Souls Estranged (The Souls Trilogy Book 2)

by Anne B. Cole

  Dear Mom,

  I miss you. Emily and Bobby too. The days have flown by. We’re encountering some technical difficulty. I cannot receive email, but I can send. I’ll try to email you every week.

  It’s beautiful here. I wake up to scenic mountains, valleys, and an abundance of wildlife. One morning I watched a hawk being chased by two black birds. Funny how something so small can find the courage to face an enemy so great.

  You’ll be happy to know I’m researching colleges. There are a few in West Virginia I may have a chance to visit. This job has inspired me to go into either Education or Recreational Parks Management.

  My knee has healed, and the bump on my head is finally gone. I remember just about everything, so don’t worry about me. I miss you and I know things must be very hard for everyone. I pray every day for Dad and Grandma. My computer time is limited, so I need to go. Will email next week.

  Take Care,

  Gretta

  Signing off with the word ‘love’ wasn’t an option. As she pressed ‘send,’ she prayed she wasn’t endangering her mother. Her heart ached with loneliness.

  She immediately clicked on her recently deleted mail.

  It won’t hurt to read one of Sam’s emails.

  She guided the cursor over the most recent one he had sent. A week old, she noted it had been written the morning after she threw her phone off the lookout point. He must be angry or hurt. Or both. Maybe he was finished with her. Tears threatened.

  The door to the computer room opened. Out of her peripheral vision, she noticed a uniformed man enter and log into the computer closest to the door. Four seats away, she refocused and forced herself to ignore Sam’s emails.

  With a final click, the emails disappeared, permanently.

  After surfing West Virginia State University’s website, Gretta ran a search on Sam Daggett. Instantly, hundreds of links appeared. Most of them were for Facebook accounts not belonging to her Sam.

  She scrolled farther and found links to articles on a police officer who had died last week in a car bombing. Worried about Tim, she clicked on the link and pulled up an article from the New York Times. Scanning, she saw Sam’s name listed as the brother of the deceased, and Tim as father. A small cry escaped her lips.

  “You okay?” The officer had walked over without her noticing.

  She spun her swivel chair around and immediately recognized the man.

  “Gretta?” Deputy Ryan Scott squatted next to her. His hand brushed the back of hers, clutching the arm of the chair.

  Seeing him in uniform flashed back a memory of Lorenzo’s departure from the island. She never saw Lorenzo again. Because he died.

  She gripped the arm of the chair harder.

  Sam’s brother is dead. This is not a coincidence. The curse killed him.

  Paranoia crippled her.

  Sam could be next.

  Chapter 36

  A Friend

  Gretta

  “I’m reading this article about a . . . car bombing in New York.” Gretta’s voice quivered.

  “A police officer died.” Ryan leaned over her shoulder. “Happened last week. His father’s a cop in eastern Virginia. I don’t know either of them, but I heard the son was a top notch officer. Rumor has it he was killed infiltrating a terrorist group. Unfortunately, his contact died, too. The FBI releases few details so the public will never know how many lives he saved. I forget his name.” He scanned the article, moving to within inches of her cheek.

  Gretta swallowed hard when she caught the woodsy scent of his aftershave.

  “Daggett, Justin Daggett.” Her voice cracked.

  “Did you know him?”

  She tried hard not to show emotion, but failed. “I shouldn’t be reading sad things. My father died a few weeks ago, and my grandmother passed away days later.” She shoved her notebook into her bag and reached for her keys. When the cabin phone clattered to the tile floor, her tears let loose.

  Ryan picked up the phone and set it on the table. He took her hands and held them together in both of his.

  Safe. Ryan feels safe. But why is he here? Did he follow me?

  Gretta didn’t care. She leaned into his hold and pressed her face against his crisp uniform. Then as her mind raced to Sam and his brother, she jerked away from Ryan.

  Bad things happen to people I care about.

  “Let’s get out of here.” Ryan tossed the phone and keys into her bag. He logged off both computers and checked out the books she had selected.

  Gretta took a deep breath as they left the building. Dread consumed her.

  I have to get away from Ryan before something terrible happens to him.

  “I’m better now, really. Thank you. You’re on duty and I—I messed up your shirt.” She brushed at tear stains next to his badge.

  “I’ve had worse on my uniform.” He chuckled and pointed to his truck. “I’m off duty, have been since six this morning. Hungry?”

  “You must be exhausted.” Gretta paused and dug into her bag for her keys.

  “More hungry than tired. There’s a café around the corner, makes the best homemade loaded potato chips.” He stepped back at her hesitation. “You have something against chips?”

  Her fingers wrapped around her keys as her stomach began to growl. She hoped he didn’t hear it. When her eyes met his, she knew he did.

  “Not as long as you eat most of them.” She wanted to tell him about the white van and make certain he understood their relationship was to remain no more than friends. Distant friends.

  Inside Ryan’s truck, Gretta marveled over the computer, scanner, and switches for the lights and sirens. There were several sticky notes on the dashboard with numbers and addresses on them.

  “Put your seatbelt on. They only work if you’re strapped in.” Ryan put the vehicle in reverse.

  Grabbing the belt, she thought of her father and how his seatbelt failed to save his life. Sam had helped her through those horrible days. The article said his brother’s funeral was scheduled two days ago. She should have been there for him. More tears welled.

  “Stupid of me to say. I’m sorry about your dad. His accident was just that. Nothing more.” Ryan kept his focus on the road.

  “You ran a search on me?” She concentrated on the dashboard gadgets to get her mind off Sam and her father.

  “Part of my job. It’s none of my business, but does your family know where you are?”

  “I’ve never been in a police car before. Where’s the button for the lights?”

  Ryan shot her an annoyed look. Thankfully, he didn’t press her for an answer.

  The little mom and pop diner came into view. Ryan parked, and they walked in together. The lone waitress immediately waited on them. Without looking at the menu, he ordered a plate of loaded potato chips, two lemonades and a steak and cheese sandwich. The waitress returned to the kitchen with a sway in her step.

  “I hope you don’t mind me ordering for both of us. If you’d like something else, I’ll let Nancy know.” He paused as Gretta’s stomach growled, again.

  She giggled, wrapping an arm around her tummy. “The sandwich better be big. Does everyone here know you?” She glanced around to the three occupied tables. All stared at them. Two looked away, but the old man in the closest booth waved.

  “Uh, yeah, I suppose they do. I come here a lot. It’s a small town.” He displayed a devilish grin.

  Nancy returned with their drinks. When Gretta reached to move her glass, Ryan gripped her hand and kissed it. Nancy smiled at him, but gave Gretta an icy glare. In a huff, she walked to another table.

  Ryan let go of her hand and noted the time. “One-thirty. I’ll get a text by two, two-thirty at the latest.”

  Anger took over. “Do you have
a girlfriend? Because if you do, I’m out of here.” She stood, pushing her chair back so hard, it fell backward to the floor.

  “Sorry. I don’t have a girlfriend. Please, sit.” He appeared sincere and, since he had the nerve to check out her background, she wanted some answers.

  “I’m sitting because I’m hungry. I want to know who is going to text you.” She sat after he picked her chair up off the floor.

  A sheepish grin flashed. “My mom. She runs the county dispatch. Everyone knows her. Nothing in the entire tri-county area happens without her knowing. She answered your 911 call last week. Grilled me about you.”

  “What did you tell her?”

  “I told her I placed a watch on the cabin to make sure you stayed safe.” His eyes were blue-green, nearly aqua, but not the fake color contact lenses came in.

  She didn’t mind the extra security, but he wasn’t safe. She had to make it absolutely clear they were only friends.

  “Does she know I’m eighteen?” She knew her age would be a sticky point with any parent.

  “No. I did the background check on you to confirm your age. I apologize for last week. I’m not sure why, but I find you,” he paused, “fascinating.”

  She felt her cheeks heat as she swirled her straw to avoid his gorgeous eyes. “I . . . my boyfriend . . . he and I just split up—”

  “Same here,” Ryan barely whispered.

  The waitress returned with a huge plate of chips buried under barbeque sauce, melted cheddar cheese, crumbled bacon, and green onions. Two condiment cups of ranch dressing were tucked into the chips on both sides of the oval platter.

  Gretta’s mouth watered as she dug in.

  “Good?” he asked.

  “Mmmm. Incredible.” She licked her fingers and grabbed another cheese covered chip.

  Ryan popped a chip, leaving a little barbeque sauce on the corner of his mouth.

  Ding.

  They stared at his cell phone and laughed.

  He picked it up, nodding in confirmation. “It’s Mom. Ten minutes, a new record.” He raised one brow. “Friends? Seriously, the big brother, little sister type?”

  She relaxed for the first time in what seemed like ages.

  “Definitely.”

  A shiver crept up her back. Did I endanger Ryan by confirming our friendship?

  Chapter 37

  A Plate of Chips

  Gretta

  Ryan texted his mom before watching the waitress wait on another table.

  “You can do better than Nancy,” Gretta announced, snatching the chip his fingers had been aimed at. “Tell me about her.”

  “Hey, you’re taking all the ones with bacon.” He grabbed another, dipping it into the ranch dressing. After eating most of the chips, he leaned back in his chair.

  Gretta tapped her glass and waited for him to speak.

  “Her name’s Rachel, twenty-five, physical therapist. After seven years of college she landed two jobs in three not-so-close hospitals. We’ve been together over four years. Despite the craziness of our schedules, she wants more of a commitment.”

  “Do you love her?” she asked.

  Silence.

  Coming from a guy, silence meant ‘yes.’ She swirled her straw, rattling the ice in her lemonade.

  “I told her I didn’t think I was anywhere close to marriage.” He pushed the nearly empty plate of chips to her.

  “Did you give her a reason?” Gretta peeled melted cheese off the paper liner.

  Silence.

  “What did she say?” Gretta sympathized with both Ryan and Rachel.

  “She said she needed time and space. I’m not good with ultimatums. Haven’t talked to her in two weeks.” His voice lowered with regret.

  Picking up the last chip, she paused, then suggested, “Let’s say it’s your lunch break. You come in here, and every table has an order of chips. You see the chips, smell them, and hear the customers talking about how delicious they are. You want chips. The waitress takes your order and tells you it could be a long time before you can get chips. When you ask why, she doesn’t give you a reason. You press her to find out how long you have to wait and again, she has no answer for you.”

  “Frustrating.” The edge in his voice let her know she made her point.

  “Exactly. How many of Rachel’s friends are engaged? Married?” She leaned closer. “Back to the chips. You never get a firm explanation from the waitress. Do you get up and leave or do you stick around and wait for the chips? If you love the chips, you’ll wait, but you need to have an idea of how long it’s going to take.”

  His forehead creased with understanding.

  “I don’t know Rachel, but I can see you love her. Not discussing a future or giving her a timeframe can be frustrating for her.” She waited for his reaction.

  Ryan’s lips parted in surprise before they pressed into a thin line.

  Men. Why are they oblivious to the obvious?

  “Talk to her. If she loves you, she’ll wait for you.” She ate the chip and wiped her mouth with her napkin.

  Nancy waltzed over with a plate filled with the largest steak and cheese sandwich Gretta had ever seen. She supplied another plate and winked at Ryan.

  After Nancy disappeared, Gretta picked up her half of the sandwich and took a bite. She chewed and swallowed in sheer bliss.

  Ryan laughed when she took an even bigger second bite. “The owner here has the rolls delivered from Philadelphia three times a week.” He eyed her as she ate. After her third bite, he picked up his half. “He’s a fool.”

  “Who? The owner? This sandwich is excellent.” Gretta dipped her finger in some of the excess cheese on the plate.

  “No, the guy who broke up with you.” He picked up his lemonade and took a long sip.

  She felt naturally drawn to Ryan as he sat across from her in his uniform. She’d be lying to herself if she denied the attraction.

  Attraction, not love. I love Sam. No, I can’t love Sam or Ryan or anyone.

  “I broke it off.” She wouldn’t lie to her only friend.

  “High school kid?” he questioned.

  She gazed at the sign listing the specials of the day to avoid his intense interrogation. “Construction worker.”

  Ryan tilted his head to recapture her attention. “He hurt you? Pressure you? If he did I’d have to have a talk with him, me being the big brother.”

  Gretta had no doubt he would. She took a deep breath and focused on him. “No. He’d never hurt me. It’s complicated. I’m going to enroll in college this fall. It’s better this way.” She could tell by Ryan’s frown he wasn’t buying her response.

  “Where’re you going to college?” He appeared genuinely interested.

  Grateful the conversation had moved into a different direction, she quickly responded, “I haven’t applied, but I’m looking at a few state schools. Any suggestions?”

  “I graduated from VMI, but unless I’m terribly mistaken, you don’t look like the military type. What major?” He took a bite of his sandwich, allowing her to take over the conversation.

  “Don’t know. What was yours?”

  “Computer Engineering. I went into the army as an officer. Released honorably after two years.” Another bite of sandwich filled his mouth.

  “Why? Did you get hurt?” She chewed and swallowed, trying to keep the topic off herself.

  “My alcoholic father picked a fight with the wrong guy. Bartender found his body in a dumpster the next day. They never caught the killer. Mom needed me around.”

  Stunned, she let the conversation drop, and they finished eating in silence.

  When his phone beeped, he looked at the clock.

  Gretta dug her wallet out of her bag. “I should be getting b
ack to the cabin and you need to get some sleep.”

  “My treat. You fed me last week.” He tossed cash on the table, and they left.

  Once outside, Gretta stopped dead in her tracks. A white van pulled out of the parking lot. She bolted after it. When Ryan caught up to her, it had disappeared around the bend.

  “What’s going on?” he demanded.

  “I thought I was being followed this morning. I’m probably just paranoid because the day the stranger came to the cabin, I saw a white van drive up the mountain. The van here wasn’t the same one I thought was following me this morning. It had a different license plate.” Gretta suddenly felt stupid.

  “I’ll run both plates at the police station here in town. Did you happen to see the license on the van that passed the cabin last week?” Concern on his face didn’t help her nervousness.

  “I only have a partial on the one from this morning. Virginia C19. This van didn’t match. I didn’t think to look at the plate of the one last week.” She tried to remember if there were markings on it but couldn’t think of any.

  They walked to his truck and climbed in. “Why didn’t you tell me this before?” Ryan had already written the plate numbers and appeared more angry than concerned.

  “I didn’t think it was important,” she admitted.

  “Everything, any detail, even the smallest one is important.” The grave tone of his voice brought back a memory.

  It is imperative to remember and relay everything so we can figure out how to break the curse.