Still reeling, Cynda was unsure how to respond. She knew something out of the ordinary was happening, but she wasn’t sure how this conversation applied to her current problems.
Ramee continued, “I think you need more accurate reading material. This one is all wrong. It depicts star-crossed lovers. The real story is much more complicated.”
Cynda sighed.
Ramee set the book on the table and turned her attention back to Cynda. “You know, Becky at the front desk used to be a librarian.”
“What?” Cynda said confused.
“If you need more information, I bet she could make a few suggestions for you.”
“Becky?”
“Yes, dear. In fact, the other day, she was telling me of a story about wars in Europe and about the women in those regions. It would be much better than this drivel that paints women so poorly. My goodness, Guinevere saved several children in her life and cared for them too. These fables are so silly.” Ramee clicked her tongue. “Gracious women throughout history have changed the world, and there are few proper recordings of it.”
Frustrated, Cynda asked boldly, “Can’t you just tell me what you want me to know?”
Ramee smiled and went back to checking Jenny. “The right ingredients, dear. Anyway, I’ll ask Becky to make a list for you. As old as I am, I prefer looking ahead.”
“But you can learn a lot from the past,” Cynda pointed out.
“Oh yes! The past teaches a great many lessons. For instance, did you know the first choice made by mortal man is a puzzle to most people?”
Cynda was honestly trying to keep up, but the woman kept jumping around like a blind tree frog picking its favorite lily pad.
“There is so much theory and conjecture on the consequence of that single act, but it would change the destiny of the human race.” Ramee shrugged a shoulder. “I always found it fascinating how choices have trickle-down effects that shape the future. As I said, I like to look ahead.”
“You want me to read more books, and look ahead? Then I’ll have my answers?”
“Oh, that’s up to you, I suppose. Answers are all around us. Life is full of insight, but you have to take a leap of faith, even if you are blind. Don’t you think?”
Cynda bit her lip.
The older woman didn’t even look up as she finished adjusting Jenny’s bedding and tucked the blanket around the sleeping woman. Ramee patted Jenny’s still hand and spoke to her directly. “There, I’ve done all I can for now.” She met Cynda’s eyes. “Don’t worry, she’s resting easy. Can I get you anything? A drink maybe?”
“A drink?” Cynda mumbled, feeling suddenly warm.
“I’ll have someone bring something in for you. You need to keep your strength up. In the meantime, keep talking to her. Tell her everything you need to. I promise. She hears you.”
Cynda looked down to her dear friend again and sensed Ramee was telling her to say goodbye. The thought of it distracted her from the confusing conversation. “Are you a seer?” she whispered.
Ramee waved away the question. “I best get back to my duties. Time is short these days, and many need help. It was nice chatting with you,” Ramee said, leaving.
It was a full minute before Cynda came to her senses and rushed out to catch the strange nurse who had paid her a visit. Looking left and right, she saw no sign of Ramee in the hallway. Biting her lip again, Cynda tried to decide what to do. After a minute of indecision, she rushed down the hall toward the front desk. She bumped into Becky when she turned the corner.
“Oh, Mrs. Williams! I am so sorry.”
Cynda looked at the thirty-something desk clerk with surprise. “Becky?”
“Uh, yeah. Are you all right?”
“I—Yes, I’m fine. I just—”
Becky reached into her pocket. “I’m glad I ran into you. I’ve seen the books you like to read and I had a couple of suggestions for you. I think you’ll really like the first three.” Becky offered Cynda a slip of paper with five titles listed, including the Bible.
“The Bible?”
“Well, yes. Have you ever read it from a purely historical perspective? It’s full of fascinating events that show how choices have a trickle-down effect. There are so many stories in there that talk of warriors, kings, even women and their choices.”
Cynda’s heart pounded. “A trickle-down effect?”
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Becky asked with concern.
“Listen, there was a nurse that came to see me today. Her name was—” Cynda stopped, she couldn’t remember the name. “She was older…and shorter than me.”
Becky was shaking her head. “I don’t know who you’re talking about?”
Cynda scowled as she looked down at the paper. “I—”
“Mrs. Williams? Should I call your husband?”
“No. No, no. It’s fine. I’m fine. It’s just been a weird day.”
“I understand. It must be hard to keep coming back here every day. I’m sure you’re not eating or sleeping properly. I’ll send someone to Jenny’s room with a drink and bite to eat?”
“Sure, that will be fine. Thanks,” Cynda said and turned to head back to Jenny’s room. As she walked back down the hall, the list of titles stole her attention.
A Hundred Years of War
The Roots of Life
Gods and Ancient Mythology
King James Bible
Buddhism, A Path to Enlightenment.
Cynda’s mind wandered as she tried to think what the books had in common, but entering Jenny’s room, she sank into her chair with no clear answer. Becky was right, she was tired. She set the list on the table and took up Jenny’s hand again, wondering how long it would be before she lost the woman who was a second mother to her. Cynda leaned over and laid her head on the bed, falling asleep right away.
An hour later, when Tracy came to visit, the encounter from the strange nurse was more like a fuzzy dream. Tracy picked up the list from the table. “What’s this?”
“Oh, Becky at the front desk has noticed my current reading material. She loves books like these, so she made a few suggestions.”
Tracy smiled. “Huh, well they’re not bad ones. Maybe we should give them a try.”
“It can’t hurt. We haven’t made headway anyway. We need more accurate reading material,” Cynda said, using the same words Ramee had. There was a sense of deja vu as she held up her book. “This reads more like a silly fable.”
Tracy set the paper down. “I still think we are heading in the right direction, and we have time. It’s not like we have to worry over The Faction coming after us anymore.”
“I suppose,” Cynda agreed. “I have this strong urge to research more on historical women. Women that could match Collett. Gracious women throughout history have changed the world, and there are few proper recordings of it.”
Tracy nodded in agreement. “Any change today?”
Cynda ignored the emotion that threatened and shook her head to clear it away.
“It’s okay, Mom, she’ll come out of this.”
“She won’t,” Cynda admitted. “Jenny wants to let go. We better call Ashley and James to come home again. I don’t think we have much longer.”
Chapter 13
Jonah watched Tracy, her sister Ashley, and a man he recognized as the fiancé, Nathan Adams, enter the small new-age store. Seeing Tracy from across the street, Jonah noticed she looked drawn and tired. The shop was sandwiched between a salon and a local jeweler. Jonah contemplated his next step while wondering what brought the group to town. Ironically enough, he hadn’t been following her this time.
Today Jonah was following up on the string of B&E’s in the area and happened to see her strolling down the street. He heard the housekeeper had taken a turn for the worse yesterday, and the doctors were not optimistic. The nurse he spoke to told him many of the doctors wanted to remove the feeding tube. Jonah appreciated how put together Tracy looked, considering she must not be getting much sleep
these days. He had to admit, at least to himself, he appreciated Tracy far more than a detective investigating her family should.
Part of him wanted to go to Tracy and offer his sympathies. Jonah understood she must be hurting and his instinct wanted to help her with it. He may not understand the whole of what was going on, but he wasn’t callous either.
Tracy wore a fancy business suit with her hair up, and to most people, her grief would not be evident. Jonah, however, took note. Even from his limited vantage point, he saw the way Tracy slumped at the shoulders and watched how the sisters walked arm in arm as if to hold each other up. Nate followed behind them, scanning the area, and providing a protective escort. Is the boyfriend still afraid of something? Jonah wondered.
Shaking his head, Jonah tried to push the thought aside. He reasoned confronting Tracy today would be disrespectful. Jonah had learned that the older woman was more like family than an employee. Tracy was likely coming to this store for some sort of new hope for the housekeeper. That kind of natural mumbo-jumbo was useless in his opinion, but desperate times and all that.
Resolving to let it go for now, Jonah walked the rest of the way to the deli and ordered lunch. Sitting at a small, bistro table by the window, he ate while reviewing his notes on the local victims for his active case. Against his better judgment, his mind wandered back to the sisters, and he glanced through the window at the shop again.
The wooden sign above the door was cleverly crafted with the words, Tribal Spirit, in yellow, with a bear shape entwined at the end of the logo. Displayed in the front windows, Jonah saw plants of various sizes and fancy candles with crystal charms hanging above them.
Taking the last bite of the turkey-avocado sandwich, Jonah crumpled up the paper wrapping and debated going over there after all. As soon as the thought occurred to him, Jonah saw the trio leave the store and noticed Tracy and Ashley's red-rimmed eyes. Ultimately, Jonah’s curious nature got the better of him. He figured it couldn’t hurt to just check in since they were gone already.
Grabbing his notebook and phone, he hurried over to the little shop across the street. As he entered, the bell above the door chimed. Scanning the room, he didn’t see anyone right away. The store smelled of incense and pine. Crystals and dream catchers hung behind the counter where a cash register sat unattended. Displays of art and homemade crafts were arranged near the front, and five vertical aisles lined the narrow space on the opposite side.
He wandered down the middle, noting the essential oils and herbal remedies offered. Turning left, he saw some animal figures carved from stone. Jonah went to pick up the snake when he heard a musical voice call out. “Detective Hall. You are not here looking for the snake.”
His brow furrowed, and Jonah sought out the voice’s owner to see the speaker. He realized she was in the next aisle over and should not have been able to see him. He walked around to see who spoke, taking careful note of the woman when he did. She had smooth, tan skin and long black hair. Slight of build, but not too skinny, she was simply small in structure. Her long broomstick skirt and red blouse contrasted with her turquoise jewelry, but in a way that worked well. Shifting her focus from the inventory to him, she greeted him. “It's good to see you. I’m glad you made it tonight.”
“You’re the lady from the rehab place,” Jonah observed. “Have we met before that?” he questioned, but he was certain they hadn’t.
“No. Which you already knew,” she replied coyly. “Don't doubt your instincts.”
“How do you know me?”
She skirted past him, plucking the snake from his loose grip and using her nimble fingers to sort through the other figures. “Knowledge,” Selena said as she carefully picked up the green figure hidden on the back of the shelf, “is not always an easy thing, is it Detective?”
Confused, he scowled slightly and considered his answer. Jonah felt like a kid playing a game he didn’t know the rules to. Willing to play along, he said, “Knowledge and truth are most important.”
“But knowledge of the hard truths can be difficult to live with,” Selena told him and held out the figure in her hand. “Here.”
“A turtle?”
Selena placed it in his palm, then moved back to the next isle. Jonah rubbed the carved turtle between his fingers and examined it. The stone figurine had swirls of light and dark green. The colors twisted through the carving with the darker green more prominent on the turtle's shell.
“I wondered how long it would take you to come here. Everything is moving so fast. I worried you would miss the chance,” she said as she moved about in the next isle.
“How do you know who I am?” Jonah asked. He rounded the corner as she finished emptying a box on the floor, moving to another one.
“Didn’t you just tell me knowledge is the most important thing?”
“Knowledge comes from a source.”
Selena shrugged. “Perhaps I saw you in a dream, or maybe I saw you in town. I may have heard your name in passing from my spirit guides. Or maybe the logical reason, which you are already assuming, is that Tracy told me. Does it matter how I know?”
“It might,” he answered carefully, figuring it must have been Tracy who told her. “There is a certain power one holds over another when the knowledge is one sided. I don’t even know your name.”
“True enough.” Selena was pleased with his reply. “I am Selena, loyal friend to the Williams, Cade Werren, Jarrett Hunter, Cody, and many others who you will come to know.”
Convinced it must have been Tracy or even Cody, Jonah moved closer only to have her straighten up and move around him smoothly to the front counter. “Just one moment please, I need to help this person.”
Jonah was about to ask what person when the bells on the door tinkled again, indicating a new customer. Jonah frowned. He listened and watched as she attended to her customer and directed the older woman to exactly what she would need for her arthritic pain. By the time Selena was done, the older woman left $150 lighter than when she arrived. Unbelieving what people would pay for the miracle cure they sought, Jonah shook his head.
As the door closed, she turned back to him. “Now then.”
“How’d you know I was coming?”
“Simple deduction, Detective. I suppose you understand that considering your profession,” she explained evasively.
“All right, tell me what I am here for,” he told her.
“I can’t.”
“Why?”
“Because you don’t even know yourself.”
Surprised, Jonah realized he really didn’t. He came over here without a real clear idea in mind. Curiosity and instinct had driven him to come to the little store. “Why was Tracy here?”
“Interesting that you would ask after Tracy and not Ashley, or even Nate, as they were here with her, and I know you saw clearly enough from the deli. Are those two not important to your pursuit?”
“Fine. What were they doing here?” he corrected.
“They came for instruction.”
“Can you tell me what they were asking about?”
“No,” she answered easily.
“Do you know about Jeffery Garrison?” Jonah shot back quickly.
“Yes.”
“Do you know how he died?” he inquired.
“He was stabbed,” she replied smoothly.
Frustrated, Jonah rubbed his forehead with his thumb and index finger. “I was looking for a little more than that.”
“I know, and you’ll find it. You’re persistent and that will lead you to the knowledge you need, or it will kill you, depending on the path traveled. That choice is up to you though.”
Jonah could only stare at her. She thinks she can read my fortune. Sighing he played it her way. “How will I figure it out then?”
“The better question would be, will you accept it when you do, and what will you do with that education?” Selena gestured for him to lift his hand. He obeyed and held the carved turtle out to Selena. “The turtle repres
ents a great many things. Knowledge, persistence, patience, healing, love, and compassion. It helps with self-realization. It is your spirit guide for now. Put it in your pocket and keep it with you.
“A turtle won’t give me answers. It won’t talk to me.”
Selena grinned and tipped her head indulgently.
“I think I’d rather have a wolf or a bear,” he replied sarcastically.
“You may rethink that wish before too long,” she said seriously enough to have him confused again.
Jonah moved to set the turtle on the counter, intending to give up, but Selena waved her hand to stop him. “I told you, it’s your guide. Keep it. No charge. That and a little advice.”
He scrutinized her and finally put the carved turtle in his pocket, thinking he may offend her if he didn’t. Selena seemed one fry short of a happy meal but was nice enough. “What advice?”
“Don’t pitch in on the roses. She hates them. Get daisies instead, bright yellow daisies.”
“Uh sure, okay.”
“Now go on, I have a customer coming in a few minutes and need to get her herbs ready, even if they are a waste of money.”
Understanding he must have done something to give himself away when the last customer came in, Jonah found himself amused at her keen observation skills. He smiled. “I’m that obvious, huh?”
She smiled in return but gave no verbal reply.
Shaking his head, Jonah turned for the door, but she stopped him once more.
“Detective, have you ever gone to the river at night? You’d be surprised at the knowledge that flows down the river.”
With his hand on the door, Jonah laughed out loud. “You’re a puzzle. I’m not sure if you’re crazy or a comedian.”
“Good day, Detective Hall. I’ll see you soon. Oh. Don’t forget your shell. You’ll need the protection.”
The bells rang again as he left the store, more confused than when he went in.
Honestly amused by him, Selena was still smiling after he left. She knew he was in for a rude awakening soon, and almost pitied him.
The Truth of Victory: A Powers of Influence Novel Page 12
