Moonstone

by Marilee Brothers

  "Gotta go." I scuttled toward the door.

  "I might have more questions, later.

  "You know where to find me.

  I trotted to the car and jumped in.

  "Back to school?" Junior asked.

  "I really need to get to Vista Valley, but you don't have to take me.

  Junior made a disgusted sound. "Like I'm going to let you run all the way to Vista Valley in flip flops!

  Chapter Twelve

  Junior and I were in Regional's waiting room for family members of patients. I was now Kizzy's niece, one of her few living relatives. Who knew I had such a talent for lying? The nurse, though, had been brutally honest. "If she has a daughter, somebody better get her here. Fast."

  She promised to let me see Kizzy, to say my goodbyes. "Her head wound has been sutured and she's in a deep coma. She won't know you're in the room."

  Her callousness angered me. I glared at her. "How do you know that? Kizzy's strong. She's not going to die.

  Unlike the other nurses, this one wore a starched hat. Her name tag said, "A. Haugen." It should have said, "Boss Nurse." She gave me a pitying look and turned to leave. "I'll come get you as soon as the other guy leaves.

  "What other guy?

  "The guy in a fancy suit. Blonde hair. Good looking. Says he's her nephew. If you're her niece, you know who I'm talking about, right?

  Oops. Busted. I avoided her eyes. "Oh, him.

  After a long, appraising look designed to ferret out my secrets, she left.

  "You're a piss-poor liar, Emerson," Junior said from across the room, where he'd been talking in Spanish to a distraughtlooking Hispanic couple.

  I ignored him and tiptoed to the open doorway. I looked up and down the hall. "I'm going for a walk.

  "Yeah, right," Junior said. "Want me to come?

  I shook my head and slipped into the hall. Other than a man mopping the floor, all the activity was centered at the rear of the nurses' station. It looked like a mini bridal shower was in progress. A. Haugen was nowhere in sight. Three women were gathered around a fourth, who reached inside a gift bag and withdrew a black lace teddy and a long, cylindrical item that looked like an oversized penlight. The women howled with laughter.

  Grateful for the diversion, I meandered down the hall, glancing in each window for Kizzy. The last one had the curtains pulled tightly together. Silently, I eased the door open and saw a man looming over a prone figure lying in the bed. Granted, the man could have been a grieving relative saying goodbye to a loved one, but something about him made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

  My heart was racing as I pushed through the door. The man jerked upright and stared at me. I saw something flash in his eyes, something dark and predatory. A split second later, he gave me an ingratiating smile. He straightened his tie and raked his fingers through thick, blond hair. His face was lean and bronzed and filled with concern.

  "Hello there. Are you here to see Kizzy?

  I ignored him and hurried over to the bed, staring with horror at Kizzy's still form. I held my breath until I saw her chest rise and fall. Thank God, she was still alive.

  I glanced up at the man. "So you're Kizzy's nephew. You must be her sister's son.

  Since I knew Kizzy was an only child, I looked forward to his answer.

  Without a moment's hesitation, he looked deep into my eyes and said, "That's right. Christian Revelle. And you are...?

  Okay, if he was claiming to be Kizzy's fake nephew, I couldn't be her fake niece. We'd have to know each other. Right? Since, as Junior pointed out, I was a piss-poor liar, I decided to tell the truth.

  "Allie." I gave his outstretched hand a tiny squeeze. His palm was sweaty. I resisted the urge to wipe my hand on my pants.

  "You're family?" He ran an appraising eye over my tee shirt, jeans and bloody flip flops. "Guess we've never met.

  I walked to the other side of Kizzy's bed. "Kizzy and I are close friends. Has anyone notified Carmel?

  Ha! Gotcha. I watched his face.

  His eyes slid away from mine then back. He shrugged. "I assumed the hospital called her.

  I could have pushed harder. I could have asked, "So, you told them how to reach her?" But I didn't. He needed to think I was a dumb, clueless kid.

  Nervously, my fingers closed around the moonstone. It felt warm against my hand. Its touch filled me with a sense of peace and calmed my racing heart. It felt like Kizzy was telling me everything would be all right. Revelle's eyes followed the movement of my hand and lingered there for a long, uncomfortable moment.

  "Interesting piece of jewelry." He cocked his head to one side and regarded me with a puzzled frown. "But, hold on. Isn't that Aunt Kizzy's?

  I felt my cheeks turn fiery red under his intense gaze. I had no reason to feel guilty. Revelle was the liar, not me. But something in his unspoken accusation made me feel like a sneak thief. "She gave it to me. If you don't believe me, you can ask her when she wakes up.

  Gleaming white teeth flashed in a fake smile. "Oh, I believe you, kid. No problem." With a deep sigh, he sat in a chair adjacent to Kizzy's bed and bowed his head. "I pray she'll come around soon.

  My fingers still clutched the moonstone. I though about Trilby's words. You're now fully vested in your powers. Since she didn't elaborate, it was trial-and-error time. Four days had passed since I'd tuned in to Matt's nasty little mind. With Revelle still playing the role of a grieving relative lost in prayer, I was free to experiment.

  I rotated the moonstone in its setting until I felt it click. Instantly, an eerie green light filled the room, and my head was filled with a jumble of voices like two radio stations playing at once. An icy finger of fear crawled up my spine as a dark presence rose from Revelle's bowed head. Biting my lower lip to keep from crying out, I watched the specter move and change, shifting and re-forming until it hung over Kizzy's bed like a black storm cloud clinging to the rounded foothills surrounding Peacock Flats.

  I moved closer to the head of the bed and grabbed the bedrails, afraid to take my eyes from the evil presence lurking over Kizzy's head. The voices faded out and I heard what sounded like static. I took two steps sideways. The jumble of voices returned. I looked down at Revelle, still slumped over in his chair. A thick lock of hair had fallen over his forehead, concealing his eyes. What's in your mind, Christian Revelle? Utter silence. Nothing. Nada. I felt a flash of irritation at Trilby. Fully vested? Ha!

  With a sigh of disgust, I looked around for another chair. No way would I leave Kizzy alone with this guy and the evil black blob that had popped out of his head. I'd just taken two steps toward the end of the bed when I heard Revelle's voice.

  I stopped, dead still, and listened as my mind picked up snippets of words.

  "Damn kid! Wouldn't you know she'd come in and...

  His voice faded away like a radio station out of range. Frustrated, I moved a few inches to the left. Nothing but white noise. I moved toward the foot of the bed and clearly heard the word, "moonstone," and "Baxter.

  Trying not to make a soundnot easy wearing flip flopsI moved back and forth trying to pick up Revelle's thoughts. Just as I heard "kill" which, believe me, stood my hair on end, Nurse A. Haugen burst into the room. I turned the stone back to its original position and tucked it into my shirt.

  "You!" She pointed a long, bony finger at Revelle, who was frozen in a half crouch. She pointed at the door. "Out!" Her ice blue eyes sliced into me like a laser. "And you! What part of 'one visitor at a time' do you not understand?

  "Sorry," I mumbled, certain she would now order me out of the room.

  Revelle leaned over Kizzy and kissed her cheek. I almost gagged. After a long look at the bump on my chestthe moonstone, I meanhe said, "See ya, kid," and strolled from the room.

  Hands on her hips, A. Haugen watched him leave before tending to Kizzy. I tried to make myself invisible as she checked numerous tubes and gauges. Finally, she turned to me, pointed at a chair and said, "Sit. Stay," before marching out of the ro
om. She returned with a plastic tub of water which she plunked down on the floor next to me. She handed me soap and a towel. "Wash those filthy feet," she ordered

  "Yessum, Boss Nurse," I muttered, slipping out of my flip flops.

  The corner of her mouth twitched. "You're a bit of a smart ass, aren't you?" When I didn't answer, she said, "Look, I know you're not Ms. Lovell's niece. The sheriff called and gave me the information about her daughter. We're trying to reach her. But, if you want to sit with her for a while, it's okay. By the way, who are you?

  I scrubbed my feet and told her my story. That I was like a daughter to Kizzy. As I said the words, I realized they were true. Hot tears stung my eyes and spilled down my cheeks. I used the towel to wipe them away.

  Her lip curled in distaste as she looked at my bloody footwear. "Shoes, too.

  I dunked the flip flops, ashamed at how filthy the water had become. A. Haugen went to the door and summoned an underling to come fetch the dirty water and, when she was done, to check the bedpan in room 312.

  She stared down at me. "That good-looking Hispanic boy in the waiting room wants to talk to you.

  I slipped squeaky clean feet into my flip flops. "Can I come back and sit with Kizzy?

  Her eyes softened. "Someone she cares about should be with her.

  I found Junior alone in the waiting room, staring out the window at the parking lot below. When I joined him, he pointed at an Escalade pulling out of the lot.

  "That's the guy who came out of Kizzy's room. Slick lookin' guy. Another man was waiting for him in the car. They sat and talked a while, then they both got out of the car and Slick pointed up here. Those two are up to something, and it's not good.

  Another guy? Hmmm ... Baxter? I nodded not quite trusting Junior enough to tell him about the moonstone and the information I'd picked up from Revelle's mind. Instead, I filled him in on Revelle's fake story.

  "When I walked into the room, he was standing over Kizzy." I shuddered, remembering the twisted, hateful look on Revelle's face. "Maybe he and the other guy beat her up. Maybe they want to finish the job. We should tell the cops. She needs somebody guarding her.

  Junior shook his head. "We got no proof.

  "Then I'll stay here. I'm not leaving her alone!" I bit my lower lip to stop it from trembling.

  Junior slipped an arm around my shoulders and led me to the couch. "I got you something to eat." He thrust a shrink wrapped bologna and cheese sandwich into my hand. "I gotta go to work. You wanna stay here, or what?

  I picked at the plastic wrap. "I told you, I'm not leaving.

  Junior pulled a cell phone from his pocket. "Call your mother. She'll be wondering why you didn't get off the bus.

  Though I doubted Faye had come around after her trauma filled night, I took his cell phone and called Mercedes, who asked me about a million questions. I promised to fill her in later.

  Over the blaring TV in the background, I heard Manny telling her something in rapid-fire Spanish. "Oh, yeah," Mercedes said. "Manny says not to worry about those child welfare dudeschicks ... whatever. They're down in the lower valley today.

  Thank God for the Trujillo family. I smiled. My first one of the day. "Tell Manny thanks. Talk to you later.

  Junior left for his shift at Big Bob's Burgers, promising to pick me up when he got off at nine. I finished my sandwich and headed back to Kizzy's room. She was gone!

  "Noooo!" I shrieked, looking with horror at the empty bed. "She can't be dead!

  Yeah, I panicked. Big time. Guess I'd seen too many movies where someone like Sandra Bullock walks into a hospital room expecting to see her father recovering from open heart surgery only to find a freshly made bed and her father gone. I mean, really gone, like Trilby, to the other side.

  But I wasn't Sandra Bullock, dammit, and I wanted answers. I stormed out the door and crashed into Nurse Haugen, who grabbed my arm and shook me. Hard. "Stop that screeching! Right this minute.

  I snapped my mouth shut.

  "Your friend isn't dead. She stabilized, so we moved her. If you calm down, I'll take you to her.

  I chilled and followed her through a maze of corridors, firing questions as we walked. "What do you mean, 'stabilized?' Did she wake up? Can she talk? Did she tell you what happened?

  The nurse stopped in front of room 314 and put one hand on her hip. "Stable refers to her vital signs and no, she's not conscious and no, she can't talk.

  She frowned at me though I saw a slight twinkle of amusement in her frosty gaze. "Anything else?

  After cautioning me not to cause any more trouble because, after all, Kizzy wasn't the only person in the hospital who needed her attention, she turned and strode down the hall, her sensible white nurse shoes squeaking with every step.

  I slipped through the open door and glanced at the first bed, where a hugely obese woman sat upright sipping water through a bendy straw. When she spotted me, her moon face lit up in a smile. "Gastric bypass," she said, pointing at her tummy. "Give me a year and I'll look like a swimsuit model. You here to visit her?

  She pointed at the white curtain separating the two beds. "She's real quiet. Great roommate!" She giggled and settled back against her pillow. I tiptoed around the curtain and pulled a chair up next to Kizzy's bed. The room faced west, and late afternoon sun poured through slatted blinds casting a striped pattern of light and dark across the bed. I reached over and took her hand and felt a thrill of surprise when her fingers tightened around mine.

  Without releasing her hand, I stood and leaned over her. "Kizzy?" I whispered. "Can you hear me? Squeeze my hand.

  She stirred slightly and moaned but, once again, I felt her hand grip mine. I stared down at her, trying to decide what to do. Was Kizzy coming out of her coma? Should I call A. Haugen? Was I endangering her life by standing here like a dummy? Before I could decide on a plan of action, Kizzy's eyelids fluttered and opened. Her beautiful turquoise eyes, usually sparkling and full of life, were dull and unfocused. I caught my breath. It seemed like the real Kizzy was gone and some pale stranger had invaded her body and stolen her light.

  Her eyelids fell shut and she croaked, "Allie?

  "I'm here, Kizzy. Right here. Can you see me?

  I desperately wanted her to open her eyes again, to see if the real Kizzy had come back. But her eyes remained shut and her breathing became more regular. She'd gone back to wherever people go when they're in a coma. I bit back my disappointment. But as I started to sit down, her fingers clutched mine in a surprisingly strong grip.

  I put my ear next to her lips.

  "Don't let them have it ... the moonstone.

  "Who? Who did this to you?" My voice sounded shrill and demanding.

  Kizzy jerked convulsively. Her eyes fluttered open once again. This time her gaze was focused and fierce. "Look in cedar chest ... prophecy ... Mama's things ... promise...

  Before I could utter a word, her hand went limp. She closed her eyes and began to snore gently. Lights out!

  I continued to sit with Kizzy, listening to her breathe, hoping she'd wake up and give me a few more clues. For starterswho wanted the moonstone so badly he was willing to beat her to death to get it? Andhey, I'd never seen a cedar chest in Kizzy's house, and I'd been in every room.

  While I fretted over answers to these questions I must have dozed off, because the next thing I knew, Junior was shaking me awake. The delicious aroma of french fries clung to his clothes and permeated the sterile hospital air. I must have been hungry, because some primitive urge made me want to fling myself into Junior's arms and suck on his neck.

  We tiptoed out of the dimly-lit room. The gastric by-pass woman stirred in her sleep and muttered, "French fries. Mmm.

  I looked for Nurse Haugen but she'd gone off duty, replaced by a tiny blonde wearing pink scrubs and a ferocious scowl. When I got in Junior's car I had a sudden panic attack. "What if those guys come back? Kizzy's all alone.

  I scrabbled for the door handle. Junior turned on the ignition. "Chill, Emerso
n. Visiting hours are over, and there are security guards at the door. She'll be okay.

  Not convinced, I looked for a black Escalade as he pulled out of the parking lot. "Give me your phone.

  Junior sighed and dug out his cell phone. He rolled his eyes when I called information and got a listing for A. Haugen. She answered on the first ring, "Haugen here.

  "This is Allie. You know, the one with the dirty feet?

  Her sigh sounded a lot like Junior's, and she was probably rolling her eyes, too.

  "I'm sorry to bother you but that guy who said he's Kizzy's nephew? He's not. I think he's trying to kill her.

  "Have you called the police?

  "Well, uh, I don't really have any proof, but I thought you should know.

  "Okay, Allie, listen up. Nobody's going to get killed on my watch, and the night nurse, in spite of her size, is even meaner than I am. Feel better?

  Actually, I did. I thanked her and hung up. Junior and I rode in silence. I turned my head and studied his profile, thinking about how he'd been there for me when I desperately needed help. No second thoughts. No questions asked. His sudden appearance in my life seemed right and natural, like it was meant to be. I decided to trust him.

  "Junior?

  "Yeah?

  "I've got something to tell you.

  The words poured out of me like water spurting out of a high pressure hose. The electric fence and Blaster the bull. Kizzy and the moonstone. Trilby. My ability to read thoughts. Kizzy's cedar chest and the mysterious letter. Everything. As I talked, I watched Junior's face. But he just looked straight ahead and kept on driving.

  When the silence grew, I thought, Stupid, stupid, stupid! You and your big mouth!

  I bit my lip and looked out the window, blinking back tears. Of course he thought I was weird. Who wouldn't? If only I could take the words back, swallow them and never utter them again.

  What happened next totally blew me away. I thought I'd hear, "You're kidding, right?" But instead, Junior pulled over to the side of the road. He reached over and took my hand. "Hey, look at me.