Echoes From the Mist (27 page)

Liv heard Kayla’s comment but didn’t really have an answer, so she stayed quiet. If a long shot was all they had, she’d gladly take it. "Can I braid it today?" she whispered softly in Kayla’s ear, giving the strands of long, thick hair in her hand a tiny tug and smiling when she felt Kayla shiver a little as her breath caressed sensitive skin.

"Sure." Kayla’s voice was dreamy. "You can do whatever you want."

"Wow, a blank check. I’ve always wanted one of those!" Liv laughed and guided Kayla to a stool that stood in front of a small table and mirror. With a gentle push on her shoulders she directed her to sit. She picked up a large, soft-bristled brush from the table and ran it carefully through still damp tresses, stopping every so often to delicately undo a tangle.

Kayla closed her eyes and only barely stopped herself from purring. Despite what she’d learned about Glen yesterday, at this very moment she was far too happy not to share it.
Open your mind to me, Liv.

Liv’s mouth shaped a delighted grin as, silently, Kayla’s thoughts eased their way to the forefront of her brain. She consciously relaxed, taking deep slow breaths and continuing the soothing stroking of the brush. One by one, she separated her thoughts from Kayla’s, until, as she’d been recently taught, she could properly focus on them alone. She let out a happy sigh. "Oooo, I love you too, Kayla."

Kayla’s eyes popped open and her eyebrows disappeared behind damp bangs. "You’ve been practicing the relaxation techniques on your own," she accused, privately pleased that Liv had taken the initiative in an area where she knew her partner was leery and perhaps even a little frightened.

"Uh huh." The admission came with another grin. "But I think I would have heard the words anyway, they were so clear."

Kayla shook her head in amazement. "You’re years ahead of where I was when I first started to figure out my abilities." She had no doubt that, while she had always struggled to pick out individual words from general impressions, someday Liv would be able to do that with little effort. The blonde woman was truly gifted. Though so far she had only been able to experience a telepathic connection with Kayla. Just the way that Kayla had only experienced emotions, along with the typical mental impressions that were part and parcel of her telepathy, when she was with Liv. She wondered idly, if, in time, that would change.

"I’m working with a good teacher."

"True," Kayla quipped without a trace of modesty. "Ouch!" Her hand flew to her shoulder where she’d just received a light swat the brush. She glared playfully into the mirror, trying not to smile at Liv’s look of faux-innocence. "You’re lucky I don’t mind frisky women."

"I’ll show you frisky—" Liv’s hand flew to her belly, when a loud grumbling sound interrupted her.
I should be embarrassed. But it’s so cool that I’m not.

Turning her head to the side, Kayla reached behind her, and drew Liv to her ear, pressing her cheek against the soft warm skin just above breasts. "I think I’ve discovered what’s haunting the Keith House." She dropped her already deep voice an octave. Sounding like a television announcer, she said, "‘Revenge of the Killer Tapeworm–If She’d Had Ketchup The Entire City Would Have Perished.’" Her head moved up and down as Liv laughed.

"Very funny, Kayla. Just feed me soon or I’ll be forced to become a Twinkie ho and sell my body in front of convenience stores."

"A Twinkie ho?"

"I’m sorry, but I just can’t hide it from you any longer. I’m addicted. I’m a slave to the tasty lard-and-sugar filling. I used to have Dougie mail them to me in Africa. I wouldn’t ho myself for vegetables or anything, Kayla," she told her haughtily. "I have my standards."

"I can see that." Kayla nodded. While not as ravenous as her partner, she was pretty hungry herself. They’d stayed up until nearly dawn and then slept later that they’d intended. It was nearly 11 AM. "I think we can do a little better than Twinkies though." She smiled at Liv’s indignant gasp. "Okay, maybe not
much
better. But a little."

The women had missed breakfast
again
, but today they’d found a note from Mrs. Thicke on a tray outside their bedroom door, saying she’d made egg sandwiches out of their breakfast, and that they were waiting for them in paper bags in the refrigerator downstairs. Mrs. Thicke’s note had also reminded Liv about stopping at a grocery store before they left Portobello. She’d said something mysterious to Kayla about not taking any chances and roughage.

Bewildered, Kayla had just nodded amiably, correctly figuring that sometimes in a relationship she was expected to just shut up and go along with whatever Liv asked. Were men ever this confused? She suspected so. And
now
she understood. But if the price for being in love was broccoli or an oat bran muffin, well, she would deal with it somehow. Slathering enough peanut butter onto something generally covered up most of the taste.

"Kayla?"

"Yeah?"

Their eyes met in the mirror’s reflection.

"What we’re going to do tonight is really rotten, isn’t it?"

Kayla nodded very slowly. "Oh, yeah."

A pale eyebrow along with the corner of Liv’s mouth quirked. "Good."

*  *  *

A gusty wind blew outside the Keith House and fat raindrops pelted it, the sound amplified because the house sat empty and quiet. Kayla peered out at the front sidewalk from a small window near the entryway. Lightning pierced the sky in jagged streaks and thunder boomed sporadically overhead.
Oh, yeah.
She smiled.

A key slid into the lock and turned, but the door wouldn’t open. DING DONG. DING DONG. DINGDONGDINGDONGDINGDONGDINGDONG.

Kayla padded over to the front door and called out in an amused voice, "Who iiiiiiis it?"

BANG BANG BANG! The door shook in its frame. "God dammit, Kayla! I’m getting soaked. You know who it is!"

Kayla leaned against the back of the door and crossed her long legs at the ankle. "Did you lose your key or something?"

"LET ME IN!"

"Get a grip. It’s only water," Kayla mumbled. With exaggerated slowness she pushed off of the door and turned to throw open the deadbolt. She stumbled backwards as the door flew open, nearly hitting her. "Why, hello, Glen. I didn’t know it was you."

Glen smoothed back her wet hair and shook the lapels of her black London Fog raincoat as Kayla pushed the door closed. She didn’t like looking foolish and right now she knew that’s exactly how she looked. The storm outside was worsening and her taxi had already driven away. She was just glad to be in out of the pouring rain. "Of course you didn’t know it was me." She set her briefcase down near the wall. "You only called me and told me to get down here right this very second! I hope it’s because you’re ready with your report. I’m supposed to meet with Mr. Keith later tonight." She made a face as she scanned the foyer. "God, I hate Gothic. So depressing." She peered around Kayla. "Where is—?" Glen made a vague gesture with her hand. "You know."

"Shut the fuck up," Kayla snapped, all traces of her former good humor gone. "I’m not in the mood to deal with you being a bitch tonight."

"I could say the same thing about you." Glen ran her hand down the front of her suit, indicating how soaked she was. "Don’t tell me your linguist dumped you already? Whatever will you do without a cute All-American girl to hold your equipment for you?" Glen sighed dramatically. "It must be difficult finding someone who appreciates your…
unique
talents and your penchant for drafty old houses." She kept her voice light but knew the stinging words had hit their mark by the subtle shifting of Kayla’s jaw muscles and cooling of sky-blue eyes.

"That’s enough."

"Does she know about your trust fund, Kayla?" She smiled when suddenly Kayla couldn’t meet her gaze. "Ah, I can see that she doesn’t. Why ever not? That is something a girl likes to know. It can make up for a lot."
Too bad I’m not willing to wait five years for you to get it.
"It will soften all the times you won’t call because you’re too wrapped up in work to bother." She began ticking points off on her fingers. "Or when you’ll forget to eat or sleep and be a total grouch because of it. Or—"

"Enough!" Kayla’s temper snapped as Glen skillfully pushed all her buttons, making her feel raw and exposed. "She didn’t dump me," she ground out. "We had a little…" Her dark head shook as she searched for the right words. "A difference of opinion is all. If you must know, she went back to the Bed & Breakfast. Which is fine with me because I still had some work to do."

"Pity," Glen said tonelessly, holding out her hand.

A loud boom of thunder shook the house and Kayla felt a nervous ball of fear form in the pit of her stomach. She recognized its source immediately.
It’ll be okay, Liv.
She projected the words with all her might, completely tuning out Glen.
Hang in there. It’s just a storm, nothing to be frightened of.

"Do you have my report or not?"

Kayla’s whole demeanor changed and she looked down at Glen seriously. "That’s what I wanted to talk to you about."

When Kayla paused and glance around, Glen couldn’t help but notice the unsettled look that flitted across her face.
The fight with the girlfriend?
She studied her carefully, using the many years she’d known Kayla as her frame of reference.
No, it’s something else.
What she saw was a good dose of nervousness and… fear? Whatever was going on with her had to be serious. It was more than Kayla being angry with her for pushing this case through. Maybe she’d gone too far with the comment about her trust fund.

"There’s something you should know and you’re not going to like it."

Now Glen was worried. She laid a hand on Kayla’s arm, truly concerned. "What’s wrong?"

Kayla bit her lip and fought hard not to jerk her arm away. She could feel the coolness of Glen’s hands through her thin sweater, and her touch, knowing about her betrayal as a friend, repulsed her. "I… Well, I think it’s better if you see for this for yourself."

An earsplitting clap of thunder boomed and Glen looked longingly towards the door. "No, thank you. I’m in a hurry, Kayla."
I need to be out of here. A lovely bar maybe, with lots of laughing people and strong drinks.
Not that she planned on talking to a soul. She craved the comforting sound of people chattering away and not the thunder and pouring rain. Glen lifted her chin a little, determined not to show her discomfort.

She doesn’t like storms any more than Liv does. How come I never noticed that before?

"Just say whatever it is you have to say, and give me my report so I can be on my way. Your fee will be deposited in your account by noon tomorrow. Consider this job over. I’ll contact you again soon for more work."

Kayla shook her head slowly. "You don’t understand, Glen. There is something wrong with this house. Very wrong."

Glen put her hands on her hips. "The only thing wrong with this house is that I’m still in it."

A crackling bolt of lightning shot across the sky, followed instantly by tremendous boom.

The house went black.

"And the lights don’t work," Glen continued, trying unsuccessfully to defuse the tension that now filled the air.

Kayla didn’t laugh.

It was so dark that Glen could only see Kayla in the occasional flash of lightning. She heard soft footsteps.
Why is she way over there?
Kayla was now standing across the room in the doorway of the foyer with a grim look marring her beautiful face.

The tall woman glanced at Glen, her eyes shining silver in a bright burst of light. "Don’t you feel it?" The room went black again and Kayla disappeared back into the inky darkness. She traveled out of the foyer and into another room.

Glen moved closer to Kayla’s voice, telling herself that that was her shadow she could see moving. "F-feel what?" the Japanese woman groaned in frustration.

"How cold it is," Kayla answered quietly. "I have goosebumps, don’t you?"

Glen shivered and unconsciously dropped her tone to match Kayla’s. "I’m soaked to the bone, of course I’m cold!"

Kayla didn’t answer and Glen felt another, stronger chill chase down her spine.
This is preposterous,
she told herself disgustedly.
I’m scaring myself. I will not be frightened of an empty old house.

"It’s not your wet clothes. I’ve felt it and so has Liv," Kayla finally said. "It’s a… a presence. It feels like something brushing lightly over your skin, doesn’t it? Not like wind, but like fingers or a cool breath from lips barely touching you."

Unseen in the darkness, Glen’s eyes widened.

"I think it has something to do with the blood that Mr. Keith saw pouring down the wall." Silently Kayla moved right alongside Glen and whispered in her ear. "What if it’s dangerous?"

She couldn’t see the other woman and the words seem to come from thin air. Glen snorted incredulously but felt her unease growing with every passing second. "You’ve finally lost your mind, Kayla." But her voice betrayed her doubt.

"You know I know what I’m talking about, Glen. You’ve always been a skeptic. I know that. But you
know
me, know how rarely I’ve been wrong about these things. You trust and believe me, don’t you?" The words left a bitter taste in Kayla’s mouth. She found small comfort in the fact that she really did believe there was a supernatural presence in this house.