Animal Attraction (20 page)

I pulled a face. “You know I hate to
cry.”

He winked at me. “You know I still love you
even when you do.”

I had to build up my courage. “Let me bolt
down a Blood Potion so my nerves will be steady. Then I’ll see if I
can charm my way into Taylor’s to-do list.”

Dan had a better idea. “Maybe you’ll do
better if you didn’t go to her in Patricia’s body.”

I gave him a thumbs up for being so smart and
checked the clock. Five-thirty in the morning. Even an early riser
wouldn’t appreciate the phone ringing at this hour, but I had to
make my call before sunrise. “I hope Isabella won’t mind answering
the phone in thirty minutes.”

I sent a message to Taylor via Gerald. She
agreed to talk to me via Isabella. My call to the channel wasn’t
too early, as it turned out. Isabella was still keeping her
grandchildren during their parents’ vacation, and that meant
getting up early to prepare two out of three for school. She was
making breakfast for the kids when I phoned.

“Taylor’s got the whole morning free? Let’s
do it at eight o’clock then,” Isabella’s lightly accented voice
said over the phone. Her blend of Hispanic and southern accents had
a musical quality that I loved.

Eight a.m. found me settled in Isabella’s
plump body with its loose blouse and skirt. I sat on her favorite
armchair, a comfortable relic that had been new in the 1950s.
Another older but immaculate armchair sat nearby with a table
separating the two. A leather sofa stretched on the other side of
the den. Yellow walls made the room bright and cheerful, as did the
huge collection of family portraits that filled them. The decor
screamed ‘Grandma’s House’, with the exception of the large-screen
TV taking up one wall. Delfino, the man of the house, had gotten
his way when it came to how he would watch his sports ... but
probably only because the benevolent captain of the ship Isabella
had granted his wish.

Just as when I inhabited Patricia, when I
channeled through Isabella I saw both the ghost and living worlds.
Isabella’s cookie cutter house in a typical subdivision only
existed in one plane, which afforded me the relief of viewing only
one scene.

Unlike when I was caught in Patricia’s body,
Isabella was warm to be in. My sweetheart of a channel, knowing how
much I liked to experience certain things when I got the chance,
had bought me a mocha cappuccino and fresh coffee cake to enjoy. I
was careful to not make too many yummy sounds as I had my
indulgence.

When the knock on the door came at two
minutes past eight, I checked Isabella’s youngest grandchild. The
adorable little baby slept in the playpen that had held many a
child and grandchild over the years. Then I answered the door.

Taylor stood on the other side, as trim and
neat as ever with her sensibly short haircut, polo shirt, khakis,
and loafers. She was low maintenance and still looked great. I
envied her that ease.

“Hi, Taylor.” My voice came out hesitant. I
had a lot of worries as to how this meeting would go.

Her smile was a bit world-weary, but it was
still a smile. “Hello, Brandilynn.”

I ushered her in. “Isabella got you a chai
tea and bran muffin. I think it’s all still warm, but she said you
know where the microwave is if you need it.”

“That’s our Isabella. Always taking care of
everyone.” Taylor peeked in the playpen to ‘ah’ over the baby
sucking her thumb as she drowsed. She straightened and went to the
couch to test her tea. “Mmm, good.”

“Want some coffee cake? Let this evil spirit
tempt you from your healthy ways,” I teased in a spectral tone.

Taylor actually chuckled. “One bite, you
fiend. Just one,” she insisted as I used the plastic knife that
came with the treat to hack off a sizable portion. It was a big
slab of cake.

After a few moments of us tasting and rolling
our eyes over our treat I ventured to ask, “How are you holding
up?”

Taylor took a sip of tea. “Pretty well,
considering. Tristan keeps me busy. His schedule is a good
distraction.”

I took the bull by the horns. “I’ve heard
you’ve been doing a good job for him since we lost Patricia.”

“Yeah. Well.”

That’s all she could get out. Tears welled in
her hazel eyes. Knowing Taylor was as averse to crying in front of
people as me, I looked down at the coffee cup I held. I gave her a
moment to reclaim control. I did not want to make her cry, though I
knew it was probably inevitable.

I leapt into the awkward silence after about
a minute. “There’s no sense in not discussing the elephant in the
room. I know I’m not your favorite person because of what happened.
I know it kills you each time you see me using her body. I’m
sorry.”

“Brandilynn, I don’t blame you for what
happened. Truly I don’t.” She sounded in command of herself again,
so I dared to look up. Taylor wasn’t looking at me. She stared at
the big portrait of Isabella and Delfino taken the day of their
wedding so many years ago, the happy couple at the start of their
long journey together.

Taylor took a deep breath. “It’s hard the way
things turned out. Patricia is gone, but I still have to see her
because you got trapped in her body. It’s not your fault, but I
have to look at the woman I loved knowing it’s not her
anymore.”

I swallowed the lump of sympathy that rose in
my throat. “I can’t imagine how difficult this has been for
you.”

“There’s no closure. No way to say goodbye
and move on.”

“Except to go to Atlanta with Tristan.”

She turned her gaze to me. I saw compassion
and revulsion mixed up in her expression. “In all honesty, I can’t
wait to get out of here and away from you. That sounds awful. I
don’t hate you, Brandilynn. In fact, I feel sorry for you. You lost
Tristan over this. You’re stuck in a difficult existence you didn’t
choose.”

It was my turn to sigh. “Yeah. It’s a big ol’
suckfest all the way around.”

Taylor managed a weak laugh at my choice of
words. “We should have cleared the air weeks ago. I appreciate you
channeling through Isabella to talk to me instead of coming to me
the other way.”

“It was Dan’s suggestion. I have to give
credit where it’s due.”

“He’s a smart man. A good man.”

I nodded, thinking of Dan. I was sure I wore
a ridiculously sappy expression at that moment. “Yes, he is.”

With that out of the way, I switched gears.
“Taylor, I had another reason for talking to you. You know all
about this missing shifter issue, right?”

She looked relieved to move on to business.
“I’ve been keeping up on it through Tristan and Gerald. Do you
think I can help?”

I quashed the cheer that wanted to escape.
I’d been afraid I’d have to talk her into it. “I hope so. We’ve
identified a bear shifter who might be the next to vanish. I need
to know where he’s going before that happens.”

We were firmly in the realm of her expertise.
I could tell she looked forward to doing what she was good at.
“Outstanding. I love it when I get to track the living. It beats
looking for a dead body any day. Can you get something of the
werebear’s? A small object will do, but it should be something he
uses regularly.”

“I think I can manage that, maybe as early as
tonight. Thanks for jumping on board.”

“Sure.”

With that done, we settled into silence
again. I think Taylor searched as hard as I did for something to
say. Other than catching her up on everything to do with the case,
there was nothing left.

We’d managed to get through the big talk.
Compassion existed on both sides ... but the mourning and guilt
were far bigger. I think we both realized we could never be friends
again. Too much hurt stood in the way of fixing things.

Taylor left as soon as she finished her
muffin and tea. I checked the clock and saw I didn’t have much time
before Isabella’s spirit would unconsciously shove mine out of her
body.

As was usual for us, I scribbled a note on
the pad my hostess had left on the table by the chair. I’d no
sooner finished writing when the telltale push came. It propelled
me out of the corporeal and back into the spirit realm.

Isabella blinked a few times and shook her
head. She peered around like someone coming out of a deep sleep,
getting her bearings. It was always like this ... except I
preferred to clean up after myself when I came to her home.

“Sorry about the mess,” I apologized as
Isabella took in the empty coffee cup and paper plate the cake had
been on. She couldn’t hear me and I felt bad about being a poor
guest.

“Not even a crumb left for me?” Isabella said
in a fake hurt tone. She winked at empty air a good five feet to
the right where I stood. “I’m teasing you, Brandilynn. I’m glad you
enjoyed your treat. Now what have you got for me?”

She picked up the notepad and read what I’d
written. “You and your phone calls. You need a secretary,
sweetheart. I’ll mention it to Tristan.”

Isabella got paid to channel, not organize my
afterlife. She might have been kidding, but she did deserve a
salary for making things happen on my behalf. I decided to see to
it that either I did get a secretary or she would be paid
extra.

She was already on the phone and dialing the
number I’d provided. “Hello, Ashley Warner, please? Oh, hello Mrs.
Warner. My name is Isabella Rodriguez. I’m calling on behalf of
Patricia Keith. I hope you’re doing well today?”

There was a pause as my sister replied,
during which I admired Isabella’s professionalism. I always did. If
Isabella had time, I’d put her at the top of my list for possible
assistants.

Isabella’s conversation continued. “I’m fine,
thank you. Ms. Keith has what may seem an odd request, but I assure
you it is important to the matter she’s working on. Would you be
able to provide her with a small item belonging to your husband –
something he might use on a regular basis?” She waited through what
seemed an abnormally long answer to such an easy question. “Yes
ma’am.” Another pause. “Well, we have psychics on staff that use
such objects to get answers we can’t get otherwise.” Short wait
this time. “Yes, it is a helpful trick. Would you be able to
provide such an item?”

I had the urge to ‘port back and forth so I
could get both sides of the conversation. This one-sided stuff made
me impatient.

Isabella’s voice warmed. “Wonderful, Mrs.
Warner. If you could drop that off at our offices in the King
George Hotel at your earliest convenience, we would be grateful.
You can leave it with Taylor Allen or Lana Minchew during the
daylight hours.” Pause, during which Isabella’s brows rose high
into her forehead. “Yes, Gerald would be glad to take care of it as
well if neither of them is available. Thank you so much, Mrs.
Warner. Have a wonderful day.”

Isabella hung up. “Mrs. Warner has agreed to
your request, in case you haven’t figured it out, Brandilynn.” She
rubbed her temples. “Ooh, girl. If you knew how hard it is to keep
my thoughts straight after channeling, you’d praise me to the
heavens.”

I smiled at her, wishing I could tell her
thanks in person. “I do that anyway, Isabella. You’re the
best.”

Isabella stretched and stood. “I need
coffee.”

“Careful. After my cappuccino, you’re going
to be jittery,” I warned uselessly.

Isabella headed towards the kitchen. I
thought about going to Para Central to let Lana know my sister
might be coming in with a tracking item for Taylor. That was when
Dan popped into the room.

His expression held a mixture of excitement
and dread as he hurried over to me and grabbed my hand. “Hey, good,
I caught you before you zapped somewhere else. We gotta go.”

With that look on his face, I didn’t snark at
him for not saying hello first. “Why? What’s up?”

“One of the missing shifters has been
found.”

I could tell the news was bad. “Dead.” It
wasn’t a question.

“Very.”

“How icky does it look?” As a vampire, gore
and blood made me hungry. As a ghost it made me feel ill.
Fortunately I’d have to be physical to get physically sick. See?
Being dead isn’t all bad.

Dan knew how I was. “It’s high on the gross
factor. It’s obvious he suffered.”

I tightened my hand on his since he’d be
doing the driving on this one. “Let’s get this done.”

Not wasting any time, we left Isabella’s
quiet little suburban heaven for places not so pleasant.

Chapter 9

Half a beat of a living heart later, we
arrived at our destination. I found myself at the edge of the woods
that ran along Highway 17 on the north end of Ford County. Several
county cruisers were parked along the side of the two-lane
blacktop, their lights flashing. A few yards within the trees, cops
moved around. Only one of them was a normal human: Sheriff Grayson.
With a belly that always made me worry for his cholesterol level,
particularly at his age, he was impossible to miss. As usual, he
stood in the thick of things.

I liked Sheriff Grayson. He’s got a lot of
the good ol’ boy vibe. Based on appearances alone, one would
instantly assume him to be a redneck bigot who drank beer and
groped women. He will throw a noncompliant suspect to the ground
and make him wish he’d never been born.

However he also played Santa Claus for
special needs kids and bought them gifts out of his own pocket
every Christmas. He also treated his Para Division deputies with
the same gruff respect he accorded the mundane officers. If he
drank I’d never heard about it, and he was extremely respectful to
women. Looks didn’t tell the true tale of the man.

Dan and I headed straight for Grayson. I saw
no sign of the Para Patrol witches, so he wouldn’t know we were
there spying on the crime scene. We would get firsthand knowledge
of whatever had happened.