CnC 5 One Hex of a Wedding (24 page)

Shit. Enough. I didn’t want to be here any longer. I turned, ready to head back toward the area where I’d first entered the astral when I saw a movement to my right, behind a moss-covered trunk.

I paused, waiting, watching. There—it moved again. I didn’t want to follow, but I felt compelled to find out what was creeping around in this man’s mind. Maybe he was possessed, or maybe this was just one of his inner demons, lurking in the corners.

As I took a step in the direction of the movement, a man emerged from behind the trees. Of indeterminable age—he could have been twenty-five, he could have been sixty—he had brilliant red hair and was taller than Murray but not as tall as Jimbo. Lean but muscled, he wore a camouflage uniform and combat boots. But it was his eyes that drew my attention. They were the color of glacier water, pools of frozen ice just starting to melt.

I sucked in a deep breath. I’d found him—Murray’s stalker—and I had a bird’s-eye view. Fortunately, he couldn’t see me, but as I watched him, I began to sense that he was searching for something, as if he could feel my touch on the edge of his consciousness but couldn’t quite figure out what was going on.

I began to back away. He didn’t need to think that I was another voice in his head. Slowly, so as not to catch his attention, when I was far enough away I turned and jogged back toward the edge of the forest.

I could feel him standing there, behind me, staring mindlessly into the jungle that comprised his thoughts. His energy filled the forest like a rolling vortex, a mingling of anger and pleasure. As I skirted a patch of quicksand, leaping over a fern that blocked my path, I realized that he was enjoying the chase. He was a predator, out hunting, and Murray was his quarry.

I thought about turning, trying to throw a scare into him, but a feeling in my gut told me that would only do more harm than good.

Up ahead, I saw the end of the woods and I narrowed my focus, zeroing in on the area in which I’d entered this realm. As I reached the edge, I gave one last look over my shoulder. He was playing with a bowie knife, still staring, and the feral smile on his face told me that he was contemplating something too horrible to even think about. I closed my eyes and leaped, spiraling back into my body, slamming so hard that I pulled a muscle in my neck.

Behind me, White Deer embraced me in her shield, evicting any hidden goop that might be clinging to my aura. I moaned and unfolded my legs and she offered me her hand. I staggered to my feet. Shivering, I wanted nothing more than to run to my SUV and get the hell out of there, but logic took over. He didn’t know who I was, or that I was spying on him.

I draped an arm over White Deer’s shoulder and she helped me over to a picnic table set to one side. I dropped to the bench, wincing. “Damn, I hurt. I feel like I’ve been pummeled.”

White Deer slid in opposite me and waited, pushing a water bottle across the table. Taking a long swig, I wiped my mouth and told her what had happened. “Whoever he is, he’s far more dangerous than we thought. He’s totally in his own world, and he views himself as a hunter, out to capture his prey. I think he likes … I
know
he enjoys inflicting pain.”

“You saw his face.” It was statement, not a question.

I nodded. “Yeah, and I’m going to ask Murray to let me look through her mug books. If I can pinpoint him …” I glanced around at the rubble. “I think we’ve found all we’re going to find. I want to get back to town so I can talk to Harlow. I’ve got a hunch, and she’s the person to help me. I’ll drop over to Mur’s house tonight, unless she’s busy. Have her give me a call if she doesn’t want company.”

We headed toward our vehicles.

“I paid the neighbor fifty dollars. He’ll keep the goats and chickens until Jimmy decides what to do about them. Obviously he can’t come back here to live,” she said.

Roo barked from her front seat and I opened the door, scratching her behind the ears. “You’re a brave dog, you know that? And a lucky one,” I murmured. The man I’d encountered would have no compunction about killing a dog. In fact, I was positive he lacked any sort of conscience. Perhaps he’d been abused as a child, but he’d made a choice to hurt, rather than help, others. Now, he lived in a world where he was king and where his rules prevailed. And when a man fancied himself emperor of the world, trouble usually ensued.

I turned back to White Deer. “Keep an eye on Jimbo and Murray for me? Tell them what happened. You guys are coming to Harlow’s dinner party on Thursday, aren’t you?”

She nodded. “We’ll be there. I’m so sorry, Emerald. You deserve a better wedding week than you’re getting. I still feel there’s some discord around you that’s drawing in the chaos with your family. You shouldn’t have to worry about all this, considering you’re already dealing with your grandma’s heart attack and Joe’s injuries.”

“Listen, I wanted to talk to you about that. I’ve been sensing something off with my crystal necklace. I can’t pinpoint it, though, and every time I start to check, something else intervenes.”

She pursed her lips, staring beyond me at the woods. After a moment, she shook her head. “You might be right. Or it might be nerves making you jumpy. Sometimes things happen in cycles—a lot of people will die in a short time, or a series of natural disasters will happen.”

I let out a long sigh. She was probably right. Coincidence existed and sometimes it was all bad. “Well, I’ll bring it with me when I come over tonight and maybe we can check it out?”

“Of course, I’d be happy to take a look at it. Perhaps I can sense whatever you aren’t able to pin down.”

Giving her a quick hug, I said, “Thanks, White Deer. I appreciate it. Okay, I’m heading for Harlow’s. I’ll talk to you tomorrow night, if not before.”

As I climbed into my SUV, I glanced back at the blackened remains of Jimbo’s house. Suddenly overwhelmed with sadness, I wished, not for the first time, for breathing space. Without worry, without fear.

 

 

BEFORE I HIT the highway, I dialed Harlow’s number on my cell phone. She agreed to meet me for coffee. I’d suggested coming out to her house because I wanted her expertise with the Net, but she promised to bring her laptop with her. We decided to meet at Starbucks, where she could get Wi-Fi access.

By the time I swung into the parking lot and pushed through the doors, she was waiting. She’d left Eileen at home with Lily. As much as she loved her baby, I knew that Harlow wasn’t cut out for mothering 24/7 and was happier with a nanny than she’d be without one.

She’d already set up her laptop. I stopped at the counter and ordered a triple-shot grande raspberry mocha, no whip. Drink in hand, I joined her, taking a long sip before leaning back and relaxing.

“You look wiped,” she said.

“Wiped ain’t the word for it.” I told her what had happened. “What I want to do is look up this dude who was bothering her last autumn at the station and see if I can find a picture of him. I’ll never forget that face from my vision.”

She opened a browser. “What’s his name and where is he located?”

“His name is Rusty Jones and he lived here in Chiqetaw until he was fired. Bonner told Murray that Rusty was supposed to have moved to Seattle to live with his brother.”

She tapped away on her keyboard and sat back, waiting for the results to tabulate on the page. “So, how’s your dress hunt?”

I snorted. “At this rate, I’ll be walking up the garden path naked. Joe might not object, but I don’t think that’s the best way to start a marriage. At least not ours. I don’t know, Harl … I can’t help but wonder if I’m being given a sign.”

Narrowing her eyes, she typed rapidly. “What are you talking about?”

The whir of the coffee grinder interrupted us and I waited until it fell silent, rubbing my temples. I had barely let myself think about my fears, let alone say anything aloud, but now that she’d asked me I found myself spilling my guts.

“Am I supposed to marry Joe? Things keep happening, so many that I wonder if this isn’t a sign warning us to wait. Maybe getting married again is a mistake. Maybe things won’t work out. Maybe …”

“Maybe you’re just getting cold feet. Or maybe you’ve been spooked so many times that you can’t help but looks for signs and omens in everything that happens.” She grabbed my hand. “Remember when I found out I was pregnant? How I was afraid I’d never be able to raise a child? You convinced me that everything would work out, and it has. Yeah, James and I are snippy lately over his latest assignment, but that will blow over. You and Joe are meant for each other. I’ve never seen you so happy, Em, nor so confident. Joe adores you, he worships the ground you walk on. Don’t break his heart over a little bad luck.”

I stared at the table, at her hand holding mine. Maybe I’d gotten so used to things not being what they seemed that I was borrowing trouble. Letting out a long sigh, I gave her an affirmative nod.

“You’re right. A lot of people go through far worse than me and they don’t break their engagements over it. I guess I’m just scared. I know I love Joe, and I know he loves me. We mesh so well and he adores the kids. What more could I want?” And as I spoke, I knew it was true.

She pushed my drink toward me. “Good! Get some caffeine in your system and let’s see what we have here.”

We peered at the list of sites on the screen. Harlow had a top-of-the-line laptop, and it occurred to me that she’d become quite a computer whiz over the past two years. Her fingers flew over the keys with a dexterity that I couldn’t possibly ever match.

“Here we go …” She clicked on the first link and a group photo came up. The caption said it had been taken a couple years ago, and it was a picture of the men and women of Chiqetaw’s police department. An alarm started going off in my head as Harlow pushed the laptop toward me. “See anybody that looks familiar?”

I leaned in and glanced over the rows of men and women, some in uniform, others in civilian garb. A flash of brilliant red hair caught my eye and I gasped. “Is there any way to enlarge this?”

She frowned. “It’s not a thumbnail so unless I save it and work on it in a photo program, no. I can do that, if you want, but the quality won’t be very good. Let’s try another site.”

The second revealed nothing of use, nor did the third, but the fourth was a college alumni site and under Rusty’s name was a photo and biography. Bingo. The same man I’d met on the astral. As I stared into those glacial eyes, I could almost swear he knew what I was up to. I glanced at the bio and read that he’d gone on to join the Chiqetaw Police Department, but it hadn’t been updated since he’d been fired.

“That’s him, Harlow. That’s the man who’s chasing Murray. And he’s far more dangerous than we thought.”

Harlow took a close look at him. “Hmm … he does have a freaky look about him. Let me bookmark this and then we’ll see if we can find out anything else.” She added the link to her bookmarks and then went back to the search. After a handful of fruitless leads, a sly smile spread across her face. “Oh Lordy, looky here, Em. Rusty’s been a busy man since he got fired.”

The site was a forum board, and as I glanced at the topic of discussion, I shuddered. I’d seen some freaky things, but this was a group touting not only survivalist mentality, but also misogyny. And Rusty had been a busy bee, posting all over the boards. I skimmed until I came to a thread of rants about being spurned by one’s object of affection.

“Holy hell, look at this.” As we read, both Harl and I instinctively pulled back from the laptop. The post was full of obscenities, describing a woman Rusty accused of teasing him. He called her a cock-tease and had posted a vivid and explicit description of what he’d like to do to her. Though he never mentioned her by name, I knew he was talking about Mur.

Harlow paled beneath her exquisitely airbrushed tan. “We need to show this to Murray. She can take it to her boss and maybe they can pull him in for questioning.”

“If they can find him. He was supposedly staying with his brother, but that could have been a smoke screen. If he’s into survivalist mentality, he could easily exist on very little out in the woods.” I chewed on one nail until Harlow slapped my hand.

“Stop biting—you’ll regret it on your wedding day. If he is living out in the woods, he’s got to be getting Inter-net access from somewhere. These posts are recent.” She contemplated the screen.

“A friend in town … library access. Tad Bonner can take Rusty’s picture to the library and ask if they recognize him.” I glanced at the clock and swallowed the last of my mocha. “I’m calling Mur. We need to go over there right now and show her all of this. Rusty’s twisted, Harl. Very twisted. He’s strong and he’s crazy and he’s after Murray. And anybody who stands in his way is toast.”

Twelve

 

 

 

I STOPPED IN at home on the way so I could get my necklace. By the time I got to Murray’s, Harlow had already arrived but she hadn’t said anything about what we’d found out. Murray ushered us into the kitchen.

“Jimmy’s upstairs asleep. What’s going on?”

“Do you have wireless service, or is there someplace I can plug into the Net with this baby?” Harl asked, holding up her laptop.

Murray pointed to a small writing desk that already had a laptop sitting on it. “I have DSL. You can sit over there,” she said. “Go ahead and use my computer if you want, though yours looks top-of-the-line.”

While Murray booted up her laptop, I asked her if White Deer had given her the rundown on what had happened out at Jimbo’s.

“No, actually, she’s not home yet. She called to say she was stopping by the Crystal Pyramid for a new smudge stick.” The Crystal Pyramid was a new metaphysical shop in Chiqetaw. They sold the usual array of crystals, smudge sticks, candles, and books. The owner seemed very nice, not at all flaky. His name was Ryan Neilson and he seemed both down-to-earth and to possess no small amount of talent himself.