“It was extra clean,” he said.
“I’m sorry, did you say extra clean?” she asked.
“Uh huh,” the little boy said confidently.
Trish knelt down next to Liesel and Travis. “We didn’t smell any cleaning products, cuz, even natural ones,” she said to the boy, her head cocked to the side in confusion.
“Nope,” said Travis. When he didn’t elaborate, the room itself seemed to be high strung and twitchy.
“Can you explain it to me Travis?” asked Liesel. “I don’t understand, probably because I do not smell as well as you and I am new to my job anyway.” She said.
“Offices smell like dust and stuff. When we smelt it after the bad people took PawPaw, it didn’t smell like that. It was too clean, the carpet and stuff,” he said. Then he leaned in very close to Liesel so that he could whisper into her ear. “Like when someone has an accident in the house and Mama uses that special spray stuff so no one smells the peepee,” he lisped in that exaggerated stage whisper children tend to use.
Liesel’s eyes grew big. “Travis, you are brilliant!” she exclaimed, grabbing him by the shoulders and grinning. “Is it exactly the same or was there a little difference?” she asked.
“It worked better, there was no tickle in my nose,” he answered, taking a side long glance at a woman nearby, presumably his mother. She smiled at him encouragingly and winked.
Liesel gave the boy a strong hug, then ruffled his hair as she stood up. “This young man deserves a reward, whatever he wants,” she said to his presumed family as he returned to sit by their feet, his little chest puffed out with pride as he did so and after he saw the other children watching him with eyes wide with awe.
She turned to face Pearl. “Alpha Dixon, I have a starting point to track down whoever attacked us. I’ll take my leave so I can set my search into motion. If I may again borrow Trish as a driver to back to town,” she managed to say calmly despite the energy buzzing through her.
Pearl inclined her head. “Of course, Steward. Make sure you call on us when the time for action comes as well,” she said, her eyes seeming to glow briefly.
“I would not think to do otherwise,” said Liesel. Then she turned to Trish and gestured toward the hall. The two women walked swiftly down the hall and out to Trish’s car.
“Let’s get back to town. I need to get my search started on the computer before Bianca leaves for the day,” said Liesel excitedly.
“You got it,” said Trish.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
They sped back over rutted country roads and onto the rutted paved roads of town. This time Liesel’s mind was too occupied to concern herself with Trish’s style of driving. They parked in front of the city office and Liesel turned, as much as she could in bucket seats, to face Trish.
“Are you sure you don't’ want to just drop me here and get back to your family?” she asked. “Or are you spying on me, friend?”
Trish winked at her. “I am curious about what you are going to do with little Travis’ it was too clean’ information,” said Trish.
Liesel led teh way into the city office, knocking lightly on the door frame as she passed through with Trish behind her. Bianca looked up and smiled. “I found a spare set of keys in the filing cabinet,” said said, nodding her head toward and over filled key ring on the corner of the desk. She then gestured to the laptop open in front of her. “I also switched the sign on to the laptop. The temporary password is on the sticky note. Of course feel free to change it to whatever you want. There isn’t much of anything on it but you will have the town accounts for the email and calendar. Everything is in the cloud these days, whatever that means,” she said.
“You rock, Bianca,” said Liesel. “Thanks!” She scooped the keys up from the front edge of the desk and held them up, jingling them a little. “What are they all for? Other than the car, house and office?” she asked.
Bianca grinned, “No clue, girl child, no clue,” she said, then she glanced at the laptop screen. “You good to lock up? It’s about time I head out or my dinner will be cold. Maria doesn’t hold it without an emergency,” she said with a wink as she stood up and grabbed a tote bag sized purse.
“Of course, Bianca, thank you so much,” said Liesel with a warm smile.
Trish and Bianca exchanged friendly but brief goodbyes while Liesel sat at the desk and logged in to the laptop and began typing away. Trish dropped into one of the chairs facing the desk. “So, are you going to tell me now what you are looking for?” she asked.
Liesel replied without looking up from the screen. “Travis said it smelled too clean because even smells that should have been there, like dusty carpet weren’t. The adults didn’t notice because there was no chemical cleaner smell, like you said, or over abundance of anything really. Travis noticed because his mother uses a special cleaner after potty accidents,” she said. “There are special cleaning products that aren’t actually cleaners but enzyme dissolvers that remove odor and biological stains without leaving a new one behind. Travis said the one his mother uses tickles his nose. I’m betting that is because it is a commercial spray that uses fillers to make up a bottle. I’m looking for any manufacturers that produce larger quantities or concentrated versions for professional use since Travis said what he smelled here didn’t have that same tickle to the nose. Then I’m going to search those companies’ client lists and invoice to see if any received delivery in our region or to any location that seems strange and or inappropriate for some reason.”
“What if there aren’t any that fit?” asked Trish, shifting in her chair.
“Then I do the same for the base ingredient list and the lab capacity needed to create it in house,” said Liesel, clicking on something on screen.
“The benefit of a different perspective,” said Gideon, his voice coming from the doorway.
Liesel looked up in surprise, then glanced at Trish, no longer lounging casually but sitting stiffly, then back at Gideon. His posture was relaxed but Liesel noted he did not come completely across the threshold into the room.
Liesel cleared her throat before speaking. “Yes, it is one of the arguments for Stewardship,” she said. “Did you come with news or to did you need something? Bianca left half an hour ago, I probably wouldn’t be much help.”
“It occurred to me that I left you to your own devices beyond contacting Ms. King and Mrs. Dixon,” he said.
“We are old friends and I have been with her all day,” said Trish, with a tight mouth rather than her usual loose drawl.
Gideon smiled politely but reservedly. “Of course, but I felt remiss in my small-town hospitality,” he said to Trish. Then he returned his focus to Liesel and said, “I was wondering if you would care for some dinner. Something to welcome you back to Texas.”
Liesel smiled. “That would be wonderful. So long as you promise to drive me home after. I just go the keys to Grams’ car and Trish was leaving soon,” she said.
“I was headin’ out now actually,” said Trish, standing up.
Gideon stepped into the room and to the side opposite Trish so he would not be in her way.
“I will call you later,” said Trish to Liesel but looking pointedly at Gideon before walking through the doorway he had just vacated.
“Take a seat, please,” Liesel told him. “I’m just setting up my searches to run without me.”
“My pleasure,” he said, sitting and crossing his legs at the ankle.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
“So what is for dinner?” she asked, here eyes back to scanning the computer screen, her fingers occasionally tapping something out rapidly on the keypad or clicking a mouse button.
“My brother Jonah makes a mean brisket and I thought you would like to meet him and his wife,” Gideon replied. “I know they would like to meet you.”
Liesel closed the laptop with a snap. “Your brother is married?” she said, a hint of surprise making her voice rise slightly.
Gideon stood as she picked th
e keys up and stood behind the desk. “Mm-hmm,” was the extent of his reply as he preceded her out of the office and waited while she locked the outer door. By the time they were buckled into their seats in his truck, Liesel was nearly bursting with curiosity.
“Go ahead and ask what you want to know,” said Gideon good-naturedly as he started driving north of town.
Liesel let out her breath in a rush of air. “I can’t rescue my first impression with you so I might as well save Jonah’s image of me,” she said.
Gideon laughed. “There are worse personality traits to possess than curiosity. Restraint comes with age,” he said.
“Okay, so is Jonah your actual brother?” she asked.
“He is my brother as a Gauner but his physical form is no relation to my current physical form,” he said.
“What is his wife’s name? Is she a Gauner too? Does she know all about you and him and what you are? About Gauners?” she asked in rush.
“Amber and in name only, she is fully human,” answered Gideon. Then his mouth curved into an uneven, sly smile. “Yes, but I would not try to pressure her for details about us that you may want to know. She resisted Trudie for years now. I don’t think she will reveal our secrets to you the first time over,” he said.
Liesel gave a theatrical sigh. “I will just have to win her over then,” she said sweetly.
Gideon chuckled and kept his eyes on the road. “You do that young steward,” he said, trying and failing to sound serious.
They pulled up to a single-story ranch house with a dead yard and zero curb appeal. Then Gideon followed the drive around to a back garage where he parked next to a larger truck.
“Come on then,” he said, leading her through to the interior door. They emerged into a kitchen with two people Liesel presumed to be Jonah and Amber in the middle with their backs to the door and facing the stove top. Jonah or his current body anyway was of a six-feet-tall black man with close cropped hair, black leather pants, and an over-sized t-shirt. Liesel could not see his eye color or other facial features. Amber, also from behind, appeared to be about five foot six, white, with an average but nice figure a little heavier in the hips, and honey-blonde hair in a pixie cut.
“Turn the heat down, you are going to burn the garlic,” said Amber. Jonah reached in front of her and turned the dial to lower the heat on the burner.
Gideon cleared his throat and Jonah turned around, Amber angled her body in Liesel and Gideon’s direction and put a hand on one of Jonah’s wrists but didn’t turn fully so Liesel could only see a partial profile.
“Jonah, Amber, I would like to introduce you to Liesel Bohm, Gertrude’s only granddaughter and steward in Trudie’s stead,” said Gideon.
“I thought you would be older,” was Jonah’s greeting.
“I get that a lot,” said Liesel.
“Really? That’s what the Gauner is going with as an introduction?” said Amber, lightly slapping Jonah’s arm. “Ignore him. He and Gideon think they are so funny.” She patted Jonah’s arm again. “You need to stir the veggies, sugar,” she said before turning fully to face Liesel. It was then Liesel finally got a clear look at Amber’s face. She had a wide mouth that settled naturally into a smile. Her bone structure was feminine but a little sharp. Her clear peachy complexion was marred by rough scars across her upper face most heavily mimicking a mask and continuing partially down the right cheekbone. One eye appeared to be partially closed by the scarring on the eyelid. Both eyes were milky white. Liesel did manage to not gasp or make any other noise in surprise although she wondered what happened to the woman of course.
“I noticed that about Gideon. I did not realize that was a family trait,” said Liesel wryly.
Amber smiled. “Jonah’s brisket is resting while we saute some vegetables. The boys would live on meat and beer but I thought we should serve a little more to a guest,” Amber said.
Jonah turned off the stove and transferred the vegetables to a serving dish, giving Amber a kiss on the cheek as he walked passed her. “I’m sure the house must look like a bachelor pad, they just don’t care about impressing guests and we rarely have guests anyway. I have no control over that but I can make sure at least the food doesn’t scream clueless male,” she said.
“Much appreciated,” said Liesel with a chuckle. “Is there anything I can do to help out?”
“Not a thing. The boys have their marching orders. Let’s go chat in the living room,” Amber said. Then she walked without hesitation into the adjoining room. The living room was sparse but comfortable and all the surfaces plush. The furniture was over sized black leather and very bachelor as Amber suggested but there were blankets across the back of every sofa and chair and large throw pillows piled up in one corner. Though mismatched, the fabrics were all heavenly soft in various weights and textures. Liesel sat next to Amber on a two seater love seat with a burnt-orange fleece blanket.
“Gideon want to help you out. He says you were thrown into being a Steward with no training or support but he worries being too friendly with the Gauner brothers could taint your reputation with the others. Sort of wrong side of the tracks supernaturally,” said Amber in a low tone.
“I am about 50 years too young for the job and don’t know anything about protocol or what exactly is expected of me. I was barely given the status as it was because my mother is persona non grata. If I can’t prove myself by finding Grams and Dixon and Miller, no one is going to trust me anyway,” said Liesel. “I can use all the moral support I can get.”
Amber smiled and reached across to take Liesel’s hand. “Outsiders among the outsiders aren’t we,” she said.
“Do you know my grandmother well?” asked Liesel.
“We got along fine. She didn’t come out much, a bit more reserved but maybe that was just her nature or her age. She treated the boys right though,” said Amber.
“Stewardship is her life. My mother rejected our ways completely, hates herself for not being human I think and disgusted by her own race’s shortcomings. My grandmother took me in during the summers until I was 16 and my mother decided that was enough. I kept in touch and was to return later in life to train and become her official heir,” said Liesel.
“Your mother…” said Amber unsure of what exactly it was that she wanted to ask or say.
“Has little contact with me and believes I have been damaged or deluded by my grandmother. There are…” Liesel paused, “difficulties to being what we are but I can’t deny this is what I am and I agree with the originating principles of our ways, our purpose of protecting others.”
There was a brief silence during which Liesel wondered why she would speak so much on such personal matters with a complete stranger when she usually kept to herself. Did she need to unburden herself that much or did she truly have an instant connection to Amber. Was Amber not human after all?
“You and Jonah are married? Did you know what he is before you married?” asked Liesel.
“Yes, we are happily married,” said Amber grinning, then she quickly sobered. “I was in what you might call a traumatic event and Jonah saved me by taking the body he is in now. I had some latent empathic talents that were also sparked by the event. He came to visit me and I could tell something was not normal even though I couldn’t see. Eventually he confessed what his is and about other supernaturals. I married him soon after,” she said.
“What about Gideon?” asked Liesel.
“When did we meet? Are they really brothers? The question is a bit open ended,” said Amber with a small smile.
Liesel just shrugged, then she remembered Amber wouldn’t see it and mentally slapped her forehead. “Gideon likes to keep me hanging. Maybe if I ask you big vague questions, I’ll learn more,” said Liesel sheepishly.
Amber gave a small laugh and shook her had, squeezing Liesel’s hand. “Jonah was living in the city when we met. After we went through what we did and married, we needed to move and he said he would feel safer someplace more rural. He had a bro
ther who was also looking to get away from city life. We met up, got along famously and bought this house together,” she said. “It’s been about five years now I think.”
Jonah came into the room and rested his hands on Amber’s shoulders. “If you two are done with girl talk, the food is ready and waiting,” he said. The women stood. Amber took Jonah’s arm although it was clear she was holding onto him out of affection and not a need for a guide. Liesel followed the couple as they led the way to the dining room. The table was set and Gideon was putting a large bowl filled with rolls in the center.
They had a remarkably casual meal and Liesel found herself thinking how nice it was to have a conversation in which she could refer to herself or her personal life without mentally filtering her comments first to make sure she gave nothing away to an unaware human or worry that she may offend the non-humans she was with by failing to properly recognize some political structure she was not privy to yet. She wasn’t sure she had just relaxed and done something so normal and domestic since she was a teenager.
After dinner, Gideon drove her back to Trudie’s homestead and again opened her truck door for her and once again stepped out of the way, neither following her to the door or asking to be invited up to it or inside for coffee. Rather he got back into the truck and illuminated the front door until she signaled that she was safely inside. Then he turned the old truck around and drove off.
Liesel sent Trish a text message saying the gauner’s didn’t steal her soul or her body, just fed her brisket and sent her back home safely.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
The sun was not yet cresting the horizon when Liesel’s phone started to make the sound of a sonar ping, waking her up. She groped around the surface of the nightstand until she found her phone and brought it to her face. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes with her left hand while she swiped to unlock the phone with her right hand. When she focused on the screen she sat bolt upright.
Welcome to Zell Page 5
