The Secret of Isobel Key (20 page)

Brian looked disappointed, but he nodded once. He turned impatiently to Lou. “What will you do?”

She paused, gathering her words. She wasn't sure what they'd say, but she knew what she wanted. “I want to give the letter to the professor, Professor MacDonald, and leave the matter in his hands. I know he'll make the right choice about how to use it in the future.”

Brian and Tammy exchanged an uncertain look, but they nodded, tightly, and Lou continued. “But first, before I take the letter to the professor, I want to go to Isobel's grave. I want to give her a proper funeral.” When she saw the looks of revulsion on her listeners' faces,
Lou
rushed on. “We won't try to dig her up: that would be messy, and someone would probably stop us before we'd dug even a foot. We can, however, lay her to rest with ceremony.” Lou took a deep breath before continuing. “The Christian church condemned her, and, well, I'm not exactly a practicing Christian.” Lou paused to gauge their reactions to this. Tammy closed her eyes and shook her head in denial, but Brian kept his gaze steadily on Lou. She couldn't read his expression.

Nervously, Lou continued. “I don't know the rites of the church, but I know things that I can say for myself, and things that I want to do for Isobel. Neither of you have to come with me if you aren't comfortable with that, but if you do come, I'd appreciate it if you would think of your own prayer or blessing to add to the ritual.”

Tammy sat silently, looking at the table. Brian nodded slowly and said, “I'd like to help.”

Lou squeezed his hand in gratitude, and then turned to her friend.

Tammy fiddled with her napkin, neatly tearing the paper into thin little strips, but she couldn't find distraction forever. When the napkin was in shreds before her, she looked up and sighed.

“I'll respect it, Lou, but that's it. If I come, you'll have to respect that I don't want to be involved in any hocus pocus!” Lou nodded at her silently, and Tammy considered. “You said you'd like us to speak, and we can choose what to say?”

“Of course. I just want to send her off with some kind of remembrance.”

Tammy thought for a moment before she said, “If I respect whatever it is you plan to do, will you respect it if I say the Lord's Prayer?”

Lou was so happy she could barely speak. Tammy reached her hand across the table, and Lou grasped it and squeezed tightly.

“Thank you,” she whispered. Tammy nodded, still clasping her best friend's hand.

Brian broke the emotional silence that had descended upon the table. “I think it's a great idea to have a funeral for Isobel, Louisa, but how exactly did you plan to find the spot?”

Tammy snorted, and Lou glared at her. “I had a dream,” Lou began, never taking her eyes off her best friend, and when Tammy dropped her eyes, Lou continued. “
I
had a dream last night, and I think I saw where she was buried.” Lou waited for Brian to declare that she was insane, but he didn't. He just looked at her for a long time before he shrugged.

“My mother claims she knows things before they happen; she says that her dreams tell her.” Tammy looked at him, her eyes big, and Lou stared at Brian in relief. “Who's to say that you can't see in dreams the same way she can?” Brian kissed Lou on the forehead, and she felt herself melting into his warm embrace. She snuggled closer to him in the vinyl booth and sighed.

Tammy coughed loudly. “Okay, get a room. We're eating breakfast, for God's sake!”

Lou and Brian broke apart and laughed, but he kept a hand firmly upon her thigh under the table while they finished their coffee. His thumb was tracing gentle circles on her leg, and Lou shivered with delight. She had to sip her coffee slowly and carefully; Brian's touch left her so distracted that she was amazed she didn't spill it all over herself. When they were finally through with breakfast, Lou stood up.

“I have a few things I need to get before we can do this, and I think it would be better if we go out to Isobel's grave this evening.” She glanced at them both. “You're welcome to come with me, either of you, if you want.” Tammy shook her head silently, but Brian stood up.

“
I'll come. It will give us some time to--talk.” The pause in his phrase was noticeable, and Tammy snorted into her hands. Lou glared at her, and Tammy stood up, an innocent expression plastered on her face.

“We have to head back to Edinburgh tomorrow, so I think I'll just take it easy today. There are a few souvenirs I wanted to pick up for people back in Boston. Maybe I can get that all done with while you guys are off doing whatever it is you are planning to do.”

Lou tried to tease her. ”Don't spend too much!”

Tammy stuck out her tongue. “Whatever you say, Mom.”

Brian stepped in, cutting off their good-natured banter. “We'll meet back at the hostel tonight, then?”

Tammy nodded, but then shook her finger playfully at them. “Just don't be late this time! I'm not about to do some weird ritual by myself.”

The bells over the door chimed merrily as Lou and Brian entered the shop. At first, Lou couldn't see anyone in the store, but as she came passed the counter, she saw a figure on the floor, facing one of the walls. Uncertainly, Lou approached, and saw the women who had read the cards for her was kneeling, stocking a shelf with incense from a large cardboard box. Lou stood beside her and cleared her throat, hoping not to startle the woman.

She looked up at Lou with her kind, open face, and smiled warmly. “Ah, it's you! I thought you might be back. Are your questions finding answers?”

Lou smiled back at her. “Yes, they are. I wanted to thank you again for the crystal.”

The woman placed one of her hands on Lou's wrist, and pulled herself up from the floor. “Did you scry, then?” Lou nodded, and the woman asked, “Did you make sense of what it was you saw?”

Lou started to shake her head, and then paused. While scrying had shown her images she soon forgotten, it was the same night that she had her first gruesome dream, the dream that she was now certain that she had seen Isobel Key in the flesh. Lou changed her movement and nodded her head once. “I had dreams, and I think I saw more that way, but the dreams didn't come until after I scried.”

The woman nodded quietly. “That is often the way of it. Some folks take to scrying, others read the cards, still others cast the runes, and then there are those who can dream the help they need.” She appraised Lou for a moment, and then she seemed to become aware of Brian, standing awkwardly near the counter, looking at different jewelry pieces and trying not to intrude on the conversation of the women. “I see that you haven't come alone today. Would either of you care for some tea?”

Lou looked at Brian, and he nodded. “I wouldn't mind something warm.”

The woman bustled about for a bit, turning on the electric kettle and bringing cups out of the back room. For a bit there was only quiet companionship between the three as they sipped their hot tea, a rich herbal blend that Lou couldn't quite place. Brian seemed to be struggling to identify flavors, as well.

“I can taste the mint, but what else is in this tea? It's delicious.” The woman accepted his compliment graciously, and began to list different ingredients that had gone into her tea.

“The mint that you're tasting is peppermint, good for any digestion or stomach problems. Then there are rose petals, to calm the mind and heart, and a pinch of dried orange peel, to promote health.” She smiled over her cup, and Lou felt a niggling memory stirring, from one of the many books on witchcraft she had read; she was sure that she recognized the ingredients as being magical as well as practical, but she couldn't quite remember the spell they added. Something pleasant, she was sure; the tea tasted so good that she almost wanted to lick the cup dry.

After she had drained her cup, the woman gently set her own down and turned to Lou. “Would you be seeking more answers, child?” Lou nodded, and although she had only planned to visit the shop to purchase candles and incense, she was suddenly filled with the urge to have the woman lay out the cards for her, to offer some direction for her feet to follow.

Brian turned away from the tea on the counter, and wandered over to the wall of books. He called over his shoulder, “Take your time! There's a lot for me to look at out here.”

Lou smiled, and saw the woman smiling, also. “There's a good man if I ever saw one” Lou heard her murmur, and she nodded in agreement, studying Brian. He
was
a good man, and
the
fact that he seemed interested in her continued to surprise her. Without a word, she followed the woman to the back of the shop to have her cards read one more time.

~

“So, did you learn anything important?” Brian asked her as they descended the stairs from the shop and emerged into the street below.

Lou nodded, not meeting his eyes. “Some things I already knew, but some of the things she said were news to me. I have a lot to think about.” She desperately hoped Brian wouldn't pry further, and they walked along quietly, Brian carrying the bag with the candles and white sage.

When Lou had explained the basic outline of her plan to the woman, omitting names or dates of death, the woman had suggested that she bring salt with her for the ground, and white sage for the air. If she burned the sage, the woman had said, she would purify the space, and the sage plus the salt would offer protection to the living as well as the dead. Lou had hugged her when she left the shop, and the woman had embraced her as if she were a beloved friend. Fleetingly, Lou wished she could stay in Scotland and study with the woman; it would be so nice to finally have someone she could talk to about her new faith.

There were still a few hours before they had agreed to meet Tammy, but Lou planned to go back to the hostel to prepare for the night ahead. When Brian pulled her into an embrace on the sidewalk, however, and pressed her to him, she realized that being alone wasn't really what she wanted. Heat radiated off his body, and Lou leaned eagerly into his embrace. When his soft lips met hers, she realized something else; she didn't have much time left with Brian, and her pulse was racing at the thought of following him back to his apartment and spending the afternoon savoring every inch of his strong, beautiful body.

There was something she needed to do first, though, and she knew she needed to do it alone.

“Can I meet you back at your place in fifteen minutes?” She asked, breathless from his insistent kisses.

Brian looked down at her, curious. “If you have more things to do, I don't mind waiting with you.” He bent his head down to her neck, and began nibbling on her skin.

Lou drew in a sharp breath as his teeth nipped gently on her collarbone, but she shook her head, determined. “No. It's something I need to do alone.” Breathless, she brought her hands to Brian's head, fiddling with his hair. He took that as an invitation, and she felt the tip of his tongue flick gently against her throat. Lou gasped. “I promise I'll be right there, okay?” Gently, she pushed her hands against his shoulders, forcing him to step back.

He looked down at her, his eyes sparkling, and he dipped his head to her ear. “Just make sure you aren't late. I want to spend as much time in bed with you as possible today!”

Her skin tingled at his whisper, and Lou felt her stomach clench in anticipation. She kissed him quickly, and then turned to the street. “Fifteen minutes!” she called over her shoulder as she turned a corner. She didn't hear his reply as she retraced her steps toward the professor's blue door.

Outside, dusk was falling, and the air held a sharp chill when they began the long walk out of town. The lights began to fade behind them as they drew closer to the sprawling old golf course. Some claimed it was the oldest course in the world, but that wasn't what drew Lou tonight.

If the dream had really shown her the final resting place of Isobel Key, Lou thought to herself, then they needed to walk past the far edge of the Old Course, and maybe another twenty yards beyond that. She fell into the lead, with Brian walking close behind her and Tammy trailing him, bringing up the rear with the one flashlight they had brought. Lou carried a bag filled with her purchases. Salt, matches, and a cheap bottle of wine had joined the items from the New Age store, and the bag sagged heavily.

After they had walked past the golf course, Lou paused. “Tammy, can I see the light for a minute?” Silently, Tammy handed the flashlight to Lou. “It's still a crossroads,” she said in wonder, as the beam from the flashlight illuminated a road crossing the one they were on, maybe twenty yards ahead of them. “I was so afraid it wouldn't even be a crossroads anymore! I was worried that it would be in the middle of someone's back yard, or worse, their house!” She laughed nervously, and Brian chuckled. Tammy remained silent.

Lou led them the remaining distance and stopped at the crossroads. While the road they were on was wide and recently paved, the other was narrow and the pavement was cracked and buckling in many places. Lou peered into the darkness down the side road, but she could see nothing in either direction.

Setting her bag down in the center of the place where the two roads met, Lou knelt on the ground and began to rummage for supplies. She pulled out three white taper candles, and handed one to Brian and one to Tammy. Next, she found the matches, and lit Tammy's candle. Brian lit his own off of Tammy's flame, and Lou did the same with her candle, which she handed to Brian while she kept setting up. Tammy flicked off the switch of the flashlight, and set it on the ground at her feet. Without the blue beam, the candles cast a mysterious glow, and for a moment, Lou felt as if they'd stepped back in time.

Shaking, she tried to focus on her preparations. With the salt, she drew a large circle on the ground, encompassing her two friends, a wide stretch of each road, and the crossing point of the road; she tried to keep that in the center of her circle.