by Jayne Castle
“They say that suicide-by-catacomb happens more often than most people realize. Did she leave a note?”
“Yes.”
“Blaming you?”
“Sure.”
“Did they ever find the body?” Alice asked.
“No. But they rarely do with catacomb suicides. Pretty sure that was deliberate, too. She wanted me to spend the rest of my life wondering if she was really dead.”
“Her final revenge.”
Drake’s smile could have been chipped out of glacial ice. “Yes.”
“Oh, man, you think she might still be alive, don’t you?”
“I don’t know.” Drake shoved his fingers through his hair. “That’s the hell of it. I just don’t know. In the course of our investigation, Harry and I pulled out all of the Sebastian, Inc. resources. Called in favors from the Federal Bureau of Psi Investigation and the local Guild boss. We found nothing that indicated that Zara Tucker might have faked her own death.”
“But nothing that proved she didn’t, either?”
“Right.”
“When did she disappear?”
“Nearly three years ago.”
“I dunno, Drake, that’s a long time for someone to stay lost while consumed with revenge. You’d think that if she was truly obsessed with you, she would have made some obvious move by now.”
“That’s what I keep telling myself.”
She watched him closely. “But in the meantime you haven’t registered with any more matchmaking agencies, have you? You’re afraid that if you do go into a Covenant Marriage and if Zara is still alive, she might reappear. You think she would be a threat to your wife.”
Drake gave her a long, considering look. “You’re right. That’s a very perceptive observation. The only other people who have figured that out are the members of my family.”
“Probably because they are the only other people who know the whole story.”
“Harry and the others in my family tell me I’m wrong to put my life on hold because of a threat that may or may not exist. They think that I’m the one who has become obsessed. They point out that if Zara is still alive somewhere, she’s probably in an institution by now. And if she did come out of the woodwork, my family has the resources to make her disappear again. For good this time.”
“But still you’re having a hard time moving on with that part of your life.”
Drake shifted in his seat, stretching out his legs. “Zara is my past. Let’s talk about yours.”
“What about it?”
He angled his head to indicate the folder on her lap. “Notice what is not in that file?”
She glanced down at the folder. “There’s not much here. What am I missing?”
“There is no information at all about Fulton Whitcomb beyond the fact that his body was found in his apartment. There’s no mention of your honeymoon from hell on Rainshadow.”
“Well, there’s no reason why Ethel would have gone into those details. She’s out to make my life miserable, not solve her son’s murder. As far as she’s concerned, I’m the killer. She wouldn’t waste time pointing an investigator in other directions.”
“True,” Drake said. “But everything in the case is linked to Rainshadow. You’d think that there would be something about that last trip in the file. If I were Ethel, I’d want to know exactly what happened on the island. And I’d also be asking questions about how Fulton was killed. Most of all, I’d want to know what was discovered that was worth murder.”
“You think like that because you are a logical, reasonable person. Trust me, Ethel is not logical or reasonable when it comes to her son’s death. Where are you going with this, Drake?”
“I’m not sure yet. But the focus on you makes me wonder if someone else is involved, someone who doesn’t want Ethel to look in another direction.”
A small shiver zapped through Alice. “The real killer?”
“It’s a possibility,” Drake said. “We need more information. And we’ll get it.”
“Okay,” Alice said. “Thanks.”
Drake studied her for a long moment.
“Do you know what I see when I look at that file?” he asked.
She smiled ruefully. “A misspent life? A person who can’t seem to focus on a career path? A woman who has been questioned in a possible homicide and declared unmatchable by a string of matchmaking agencies?”
“No,” he said. “I see a strong, intelligent woman who has managed to keep going in the face of some bad odds. I see a survivor.”
She thought about that. “Well, it’s not like a person has much choice.”
“There is always a choice,” Drake said. “And you keep making the choice to go forward. In my family we admire that kind of spirit.”
Chapter 9
RAINSHADOW MATERIALIZED OUT OF THE STRANGE MIST like a ghostly afterimage appearing after the real image has ceased to exist. A ring of dark fog encircled the island. The mist was crouched just offshore.
The island was always a forbidding sight with its sheer granite cliffs, darkly wooded interior, and craggy volcanic peak. To Drake it resembled some artist’s vision of an Alien fortress. But in the early and unnatural twilight that had swept over the island and the surrounding sea, it looked more surreal than ever, a landscape that could only exist in a dream.
“We’ve got a problem,” Drake said. He raised his voice to be heard above the roar of the cruiser’s engines and the mounting fury of a storm that had not existed until five minutes ago when it had erupted out of nowhere.
He was at the helm of the small, fast boat that they had picked up in Thursday Harbor a couple of hours earlier. He and Alice were both wearing life jackets. Alice stood beside him, holding her wind-whipped hair away from her face. Her expressive eyes were shielded by a pair of standard-issue sunglasses. She had put them on in Thursday Harbor to deal with the glare off the sea.
Houdini was perched on the ledge above the instrument panel, chortling gleefully as the craft rode up and over the crest of the raging waves.
“What’s going on?” Alice asked. She watched the island through the windshield. “Why does Rainshadow look so unreal? It’s like it’s in another dimension or something.”
Drake studied the bank of high-tech electronic navigation equipment in front of him. All of the displays were flat-lined.
“Or something,” he said. “Remember the mirage effect that I told you about? The optical illusions that make it impossible to get to the island by floatplane these days?”
“Yes, what about them?”
“Looks like the distortion has gotten worse since I last talked to Harry. There’s a lot of paranormal energy in the atmosphere. It’s knocked out my instruments. That fog must be the mist that Harry mentioned. It’s darker and thicker than he described it.”
Alice gave him an uneasy look. “The boat feels like it’s going faster.”
“It is. We’re caught in a current that is carrying us toward the island.”
“I understand now what you meant when you said there was some force stirring up the weather. I didn’t have a real fun time on Rainshadow the last time I was here, but it wasn’t this scary, at least not outside the Preserve.”
“The situation has obviously deteriorated significantly since I spoke with Harry four days ago. No wonder they told us in Thursday Harbor that the ferry service had been cancelled.”
He tried to ease the cruiser out of the surging current. The boat responded only minimally, making it clear they were not going to escape. He could feel the powerful energy of the water beneath the hull, forcing them toward the rocky cliffs. His job now was to keep the boat from capsizing before he could get close to a safe place to beach it.
“There’s no way we’re going to make it around the island to Shadow Bay,” he said. He kept one hand on the helm and used the other to open a leather-bound volume he had brought with him.
Alice peered at the book. “What’s that?”
“Nav charts
of this area. Harry and I have both spent a lot of time exploring the shoreline around the island. In addition, the Foundation has a big collection of the old seafarers’ charts in the archives.” He flipped through the pages until he found the one he wanted. “Here we go. There’s a small natural harbor not far from here. Deception Cove. I’m going to try to get into it.”
“Then what?” Alice asked.
“We’ll go ashore. Can’t risk taking the boat back out into the open sea until things settle down. We’ll spend the night on the beach. Tomorrow morning, if conditions are still this unpredictable, we’ll have to walk around the shoreline to Shadow Bay.”
“That’s going to be a very long walk,” Alice observed.
“Given the rough terrain it will probably take a full day. The energy fence that protects the Preserve is set back several yards from the shore around this sector of the island though, so we won’t have to deal with the force field.”
He did not take his attention off the wild sea, but out of the corner of his eyes he could see the determined expression on Alice’s face. She was scared but he knew she would not panic. That was good to know. He did not have time to deal with panic.
Houdini was no longer chortling with glee. He seemed to sense that the situation had shifted from being a dust bunny thrill ride to something far more treacherous. When Alice reached out to scoop him up, he did not try to evade her grasp. He found his favorite perch on her shoulder and opened all four eyes.
Drake glanced at Alice. “Tell me that you can swim.”
“I know the basics but I’m no expert,” Alice admitted. “All of my swimming has been done in pools.”
“What about Houdini?”
“I’ve seen him swim in a bathtub but I doubt that he’s ever been in the ocean.”
“Get one of the life preservers ready for him,” Drake said. “Attach it to my vest with that cord. Maybe he’ll figure out what to do if we end up in the water.”
Alice took the round preserver down from a nearby hook and connected it to Drake’s vest.
“Are we going into the water?” she asked quietly.
“Not if I can help it.”
The fierce current was growing stronger. The boat was hurtling toward the wall of fog that ringed the island. He searched for the major landmarks that indicated the entrance to Deception Cove, twin pillars of stone that formed a natural gate to the cove. He spotted them at last, rising out of the fog bank, but the narrow entrance was hidden by the thick, dark mist.
He knew he would have only one chance to break free of the underwater river that was sweeping them toward the island. If he miscalculated they would either go under or slam into the rocks.
He powered up the big flash-rock engines and leaned into the wheel, turning to port, searching for the very edge of the fierce current.
The water fought back but he was able to slip the cruiser to the side.
“Hang on,” he said.
“Already doing that,” Alice said. She clutched Houdini and the life preserver in one arm and gripped the nearest handhold.
He could feel the slight disruption caused by the cove current. He took advantage of it, pushing for one last burst of power from the laboring engines.
He hauled hard over on the wheel. The cruiser responded by popping out of the rip and into the cove current. The momentum took the boat straight into the fog bank.
A sudden darkness descended. The dark fog seethed with energy. An eerie calm enveloped the cruiser. The current slackened. A strange, muffled silence fell.
“It’s like we stepped into another dimension,” Alice whispered.
Drake throttled back until the boat was gliding slowly through the fog, skimming over the glassy, smooth surface of the water.
“I can’t see a thing,” Alice said, her voice tight with tension.
Cautiously, Drake took off his glasses and looked at the darkly illuminated world around them.
“I can,” he said quietly.
It was a realm lit by all the colors of midnight. The mist still enveloped them, but when viewed through his other vision it was no longer impenetrable. Instead the stuff was thin and wispy. If it weren’t for the currents of hot energy, it would have been like any other light fog. He could make out the rocky pillars that guarded the entrance to the cove.
Alice turned her head very quickly, searching his face. “It’s dark light energy, isn’t it? I can sense it.”
“Yes. I’ve never seen it manifest like this, though.”
Alice reached up to touch Houdini. “It feels ominous, as if a storm is coming in.”
He could sense it, too, Drake thought. The rising chaos of a greater darkness that would coalesce into something more dangerous when the last of the daylight vanished.
“We need to get settled on shore before night falls,” he said. “Got a feeling this fog will get worse in an hour or so.”
“I think you’re right. Can you actually see through this stuff?”
“Partially. I can see where I’m going now but that might not be possible later. What do you see?” he asked.
“I can’t see anything beyond the bow of the boat.”
He reduced the power further and motored slowly through the entrance to the Cove. Once they passed the stone columns, they emerged from the fog. The water remained calm.
“That’s a relief,” Alice said. “I can see the beach now.”
Drake cruised toward the crescent of sand that edged the quiet cove. When he could not go any further without running aground, he cut the engines and lowered the anchor.
He studied the half moon of a beach and the dark, heavy woods beyond. The twilight drenched the scene in thick shadows.
He looked at Alice.
“Welcome back to Rainshadow,” he said.
“A second honeymoon on this damned island,” Alice said. “What could possibly go wrong?”
Chapter 10
THEY USED THE DINGHY TO TAKE SOME EMERGENCY equipment and camping supplies ashore. The fog was still hovering out over the water but it was moving in slowly, swallowing the cove as it approached.
Houdini, evidently oblivious to the ominous mist, quickly discovered the pleasure of surfing with a life preserver. He frolicked in the shallow water, clinging to the device with his two front paws while he paddled with his hind legs. Every so often he caught a small lapping wave that carried him up onto the sand. He chortled madly and immediately set out to catch another wave.
Alice took one last look at the dark fog offshore and turned to watch Drake establish camp for the night. She liked watching him, she realized. He went about the business of setting up the tent, bedrolls, and small amber lantern in the efficient, competent way that characterized everything he did. He had put his sunglasses back on, she noticed. Evidently what little daylight was left was too much for his sensitive eyes.
“I’m sorry I’m not much help here,” she said. “I’ve never gone camping in my entire life.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Drake rezzed the amber lantern. “Harry and I used to camp out a lot here on Rainshadow. Got it down to a fine art.”
“I can see that.” She walked toward him across the sand. “I assume the amber lantern is for my sake. I appreciate it. Will it bother your eyes?”
“Not as long as I keep my glasses on.”
She watched him take a small gadget out of a pack. He aimed it at the pile of kindling and driftwood he had made. A flame shot out from the device. The kindling caught immediately.
“What is that thing?” Alice asked.
“Basically it’s just a fire-starter, an ignition device. But it’s been modified in a Sebastian lab to function as a small blowtorch, if necessary. I’ve got two of them. You can have one.”
“Good grief, why would I want a blowtorch?”
“Makes a handy weapon.”
She winced. “I see.”
Drake crouched in front of the fire, watching the flames through his sunglasses. “Fire is one of the few
forms of normal energy that can be used inside the Preserve.”
“Are there a lot of dangerous animals on the other side of the fence?”
“Until recently, the only dangerous critters we had to worry about were the human variety. But that’s not true any longer.”
“Right, those mutated sea creatures who are living in the cave pools.”
“And maybe other things as well.” Drake glanced back over his shoulder at the dark woods that bordered the cove. “There’s so much psi in the ecosystem inside the Preserve now that it’s bound to have an effect on the plant and animal life.”
Houdini splashed out of the cove, dragging his life preserver by the cord. He paused to shake the water from his fur and then trotted over to the fire. He stared at the emergency rations.
“I think he’s hungry,” Alice said.
“I know I am.” Drake got to his feet. “Time to open up some of those tasty instant meals. Sorry I forgot to bring the wine.”
Alice smiled. “So am I.” She glanced toward the cove. The cruiser was slowly disappearing into the fog. “Why do I have the feeling that I’m never going to see my suitcases and my costumes and props again?”
Drake ripped open one of the containers. “Don’t worry, we’ll come back for the boat and your stuff after we take care of business on the island.”
There was nothing in the suitcases that could not be replaced, she reminded herself. Nevertheless, her whole life—or what was left of it—was in the two suitcases she had been forced to leave on board the boat.
Get a grip, woman. You’re alive and so is Houdini. That’s all that matters. She did not doubt for a moment that they had all been in serious danger a short time ago.
“You saved us, Drake,” she said quietly.
“What?”
He opened another container and then a third.
She watched him break a seal on each package. The scent of heating food wafted toward her.
“Piloting the boat through those awful currents and that fog was brilliant work,” she said. “You saved all of us.”
He glanced at her, amber light flashing on his glasses. “You and Houdini wouldn’t be here in the first place if I hadn’t brought you here.”
