The Spirit Tree (18 page)

“What’s on your mind?” He put his plate in the dishwasher.

“Thinking about the case.” I set my plate beside his, my shoulder brushing his arm as I turned.

“As soon as we’re done at the station, we need to go speak to the elders. We need to find the conjurer before he finds another puppet.”

“How are we going to find him? We don’t even know his name.”

“You’ve seen his face. Besides, how many conjurers out there are powerful enough to pull off half the crap he has? I’m sure it’s a short list. Once we know who he is, we can track him down and finish this.” Bryson sounded sure of himself.

“Then we can get back to our normal lives.” My stomach sank. I didn’t know what normal looked like anymore.

“Somehow I doubt life will ever be the same, Tessa. Like it or not, we’re bound together.”

I held his gaze, unsure if he liked the idea of being stuck with me. Had I read him wrong? We’d had a great night, between the conversation and that kiss. Was he making the best of a bad situation? I repeated, “I need to shower.”

I showered and dressed. Despite my hangover and the jumble of emotions, I wanted to get to work. I couldn’t do much about my life, but I could help solve this murder case and find the missing kids.

I came out into the living room and said, “The bathroom is yours.” I sat at my desk and turned on the computer. Bryson headed for the shower. Hailey was right. I shouldn’t get involved with anyone until things settled. I needed to focus on finding two murderers before I worried about getting a date.

It took some digging to find Buck’s e-mail address, and I rewrote the e-mail three times before I had it right. I didn’t want to tell him too much, but I needed to grab his attention.

Bryson emerged, wearing only a towel. “We need to talk.”

I hit “Send” on the e-mail and stood. “I sent Buck an e-mail catching him up on the situation. I requested a council meeting this afternoon.”

“I wish you would have let me read it before you’d sent it.”

I said, “I didn’t mention anything personal. I told him about Marvin, and the conjurer being a skinwalker, and that you’ve stopped two attacks on my life.” I went to the kitchen for more coffee. “I’m not stupid.”

“Tessa.” Bryson paused, likely counting to ten to calm his temper. “Buck has a secretary who reads his e-mails. Not to mention, whoever is doing this is vying for power within the tribe, which leads me to believe it’s someone who already has a position.”

I stared at him, my eyes burning. I wouldn’t let him see me cry. I wouldn’t. “I’m sorry.”

“What’s done is done.”

“What did you want to talk about?” I turned and filled my cup.

“Last night.”

I hung my head. “There’s nothing to say. We had dinner, got a little drunk, and kissed. It was stupid, but it won’t happen again.”

He moved behind me and took my mug from my hand. “Is that how you feel?”

I turned to face him. “I don’t know how I feel.”

“Tessa, I enjoyed last night and hope we have many more together, but you’ve been through a lot. I don’t want to push you.”

“Maybe I want you to push me.”

He slid his arms around my waist and kissed me. My hands played over his bare back as I returned the kiss. Any rational thought fled when he lifted me to the counter. He pulled back and took my face in his hands. “I should get dressed.”

I cupped the back of his neck and pulled his head down to mine, brushing my lips across his. “We have time. Aaron said to meet him at ten.”

“Tessa . . .” He stepped between my knees and kissed a line from my ear to my collarbone.

I draped my arms over his shoulders as his fingers pressed into my hips, pulling me forward. I wanted to pull his towel loose, to explore his muscular chest with my tongue, to wrap myself around him like a vine.

Bryson lifted his head and held me to his chest. His heart raced against my ear. “We can’t do this.”

I didn’t know what to think. On the surface, his hesitation felt like rejection, but I knew better. He was stopping to keep me from getting hurt, or perhaps to keep himself from getting hurt. Then again, he had a job to do—he was supposed to keep me safe. Did he have an issue mixing business with pleasure? “Why?”

He smiled and brushed my hair back from my face. “Because you need time to heal your heart before you can give it to me.”

“It wasn’t my heart I was offering.”

He bowed his head and nodded.

The hurt look in his eyes gave me pause. “Bad joke. I’m sorry.”

“I haven’t dated in years. I don’t know the rules anymore.” He took a step back and leaned against the opposite counter.

“How long has it been?”

“Since my wife.”

“Oh.”

“I’ve been busy.” He folded his arms across his chest.

I never thought I would see Bryson actually pout. I grinned and hopped off the counter. “You should get dressed,” I told him.

He grabbed my arm and spun me against his body. “Don’t sleep with Aaron until we part ways.”

I wanted to tell him I would sleep with whomever I chose, but the words wouldn’t come out. He kissed me again, and I couldn’t imagine kissing anyone else. “Okay.”

Bryson and I drove to the police station in silence, hand in hand. He focused on the road, but I stole a few glances in his direction. I’d never met someone who could frustrate me one minute and melt me the next.

Aaron met us in the lobby and ushered us into a small conference room. A palpable tension simmered in the room. Aaron sat and pounded on the keyboard, while Bryson hung close to me. Samuels leaned against the wall, watching us with a disapproving look. The guys seemed to suck all the oxygen from the air.

Samuels pressed his lips into a tight line. “Miss Lamar, I see your nose has healed.”

“Thanks for noticing.” I took a chair and waited for someone to tell me about this lead. I had enough to deal with without taking Samuels’s bait. Aaron glanced between Bryson and me, then back to the laptop. After a moment, he turned the screen toward me.

“Do you know this guy?” The satisfied smile on his face told me he fully expected me to recognize the face on the computer.

I studied the face and shook my head. “No.”

Aaron winked at Samuels and clicked to the next picture. I knew the face. The blond man staring back at me was the same man I’d watched stab the woman twenty-some-odd times. “That’s him.”

“Miss Lamar, can you be more specific?” Samuels leaned in as Aaron pulled up another photo. This one showed the killer and the murder victim arm in arm and smiling.

“Yes. That’s the man I saw stabbing Mrs. Rivera in her kitchen. And that is Mrs. Rivera.” I sat back to put more distance between myself and the image.

“Great.” Aaron stood, grinning from ear to ear. Even Detective Samuels seemed pleased as he turned for the door.

“Who is he?” I wasn’t going to let them walk out without an explanation.

“We don’t know yet. Once we got her e-mail address from her mother, we were able to get a court order to access her e-mail history. Someone deleted everything from this guy, but nothing ever truly vanishes from cyberspace. We have his e-mail address now. It shouldn’t take long to figure out who he is. With any luck, we’ll find something incriminating enough to get a search warrant.” Aaron clamped a hand on my shoulder. “Thanks, Tessa. I’ll call you soon.”

I stayed in the cold metal chair after the detectives left the room. I hung my head and took some deep breaths. Bryson ran his hand over my shoulders. I whispered, “Give me a minute, please.”

“Babe, just let it out.” He kissed the top of my head.

I made a sound somewhere between a sob and a cough, and wiped my eyes. “We need to get to Geneva and talk to Buck.”

Bryson and I sat in a different conference room. Unlike the sterile metal table and chairs at the police station, this room contained heavy wooden furniture covered in handwoven blankets. Buck Oldham sat across from us, his hands gripping the chair.

“You should have brought Dr. Hicks here. I do not understand why you allowed him to go free. Your purpose was to keep Tessa safe, and he’s obviously a threat. Even if you broke the bond, he is susceptible to being possessed again, and he is a criminal.” Buck’s voice boomed through the room.

“You’re right. I should have brought him here. I allowed my concern for Tessa to get in the way of my better judgment.” Bryson sounded so contrite that I found myself fidgeting.

“No, that’s not what happened.” I wanted to pull the words back in as soon as they came out. The warning Bryson gave me would have made a grizzly bear cower.

“Go on, Tessa.” Buck cast Bryson a look of his own.

“Um. The conjurer appeared in my mirror. I screamed and started the banishment spell. Bryson heard me and came to help. If he hadn’t come when he did, I don’t know what would have happened. Dr. Hicks got away when Bryson came to help me,” I stammered as I lied through my teeth. It wasn’t a total lie; the conjurer had appeared in the mirror, and Bryson
had
helped me—only not when Dr. Hicks was there.

“How did he help you?” Buck leaned forward, giving me his undivided attention. When Bryson tried to speak, Buck raised his hand.

I would have given anything for a time-out. I needed to talk to Bryson alone. “I wasn’t strong enough to banish him. Bryson said the chant with me, and we were able to force him to go.”

“Is that all? He spoke the words with you?” Buck’s voice had a curious lilt, as if he knew the answer before I spoke.

“No. He touched my skin and the mirror shattered.”

Bryson sucked in air and hung his head.

Buck glanced between us and smiled. “Tla’nuwa, why do you look so defeated? You have found your flaming arrow.”

“So it appears.” Bryson glanced between Buck and me. “Do you know who this man is?”

“I have my suspicions but can’t be certain. You will need to catch him through one he possesses. It is the only way to prove what you say is true. We will need evidence to convince the council of his crimes.” Buck stood. “Once this is concluded, you will take Mae your gifts. If she accepts them, she and I will plan the bride-and-groom feasts.”

Buck left the room. I couldn’t wrap my brain around the conversation. He hadn’t given us the information we needed: a name, an address—anything. The talk of gifts and wedding feasts—well, that was just preposterous. Even in the old days, women had the right to refuse a proposal.

“I thought we agreed I would do the talking.” Bryson didn’t sound happy.

“What? I was trying to get you out of trouble.” I stood, determined to find Buck and set him straight.

“I wasn’t in trouble, Tessa. Not until you told him we were able to combine our energies. Do you know what you just did?” Bryson advanced on me, blocking my path to the door.

I set my hands on my hips and met his gaze. “If he thinks I’m going to marry you, then he is delusional.”

“Tessa, it’s not that simple,” Bryson said. “Do you know Cherokee lore?”

“Some, I guess.” My temper faded from scorching hot to a cold ball of worry.

“Tla’nuwa were a mated pair of birds. Some believe one is the bow, the other an arrow, a flaming arrow. Together, they’re deadly.”

“We are half-human and half-Nunnehi. How can we also be these Tla’nuwa things?” This new reality made my head hurt. The rational part of me didn’t believe in old folktales and superstitions, but after I’d changed into a flaming bird, the rational side lost the battle.

“You’re missing the point. We aren’t Tla’nuwa in the flesh, but we are something unique in the spirit. Since we are both part spirit creatures, that means something.” Bryson took my shoulders in his hands, as if he could force understanding into me by will alone.

“I don’t buy any—”

Bryson cut me short with a fierce kiss. It stunned me senseless, and by the time my brain started working again, I found myself pressed against his body.

Bryson pulled his face from mine and stared at the ceiling. I couldn’t tell if his pain or exasperation caused his expression. “This will all sort itself out in time. Right now, we need to find the bastard who’s trying to kill you.”

I followed Bryson to the car. For once, he didn’t insist on scouring the area for bad guys. Somehow it didn’t make me feel better. My knees shook, and I didn’t trust myself behind the wheel. I tossed Bryson the keys and sank into the passenger’s seat.

“So what’s the plan?” I chewed the skin on the side of my thumb until I tasted blood.

“We find Marvin and somehow reconnect the bond. Once the conjurer is back inside him, we do a binding spell to keep him there, then a tracking spell to find him.” Bryson didn’t take his eyes off the road. His knuckles were white on the wheel.

“Great. So where do we find Marvin?” I didn’t think it would be easy to find him. Never mind doing three spells in succession. How in the hell were we supposed to hold Marvin still long enough to reconnect the bond?

“You have his cell-phone number. We can start by calling him. Then we get Aaron to run his plates and get an address.”

“I doubt he’s going to answer my call. How are we going to get Aaron to run his plates? He’ll ask a million questions. Besides, why would Marvin go back to his house if the conjurer is searching for him? Let’s say we find him. How do we hold him down long enough to do the spells? What if the conjurer has moved on and has a new body? What if he figures out what we’re trying to do? This is never going to work.” I chewed my thumb again.

“Finished?” Bryson chuckled.

“This isn’t funny. It’s a crap sandwich. Just when I think I’m done, I have to take another giant bite.”

“We
will
find Marvin. Don’t worry.” Bryson reached over and took my thumb from my mouth. “Quit chewing your fingers. It’ll be all right.”

I shifted in my seat. “Where are we going now?”

“To get Charlie’s journal. We’ll need it when we find Marvin.”

“Oh no, it’s at Mae’s. What if Buck has already called there? We’re going to be walking into a crap-storm.” I brought my index finger to my mouth.

“It will go great with your crap sandwich.” Bryson laughed, and hit the gas.