Charmed

by Catherine Hart

  Her friend’s sigh was audible. “Okay. I promise.”

  “Can you come get me right away?” Nikki pressed. “It’s two o’clock, and it will take you about two-and-a-half hours to get here. I don’t want to hang around here any longer than I have to. Someone might recognize me.”

  “Are you in trouble?” Sheree asked. “You didn’t rob a bank or anything, did you?”

  “I’m not in that kind of trouble,” Nikki assured her. “But I need a friend right now more than I ever have.” Her voice thickened with fresh tears. “Hurry, Sheree. I need you.”

  “I’m coming,” Sheree replied instantly. “You just sit tight.”

  “There’s a gift shop and snack bar just inside the park entrance. I’ll wait for you there. But the park closes at sundown, so don’t dawdle. And don’t get lost. I know you have trouble finding your way out of a paper bag, let alone driving all this way alone.”

  “I could bring someone with me,” Sheree suggested hopefully. “One of your brothers, maybe?”

  “No. Come alone. And not a word to anyone.”

  “Tell me how to get there.”

  “I don’t have a map handy,” Nikki reminded her. “Mine was in the glove compartment of my car, which is gone.”

  “Never mind. I’ll get a map of my own. I think I can find it. I rode down there with your parents when you were first declared missing. I . . . I helped search for your body.” Now it was Sheree who sounded close to tears.

  “Don’t cry,” Nikki murmured. “I’m here. A bit worse for wear and ragged around the edges, but here. We’ll have a good sob session when I see you. Just hurry.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Sheree slammed the door of the motel room she and Nikki had just rented for the night. “Okay, can the silent mummy act, Nikki,” she commanded smartly. “Spill it. From the top, and don’t leave anything out.”

  Twenty minutes later, the petite blonde cuddled her sobbing friend and suggested gently, “Now why don’t you tell me the truth, Nikki, instead of feeding me this line of bunk about Indians and the War of 1812? Honey, you know you can tell me anything and I’ll understand. Except maybe some tale about being abducted by little green men from Mars. So, what’s the real story? Were you kidnapped? Raped? A victim of temporary amnesia? Held captive in the woods by some nutso survivalist?”

  Nikki jerked away and glared at her friend. “No!” she exclaimed. “It happened just as I said. I know it’s hard to swallow, but it’s the honest-to-God’s truth.”

  Sheree patted Nikki’s shoulder and sent her a sympathetic smile. “You know, you’ve been through a lot. You probably need some rest. Lots of rest. Why don’t you just lie down and take a little nap? When you wake up, you’ll feel loads better.”

  “Oh, sure!” Nikki scoffed. “I’m supposed to nap while you call the guys with the little white coat that ties up the back! Admit it, Sheree. You think I’m off my rocker!”

  Sheree grimaced and shrugged. “I presume you’ve had a rough couple of months and might not be thinking straight,” she hedged. “A lot of people react that way to trauma, so I’ve heard. They can’t admit to reality, so they fabricate some wild tale instead.”

  “Well, I’m not one of them,” Nikki declared angrily. “And I can prove it!”

  Sheree merely arched an eyebrow and waited.

  “Where do you suppose this came from if I’m making all of this up out of thin air?” Nikki charged. She held out her arm, displaying the engraved silver wristband she still wore. “Silver Thorn gave this to me as a wedding present. It’s the same as a wedding band.”

  “It . . . it’s lovely,” Sheree offered hesitantly. “Can I get a closer look at it?”

  Though reluctant to remove it, Nikki did. She handed it over to her friend, saying, “You won’t find any jeweler’s markings on it, Sheree, if that’s what you’re looking for.”

  Sheree’s fair skin reddened with guilt. “Sorry. It is a beautiful band. Very intricate. I like the flowers, but why geese? Why not doves or hummingbirds?”

  “Because he made it especially for me. He interpreted my name as Neeake, which in Shawnee means wild goose.”

  “Uh, huh.” Sheree handed back the wristband. “Is that it? The sum total of your proof?”

  Nikki’s eyes glittered with irritation. “No, Miss Doubting Thomasina. Get a gander at this!” From her backpack, Nikki drew forth her doeskin dress and moccasins.

  “Good heavens! What did you do, Nikki? Buy out some western-wear store? That dress must have cost you a pretty penny, even if it is stained in places. And those moccasins look as if they’ve been worn around the globe at least twice.”

  Nikki glowered. “Well, Sheree, when you don’t have a car, you walk a lot, and they didn’t have advanced forms of transportation in 1813. They had horses, canoes, and feet.”

  Sheree held up her hands in a gesture of peace. “Okay. Don’t get your panties in a twist! I was just making an observation.”

  “Well, observe these, sweetie,” Nikki suggested. With a flip of her wrist, she tossed a pile of photographs onto the bedspread next to her friend. Then she sat back against the headboard, arms folded over her chest, and waited.

  Sheree thumbed slowly through the pictures. With each one, her expression grew a little more puzzled, a little more unsure. “Good heavens, Nikki! Where did you get these?” she inquired softly.

  “I shot most of them myself, with my Polaroid camera. Now do you believe me?”

  “I want to,” Sheree admitted, confused. She dragged her fingers through her short, stylish bob, for once not even caring that she was mussing it. “I’m trying to. God, Nikki, seeing these, it’s hard not to. Tell me about these photos. Where were they taken? Who are the people in them?”

  Nikki sorted through the stack. A sad smile curved her lips. “This is Silver Thorn. I made him a shirt out of rawhide and didn’t smoke it long enough. When it got wet, it shrank. Lord, but he was mad! Especially when I laughed so hard at the way he looked. After he cooled off, he let me take this picture of him.”

  “Geez! Look at those muscles!” Sheree exclaimed in open admiration. “No wonder you went ape over him, even if he does look quite a bit older than you.”

  “He’s forty-five,” Nikki supplied in answer to her friend’s questioning look. “A very fit forty-five.”

  “I’ll say!” Sheree held up another snapshot. “And these people?”

  Nikki pointed to the woman on the left. “That’s Konah. She’s my great-great-great-great-great grandmother. And that’s her sister, Melassa, and Konah’s two sons and daughter.” She indicated another shot, one of an old man with long white hair. “That’s Chief Black Hoof. He’s my uncle, about six or seven times removed.”

  “I suppose it’s hard to calculate that far back,” Sheree allowed weakly. She picked up another photo and studied it with a frown. “This guy in the uniform looks sort of familiar, though I can’t begin to guess why.”

  “Could be you’ve seen his portrait in a history book somewhere,” Nikki suggested. “That’s General William Henry Harrison, later to become President of the United States.”

  “Omigod! You’re kidding! ” Sheree took a harder, longer look. “You’re not kidding, are you?”

  Nikki smirked. “Nope. Want to see something else amazing?” She shuffled through the photos till she located one of the most recent of them. “Guess who this is?” Sheree’s eyes widened. “Holy moses! That’s Tecumseh, isn’t it? The nose, the chin, the eyes are just like those old pictures you’ve shown me of him.”

  “Only this isn’t an old painting,” Nikki reminded her. “This is a Polaroid snapshot with the date imprinted on it.”

  Sure enough, there in the lower corner was the date the photo had been taken. August 6, 1996. Sheree’s mouth gaped.

  “I might also point out that if these were snapshots of old portraits or paintings, they would be all cracked with age or show brush marks or old edges. These don’t.”

  “
I know,” Sheree murmured shakily. “I believe you.”

  Nikki could sympathize with her shell-shocked friend. “It takes a while to get used to, I know. Give it a minute or two to sink in. Would you like me to get you a drink from the mini-bar?”

  Sheree nodded mutely, still staring at the pictures. Within minutes, Nikki handed Sheree a wine cooler. “Will this do or do you want something stronger?” she asked. “Sorry I can’t join you; but as I told you, I’m pregnant. At least, I hope I’m still pregnant.”

  “What do you mean by that?” Sheree inquired with a frown. “Either you are or you’re not. One way or the other. No halfway about it.”

  “Let me put it this way.” Nikki’s tone was somber. “I was pregnant in 1813. I’m not sure if I still am in 1996 or if by coming forward to my own time the fetus came with me or just sort of . . . evaporated . . . in the transition.”

  Sheree grabbed for Nikki’s hand. “That . . . that sounds awful! I know how much you’ve wanted children. If you were pregnant, then, I hope you still are. When will you know for sure?”

  Nikki blinked hard, trying to hold back the tears. “Whenever I can get to a drugstore and buy a pregnancy test, I suppose. Maybe we can do that tomorrow morning. Then, depending on what it reads, I’ll follow up with a visit to my gynecologist, just to be certain.”

  Sheree flew off the bed, grabbed up her purse, and headed for the door. “I can’t wait that long,” she declared. “There’s got to be a drugstore still open around here. Do you want to come with me or do you want to stay here?” Nikki quickly collected her own purse and the room key. “I’m coming. Knowing you, you’ll get lost going around the block, and I’ll be sitting here wondering if you got caught in the middle of a robbery.”

  Sheree gave an indignant sniff. “Hah! I made it to the caves to pick you up, didn’t I?”

  Nikki nodded. “And how many times did you take a wrong turn on the way?” she asked archly. “Scout’s honor, Sheree.”

  Sheree wrinkled her freckled nose. “Only three,” she admitted ruefully. “You’ve got to admit, I am improving.”

  Nikki paced the floor and glanced at the dresser for the umpteenth time. She eyed her watch and groaned.

  “I know,” Sheree commiserated, passing Nikki as she paced past in the opposite direction. “This has got to be the longest twenty minutes on record. You’d think if they can send a man to live on a space station, they could invent a faster pregnancy test, for pity sake!”

  “They do, but this one is supposed to be the most accurate,” Nikki replied. Then she announced, “Two more minutes.”

  A minute and a half later, both women were hovering over the test vial, awaiting the results with more anticipation than revelers in Times Square on New Year’s Eve.

  “Come on. Come on!” Sheree urged anxiously. She poked Nikki. “Quick! Cross your fingers for luck!”

  “Can I cross my legs instead?” Nikki joked. “I really have to pee, but I’m not leaving this spot until I see the results.”

  A cross slowly appeared in the open space, and Sheree grabbed Nikki’s arm excitedly. “There!” she squealed. “That means it’s positive, doesn’t it?”

  “I think so,” Nikki replied anxiously. “God, Sheree! I can’t remember! What did we do with those blasted instructions?”

  Sheree was already on her knees, rifling through the trash basket. “Here.” She produced the paper with a triumphant wave. Then, before Nikki could snatch it from her, she scanned the writing. A second later, she tossed it into the air and let out a shout. “Yes! Oh, wow! I’m going to be a godmother!”

  Nikki sank onto the edge of the bed, weak with relief. This time her tears were those of joy. “Thank You, Lord,” she whispered gratefully. “Thank You. Now, if You’ll just bring Silver Thorn safely home to me, I’ll never ask another thing of You.”

  Nikki was so tired. Her body felt as if every ounce of energy had been drained out through her toes. She couldn’t seem to keep her eyes open, yet she couldn’t sleep, either. Though her mind was a muddle, it wouldn’t shut down and let her sleep. She lay in the dark, torturing herself with thoughts of Silver Thorn, her pillow damp with tears.

  It was going on two in the morning when Sheree rose from the other twin bed and snapped on the bathroom light. She trudged over to Nikki’s side of the motel room, tissue box in hand. “Here. I can’t stand to hear you sniffling any longer.”

  “Tanks,” Nikki mumbled, her swollen sinuses making her sound like some old-time movie thug.

  Sheree perched on the edge of the bed. “As long as we’re both awake, maybe our time would be better spent working out some sort of alibi for you.”

  Nikki’s sudden chortle sounded more like a snort. “Geez, Sheree. You make it sound as if I’m about to hit the Most Wanted list and have my picture put on the post office wall!”

  “Got news for you, dumplin’. It’s already there, in at least a dozen Ohio counties, anyway. Not to mention all the posters in windows in supermarkets, carry-outs, pharmacies, department stores, bowling alleys . . .”

  “Bowling alleys?” Nikki echoed in disgust.

  “Yeah.” Sheree grinned. “I should also tell you that I took the liberty of writing your name and phone number on some of those men’s room walls. Don’t be surprised if you get a few dozen phone calls from guys looking for a good time.”

  Nikki laughed outright. “Drat you, Sheree! You just can’t stand to see me bawl, can you?”

  “Nope. It makes my sinuses ache just to hear you. Now, about that alibi. Have you thought about what rational explanation you are going to give the police concerning your lengthy absence and lack of communication? Note that I stress the word rational, here. Obviously, you can’t just blurt out the truth.”

  “I don’t intend to,” Nikki admitted. “You and my family are the only ones who will hear the real story. After all, I would like to keep my job.”

  “Speaking of which, I had to fight tooth and nail to get the superintendent to hire a temp to replace you rather than a full-time replacement like they wanted.”

  “They hired someone to take my classes?” Nikki didn’t know why she was so shocked at this piece of news or why it hurt so much.

  “As I said, a temp. As soon as they learn you’re alive and kicking, you’re back in like Flynn. That is, if you can keep your mouth shut and not blab everything about where you’ve been and what you’ve been doing.”

  Nikki’s mind was already racing ahead to other matters. “What about my house? And my utilities? And my car payment? I just realized that I’m a couple of payments in arrears on just about everything. I’ll be lucky if they haven’t repossessed my refrigerator, food and all.”

  “That was a god-awful mess, by the way,” Sheree told her, mugging a face. “Everything in there looked like a laboratory experiment gone amok by the time I got to tossing it out. Your father managed to get power of attorney, and he’s kept your bills paid,. Your mom wouldn’t have it any other way. She was absolutely convinced you were alive and would turn up again. Talk about blind faith! Your philodendron croaked, but your aloe vera is doing fine and I think your cat is in heat. But then, so were you, so you have no gripe there, have you?”

  “I guess not,” Nikki agreed shamelessly. “But I have to wonder if I’ll still have a job when the school board discovers that I’m pregnant.”

  “Why should they have anything to say about it?” Sheree argued. “It’s not like you’re setting a bad example for your students or anything. After all, you are married . . .” Sheree’s mouth made a round “O” as she caught Nikki’s drift.

  “Precisely. I have no legal marriage certificate, no proof, no visible husband. Nothing. Nix. Nada. Except a bun in the oven.”

  “We’ll get you a ring. You can say your husband has the marriage certificate. He’s . . .”

  “He’s what?” Nikki prompted. “I can’t claim to be a widow and have him pop up several weeks later—I hope and pray. I have to make it all seem legitimate
, especially since this all happened so suddenly and so mysteriously. So, if my bridegroom isn’t on hand, where is he?”

  “Out of the country,” Sheree blurted. “On business.”

  “Doing what? Running drugs in Colombia? Acting as director of finance in Cuba? Panning for gold in the Amazon?”

  Sheree’s blue eyes lit up. “That’s it! He can be studying native tribes in the rain forest! Who’s to know any different? Then, later, if he doesn’t show up, which I’m sure he will,” she hastened to add, “you could always claim the headhunters got him.”

  “Cute, Sheree,” Nikki grumbled. “And I suppose you’re even willing to spring for the shrunken head I receive in the mail afterward.”

  Sheree shuddered. “I don’t think we have to go that far.” She thought for a moment, then said, “Okay, it would be better if he had some sort of employment that keeps him out of contact for long periods of time. That way you wouldn’t have to fake having heard from him every time someone asks you. So, where does that lead us? A soldier of fortune? An archaeologist? A spy for the CIA? A . . .”

  “Whoa! Back up a minute,” Nikki interrupted. “I think I like that archaeologist bit, with maybe an accent on Native American tribes. We’re talking remote areas with no phones, no fax, not even regular mail service if we say he’s working in Central America somewhere. And when Silver Thorn does appear, he’ll be able to converse intelligently on the subject without giving us away. It’s perfect!”

  “Better yet,” Sheree added excitedly, getting into the flow, “if you had him working in Mexico, say the Yucatan for instance, he could have taken you there to see his digs, and that’s why you couldn’t contact anybody here for the past two months.”

  “Why Mexico instead of Guatemala or Panama?”

  “Because you’ve been there and can describe it, silly,” Sheree reminded her. “Also, you can go to Mexico without a passport. The only thing you need is valid photo l.D. and your birth certificate, both of which I know you carry in your wallet. You have to cover all your bases, Nikki, and the best lies are always the closest to the truth.”