Forty-Four Box Set, Books 1-10 (44) (129 page)

I stepped out into the backyard, thinking about the girl in Frazier’s car. I pulled out my phone, but got his machine again. I didn’t leave a second message.

As I stood there staring at the pond, I realized that I was being too impatient. I hadn’t even been in Eugene two whole days, but in that short time I had already seen a potential clue, had a vision, and seen what most likely was the missing girl’s ghost.

Instead of the end, like it felt the night before, maybe it was just the beginning.

Her body was still out there somewhere. And so was her killer.

I needed to go back to Eugene and finish this.

I picked up the hose and watered the flowers. The sun warm on my back, I plucked a few weeds and fished some stray leaves from out of the pond.

My thoughts turned to Jesse. I missed him. I hoped his soul searching was going well.

And as I watched two dragonflies dance just above the pond, I wondered if I would ever see him again.

CHAPTER 29

I flung open the door and ran outside, meeting the Subaru as it pulled up in the driveway.

“Abby!” Kate said, throwing herself out of the car and giving me a big hug. “God damn it, I’ve missed you!”

“The feeling is
so
mutual,” I said, holding her tight.

After our embrace I helped her drag the largest suitcase in the world toward the front door.

“That’s an epic tan and look how light your hair has gotten.”

“All those hours floating in salt water,” she said. “Cheaper than a hair salon.”

She looked beautiful, and it wasn’t just on the outside. There was a glow of happiness that shot off of her that I hadn’t seen in a long time.

Kate stepped inside the house, threw down her purse, and looked around.

“There’s no place like home. I’ve missed it.”

“Hey, I made you a cake,” I said. “And I don’t want to jinx it, but I really think I nailed it this time. Are you hungry?”

“Yes,” she said, coming over and giving me another hug. “Give me 10 minutes and I’ll be out. Let’s have it in the garden.”

I sliced us a couple of pieces and took them outside. The tea had already been steeping, and I brought the small cat teapot with the matching mice mugs as well and waited for her.

When she walked out, she was holding a flowery shirt in her hands.

“Oh,” I said. “You didn’t.”

“You bet I did,” she said, smiling.

I took it from her and laughed, studying the print of dancing Hawaiian women in grass skirts and bikini tops.

“It’s vintage. I got it at a little store in Lahaina.”

“Thanks,” I said, figuring that it would probably grow on me.

I put it on over my tank top and the silk felt good. But then again, I wasn’t looking in the mirror.

“Very festive,” she said. “I got Ty one too. His is a 1950’s surfer design. It’s pretty cool.”

We sat down and Kate took a bite of the cake, and then a few more. I leaned back, enjoying the breeze brushing the long willow branches above us.

“Oh, man, this is good stuff,” she said, her mouth full.

“I’m glad. So you had a great time, huh?”

“I did. It’s so beautiful there. I want us to go. I know you’ll be busy in school, but let’s just do it. Let’s make it happen next year.”

“I’m in on that.”

She took her cup of Earl Grey and blew on the steam.

“There’s just something about swimming in that water. I think you’d really love it.”

“As long as I could keep those shark thoughts at bay, I think I would too.”

“Well, you do think about it. I would suggest no shark movies beforehand.”

She looked over at the pond and for a moment seemed lost in thought.

“I made some good decisions out there,” she said. “Things I needed to figure out.”

I took a sip of tea, wondering what she was talking about, but she didn’t fill in the silence.

“So give me a rundown on what you’ve been doing,” she said. “I want to know about the case you said you were involved in.”

In our last conversation, I had briefly mentioned to Kate that I had been to Eugene working on something but I hadn’t given her many details. I filled her in.

“Were you able to, you know, see anything when you were there?”

She put her cup down and leaned forward.

I told her about the red sunset and the ghost in the back of the car.

“So she’s dead, huh?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

We were quiet for a few moments.

“Damn it, Abby,” she said, sighing. “It’s almost like we committed some unspeakable crime in another life and as punishment God has sent us back as women. And we’re the lucky ones here in the U.S. We have it better than most women in the world. But tell that to Emily Ross and the countless others like her.”

I nodded.

“I guess it was always going to end this way,” I said. “It’s really sad, but I have to try and put those feelings aside and see if I can help find her and whoever did this.”

“You’re going back?” she said.

“Yeah.”

“Good.”

That surprised me. I thought for sure she would tell me to focus on my summer and get ready for school. Kate wasn’t always such a fan of my ghost hunting.

“You’ve got something special, being able to help people,” she said. “I think I understand it now and how it’s something that you have to do.”

She did understand. I could tell by looking at her energy.

I hoped she was right.

CHAPTER 30

“Thanks for coming in,” Rebecca said, closing the door behind me. “Take a seat.”

I sat in the chair opposite her desk as she walked over and sat down behind it and shuffled through some papers.

Formal and official.

That couldn’t be a good sign.

 “Okay, this is what I’ve decided,” she said, looking up, her face now warm and open. “Welcome back.”

“That’s good news,” I said, letting out a big breath. “I can’t wait to get back out on the water. I’ve really missed it.”

“We’ve missed you too. But, Abby, I need to let you know that this is really your one and only warning. You need to remain professional out there at all times. It’s important for customers to see that you have things under control. And part of that is keeping a calm demeanor no matter what is going on. It was a lapse of judgment, and it can’t happen again.”

“I understand,” I said. “You’re right.”

“Now that we have that out of the way, I did want to tell you that our investigation found that you acted in accordance with safety regulations, probably even saving this man
from serious injury or worse. You did good work out there in an extremely difficult situation.”

I was glad she saw it that way. She handed me a few papers to sign.

“So that’s it then?” I said.

“Just about. Our attorney suggested that we replace the video camera. But as far as your part in all this goes, yes, it’s over.”

“You’re kidding. You’re buying him a new camera? But I thought…”

“It has nothing to do with the issues of the complaint,” Rebecca said, getting up and sitting at the edge of her desk. “It’s just business. It’s cheaper and easier this way. No lawsuit, no depositions. Even though we have a solid case, it would still cost us money to defend. Really, a new camera is getting off cheap.”

“You know best,” I said, not sure if she did.

CHAPTER 31

Since Kate was having dinner with Evan, I headed over to Ty’s house and let myself in.

He wouldn’t be home for another hour, but I thought I would surprise him.

My phone rang as I walked in.

“Abby? Ellis Frazier here returning your call. I’m sorry I couldn’t get back to you sooner.”

“That’s all right,” I said.

We small talked for a few minutes. I told him about the heat here, and he told me about how it had been rainy and foggy all day on that side of the mountains. There was something different in his voice, a kind of lightness. He was probably hoping I had something new, something that would breathe life into a dead case.

“Now I know that’s not why you called,” he said. “To check up on our weather. Unless you’re gloating.”

“No, you’re right. I wanted to tell you that I saw something yesterday when you were driving away. After you had dropped me off at the airport.”

“What was it?”

“I think I saw Emily. Sitting with you in your car.”

He was quiet for a moment.

“You’re sure?”

“I’m sure it was a ghost, and from what I could tell, I’m sorry, it looked like her.”

He was quiet again.

I didn’t know what to say, couldn’t know how he must feel after working the case for all these months and then have some punk “psychic” call him up to tell him that the person he was looking for was dead.

I heard him clear his throat.

“I’m going to have to call you back, Abby,” he said finally.

“I’ll be here. I want you to know that I don’t feel like my job is done over there,” I said. “I still want to help you find her and the person responsible.”

He didn’t say anything.

“Detective Frazier? Detective Frazier?”

He had hung up.

CHAPTER 32

It had been a slow evening at Back Street and I was hoping Mike would go ahead and give the okay to close up early. I didn’t usually work both on the river and at the café in one day, but I was trying to make up the hours.

I was happy to see Paloma walk through the door.

“Hey, girlfriend,” she said. “Long time no see. Got a little time to catch up?”

I looked around and smiled.

“Let me tell Mike I’m taking my break and then I’ll be over. I’ll Lyle know you’re here, too.”

She was thumbing through a magazine when I came back. I took off my apron and pulled out a chair.

“Oh, hey,” she said nervously, fumbling the magazine into her bag.

“Thank God,” I said. “It’s been the longest shift ever.”

“Nice shirt.”

She was staring at the hula women on my chest.

I shrugged.

“Kate brought it back from Hawaii. You know how it goes. Someone gives you something like this, well, it’s best to get it over with. The sooner the better. Otherwise they think you don’t like it.”

“
Híjole
,
m’hija
,” she said with a wry smile. “It’s not so bad.”

Then she started laughing, waving her arms in a dancing motion from one side to the other.

I shook my head but had to laugh too.

It was a funny shirt. Kate must have had water on the brain or quite the blood alcohol level when she picked it out.

Lyle walked up to us with two small cups. Ever since he had returned from a visit to Santa Fe, he was obsessed with making something he called “Elixir of the Gods.” He had been experimenting with recipes, using his girlfriend and coworkers as lab rats. The hot chocolate concoctions were super thick, existing somewhere between a liquid and a solid, and a little went a long way. Most of the ones I had tried were pretty mind blowing.

“This one I call
Human Sacrifice
,” he said, putting the cups down in front of us. “From an old Aztec recipe. Enjoy.”

“Thanks, Babe,” Paloma said and smiled.

He wandered off.

“I think I taste chili powder in it,” I said after my first sip. “Almonds too. And something else.”

“A dash of cinnamon. The man knows his shit.”

“I don’t know about that, but he knows his chocolate.”

“
Qué no.
”

We finished our drinks in silent awe, giving Lyle’s elixir the respect it deserved.

“So you excited about cooking school?”

“I am. I’m supposed to go and pick up my books and knives soon. But I’m a little nervous, too.”

“That’s just you being silly. You ain’t one of those girls on your shirt. You got skills, girlfriend. I mean, you’re already a great cook. But you white people love your diplomas and your papers to hang on the wall, don’t you? They make you feel legit or something. When are you throwing another party anyway?”

“Soon,” I said. “I thought we could have one for David when he gets back to town. I think he’d like that.”

“Hell, yeah, he’ll like it. It’s what he lives for.”

Lyle emerged from the back room and breezed over to Paloma, kissing her on the cheek.

“I’ll be ready in five minutes,
mi amor
,” he said.

“That
Sacrifice
was epic,” I said.

He smiled.

“It’s just the beginning,” he said, backing away.

“So looks like things are going well with you two,” I said.

I was happy for them, especially Paloma. She had been through some rough times.

“Yeah, he’s a little quirky, but he’s real, you know?” she said. “I don’t care what my sister says, or anybody else. I’ve been with guys who were all nice and sweet for the first five minutes and then nasty later on. Lyle’s not like that. He’s a good guy, through and through.”

“He is.”

“Now if I could just get
mi mamá
to see that. The woman can’t get past his hair. She calls him
El Poofy
.”

I thought about it for a second and then laughed. She did too.

“So what do you and Ty have going on?”

“Working.”

“But he’s not on the river with you, right?”

“No. I wish. He’s full time over at the pub now. Speaking of work…” I said, slipping my apron back over my head.

As Paloma grabbed her purse, it fell open for a moment and I saw what she had tucked away so quickly. It was one of those magazines with a woman on the cover holding flowers, dressed in a lacey wedding gown.

CHAPTER 33

“Where should we go?” Kate asked as we walked along the shops at the Old Mill.

“How about that Italian place we go to sometimes? I can never remember the name.”

“Pastini Pastaria? Yeah, I could go for some pasta. You know I suppose if you pay an arm and a leg you can find decent food in Hawaii, but as you can see I still have all my limbs.”