Oberon Boxed Set (Books 1-3) Welcome to Oberon

by P. G. Forte

  “Where’s Scout?” he asked, looking around the nearly deserted waiting room.

  There was a hint of worry in Marsha’s voice as she answered, “She went home a little while ago. I called her a cab.”

  “You did what?” He turned back to stare at her. “She was supposed to stay here. With you.”

  Marsha nodded. “I know. But being here wasn’t good for her. Her emotions are too volatile right now.” She smiled apologetically at Lucy. “You might have been right about the chamomile.”

  “I told you so,” Lucy said. “She could barely focus on anything. Oh, hey, what happened with the vet? Was it her dog?”

  Marsha sighed. “Yes, but it’s pretty badly injured. Besides being hit by a car, it was also shot.”

  “Where was the dog found?” Nick heard himself asking, but his voice seemed to be coming from far away.

  “Not too far from Scout’s house, apparently. Just a couple of blocks away, in fact.”

  “And Robyn?” Lucy asked. “Was there any sign of her?”

  “No,” Marsha answered shortly. Her eyes strayed back to Nick’s face. He felt a deep sense of unease grip him.

  “I need to go,” he said abruptly. “Lucy, if you want a ride—”

  “I’ll give Lucy a ride.” Marsha smiled at him reassuringly. “You go on now. Scout said something about expecting you. You don’t want to keep her waiting too long. She was a little shook up by everything that had happened. Probably didn’t even think to lock her door.”

  Nick turned and hurried for the exit, his mind racing ahead of him. Well, he’d wanted a pattern, and here was another piece. He had two women missing – Lisa and Robyn. And two more women strangled – Celeste and the teacher who’d been murdered the same day Lisa disappeared. And two car accidents, one this week and the one twenty years ago that had killed Scout’s father. Both of which – why hadn’t he seen this earlier – involving cars ordinarily driven by Scout.

  And now the dog. He didn’t understand where the dog fit in, but he couldn’t worry about that right now. He had enough other things to be worried about. By the time his car flew out of the hospital parking lot, his mind had been all but shut down by the surge of adrenaline through his veins.

  * * *

  “Oh, Lord, what a day.” Lucy shook her head. “Marsha, can I get you anything – tea or something from one of the vending machines? I can’t believe you’re so calm.”

  “Oh, I’m not calm at all. Unfortunately.” Marsha sighed. She looked, suddenly, very, very tired. But her voice was unexpectedly firm. “But I don’t need anything here. Actually, we aren’t doing much good here either. We should go now.”

  “You want to leave? But don’t you want to be here if anything...”

  “Nothing is going to happen here,” Marsha said roughly. “Not yet, anyway. And there are things we need to do. I’m going to need your help on this one, Lucy.”

  Lucy looked at her friend then – really looked at her. Saw the grim certainty on her face, the unexpected flash of steel within her eyes. Saw the helpless fury that was mixed with the pain.

  Understanding dawned inside her; she nodded gravely. A small smile lifted one corner of her mouth as she reached to clasp Marsha’s hand. “All right, Cailleach. I’m with you. Lead on.”

  * * *

  Nick made the trip to Scout’s house in record time, afraid to even think what he might find when he got there. He noticed how badly his hands were shaking as he tried to light a cigarette, and spared a fleeting thought for how annoyed his daughter would be with him. Very seriously annoyed. Because for as long as this thing was going on, he was bound to be living on cigarettes. Cigarettes and coffee. He couldn’t even remember when he’d eaten last. And he couldn’t believe he was even thinking about something like food right now, but it was probably good that he was. It kept his mind off where he was going... and on what he might find when he got there.

  His mother, he thought, determinedly steering his mind back on track, would be particularly appalled by his current diet. No self-respecting Italian American would ever pay so little attention to what he ate. She’d be saying Novenas if she knew how bad the situation had become. He’d had only a few bites of the sandwich Lucy had brought him today, and before that?

  Oh, yeah. Last night. The pizza. Thinking of that, and the events that followed, brought him too close to his fears, but he was almost at her house by then, and could no longer keep his mind from sliding into terror.

  The house was ominously dark as he pulled up in front of it. Adrenaline propelled him out of the car at a flat run. The front door couldn’t be unlocked, could it? Damn Marsha for putting that idea in his head. It didn’t mean a thing, if it was. Lots of people in Oberon never locked their doors at all. He knew this, but still a shudder of fear went through him when he tried the knob and felt it turn in his hand. He entered the house in a state of cold dread.

  The hallway was dark, still and empty. Not a sound could be heard other than his own breathing and the panicked thumping of his heart.

  A flicker of motion on the second story landing made him look up. She stood at the top of the stairs, her eyes wide and watchful, her face pale. But she was there. And alive. For a moment, Nick just stared at her, almost unable to believe what he was seeing. He’d been so sure he’d lost her again. Then he was crossing the hallway, quickly, intent on reaching her and holding her, as if she were still in imminent danger of slipping away from him.

  Scout had been alone in the house for what seemed like hours. Curled on her bed. Too lost in her own inner darkness to notice the way the night had swallowed up the house. Only the sound of Nick’s car in the drive and his footsteps in the hall had been reason enough to propel her up and out of the room.

  She knew the instant he sighted her. He’d looked up, and she’d seen his body tense, and then he was crossing the hall with a predator’s sure, purposeful strides. Her own body tensed in response as she watched him take the stairs two at a time with graceful, effortless speed.

  As he reached the top of the stairs and wordlessly folded her into a close embrace, she was conscious of an overwhelming sense of relief. All the pain, fear and tension dissolved. They stayed that way, locked together and unmoving, for what seemed like a very long time.

  Scout couldn’t remember ever having felt so safe, so comforted, so cherished. This is what it means to come home. This – what she was feeling right now – was what she had craved her whole life. What she had needed, and never once come close to finding. She neither sobbed nor shuddered, but tears coursed, unchecked, in rivers down her cheeks.

  After a while, Nick stirred, dropped kisses on her head and gently pulled away so that he could look at her. “My God, I was so worried,” he breathed, his eyes taking in every detail of her face, anxiously reassuring himself that she really was all right.

  “Worried? Why?” Scout smiled up at him with a faint, flickering smile, her eyes still bright with tears.

  “When Marsha told me you’d gone home, that you were here alone, I—”

  “You were worried... about me?” She sounded surprised, he realized with shock. And something more. She sounded almost pleased by the idea.

  “Of course I was worried about you,” he growled. “What did you think? After what happened to Celeste—”

  She cringed. “No, don’t! Please, don’t talk about that. It was so awful, I can’t even stand to think about it. But Nick, why would that have anything to do with me?”

  He considered telling her about some of the things he’d been thinking, some of the fears that had consumed him for the better part of the day, but decided against it. There was no sense in frightening her; not until he had the facts straight.

  “I don’t know,” he said at last. “I don’t know what it is you do to me, babe. I feel like I’m half out of my mind all the time now.”

  She smiled at him then. Really smiled. That lustful, luminous look he had always found so hard to resist.

  “Hmm. O
nly half, huh?” she purred. “It seems to me we should be able to do better than that. Why don’t you come back to bed with me and let’s see if I can’t find some way to drive you completely crazy?”

  He was tempted. God, was he tempted. But he had to keep his head. He had to get her out of here, take her far away. Get her someplace safe. The thought seemed to originate from somewhere outside his mind, but it resonated deep within his soul. He needed to protect her. To save her. Whatever the cost.

  His cousin was forever on his case about how insensitive he was to things like atmosphere, but tonight even he could feel the hints of terror and grief that lurked in the enveloping shadows. There was little that was seductive about the darkness filling the house tonight. He only wondered how it was she had failed to sense it too.

  “Listen,” he said urgently. “I don’t think that’s such a good idea just yet. I want to get out of here. Do you think you can get some clothes together? Right now?”

  “Where do you want to go?” she asked, eyes widening in hurt surprise.

  “My place. C’mon,” he urged, ignoring the hurt, and his own incipient claustrophobia, as well. “Go get your stuff.”

  “Your place? But—” She stared at him. “I don’t know if I – Why, Nick?”

  He sighed, his mind grasping wildly at straws. “Honey, when’s the last time you ate something?”

  “I don’t know. I had something with Marsha and Lucy – This morning, I guess?”

  “Uh-huh. Well look, it’s late. And I’ve got I lot of thinking to do, but I can’t do it on an empty stomach.”

  He was still smiling, and his eyes were warm and dark and reassuring, and she should have had no reason to feel uneasy, but all the same, cold trickles of fear ran down Scout’s spine. Nothing made sense anymore.

  “Why can’t we just stay where we are?” she asked. “We can find something to eat here. What is it you have to think about, anyway? It’s been such a long day and I’m so tired, and you... you just got here. And, I thought maybe—”

  “Like I told you,” he repeated stubbornly. I’m hungry. And whether you feel like eating or not, you probably should. I know you’ve had a really stressful day.”

  “But I don’t—”

  “And this is just a guess, but you didn’t happen to go food shopping today by any chance, did you?”

  “What? No, of course not! For God’s sake, Nick. How’d you expect me to think about food when I—”

  “Right. So like I said, I’m gonna take you home and feed you. And then... then we’ll see what else we feel like doing, okay? Maybe I’ll take you up on your offer to drive me crazy, after all.”

  “What’s going on, Nick?” she asked feeling suddenly very, very frightened.

  “Oh, jeez. Look... let’s just get moving, now, okay?” he sighed, giving in to the inevitable. “I’ll tell you all about it on the way.”

  Back to Top

  * * * *

  Chapter Twenty Eight

  * * * *

  Lucy breathed deep, inhaling the pungent scents of the herbs she was carefully wrapping into bundles, and felt herself instantly refreshed. Her lips moved in a silent incantation as she wound the colored yarn around wands of lavender, sage, sweetgrass and cedar. So absorbed was she in her task, she barely noticed when the door opened.

  Marsha entered, carrying a large box, which she put down on a bench inside the door. She sighed wearily as she joined Lucy at the table. “Well, I think we’ve got just about everything.”

  She looks terrible, Lucy thought. Marsha’s face was drawn and pale and there was a bleakness in her eyes that made Lucy’s heart ache.

  “Have some tea.” Lucy nodded at the pot that sat on the table. She watched as Marsha poured herself a cup, knew a sense of relief after she’d taken a few sips and some of the strain left her face. “I hope you’re right about all of this.”

  Marsha nodded. “About Scout, you mean? So do I.”

  Not just about Scout, but yeah, that, too. “You really think you can talk her into cooperating with us?”

  “Come on, Lucy. You know better than that.” Marsha’s lips quirked. There was an odd glimmer in her eyes; not amusement, exactly. Confidence, perhaps? Lucy couldn’t be sure. “Anyway, I think she’ll want to do it. Don’t you?”

  “Ha.” Lucy shook her head. No, not even. Not if she has any sense.

  “I just wish the timing were better,” Marsha fretted. “I mean, she’s pretty fragile right now, emotionally. And if anything were to go wrong—”

  Fragile? Scout? “Well, that’s where I come in, isn’t it?” Lucy felt herself smile for the first time all evening. She gestured at the pile of herbs on the table. “Don’t worry, Marsha. I’ll take care of Scout. She and I have some old debts to settle too, you know. And it looks like tomorrow, they’re all coming due.”

  * * *

  The first wave of fatigue hit her just as Nick turned into the driveway of his apartment building and pulled smoothly to a stop. He cut the engine and they sat silent and still for a moment. Scout tried to fight back her exhaustion, as well as the overwhelming sense of isolation she’d been feeling – more strongly every minute – during the ride from her house.

  The things Nick had told her on the way here, the ideas he had planted in her imagination, were too frightening to think about. She yearned desperately for the feeling she’d had earlier, when he’d held her in his arms at the top of her stairs.

  Somehow it did not seem wise, or even possible to retreat to that safety now. She shot him a quick, nervous glance. He stirred then, and smiled at her, but she thought his smile seemed oddly strained. When he bent to kiss her, she did not resist, but only closed her eyes so he would not see the tears that had sprung into them. The touch of his lips was soft and sweet, but the driving need that had always marked his kisses before now was absent. What had happened to change that? What had gone wrong since this morning? She could not shake off the feeling that he’d kiss her in just this same way when he kissed her good-bye.

  “I’m not sure it was such a good idea, coming here,” she murmured when he ended the kiss.

  He smiled and kissed her again, lightly, on the forehead. “We’ll feel better when we get inside,” he said. But she doubted whether she would ever feel better again.

  She followed him into the kitchen, where she’d slumped in one of his chairs, barely noticing when he brought her a glass of wine, before disappearing into his bedroom to shower and change.

  Now she watched as he went to work fixing them a meal. He was barefoot, in a t-shirt and jeans, and he seemed relaxed and casual, completely in his element. It was a side of Nick she’d never seen before, and she liked it a lot. Even tired as she was, she couldn’t help imagining what it would be like if she could actually have this life – the life she’d always dreamed of having.

  What would it be like to live here in Oberon, with Nick? To always have his warm, comforting presence filling her life. Only this morning, it had seemed like anything was possible. But this morning had been a lifetime ago. Tonight, it was hard to believe that this happiness could be hers, that this dream had even the smallest chance of ever coming true. Hard to believe, and becoming progressively harder, as exhaustion fed her growing despair.

  Her mind was a roiling mass of thoughts and emotions that wriggled out of her grasp the moment she tried to catch one. All that was clear was the distant wariness in Nick’s eyes. She’d asked what was wrong, and he claimed he was hungry. But surely there had to be more to it than that.

  Desperate to distract herself, she wrenched her thoughts away from the small, cluttered kitchen and forced herself to think about what he had told her on the ride from her house instead.

  As they sped along through the empty streets, Scout had tried hard to feel exhilarated by the speed, the darkness, the danger that had always caused adrenaline to run like a thrill through her veins. Tonight, she wasn’t thrilled by it. She was scared. And everything Nick told her only scared her more.r />
  “Look,” he said. “Twenty years ago, your sister disappeared, and a car that you were in the habit of driving was involved in an accident, right? It was your car your father was driving, wasn’t it, when he went over the cliff? And now, just this week, another woman disappears from the same house. And once again, your car is involved in an accident with suspicious similarities. And about the only connection I can figure between then and now is that you were in Oberon on both those occasions. And during all the time between them – you were gone.”

  He paused and glanced over at her, as if he expected a response, but she could think of nothing to say. After a moment, he went on again.

  “Okay. So now, on top of that, we have Celeste being strangled only two days after I overheard part of a phone conversation between her and Marsha regarding some information that Celeste thought she had uncovered about a murderer.” He paused again. “You with me so far?”

  “I guess,” she answered reluctantly.

  “Good. Listen up. Now, that teacher who was murdered, back when you were in high school – she was your math teacher, right? The same math teacher Lucy, Marsha and your sister had? And that class you helped them cheat in – that was her class, right?”

  Scout opened her mouth to speak, ready to argue that she hadn’t done any such thing, but what was the use?

  “Yes,” she said instead. Calmly. Just as if her heart were not breaking from the unfairness of it all.

  That was what he thought of her? That was how he thought it had been? Didn’t anyone believe that it hadn’t been her fault?

  “She was also strangled. Just like Celeste. So, I guess what I’m wondering is, could she have had some information – maybe about this test thing – that someone would have killed her for?”

  “What? No! That’s too fantastic. Are you saying someone – What are you saying, exactly?”

  “What I’m saying is that... somehow... you seem to be involved with all these events. I don’t know how yet, but until I find out what’s going on, I’ll feel a whole lot better if you’re out of that house. If you’re somewhere else. Someplace where I can keep an eye on you. Someplace... safe.”