The Fate of Destiny (Fates #1) (19 page)

“
What about everything else?”

“
What do you mean?” Emerson glanced away from the road to Beelah.

Farris looked between them, preferring to keep quiet and listen for now. She too wondered just how much they should tell the Sheriff. There was no denying that the entire incident had been...odd. Way out of the ordinary.

Pretty much like everything that had happened the last two days.

“
Well. All of it. I mean, he knows about Henson--”

“
Henson doesn't have anything to do with this,” Emerson countered.

“
Doesn't he?” Beelah asked.

“
Why would you think so? He died trying to help someone out.”

“
But it happened while all this other stuff was going on. I think we should tell the Sheriff something weird is happening.”

“
He won't believe you if you tell him you think it's all connected somehow,” Emerson predicted.

“
They'll fall back on coincidence,” Theron added from the back seat.

“
Isn't that what it is though, when it comes down to it? Coincidence? Just a string of really messed up situations? It has to be. There isn't any other explanation.” Farris interjected. She wanted to believe it was so.
Needed
to think it was just one of those unexplained oddities and that things would get back to normal soon. In periphery, she saw Beelah snap a surprised look her way.

“
Farris. You know better than that. You know what your grand--”

“
Shhhh.” Farris tried to shush Beelah.

“
Yeah, what was it your grandmother said again?” Theron asked from the back seat.

“
Her grandma is convinced that something is going to happen. Remember? I told you at the hospital,” Beelah said.

“
There has to be something driving it. I know you said the nurses said she's starting to get senile, but where would she get the idea something would happen?” Emerson asked.

“
She said she remembered that a lady talked to Farris on the playground when she was little--”

“
Do we really need to rehash this? It didn't mean anything,” Farris said, more than a little freaked out. Her whole life was being put on display for a string of mishaps.

More than just mishaps,
she argued with herself.

“
Tell me,” Emerson said, encouraging Bee.

“
A lady told Farris that she would be coming for her when she was eighteen. Farris' Mom overheard her. I think that's why she went crazy. The lady scared Farris' Mom half to death. And then Farris started writing the stories, so...”

“
Beelah Bosley!” Farris covered her face with her hands. She couldn't believe her best friend just outed her like that.

“
So wait, your grandmother remembered and has been warning you about your birthday?” Emerson asked. “Who was the lady? Someone she knew?”

“
Yes.” Farris said, answering the first question. She couldn't recall the name her grandmother used for the lady in the park. Too much had happened and it had seemed so inconsequential at the time.

“
Merwen. That was it. Merwen,” Beelah piped up.

Emerson stomped the brakes so hard it threw Farris and Beelah against the dashboard. Theron thumped the front seat from the back.

“
Give a brother some warning, man,” Theron grumped.

“
What?
” Emerson roared.

“
I said, give a brother some--”

“
Not
you.”
Emerson glared over his shoulder at Theron, then fixed a hard stare on Farris.

“
What are you doing? Are you crazy?” Farris complained, saved from a face full of dash after throwing her hands out to brace herself.

“
Emerson!” Beelah complained.

“
What was her name?” Emerson half turned in his seat. He ignored their admonishments like he always did. The truck sat cockeyed in the road, the scent of smoking rubber drifting up from the tires.

“
Merwen.
Why?”

“
Oh sweet mother of all mothers,” Theron muttered from the back seat.

Emerson whipped a look at Theron then back to the girls.

“
And it was this Merwen lady who said she was coming for Farris on her eighteenth birthday?” Emerson asked. Demanded was more like it.

“
Yes, yes! Merwen. What is the big deal? Why do you act like you know what that
means?” Farris sat back in the seat and glared at Emerson. Just when she thought she could convince herself that all of this really was one gigantic coincidence, Emerson had to go and do
that
.

Beelah peered around Farris to stare at Emerson, too.

He stared right back, hands gripping the wheel so tight the leather squeaked.

“
What,
what?”
Farris asked. What was wrong with him?

“
I just think it makes a big difference when there is another person involved. You never mentioned this lady before,” Emerson finally said. He seemed to struggle to contain himself, to hold more words at bay.

“
She was little. A little girl. How does it matter?” Beelah asked.

Emerson opened his mouth, then a moment later, snapped it shut.

“
It matters,” Theron said from the back seat. “Let's get to town so we can tell the Sheriff and go from there.”

Emerson got on the gas and straightened the truck out on the road. He reached the speed limit, surpassed it, and pegged the needle out at seventy-five.

“
I think we should talk to your mom,” Emerson said.

Farris almost fainted. “What?”

“
Your mom. We should go talk to her.”

“
We
can't.” Farris' stomach started to ache.

“
Why not?”

Silence.

“
Farris?”

Beelah patted Farris' hand, then squeezed it.

“
Why can't we talk to your mom? Beelah mentioned she was crazy, but I'm sure that was a figure of speech,” he said.

She didn't want to tell him. Admitting that her mother had been in an insane asylum for years was painful and humiliating. Beelah, because she knew how upset Farris got over her mother, kept silent.

“
Is she really crazy?” He glanced away from the road to the girls.

“
She's been in an insane asylum for a long time,” Farris finally said. There was no hiding it. No way to get around it. Admitting it to him, of all people, sat ill with her. It mattered what he thought. Mattered that he didn't judge her according to her mother's state of mind. The barrier she'd built between herself and some of the cruel students at school (like Larissa) wasn't thick enough or strong enough to keep the pain of Emerson knowing away.

And she just knew he wouldn't let it go. Not now, not after this.

Emerson muttered under his breath. Then, “I'm sorry. I didn't think Beelah was serious.”

“
No, it's okay. You would have heard it from Larissa or someone else anyway.” Even saying Larissa's name left a bad taste in her mouth.

“
She can receive visitors though, right?” Emerson asked.

Beelah gasped. “Emerson, you can't be serious.”

“
I'm deadly serious.”

“
Why is it so important? What's with the Merwen lady? What do you know that you're not telling us?” Farris asked, growing impatient with it all.

“
I'm trying to figure it out, but I need more information, Farris. Your mom might remember something critical that your grandmother doesn't recall.”

“
If I haven't figured it out after all this time, I doubt you will,” Farris said.

“
Don't be too sure.”

. . .

A swelling crowd of people clogged the main thoroughfare through town. Emerson had to pull over well before the police department building and park next to the curb. Agitated over the information Beelah and Farris imparted, he met Theron's eyes in the rear view mirror and got out with everyone else.

It couldn't be a mistake that Merwen, of all people, had visited Farris when she was younger. The name was unusual enough that it could not be confused with another.

The question was—
why
would Merwen do such a thing? According to Theron's puzzled expression, he couldn't figure it out either.

“
What's going on?” Beelah asked. Her uniform wasn't quite as dirty and wrecked as Farris', but she still brushed at it with self conscious strokes of her palms.

“
Looks like an impromptu town meeting,” Theron said.

The Sheriff stood in the back of a truck so the crowd that had gathered could see him better.

“
Let's see what he has to say. Then we can tell him about the dogs,” Farris said.

Emerson and Theron walked behind the girls and stood at the back of the gathering. Sheriff Tooley, talking into a megaphone, lamented with the citizens about the recent disasters that had struck their town.

“
So I don't want any of you to get discouraged. We've got Federal help coming in for the tornado. Anyone misplaced by the disaster or anyone needing help rebuilding roofs or barns or all that, line up and put your name on the paper. There's a list of folks willin' to do manual labor, too, so we'll match up who needs what when we see how extensive the list is.”

“
What about Betty's Diner?” someone shouted.

The Sheriff exhaled and reached up to adjust his hat. “Fire officials tell me it was a gas leak. No one could'a seen it coming. We're just real lucky there weren't more hurt in the explosion. The papers are on the tailgate here, folks. Do what you can.”

He hopped down from the back of the truck.

Townsfolk mobbed him, closing in for more questions.

“
He's right about that,” Theron said. “Lucky no one else got seriously hurt.”

Farris reached up to smooth her fingers over the scarf twined around her throat. “Poor Pete. I feel so bad.”

Emerson scanned the crowd, then glanced at Farris. “At least it was quick. Are you going to tell the Sheriff about the fire at the loft, too? I'm not sure what they can do about it now with Henson gone.”

“
I don't know. There are more important things to worry about. Like the dogs,” Farris said.

“
Hey, Sheriff!” Theron hailed the man with a wave of his hand.

“
Yeah,” Emerson agreed. He watched the Sheriff make his way over.

“
Farris, Beelah, I'm sure glad to see you girls are in one piece,” Tooley said when he arrived.

“
Thanks, Sheriff.” The girls spoke at the same time.

“
We needed to tell you about a pack of wild dogs that attacked us out at Henson's farmhouse last night,” Farris said, getting right to the point.

Emerson folded his arms over his chest and listened.

“
Pack a' dogs?” Tooley frowned.

“
Yes, there must have been forty or more. They almost got us before we could get inside Henson's house,” Beelah added, a little breathless telling the news.

“
Forty dogs?” Tooley glanced behind and around, as if looking for someone, then back to the group. “Ain't heard of a pack that big roamin' town. Could be they got loose during the tornado, banded up.”

“
I don't think so, Sheriff,” Emerson said. “I had the impression they'd been at this longer than a day or two. Really vicious.”

“
That the last place you saw 'em?” Tooley asked. He tipped his head to the small radio attached to his shirt and put a call in for backup at the Henson place.

“
They were gone this morning when we drove in,” Emerson said.

“
They could have been hiding in the corn fields though.” Beelah looked fretful again.

“
I'll make sure we take care of it. Thanks for lettin' us know, kids. No one got bit, right? You'll have to get a rabies shot if so,” Tooley said.

“
No one got bit. A scratch or two though,” Theron added.

“
And there was a fire, too. At the garage in the back. Farris' loft almost went up in flames,” Beelah rushed to add before Tooley could step away.

“
When was this?” Tooley frowned again. “How much damage?”

“
Two nights ago. Right after the tornado,” Farris said, fidgeting with her scarf. “I don't know how it started.”

“
Inside or--”

“
No, it started outside,” Emerson said. “I saw it from the road and ran over to help the girls get out.”

“
You girls were inside? Why didn't you report it sooner? Any idea what set it off, son?” Tooley glanced between Farris and Beelah, then to Emerson.

“
Well, if you're wondering how the fire started, you're definitely talking to the right person,” a female voice said behind them.

Emerson whipped a look over his shoulder.

Devon stood there with a knowing, smug look on her face. She pretended to brush a piece of non-existent lint from the lapel of her ash gray brocade coat. Paired with snug black pants and knee high boots, she looked well put together.