“I’m sorry, did you say sacrifice? As in, murder?”
She had stopped at the railing, as far away from him as she could get, he noticed. She turned, crossing her arms in front of her. He thought she looked a little self-conscious. Which meant he probably shouldn’t tell her that crossing her arms like that only emphasized what she thought she was covering up.
“Well, yes. And yes.”
“Any idea who’s supposed to die?”
“Well, kind of.”
“What do you mean, kind of?”
She moved back towards him.
“That’s kind of its own crazy story. A friend of ours, Nicola, had a friend stop by a little party we were having the other night. God, was that only two nights ago? Anyway, her friend sat down at the table and told everybody something about themselves that there’s no way he could’ve known.”
“OK, so what, he’s some kind of creepy stalker?”
“No, he’s psychic.”
“Psychic?” OK, now he’d heard everything. cursed objects, sacrifices, and now psychics.
“And you believe him?”
Was she nuts? Had he got himself tangled up with another crazy chick? He’d dated enough of them, that was for sure. Got to be he’d figured that was his type. He had a whole theory about the crazy/hot axis that explained everything. But Jami, she was starting to creep a little too far up on the crazy line. Admittedly, she was already pegging the red on the hot line though, so she had a ways to go before he would bail. But he would bail, he knew it. He always did.
“Well, if you’d asked me this two days ago, I would’ve said not only no, but hell no. But, honestly, well they didn’t know I was there. I was kind of, hiding in the back office listening in.”
Definitely crazy.
“Don’t look at me like that, I had my reasons. And they’re none of your damn business.” She put her shoulders back defiantly and now he was definitely not thinking about how crazy she was.
“It doesn’t matter, my point is this—he went around that table and told everybody something, something that made them believe. And he never looked my way, he didn’t say anything about me. I’m thinking, he can’t be psychic right, he’d know I was there, right? But then he did it.”
He had to admit, he was enthralled.
“Did what?”
“He spoke to me.”
“So, he figured out you were there. That’s not psychic; he probably just heard you.”
“No, he didn’t speak to me out loud. He spoke to me in my head.”
14
Whiskey River, Colorado
David used his key to let himself into Jami’s lakefront cottage. They all had keys to Jami’s place, everyone pitched in to check up on her. Personally, David didn’t think there was anything wrong with her that a little independence wouldn’t cure, but Remi disagreed. Not that he could blame her either, after what the girls had been through, it was a miracle they were as well adjusted as they were. And now Remi had found Hart, and he could see a world of difference in her eyes. When he’d found those girls that morning, the look in their eyes had changed him forever. He’d been a kid himself, twenty-eight years old and a year out of the Academy. Ever since then he’d been looking out for them, and a good thing too. It used to surprise him how far people would go for a bit of gossip or a story they thought would sell a few papers or get a few clicks on the website. Not anymore.
Remi had called him as soon as she got off the phone with Jami. When she told him that she’d left, his first instinct had been to worry, his second was pride. It wasn’t something he could ever force her to do, but he’d been hoping every day that she would finally get sick of it. Finally get tired of being coddled and protected. Do something a little crazy. Maybe not this crazy, he admitted, but beggars can’t be choosers he supposed.
He went straight to the laundry room next to the back porch and grabbed a bag of dog food. They still didn’t know where Jami was, but she clearly wasn’t going to be back tonight, and Ghost was almost out of food. David was amazed that wherever she’d gone, she hadn’t taken Ghost. She never went anywhere without that dog; he was like a security blanket. But that could’ve been the point.
Speaking of points, she had made hers. He wasn’t going to insist that she come home, but he’d love to know where she was.
His cell rang as he was locking the front door behind him, so he dropped the bag of dog food to answer it.
It was his work number, and while he wasn’t on call, he knew anything that wasn’t urgent would’ve been left on his voicemail on his phone at the office.
“Webb.”
“David.”
He felt the air go out of him, as though someone had kicked him in the gut.
“Beth?”
He didn’t know why he had framed it as a question, he knew damn well it was her. He was pretty pleased that his voice didn’t sound as shaky as his hands actually were.
“Are you OK?”
“Yes, I’m fine. Just came across some information I thought you might be interested in.”
“Information you thought I might pay for, you mean.”
There was a hint of sadness in her husky voice. “Well, I guess I can’t blame you for that. But no, this one’s free. Look, I’m actually going to be in your area tonight, I’ll stop by.”
“You’re here? In Colorado?”
What the hell? He was sure she’d never leave New York. Except—
“On a job?”
“Kind of.” She hedged. “Look, I don’t want to say anything else over the phone, I’ll be there tonight.”
She clicked off before he could answer.
Hell.
He’d thrown the bag of dog food in the back of his truck when his phone rang again, this time his personal.
“Aubrie, what’s up? I’m on my way back now.” He started the engine and plugged his phone into the dash, causing Aubrie’s voice to boom through the cab.
“You’re never going to believe this.”
“I don’t know, I’ve heard a lot of crazy shit lately.”
“Well that’s sure as hell true. But, get this, Jami took some of Shane’s research.”
Oh shit.
“Which means,” Aubrie continued, “she’s not off in a hotel, ordering room service and feeling her oats.”
“Goddamnit. She’s gone after the pendant.”
“How in the hell does she even know where to look? I don’t have this shit memorized but I know there wasn’t a map with an X on it anywhere in there.”
“She’s not an idiot, she probably figured something out, something we hadn’t seen.”
“Something she didn’t want to share with us?”
David followed the dirt road that curved gently to the right, following the lake. It was a gorgeous fall afternoon, the aspen trees weren’t changing color yet, but wildflowers were blooming, and the lake shimmered in the sun. Cottages and houses dotted the west side of the lake, but the east side butted right up against a sheer granite cliff. In five minutes, he’d make a left, taking him away from the lake but towards the river that fed it from underground. Then five more minutes going higher still, until he turned again and pulled into the parking lot of the Fortune & Glory.
“Can you blame her? Look how we’ve treated her. She’s on this pedestal, wrapped in bubble wrap, with a fucking feather mattress underneath her. She doesn’t travel. She barely leaves Whiskey River, even to visit galleries that are selling her stuff. For fuck’s sake, she wouldn’t go to Denver for her own showing last year. Jesus, Aubrie, it’s a wonder she’s not lost her fucking mind by now.”
Aubrie was silent for a minute, but David knew him well enough to not push. He was all sunshine and movie star on the outside, but there was a gentle soul in there somewhere, he’d seen it.
“You’re so right. And now I feel bad that I didn’t see it sooner. You don’t think she’s going to do something stupid, do you?”
“For all I know, she already has. We have to trust her
though; we don’t have a choice.”
15
“YOU THINK I’m crazy, don’t you?” Instead of freaking out and asking for an explanation when she told him that she heard Lucas’s voice in her head, Val had barely reacted.
He said, “OK,” quietly and then busied himself with the paperwork on the table. He asked Illeana for some advice, and the two of them had their heads bent over the map.
He raised his head at her question and looked at her sincerely.
“Crazy? No. Trust me, I’ve heard worse. Hell, some days I’ve been worse.”
When she opened her mouth to ask him about that, he shook his head.
“We can play twenty questions later, right now we need to figure out where we are going to dive. I’m guessing we can probably get in two dives this afternoon if we don’t waste any more time.”
“Since my guide,” he said the word derisively, “was kind enough to ditch me while I was wearing my gear, that saves us a lot of trouble. Do you dive?”
She shook her head. “No, I never have, but Illeana was going to teach me.”
At that he straightened up. “Do you mean to tell me you came all way out here intending to find this plane crash and the pendant without knowing how to scuba dive?”
“Well, yes. I was assured when I booked this boat that they would be able to show me everything I needed to know.”
He was looking at her incredulously, and she shrugged. “Pretty stupid, huh?”
“Actually, I was thinking it was pretty damn brave of you.”
He bent his head back down over the map and started speaking to Illeana again, but before she lowered her gaze to pay attention, she winked at Jami.
Jami frowned at her to discourage her matchmaking attempts and ignored the warm fuzzy feeling that his comment gave her.
Illeana took the map to Stefano with the coordinates for the dive and Val took it upon himself to check all the dive equipment.
“Oh, Illeana has already checked mine.”
“Lesson number one. Always check your own gear, no matter how much you trust the person you’re diving with. You’re going to be under water, too far from the boat to get help in time, and too far down to surface for air if you have an emergency. You need to trust your buddy, the person you’re diving with, but always count on yourself to check all of your equipment.”
She pulled a deep breath to steady her nerves. “OK, got it. What else?”
Val methodically checked both sets of equipment, narrating as he went. Names of all the pieces and parts were sounding familiar since Illeana had already gone over them with her, so by the time he was finished, she felt a lot more comfortable.
“BCD, regulator, mouthpiece, diving computer. Got it.” She’d pointed as she went and received an approving nod from Val when she’d finished.
“OK. We’re diving in warm water and you’ll be using about the same set up that I had when I came onboard.”
Jami followed Val’s instructions under Illeana’s supervision. The young woman watched with shrewd eyes as they suited up, nodding approvingly after a few minutes. Val excused himself to hit the head before he got his equipment on and Illeana took the opportunity to tell Jami not to worry.
“He’s actually quite good, I think he has plenty of experience. I don’t think you need to worry; he will be a good diving partner.”
“What about me?” Jami asked Illeana quietly. “I want to do my part, what am I supposed to be doing?”
She smiled. “Always keep him in sight.” She taught her the signals for OK—a circle with her index finger pointing up—and I need to surface—a thumbs up. Just pay attention, you’ll be fine.”
Val returned and finished getting suited up while Illeana zipped Jami up.
Before placing his mask in position, he sat on the edge of the boat facing inwards and gestured for her to do the same.
“OK, we’re all set. Don’t worry about a thing, breathe slowly and calmly, follow my lead. You’re going to hold onto your mask and your mouthpiece and let the weight of the vest pull you backwards down into the water. Once you’re in the water, kick a couple of times to get clear of the boat. Then orient yourself to me and follow along.”
She couldn’t keep the butterflies from flipping around in her stomach but understood the need for keeping her breathing under control, so was determined to steady herself. Pushing her lips together, she replied, “OK, got it. I’m ready.”
She was sure that her move wasn’t as graceful as his, but they did both end up in the water, and everything still seemed to be attached where it belonged. OK, good.
At first, Jami was obsessively checking the diving computer strapped to her wrist for the time. After about ten minutes she got more comfortable and began looking around. The water was amazingly clear, it looked like a movie. They hadn’t descended yet, so the colors were brilliant. Schools of fish swam by, undulating in groups, almost as though they were birds flocking.
Val stayed close, turning back to check on her frequently if she lagged a little behind. For the most part, they stayed parallel, and Val would touch her arm or her shoulder to get her attention to show her something particularly beautiful. After another ten minutes or so he indicated it was time to start descending, Jami nodded and followed his lead. This wasn’t so bad. She felt weightless, free. There was a whole world down here that she’d never seen. As they started to descend, the water remained clear but deepened into shades of jade and sapphire. Val was checking his dive computer frequently until at one point he stopped, and Jami wondered what was wrong. She tapped him on the shoulder and made a motion like a cartoon character asking a question with her shoulders and her arms, trying to ask him what was wrong. Val shook his head and made the OK sign. Again, he indicated they were going to descend and Jami followed his instructions with her regulator as he’d showed her on the boat.
They’d been following the reef along their left-hand side for a few minutes, Jami dazzled by the variety of fish and plant life.
She knew not to touch though; she’d read that the reef ecosystem was very fragile. But her fingers twitched regardless.
She was happily following along behind Val, so comfortable now that she was experimenting with twisting around and doing little flips. She was so distracted that when Val stopped in front of her, she gently bumped into him. He tugged on her hand and pointed and if she’d had her head above water, she would’ve gasped out loud.
Had they found it on their first time out?
He couldn’t believe it. He signaled Jami to stop and checked his dive computer. They had twenty more minutes before they needed to ascend and take a break on the boat. Enough time to get a closer look. He signaled for Jami to follow and approached the wreck. Sure enough, it was an airplane, at least the front half of one. He circled around, giving it a wide berth so as not to disturb it. It appeared to be precariously balanced on the reef. As he moved closer, he could see that the plane was partially concealed under a ledge in the reef. Considering how long it had been down here, it was likely it had been completely concealed for years and a recent storm had exposed it. Possibly shifting it enough to cause it to break in half, leaving the front half sticking out and the back half to tumble deeper into the sea.
Visibility was still amazing, but he didn’t see any sign of the rest of the airplane. He was still circling, trying to find a way to identify the aircraft. The entire surface was covered with things that had grown on it - it sure looked as if it had been down here for eighty years. Without the tail he couldn’t match the tail number to the flight records, and they didn’t have enough time to waste investigating the wrong wreck. Jami had moved up alongside him and caught his eye. She was gesturing and pointing. He followed the tip of her finger and realized she was pointing to a jagged piece of metal just past the fuselage. Both wings had separated from the body of the aircraft but one of them was caught on something—they might be able to get the number off the wing. Perfect.
He replied with another OK
symbol, he wanted to get inside the plane, but he knew that one, they didn’t have time and two, he had to talk to Jami and make sure she understood the dangers of wreck diving.
He moved closer to the wing, seeing immediately that there was no identification on the side that he could see. Fuck, it was upside down. The slash of metal was precariously balanced, moving with the motion of the water as if it would plummet any minute. He gestured to Jami stay, relieved when she nodded her head and it didn’t seem inclined to argue. She stopped her forward momentum, hovering. He had to admit, for someone that it never done this before, she was a natural.
He unclipped his flashlight from his dive belt and cautiously moved under the wing. If he disturbed the water too much, it could decide to finish falling and take him with it.
The powerful beam of light brightened up the already clear water considerably and as soon as he was in position under the wing, he saw the letters. The underside wasn’t encrusted with growth and he could see them clearly.
Holy shit. This was it.
It was time for them to start heading back to the boat. He got a couple of quick shots of the wing and the serial number with his camera to confirm and log in his dive journal.
He was backing away to get an overall shot of the wing and its proximity to the fuselage and location on the reef to help them plan the next dive when he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. He turned to see Jami closer to him than he thought she was. As soon as she caught his eye, she gestured up. Following her line of sight, he saw what she’d been trying to tell him. The belly of another boat passed overhead, going fast enough that the wake was already disturbing some of the plant life near the top of the reef. He felt something yank on the back of his vest and instinctively reached back to ensure that his oxygen was secure, dropping the camera in the process.
Fuck. What the hell was she up to?
He began to turn, but she was tugging him away. He spun to try to get her off of him and saw the wing bearing down on them. Holy shit. He immediately transitioned from fighting against her to move in with her and with a few powerful kicks they were both clear of the wing when it fluttered past them into the depths of the sea.
Cursed Page 7
