Sword Play (8 page)

When I awoke, soft dawn light cast wispy shadows around my room. Disoriented, for an uneasy moment I expected to see the twisted tree and a car wreck. Instead, my room was quiet. I remembered leaving the TV on, yet it was silent and the remote control lay on the bedside dresser. My clothes had been picked up from the carpet where I’d left them. Who’d been in here? Mom? She hadn’t cleaned up after me since I was a little girl.

Glancing at the clock, I saw it was almost seven. Despite my disturbing dream, I’d slept through the night.

It wasn’t an ordinary dream
, Opal spoke in my head.

“Then what was it?” I asked without speaking, closing my eyes to get a clearer vision of my spirit guide. She wore a jeweled turban and her dark brows knitted together solemnly.

A memory transference.

“It felt more real than a memory, I was there in the car with Kip.”

Your astral self journeyed through the past. You invited the experience upon yourself by calling forth Kip’s spirit. He didn’t have the energy to come to you directly, so he sent you to his memories. An intriguing learning opportunity that should offer new insights.

“Intriguing? It was terrifying! I was trapped in that car and it kept going faster and faster until we crashed. It was worse than a nightmare.”

It was only an illusion and you were perfectly safe.

“I didn’t feel safe,” I grumbled, gathering my blankets around my shoulders. “And I still don’t know who Kip wants me to help or why he was driving so fast. Can’t you just bend rules and tell me?”

I am bound by no rules, as you naively assume. Nor am I privy to higher knowledge. Your journey through another’s mind was a gift from this side; a glimpse into the past. I would expect you to show gratitude rather than offer complaints.

“I’m not complaining,” I argued.

Sounds like complaining to me.

“I’m just confused.”

As fear is a gift of energy to aid in focusing your talents, confusion inspires curiosity; opening windows of creativity and inviting resourceful insights. Embrace your confusion and seek out inventive solutions. Answers will follow.

“While I’m doing this embracing, what are you going to do to help?”

I’m always a thought away, watching over you.

“Then why don’t you always answer me?”

When you don’t hear my reply, the answer is no.

“You’re not helping.”

My role is to guide so that you may find your inner light.
Her regal head lifted with amusement.
Besides, I have a full life here, with numerous engagements. I’d tell you all about it, but I must be off. My dear friend Lucretia awaits …

Then she was gone.

I sat up in bed and kicked aside my covers. A lot of help Opal was. While she was off with Lucretia, I was left with a pile of problems. And I still didn’t know who Kip wanted me to help.

My initial guess, Leanna, didn’t seem likely after viewing Kip’s memory. Something had happened at the prom or afterwards. Kip had been furious and rushing after someone. “Got to get her,” he’d said.

Was this the same “her” he wanted me to help?

The most logical girl was his date Aileen. According to news reports, Aileen and Kip had a great time at the prom and everything was fine when he dropped her off. But in my dream Kip had been far from fine—he’d been furious. Had he and Aileen gotten into an argument? Maybe Aileen cheated on him with another guy and Kip found out. Wild with jealously, Kip drove away, and lost control of his car.

When Aileen found out about the crash, she must have felt horribly guilty. No wonder she didn’t tell anyone what happened.

Was that why Kip’s ghost appeared to me? To help Aileen get over her grieving? Kip must still love her a lot and wanted to send her a message that he was all right. So he’d turned to the only person he knew with a connection to the other side.

Damn him anyway!

Well, he came to the wrong person. I’d tried to help him once and ended up being blamed for his death. If I showed up at his girlfriend’s house, she’d probably call the police. When people heard I was back in town, old rumors would buzz again.

Even if I enrolled in a secluded private school, I wouldn’t be able to escape notice for long. Eventually someone would connect me with Kip’s death. Then one person would tell another and another until my reputation was totally trashed. I wouldn’t be able to go anywhere without people pointing at me.

Passing on messages from the dearly departed was not the way to keep a low profile. And I definitely couldn’t help someone who didn’t want my help. I didn’t even know Aileen; she was older and Arcadia High was a large school. I had a vague idea who she was from a picture in a newspaper. But I couldn’t even remember her last name, something beginning with a “P” or maybe a “B.” I think her family owned some kind of restaurant.

If Aileen was suffering from guilt issues, she needed a shrink, not a psychic. Her mental health was not my problem. I had more than enough problems of my own, like missing Nona and my friends, plus starting over at a new school.

Ironically, Mom thought she was doing me a favor by insisting I move back to San Jose. How could I tell her my true feelings without coming off like a selfish brat? Mom and I were so different, we got along better living apart. If I told her I’d rather live with Nona, she’d take it personally and our relationship would be worse than ever.

So I said nothing.

Shifting uncomfortably in my bed, I realized I hadn’t spoken to Nona since leaving. I’d expected her to call, but she hadn’t. Was it because she was too busy? Or had her illness worsened? I should be there, watching over her. If I didn’t hear from Nona by this afternoon, I’d call her myself.

Glancing around my tastefully decorated bedroom, I longed to be back at Nona’s home in my cozy attic room. Instead of looking out on traffic and a sea of suburbia, I’d view a panorama of green treetops, blue skies, and wild birds.

A large reddish brown bird fluttered at my window, as if my thoughts were magic. I chuckled at the coincidence. Then I gasped. I knew that bird!

“Dagger!” I jumped off my bed and rushed to the window.

The falcon flapped his wings and regarded me with golden dark eyes.

“Come inside,” I invited, opening the latch.

But he squawked in a clear refusal. With a powerful swish of his wings, he tucked his head and dive-bombed to the ground. That’s when I looked down and saw someone waving up at me.

Dominic.

My heart did some fluttering of its own, and I glanced down with embarrassment at the wrinkled shirt I was wearing and my tangled blond hair. After restless dreams, I’m sure I could use some makeup, too.

Dominic grinned up at me. I put my finger to my lips, gesturing so he’d know the rest of the family was asleep. What was he doing here so early? Not that I cared about the reason; I was ridiculously happy to see him. After brushing my hair, putting on some makeup, and getting dressed, I hurried outside.

Dominic looked even better up close, and it took all my self-control not to throw my arms around him. I told myself I was just relieved to see someone from Sheridan Valley. I would have been just as excited if Penny-Love or Thorn showed up. But who was I kidding?

I couldn’t wipe the goofy smile from my face, and frankly I didn’t even try.

“What are you doing here?” I asked him, holding my hands together so I wouldn’t do anything dumb like touch him.

“Talking to you,” he said. Dagger circled overhead and settled on a tall branch as if he was getting a good seat to watch the Dominic and Sabine show.

“I doubt you drove two hours just to talk with me.” In my mind I saw a flash of silver jewelry. “The missing charm! That’s what this is about. Are you tracking down a new lead?”

He gave me a long look before answering. “Yeah.”

“That’s great! I wondered why you were here so early.” I smiled although I felt a little disappointed that he was only here because of the charms. Not that I expected him to drive so far just to see me. That would be crazy. Right?

“Sorry if I woke you,” he told me.

“You didn’t.”

“I would have waited for you to wake.”

“Well … thanks.” I glanced down at the dewy lawn. “So tell me more. What have you found out?”

“The woman with the last charm lives in Pacific Grove.”

“Isn’t that near Monterey?”

“Yeah. I’m headed there.”

“Are you inviting me to go with you?”

He grin offered a challenge. “Are you accepting?”

“As if you could leave me behind. Of course I’m going.”

“Sure you don’t have any other plans?”

“Nothing I want to do,” I admitted, thinking of Kip’s girlfriend and his request to help her.

“Is there something you
don’t
want to do?” he asked curiously.

“Only if I want all the vicious rumors about me to start up again and risk getting chased out of town.” I was joking but something clicked in my head. Getting chased out of town? Not a bad idea.

Mom had asked me back as a reward for behaving normally. Because I was doing well in school and had a respectable boyfriend, she assumed I’d outgrown my “childish” interest in the other side. But what if she found out I still talked to ghosts and old rumors started spreading again?

Easy answer: Mom would ship me straight back to Nona’s.

Which was exactly where I wanted to be.

If helping a ghost would help me return to Nona’s, I was ready to get started. That meant visiting Kip’s girlfriend. When I mentioned this to Dominic, he offered to drive me. That was one of the cool things about Dominic; how he was always willing to help out without any prying questions. He waited on the porch while I rushed back inside to look for Aileen’s address. Although I didn’t know her personally, I had an idea how to find her.

It didn’t take long to search through a desk drawer crammed with old school papers, letters, and cards for a wrinkled newspaper clipping. Last May, when I’d cut it from the newspaper, I’d had a sudden insight that I would be leaving home soon. So I’d buried the clipping in a drawer, then pulled out my suitcases. That evening my mother told me she was sending me to live with my grandmother. Mom had expected me to argue or at least act surprised, but she’d been the one who’d gasped when she saw my packed suitcases.

Starting over at Nona’s had turned out to be the best thing ever. And now, unfolding the clipping, I longed desperately to return to Sheridan Valley. Nona needed me and I needed to be with her. I would do
anything
to make that happen.

The headline read:
Tragedy Strikes Local Sports Star
. Steeling my emotions, I scanned until I found the name of Kip’s prom date.

“Aileen Palendini,” I murmured triumphantly. “I knew her last name started with either B or P. And her family owns Chopsticks Cafe.”

Doing a quick online search for the restaurant, I found out its hours, location, and even a complete menu. Unfortunately, there was no personal information on the Palendini family. But the restaurant opened at noon, so I could go there later.

As I left my room, it occurred to me that I shouldn’t leave without telling someone. Not that my parents would notice I was gone. The longest conversation I’d had with Dad since moving back consisted of him asking if I had a nice day before he disappeared into his office. And Mom’s committees and appointments kept her busy. Still, if Mom found my bedroom empty, she might overreact and put out an Amber Alert like I was a missing kid.

So I propped a note where Mom was sure to see it, by the coffee maker:

Out with a friend. Back soon.

~Sabine

Then I hurried outside to join Dominic.

That’s when I got a look at his new truck. Shining new sticker-still-in-the window latest model truck. A duo-wheeled, burgundy four-door Dodge quarter-ton pickup with long bed and chrome hub caps. A huge improvement over his previous wheels.

“Wow!” I murmured.

“Not bad, huh?” He casually leaned against the truck bed, a proud grin lighting up his usually serious face.

I wanted to ask how he could afford a new truck on a handyman’s salary, but I had a feeling he wouldn’t tell me. For all I know he could have won the lottery or was secretly the heir to a wealthy empire. More likely, he’d bought it on credit.

Dominic spouted off the size of the engine, the mileage, and other auto facts as I climbed inside. I patted the leather seats appreciatively, inhaling the tangy new car smell. Through the open window, I heard a screech overhead and glanced up to see Dagger circling high in his air expressway.

Dominic caught my glance. “Dagger isn’t used to my truck yet.”

“If I had wings, I’d fly, too,” I said as I slipped on my seat belt. “No congested Bay Area traffic. Total freedom.”

“Flying works for birds, but I’d rather drive this baby.”

“Typical guy.”

He laughed. We both knew he was far from typical.

“Admit it,” he said, leaning toward me with a grin. “You love my truck, too.”

“I wouldn’t call it love, more of a friendship.”

“Only friendship?” he asked, raising one dark brow.

“Well … ” Something in his gaze unnerved me and brought back the memory of his face close to mine and a deep kiss. Not somewhere I wanted to go. “Hey, the truck is hot, but I wouldn’t want Josh to get jealous.”

“Doubtful.”

“What do you mean by that?” I demanded.

“You don’t want to hear it.”

“You can’t possibly find fault with him. All he does is help other people, like volunteering at hospitals and working on committees at school.”

“He’s a real saint,” Dominic said in a tone that meant something different.

Definitely treading dangerous waters here, so I abruptly changed course. “How’s Nona doing?” I asked.

“Fine.” He’d turned away from me, focusing on the road.

“I’ve been worried she might be working too hard.”

“She thrives on hard work. You know your grandmother.”

“Yes, I do. That’s why I worry.” I hesitated, then added, “If everything’s okay, why hasn’t she called me?”

“Have you tried calling her?”

“Well … no.” I shook my head. “I was waiting for her to call first.”

“Maybe she’s waiting, too—giving you time with your family.”

“She’s family, too. Besides, in an over-achieving family like mine, I have too much time. Usually alone, while they’re off doing their thing.” I didn’t want to sound pathetic, so I added, “Not that I’ve been bored. Yesterday I helped out my former fencing instructor with some new students.”

“Cool. I’d like to learn fencing.” He took a left turn, one hand lightly turning the wheel and the other resting inches from my seat.

“It takes a lot of practice and is harder than it looks.”

“So teach me.”

“Me?” I imagined putting my hand over his to demonstrate how to grip a sword. Touching arms, pressing against his firm body … definitely
not
a good idea.

So I told him I didn’t give lessons, then I switched the topic to our search for Nona’s missing remedy book. The three charms we had were supposed to be clues to the book’s location. But it was hard to figure out a century-old meaning to a silver cat, fish, and house.

“I figure the book’s in Nevada because of the quality of silver used to mold the charms,” Dominic said. “They could represent a town. Something like Cat Creek or Troutdale.”

“Are those real places?”

He shrugged, slowing for a yield sign. “I can find out.”

“Could the charms mean a name? Maybe there was a woman named Kitty Fishhouse.”

“Or a business … ever heard of cat houses?”

I blushed and smacked him lightly on the arm. Then I sank into my seat with a sigh. “It seems so impossible. After all this time, Kitty would be dust and any house would be long gone.”

“We’ll find the last charm,” Dominic insisted. “Soon.”

“We have to.” I tried not to think what would happen if Nona’s illness worsened before we found the remedy book. Her memory was already failing. How long before she no longer recognized me and lapsed into a coma?

When we turned off on Highway 101, I asked Dominic if I should check a map.

He shook his head. “Not necessary.”

“You already have directions?”

“Don’t need them.”

I glanced at him, not just seeing Dominic but also a flash of him as a young child, with blond hair and scabbed knees, chasing through thick shrubbery after a large gray dog. “You lived around here once?”

“Stay out of my head,” he said, sounding more amused than angry.

“So I’m right?”

“You know you are.”

“But I don’t know much about you. When did you live around here?”

“Before Mom got sick, we lived in San Juan Baptista.”

“On Olympia Road,” I said without thinking.

“You’re doing it again,” he accused.

“Sorry.” But I really wasn’t because I was really curious about Dominic’s past.

He rarely talked about his childhood and I knew he was hiding disturbing secrets. Once I’d connected with him so deeply, I’d had a terrible vision of when he’d been a child and an abusive uncle chained him outside like a wild animal. While this gave him an uncanny connection to animals, it distanced him from people. It was like he put up a mental fence with posted warnings to “Keep Out.”

Yet sometimes I glimpsed his thoughts, which was really strange because I couldn’t read minds. Visions, yes. Prophetic dreams, yes. But mind-reading? No. Except occasional flashes when I had a strong connection with people, like my sisters and Nona. So why did I get these insights with Dominic, too? Maybe because we were both intuitive.

A short while later we pulled into a trailer park off First Street, several miles from the ocean. Dominic checked a piece of paper. “Bettina Sinclair. Yellow trailer with gnomes in the garden.”

As we stepped out of the truck, I looked for Dagger, but saw only sea gulls overhead.

Bettina Sinclair, a fiftyish woman with wispy dark hair, reminded me of one of the gnomes in her garden. She wasshort and squat with rosy cheeks. Furry slippers peeked from underneath her billowing flowered blue muumuu. She even wore dangly mushroom earrings.

“Good morning,” Dominic greeted politely. “Are you Mrs. Sinclair?”

She nodded. “You must be Dominic.”

“Yes. And this is Sabine Rose—the girl I told you about who may be a distant relative of yours.”

As Mrs. Sinclair looked at me, her expression changed to astonishment. “Your hair! The stories are true!”

I touched my hair self-consciously. “What stories?” I asked.

“The ones my grandfather told me about his great-grandmother having the mark of a seer, a dark streak in pale blond hair. Like yours,” she added, fanning her face and breathing fast. “When I was little, my sister and I would play ‘seer’ by putting powder in our hair except for one dark streak. I always yearned for lovely blond hair like yours. Of course this proves we are indeed related.”

I wasn’t sure how to respond. I just nodded.

“But I’m afraid you’ve both traveled a long way for nothing,” the short woman went on. “I wanted to call back, but didn’t have a number.”

“What do you mean?” Dominic asked. “You told me on the phone that you had the silver charm in an old trunk.”

“Yes. I inherited Grandfather’s belongings, including all his jewelry. I vaguely remember an old necklace with some kind of dangling charm.”

“What was it shaped like?” I asked eagerly.

“Who remembers?” She waved her hand. “But it was old and tarnished and I remember thinking silver cleaner would shine it up real pretty. Only I never got around to it, and now the trunk is gone.” Mrs. Sinclair gave an apologetic flutter of her hand. “I have a stinking suspicion who took it, too.”

I exchanged a startled glance with Dominic.

“I should have known she’d pull something like this,” she added with an angry stomp on the doorstep. “That conniving, greedy, lying bitch. And to think I trusted her!”

“A friend of yours?” I guessed.

“Worse.” Mrs. Sinclair scowled. “My sister.”