It would really be best to find his owner, but I wasn’t in a big hurry. Right now he was doing a great job of keeping me company.
Pet supplies were shelved right near the bulletin board and I picked up a little dog collar and a nice long leash. That was going to make life a bit simpler, I hoped.
I stocked up on iced tea and chocolate bars along with the dog food and a dish to feed him in. Then I made my way back to the motel, carrying all my new goodies.
Toto ran to greet me, jumping and turning cartwheels in the air. I laughed and hugged him, feeling guilty that I was going to go off and leave him again in a few hours. I fed him, then snuck him out the back way and into the neighboring vacant lot so that he could run his little legs off.
There were so many things to think about and analyze, I was feeling a little overwhelmed. If only I knew more about my background. There were people who knew a lot about me. How could I get them to help me?
Okay, I had two ways to go. I knew Shane, and I knew he wasn’t going to help me at all, unless I did a little sweet-talking. Which I could try, but I didn’t think it would work. On the other hand, I could try to contact that man who’d said we were friends in Kindergarten. What was his name? Crocker something. That might be a better way to play this hand. He’d acted like he seriously wanted to help me. Unlike Shane.
A raven settled on the fence that bordered the yard, and I watched him, wondering if the pup was small enough to make that big bird a danger. But he didn’t make a move toward Toto, and I began to ignore him, realizing I’d begun to take his presence for granted. Could he possibly be the same raven who had watching me from early that morning? It didn’t seem likely. And yet….
***
He was there again as I waited out front of the motel for my legal friend to pick me up for dinner. This time he was in a broadleaf tree that lined the street, barely noticeable as he lurked behind the greenery.
“Isn’t it time for you to go home and go to bed?” I asked him once I was sure there was no one watching who would see me acting like a crazy person. “It’ll be dark in no time.”
He stared down at me and I felt foolish, but Bentley’s BMW turned in to the parking area and I forgot all about the bird, to busy giggling over the coincidence.
“I can’t believe it,” I said as he rolled down his window to say hello. “Bentley drives a BMW.”
“Of course. I’ll get my own Bentley once I’ve made my first million.”
He jumped out to open the car door for me, smiling in a way that made me feel warm and appreciated.
“You look beautiful, Haley Greco,” he said as he took in my more feminine attire. “You look wonderful in those colors, that outfit.”
I flipped the edge of my skirt in a sassy fashion and said before I even thought, “‘What? This old thing? I only wear it when I don’t care how I look.’”
A memory! A quote from a favorite movie, but a memory none the less. What was the movie?
He got it. Cocking his finger like a gun, he said, “It’s a Wonderful Life, right? The flirty girl who’s always walking the streets.”
“Yes!”
We looked at each other and laughed. Zap! Something snapped between us like an electric shock and I was breathless for a quick second or two. Then it was over and I was reminding myself that I had to be careful.
Don’t trust. Don’t even start to like anyone too much. Danger!
But I was surprised by that memory, and as we drove toward the restaurant, I held that fact close and enjoyed it. My memories were still in there somewhere. All I had to do was find the key to unlock them.
We ate at the Sleeping Dragon—good Chinese food in an elegantly mythical décor. We sat in a booth that was elaborately decorated to look like a sort of Chinese chariot. We drank tea and devoured our delicious Honey Walnut Shrimp and Almond Duck and just about everything he said made me laugh.
“How did you get a name like St. Ames, anyway?” I asked as we sipped tiny glasses of plum wine for dessert.
He smiled at me. “My mother was an angel.”
“An angel.” I suppressed a grin. “I’m sure we all love our mothers, but…”
“No, really. She was an angel.” His smile was wickedly engaging. “But that’s a tale for another time.”
I had to admit, I liked him. He was quick with a quip and endearingly amusing. I was in the middle of a gigantic laugh from something he’d said when I looked up and saw Shane coming toward us. That stopped the laughter in my throat--stopped it cold.
“Haley,” he said with a nod toward me, then turned to my companion. “St. Ames,” he said, his tone like steel, his eyes frosty.
Bentley took a deep breath and stared at him. “McAllister,” he said evenly, giving him back the same icy tone.
“I hear you’re going to help Haley with her quest to take possession of the Bar and Grill.”
The two men stared at each other like adversaries. It was clear that neither liked the other very much.
“You heard correctly. I’m going to give her legal advice at any rate. Still, any strong-arming involved is more in your department, isn’t it? We may be calling on you eventually.”
Shane turned to me, effectively dismissing Bentley.
“I stopped by your room at the motel to see how things were going,” he said. “I let your dog out to run for a few minutes. He seemed to need it.”
“You…!” I half rose from my seat. “What were you doing in my room?” I squealed in an embarrassingly high voice. I was miffed!
He shrugged, his mouth half twisted in a knowing smile, and I realized he was goading me. “I heard your dog whining. He seemed to need a little time out in the grass. I couldn’t leave him like that. So I let him out.”
I stared at him. There was a challenge in his bright blue eyes. What did he want from me? “Did you put him back?”
“Sure.”
I glared but kept my temper and sank back down into my seat. “Did you have a good time going through my things?”
His mouth turned up at the corners. “Things? What things? You don’t have anything to speak of.”
“Exactly.” I flashed him a look. “Now do you believe me?”
He shrugged, still looking skeptical. “I don’t know. It’s looking more and more plausible though.” He gave me a wink and turned as if to go. “I’ll talk to you after you see your grandmother.”
“Hey, sound the trumpets,” Bentley said archly. “We agree on something. I’ve been advising the same thing.”
Shane grinned. “Even a stopped clock….” He muttered as he walked off.
We watched him go. I could feel Bentley’s annoyance with the man. But was that all it was? Something told me there was more to it. He turned to me as soon as Shane was out the door.
“So what did he mean by that?”
“By what?”
“About you not having anything much in your room.”
I sighed. I’d thought that my situation was something that I should hide, but it was getting tiresome. Besides, what difference would it make if Bentley knew about my strange return to my hometown.
“It’s hard to explain. I…I seem to have some sort of amnesia. Here I am back where they tell me I grew up, and yet I don’t remember anything about it.”
He nodded and I had the feeling he already knew, or at least guessed. “That’s interesting.”
“It may be interesting looking in from the outside,” I said tartly, “But believe me, in here where it counts, it’s the pits.” I shook my head, noting his look of concern. “Don’t worry about me, I can navigate pretty well on my own-even without memories.”
He frowned. “So you really don’t remember Shane from before?”
I shook my head. “We seem to have known each other quite well at one time but I don’t remember it.”
“Pity.” His face was scrunched in thinking, looking at me at the same time.
“Actually, I’m beginning to look at it as a benefit. This w
ay I can do whatever it was I was brought back here to do, and then get out of town and start over someplace else.”
It occurred to me that it must seem odd that I felt like I was on some sort of trajectory of someone else’s plan and that I had some task to perform. I mean—who does that? And yet, I knew it was true. Bentley seemed to accept it as well.
“You gotta do what you gotta do,” he said.
“I’ll do it. And I’ll leave without regrets.”
“Ice water in your veins,” he muttered.
That startled me, because I’d just been thinking that same phrase a second before he said it.
“People have said that about me before,” I said slowly, watching his eyes.
“I know,” he said, smiling at me. “I read your mind on that one.”
“What?”
“You and I…” He made a hand gesture from me back to himself again. “We seem to be on a wavelength of our own. Haven’t you felt it?”
I stared at him. “You can see everything I’m thinking?” I asked in a hushed voice, as though that was going to fix it. I felt just a little hysterical at this new turn of events. What could be worse?
“No, not at all,” he said to my relief. “But every now and then, something comes through loud and clear. I haven’t figured out what is causing it yet. Emotions, references to the past your mind is trying to pull up, who knows what? But we’ll get to the bottom of it eventually.”
This was making me very nervous. First there was the way I’d started my day, in an anonymous motel room with all guardrails seemingly missing, then I climbed a mountain that wasn’t there, and we had the extraordinary situation where I seemed to fix a copy machine with some strange power radiating from my hands, then this very unsettling man seemed to know how to read my mind when he wanted to. Oh, and don’t forget the raven.
I was about to bring that up when a screech came from across the room.
“Haley Greco! I’ve been searching for you all over town! Huntin’ you down like a quail in the forest.”
Looking up I saw a plump redhead in hot pink yoga pants and a zebra striped cropped hoodie hurrying toward us. She was pretty in a loud way, bright lipstick and lots of eye makeup—obviously a woman who took a backseat to no one.
“Haley I’m so glad you came back!” she cried as she arrived at our fancy chariot-style table. She jammed her rounded posterior right in next to me without waiting for an invitation, then grabbed me around the neck and kissed my cheek.
“Oh, ouch!” she cried, pulling back. “I forgot about this lump on my head. That damn Scotty!”
“Are you okay?”
“Oh sure. But it’s you I’m worried about. Oh honey, we heard such awful things. I’m so glad to see that you’re okay after all. Hey, you’re going to love what we’ve done to this town. Just wait! I’m going to put you on my renovation committee first thing. Hey, with you by my side, we’ll have this town whipped into shape in no time. Remember Senior Prom, when we got everyone to wear kitten ears for the class picture? Together again, you and me. We can rule the world!”
Bentley leaned in to help.
“Rennie, turn down the volume. Haley’s got some kind of weird amnesia. She doesn’t remember anything about this place.”
“What?”
She grabbed my arm, staring into my eyes as though trying to see right into my thoughts.
“Oh my gosh, are you going to need a refresher course on Moonhaven craziness? Hey, you would have needed that no matter how much you remember. This place isn’t like it used to be. We’ve changed, and I’m working hard to make those changes stick. This is going to be the premier destination in Northern California. Believe me, we’re going to rock this world!”
I was looking at Bentley helplessly. I still had no idea who this was. He read my mind—again!
“Rennie Dobbs,” he said. “She married the mayor. So now she’s Mrs. Mayor. Right Rennie?”
“You got that right.” She chortled. “Everybody knows me. But then, they always did, even when I was Rennie Kilmeade and I just ran the Grounds for Taste Coffee Bar. Now I’m in charge of compliance with the Plan. You’ve heard about the Plan? Sure you have. I’m the one who’s making it happen.”
“Yes, in fact, I was talking to Luanne and….”
“Luanne! Hah!” She made a face that effectively dismissed Luanne for the foreseeable future. “Listen girl, I’m running everybody’s life-the whole town. How’s that for taking advantage of my formative training?” She stopped laughing abruptly and tugged on my arm again. “But what’s wrong with you, honey? What’s this amnesia thing doing to you?”
“Oh,” I waved her concerns away. “It comes and goes. Just ignore it. I’ll get back into the swing of things.”
“You bet you will, with me to help you! You should have come to see me right away. Remember when we used to ride our bikes right into the middle of football practice? The coach would try to catch us but the guys would form a wall to keep him away from us and we would…”
Smoothly and subtly, Bentley reached out and pressed his first three fingers to the inside of her wrist, as though he were taking her pulse. Quietly and firmly, he took control.
“Rennie, you have a place you have to be in three minutes,” he said in a quiet monotone. “Your husband, the mayor, is waiting for you. You have to go. You can see Haley again tomorrow.”
“Oh.” Her eyes widened. “Yes, I have to go. My husband is waiting for me. My sweet, sweet husband.” For a moment, I thought she was going to cry. But she turned her dazzling smile on me, kissed my cheek again, winced and jumped up. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” And she was gone, striding off into the night.
I grabbed Bentley’s cool hand and laughed with him, then let go.
“Wow,” I said. “That’s a handy little talent you have. Wish I could do that.”
“I’ll teach it to you,” he said. His smile was warm. “You’re going to be learning a lot. But you’ve got time.”
“Do I?” I felt very much at sea. Time for what? What did I need to learn?
This time he covered my hand with his own and I noticed for the second time that his felt unusually cool to the touch. “I know you, Haley Greco,” Bentley was saying earnestly, “and I know your grandmother. And I know your raven.”
“Raven?” I glared at him. “I don’t have a raven.”
He gave me a half smile. “Oh yes you do.” He sighed. “Haley, believe me, once you get a handle on your…for lack of a better word, your powers…you’ll begin to understand what is going on and you’ll be very glad for your new level of awareness. I’m being quite serious.”
I shook my head. All this was pretty hard to believe—and I didn’t believe it. “And my grandmother is just sitting somewhere waiting for me to show up so she can tell me all of this?”
“In a way.” His eyes darkened as he looked into mine. “You do know you’re a witch, don’t you?”
Okay, now he was teasing
“Hey,” I said, thinking for a second that he was calling me names. But no. His face was quite serious. Still, I didn’t believe him. “Oh sure,” I shot back. “So okay, where’s my wand? And my pointy hat? The broomstick would come in handy, but…”
He shook his head and laughed. “Oh Haley, you’re a hard nut to crack. And you like it that way, don’t you? But you’re just making it harder on yourself.”
He started to say something more, then caught himself and sat back further in his seat. “Just go see her.”
“I will,” I said, surprising myself. That old familiar childish rebellion was simmering in me again, but the way things were going, I knew I was going to have to go to wherever she was and at least meet her. Maybe I could find out just what her game was and what my part was in it.
But Bentley still had more warnings to give.
“In the meantime,” he was saying, “beware of your old friend the Deputy Sheriff. You do realize he’s a hunter, don’t you?”
“A hunter? What
do you mean?” Somehow I had a feeling he wasn’t talking about shooting deer and quail here.
He leaned close. “The man is a hunter. He goes after people like us.”
People like us. My heart was beating so hard I was afraid I was going to pass out. People like us. What did he mean? Something in me wanted to get up and run for the door, run from what he was going to say next. I didn’t want to face it.
“What do you mean, people like us?” I asked, my voice trembling.
He stared at me and looked worried. “Oh boy, you’re one of those, aren’t you?”
“One of what?”
“Deniers. Denying your own reality.”
I was about to scream in frustration. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Yes, you do, and you’re scared to hear it, aren’t you?” He grabbed my hand again and squeezed it. “I’m sorry, babe,” he said. “I don’t want to make you unhappy but there are things you need to know, just for your own protection. It’s dangerous for you to deny it. You leave yourself open to all sorts of enemies that way. I’ll shut up now, but promise me one thing. Promise me you’ll go out and see your grandmother right away. You need to talk to her.”
I pulled my hand out of his and stared down at my glass. I didn’t have to see my grandmother to know I was going to hear things I wasn’t going to like. Suddenly I was very tired. It had been a long, strange day, and things only promised to get worse. Lucky me.
Chapter Six
It was after ten and I was walking my dog. It seemed like such an ordinary suburban thing to do, so why not? And at the same time, I was heading for the Bar and Grill to see if I could get a glimpse of the man who’d been running it lately.
Even Witches Get the Blues (Wicked in Moonhaven~A Paranormal Cozy Book 1) Page 6
