Drawing Blood (14 page)

“How’d you manage that? You’ve got three weeks left under house arrest.”

He rolled his eyes in the classic teenaged way and sighed. “On-line.”

“Of course.” Avery wasn’t impressed.

“Don’t dismiss it. A lot of people meet on-line these days,” Holly came to Arnie’s defense.

“Yeah, but that means she could live anywhere. How are you ever going to meet if she lives in
Yemen
or something?”

Arnie laughed. “She lives right here in Muskoka. She and her family moved here a few months ago.”

Avery smiled. “Well, that changes everything.” She punched him in the arm. “Way to go, tiger! Have you met face to face?”

Arnie pointed to his ankle bracelet. “Can’t leave the house, remember?”

Avery wasn’t deterred, especially when romance was involved. “Well, she could come here.”

“I guess.” He shrugged, sullen all of a sudden.

Avery took hold of his hand. “Arnie, any girl who is lucky enough to have you as a friend is lucky. You have to remember that.”

He nodded. He’d heard it all before and was yet to be convinced. “People say that, but that’s not the reality. Looks are everything, and let’s face it, I have very little to offer in that department.”

“That’s bullsh--! Sorry.” Avery looked anything but sorry. “If the girl is so shallow, she doesn’t deserve you.”

Holly understood Arnie’s unhappiness. All Avery said was true but that didn’t make it any easier on a teenaged boy with raging hormones. “It will get better, Arnie. One day it will be better. I promise you that.” And she meant it.

Avery squeezed his hand. “Promise me you’ll ask to meet her face to face. Best to find out now if she’s worth your time. Don’t let yourself fall for her until you know if she’s worthy of you.”

He looked skeptical but finally nodded his head. “You’re right. I promise.”

Avery hugged him. “That’s my boy. Now keep us posted and call if you need an ego boost. We think you rock!”

As they pulled out of Arnie’s driveway, Holly could see his face through the window and her heart broke for him. Kids could be so cruel to each other. She prayed this girl wouldn’t break poor Arnie’s heart. Maybe when all was said and done, there was a reason for young heartbreak. It prepared a person for what the world had to offer sometimes. But she knew without a doubt that someday Arnie McCloud would be an absolute catch.

* * * *

After saying goodbye to Arnie the computer genius, Holly and Avery agreed that the best way to find out about the murder was to talk to the people in the community. So what if the only way to do that efficiently was to visit just about every shop in town? The murder was bound to be a major topic of conversation. They figured that by the end of the day they’d have all the information available and all their shopping done.

People were horrified by what had happened, but everyone, including Irene’s neighbors, seemed convinced that the police had arrested the culprit. Stan O’Neill wasn’t very popular and unfortunately for him, the verdict was in. Most people thought him perfectly capable of murdering his ex-wife.

“He’d threatened her before you know.” The waitress at the coffee shop squinted at them. “Right there at the Rotary Club dance. He was really hammered. She tried to get him to go home and sleep it off but he turned on her, mean as a snake he was.” She looked at the couple sitting at the table next to Holly and Avery and nodded. “You were there, Debbie. Do you remember?”

Debbie agreed. “He was always gettin’ pissed. He caused a holy ruckus when Irene was buying that bracelet. You remember, it happened at that special jewelry night SAS hosted in June.” SAS, short for Sue and Sue was one of Bracebridge’s most successful gift shops. The Sues were a local favorite. Both young and beautiful they’d pooled their resources and their exquisite taste and created a thriving business. Their inventory was first class and their prices reasonable. Holly and Avery couldn’t imagine why anyone would take issue with a purchase from that particular shop and their opinion of Irene’s husband dropped another notch.

Debbie obviously agreed. Shaking her head, she said, “Stan O’Neill could be a miserable drunk, eh, Howard?” She looked at her husband.

He shook his head sadly. “Yeah, Stan sure could get nasty, but I never expected this.”

The waitress shrugged. “Who does?”

“Especially here.” Debbie shrugged. “I’m just glad they got him. We can sleep nights.”

It looked like the community had accepted the cops’ conclusion. Stan O’Neill had killed his wife. In an odd way that worked to Holly and Avery’s favor; they wouldn’t be tripping over the official investigators as they tried to get to the truth.

They’d done all they could for the day. Settling the tab and leaving a generous tip for the waitress, Holly and Avery gathered up their shopping bags and walked to the car. They had plenty of time to pick up the kids at camp. Piling into the car, childlike voices overlapped each other as Jessica, Connor and Aaron tried to talk all at once. Patient as always with her children, Avery sorted them out and they each had a chance to tell their story. Holly and Avery took turns asking for clarification and providing encouragement. Their laughter was shared. The women grinned at each other as they exchanged knowing looks, remembering what it was like to be a kid. Perhaps that was part of what made their collaboration such a success. They knew what kids liked. They had their own focus group of three.

The kids talked all at once overlapping each other, as Avery pulled into Holly’s drive. Holly’s mind hit mute when she saw Stryker Cain leaning against his car, looking like an advertisement for the good life.

Chapter 10

Pulling herself together, Holly smiled and waved to him. Without moving her mouth, to Avery, she said, “What do I do now?” She continued to smile at Stryker through the car window.

Avery waved too. She said, “Come on, kids, I have someone for you to meet.”

Holly sent her a quelling look, but was ignored. They all poured out of the car and they weren’t quiet about it.

Avery was the first to speak to Stryker. “Hi, Stryker. We’re not staying long, but I’d like you to meet my kids.” She introduced each child to him and he shook each tiny hand.

Jessica, savvy for her age, looked at the man and then at Holly and back again. Holly knew the ten-year-old would have some questions for her later, but for now she simply studied Stryker with her serious green eyes.

For his part Stryker seemed rather comfortable around the children. They had a little trouble believing that Stryker was his real name. He shrugged and smiled.

“Stryker was my mother’s maiden name. The last name she was born with. She changed it when she met my father, but couldn’t quite let go of her identity so she used it for my name. Stryker is an old and respected name where I come from.” The kids looked up at him in fascination. He laughed. “I’m just glad her name wasn’t something like Boyle or Wiener. I don’t think I’d like to go through life being called Wiener or Boyle. What do you think? The kids giggled. Stryker listed a number of even more unsuitable names and they all burst into laughter.

Avery gave Holly a knowing look and nodded.

She said, “Come on, kids. We’d better be going.” She waved at Holly and Stryker. “Don’t forget seatbelts…no, Aaron, let Jessica have the center seat. You had it last time…” The car door slammed.

They watched Avery and her brood drive away. Holly found it a little difficult to look at him. The late afternoon sun loved him. It turned his hair into gleaming gold strands that caught the breeze. In natural light, he seemed brighter, visually warmer than other people. His brilliance almost blinded her and she looked away.

In a shaky voice, she said, “I didn’t know you knew where I lived.”

“I’m pretty good at finding people.”

“I can see that.” She walked towards the house. “Would you like to come in for a cool drink?”

He strolled beside her, his movements so agile, so effortless. “I’d love to see your home Holly, thanks. It looks like Avery has her hands full with three kids.” He made small talk.

Holly appreciated it. It was safe and easy to talk about the kids. “They are very engaged kids. They have endless questions and a unique view of life. It always amazes me what they come up with.”
           

“Do you want children?” he asked.

She looked away from him again. “I don’t have to.” Holly escorted him into her living room and said, “How about some lemonade?”

Stryker nodded. “Would you like some help?”

She shook her head. “I’ll be right back.”

In the kitchen, Holly took a deep breath, trying to control her rapidly beating heart. Her hands shook just a little as she filled the glasses with ice. Great, how was she going to stop the ice from giving her away? With her hands shaking, it tapped against the glasses in tell-tale disharmony. She walked quickly back into her living room.

With her voice raised to cover the sound of ice against glass, she said, “Avery and I were busy today. People were very happy to discuss the murder. It’s the talk of the town.”

She sat down across from him at a safe distance. If he noticed how she’d skirted him, he gave no indication. Leaning forward, he took a long sip of the lemonade she’d placed on the coffee table in front of him.

“Thank you.” Glass still in his steady hand, he sat back getting comfortable. “Did you learn anything new?”

Holly shrugged. “Not really, other than the fact that Stan O’Neill is not a very nice guy. Everyone seems perfectly happy to believe he killed Irene. Arnie, our computer expert, promised to get us the information on Irene’s credit cards and phone calls. He won’t have it ready until tomorrow morning.” She smiled indulgently. “I think he’s busy overthrowing a fascist regime in
Latin America
.”

Stryker laughed. “First things first.”

Holly nodded. “Did you get the forensic samples?”

“Yeah, and I’ve sent them off to my guy. I’ve put a rush on it, but you know, I don’t think they’ll have much to reveal really.”

“Why do you say that?”

He smiled sadly. “It was a pretty professional job, Holly. My gut tells me that it won’t be the last.”

Her stomach churned with fear. The lemonade turned sour in her stomach. “I hope you’re wrong.”

“So do I, but I won’t be in this case, so we’d better be prepared. That is if you’re still in this with me.”

“Oh I’m in this all right,” Holly promised.

“Any more automatic drawings?”

She shook her head. “No, but for the first time in my life, I wish I had a few. The last one didn’t give us much time to warn the victim.”

“True, it didn’t, but Irene did listen to you. We’ve already established that. Maybe next time we’ll get lucky, especially now we know what’s at stake.”

Holly sighed and sipped from her glass. “You certainly are comfortable with my ability. Have you had experience with this sort of thing before?”

He took a long time to answer. Finally he said, “I’ve learned to trust instincts, my own and others. Animals do that. Too many humans seem to have lost that ability. They talk themselves out of it.” He paused then spoke again, “But to answer your question, no I’ve never known anyone who could draw the future.”

“But you’ve worked with other types of precognition,” she said bluntly.

Stryker smiled at her. “Yes, I have.”

“Do you know of anything that can bring it on?” She looked at him intently taking in his every nuance.