The Spirit Tree (7 page)

“I had him check out the leak in the spigot. I swear, I don’t know how you can sleep with that dripping going on all night.” Mae poured herself a glass of sweet tea.

“Gram, your doctor told you to stop drinking sugar in your tea.”

“He isn’t keen on the idea I drink whiskey or smoke, either. One shot and one cigarette a day never hurt nobody and neither will sweet tea.”

Dottie glanced between Mae and me and bit her tongue. Smart woman. “You’re home early.”

“I had an incident. One of those snakes took a ride in my computer bag today. It crawled out in the middle of my session with a gentleman who’s more terrified of snakes than I am.” I held up my bandaged arm, expecting sympathy.

“Did it bite you?” Dottie cut herself a slice of watermelon.

“No, the guy scratched my arm up trying to get away from the snake,” I answered, disappointed that neither had fawned over my newest boo-boo. Instead, they burst out laughing. I didn’t see the humor, but laughed along with them. Given the stress over the last few days, we all needed a good belly buster.

“Are you going to call Detective Cutie-Patootie?” Mae had a wicked glint in her eye.

“Ugh, no. I’m done with cops for today.” I plucked his card from Mae’s hand. “I’m going to take a nap. It’s been a long day, and my leg is killing me.”

I threw myself on the twin bed and stared at the ceiling. I didn’t bother to crawl under the faded rosebud quilt or remove the stuffed animals. The room hadn’t changed much over the years, and I liked it that way. This was home—consistent and safe.

“Oh God.”

The old house had an awkward floor plan. The bathroom door opened into my bedroom. If Gram Mae needed to use the bathroom in the middle of the night, she came through my room, which meant that Aaron had walked through my bedroom to get to that darned leaky spigot. He’d seen my room—pink ruffled drapes, stuffed animals, and all. Dinner was off. No coming back from pink ruffles and Bubba, the giant purple teddy bear.

My brain spun too fast to sleep. The new job with Hailey would work out, but I wouldn’t stay more than a year. I still held out hope that I would land a position in criminal justice. Psychopathology has always intrigued me. I liked figuring out what made people do horrible things.

Memories of the last couple of days tumbled through my mind, causing me to rethink my plan. I’d seen a lot of horrible things. Perhaps working with the police department was a bad idea. Could I handle that level of stress on a daily basis? Maybe the job with Hailey wouldn’t be so bad after all.

I needed to give Charlie’s journal to Dr. Hicks. Maybe he could make sense of the break-in attempts. If nothing else, he could take the darned thing with him, and maybe the scary wolf guys would follow him to Gainesville. I couldn’t shake the feeling that the naked guy had, in fact, started out as a wolf. I didn’t have the energy to consider what that could mean.

Aaron’s blue eyes crossed my mind. He frightened me almost as much as the wolf guy. My cell phone rang, but I couldn’t get to it before it went to voice mail. Although the call came from a local area code, I didn’t recognize the number. I waited a few moments to see if the caller would leave a voice mail. No such luck.

I dialed the number, and a familiar male voice answered. “Tessa, hey, it’s Aaron. Detective Burns.”

Several curse words danced through my head. “Hi. I was just about to call you. You came by?” And had a lovely visit with my great-grandmother and checked out my pink ruffled curtains.

“We checked the security tapes at the hospital and the clinic. We found the surveillance footage of the guys you described at the hospital. Looks a lot like the guy who tried to break in to your house. I’ll be by in an hour with photos for your aunt and great-grandmother. I mean, if that’s all right?” He paused.

“We’ll be here.” I gave him points for not referring to the dead guy as “that guy you killed.”

“The only person who went into your office over the past twenty-four hours was your boss, former boss. He was in your office this morning. If he groped you, I think you should consider filing a report. I checked into it, and there have been a handful of complaints against the guy, but nothing stuck.”

“I’ll think about it. You don’t think he put the snake in my office?”

“No, I don’t. I think it came in the bag, which takes the case to a new level. Animal control confirmed it was a diamondback rattler. Whoever put it in your bag could be charged with attempted murder,” Aaron said.

I counted to three. “Thank you for letting me know.”

“Tessa, you need to be careful until we figure this all out and catch this guy.”

I hung up, unsure of how to take the news. I doubted anyone planted the snake in my bag. According to the ladies, the snake served as protection, which terrified me on a different level. What if the bad guys had snake protectors, too? “I’m losing my mind.”

“Tessa, is everything all right?” Mae’s voice sounded as concerned as Aaron’s had.

“No.”

We returned to the kitchen table.

“That was Detective Burns. He thinks someone is trying to kill me by putting snakes in my bag. So now they’re treating this like an attempted-murder case. He’s going to come by later with some pictures. There were two scary-looking guys at the hospital outside of ICU. They could be tribe; he wants you two to look at their photos.” I put my chin in my hand and stared at the tabletop.

“Maybe we should clean up before company arrives.” Gram Mae looked pleased by the prospect of company—almost too pleased.

“Gram, please don’t try to fix me up with the detective. It won’t work. He’d get fired for dating me.” I didn’t like the twinkle in Mae’s eye.

“Dottie, do you know a Marvin Hicks?”

If the name upset her, she didn’t show it. Dottie, a serious card player, had a poker face that rivaled the masters. “I know Marvin. He’s a friend of your uncle’s. He’s Cherokee. Why do you ask?”

I shrugged, regretting having asked the question. How could I explain this without telling them I’d stolen Uncle Charlie’s journal? Not to mention that I’d held out on part of the conversation I’d had with Charlie’s ghost. Unlike Dottie, I had a poker face only when in session with my clients. I couldn’t lie to Dottie and Mae. “Remember, I told you I spoke with Uncle Charlie?”

They nodded.

“He told me to take his special box to Dr. Hicks.”

Dottie sat back, and Mae leaned forward to take my hand. “Where is the box now?”

I recognized the sinking feeling growing in my gut immediately. I’d had the same feeling at six years old. Dressed for church, I’d grown bored and climbed an orange tree. When they asked if I’d climbed the tree, I said no. Mae had picked several twigs from my hair and wiped the sticky orange juice from my face. Charlie and I cried when the spanking ended. Now, I would have preferred a spanking to Mae’s and Dottie’s disappointed faces. I’d screwed up.

“In my computer bag,” I mumbled.

“Marvin will be here Sunday. You can give it to him then. Don’t take it out again,” Mae said. “Dottie and I made the arrangements today. The funeral will be Sunday at the church. We will have the gathering of the elders on Wednesday at the sacred place in Geneva. They have to name a new elder to fill Charlie’s position in the tribe.”

“We will have folks come here after the services are finished, but don’t mention anything about the gathering. It should be only us and the elders.” Dottie nodded as if to confirm she understood.

“Some of the family won’t be happy,” I warned.

“Most of them wouldn’t be happy if we stood them on a stack of gold bars. It will be difficult enough, without having them there. They’re lucky we’re inviting them to the damned funeral,” Dottie said.

I said, “We’ll ride over together Wednesday.” I didn’t want to say good-bye. In fact, I had a difficult time wrapping my heart around the loss, but we would do this—together. “Oh, I almost forgot. I have a box full of bottles for the bottle tree. We can hang them after we get home. Maybe plant a tree for Uncle Charlie?”

Dottie and Mae smiled, and Dottie put her hand over mine. “When did you grow so wise?”

I shrugged. “Yesterday?”

“Tessa Marie, go get cleaned up. Put on that pretty purple dress.” Mae winked.

Mae loved to play matchmaker almost as much as she loved to entertain. She pulled the leftover Salisbury steak from the night before. Unless I missed my mark, Mae planned shepherd’s pie for dinner. After the watermelon, my stomach groaned. I slunk off to my room to regroup.

I picked at the lavender sundress, feeling ridiculous. The dress came to just above my knees and accentuated the bandages on my arm and leg. I pulled my hair into a high ponytail and swiped on an extra layer of mascara. I couldn’t justify more primping without looking too interested or needy.

The kitchen smelled like heaven—if heaven served beef gravy and chocolate-chip cookies. The older women buzzed around the space as if expecting a dignitary for dinner. I didn’t have the heart to tell them it wasn’t a social call. Poor Aaron. He didn’t stand an ice-cube’s chance in hell of getting out of the house without being stuffed with food.

“Do we have to have people over after the funeral?” My crankiness surprised me.

“Yes. How else are we going to get rid of all the sympathy casseroles?” Dottie winked as she pulled rolls out of the oven.

“True.” Someone knocked on the door.

I turned to answer, but Mae shooed me into the living room. “Wait till I open the door to come in. Make a grand entrance.”

I frowned at the back of Mae’s head. This would end in disaster. Aaron’s voice filled the kitchen. I counted to ten before I walked into the room. Mae had him seated at the table while Dottie poured his sweet tea. Aaron looked way too comfortable, considering the two hens hovering over him. I mouthed, “Sorry.”

Aaron grinned and stood. Someone had taught him manners. I motioned for him to sit as I plopped into my usual chair. Before I could get a word out, Mae filled the table with food.

“We were just about to sit down to dinner. You will join us, won’t you?” She set a plate and silverware in front of him.

“Thank you. It smells great.” Aaron set his napkin in his lap and waited for the women to sit. He took it in stride when we joined hands for grace, and because he was the only man at the table, Dottie and Mae expected him to say the blessing.

I frowned and bowed my head. It would never have occurred to Mae that Aaron wouldn’t want to say grace. He said the blessing, and we dug in. Everything went well for about five minutes, until Mae said, “Tessa tells us you’d get fired for dating her. That doesn’t seem fair.”

Aaron almost choked on his mashed potatoes, smiling as I slumped in my chair. “We aren’t allowed to date victims on the cases we’re investigating. Though, I do plan to take your great-granddaughter out on a proper date after we solve this case.”

“Tessa Marie isn’t a victim,” Mae insisted.

I wanted to crawl under the table. “Technically, no, but that’s what they call it, Gram.”

“I don’t care what they call it. It’s silly.”

Aaron focused on his food, as if keeping his mouth full would save him from Mae’s inquisition.

“Where are your people from?” Mae set her napkin beside her plate.

“North Carolina.”

“Do you have any brothers or sisters?”

“No, ma’am.” Aaron sipped his tea.

“How long—?”

I laughed, both at Mae’s persistence and Aaron’s willingness to play along. “Gram, how can he eat if he’s busy answering all of your questions?”

Mae looked between me and Aaron. “Why don’t you two go for a walk while Dottie and I clean up?”

Dottie grinned and began to clear away the plates, patting my shoulder as she passed.

“Sounds good to me.” Aaron offered his hand. “Would you like to take a walk with me?”

“I’d love to get some fresh air.” I took his hand as I stood.

He grabbed my crutches, and we slipped out the door.

Outside, Aaron chuckled, and I shook my head.

“I’m sorry,” I said.

“Don’t be. They’re fantastic.” He put his hands in his back pockets, rocking on his heels. “I like the dress. Was it Mae’s idea?”

I nodded and covered my face. “Come on. Let’s go sit on Dottie’s porch swing. It’s out of earshot. I’m sure they’re spying on us.”

We strolled through the yard hand in hand. After we settled on the swing, Aaron stretched his arm across the back, rocking it with one foot. “I meant what I said, about taking you out.”

I gave him a little smile. “I was at my apartment this afternoon. I thought I saw someone following me. I’m going to stay here until things settle down.”

He stopped the swing, giving me his full attention. “What’s going on? There’s something you aren’t telling me.”

“I don’t know why anyone would want to hurt me.” I scanned the tree line on the other side of the railroad tracks.

Aaron followed my gaze. “We should get back inside. I need to show the ladies the pictures and get back to the office.”

“You work around the clock, don’t you?”

“When I’m on a big case.”

I followed him back to the house. I understood his frustration, but couldn’t betray my uncle or the tribe. Someone wanted Charlie’s journal. I happened to be the one holding on to his secrets—it wasn’t personal.

Aaron spread still shots of the hospital-security footage on the table. Although grainy, they captured both men’s faces. Dottie and Mae studied each picture and shook their heads. “I don’t recognize either of them,” Dottie said.

Mae sat back. “Neither do I. Are these the men who tried to break in to the house?”

“Yes.” Aaron pointed to one of the men. “This is the one Tessa shot.”

We stared at the picture. I hated that I’d killed someone. Mae stood and wiped her hands on her apron as if she’d touched something dirty. She set a plate of cookies on the table and poured four cups of coffee without a word.

“I need to get back to work. Thank you for dinner.” Aaron bowed his head and stood.

Dottie patted his hand. “Thank you for stopping by.”

“Let me pack up your dessert.” Mae packed several cookies, poured coffee into a travel mug, and showed Aaron to the door.