Endless

by Tawdra Kandle

  Pulling out a chair across from me, she smirked. “Nice recovery there. I almost completely missed your usual resentment of me.”

  I laid down my fork and regarded her steadily. “I don’t resent you at all, Cathryn. Might be the other way around, don’t you think?” When she didn’t answer, I took a long pull from my glass of sweet tea before continuing. “So what’s up? Why the mind games?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know. I was just playing with you. Things get monotonous, and I like to shake them up. You haven’t had one outrageous thought about me—that I’ve heard—in over a month. I wanted to see if I could take you by surprise.”

  I spread out my hands. “Well, it worked. Color me surprised. Now what do you mean by mission?”

  Cathryn smiled and leaned closer, dropping her voice. “We had something come up that we think would be perfect for your first assignment. It’s this afternoon, and the meeting place is only about fifteen minutes away. I’ll pick you up at 3:45 this afternoon outside your dorm. Dress professionally.”

  Anticipation that I hadn’t expected bubbled within me. “Can you tell me about it? What will I be doing?”

  Cathryn shook her head. “Not here. We’ll talk in the car on the way over. For future assignments, you’ll get the details through encrypted email, but this was last minute. Don’t worry, you’ll be fine.”

  I called Michael to tell him what was going on, so he wouldn’t be concerned in case I was late for dinner.

  “Are you nervous?” he asked, apprehension coloring his own voice.

  “I don’t think so,” I said, standing in my closet, trying to decide what constituted a professional outfit. “More excited. I’m not sure I’m as prepared as I thought I would be, but maybe that’s their method—throwing me into the deep end.”

  “Be careful.” I couldn’t hear his mind, but I knew what he would be thinking.

  “I promise, if anything at all feels off, I’m out of there. I’ll call you to get me. And I’ll text you when I’m ready to meet you to eat.”

  Cathryn was punctual as always. I climbed into her car without a word, and she pulled smoothly from the curb.

  As I struggled to connect my seat belt, she tossed a folder onto my lap. “Some information for today.”

  I flipped it open and perused the first page. “So. . .we’re meeting this guy? Matthew Cummings?”

  “Yes, he’s our client. He owns a large farm not too far away, and one of his family members wants to buy it. Mr. Cummings is older and doesn’t have any children of his own, so he is willing to sell in order to keep the property in the family. However, he’s recently gotten some information that brings the true intent of his nephew into question. That’s why we’re involved.”

  I frowned. “I don’t get it. I’m supposed to find out if his nephew is telling the truth?”

  “Essentially, yes. They both think that the meeting today is to iron out some last minute details before the sale closes in a few weeks. But really, you’ll be listening to the nephew, finding out what he plans to do.”

  “How did the farmer find out about Carruthers? And if he’s our client, why doesn’t he know what the meeting today is really about?”

  Cathryn changed lanes, glancing up at the mirror as she answered me. “Mr. Cummings doesn’t know that he’s our client. Well, that’s not true, strictly speaking. His attorney hired us, knowing what we do, but Mr. Cummings thinks we’re from the title company.”

  “Oh.” I watched the landscape rush by along the highway. One of the few things Cathryn and I had in common was a love for speed. The difference was that she owned a car that could satisfy that need. “So I’m, what, a secretary?”

  “You’re my assistant.” Amused satisfaction filled Cathryn’s voice. “I’m your boss.”

  You wish, I thought, not bothering to keep my shield in place. She rolled her eyes and added, “Try to at least pretend you believe that. If you’re unobtrusive, no one will pay enough attention to you to question it. Fiona is meeting us there, and she’s a stenographer, also working for us.”

  “Fee’s coming?” The idea of having a friendly face there made me feel a little less apprehensive. “But why do you need me, if Fee can tell you what the future outcome will be?”

  “Fiona’s talents work best in conjunction with other gifts. The future is a slippery thing, and it often depends on intent. You can hear the nephew’s intent, and that will help Fiona to determine the most likely future.”

  “But you could do that yourself.”

  “Yes, I can and I will be listening, too. But I’m just there as back up for you. On your first few assignments, we like to have some cushion for you, just in case you miss anything essential.”

  I was silent, mulling it all over. “So what do I do? How does it work?”

  “Very easy.” Cathryn took the next exit, smoothly merging onto a four-lane road. “We go in, sit down, listen. There will be introductions, so pay attention; you need to know which one is the nephew. Take notes, if you need to. No one will question that. You’ll sit away from the table, somewhat behind me. Stay in character the whole time we’re in the meeting. That’s very important. Don’t share any information until we are alone in the car.”

  I nodded. “Okay, got that. What about Fee? Do I know her?”

  “Sure. Be as natural as possible. Don’t over think this, Tasmyn. I promise if you follow my lead, it will go smoothly. This is an easy case, which is why we decided to bring you in today. Here we are.”

  The attorney’s office was in a sprawling white single story building. Cathryn parked in the front and climbed out briskly, going to the back to retrieve a wheeled case. I followed her, and without a word she piled a stack of folders into my arms. I focused on pretending that I worked for her and trailed her through the wide doors.

  She paused to speak with the receptionist, smiling and handing across a business card. We were directed into a conference room down the hallway.

  “Hi, Tas!” Fiona greeted me as we entered the room. “Good to see you again.” She was quelling her natural exuberance, I could feel, and I shot her a quick smile of understanding.

  There wasn’t time for more than that, as other people came in on our heels. Five men with loud voices crowded around the table, all talking sports.

  Cathryn set up her case and files at the far end of the table, and I moved to stand behind her, surreptitiously watching the others. Fee sat down near us with a small computer that I deduced was her stenographer machine. The men sat down, too, and I finally had time to examine them.

  I immediately recognized Matthew Cummings. He was the oldest man in the room, and he looked uncomfortable in his suit pants and shoes. He was also the only man not wearing a suit jacket and tie. Instead, the long sleeves on his dress shirt were neatly rolled to his elbows.

  The others were not so easily pegged, but I figured them out by listening to their minds. The tall dark-haired man sitting at Mr. Cummings right was his attorney, who had hired us for this job. The younger blonde was the nephew, but I couldn’t place the man muttering into his ear. I was pretty sure the gray haired short guy was the nephew’s lawyer.

  “Well, let’s get started, folks.” Mr. Cummings’ lawyer raised his voice to be heard over the chatter. “Thanks for being here today, and on such short notice. I’m Gil Robins, as most of you know. . .” He grinned, glancing around the table. “My client, the seller, Mr. Cummings. The buyer, Patrick Holmes--” The blonde man raised his hand and beamed a smile. “His attorney, Mr. Elkins. And Patrick, I’m sorry, your business partner’s name is. . .?”

  “Brice Donavan.” The man spoke for himself and nodded around the table.

  “Donavan, yes. And down at the end of the table is the team from Trust Title.” They spared us barely a glance; from their thoughts, I gleaned that we were of little more importance than the table or chairs. That was fine. I was being paid to be inconspicuous, after all.

  The meeting began, with Mr. Robins leading the d
iscussion on various boring topics. I tried to focus on Patrick Holmes’ thoughts, but he was just listening to the droning voices. I was struggling to keep my eyes open when there was a sudden surge of interest in the nephew’s mind. His uncle had just spoken.

  “Patrick, I want to put a clause in the contract of sale that requires you to keep this land within our family, to keep farming the land. Rent it out if you want to, you don’t have to be the one to do the work. But this farm has been in our family for generations and--”

  “Uncle Matt, don’t you trust me?” Patrick’s voice was kind. I tuned into his deeper thoughts, but all I heard was one word.

  Convince. Convince. Convince.

  I frowned and suppressed a sigh. That could go either way. Even if he were being honest about his intentions, he would want his uncle to believe him.

  Matthew Cummings didn’t answer directly; he just pursed his lips and looked at his nephew.

  Just get the old man to sign it over. Then we’re free and clear. Can do whatever we want.

  It wasn’t Patrick I heard, but his partner, the man who sat back in his chair, a pleasant smile on his face. His thoughts weren’t a confession or a slam-dunk indictment, but they were suspect enough in my book.

  I slid my eyes toward Cathryn. She didn’t move but I felt the slight lowering of her block as she thought, I heard it.

  “Patrick, I don’t think it’s a matter of trust. If you can assure your uncle that you will do all in your power to follow his wishes concerning this property, we can proceed.” Mr. Robins smiled genially at both men, and I picked up his concern that a big fee was potentially slipping through his fingers.

  My glance ping-ponged back and forth between the two men. Patrick’s mind was in turmoil, but I finally heard him think, Tell him what he wants to hear.

  This time Cathryn’s head moved in a barely perceptible nod and I heard Fee think, Got him. I can see it now.

  “Uncle Matt, I promise you, I will honor the farm just as you have. I won’t let you down.”

  There was a pause, and then Mr. Cummings nodded to his attorney. The rest of the meeting proceeded smoothly, and pretty soon everyone was gathering their papers, preparing to leave.

  I leaned up to Cathryn. “That’s it? Shouldn’t we say anything?” I murmured.

  She looked back to me, a slight warning in her eyes. “Yes, thanks, Tasmyn. You can take everything out to the car. I’ll be along shortly.” She handed me the keys and turned away.

  Rebuked, I pressed my lips in a firm line and grabbed the handle of her wheeled bag, Fee held the door for me as we walked out in silence. At the car, she helped me load the bag into Cathryn’s miniscule trunk.

  “You did great,” she whispered behind the cover of the raised trunk. “How do you feel?”

  “I don’t know,” I admitted, as quietly as I could. “It was okay, I guess. I don’t feel like I did anything, though.”

  “I know, it seems that way at first.” She patted my arm. “But you did make a difference. You just might not know about it right away.”

  Cathryn didn’t say much at first on our drive back to Perriman. When she did speak, it was in a measured tone.

  “That went well, Tasmyn. You handled your first assignment without any problem.”

  “Did you tell the lawyer? About the nephew, I mean?”

  She shook her head. “I’ll send him my report tonight, including our findings along with Fiona’s. From there, it’ll be up to him.”

  I felt a growing unease. “But they’ll tell Mr. Cummings, right? So he won’t sell the farm to his nephew?” I wrinkled my nose and shuddered. “He gave me the creeps.”

  “That’s up to the attorney. We just report what we hear, what Fiona sees. We can’t make their decisions for them.”

  I folded my arms across my chest. “So it might not have done any good at all. It might have been a waste of time.”

  Cathryn shot me a reproving glance. “We did what we were paid to do, Tas. A good day of work. The next job will be easier for you, now that you’ve gotten past the first one.”

  I looked out into the growing shadows and didn’t reply.

  The assignments did get easier, I found. After that first one, I began receiving the encrypted emails about twice a week, always giving me a location and the part I was to play. Cathryn went along with me for several weeks, but once it became clear that I could handle myself, I tackled a few easy missions without her. Fiona or Emma were usually along with me, and I liked having them there.

  “It’s kind of cool,” I admitted to Aline at our regular Friday session. “I mean, it’s pretty mundane. It’s not all the cloak and dagger stuff I imagined. I’m usually in a lawyer’s office or something like that. But at the same time, I’m always playing a part, and I feel like I’m helping people. Well. . .most of the time.”

  Aline raised her eyebrows. “Most of the time?”

  I smothered a sigh. “Yeah. Sometimes I’m not sure what happens with the information I hear. I hope it helps, but Carruthers won’t tell me, and they don’t like me to ask.”

  “Like the farmer?”

  I nodded. “Exactly. I wanted to know what happened. Did he get mad at his nephew? What’s he going to do with the farm now? I don’t expect a reward or anything for helping. I just want to know.”

  Aline looked thoughtful. “You could probably find that yourself. There are records of sales.”

  “I know. But I don’t think Carruthers wants me to dig, and I don’t want to rock the boat. So far, so good. They’ve done what they promised up to this point, with Zoe helping me control my powers and now letting me use my gifts to help others. So maybe I just need to trust them.”

  “Trust doesn’t come easily to you, Tasmyn, and for good reason. If you’re sensing anything off, you should pay heed to your intuition.”

  I didn’t answer, and Aline, never one to push, tactfully changed the subject. “How are you and Michael doing with all these changes? Are you still sensing some worry from him, the insecurity about Rafe?”

  I smiled, something I couldn’t help doing when I thought of Michael. “Everything is pretty wonderful with us. Michael still worries a little about Carruthers, I think, but he trusts me to make the right decision. I check in with him whenever I have an assignment, and I tell what I can. They’re big on secrecy, you know. Or discretion, as Cathryn says.”

  “And Cathryn isn’t bothering you so much anymore?”

  Laughing, I shook my head. “No, not so much. Now that I can talk to her without bringing down the walls, I don’t think it’s as much fun for her to torment me. And if nothing else, Cathryn is always professional. She’s not Marica, and she’s not Nell.”

  Aline nodded. “Speaking of which. . .you’ve been visiting Nell. How’s that going?”

  “Always the same. She looks just as she did the first time I went up there. No change at all. I talk to her, I tell her what I’m doing. Michael went with me one time. I thought maybe all three of us together again. . .but nothing.”

  “Does that disappoint you?”

  “Maybe a little. Michael teased me once that I have a superhero complex, that I want to save everyone. He might be onto something.”

  Laughing, Aline leaned back in her chair. “I don’t think you have a complex, Tasmyn. I think you’re just a decent person, and you want to do the right thing for everyone. Nothing wrong with that, as long as you don’t let it consume you. Remember, you’re not responsible for the happiness of the world at large.”

  I thought about that as I made my way back to campus to meet Michael. I still had quite a bit of regret about Nell and her current state, and I had more than a little guilt and shame over Rafe. Being able to visit Nell helped me feel a little better; at least I knew I was doing everything I could for her. But seeing Rafe was not an option. I wondered, as I did from time to time, where he was and if he had moved on. I hoped so.

  “Penny for your thoughts, pretty lady?” Michael slid his arms around me from be
hind me as soon as I stepped out of the Mustang.

  “Where did you come from?” I asked, slamming the door and turning in his embrace.

  “I got out early and decided to wait for you here so we could walk to dinner together.” He dropped a light kiss on my lips. “How did it go with Aline?”

  “Good. Nothing deep today, just a check-in.” I wove my fingers between Michael’s as we headed to the dining hall. “Do you think that means I’m getting better? Almost normal, maybe?”

  Michael laughed and squeezed my hand. “Honey, you don’t need to get any better. And normal is way overrated.” I leaned into him, nuzzling his shoulder in both gratitude and affection.

  “But it probably means you’re healing,” he went on. “And that is a wonderful thing.”

  We went through the food line separately since Michael hit just about every station while I grabbed a salad and a slice of pizza. I was already settled at our table by the time he made it there carrying two trays.

  “Chocolate cake for dessert. I got you a slice, too.”

  “Yum.” We ate in silence for a few minutes before I spoke again.

  “Remember the first assignment I had with Carruthers? With the farmer?” I spoke low and leaned into Michael, which was really ridiculous; if Cathryn were monitoring us tonight, she’d be able to hear Michael’s thoughts no matter how quiet we were.

  “Sure,” Michael nodded. “What about it?”

  “I want to know what happened. I know it’s not a big deal, and it’s none of my business, but I just wondered. If he sold the farm anyway, I mean. I want to make sure he got the information.”

  Michael shrugged. “Okay. And Cathryn won’t tell you, right? Did you ask Fiona?”

  “They all tell me to let it go. Fee says it nicer, but basically the same thing. And I’m afraid if I dig into it, they’ll be mad. But you could find out for me.”

  He finished his taco and took a swig of sweet tea. “Sure. Remind me of the name, and I’ll check it out.”