Silent Prey

by TM Simmons

  "Looks like you got a rental yourself," Channing greeted him.

  "Had to have them deliver it from a town called Grand Marais, which is quite a ways from here," he said. "But since I'm semi-working, I can expense it."

  Channing lowered her voice and pulled the door partially closed behind her. "I need to tell you something before we go inside. I'm leaving in the morning."

  "For good?" he asked quietly.

  "I'm … not sure, but I think so. I'm also meeting Russ Densmore in Duluth. If I can talk him into it, I'm going to take Keoman with me, so Russ can talk with him."

  Grant nodded. "I know about the migraines. Gagewin brought them up when the three of us were together. It was something I needed to be aware of, since we're pursuing a dangerous entity."

  "Do you think Russ might be able to help Keoman?"

  "If he can't, nobody can," Grant said. "He's the best in the business."

  "The supernatural business," Channing said wryly. "You know, if I hadn't married you, I doubt I'd believe any of this."

  "Even after what you've experienced up here?"

  Channing hesitated. "You believe in karma, right?" When Grant nodded agreement, she continued, "Maybe it's all tied into the path my life took. Maybe that's why I'm here. But right now, my mind is telling me that I need to get out of here. It's too hard, Grant."

  He hugged her. "I understand, Channing. If you need to talk before you leave, or afterwards, I'm always here for you."

  "That means a lot, and you know I feel the same about you."

  Grant chuckled. "We're a pair. We might have been better off just being good friends."

  "No," Channing denied. "Then we wouldn't have had Rose for even a short while."

  "True. And no matter how it hurts to have lost her, I can't be sorry for the time we did have."

  "Nor can I." Channing pushed the door open to lead him inside.

  Chapter 33

  In Duluth, Channing turned her car over to the valet. Then, instead of entering the hotel, she walked to the corner of the block. Ahead of her the huge lake, whose shore she had followed the past two hours, spread out endlessly. Lake Superior's azure waters reflected the puffy white clouds floating a lazy path overhead. The ice that had closed the lake during the deep winter months was gone, the breakup helped along by Coast Guard ice cutters. Two huge ocean-going ships made their way towards the grain elevators Duluth was known for, and several more were already loading at the docks.

  Such a beautiful sight but it could be deadly, as could all nature should humans not be wary. Dozens of ship wrecks littered the bottom of Gitche Gumee, as the lake had come to be known. The nickname came from the Ojibway name, "be a great sea."

  Across the lake, in Wisconsin, the smaller town of Superior was visible. She wished she could stay for a few days and explore; maybe take a drive across the huge bridge connecting the states. She had already made her plane reservation, though, and held firm to her decision to leave.

  There was still a chill in the air. Reports she had read indicated Minnesota winters stretched well into their Texas springtime. Indeed, back home the bluebonnets were blooming. The people on the sidewalks wore heavy jackets and boots, although with them being more used to the cold, many jackets hung open. She studied the brick-paved streets. Her car's tires had made a pleasant sound as she drove into the downtown area from the eastern edge of town.

  Back at the hotel entrance, she saw Keoman handing his pickup keys to the valet. At first, he didn't notice her. He shouldered his backpack, then hesitated as he gazed at the hotel.

  She could sense his continuing reluctance. He had attempted to cover it up when she explained about Russ being in town. He agreed to come with her, though, and kept his word, meeting her for breakfast at a café in Grand Marais earlier that morning. She had no idea what he had told Gagewin about leaving in the middle of the hunt for Nenegean. She, herself, had made her explanations and goodbyes over the phone the previous evening, except for Nodinens at daybreak.

  She would miss the elderly woman, who had become a good friend. However, given Nodinens' computer savviness, they wouldn't lose touch. Email kept many a friendship alive.

  Keoman looked at her, as though he had known she stood there all along. "Did you enjoy the drive down the shore?"

  "Very much. I'm glad you showed me the tourist route. The only problem was the distraction of the scenery."

  "It's worth the extra time, though. I always come that way if I'm forced into the big city for some reason."

  Channing laughed. "If you think this is a big city, you should go to Minneapolis or St. Paul sometime. I only flew into it, but it's huge. Not as big as Houston or Dallas, of course. But I'd love to go shopping there sometime."

  "You're one of those love-to-shop women, huh?" he asked with a shudder as they walked into the hotel. "Save me from that. I'm a go-get-it-and-get-out shopper."

  Before Channing could continue their teasing jibes, they were at the check-in counter. She went first. When she showed her identification, the clerk said, "I have a note here that you're travelling with someone else. It asked that we give you adjoining rooms, near the one Dr. Densmore's staying in. Is the other person with you?"

  She motioned to Keoman, and a few minutes later, they were at the elevator. They separated into their own rooms, and in hers, Channing called Russ's cell.

  "You're here, Channing," he answered.

  "Both of us," she replied. "What's the agenda for the afternoon?"

  "What's your room number?"

  She told him, and he replied that his room was right across the hall. A few moments later, someone knocked on her door. Grant knew Russ much better than she did, so Channing shook hands with the tall, wiry man rather than greet him with the customary Texas hug. Then she rapped on the connecting door and asked Keoman to join them.

  The two men studied each other as they were introduced. Russ commenced the main conversation.

  "I'd appreciate it if you'd call me Russ, since I want us to be open with each other," he told Keoman. "And if you've already had lunch, I'd like us to go ahead and sit down and talk."

  "We had a late breakfast," Channing said. "But if you two want to go ahead and talk in Keoman's room, I'll call down and get a light snack from room service. Something that will keep over here until you're ready to eat."

  Keoman nodded agreement, and the two men disappeared into the adjoining room.

  ~~~~

  Though it was Keoman's room, Russ Densmore took charge, although in a polite manner.

  "You probably don't want to lie down on the bed as we walk," the para-psychologist said with a chuckle. "How about we sit in front of the window. I'll open the curtains, so we can enjoy the view across Lake Superior as we chat."

  He removed a small recorder from his shirt pocket to add to the pen and tablet he held and asked, "Do you mind if I record our conversation?"

  "That's fine with me."

  Within five minutes, Keoman realized Russ Densmore had done some extensive study in both the paranormal and the Ojibway beliefs. He asked extremely incisive questions, and eventually got down to the reason they were meeting.

  "I understand these migraines began after you came out of a coma a few months ago. From a wreck that was caused by a windigo."

  "Yes," Keoman said. "I think the only reason I didn't end up on that thing's dinner table was because I'm a Midé. The protections I wore, and my abilities, safeguarded me."

  "There was another man with you. And he wasn't Native American."

  "Caleb McCoy," Keoman said. "The windigo wasn't after men like him. It was on a mission of revenge. Killing — and eating — descendants of a man who had wronged him a couple centuries earlier. Caleb didn't fit the profile."

  Russ made a notation. "I'm sure you've been under a doctor's care."

  Keoman explained about Dr. Anderson. "But she ended up frustrated, only able to prescribe pain medication."

  Russ tapped his chin with his pen. "Let me ask you
this. Channing told me about what's going on up there now. When this current entity showed up, did the migraines get worse?"

  Keoman frowned as he thought. "Not really in frequency, but a couple lately were more intense. As bad as the first few after I woke up from the coma, one of them even worse. I handled those early-on ones with the pain medications, although Dr. Anderson prescribed a different pill than the first one. The most potent one she felt comfortable giving me without seeing me each month. I didn't want to drive down here that often if I could get out of it. She made an agreement with the doctor in Neris Lake to write the prescriptions if I'd see her every three months."

  "Oxycodone?" Russ asked.

  "Yes."

  "And is that still controlling these severe ones?"

  Keoman sighed. "I haven't told anyone this, but I guess I need to be up front with you. I've taken two of them at times lately."

  "Only two?" Russ asked sagely.

  "There was one time," Keoman admitted, "that I took three. In fact, just yesterday. And when the damn pain eased off enough for me to think straight and realize what I'd done, it made me determined to somehow lick these things. So having Channing hear from you that same day was a positive coincidence."

  "Did that migraine yesterday happen when this entity … Nenegean, I understand her name is … when Nenegean was in the vicinity?"

  "I don't think so," Keoman said. "But, of course, I can't know for sure. Sometimes we only know where she's been in hindsight. And you're right about them growing more wicked after we realized she had come back. However, yesterday I think she was in a different area."

  "And yesterday, what triggered it, if you know."

  "We'd just found something really bad on a computer the sheriff was examining. I'm not sure I can talk about the investigation, though."

  "We have a doctor/patient relationship," Russ explained. "So I promise, anything you tell me is confidential. I'm not just being nosy, but I really need to know everything, if we have a chance at uncovering the cause of your problem."

  An hour later, Keoman felt drained. When Russ stood and said he would think things through and get with Keoman later, Keoman walked over and laid down on the bed. "Would you mind telling Channing that I'm not hungry? I'll meet you both in the lobby at whatever time you decide to go to dinner later."

  He stared at the ceiling as Russ closed the connecting door, hoping he would fall asleep for a while. Sleep had been in short supply lately. But his mind raced with the possibilities the session with Russ had brought to the surface, one the most prevalent and alarming.

  If his abilities had morphed in an irreversible manner due to the coma, he wouldn't be able to live the way he had all his life so far — performing ceremonies, helping the tribe. His gifts could be gone forever. Nenegean had already proven she could penetrate his attempts to safeguard someone, even when Gagewin assisted with the ceremonies.

  Yet .. he had sensed the child that day. He'd been driving down the street, mind on everyday matters. His sense of something wrong had stopped him right where he needed to be to find the little girl.

  They hadn't saved her, though, so his powers were still pathetic — or on the way to disappearing forever. If he had discovered the child earlier, she might have survived.

  He sighed. No ceremony could override the fate Midé Manido preordained, even a tiny child.

  Chapter 34

  "What a wonderful meal," Channing told Russ as they exited the restaurant. "Thank you. But I wish it wasn't so cold. I could stand to walk back to the hotel to work off some of those calories."

  "There's really no wind blowing," Russ said. "We could return part of the way on that Lakewalk I've read about. It's kept cleared for walkers and runners all year round, and should be a nice stroll this evening."

  Channing glanced down at her pumps. They weren't her tennis shoes, but at least she had chosen them for their low heels and comfort.

  "Are you up for a walk?" she asked Keoman.

  "Show me the way."

  "Hang on a minute and let me ask inside where the closest entrance is." Russ went back into the restaurant, and Channing waited with Keoman in a comfortable silence until Russ came back and led them down the block to a stairwell.

  The information Russ had read proved right. The city had constructed a wide walkway along the side of the hill where the town had been built. As they strolled, the three of them gazed over the lake to where lights outlined the aerial lift bridge.

  "That bridge does actually rise to let ships through," Keoman said, breaking the silence. "I got caught out on Canal Park one afternoon and ended up late meeting someone."

  Channing bit back her comment before she could ask him if his meeting was with a man or woman. She admitted that one of the regrets she felt about leaving — perhaps the most significant one — was not being able to see where this relationship between the two of them would go. He probably wouldn't be a good email correspondent. However, there was still the phone.

  Channing asked quietly, "Have you ever been to Texas?" Since they were in between two of the high streetlights that illuminated the path, she couldn't read his expression.

  "No," he answered at last. "I've heard it can get pretty darn hot, and I'm more of a cold-weather person. But that's not to say I couldn't be talked into visiting. If the person I was coming to see was worth dealing with the heat."

  "We do have air conditioning," Channing said with a soft chuckle. "And it's not always beastly hot. Our late falls and early springs are beautiful. Springs are best, when the bluebonnets and Indian paint brushes bloom. There are acres and acres of blue with a patch here and there of red. Gorgeous."

  "Gorgeous," Keoman agreed, but she could see his face this time. He wasn't talking about the flowers, and warmth stole through her at his compliment.

  We still have tonight, she thought to herself. We could see how well-matched we are in another way.

  They caught up to Russ, who was leaning on the railing to another stairwell as he gazed out across the lake. "Ready to go up?" he asked.

  Channing shivered slightly. "We probably should. How far is it on back to the hotel?"

  "We can probably get a taxi up on the street," he said. "And I'd like a little more time with you tonight, Keoman, if you're agreeable."

  Russ received a nod of agreement, and as they climbed the stairs, Channing fought her disappointment. He'll be busy with Russ and probably not in the mood for anything else. Maybe that's for the best. We really haven't known each other that long.

  Still, she wasn't prudish enough to deny herself lovemaking because a man she was coming to enjoy and admire hadn't wined and dined her more than once. Yet she also knew Keoman well enough to understand how important his abilities as a Midé were. If Russ could help him overcome the migraines intruding on his gifts, that was more important than a night of lovemaking for the two of them.

  Well, somewhat more important, at least for him, Channing admitted.

  ~~~~

  Channing had already showered and put on her nightgown when she heard the soft rap on the connecting door. She had left Keoman and Russ in the bar downstairs more than an hour ago. It had to be Keoman knocking, since Russ would have come to the hallway door. She grabbed her robe, then thought better of it and tossed it on the bed with a soft smile.

  Feigning modesty, she halfway hid herself behind the door when she opened it. "Hi. I hope Russ was able to help."

  "He was," Keoman said. "Can I come in?"

  Now that the moment might be upon her, Channing hesitated. She hadn't been with any man since her divorce, and she remembered how uncomfortable some situations could be. Keoman took the decision out of her hands when he gently pushed on the door.

  She stepped back, and when he closed the door behind him, she stood there in what she knew was a totally revealing silk gown. She'd bought it on one of those post-divorce pity shopping trips, and it had proven to be luxurious sleeping attire. When Keoman ran his gaze down her body, her nipples p
erked erect.

  "Gorgeous," he repeated, as he had said on the Lakewalk.

  He tipped her chin up and kissed her softly at first, their bodies meeting nowhere else except at his hand and their lips. However, that only lasted a few seconds. The warmth that stayed so close to the surface in his presence turned hot and wanting, consuming Channing.

  ~~~~

  The complete lack of uneasiness between the two of them the next morning surprised Channing. Keoman woke her with a kiss, and they made love again. Last night had been tentative the first time, the second complete abandonment. She had slept spooned with him, the smile on her face still there when consciousness eased her awake a few minutes ago.

  This morning was a mixture of tenderness and goodbye. When he collapsed beside her and gathered her sweat-soaked and satiated body close, he said, "I'm going to miss the hell out of you."

  She snuggled her face into his neck. "Did you ever have phone sex?" she whispered.

  He choked back a laugh, then let it loose. She joined him, and it was several moments before either of them could talk.

  "I think I might be coming to Texas soon," he said as he nuzzled her hair.

  "I think I might have found a new vacation spot myself," she replied.

  Her room phone rang, and she groaned. "Probably my wakeup call."

  When she hung up, she said, "Yeah, that was it. I should have just set my phone alarm."

  "What time does your plane leave?" he asked.

  "Not until mid-afternoon. But I wanted to do some shopping before I left."

  "Ugh," he replied. "And I promised Gagewin I'd get back to Neris Lake as soon as possible. I left my phone in my room. I probably should go over and check for messages."

  She sighed. "Russ had a morning workshop. But we can meet downstairs after we shower, if you have time. I don't have to check out until eleven, so I'm going to leave my luggage here while I shop."

  "There's that word again," Keoman said as he reluctantly pushed back the sheet covering them and slid to the side of the bed. "I do need coffee, though, and this stuff they have in the rooms doesn't cut it."