“Fine by me,” he said casually. “I’ll leave the tip.”
Callie couldn’t help noticing the money he left on the table easily surpassed their total tab. She knew instinctively that he identified with the hard-working waitress struggling to get by on tips.
“I judge a person’s character by how they treat waitresses, checkout clerks, people who aren’t in a position of wealth or power,” she told herself as they headed for the Harley. “He has a kind heart. He’s generous and thoughtful. And I’m lucky to have him on my side today.”
She said a quick prayer of thanks to the Universe, crammed her flowing hair into the helmet and swung her leg over the leather seat.
Chapter 6
Callie wrapped her arms around his waist as they cruised out of the parking lot, careful to come in contact only with his jacket. She didn’t dare to touch his skin again and run the risk of flooding her head with X-rated images this morning. It would take all her focus to consciously go back into that sadistic mind and still retain her sense of self.
As they came around a curve, the Nantahala River suddenly roared alongside the narrow two-lane road. A few intrepid kayakers in skintight wetsuits were being swept along, dodging huge rocks lying here and there in the riverbed. Callie could feel the temperature drop as they headed further into the Gorge. Even in the heat of summer, the icy waters coming down from the mountains posed a danger of hypothermia. Children under sixty pounds weren’t allowed to go on the popular white-water rafting trips through the Gorge. Callie remembered serving a disappointed preschooler stuck in the diner with Mom while her older brother and sister enjoyed a “wet ‘n wild” adventure with Dad.
Though it was still early in the season, the road was crowded. Cars sported colorful kayaks strapped to the roof and old yellow buses full of novice white-water rafters lumbered down the road, headed for a spot along the riverbank to unload rubber rafts and begin the guided tour.
Railroad tracks lined the opposite bank of the river and before long they came to the Nantahala Outdoor Center. An old steam engine sat on the tracks, the passenger cars empty. Everyone was crowded around the Overlook, the popular spot where every river trip ended. Watching flimsy rubber boats full of screaming rafters go over the six foot falls at the end of their ride was a popular tourist pastime. Photographers did a lucrative business snapping photos of the unwitting passengers as they headed over the falls, then selling them to the participants as souvenirs.
Callie saw one lone kayaker drop off the edge, flip over, and get swept along upside down. She heard a scream from somewhere in the crowd. He emerged twenty feet downstream, laughing and waving to friends waiting on the bank as onlookers from the train burst into applause.
Beyond the outdoor center, the river curved away from the road, merging into Lake Fontana. Callie caught a brief glimpse of the lake stretching off into a narrow valley on her left. Once they passed the rafting area, traffic all but disappeared. The few signs of civilization were limited to the perimeter of the highway - gas stations advertising “bait ‘n ammo” and the occasional roadside shack with a hand-painted “Boiled P-Nuts” sign tacked onto weather-beaten siding.
They roared out of the gorge at the top of the pass and the road abruptly widened into a four-lane divided highway. Layers of azure and purple stretched off on the horizon in every direction. Callie could see why these ancient hills were called the Blue Ridge Mountains. She took one look at the sweeping vista of hidden valleys lying between distant peaks before her and was transported back in time, cresting this same ridge on horseback.
She felt the supple doeskin garment covering her as her bare thighs gripped the flanks of the mare. Callie knew that up ahead was the Cherokee village where a young brave waited anxiously for the first glimpse of her, the wife his father had chosen for him.
“The Ancient Ones are strong here,” she told herself. “Their spirits still walk these hills.” Callie closed her eyes for a moment and murmured a blessing Granmere taught her, honoring the soul of the Indian bride. When she opened her eyes, she was back on the Harley, speeding downhill around the curves.
A few miles down the road, Trent pulled into a rest stop set in a small hollow between two steep hills. He led Callie past the picnic tables, toward a flowing creek so narrow they could step over it. A couple of flat-topped boulders sat in a sunny clearing on the other side. Callie sank down on the warm surface of the nearest one and looked around.
“It won’t be long before this clearing will be invisible from the road. The leaves will all be full on these trees and bushes.” She gazed up at the huge limbs overhead. “See those little reddish buds starting to open? Granmere used to say it was time to plant the seeds for tender crops when the leaves on the oak trees are the size of a mouse’s ear.”
Trent sat down beside her, brushing her arm.
Callie was running into the sun-dappled clearing, cheerfully calling his name. Trent stepped out from behind a tree and grabbed her roughly by the arms.
“Are you totally crazy? I told you to wait here. I said I’d bring help. But no, you had to do it your way. You had to go off like the Lone Ranger. Do you have any idea how scared I was when I got back here and you were gone? You talked about seeing him sharpening knives, buying rope. I thought he got you too. I was imagining all kinds of horrible things.”
“I had to go. I knew what he was thinking. There was no time to wait for help. I had to save her.”
“And who’s going to save you? I won’t allow you to risk your life that way.”
Callie jerked away from his grasp. “Won’t allow? Since when do you have the right to tell me what you will and won’t ‘allow’ me to do?”
“Since you asked for my help. From now on, as long as we’re together you’ll do as you’re told.”
The adrenaline rush turned to a bolt of pure anger. “Fuck off,” she yelled. “I don’t need your help any more. And no one tells me what to do. I’m not a child.”
His eyes narrowed. “Yeah, well you’re acting like a child. A spoiled brat. Too bad that grandmother of yours didn’t raise you properly, teach you some manners. That’s not the way you thank a person for all they’ve done for you.”
“Don’t you dare talk about my Granmere! You don’t know anything about her. If I was disrespectful, Granmere would have put me over her lap and….”
When she saw the gleam in his eyes, Callie instantly linked up to the images pouring into his head and her voice trailed off.
Trent spoke softly, but his voice was cold. “Really? Put you over her lap and what?”
“None of your goddamn business.”
“That’s twice you’ve sworn at me. I’ve treated you with respect and you’ve responded with cuss words. Apologize.”
“Screw you.”
“If you insist on acting like a spoiled child, I guess I’ll have to treat you like one.” In one smooth motion, Trent sank down onto a fallen log, reached out and yanked Callie over his lap.
Callie blinked and realized that Trent was staring at her, an odd expression on his face.
“Sorry. I was thinking about Granmere and I guess I got lost in the memories for a moment. What were you saying?”
Trent laughed. “I was confessing that I’ve never planted a seed in my life. I’ve always been a city boy. Seeing the forest spread out for miles, all this wilderness, is pretty humbling. The people who set out across these mountains when there weren’t any roads had to be tough.”
“The descendants of those settlers, people who grew up here, are tough too,” Callie replied. “You should hear the stories of some of the old-timers. One of the customers at the diner told me his mother had seventeen children. After she died, daddy remarried and had four more with his new younger wife. They got by on whatever crops they raised and deer they hunted year-round. According to him, the locals considered laws against poaching a joke, more nonsense dreamed up by that worthless group in the legislature over in Raleigh.
“The man we’re
looking for isn’t a local, though he’s known hard times too. He takes whatever he wants, but he’s learned to be patient. He’s a hunter. He’s been stalking the child, tracking her like a doe in the forest, waiting for just the right time to snatch her away when mama is out of sight for a moment.”
Callie stared, unseeing, into the distance and went on. “He’s done this before. He stays in one place till the next target wanders into his line of sight. It started when he was a just a boy, tracking and butchering animals in the woods. One day he killed a rabbit that screamed like a little girl. He liked the sound. Now he hunts on playgrounds and schoolyards, waiting for the one that feels right. It doesn’t matter to him whether his prey is male or female, just as long as they’re young.
“Then the thrill begins. Stalking his prey, planning, preparing the kill site – these are just as exciting as the actual deed. He knows where this one lives. He followed them home from preschool. Occasionally Mom sends her out to play in the yard with a couple of older brothers. One day they ran off and hid from her, leaving her to roam around alone, calling for them. But his special place wasn’t ready yet. It takes time to choose the right rope, buy the gloves, sharpen the knives. All from different stores, always for cash, always new. He never takes any of the tools with him afterwards. That’s the way stupid people get caught. The cops won’t find him with a trunk full of sharp implements, traces of blood on them.
“He’s lived in seven different states. He chooses small towns where there isn’t a big police force. Tourist places, where a stranger won’t stand out like a sore thumb. Places where someone asking about a short-term rental, a few months or so, is a common occurrence.
“He likes this area. Miles and miles of wilderness. In the forest he feels invisible. Sometimes he hides out in the woods behind her house at night. He watches them inside talking and laughing at the dinner table. Her blonde hair looks so pretty with the light shining on it.”
Trent listened, not daring to make a sound. He didn’t know if he could ask questions, if that would break the connection she had to the killer’s psyche.
“He’s driving home now. Past a strip mall, past the post office, past McDonald’s. McDonald’s – that would be a good hunting ground. The kids all running around yelling in the play area, moms busy chatting over mocha lattes, grateful for a few minutes off duty. Maybe next time…
“He’s turning off the main road at the corner where the Baptist church sits.”
Trent stifled a groan. From what he’d seen so far, Baptist churches were as common around here as gas stations.
Callie sighed, her voice returning to normal as she turned to face him. “It’s dark. I can’t see anything else – just the road stretching on.”
“You did a great job. We can start at the Waynesville post office and look for the road where that church sits. At least we’ve narrowed down our search area. And we can definitely talk to local real estate companies to see if anyone rented a house recently like the one you described.”
Callie shivered despite the warmth of the sun. Trent moved forward to wrap his jacket around her before she could shy away.
As his arms enfolded her, Callie found herself in another sun-drenched secluded hollow, where the little creek led to a six-foot high waterfall cascading noisily out of the moss-covered rock into a knee-deep pool.
Trent let out a whoop and headed toward the waterfall, ripping off his shirt as he ran.
“I’ve always wanted to splash around under a real waterfall like they do in the movies.” He held out a hand. “Come on, Callie. Show this city boy how it’s done.”
Callie laughed and ran into his waiting arms. Kicking off their shoes, they waded into the stream. Callie ducked her head under the flood of water pouring down and shrieked.
“God, it’s cold!”
Trent moved closer, rubbing his palms over the hard nipples poking out from the front of her shirt.
“So I see,” he teased. He pulled her to his bare chest and bent to capture her lips with his.
Callie could feel his cock pressing against her, hot and hard despite the freezing water gushing over them. She reached down, slipping her hand inside his wet jeans, stroking him. He deepened the kiss, sliding his tongue in and out of her mouth to the rhythm of her hand.
Callie slowly returned to reality to find herself tightly wrapped in Trent’s arms. He stared at her with a dazed look in his eyes, then leaned forward, softly brushing her lips with his. Still in the cloud of her vision, she responded instinctively, opening her mouth. He groaned and began to deepen the kiss. Callie jolted back to reality at the sound and pulled away.
“I… I can’t do this,” she stammered, unable to meet his eyes.
Trent was shaken. He’d been swept into a dream world of his own, where the two of them were wrapped in a passionate embrace under a waterfall. He swore he could still feel Callie’s soft hand wrapped around his throbbing cock.
“I need to tell you something,” she said, her voice nearly a whisper. “These visions I have – they come rushing into my mind when I touch another person. I found out a long time ago I can’t… be close like that… to anyone. I’m afraid I’ll lose my conscious self. The only person I’ve ever been able to safely hold or hug was Granmere. She knew how to block the visions, only calling them forth when she wanted to. But she died before teaching me all the skills she learned living with the Sight.”
Trent had to ask the question uppermost in his mind. “When you see these visions, are you seeing predictions of the future… or only thoughts and fantasies in the minds of other people?”
“Sometimes I see their past, if the memories are filled with strong emotion. Sometimes I see their current lives, their worries and fears lived out in front of my eyes. Sometimes – I see the future.”
“What did you see just now, Callie? Why did you pull away?”
Callie turned her head aside. Trent reached out and gently took her by the shoulders to face him, making sure he came into contact only with the leather jacket still around her shoulders.
“I saw something too just now, Callie. I’ve watched scenes of you and me flashing into my mind ever since I took you by the hand at the diner. Sometimes I feel things too – it’s so real I’ve wondered if I’m going crazy.”
Callie stared up at him, shaken. She had shared a link with Granmere a few times, where both of them were able to tune into the same mental image. But she had never experienced it with anyone else.
“I saw a waterfall,” Trent went on. “In a clearing like this one, deep in the woods. We were standing under the falls – and I was kissing you.”
She couldn’t stop herself from glancing down at the front of his jeans. Callie blushed. Judging from the bulge in his pants, she knew the kiss wasn’t all Trent had seen.
He saw her looking down and swore he could feel her soft hand wrapped around him again.
“I’ve seen other things, too,” he went on. “We’re in a log cabin in the mountains, in front of a huge stone fireplace. You’re lying in front of me, spread out on a patchwork quilt. You look so beautiful, Callie. I want you like I’ve never wanted any other woman. I need to know – is this just my fantasy? Or am I seeing into the future?”
“I – I don’t know,” she confessed. “I’ve never had visions like these before.” She saw his eyes widen and went on. “Yes, I’ve seen all of it, too. The waterfall, the old cabin. The… lovemaking. I’ve never been with a man like that. But when my arm accidentally brushes against yours, I can feel your touch in places where I’ve never been touched before. In the past, when I’ve taken the hand of another person, I’ve been transported into their world. I’m a bystander, observing what goes on. But with you, it’s my world too. I’m living it. Not only seeing and hearing, but feeling, tasting…”
Her voice trailed away on the last word and Trent had a sudden image of himself naked on the bed in the old log cabin he’d seen before in his mind, watching Callie’s lips come closer and closer to
his raging hard-on as her flowing curtain of hair brushed his chest. Feeling, tasting… oh, yeah, he was experiencing all of it too.
Seeing the panicked look on her face after making that halting confession, Trent reached to pull her back into his arms. But Callie stepped away.
“Trent, I don’t know why we’re both experiencing this. But I do know two things. Right now, I can’t allow erotic daydreams to get in the way of saving a little girl’s life. And second, if I – if we - really are seeing into the future, then what we’ve both seen will happen when destiny ordains.”
She went on. “We barely know each other. I don’t know why we’ve been brought together. But from the beginning you’ve believed me – and I’ve trusted you. Both of those qualities have been rare in my life so far. I only ask that you stay with me on this mission, help me do what I’m being guided to do. And when it’s over, I will go willingly with you wherever these visions take us.”
Chapter 7
Downtown Waynesville looked like the set from a black and white 1950’s sitcom. Mom and pop stores lined both sides of the street, without a national chain to be seen. Down the block, the marquee of a movie theatre advertised the latest animated Disney flick – $5 Adults, $3 Children and Seniors. No corner bars. But he’d already passed three Baptist churches on the way into town.
Trent pulled into a parking spot on the town square and they headed for Mountain Vista Realty across the street. Log siding had been nailed to the front of the building, in an effort to reel in potential buyers looking for “a little cabin in the mountains.”
Inside, the décor echoed the mountain lodge theme. Wrought iron candlesticks and an antler lamp stood on a console table fashioned from a polished slab of wood, bark still visible along the front edge. A couple of wing chairs covered in dark fabric printed with bears and pine trees were arranged in front of the window and a colorful rug with an Indian design lay on the pine floorboards.
Callie's Gift Page 4
