Never Look Back

by Sheri WhiteFeather

  Raven held fast to his prize.

  "Kyle isn't going to play tug-of-war with you." Allie scolded the bird, then turned to Kyle. "Any luck on the phone?"

  "Not yet. Have you found anything?"

  She shook her head, and they both fell silent.

  The doorbell rang, trilling like a church bell. Raven dropped Kyle's headband and flew to the beamed ceiling, where he peered down, waiting to see who arrived.

  Allie hoped it wasn't Daniel. Her emotions were frazzled already, and seeing him would only heighten her distress. Fearless Fly was getting to her.

  His compassion. His warmth. The way he'd tried to touch Vanessa last night. If the ghost had been able to interact, she probably would have taken comfort in Daniel's arms, letting him hold her, letting him ease her suffering.

  When Allie stalled, Kyle answered the door. Then he swept the person on the other side into a loving embrace. It wasn't Daniel. It was Joyce.

  The lady detective entered the loft with her husband by her side. Raven came down from the rafters to check her out. He perched on an end table and cocked his head at her.

  "Wow. Look at him." Joyce petted him the way Allie had done. He behaved beautifully for her.

  Allie wondered if Raven sensed that Joyce was pregnant. He and Vanessa had wanted children more than anything.

  Kyle picked up the headband Raven had dropped. "He's a pain."

  "Are you kidding?" His wife got even closer to the bird. "He's gorgeous. Affectionate, too."

  "Yeah, to women," Kyle muttered.

  Joyce shifted her attention to Allie, allowing Raven to preen over her compliment. "I don't have much time," she said. "I'm on a break." She was dressed for work, wearing conservative clothes, a visible badge and a concealed gun.

  She held out a manila envelope, and Allie took it, reaching for the clasp. "Did you find something on Lagarto?"

  The detective shook her head. "That's a list of the people who've written to your mother. Some are one-time letters. Others are pen pals."

  Allie removed the document. It was a mile long. "Damn."

  "Damn indeed." Joyce leaned over her shoulder. "From what the mail-room employees said, Yvonne has been telling all of her pen pals about The Vanessa, trying to get someone to help her find it."

  "How many of them agreed?"

  "A lot. But most of them fizzled out and quit looking. None of the letters seemed threatening. The curse wasn't mentioned in any of them."

  "How about visitors?" Allie asked, realizing the curse must have been discussed in person. "How many people on this list have gone to see her?"

  "Just two. Rory Bramwell and Fallon Caedmon."

  "Our main suspects," Kyle put in.

  "Exactly." Joyce tucked a strand of her chin-length hair behind her ear. "They wrote the same amount of letters and visited Yvonne the same amount of times. There's no way to tell who's closer to her."

  Allie frowned. "Were there any marriage proposals? Any suitors to watch out for?"

  The detective shook her head. "But there is something we hadn't expected. Check out the letter M. See a familiar name?"

  Allie scanned the alphabetical-order list and slammed straight into Glynis Mitchell. "Daniel's ex-lover? The woman who called me a creep? Who told me off for being a serial killer's daughter? She wrote to my mother?"

  "Yep. Just one letter. But I wasn't able to find out what it said. The prison is looking into it. But apparently it wasn't anything that alarmed them."

  "Well, it sure as hell alarms me." Allie grabbed her purse, more than ready to pay Glynis a hot-tempered call.

  She drove like a maniac and arrived at the other woman's house with fire brimming in her blood.

  The housekeeper answered the door, took one persnickety look at Allie and claimed that Mrs. Mitchell wasn't home.

  "Oh, yeah?" Allie said. "Then why is her car in the driveway?"

  The short, stout housekeeper wouldn't budge. She reminded Allie of a dog protecting its master, pinning its ears and snapping its teeth.

  "What in the world is going on?" Glynis's voice sounded in the background. She came to the door and bared her fangs, too. "What do you want?" she said to Allie.

  "To call you a creep."

  "Excuse me?" The brunette smoothed her pinup-girl hair. She wore a vintage smoking jacket, silk pants and sling-back shoes. Glamour all the way.

  "You wrote to my mother," Allie snapped.

  Glynis heaved her ample bosom. "Oh, that." She sent her housekeeper away and stepped outside. "It was nothing."

  "Nothing?" Allie glared at the other woman. Her makeup was refined to perfection, every fake little eyelash in place.

  "I told Yvonne that she was a monster. A disgrace to humankind."

  "And you thought that would make a difference? That she would repent for her sins?"

  "No, I suppose not." The lady of the manor motioned to the side of the house, where an exquisite garden awaited. They walked among the blooms, taking a flagstone path.

  "Then why did you bother?" Allie asked. The setting was picture-perfect, but the conversation wasn't. "Why did you waste your stamp?"

  "Because of my preoccupation with death." Glynis removed a pack of cigarettes from her pocket and used a jeweled lighter to ignite her cancer-causing habit. "When I was into the death rock scene, I was pen pals with several men on death row."

  "Serial killers?"

  "Yes." The brunette dragged on her cigarette, inhaling sharply. "I'm ashamed of that, now."

  "So you wrote to my mother? That makes a hell of a lot of sense."

  "But don't you see? It does." Smoke curled around her face. "Telling killers that they're subhuman is my way of making up for the past, for the days when I used to befriend them." She took another drag. "Yvonne isn't the only one I've sent hate mail to. I do it all the time. Mostly to the death row inmates at San Quentin."

  "That's a men's prison."

  "Men are more violent than women. Your mother is an exception."

  "Yes, I know." Female serial killers were rare. "I'm going to check out your story." Allie had no idea if hate mail was delivered to inmates. If not, maybe some of it slipped through the cracks. She would have to ask Joyce.

  "Go ahead." Glynis blew smoke into the wind. "I'm telling the truth."

  "We'll see. But next time, don't take your hang-ups out on someone's family, like you did with me. I didn't deserve that."

  Glynis didn't respond. She just stayed in the garden, smoking her long, slim cigarette.

  Allie walked away and went home, where she found Kyle and Raven waiting for her.

  Only Raven wasn't a bird anymore.

  He was back to being a man.

  * * *

  Once Allie assessed the situation at the loft and told Kyle about the contents of Glynis's letter, she discovered that Kyle and Raven had formed an instant bond. Raven had apologized for his bird antics, and Kyle had found himself fascinated by the former Fort Sill prisoner.

  But who wouldn't be? Raven was a testament of time, of Apache history.

  "I'm going to finish those calls from home," Kyle told Allie. "I'm sure you and Raven have some things to discuss."

  Yes, she thought. Things. Issues that couldn't be avoided. "Thanks." She gave him a swift hug and stepped back.

  The men said goodbye, and Kyle exited the building, leaving her and Raven alone.

  He moved closer, and her pulse pounded. Without thinking, she brushed her mouth against his, kissing him softly.

  He used his tongue, taking the affection a little deeper. "I've missed you."

  "I've missed you, too." But she couldn't let this go beyond a kiss. She retreated, distancing herself.

  "What's wrong?" he asked.

  Everything, she thought. She motioned to the kitchen. "I'll make some lunch, and we can talk."

  Keeping busy was easier, so she prepared cheese enchiladas. He sat at the table, watching her. He was dressed in his usual attire: jeans, no shirt, no shoes. His hair fell lo
ose about his shoulders.

  She didn't want to blurt out the information about Vanessa, so she mentioned Lagarto first. While they discussed the medicine man, she grated cheese and seasoned the sauce.

  Raven gave her some insight on Lagarto. The shaman was psychic, just as Daniel had speculated.

  Allie put the enchiladas in the oven, and poured some premixed lemonade. She handed him a glass, then drank half of hers. Her mouth was dry.

  From nerves.

  From what she was about to say.

  Finally, she told him about his wife. Her suicide. Her ghost.

  Raven didn't respond, at least not right away. He simply sat at the table, an expression of sheer torment on his face. She forced herself to keep from crying. She knew her tears would only make him feel worse.

  "I want to go home," he finally said.

  Home? He wasn't thinking rationally. Her eyes betrayed her, misting at the corners. "You can't go back to Fort Sill. A hundred years has passed."

  He blinked. "Then I should cut myself, too."

  "Don't say that." She went over to him, knelt at his chair and looked up at him. "I don't want to lose you."

  He smoothed her hair, touching her, making a connection. "It doesn't matter. My wounds would heal. Until the curse is broken or completed, I'm immortal."

  "But you'd still feel the pain."

  "I'm feeling it now. I hurt for Vanessa."

  "And she's hurting for you. But that doesn't mean that you don't deserve to live. You've convinced yourself that you're going to die once the curse is broken. But that might not happen."

  "Maybe you're right. I don't know. It's all so confusing." He caught her gaze. "Where was Vanessa's ghost? Where did you see her?"

  Allie's heart filled with sorrow, with the memory of his wife. "Here." She stood up and showed him the spot on the kitchen floor.

  He left his chair and sat on the linoleum, running his hand along the surface, as though he expected to absorb Vanessa's blood, to stain his palms with it.

  "Daniel saw her, too?" he asked.

  "Yes. We were the only ones who did."

  He frowned at her. "Do you fear ghost sickness?"

  "No. My father taught me that there are good and bad spirits, and I'm sure Vanessa is a good spirit. My father is, too. Sometimes I feel him, as though he is protecting me." Allie sat on the floor. "I painted a portrait of him last year, trying to help him prepare for the Ghost Road. It's a path taken by Lakota spirits, but they have to have tattoos on their wrists or foreheads. If not, they won't be allowed to pass."

  "So you painted your father with the tattoos he needed?"

  "Yes, but he hasn't made the journey yet. He's staying here until he feels my sister and I are safe."

  "From Zinna?"

  She nodded. "Sometimes I leave food out for him. His ancestors believed that a ghost might get offended if you don't feed it."

  Raven searched the expression in her eyes. She could tell he was looking for answers, for comfort.

  "Can we leave food out for Vanessa?" he asked.

  She gave him a small smile. "Absolutely. We'll offer her some of our lunch."

  He got to his feet and helped her up. "Daniel doesn't fear ghost sickness, either?"

  "No. For the most part, he practices Christianity. He goes to a Catholic church every Sunday, and he wore a crucifix to the séance."

  "I still remember the Christian prayers I learned in school," he said. "Our beliefs are jumbled, aren't they? You, Daniel and me. We're mixing them together."

  "Maybe we're all shape-shifters." She knew both men were. "Daniel tried to help Vanessa. He tried to touch her."

  "He did?"

  "Yes."

  "If he were my brother, Vanessa could have married him after I was gone."

  Her nerves skittered. First Raven was envious of Daniel, and now he matchmaking the other man with his wife. He never failed to confuse her. "I thought you didn't like him."

  "I feel closer to him now. He was kind to Vanessa." He tugged her into his arms. "Tell me what's going on in your heart, Allie. Tell me how you feel."

  "Truthfully?" She traced the angles of his face, memorizing every feature, every detail she'd painted. "I'm trying not to fall in love with you."

  "Are you doing that with Daniel, too?"

  Her nerves skittered again. She wouldn't allow herself to think that deeply. Not now. Not like this. "I'm not sleeping with Daniel."

  "Sex isn't love." Raven gave her a chaste kiss and stepped back. "I loved Vanessa before I mated with her."

  The oven timer went off. Allie turned and got their food, leaving a small portion for Vanessa. She left some for her dad as well, sprinkling green onions on top of his, fixing it the way she knew he liked it.

  And for one lonely instant, she wished Daniel was there. He always had a way of making her feel better, of giving her comfort, the way he'd tried to do with Vanessa.

  "I think we all need each other," Allie said.

  "Who?" Raven asked.

  "You, Daniel, Vanessa and me."

  They were connected, bound by life and death, by the curse that had brought them together.

  The curse that had to be broken.

  Chapter 13

  Allie touched the glass partition in front of her. She'd arrived at the women's prison bright and early. But what choice did she have? She was here to see her mother.

  To discuss the game.

  As a guard brought Yvonne into the visitor's booth, Allie dropped her hand. Her mother looked well-rested and pleased to see her.

  When Yvonne's restraints were removed, Allie's entire body tensed. Suddenly, the barrier between them didn't seem like enough.

  Her mother picked up the phone, eager to talk. Allie hesitated, and Yvonne tapped the glass.

  Allie lifted the receiver to her ear.

  "Hello, darling," the prisoner said.

  "Why aren't you shackled?" Allie asked.

  "They don't normally use restraints, not when someone is locked in the booth by themselves." She made a dramatic show of looking around. "Who am I going to hurt?"

  "You were restrained last time."

  "Because they weren't sure how I was going to behave around you. I guess they thought I might freak out. Go crazy or something." Yvonne leaned forward. "But I did just fine. They trust me, now."

  They trusted a sociopath who'd sliced up other women? No, Allie thought. Several armed guards were still keeping a close eye on her. "I met Rory and Fallon."

  Mommie Dearest smiled. "That's wonderful. Perfect." Her eyes all but glittered. "What do you think of them?"

  Allie turned the question around. "What do you think of them?"

  "Hmm. Let's see." Yvonne contemplated her response. "Rory is strong and handsome, and Fallon is young and pretty. They're a fascinating pair."

  "And one of them is the witch who is helping you."

  "That's right." The smile grew sharp. "But which one?"

  "Why don't you tell me?"

  "Now what fun is there in that? You're supposed to figure this out on your own."

  Allie adjusted the phone. "I'm working on it."

  "Which one do you think seems more honest?" Yvonne twined a strand of hair that had come loose from her ponytail. Fallon had twisted her hair, too. Was that deliberate? Something her mother had seen the college student do? A habit she was mimicking?

  "Fallon appears genuine," Allie said. "But that's what makes me suspicious of her. She's a little too sweet."

  "Is she?" Yvonne quit twisting her hair. "And what about Rory?"

  "He seems professional, dedicated to his job. But I'm not convinced that he doesn't believe in the curse. That could be his cover. They've both got me stumped." She waited a beat, hoping her mother would give something away.

  She didn't. "I adore the one who's lying to you."

  "Which means the other person is telling me the complete truth?"

  "Yes." Yvonne shifted in her chair. Alert. Gleeful. "Isn't it exciting?
"

  "You know what would be exciting, Mom?" Allie moved closer to the glass. "Cramming that phone right down your throat."

  "Oh, my." The older woman feigned a hurt expression. "Such hostility. Such venom."

  "Gee, I wonder where I get it from?"

  Yvonne laughed at that. "My poor Allie. You're trying to be such a good girl." She trailed a finger over the glass, sketching an imaginary face.

  A person Allie couldn't see.

  "What's going on in your life?" her mother asked. "Besides looking for the amulet?"

  "Nothing."

  "Really? No special man? No lover?"

  Allie tried to conceal her discomfort.

  Yvonne continued. "Sometimes I juggled more than one man at a time. But that got complicated."

  Panic struck. Right down to the core. Did her mother know about Raven and Daniel? Was this conversation part of the game, too?

  "You cheated on Dad," Allie said, shattering the clock-ticking silence.

  "Yes, but I tried to make amends for that."

  "By stabbing other women who cheated on their husbands?" They both knew that was Yvonne's twisted motive for becoming a murderer. She'd punished her victims instead of herself.

  Yvonne changed the subject. "Is your sister still seeing West?"

  "The man you infected with an object-intrusion spell? That you nearly killed? Yes, she is." Allie lifted her chin. "They're crazy about each other."

  "Don't get smug." The guilty party huffed out a breath. She had the maternal instincts of a guppy, a live-bearing fish that ate its young. "I was just inquiring about Olivia. Showing that I care."

  Yeah, right.

  "Do you recall a correspondence from Glynis Mitchell?" Allie asked, getting back to business. According to the prison, Glynis's letter had been inadvertently delivered. But she was curious as to what her mother would say.

  "Of course I remember." Yvonne cradled the receiver, making a revengeful face. "Zinna will get her and everyone else who's been cruel to me."

  Not if Allie got ahold of the amulet first. "The binding spell hasn't been broken yet."

  "That doesn't mean it won't happen." Her mother twisted her hair again, using the Fallon trait. "Did you know that Rory is a hereditary witch? Like us? He comes from a family that passed on their traditions to him. Only, they aren't as powerful as we are."