“Maybe I’m waiting to be found.” Gaëlle started down the rise to the labyrinth. “Would you like to walk it with me today?”
“No, that’s okay. I’ll just wait.”
Gaëlle glanced back over her shoulder. “Are you sure? There’s great comfort to be found in walking the circuits.”
Lee wasn’t sure, but she shook her head. “You go ahead. I’ll wait for you.”
Gaëlle stopped at the entrance to the labyrinth and closed her eyes. After a few moments, she opened her eyes and began to walk at a measured pace, completing all the circuits until she arrived at the centre. There she stood, facing west into the wind, her eyes closed and her head tilted back.
Lee squatted on her haunches. She dangled the travel mug between her knees and scrutinized Gaëlle intently. Meditation? Prayer?
Gaëlle was a study in contrasts. On one hand she seemed like a grounded, sensible woman who balanced a difficult life with grace and courage; on the other hand...
Way too friggin’ much hooey.
Lee was having trouble squaring the contrasts.
Finally, Gaëlle opened her eyes and started back to the entrance, which was also the exit.
Lee walked down the rise to meet her.
As Gaëlle completed the last circuit, her gaze focused on Lee.
Lee was struck not only by the serenity and peace in Gaëlle’s eyes, but also by the indefinable sense of power within the woman. Then Gaëlle emerged from the labyrinth, and was simply Gaëlle again.
They were quiet on their walk back to the house. Gaëlle seemed in no need of conversation, and Lee had far more on her mind than when they’d set out.
They’d almost reached the house when Wally intercepted them.
Wally addressed Gaëlle without preliminaries. “Boy man. Toy man. Song gone. Sad, sad. Too bad.”
“Tonight?”
“Too right.”
“Thanks for the heads-up, Wally. Did you get anything to eat this morning? Would you like to join us for lunch?”
“Lunch, brunch. No munch.”
“Okay, but if you get hungry, you know where to come.”
Wally’s eyes cleared, and Lee was startled at the loving intelligence she saw there as he said, “Always.” Then, as if realizing he’d exposed himself, Wally hurried away. He looked back once, perhaps to see if they were following.
Gaëlle raised a hand and nodded, and Wally flapped his fingers at her before disappearing around the side of the garage.
“Where on earth does that guy live? He seems to appear and disappear out of nowhere.”
“Wally likes to stay outdoors when it’s warm enough. Of course, his definition of ‘warm enough’ would shock most people. When it gets really cold, he beds down in his room for the night.”
“So he has a room, somewhere to live? Where? In Donegal?”
Gaëlle pointed at the garage. “Right there. Ten years ago, after his sister died and he had no one left to care for him, I made him a place above the garage. I tried for a long time to convince him to stay in the house. I was going to convert part of the basement to a suite like Dale’s, but Wally refused. My bedroom window faces his, so I can see when his light is on during the winter. It reassures me that he’s safely indoors.”
“Do you ever worry that he could die on an outdoor ramble where no one would know or find his body?”
“I might not find his body, but I’d know if he died. And whether his body was found or returned to the dust where he lay would be irrelevant to Wally. He doesn’t care about cultural rituals. Never has.”
“Huh. What a curious man. And what did he tell you? I couldn’t follow that at all.”
“He said that Brian would be by tonight, looking for Britten.”
“He did? I would not have guessed that.”
“It’s easy once you master the key word. ‘Song’ is what he’s always called Britten. So he was talking about an immature male who will be sad to find Britten gone. Simple deduction: Brian Nolan.”
“Simple? You have an interesting definition of simple.”
Gaëlle laughed as they mounted the stairs to the porch. “It helps if you know his code and the people around here.”
“Is he always right in his predictions?”
“I’ve occasionally interpreted his words wrong, but, in hindsight, Wally was never in error.”
Lee held the door open for Gaëlle. “He was certainly right about Britten coming home when you had no other way of knowing that.”
Gaëlle paused before stepping through the doorway. “Wally wasn’t talking about Britten, Lee; his prediction was about you. He told me you were coming.”
Chapter 9
“He was talking about me? What...how—?”
The phone rang. Lee’s questions went unanswered as Gaëlle grabbed the receiver. After she glanced at the caller ID, Gaëlle said, “I’m sorry. I have to take this, Lee.”
Frustrated, Lee listened as Gaëlle answered the caller. She hoped it would be a quick conversation so she could solve the mystery of Gaëlle’s cryptic comment.
“Hi, Dale. Yes, I was out for a walk. To Goose Lake today. No, go ahead. What’s up? Janjay didn’t like the bid? Why? Well, the Chinese bid was the lowest, but we can look at other sources if she feels that strongly about it.” Gaëlle put her hand over the mouthpiece. “Go ahead and get something to eat, Lee. I think this will take a while.” She went down to the basement, and the sound of her voice was cut off when the office door closed behind her.
Lee stared after Gaëlle. But I don’t want to eat. I want to talk.
Though she longed to pursue Gaëlle and get some answers, Lee became aware that her cheek was throbbing. The cold wind had anesthetized it, but as she warmed up, she could feel Britten’s handiwork again.
After taking some Aspirin she found in Dale’s medicine cabinet, Lee lay down on her bed and stared at the ceiling. The pain slowly subsided as she considered Gaëlle’s stunning disclosure.
How could Wally know I was coming? And when did he tell Gaëlle? I didn’t even know I was coming until a few hours before we left.
Her thoughts churned without resolution. Finally, Lee grabbed the cellphone from the bedside table. She had to talk to someone.
“Hi, Marika, it’s me.”
“Lee! It’s great to hear your voice. How’s the protection detail going?”
“Well, let’s see. My client fired me last night, then she left with her purportedly abusive husband, who had never actually abused her. Apparently, she fights and flees on a regular basis, and he caters to her every whim. Oh, and did I mention that she slashed my face with a bar glass and told a Mountie I’d kidnapped her when we were pulled over for a possible DUI?”
“Oh, my God! I don’t know where to start. Are you all right? How bad is your face?”
“I’m going to have an interesting new facial feature, but it’s only three stitches, so I’m not going to be mistaken for Scarface.”
“And you were stopped for a DUI? Do you need a lawyer?”
Lee heard the worry in Marika’s voice. “I hadn’t been drinking. I passed the Breathalyzer with flying colours. I don’t think the officer would’ve made me blow except that my idiot client cut me, dowsed me with Canadian Club, and told him I kidnapped her.”
“She sounds like quite the handful.”
“Hah. That’s putting it mildly.”
“Since you no longer have a client to protect, are you on your way home now?”
“Not exactly. Listen, do you have a few moments to talk? I’m not interrupting anything, am I?”
“Not at all. I’m doing some dreary paperwork, and Rhi took Marnie to ‘Mommy and Me’ swim classes about twenty minutes ago. They won’t be back for at least an hour.”
Lee grinned as she pictured her energetic goddaughter in a full-sized pool. “So do they have to refill the pool after Marnie’s done?”
Marika laughed. “You’d think so, wouldn’t you? Rhi says Marnie is actually so fasci
nated with the other kids in the class that she doesn’t splash half as much as she does in the bathtub. Anyway, enough about our daughter. What’s going on, and why aren’t you halfway back to Calgary already?”
“It’s a long story. There’s a woman involved.”
“Really?”
“No, not that way. It turns out that, as flaky as Britten is, her mom is...well, she’s kind of hard to describe. I guess many people would say she’s flaky, too, but she’s not. It’s just so weird.”
“Okay, you’ve lost me. Let’s back up a moment. What’s the mother’s name?”
“Gaëlle.”
“All right. So how is she flaky? I take it not in the same homicidal vein as her daughter.”
“No, not at all. And to be fair, Britten isn’t homicidal. She’s just a selfish brat who’s been indulged far too much for her own good. Or as her mother calls her, she’s a young soul.”
“Interesting take. So the mother—Gaëlle—isn’t hoodwinked by her daughter?”
“God, no. Gaëlle is the most clear-sighted person I’ve ever met.”
“And yet you said some people would say Gaëlle’s flaky too. Why?”
Lee sighed deeply. How to convey the essence of that fascinating, aggravating, contradictory woman? “I think I’d better start from the beginning. My first encounter with Gaëlle was actually an encounter with her dear friend, who is this eccentric called Wrong-Way Wally. He’s apparently the Oracle of Donegal, but he speaks a language that only Gaëlle seems to understand...”
Lee spent the next half hour telling Marika everything that had happened since the night she’d arrived in Donegal, concluding with Gaëlle’s revelation that Wally had predicted her arrival.
“It’s baffling, Marika. Why would Wally tell Gaëlle about me coming here?”
“I would think the bigger question would be: how does Wally know these things?”
“Oh, trust me. After you’ve been here a while, accepting Wally’s abilities isn’t the strange part. The ‘how’ of it doesn’t bother me, the ‘why’ of it does.”
“Lee, you have no idea how odd this sounds.”
“Hell, yes, I do. It’s freakin’ odd to me, too.”
“No, you don’t understand. I’ve known you what, about twenty years?”
“Give or take. Why?”
“Because in twenty years, I’ve never once known you to espouse anything paranormal. In fact, remember when Dana and Rhi dragged us to that psychic fair?”
Lee groaned. “I remember. Dana had to bribe me to go near the place.”
“And you scoffed the whole time we were there, even when that psychic foretold that Rhi and I would have a baby girl. We weren’t even thinking of a family at the time.”
“Yeah, but you two were so obviously in love, I could’ve foretold babies in your future.”
“You’re making my point for me. You still mock the whole concept, yet here you are telling me about a man who can forecast the future and a woman who communicates with her dead husband and son. And you’re telling me this as matter-of-factly as you’d say ‘today is Saturday’. I’m not saying it’s a bad thing; I’m just saying, what happened to change the old Lee?”
“I don’t know. I really don’t know. My head is whirling, and I haven’t had anything stronger than Aspirin since I left Calgary. Hell, I even quit smoking again.”
“That’s wonderful. I’m so pleased. You had such a hard time quitting the last time that I wasn’t sure you would even try it again.”
“I’m on the patch. And Gaëlle helps. She gives these amazing head massages that make me forget everything else, including withdrawal pains.”
“She does, does she? Interesting.”
“Oh, don’t go there.”
“Why not?” Marika’s voice softened from its teasing tone. “Sweetie, it’s okay to develop feelings for someone else. Dana would not want you to become a nun for the rest of your life.”
“It’s much too soon. Besides, Gaëlle’s as straight as they come.”
“If you say so. But keep an open mind, because it sure sounds like she does.”
“I...No, it’s impossible.”
“Is it? From what you’ve told me, Gaëlle and Wally are as close as two peas in a pod. If he told her you were coming, it was for a reason.”
“Yeah, and can’t you just imagine getting involved with someone who already has a crazy, smelly, omniscient significant other. There’s a fucked-up triangle waiting to happen. Anyway, I don’t think that’s the reason, and that’s what’s driving me crazy. If Wally is right, and clearly, he’s been right in the past, it would imply I’m here for a purpose. What purpose? And who decides that purpose? Damn it, Marika, you know me. I’m not one for all this hooey. I want two plus two to equal four, not be some metaphysical equation that only a few ‘enlightened’ people can decipher.”
“You’re right, old friend. You’re a practical woman. Then let’s look at this in practical terms. So what if Wally told Gaëlle you were coming? Didn’t you tell me he predicted that Brian guy would be by tonight? I doubt that’s going to be an earth-shaking event, even if he does actually show up. Maybe Wally was just passing along information so Gaëlle could have both rooms made up and ready for guests. Maybe it didn’t mean anything more than an everyday weather forecast. Not all of his predictions are necessarily earth-shattering.”
“I guess.”
“You sound disappointed. You asked for logic.”
“Not disappointed, exactly. I mean, you make a solid argument.”
“So all my years as a lawyer haven’t gone to waste, after all.”
Lee laughed at Marika’s dry tone. “No, you’ve always been able to argue black is white.”
“But I can tell you don’t want that from me. What do you want, Lee?”
“I don’t know. I wish I did.”
“Okay, let me throw this out. You said Gaëlle invited you to stay for a few days. So when Tuesday or Wednesday comes around, are you going to be happy to pack up your suitcase and hit the road? Or does part of you want to stay right where you are?”
“I can’t stay here. My job is done. I have no reason to stay here.”
“That wasn’t the question. How are you going to feel when you say goodbye to Gaëlle?”
Lee was silent.
“And that’s my point. Whether you buy into the notion that something otherworldly pulled you to Donegal, and Gaëlle, for a reason, you can’t deny that what you’ve found there intrigues you. Part of you doesn’t want to leave until your questions are answered.”
“You’re as down-to-earth as I am, Marika. Do you believe in all this hooey?”
“I believe in...magic.”
“What? No way!”
“I do. I believe there are things in life that simply can’t be explained, so I call them magic. You yourself said that Rhi and I were meant for each other. Yet were there ever two broken people more unlikely to meet and fall in love? You know how deeply damaged we were. Yet here we are, going into our second decade together and with a daughter we adore. I’ve never been happier. If that isn’t magic, what is?”
“But that’s different. Falling in love happens to people every day.”
“That doesn’t make it any less magic.”
“Huh. Well, Gaëlle would say that the two of you planned on a soul level to meet.”
“I could believe that. I’ve never given that aspect much thought, but on some level it appeals to me.”
“Marika the Mystical.”
Marika laughed loudly. “Just don’t mention that to my partners. I’d be thrown out of the firm in a heartbeat.”
“What do I do?”
“It’s going to sound like a cliché, but do what your heart tells you to.” Marika’s voice was unexpectedly serious. “You have no idea how overjoyed I am that you’re even wrestling with this. Two weeks ago I’d have thought it more likely I’d be attending your funeral than discussing matters of mysticism and metaphysics. What
ever you choose to do, know that all of us who love you are thrilled beyond words that you’ve re-engaged with life.”
“Thanks to you guys.”
“No, Lee. We may have played a part by carrying out our promise to Dana, but you’re the one who made the decision to live again. You’re the one who demonstrated the strength we all knew you had. You stepped out of the mire.”
“I don’t feel strong. I don’t feel strong at all.”
“That’s okay. Baby steps. Relax and enjoy your stay. Enjoy Gaëlle’s company. When you’re ready to come home, we’ll be delighted to see you whole again. That’s what we’ve all wanted.”
“You know, you’re right. I’m just going to relax and see what happens.”
“Excellent. And, Lee, something just occurred to me.”
“What?”
“You told me that Gaëlle was the most clear-sighted person you’d ever met, right?”
“Yeah, so?”
“Did you know that clairvoyant means ‘clear seeing’?”
“It does?”
“Uh-huh. Apropos of nothing, of course. Anyway, give me a call when you’re on your way back to Calgary, okay? We’ll have dinner when you get home.”
“Will do. And thanks, Marika. I appreciate you listening.”
“Anytime, Lee. Anytime.”
It was late afternoon when the doorbell rang. Lee was in the living room. She hadn’t seen Gaëlle since they’d returned from their walk that morning.
When Lee opened the door and saw Brian Nolan standing there with a sheepish grin on his face and flowers in his hand, she wasn’t at all surprised.
“Uh, hi. Is Heather Ann—I mean Britten—here?”
Before Lee could answer, footsteps sounded behind her. Gaëlle stopped beside Lee and regarded Brian with compassion. “Hi, Brian. No, I’m sorry, Britten isn’t here. She left with her husband last night. They were en route to their home in Europe.”
Brian’s face fell, and Lee couldn’t help feeling sorry for him.
Walking the Labyrinth Page 12
