. Kat visited Mrs. Tellamoot. Bernice told her these are portals the demons are coming through and that someone had to invite them in.”

  “That’d explain the bleeding wall.”

  “I liked your first idea better. Anyway, we have to find out who is doing it and find some weird book named The Book of Fallen Angels to put a stop to this thing.”

  “Where do we start?”

  “Kat’s going to the archives at the library today—in fact, she should be getting there pretty soon. She’s gonna get the names of those who lived in the village. Someone has to be connected to that place.”

  Ken’s face tightened as he remembered Kat’s honey-sweet tone when she talked to the librarian. He did not like the idea of her going within a city block of that library—actually, that librarian. “You sure that Brandon guy isn’t the problem here?”

  “Just because he has an eye on Kat doesn’t mean he’s a demon worshipper—you need to get that jealousy under control.”

  A slight flush crossed Ken’s face. “I admit I’m jealous but I don’t know anything about the guy either. I’m always suspicious of someone I don’t know.”

  “He answered the ad. He lived in the bigger city of Clayton about twenty miles south of here. He showed up late last November, interviewed and as he was the only applicant and qualified, the council snapped him up. From what he’s said, there was nothing for him in Clayton. He moved here.”

  “Sounds reasonable.”

  “Yeah, it does. But when I say it out loud, I realize no one called any references on him. And when he was asked about his ancestry, as everyone is because that’s what counts around here, he was vague and said he was a Heinz fifty-seven and gave a short laugh. Odd for someone who says he has lived here a good portion of his life.”

  “Maybe I should ask him a few questions.”

  “Maybe you shouldn’t. I’ll stop by and talk to him later.” Bart grabbed his coat and hat.

  “First, we ne
ed to get to Grandma’s—you still have a tongue lashing ahead—long overdue I might add—but I wouldn’t drag you into the lion’s den right now except the pastor and Josiah want to talk. Kat will join us right after her library jaunt.”

  “I’ll meet you there. I forgot something at the inn and need to call the office.”

  Bart eyed Ken. “You’d be smart to avoid the library on your way to Gram’s.”

  “Probably.”

  “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

  Kat made it to her hair appointment with a minute to spare. The shop was dark. Kat cupped her hands to her face and peeked through the glass. Cassie wasn’t inside. Icy fingers of the cold breeze worked their way through Kat’s outerwear. She paced back and forth in front of the shop in an effort to stay warm. Twenty minutes later, she ripped a blank deposit form out of her checkbook, scribbled a quick note, and slid it under the salon door. So much for showing Melbourne what he’s missing. She ran her fingers through the uneven strands and headed back up Main.

  Kat ducked into Jo’s, ordered and was out the door in a flash. She saw Ken standing up and drawing on his coat and hid in the alley beside the bakery until he disappeared into the Ravens Cove Inn. She crossed the street and was at the library in a couple of minutes.

  Kat’s footsteps announced her arrival as they echoed off the tall, stone walls. Brandon’s head came up from behind the information counter.

  Kat extended the coffee to him. “Again, I’m sorry to have missed our appointment.” She could not bring herself to say date.

  “Apology accepted.” Brandon reached for the piping hot liquid and took a sip. He flashed a charming smile.

  Kat smiled back. “I have some quick research to do. Can you direct me to the Alaska archives?”

  Brandon pointed left. “At the very back of the room along the wall. You want some help?”

  “No, I’ll find what I need. I’ll let you know, though, if I run into trouble.”

  Kat hurried into the large room. Small tables were in a tidy row and flanked on two sides by towering bookshelves. Tall slits of windows let in a muted north light. Banker’s lamps, some with amber shades, some with green ones, lit the center of the tables. The room beckoned Kat to sit and spend the cold afternoon reading.

  If only. Kat made her way to the back. Old journals lined a four-shelf, waist-high bookcase that ran the length of the wall. She flipped through the publications and took the one entitled, Clans of the Early Twentieth Century.

  Gathering two or three books that looked promising, she plopped on the floor in front of the shelves and perused the journals. She located a ledger for the Forgotten Place and, just as Mrs. Tellamoot had said, the names were listed in neat penmanship and alphabetically. A scribble of black ink on the bottom of the page noted the names had been translated.

  “Interesting.”

  “What’s so interesting?” Kat jumped and turned. She blinked and rubbed her eyes. Gary Wenfred smiled down at Kat.

  “Your dead.” Was all she could squeak out.

  Gary patted up and down his sides. “Don’t feel dead.” He thrust a hand down at her. “Touch me.”

  Kat continued to stare into Gary’s eyes.

  “I said, touch me!”

  Kat stuck her hand out and touched his hand. She drew it back as if touching hot fire. “You’re cold.” His skin felt like it had been in a freezer.

  “It is winter.”

  Kat willed herself to be calm. “Just looking at these old journals. They have quite a bit of history and bring back some memories of my grandmother’s stories.”

  Gary came closer and bent uncomfortably close to Kat’s left shoulder. “The Forgotten Place?”

  “Yes. Since it’s a part of our history now, I wanted to understand what it was like.” I’m talking to a dead man, for Pete’s sake.

  “There are books and stories on it, you know. Much more interesting than a bunch of names in a journal.”

  “I like names. They are important to my family and to me.” She held the book tight. At this point she was almost pinned between the shelf and Gary.

  Gary sensed her discomfort. His smile broadened. He pushed his knee into her back in a much too familiar way. The pressure caused her to want to scream.

  “Excuse me, Mr. Wenfred. I need to stand up.”

  “I like you this way.” His voice went low and hoarse.

  “I don’t.” She put her legs against the bookshelf and pushed. Wenfred lost his footing which gave Kat the opportunity to jump up and turn around. Her face was flushed and her emerald green eyes flashed “Warning, warning, incoming” at him. He didn’t take notice of that, either, and moved in closer.

  Kat smiled at him just as she doubled a fist and punched him in the gut. Gary was taken off guard by Kat’s strength. He doubled over, then looked up at her, fury and vengeance in his eyes.

  “There’s no one out front.” A voice boomed through the silence.

  Gary twirled right into Kenneth Melbourne and disappeared. Ken grabbed for the mist and succeeded in giving himself a huge hug.

  Relief flooded Kat when she saw Ken. She had been sure Gary was going to beat her or worse. She had given her best punch but wasn’t sure she could have beaten him in an all-out fight.

  “What the hell was that?”

  “Gary Wenfred.”

  Ken stared in disbelief at Kat. She held up a hand. “I know, he’s dead. But, he was here.” Her eyes said, I dare you to call me crazy.

  Ken noted the flashing eyes. He pointed at the document with his chin. “What you got?”

  “Something I need to get a copy of.” She walked toward the front desk, stopped and turned. “Thanks.” She smiled up at Ken.

  Ken grinned. “Glad to be of service.”

  Kat looked into his eyes and seeing the smile and warmth couldn’t help but feel she was safe and home. A loud groan broke the moment. Kat rushed to the counter.

  “Brandon! Are you okay?”

  Ken came up fast behind her. Brandon lay on the floor, rubbing the back of his head.

  “What happened, McGill?”

  “Don’t know. I turned to get something from the back cart and the next thing I knew, I was seeing you. I must have slipped.”

  Ken helped Brandon to his feet. “You want to see a doctor?”

  “Don’t think so. Just a bump on my hard head. I think I’ll be fine.”

  “You sure, Brandon? I can get Doc Billings here in a minute.” Kat said, concern lacing her voice.

  “I’m sure.” He smiled warmly at her.

  “I’m going to get some copies before I leave. If you change your mind …”

  “I won’t but thanks.” Brandon sat down and started logging more magazines.

  Kat walked to the copier; Ken followed.

  “You don’t need to stay. I’m fine.”

  “I’m not leaving until you get out of this place. I don’t care what you say.” He took her hands. “I don’t believe what I saw but I know you were fighting somebody and I don’t know where that somebody went.” He scanned the library. There was no one else but the three of them in the place.

  Kat went silent and copied the ledger of names. She threw her shoulders back and walked toward the desk and paid for the copies.

  “Hope you can go for that cup of coffee soon.”

  “I’m really busy lately Brandon. Don’t know when I’ll get a chance.”

  “Well, call if something changes.” Brandon threw an angry look at Ken.

  “I will. Thanks for your help.”

  Ken walked beside her until they were at the bottom of the grey, concrete steps. “Thanks again.” She took two steps then turned, “Why did you end up at the library, anyway?”

  Ken walked over, placed his hands on her shoulders and looked deep into her eyes. “I came here today because I knew you were going to be here. I couldn’t stand knowing that you might have another, umm, interest in your life.”

  “You came because you don’t want m
e but you sure don’t want someone else to have me. That’s just great.” She narrowed her eyes in disgust and tried to jerk free. He held her just a little firmer.

  “Listen to me. Yes, I was jealous. Yes, I don’t want anyone else to have you. But if I really thought it was all over between us, I’d leave and never look back. But it isn’t. I know it; you know it. I love you.”

  “You said that before.”

  “I did and I meant it. I am so sorry I hurt you. I had to get away and think. Things happened too fast and I knew I wanted you in my life but I just couldn’t commit to marriage. It never seems to be a pretty end, at least for my associates in my profession.”

  “What can I say, we are still back to where we were, but thanks for giving me the information so I can understand why you said the things you did before you left.”

  “No, I’m not back to where we were. I am clearer than ever that you belong in my life. When I saw you and you were in trouble, all the feelings rushed back. I don’t ever want to long to hear your voice or drink in your amazing eyes. Please marry me, Kat.”

  The shock ran through her like a jolt of electricity. “Do what?”

  “Marry me.” It was with a strong, confident voice he said it the second time. He had shocked himself the first time it came out. But he was sure now, more sure than anything he had been about in his life.

  These were the words Kat had longed to hear and now that she had, fear was running rampant. Instead of jumping into his arms, all she could think of was to get away.

  “Let me go, please.” She pulled back. He held firm.

  “Let me go, now, Ken.” She pulled harder. He held firmer.

  The anger came into her eyes and she relaxed. So did he. She lifted her arms and pushed with all she had. He lost his footing on the icy sidewalk and started to fall backward. He grabbed her and she went down with him.

  “Oomp. Feels like old times.” He smiled at her, still holding her arms. She smacked his chest with one hand then used it to push off.

  “Not so fast.” He grabbed her and gave her a quick kiss on the mouth. She stopped and looked at him. She leaned over and kissed him hard, then pushed off.

  “I’ll marry you. Can I go now?” He released her. She jumped up and smiled mischievously down at him. “Need a hand?”