"It's drinks. Talk and get to know him. You're both in similar fields, you have stuff in common."
Shrugging was the only response I gave.
Logan switched gears. "We need to go out and check on Essy this week."
This was a much safer topic. "Sure. The fairies have had a long winter. Maybe we can run out and see her tomorrow. After we go through the Paths of the other victims."
"Maybe we can take the horses out this time," Logan said, ignoring my comment.
"Hmm, maybe."
We ordered my coffee in a drive-thru and went home.
"Gerald is taking another art class," Logan said.
"How does he like it?" I asked.
Gerald was Logan's youngest son. The youngest of three children. From the conversations we've had, I was able to glean that Logan's wife died not long after Gerald was born. Not long was a relative term. It could mean up to twenty-five years or so to an elf.
"He came home with an easel, a bunch of canvas, and about thirty different tubes of colors. He's pretty enthusiastic."
"What is he painting?" I asked.
"Anything that will hold still long enough," Logan said.
Laughing helped to relieve some of my dating apprehension. I downed the caffeine hoping to stimulate some brain cells so I could have a decent conversation that night. The drink perked me up, but I went straight to the kitchen when we got home. Gran already had a pot of coffee brewing.
"How you can drink caffeine in the afternoon is beyond me," she said as way of greeting.
"I need to make sure I'm awake this evening," I said.
Rider was pulling out plates and setting the table.
Gran beamed. "Dinner is ready for that very reason."
"Any idea if it's going to go well?" I asked, willing Gran to have a premonition of my evening.
"No idea." The look Gran gave me didn't hint if she was telling the truth or not.
Logan and I helped set the table.
Not wanting to think about this evening, I switched our conversation to the case as we settled into dinner. "I wanted to ask you again, Rider, about the trip to the gnome hole. You said the area was off, but you didn't smell anything?"
"I find it hard to explain. It is almost as if something should have been there, or had been there, and was then taken away." Rider paused as though thinking that over. "That is not quite it either."
"Have you ever experienced anything that you could compare it to?" Logan asked.
"No," Rider said.
"And you didn't sense anything like that again today? Not even the last part of the excursion?" I almost said the last body, but stopped for Gran's sake.
Gran wouldn't care if we talked about bodies. If guests wanted to talk about corpses, then she'd be happy to let them, but I didn't want her to be too deeply mixed up in AIR work. I'd been loose about it in the past, but I was trying to keep work at work.
"Nothing like it," Rider responded.
While I mulled over what Rider said, I changed the subject. "How was your day, Gran?"
"Susan and I went shopping and then out to visit Morgan. I invited him to dinner on Sunday."
Morgan Renner was a troll that Gran got together with from time to time. He was smart for his species. Actually, almost any species would call him smart. He worked as a software development consultant. From home, of course. Smart or not, he looked like a troll, so he didn't go out often.
"It'll be good to see Morgan again," I said.
"You'll see another person from your past soon," Gran said.
I waited for more, but it didn't come. Thinking of Vincent, my heart beat faster.
"Any idea who it will be?" I asked, trying to sound casual.
"Sorry," Gran said, "I don't think it's him."
"It could be anyone," I said, trying to hide my disappointment. "I've had lots of friends."
That wasn't exactly true. My powers came on late in high school, and I wasn't able to keep many friends. Being a Reader made college a living hell. A person's Path said a lot about them, and I made and lost friends because of it.
After dinner, as I washed the dishes, I thought of the friends I had made since working at AIR. Even some of my casual friends knew about my gifts, accepted them, and accepted me.
Once the dishes were done, I excused myself. Time was moving on, and I had to get ready. Thoughts of Vincent flickered past as I went upstairs, but I mentally shoved them aside.
***
Lieutenant Parker asked me to call him Ethan when we met. Once we were seated, with drinks in hand, we tried to make small talk in that awkward way people do when they don't know anything about each other.
"Do you live in the area?" Ethan asked.
"Yeah, I'm from here actually. I live outside of town now. You?" It was so much easier if he asked a question and I asked him to answer the same one.
"My family owns some land outside of town. I lived here for a while as a kid and moved back a few years ago."
I latched onto that. "Did you go to school in town?"
"East End Elementary. We moved when I was in second grade."
"I went to Crates for elementary."
He nodded, smiling. It was a nice smile, one that I wouldn't mind watching for a while.
"How about college?" he asked.
"I started here. They have a good accountancy program, but I transferred out of state for my senior year."
"You're an accountant?" He looked surprised.
"I used to be, but I was looking for a new line of work before my first year of work was up. How about you?"
"I went into the Navy for a few years and went to school while I was in service for the most part. When I got out, I went straight into law enforcement."
"How did you like the Navy?" I asked.
"It wasn't quite what I was looking for, but I like working for the local police department. How's your current job?"
Knowing that I should have steered clear of questions about jobs, I cleared my throat to stall for time. "Most days, it's good, and when they're not, at least I know we're working to make things better."
"I've never met someone who worked for the Department of Treasury unless they were with Secret Service. I didn't realize there were other agencies."
Once again, I found myself struggling with what to say. "It's, uh, specialized." It was lame, and I found myself studying my drink.
"So, what else do you do? Outside of work, I mean."
I'm sure Ethan noticed the grateful look I flashed him. "Not much, to be honest. Visiting friends, hiking, cooking, well, mostly baking really." Trying to think of anything else was impossible. Was that really all I did outside of work?
"I went to Tennessee a few weeks ago, and they have some great trails in the mountains."
"Hey, Parker!" A few men walked up, the one talking was obviously drunk. "How are ya?"
"Evening, Ike." Ethan looked less than thrilled.
All the men, except Ike, moved on to another table and waved down a waitress.
"Come have a drink with us," Ike said.
Ethan looked embarrassed. "Thanks, but I'm already having one."
"With her? She's cute, but..." Ike apparently had a problem getting beyond that.
"Excuse me for a minute," Ethan said to me. He stood up, took his friend Ike, and led him over to the other table.
The words, ‘She's cute, but,’ started playing in my mind. Ike's reaction to me had been better than Ethan's, better than most really, at least out of the people that don't ignore me completely. It wasn't exactly the words I wanted to hear while out with someone, so while Ethan's back was turned, I took a large drink, trying to shorten my visit.
"Sorry about that." Ethan sat back down across from me, looking abashed.
"It's no problem." It sounded fake, even to me.
Ethan leaned in. "He lost his wife about a month ago. He's a little lost, I guess."
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. If you want to go-"
"No,"
Ethan said quickly, "no. Only, I didn't want you to get the wrong impression."
His worried expression and sincerity made me want to take his hand. "No wrong impressions," I said.
"Can I get you another drink?" Ethan asked.
Crap, in theory, it had been a good plan.
I wanted to say something clever about only having one alcoholic drink, but I had nothing, and the way he looked at me, made my stomach flutter. "I wonder if they have coffee."
Before I could get the words out, Ethan was frowning, but he was looking behind me.
"Parker," it sounded like Ike was right behind me.
I turned and then there was beer. Not the good kind, like oh, say, anything in a glass. This was the bad kind that ended up all over me.
Gasping, I turned fully towards Ike. He appeared confused by what had happened, which made me wonder if it had been an accident, or if he was confused because he couldn't believe he had done it on purpose.
Ethan jumped up with the two napkins we had at our table, Ike babbled while one of his friends tried to pull him away, and I began to realize that people were turning to watch. Even without the Path, I felt the mixed bag of emotion begin to weigh me down.
My face began to turn red, and I felt the need to get out of there before drawing any more attention to myself. I grabbed my jacket, thanked Ethan, assured Ike on the way that I knew it was an accident, and then got the hell out of there.
The temperature had dropped, and as much as I didn't want to get my jacket soaked with beer, I was well aware of how cold wet clothes can get in the early spring. I had a momentary pang of guilt about leaving so abruptly, and without paying, so once I ruined my jacket, I moved a short way from the door and leaned against the building, waiting. It was surprisingly peaceful with the turmoil and noise trapped in the bar. It was too cold for many people to be outside for longer than necessary.
After a few minutes, I figured Ethan must have been talking with Ike. I pushed myself off the wall and tried to remember where I parked my car.
"I didn't expect you to be out here," Ethan said.
Embarrassment tried to creep up, but I nudged it away. After everything had already gone wrong, it was much easier to relax. How much worse could it get?
"It seemed rude to leave," I said.
Ethan grinned. "My friend just poured a drink on you, and you're worried about being rude?"
"It's not like you asked him to do it." I gave him a wry look. "I mean, you didn't, right?"
Ethan chuckled. "No, but I keep some clumsy friends around. You must be freezing. Can I walk you to your car?"
"Sure. I'm, um, that way."
We moved up the hill in silence.
"Tonight didn't go well, did it?" He sounded hesitant.
I laughed, not sure if he meant it as a question, but I answered him anyway. "It most certainly did not. I mean, I don't go out often, but I'm pretty sure this was not a successful first... time out for drinks." I almost said date. Did drinks count as a date?
"I'm around the corner," I said.
"Do you want to try again?" Ethan spoke quickly.
I looked down at the ground and thought about it. He was cute, friendly, and there was a chance we might have things in common. Now that he was familiar with me, my soul didn’t affect him at all.
I crossed my arms across my chest as though cold, so Ethan wouldn't see them shake with nerves. "No beer involved?"
Ethan's eyes caught mine. "I promise I will not send you home smelling like a brewery next time."
"Don't make promises you can't keep," I said.
"Dinner?"
"Let's give dinner a try."
"Tomorrow night?"
"In a hurry?" I gestured across the street in the general direction of my car. "I'm over there."
"I'm afraid you'll really start to think about tonight and change your mind."
I laughed. "That's not a bad idea."
"Are you free?" Ethan asked.
"I am now, but work can be... tricky."
Ethan nodded and looked up and down the street. "Work could pull us away at any time. We could agree now, not to let it bother us when we're called away."
"Even if it leaves one of us twiddling our thumbs at a restaurant?"
"I'll always call you," Ethan said.
"That might work. I'll do the same."
"Are you okay to drive?" Ethan asked.
"Yes, not that any cop in the world is going to believe me if I happen to get pulled over."
Ethan chuckled. "Flash your badge and I'm sure you could probably explain and get out of it."
"Oh no, if I get pulled over, I'll have them call you to explain."
He flashed a grin that made my heart beat faster. "I'll wait by the phone."
I had no idea how to say goodbye at the end of a date, but since I was freezing, I figured I could get away with leaving in a hurry. "See you tomorrow night." I slid into my seat, cranked up the heat, and then drove away.
***
Logan, Rider, and me decided to begin our day early in the spot where Oliver had broken his neck. Despite our destination, I had a smile that I couldn't quite shake.
Logan took notice and on the drive over decided to ask, “Last night go well?"
"Not at all." I laughed behind the words. "A beer spilled over me, and I left smelling like I had been at a frat party gone bad."
"Why the good mood?" Logan asked.
"We're trying again. Dinner. Tonight."
"Good to hear," Logan said.
When we arrived, there was no crime scene tape, and everyone was walking around, business as usual. I didn't waste any time diving into the Path. Since I was trying to pressure myself into the past, I let the full power wash over me. Too little sleep and too much coffee made my stomach agitated, as the flow of colors and shapes rushed by. After a struggle, I found the time I was looking for. Standing still in a surging river wasn't easy, so I could only stay rooted to the spot for a few seconds before being tossed back into the present.
The turbulence had taken my breath away, so I took a few moments before letting the others know what I saw.
That also gave me time to sort through the fragments I witnessed. "It was almost as if the Path jumped into his way."
"I am not sure what that means," Rider said.
"Neither am I," I admitted.
"Have you ever seen anything like it?" Logan asked.
I tried to think of a comparison. "No, it’s almost like someone made a wave on the Path and that landed on the victim."
"What can do that?" Rider asked.
"I'm not sure," I said.
"Let's go check the other site, see if there are any similarities," Logan said.
We drove across town to where the hit-and-run occurred. All the while, I tried picking apart what I had seen. Once we arrived at our suspected crime scene, apprehension hit me. The roadway was busy, and our spot was right at the edge.
"We won't let you wander into traffic," Logan said.
I'm sure Logan couldn't read minds, but there were times, like when he answered a worry before I formed the question, when he made me wonder.
After briefly meditating, I jumped into the Path.
The raging current caught me up and propelled me forward. Rider made a grunt of surprise, and when I looked at him, he was clearly standing in front of me. Logan, however, disappeared and cars zipped by faster than a gnome.
I tried to gain control and move back to the present, but the Path was persistent. Cars dissolved from view and the sun fell and rose so fast it was impossible to follow. As the roadway crumbled beneath me, I fell to the ground. Rider, still solid, knelt down next to me. We stared at each other as trees rose and died around us and then he spoke, but the sound was lost before it reached me. He cocked his head, reached out, grabbed me, and then tugged me into his arms.
With a slingshot motion, my world pitched. The Path went from some distant future into the present in an instant, and then it abandoned me
altogether.
My stomach took longer to catch up. I shoved myself away from Rider and lurched far enough away to lose my breakfast. Eyes clenched shut, I rubbed my temples against the buildup of throbbing pressure.
It was a while before I could stand again. Rider was leaning against the van, not looking at me. Logan, on the other hand, was pale and rigid.
"Whatever you did, let's not try that again." It was rare to hear so much tension in the elf's voice.
I shook my head. Vertigo threatened to toss me back to the ground, so I closed my eyes again until I was steady. "It wasn't something I tried. The Path dragged me along for the ride."
"Your gran would have had my ears if not for Rider," Logan said.
Looking from him to Rider and back again, I said, "I couldn't get back to the hit-and-run. I went forward instead." I'm sure I didn't want to know what happened, but I couldn't be left in the dark either. "What am I missing?"
Logan looked uncertain. "I wish I could say for sure. You got hazy around the edges, and then you were gone."
"I'm not sure I follow." I rubbed my forehead, trying to throw off the ache and take in what Logan was saying.
"I need to go to the Sanctuary," Rider said. Not looking at us, he got into the back seat of the truck without another word.
"For the case, we can work with what we have for now," Logan said, "but we need to talk about this."
"When you say disappear, do you mean... gone?" My voice was lower, and I watched Rider.
"As in no longer here."
"Did Rider?"
"No, he was as solid as you should have been."
"He was for me too," I said.
"What I want to know is where you went?"
"I didn't move. Not really anyway." Logan didn't look satisfied, so I grabbed a guess out of the air. "Maybe the Path hid me? It was strong."
Logan appeared to mull that over. "What happened didn't have anything to do with the case, right?"
"No." I wish I were as certain as I sounded, but the truth was, I had no idea what happened or why. "Not a thing."
"Leave it off the report." Not waiting for a response, Logan walked away.
Chapter 7
"We'll check in on Essy," Logan said when I joined them in the truck.
AIR Series Box Set Page 37
