Fate Actually: Moonstone Cove Book Two

by Hunter, Elizabeth

  “Yeah.” Drew grimaced. “Shit.”

  * * *

  Megan held a few carved stones in a small leather pouch, moving them from hand to hand with her eyes closed.

  “Is Whit Fairfield somewhere in Moonstone Cove?” Megan opened her eyes and cast the stones into the middle of a circle outlined with a long leather strip. The collection of crystals and polished stones bounced onto the wooden table.

  Toni tried to keep her face straight. She glanced at Katherine, who was watching the stone casting intently.

  “The Mars stone and the Saturn stone are in a cluster here with the place stone I got from around your house,” Megan said. “So… that’s interesting.”

  Toni wasn’t going to ask, but Katherine would. Katherine would always ask.

  “Why is that interesting?”

  “I’ve met Whit Fairfield more than once,” Megan said. “My ex was desperate to get that man’s account, so he completely sucked up to him. Whit was very aggressive. Very dominant. Very arrogant.”

  “Traits associated with Mars,” Toni muttered.

  “Exactly.” Megan examined the circle of stones that she’d divided into four quadrants with two more leather strips. “And Saturn is in the same cluster. That is associated with really negative energy. Misfortune. Pessimism.”

  “And the place stone?” Katherine asked.

  “Well, I’d think that would indicate he’s around here.” She pointed to a bright green stone on the opposite side of the circle. “And his luck stone is all the way over here. He’s in the opposite place of lucky right now.”

  Don’t roll your eyes. Don’t roll your eyes. Don’t roll your eyes.

  Katherine leaned her elbows on the table and examined the circle of stones carefully. “Megan?”

  “Yes?”

  “You’re a confirmed telekinetic.”

  Megan nodded. “Yes. But I’ve been reading a lot. And psychic energy can be channeled in ways that aren’t always obvious. A lot of it is just practice.”

  “Noted.” Katherine frowned a little. “But my question is, since you can move objects…”

  “Yes?”

  “And the rocks are objects…”

  Megan pursed her lips. “Uh-huh.”

  “Is it possible that you’re subconsciously moving the stones into a pattern that answers questions the way you want them answered?” Katherine leaned her chin on her palm. “In theory.”

  Toni bit her lip to remain silent.

  Megan looked thoughtful. “I mean…”

  Katherine looked at her with wide eyes. “After all, the stones did tell you that we should order from Rio Rancho Cantina last week, but I had a feeling that was just because you really like their enchiladas.”

  Megan started gathering up her stones. “You know what? Forget it.”

  Toni laughed a little. “Oh, come on. She has a point, Atlanta.”

  “Just because I’m trying to stretch my psychic abilities and you two are trying to forget you have them,” Megan said, “doesn’t mean that you get to tease me. Some of us prefer not to live in active denial.” She sent a loaded look toward Toni.

  “What’s that for?” she asked. “Don’t give me that.”

  “Have you told Henry you’re pregnant?”

  “It’s only been eight weeks.”

  “Have you made a doctor’s appointment?”

  “No,” she muttered. “But I bought vitamins that are the size of horse pills and I’m taking them every day, okay?”

  Katherine asked, “And the extra folic acid? Your pregnancy is considered geriatric.”

  Toni felt like punching both of them even though she knew they were being responsible friends.

  “Toni, I can feel your aggression from across the table, but you know we’re right. This isn’t just about this pregnancy—this is going to be hard on your health even though you’re in fantastic shape. You need to see an OB.”

  “Fine!” She huffed out a breath. “I’ll call this week.”

  “No more living in denial,” Megan said. “It’s not healthy.”

  “I’m not living in denial,” Katherine said. “Or at least I’m not trying to forget I have visions. That would be irresponsible. If I hadn’t had my first vision, Justin McCabe might have murdered all of us. I am feeling a little blocked right now.” Katherine twitched her nose. “I’m starting to wonder if ragweed allergies can cause psychic blockage.”

  Megan handed her the stones. “Okay then, maybe you need to study these instead of me.”

  Katherine looked at the stones in the leather pouch. “Is there some kind of… textbook I can study?”

  “Yep. I’ll drop it off tomorrow.”

  That seemed to cheer Katherine up. If there was a textbook involved, Professor Bassi was always up for the challenge.

  “So getting back to Drew’s question,” Toni said. “Megan’s magic stones are telling us he’s around here, but he’s having bad luck? That seems too vague to take to the police.”

  “Agreed,” Megan said. “What about sniffer dogs? They always bring those out in Georgia when kids go missing.”

  “There doesn’t seem to be any true indication that he is, in fact, missing,” Katherine added. “After all, he’s a grown man with varied business interests. Who’s to say that he didn’t simply meet up with someone or leave on a trip without telling anyone?”

  “According to Drew, his secretaries in both offices confirmed that in the years they’ve worked for Fairfield, he’s never taken off without leaving directions on how to reach him. Even when his father passed away.”

  “Interesting.” Katherine tapped her chin with one finger. “Well, if I can provoke a vision, I will. Do either of you have a picture of the man? That might help.”

  “I don’t,” Toni said. “I could tell you what he looks like but—”

  “Oh!” Megan pulled out her phone. “I think I actually do. Give me a minute. It was from a Christmas party last year.”

  “Speaking of Christmas, is your mom coming back out?”

  Megan rolled her eyes. “Of course she is. And bringing my daddy too. They’re distraught about the kids.”

  “The kids who haven’t even spoken to their father in months?”

  Megan’s children were not being understanding about their father cheating on their mom. Her son, in particular, was furious with his dad.

  “Here it is.” Megan held up her phone. “There he is on the end, horning in on Jodi Vanderwall. He was being kind of creepy with her, and her husband was piiiiiiissed. That’s him in the green shirt.”

  Katherine narrowed her eyes, then reached for her glasses on the table. She put them on and immediately stopped squinting. Her eyes went wide as saucers.

  “This woman’s husband is in green? Or the Fairfield man?”

  “Whit Fairfield,” Megan said. “He’s the one in green.”

  “What is it?” Toni reached for one of the saltines that Katherine had set on the table. Her stomach had started to churn again. This fucking morning sickness that only comes at night…

  The professor’s face was pale. “If that’s the case, I don’t think I need to have a vision about Whit Fairfield.”

  “Why not?”

  Katherine set the small bag of stones on the table. “I’m relatively sure I already had one. And I’m relatively sure that Whit Fairfield is dead.”

  Chapter 7

  The next free afternoon they all shared was on Friday. Toni had finished tuning a particularly touchy Jaguar that afternoon, so she was feeling accomplished as she led the way up the slightly overgrown trail between her house and Nico’s winery. “Okay, I’m not saying this is definitely where your vision was, but it’s a possibility.”

  “The creek sounds right.” Katherine spoke from behind her. “Toni, you have a growing Centaurea solstitialis problem on your property.”

  “What?” Toni turned her head to see Katherine pointing at the yellow thistles in the brush. “Oh yeah. Nico’s got people bu
rning them all over the place. They’re impossible to get rid of.”

  “Yellow star thistle is very invasive and resistant to burning,” Katherine said. “Tell him to hire goats.”

  “Goats?”

  Katherine nodded cheerfully. “Goats are extremely effective in keeping thistle infestations down. I can give him a few numbers if you’d like.”

  “Sure.”

  Megan was panting behind Katherine. “How long is this trail?”

  “About half a mile. We’re almost up to the winery.” She glanced at Katherine. “You still haven’t seen the oak tree?”

  “Not yet. But I think I’ll recognize it.”

  Katherine’s vision had seemed innocuous at first, which was why she hadn’t been alerted to any violence. She’d seen a man who looked like Whit Fairfield with heavy bruising on his face, sleeping under an oak tree near a stream. The vision had been in the middle of the night more than a week ago, days before the morning that Toni had been interrupted by a million calls, a broken tractor, and a severed finger.

  In retrospect, a vision about Fairfield “sleeping” was far more ominous than originally perceived.

  Toni had immediately suspected the old walking trail that led from the Dusi winery to the highway. It followed Ferraro Creek down to Toni’s house, and past that, the highway. If you wanted to sneak into the winery without leaving your car in a noticeable place, that would be the way to go, and the creek was lined by hundreds of oak trees.

  “Anything yet?”

  “Not yet.”

  They were nearly to the top of the hill when Katherine stopped and looked around. “There’s something we missed.”

  Toni was flushed and tired from walking, but she didn’t want to complain. “What’s up?”

  Katherine turned to look down the trail. “Perspective. Trees look different from different directions.”

  “So you’re saying we might have already passed it?”

  “I can’t hear the creek anymore,” Katherine said. “Can you?”

  “Not really,” Megan said. “Just barely because I know it’s there.”

  “But I definitely heard it in the vision. We need to go back.” Katherine started walking back the way they’d come. “We may have passed it.”

  Toni sighed. “Maybe we’re just in the wrong place.” If they kept going up the hill, there was a bathroom at Nico’s house. She really needed a bathroom.

  Really, really needed a bathroom.

  “Katherine—”

  “She’s already walking back,” Megan said. “You doing okay?”

  “Yeah.” Toni started down the trail. “It’s not really that far back to my house—I just have to pee.”

  Megan motioned to the deserted trail. “You have a Kleenex? Pee. There’s nothing around here but trees and bushes. And thistles. Don’t squat in those.”

  “That’s a good idea.” She patted her pockets. “I don’t have anything.”

  Megan reached into the small backpack she’d slung over her shoulders before they started walking. “Here you go.” She handed her a small pack of Kleenex. “And don’t forget this.” She gave her a small bottle of antibacterial gel. “Do you want wet wipes too?”

  Toni blinked. “Do you just carry that stuff around all the time?”

  “I got a whole range of snacks too. It’s called being responsible for growing humans.” Megan patted her shoulder. “You’ll get the hang of it. They start out pretty simple. Diapers. Wet wipes. Boobs. That’s pretty much all they need at first.”

  Toni was frozen in her tracks. Tissue in one hand, hand sanitizer in the other, and existential dread a tightly curled ball in her chest. “Megan, I don’t think I can do this.”

  “Pee outside? Just find a tree, honey. No one’s around but us.”

  “No. I don’t think I can be a mom.”

  “Oh.” Megan’s face went soft. “Yeah, you can.” She drew Toni into a firm hug. “I promise you can. You’re going to be a wonderful mom.”

  Toni felt stiff in Megan’s embrace. “I’ve only ever taken care of myself.”

  “Are you kidding?” Megan pulled away. “You’ve got a huge family. You’re telling me you never babysat? Never watched your sister’s or brother’s kids? Never held a cousin’s hand when they needed it or cleaned up someone else’s mess? Not to mention all your employees. You take care of everyone, Toni. Don’t minimize those skills just because they’re not what commercials make mothering look like. You’re gonna do great.”

  “I’m not like you though.” She took deep breaths and tried not to leak her rioting emotions all over Megan just because she was in emotional striking distance. “I don’t have the planner and the superclean house. I don’t decorate for holidays. I don’t… bake.”

  “You don’t have to mom like me!” Megan laughed. “There’s a million ways to be a mom. You’re gonna find your own way of doing things that works for you. Remember, it’s your own little family. You get to set the rules.”

  Toni nodded and blinked back tears. “Okay.”

  “Okay?”

  “Okay.”

  “Good. Go pee before you explode. I remember those first few months.” Megan patted her shoulder and sent her off into the bushes. “I can’t lie. If I’m being honest, I’m a little jealous.”

  Toni walked behind a bush and squatted. “Why?”

  Ahhhhhhh, relief. Like, relief so profound she nearly cried from it.

  You nearly cry from everything these days.

  “Those early years are work,” Megan said, “but they’re a lot of fun too. And little kids are hilarious. Teenagers…” She sighed. “It’s a whole other level of drama.”

  “But they can feed themselves.”

  “I can’t lie, that’s a bonus.”

  She cleaned up, used the hand sanitizer, and walked back to the trail. “Okay, I’m thinking more clearly now.”

  “Good. Let’s go find Katherine before she gets lost.”

  “The trail is pretty clearly marked.”

  “This is Katherine we’re talking about. She could end up seeing an interesting bug or bird and if it flew off, we’ll never see her again.”

  “Good point.”

  * * *

  The sharp, antiseptic smell of Megan’s hand sanitizer was Toni’s only saving grace when they found what was left of Whit Fairfield along the edge of Ferraro Creek.

  Megan and Toni stood at a distance while Katherine got far too close to the body for either of their comfort.

  “Yes,” Katherine said. “Definitely scavengers. Coyotes probably. Feral cats too. Maybe some buzzards.”

  Oh Enzo, what have you done?

  “Katherine, we need to get back to the house and call the police.” Megan waved at her to come back. “Step back, honey. You know what they show on TV. They’re not going to want anyone contaminating the crime scene.”

  “I’m fairly sure he was shot.” Katherine held a handkerchief over her face and leaned over the body. “There’s a lot of blood.”

  Okay, that was it. Toni walked back to the trail, across a small clearing, and puked her guts out under a tree. She stood up straight after losing her lunch and took several deep breaths.

  “Toni?”

  “Here.” She spit and reached for her water bottle to wash out her mouth. “I’m okay.”

  Megan waved from the trail. “We’re here.” She had Katherine in tow. “Let’s head back to your house and call Drew.”

  They were deep in the hills above Moonstone Cove, in the folds of the coast range mountains, and mobile phone service was a joke. They’d be in range once they got back to her place. “Should we mark where we went off trail?”

  “I already did,” Megan said. “Tied a handkerchief on a branch right on the trail.”

  “Okay.” Toni walked back toward them.

  Katherine rubbed her back. “Feeling better?”

  “How on earth can you just look at… that and not be affected?” Toni asked.

  Katheri
ne shrugged. “I guess because it’s interesting. I never studied gross human anatomy, but the human body is fascinating to me even in stages of decomposition.”

  “Well, I am grateful we have scientists like you who can examine things like that,” Megan said. “Because I’m with Toni on this one. I nearly lost my lunch at the smell. The scavenger thing certainly explains the finger, doesn’t it?”

  Whit Fairfield had been killed about halfway between Toni’s house and Nico’s. A coyote or a cat must have taken the finger from the body and dropped it at the ranch. According to Katherine, there was more than one finger missing.

  “Drew will likely have problems finding all the pieces of Mr. Fairfield,” Katherine said. “Ecologically, of course, it’s for the best. Human preservation practices for the dead are very unnatural.” She smiled. “Baxter and I have already arranged to be cremated and planted in a memorial forest in Big Sur. With the proper soil amendments, of course. Human ashes are harmful to plants on their own.”

  “I did not know that,” Megan said. “I will keep that in mind.”

  Toni felt her nausea coming back. “Can we change the subject please?”

  “Sure.” Megan held out a tube of saltines. “Here.”

  “Thanks, mom.”

  “Do you have any trail mix?” Katherine asked.

  “Of course.”

  Toni’s stomach was feeling more settled by the time they reached her house. That was until she saw Henry’s truck sitting in her driveway.

  She spotted the beat-up blue vehicle and turned. “You know what? Maybe I’ll go wait by the body. That’s a good idea. Someone should stay with poor Mr. Fairfield.”

  “Who is that?” Megan’s eyes lit up. “Could it be…?”

  “Oh look.” Katherine waved at the tall man walking around the house. “Henry is here.”

  Kill me now.

  “Hey!” His face lit up when he saw Toni and the girls. “I was wondering if you’d gone for a hike. I was just about to go looking—”

  “Whit Fairfield was murdered.” Toni decided to cut off any pleasantries at the gate. “We just found his body on our walk.”

  Henry’s eyes went wide. “Oh my God, Toni, are you okay?”