A Curse So Dark (Pioneer Falls Book 1)

by Heather Davis

  I couldn’t help smiling. Maggie’s brownies always sold out at the coffee shop, so she must have made an extra batch just for us. Right about then, I really could use some chocolate too. Balancing the basket with my backpack and a small stack of mail, I dug in my pocket for the house key.

  “Excuse me, are you Lily Turner?”

  I nearly dropped everything from the surprise. Pivoting, I saw a middle-aged woman wearing an ill-fitting gray business suit, her brown hair pulled in a tight bun, a clipboard in her hands. Behind her, a black sedan was parked on the street, a man in sunglasses behind the wheel. I hadn’t noticed it when I pulled into the driveway.

  “Sorry, I didn’t hear you come up the path.”

  The woman smiled tightly. “I’m Mrs. Jenkins,” she said. “From Social Services.”

  I swallowed hard. “Okay. Let me put this stuff down.” I placed the basket and my backpack on the bench near the front door. I’d been expecting a home visit from a social worker, given what Mr. Jones and the sheriff had told me. The offer from Mrs. Carter surfaced in my mind, but I wanted us to be at home. And for the three of us to stay together, especially through this crisis. That’s what Dad had wanted, had planned for with his parental consent agreement. He may not have planned for me to find out about the family secret the way I had, but he’d wanted me to be in charge, to make the decisions. And, that’s what I intended to do.

  “How can I help you?” I asked Mrs. Jenkins.

  She seemed to read my anxiety. “It’s been a troubling time for your family, I understand,” she said, with a reassuring nod. “May I come in?”

  I leaned against the door. “We expect to be back with our dad soon. And our family attorney will help me petition the court for non-parental custody if he’s not located.”

  “Where are your sisters?” Mrs. Jenkins asked.

  “Why?”

  Mrs. Jenkins smiled again, this time broadly. “Wouldn’t it be easier to talk inside?”

  “I think we’re fine out here.” I crossed my arms.

  Her smile faded. “I can see you’re under stress. Trust me, I am not the enemy. I’m here to help you.”

  “Right. Well, we don’t need any help.”

  Mrs. Jenkins’s eye twitched, like she was getting annoyed. “From what I hear, you’re unsupervised minors.”

  “I’m of age. My father granted me temporary parental consent. We’ve got community support. We’re doing fine,” I said, gesturing toward the basket of food from Maggie.

  “I’ll make a note of that in my report,” Mrs. Jenkins said, writing something on the clipboard in her hands. She bit her lower lip as she clicked her pen shut. “May I inspect the house?”

  “Um, no. I think you need a warrant or something to do that if I refuse.”

  “You seem to know a lot about procedures,” Mrs. Jenkins said. “But I have every right to see the condition of your home.”

  I shifted my stance, placing a hand on the door. I’d never met a social worker before, but this one sure seemed like she was new on the job, unsure of herself. I wasn’t going to let her come into our lives without a fight. I wasn’t going to let her take Rose and Fawn away.

  “I’m sorry, but may I have the number of your supervisor?”

  “You want to call my boss?” A flicker of disbelief registered in the woman’s eyes.

  “Yes. Could I see your identification or a business card or something? I should’ve asked to see it when you walked up.”

  The color left the woman’s cheeks. “Of course.” She patted her pockets. “Oh, I don’t seem to have it on me. You can just call the office and ask for me. I’ll come back tomorrow to check on you again.”

  “I’d also like to see the file you have on us,” I said, feeling emboldened. “If I have to fight for guardianship, I’m entitled.”

  Mrs. Jenkins’s eyes narrowed. “I’m afraid I can’t do that.”

  “Then get off my porch.”

  “And the girls, where are they?” Mrs. Jenkins said, ignoring the command. “School?”

  “Come back with some I.D. and then we’ll talk,” I said, feeling comfortable stalling the woman now.

  Mrs. Jenkins took a step back. “You’re not fit to parent your sisters. Delaying the process is not going to bring your father back.”

  “He’s not dead, he’s missing,” I said, getting into the social worker’s face. I caught a scent of sweat, floral perfume, the smell of an old closet, and something else, deeper, musky that made my nose twitch.

  Mrs. Jenkins didn’t move an inch. “I’ll be back with some reinforcements, you can count on it.” She spun around and marched off to the waiting sedan.

  I let out a deep breath.

  Across the street, our neighbor Mr. Larsen paused in raking his leaves. He lifted a hand, waving to me, as if to ask if everything was okay. I waved back and then watched the black car speed off down the street.

  When I was safely inside, I texted my sisters I’d be picking them up early from their activities but didn’t say why. I didn’t want to take the chance that Jenkins would divide and conquer. More than ever, I felt like I needed to protect the twins.

  ***

  “Where’s Fawn? She’s not answering my texts.” I glanced nervously around the parking lot of the school.

  “What is this about? I still had half an hour left in the lab,” Rose said, piling into the truck with her large backpack.

  “Fawn? Where is she?”

  “Said she had practice, but she’s probably over at Lewis’s house.” Rose typed a few words into her phone and hit send. A couple seconds later, Fawn texted back. “Yeah, she’s there,” Rose reported. “He’ll bring her home after dinner.”

  “Fine. We’ve got a stop to make, anyway.”

  “And you couldn’t have done this without me?”

  I didn’t want to worry Rose about the social worker, so I just smiled. “It’ll only take a minute,” I said, pulling into the parking lot of the sheriff’s station.

  Rose took a book out of her backpack.

  “You better bring it inside,” I said. “I don’t want to leave you out here alone.”

  “What am I, five?” Rose grumbled, tucking the book under her arm as she walked with me to the front entrance.

  Inside, the lobby was warm and filled with the smell of stale coffee and an overworked furnace. In the background, an old country song played at low volume. Waylon Jennings, maybe, I thought, something the sheriff might like.

  “Hey, girls.” Deputy Mac Williams glanced up from his computer screen as we approached. His bushy mustache almost hid his smile. I wasn’t sure it was exactly regulation to have that kind of facial hair, but the sheriff hadn’t made him shave it off. “We’re still looking for your pop. Don’t you worry,” he added with a nod.

  “Thanks, is she here? There was a lady from Social Services by today.”

  Deputy nodded. “Let me see if the sheriff’s free yet. She had someone in her office.”

  “Wait, wait!” Rose hit me in the arm. “A social worker was by? Why? What is going on?”

  “She was doing an initial drop by,” Lily said. “Nothing’s going to happen with it. She was totally disorganized. She didn’t even have any I.D. to show me.” I could read the fear in Rose’s eyes. She didn’t have Fawn’s control, the ability to camouflage emotions, swap hurt and worry out for defiance and contempt. Rose wore everything in her expression.

  “But we’re going to find him,” I said. “Soon.”

  Rose hugged her arms to her chest as the deputy led us to seats outside the sheriff’s office. I could hear a familiar voice drifting from the open door. Rob, the bartender.

  “And then there were three guys…one was pretty old, the other two were younger. They’re the ones I saw go out back with the deputy. Oh, and there was a woman, middle-aged, kind of sad-looking. Never seen them before that night.”

  “And no video?” the sheriff said.

  “Nope. The thing is, I think they coul
d be staying at the inn. Jerry rented a couple rooms out before he went fishing last week. Mona’s manning the office, but she’s a little spacey. Doesn’t recall seeing them. But I know I saw them in the bar last night.”

  “Ohh,” I murmured, listening to Rob spilling more than he’d told me and Alex the day before.

  Rose elbowed me in the side. “Who are these people he’s talking about?”

  “Dad might have been spotted with them before he disappeared.”

  The door swung open and Rob and the sheriff came out. Rob shot me a look as he passed. I gave him a grateful nod. At least he’d made a statement.

  “I suppose you heard that,” the sheriff said, putting her hands on her hips.

  “Yeah,” I said.

  “Go home. I’ll let you know if it leads anywhere, girls.”

  “You’re following up on this right away, though, aren’t you?”

  “We’re doing our best,” the sheriff said. “I’ve got to head out to Still Creek on another call reporting a break-in. It could take a few hours. I’ll head to the inn in the morning to check their logs.”

  “The morning?”

  “We’re shorthanded without your dad,” Sheriff Polson explained. “I’ve got more help coming for the weekend, don’t worry.”

  “And meanwhile, the strangers that Rob told you about just walk free,” I said, pulling Rose down the hall. “Thanks a lot, Sheriff.”

  ***

  “So, let me get this straight. I have to stay here with Rose, and you’re going out again? Where to this time?” Fawn asked, grabbing a brownie from the foil pack on the counter.

  “On a stakeout,” Rose interjected.

  “I wouldn’t call it that, exactly,” I said.

  “And you don’t think you should leave that to the police?” Fawn said.

  “We can’t afford to keep waiting. Time is running out,” I said, dropping a few supplies into my bag. Nothing was going to keep me from checking this lead out. If those people Rob had seen in the alley with Dad were staying at the inn, I wanted to get a look at them.

  “Yeah... I don’t like this,” Fawn said, setting down her brownie.

  “It seems dangerous. Maybe we should come with you,” Rose added.

  “No, that Social Services lady creeped me out. Stay here and together. I need you guys to keep track of each other. And let me know if you see anything weird. I’m just a call away.” I pulled the door shut and locked the deadbolt.

  On my way to the motel, I stopped in front of Alex’s house and texted him about the people at the inn, but he didn’t come out or reply. Maybe he was already over there skating in the parking lot. A few minutes later, I pulled into a space across the street from the inn and shut the engine and the lights off. It was quiet except for a rock ballad blaring from the bar and an occasional car passing by. I slipped down on the seat a little, trying to be inconspicuous.

  Thirty minutes ticked by and I regretted not bringing along one of Maggie’s brownies. I took a water bottle out of my backpack and took a sip of water. I had remembered to take Dad’s binoculars. Scanning the parking lot, I could see a small blue truck near the ratty Conestoga wagon model. A couple SUVs were parked near the first floor of the motel. No sign of Alex. I didn’t even know what I’d do if I saw someone suspicious. But it felt good to be doing something.

  I set down the binoculars for a moment. The dark was calming me, almost soothing after the frantic day I’d had. I took another sip of water, wishing it was coffee. Then I leaned back against the headrest, watching the parking lot. My eyes flickered and then shut.

  When I opened them again, there were two more cars parked at the motel. A dark sedan. A silver sports car. I yawned and stretched my back.

  “Who are we watching?”

  I jolted upright, suddenly fully awake and aware someone was sitting in the truck with me. “What the—”

  “Shh. Don’t be frightened. I was worried about you sleeping in a car out here in the dark,” Morgan said, moving into the dim light on the passenger side of the bench seat.

  My pulse raced. I was startled, sure, but I was also excited to see him. It was a strange mix of emotions. After I’d taken a deep breath, I managed to say, “You scared me.”

  “Forgive the intrusion.” He looked down and stuffed his hands in his jacket pockets. “Miscalculation, clearly. I’ll go.”

  I found myself leaning toward him, taking in that smell of pine edged with musk. “You shouldn’t sneak into people’s cars,” I said, my voice caught in my throat.

  He smiled, the gold of his eyes shining in the ambient light, corners crinkling. “I actually thought, and this is embarrassing…that you might be glad to see me. That maybe you knew I was staying at the motel and you’d come to see me.”

  I felt my cheeks get hot. I’d never been so glad to be sitting in the dark. “I’m not waiting for you. This was the last place my dad was seen.”

  “I’m sorry. I’ll leave you alone.” Morgan reached for the door handle.

  “Wait.” I touched his arm. “You don’t have to go. I mean, it’s okay if you stay a while.”

  We settled back into the truck, my heart was still hammering. It was being near to him, I was sure of it now that the surprise had passed.

  Morgan cleared his throat. “What are you hoping to see?” he said, his lips on the edge of smiling. “This is a surveillance operation, right?

  I stared at him for a moment, my head still a little foggy. “Your accent. I can’t figure it out.”

  “It’s a bit muddled from having lived all over,” he said. “But I was born in Scotland.”

  I nodded, still appraising his expression. My gaze moved from his brilliant eyes to his tan skin, dimples on the side of his slightly full lips, his square jaw. And then there was his silky-looking longish hair, waves that fell just beyond his chin.

  “What are you doing here? I mean really?” I asked. “I mean, you’re not much older than me, so it can’t be for work, right? I don’t believe you’re a tourist.” Who was he, anyway? A stranger I’d met a handful of times and now we were sitting in the dark together. It didn’t feel safe anymore.

  “I’m here on family business,” he said. “Just like you.”

  The answer was vague. I should’ve pressed him for more, but I was struggling to breathe normally as Morgan’s gaze traveled from my eyes to my cheeks to my mouth.

  I licked my lips, self-conscious. I had the distinct feeling that he wanted to kiss me. And I wanted him to. He was close—all I would have to do was lean a little closer to kiss him.

  I swallowed my nervousness and said, “And what are you doing here, with me right now?”

  “Sitting in the dark with the most interesting and beautiful girl in Pioneer Falls,” he said. That tumbling feeling hit me again. Like being near the top of the falls, not being able to hear anything but the roar of the stream as it met the rocks and crashed to the core of the river. Not powerless, just inevitable. Scary and exhilarating all at once.

  “Hey!” Lights clicked on in a room across the way at the inn. Two shadows moved across the blinds. I sat up straight and grabbed the binoculars.

  “What do you see?”

  “Maybe nothing,” I murmured.

  “So you are spying on guests of the inn,” Morgan said, obviously amused. “The truth is revealed.”

  “I’m not spying. Not really.”

  “Well, then. Let me have a look,” he said, taking the binoculars from me. He peered through them, then let out a sigh. “You’ve found Phil and Bonnie. They’re pensioners from Montana. See the car with the Big Sky plates?”

  “Give me those,” I said. “That’s not who I’m after, obviously.”

  “So, who then?”

  I measured my words. “There were some people here the night my dad went missing. Three men and a woman.” I left it at that, not wanting to say that maybe they were wolves.

  “I see,” Morgan said. “How do you know they were there?”

&nb
sp; “A witness came forward.”

  Morgan ran a hand over his jaw. “They could be dangerous.”

  “I know, but at this point, they’re my only lead. I have no choice.”

  “Lily,” he said slowly, “if they had something to do with your father’s disappearance, aren’t you the least bit worried they’ll come after you next?”

  A chill crept down my spine. I glanced up at Morgan, trying to gauge the emotion behind his guarded expression. He was concerned, but there was something else there…a warning. Cooper had said to watch out for wolves and hunters. How did I know Morgan wasn’t one of those? He’d turned up in town around the same time as the pack had appeared. Getting close to him could be dangerous.

  “It was nice of you to check on me. But maybe you should go.” My casual laugh sounded unnatural, nervous to my own ears. “You’re kind of ruining my stakeout.”

  “Fair enough.” He smiled and leaned forward as if to kiss me on the cheek, but stopped short of my skin.

  I could feel his breath feather against my cheek. Could sense the heat of his mouth so close. I felt dizzy from the mix of nervousness and attraction, but I also ached for him to bridge the distance. I couldn’t remember ever wanting a kiss more and yet it wasn’t happening.

  He touched my hair, tucking a strand behind my ear. “Good night,” he said, finally breaking the silence.

  “See you later.”

  He smiled. “You will,” he said, exiting the truck.

  My heart flipped, watching him walk across the road to the parking lot. He climbed the stairs and a moment later, I saw the lights click on in a room next to the retirees and a shadow move across the curtains. Morgan’s shadow.

  Excitement reverberated through my body. I turned over the words of our conversation in my mind, hearing his rumbly warm voice, that melodic accent. He unnerved me, but I wanted more of it.

  Still, the thoughts he’d raised in my mind about the four people… I hoped that wasn’t what this was. That Morgan wasn’t a part of it.

  I lifted the binoculars again, watching the motel but returning again and again to the window of Morgan’s room. Eventually, the light clicked off. I chided myself for being such a creeper, but I couldn’t help wondering about him, wanting to know more. Resting my arms for a little bit, I lowered the binoculars and checked my phone for texts from the girls. Then I went back to watching the very boring parking lot again.