by Aimée Thurlo
“How can I help you?”
“Alma’s on her way over now. Will you help me soft through the boxes? There are some things I intend to keep, though most of what’s in them can go to her for sale.”
Lanie followed Marlee to the garage. Although Lanie wanted to ask her about the torn pages from Alma’s stolen book, she held back as Gabriel had asked.
“There’s another box here somewhere,” Marlee said, looking around, then pointing to a high shelf. “There. Next to the one marked Christmas Ornaments. Can you bring it down for me? Only be careful when you pull it out. I had Gabriel wedge it in there so the ornaments would stay put.”
Lanie took the stepladder from the corner and positioned it securely against the cabinets that lined the bottom. “Stay well back, just in case something topples down.”
“I will.”
As she wriggled the box free, it tipped out of her hands. She tried to catch the box in midair, but suddenly her feet slipped off the ladder.
Lanie fell to one side, landing hard. Stars exploded before her eyes, then gave way to a mushrooming darkness.
LANIE WASN’T SURE what happened, except that when she woke up, she was in her room and her head throbbed with such intensity she almost thought it would burst.
She sat up slowly, touching her temple where the pain was greatest. There was no blood, caked or otherwise, but blast, it really hurt!
Wanting some aspirin, Lanie started toward the bathroom. She was halfway to the door when her room seemed to tilt and shift out of focus. She grasped the side of the dresser and blinked hard. Something terrible was about to happen.
Her vision cleared slowly, and the sweet scent of blood that suddenly filled her nostrils almost made her gag. The walls turned into a bright and flowing river of crimson. Feeling something warm on her hand, she glanced down. Blood was oozing from the top of the dresser, practically drowning her hand. She jerked back, but her footing was suddenly uncertain. Looking down, Lanie discovered a rising river of blood where the floor had been.
Her own cry of terror woke her. There was no disorientation this time. She knew precisely where she was. Her eyes focused on Marlee’s face. The garage floor was hard and cool.
“You scared me half to death, Lanie! Don’t move! I’m going to get a cold compress for you, then I’m going to call Lucas and Gabriel.”
“No, don’t call anyone. I’m okay.” Lanie sat up slowly. Nothing was out of focus, and her head didn’t hurt nearly as much as it had in her dream. But the dream was still with her. She remembered every bit of it. “How long have I been out?”
“Not long—less than two minutes,” Marlee answered.
A sudden realization startled her. Unconscious people didn’t dream. Or did they? She wasn’t sure of anything anymore. “I’m okay,” she repeated, standing up.
Just then, they heard the doorbell and Alma calling out. Marlee glanced back toward the living room. “I’ll let her in, then go get a cold compress for you.”
Before Marlee could take more than a few steps, Alma breezed in. She stopped in midstride staring at the women before her. “What happened? Are you okay?”
Marlee gave Lanie a sheepish smile. “Oops. Looks like I forgot our new rule about locks and left the door open.” She looked at Alma. “Will you stay with Lanie for a moment?”
Alma rushed over to where Lanie stood, insisting on supporting her by holding on to her arm. “My dear, what on earth happened? You’re as white as a ghost.”
Lanie explained succinctly. “But I’ll be just fine. The cold compress Marlee’s bringing will help a lot”
Marlee came in and handed her the cloth. “Can you walk okay?”
“Of course.” Pressing the cool washcloth to her temple, Lanie went inside the living room, the women on both sides of her.
“Let me fix you some tea or something. You still look pale to me. Are you sure you don’t want me to call Lucas?” Marlee asked, obviously concerned.
“Positive, but I would love some tea, the regular kind. No herbs that are going to knock my silly, okay? Been there, done that,” Lanie added with a smile.
“You’ve got it. How about chamomile? It’s one of my favorites.”
“Fine.”
As Marlee walked out, Alma gave Lanie a worried look. “If you’re going to be okay, I’ll go help Marlee. If she makes it too strong, it’ll be just as bad.”
“Go ahead.”
Alone, Lanie’s thoughts shifted to the bowl. She could feel something was wrong. The sudden, irresistible urge to check on it compelled her to go down the hall to the bathroom. Lanie closed the door behind her, then went to the linen closet and looked inside. A wave of fear, black and suffocating, slammed into her. Her bowl was gone.
Chapter Thirteen
Gabriel hurried inside, slamming the front door behind him. He’d been driving past the boardinghouse when something inside him had told him Lanie was in trouble. He wasn’t sure how he knew with such certainty, but he wasn’t going to question his instincts.
As he stepped across the living room, Lanie came around the hall corner, colliding with him.
“What the—?” As she started to collapse, he lifted her up and carried her to the couch.
Marlee and Alma came out of the kitchen, Alma holding a teapot and some cups on a tray. The moment Marlee saw what had happened, she turned and hurried to the phone. “I’m calling Lucas, and that’s that.”
“What happened?” Gabriel asked, his eyes on Lanie. The rosy, satisfied look that she’d had when he left her was completely gone. Her face was flushed, and her eyes had the hollow look of someone who hadn’t slept in months.
“She took a fall,” Alma answered.
“That’s not it,” Lanie interrupted, clutching Gabriel’s hand. “I just went to the check on the bowl—I’d hidden it in the linen closet. But it’s not there. It’s gone.”
“Did you tell anyone where it was?” Gabriel asked quickly.
“No, not a soul.”
“When did you see it last?” Gabriel felt his stomach sink. The bowl and Lanie were linked. There was no telling what would happen now.
“Thirty minutes ago, tops.”
Gabriel stood as Alma handed Lanie some tea. He couldn’t quite shake the feeling that they had just taken another step toward their destiny. They’d made love, and the very next day the bowl had disappeared.
- “There’s one more thing,” Lanie said, her voice whisper soft.
As Lanie told those around her about her dream, Gabriel felt his gut clench. He’d never heard of anyone dreaming while unconscious, though he wasn’t willing to say that it was categorically impossible. He would have been more inclined to call what she’d experienced a vision. Still, it seemed strange that she’d have a vision like that the same morning the bowl disappeared.
“Before, my dreams were…softer, full of love.”
He met her gaze. “As my dreams of you have been,” he said, confirming what they’d both already known. Somehow their dreams were linked.
“But this one…” She closed her eyes, then opened them again. “Did you see it?”
“No, not this time.”
Lanie stood up, but her knees were weak and she sank back onto the couch.
“Stay seated until Lucas gets here,” Marlee said firmly.
Lanie remained on the couch, unwilling to trust her legs again. “This isn’t from the fall,” she said, her voice tremulous. “I wasn’t feeling this woozy after I fell.”
Gabriel speculated silently that perhaps her fall had coincided with the theft of the bowl. “Who was around when you had your accident?”
“Marlee, and Alma, who came right after I fell.” Lanie looked at Alma, who nodded. “That’s all.”
“So only three people have been here today, including myself.” Gabriel stated.
Marlee glanced up at Gabriel, shaking her head. “I’ve been leaving the front door locked like you told me to, but I forgot to lock it after I went out this morn
ing to pick up the paper.”
“So anyone could have come in,” he finished.
One other thought nagged at the back of his mind. Was it possible Marlee had seen Lanie hiding the bowl and had devised a plan to get it? She was used to taking care of her guests, making sure everyone had fresh towels, and having Lanie’s help hadn’t changed that much. But in all fairness, anyone else could have sneaked in the open door and spied on Lanie while she’d hidden it, too. “Did either of you hear anything out of the ordinary this morning?” he asked, looking at Marlee and Lanie.
“I didn’t, but I certainly wasn’t listening,” Marlee said.
“Neither was I,” Lanie added.
Hearing his brother’s truck, Gabriel stood and walked to the door. “Stay put,” he said to Lanie. Gabriel jogged to meet Lucas outside, joining him at the curb. “We’ve got trouble.”
“I know. Marlee called and said that Lanie had fallen off a stepladder.” Lucas grabbed his medical bag from the seat beside him.
“That’s only part of it. The bowl’s gone, and it’s possible it was stolen at about the same time she fell.”
Lucas stopped halfway up the walk. “Do you have any leads?”
Gabriel stepped over to retrieve his investigation kit from the police unit. “I’m going to try and lift some prints, but I doubt that’s going to give me anything conclusive.” He was not going to tell his brother that, at the moment, despite her injury, Marlee was his prime suspect He’d searched the garage a few days back for signs of the book that had been stolen from Alma’s but hadn’t found it. When he’d spoken to Marlee about the pages found in the garage, she’d claimed not to know anything about it.
Of course, one thing did speak in her favor. It seemed more likely that she would have had a more rehearsed story had she been guilty of the theft at Alma’s. But hearing that the bowl had disappeared from under her roof put a different slant on things.
Lucas went inside and sat beside Lanie. “There’s only a small bump on your head,” he said, checking her over. “Did you hit yourself anywhere else?”
“My shoulder. I think that helped break the fall.”
As he felt her forehead, his expression grew concerned. “Have you been sick?”
“No.”
He reached for a thermometer and placed it in her mouth. “You’ll have to bear with me—I don’t have the latest equipment.”
He waited until it registered and the tone sounded, then checked the reading. “You’re a degree and a half above normal. It’s nothing to worry about, but I advise you to take it easy for the next few days.”
“I’ve probably got a virus or something.”
“Are you experiencing any other symptoms?”
“None, except I felt really sick to my stomach when I discovered the bowl was missing. I think that was probably just anger.” She stared at her hands for a moment, gathering her thoughts. “I hate the idea that someone took the one thing of value I have. But I’m going to get it back. I have a feeling it’s not far.”
“Explain,” Gabriel asked.
“I can’t It’s just a feeling, that’s all.”
“Well, just to be on the safe side, I think you should let my brother do the detective work for a while,” Lucas said.
Alma gave Lanie a sympathetic look. “It looks like Four Winds is really giving you an initiation!”
Lanie smiled. “That’s one way to put it”
Gabriel picked up his investigation kit. “I’m going to dust the door on that linen closet for prints.”
“I need to talk to you about another matter,” Lucas said. “So if you don’t mind, I’ll come and watch you work.”
As soon as they were alone, Lucas expelled a breath. “I didn’t want to say anything in front of the women, but Lanie’s fever worries me. She didn’t notice it before, and there’s nothing about the fall that can account for it.”
“You think it’s connected to the bowl?” Gabriel worked over the surface of the linen closet.
“Who knows? But if it is linked to the bowl, she’ll get worse.”
“I’ll keep an eye on her.”
“If she develops any more symptoms, or if the fever goes up, call me right away. Medically I can’t do much, but I may be able to find a hataalii who can help us.”
“I’ve managed to get a few prints off this,” Gabriel said, “but they’re probably Lanie’s and Marlee’s. I’ll check them against the samples I took after the break-in.” Gabriel stood up slowly. “By the way, I’d appreciate it if you’d ask your patients about the peddler. It’s possible someone might have noticed where he goes when he leaves Four Winds.”
“I’ve been doing that all along, but I’ll keep trying.”
“I sure wish I could shake this feeling that what’s happening was predestined. I don’t like being at the mercy of something I can’t confront.”
“There are many ways of fighting, as Joshua would say,” Lucas answered.
“Yeah, but you and I have always been better with our fists. Let’s face it, Shadow, this isn’t my kind of battle.” Gabriel shook his head.
“Don’t be so sure. It may yet turn out to be right up your alley.”
Lost in thought, Gabriel watched his brother walk out. Something told him that before long the final battle would begin, and it would take everything he had to stay alive and protect the woman he loved. He fingered the medicine pouch at his waist. Maybe fate had made the right choices. Lanie and he were both survivors, and that would be the one skill they’d need to call upon most.
LANIE SAT on the kitchen floor with Marlee while Alma sorted through the contents of dozens of large cardboard packing cases from the garage. “This wooden box with the cross was used to store family Bibles. I can get you a good price for this,” Alma said.
“I’d sure appreciate that.” Marlee turned to Lanie and smiled. “Your color is back. It must be Lucas’s touch.”
“Nah, he doesn’t do that much for me.”
“Well, Gabriel certainly does. He makes you all crazy inside,” Marlee baited.
“I can handle it.”
“You can? How often?” Marlee laughed at her own joke.
Alma flushed crimson. “All right ladies, I think that’s enough of that.”
Marlee smiled. “Sorry about that, ma’am.”
“I certainly don’t expect you two to be impervious to the boys. Those Blackhorse brothers could make the heart of any young lady miss a beat” She gave them a knowing smile. “But there are certain matters that really shouldn’t be discussed out loud, and a man’s anatomy certainly falls into that category.”
“I stand corrected,” Marlee said with an impish grin.
Hearing someone call out her name, Alma stood up. “Here’s young Ted now. Earlier I’d asked him to stop by in case I needed his help hauling things back to the shop.” After loading up both suitcases, Alma turned to Lanie.
“Don’t come in to work today,” Alma advised Lanie. “Just relax and take it easy.”
“I’d rather work. Otherwise, I’ll just dwell on what happened to my bowl.”
Alma nodded. “I can understand how unsettling that is.”
“I still can’t figure out how the thief knew to look in the linen closet.”
“We have no way of knowing how long the thief had to search,” Marlee countered. “There aren’t that many places to hide something in your room, and the closet is close by. This is my fault, and I blame myself.”
“Let’s just hope Gabriel finds it,” Lanie said softly.
After Alma left, Lanie joined Marlee in the living room. “You started teasing about Gabriel just to make Alma uncomfortable,” Lanie said sternly. “Why did you do that?”
Marlee gave her a sheepish smile. “She’s so prim and proper, she bugs the heck out of me. She never has one hair out of place, even in a windstorm. Her hands are always perfectly manicured. I feel like a charwoman around her.”
Lanie laughed. “She’s really a nice lady
, you know. If you’d give her a chance, you’d see that, too.”
“People like her make me feel awkward. All of a sudden, I start looking at my teacups, searching for chipped rims. Did you see the way she stared at my cream server?”
“Well, I stared at it, too. Where on earth did you get a pig that pours from its snout? It’s disgusting.”
Marlee laughed, and Lanie joined her.
“If you don’t need me for anything else, I’m going to go for a walk, then I’ll be at Alma’s shop. I need to keep busy, or I’ll go crazy.”
“Don’t push yourself today. Remember what Lucas said.”
Lanie said goodbye to Marlee, then stepped outside and took several deep breaths. The freshness surrounded her in scents as wild and free as the forest around Four Winds. Piñons rose high in the air. She walked slowly, the cool temperature refreshing against her heated skin. She didn’t have to check to know she was still running a slight fever.
Lanie stopped by the garage. Charley greeted her as she came inside. “I’m still waiting for some parts. I’m sorry for the delay, but we had to try several dealers to get you the best prices.”
“I appreciate that.” She was grateful for his efforts. Price mattered a lot. Even with saving everything she could from her salary at Alma’s, it would take a while to get enough cash amassed to pay the bill.
As Lanie strolled down the street, she saw that some chickens from the feed store had managed to get loose. Two men and three women were running around, trying to round them up.
She was passing by the side street near Sally’s diner when her skin prickled disturbingly. She turned around, but no one was there.
Lanie quickened her pace. She’d stop by Sally’s, have something to eat, then continue over to Alma’s. The wonderful scent of roasting chilis made her mouth water.
As she passed the alley with the trash cans by the side of Sally’s diner, she heard a quick shuffling sound. Suddenly an arm snaked around her throat, jerking her backward into the shadows. There was no time to scream.
