by Devon Monk
I watched the man too. He was just a little taller than Sunshine, his hair a little darker, and his clothes more business casual—a plaid button-down and clay-colored chinos. But the rest of him bore a sturdy resemblance to Calvin.
Brother? Cousin? Maybe uncle?
“Keith,” Sunshine said. “This is Lu Gauge. Lu, my brother, Keith Fisher.”
Keith offered his hand, with a “Nice to meet you,” and Lu shook it.
Lorde hopped up onto her feet and jogged over to Lu. The dog shook her head, making the tags on her collar jingle. It was her signal for wanting to go outside.
“When should I check back?” Lu asked Sunshine.
He glanced at the truck as if he could read a timer attached to it. “I’d say a couple hours? If you want, I can call and let you know when it’s done.”
“No need,” Lu said as she made her way to the shop door. “I’ll stop in later.”
She walked outside with Lorde at her side. I lingered, watching the men.
“What brings you by?” Sunshine asked.
“Do I need an excuse to see my baby brother?”
“I’m not fixing your refrigerator, snaking your drain, or hanging your gutters.”
Keith grinned, and the resemblance was impossible to miss. “Would I ask you to do such a thing?”
“You asked me to do all those things.”
“I paid you for your time.”
“Pizza and beer doesn’t cover rent, bro.”
Keith laughed. “Well, this isn’t for me this time. Mom wants to pull up the carpet and have the floors redone. I thought we could save her the labor.”
“She’s gonna try to do it on her own?”
“Of course.”
Sunshine sighed. “Yeah, of course she is. When do we start?”
“I can keep a hammer out of her hands until maybe Friday.”
“How are you going to pull off that miracle?”
“I’ll tell her the Dumpster isn’t available for renting until then.”
Sunshine smiled. “That works. I can make an early day of it.”
“Good. Good.” He slapped his brother on the arm and turned to leave. But then he thought better of it and half turned back to him.
I heard voices outside. Lu and a woman. Took me a second to recognize the woman was Jo. She sounded happy, excited. Lu was already talking about lunch, and how she should have it with a certain mechanic who was interested in her.
Sunshine was oblivious to the conversation, going over the details of what they’d each need to bring to help with their mom’s renovation.
I pushed off the wall and started to walk out to Lu, but something Keith was saying caught my attention.
“She’s the tech girl, right? The one with the piercings?”
“Yeah. Her name’s Jo. Just…” He leaned in toward his brother, closing the space as if he didn’t want his employees hearing what he was about to say.
“…what do you think about her? Really?”
“I’ve only seen her once, at the gas station. Why?” Keith straightened a little, then a knowing grin spread across his face. “Oh, it’s like that, is it?”
“Might be. Yeah. I think it is,” Sunshine said. “So what do you think about her?”
Keith leaned back to open the space up between them. This wasn’t something he thought needed to be private, his opinion, apparently, good enough for public airing.
“I think Jo’s…different.”
Sunshine scowled. “Different.”
“With those tattoos and piercings? That hair? Yeah, she’s different. She sure isn’t someone from around here, is she? I mean, can you imagine her mucking out a stall or putting up with the crappy internet reception when the storms roll through?”
“I don’t—”
“She’s just passing through.” Keith slapped his brother on the arm again. “But hey, never hurts to sample the flavors before you buy the cone.”
Sunshine frowned. “That’s not—”
Keith laughed. “Use your brain, bro. She’s big city. She’s aiming for a…life.” He waved his hands to indicate the world at large. “Something a hell of a lot bigger and better than this podunk town. Admit it. The way she is? She’s not like us.”
Calvin hardened in some way. It was in the set of his jaw, in the angle of his hands and chest.
“Yes. She’s…not like us.” The way he said it made me pause. It was flat, almost emotionless. As if this was the kind of non-agreeing agreement he’d been doing with his brother for years. A way not to start a fight. A way to keep the peace with someone who always got his own way.
I could hear that in his tone. But I was pretty sure from the look on Jo’s face, as she lingered there in the doorway, she couldn’t.
Keith strode off with a wave over his shoulder and a “Friday!”
He nodded just slightly to Jo as he passed her in the doorway.
Sunshine saw her and he knew she’d overheard at least some of their conversation.
She shook her head, her hands diving into her pockets as she strolled over to him.
“Not like you, how?”
“It’s not…he’s my brother. I just…”
“He gets to decide who’s good enough for this town?”
“No. You’ve got it wrong…You’re…”
“Do I? Can you imagine me trying to survive crappy internet? I’m just too different to survive such a terrible hardship, just don’t have what it takes to handle hard things. Not like you special, normal people born in McLean.”
“You are blowing this out of proportion.”
“Or maybe I’m seeing this,” she waved one finger at him, then at his shop, and the world beyond, “for what it really is.”
“Jo.”
“If all you special people do in this town is judge others behind their backs, then I can’t wait to get out of here.”
That did it. Sunshine went red again. “Why? Because in the city everyone is nice to you?”
“I don’t expect everyone to be nice to me. But I don’t expect someone to judge me behind my back after they’ve asked me out to lunch. Twice. But hey, I’m different that way.”
Sunshine shut his mouth. The muscle at the corner of his jaw bulged as he ground down on his back teeth. He crossed his arms over his chest, and his nostrils flared.
His voice, when he spoke, was low and calm. “Maybe this is a bad idea from the start. I’ll take my share of the fault in that. But I thought you were different in all the best ways, Jo. Thought you wouldn’t judge me by what other people said.”
Jo had mimicked his stance, her arms crossed over her chest. She was looking at him like she’d heard this song and dance before and wasn’t buying it. Like someone had said these things before and it had been a lie.
“I don’t need your approval,” she said.
“That’s fair. I’ll need my computer and internet connection up and running before you go. Please.”
She bit at the inside of her bottom lip, looking like she was chewing back a yelling spree. I could tell she’d been burned by people before. Could tell she had learned not to trust.
“Fine,” she said.
He nodded and turned his attention back to the truck, hands busy with the wrench.
The music of the garage seemed to fill the room again. It was a slow sad song about somebody doing somebody wrong that I hadn’t heard in awhile.
The employees who had all worked a little slower, a little quieter so they could hear every word of the argument, kicked it back into high gear, suddenly busy and running noisy equipment.
“If he’s not willing to stand up for you to his brother,” I said to Jo, “maybe he’s not worth your trust. Maybe you should just let it go.”
She frowned, standing there for an extra moment or two, as if the thought of that didn’t make her happy at all. Then she turned and strode out of the garage to the office.
Sunshine dropped his hands at his sides and couldn’t help himself. He wat
ched her go.
I groaned. Lu was right. These two had feelings for each other.
“That did not go well for you,” I said. “You could just set down your wounded pride at being misunderstood, and tell her you like her. Tell her your brother is a jerk, but he’s not you. I think she’d listen.”
The door to the office slammed loud enough it echoed like a gunshot through the garage.
“Never mind,” I said. “I think this ship has cut anchor and sailed.”
Sunshine blinked hard, like his eyes hurt, exhaled, and got back to work.
Chapter Twelve
I caught up with Lu. She was a couple streets over, headed to Dot’s place.
“It didn’t go well,” I said, as I fell into step next to her.
“Day’s not over yet,” she muttered.
I knew she’d heard the argument, or if not that, the door slamming. And there was no mistaking who had slammed that door.
“You romantic, you. You never give up.” I reached over and dragged my fingers gently across the back of her hand. She tipped it open so I could press my palm to hers.
“I’m going to look for the journal,” she said. “Then I’ll talk to Dot about her sister. Unless you have another idea?” She angled her head as if she could hear my voice in the wind, her eyes dropping to Lorde.
Lorde looked up at her, then at me. When I said nothing, Lorde just went back to walking a few steps ahead of Lu, stopping to sniff random weeds growing out of the sidewalk.
“Okay,” Lu said. “Let’s see what we can do.”
She picked up the pace and in short time was rounding the house to the junk pile in the back. She approached it warily, her hands loose at her sides as she walked a slow circle around the edge of the old shed.
I stood to one side of the pile, waiting for her to decide how she was going to do this. It was the middle of the day and sunny. Anyone who happened by would see her digging. But there were no roads back here, just yard and trees that abutted more yard and trees.
“I’m sorry I didn’t warn you,” Stella said.
I turned at the sudden appearance of the ghost.
“Warn me about what?”
“That the journal might knock you out.”
“You knew that was going to happen?”
She shook her head as she watched Lu assess the situation. “I thought it might. It’s very strong magic. The man I stole it from said it could only be owned by a person it chose.”
I didn’t like the sound of that.
“So it chose you?”
She shrugged. “He was selling it. For all I know he just said that so I would want it more. If so, it worked.”
“Enough you stole it.”
“To have something magic choose you,” she went on, as if I hadn’t spoken, “proving you’re different, and worth something. I guess I wanted that.” She sighed. “I really wanted that.”
This woman, born and raised in this very small town had yearned to be different. I reflected on Sunshine and Jo’s argument and couldn’t get over how it had gone bad very quickly over a small matter. A misunderstanding on difference.
Was being different bad?
I thought Jo, like Stella, liked being different. It was reflected in her piercings, her style. It was reflected in this job she’d chosen, being on the road, meeting new people and places.
I didn’t think Jo thought being different was bad. But when someone assumed different was instantly wrong, well, that was a problem.
As for Sunshine, I thought he might have been blindsided at having strong feelings for a stranger in so short a time. Afraid of what he might suddenly want and how vulnerable that might make him feel.
I could see how it might shake up both of them.
“Did you use it?” I asked Stella. “The journal? Did you use any of the magic?”
She stared at me for a minute, then, seeming to make up her mind, spoke. “Once. About a year before I died. I used it to make a wish. Or, I don’t know, maybe it was a blessing. For Dot. I wanted her happy. To find someone. To have the life she wanted.”
A cold chill raced down my skin. Magic used is magic paid for. If she’d been careless, it would be easy for magic to take her life to pay for Dot’s happiness.
“She’s had a good life, don’t you think?” I said, offering her the comfort of not telling her the full truth. “Kids, husband, inherited this pretty old house and is making a profit sharing it with people.”
“Yes,” she said hesitantly, then a little stronger, “yes, she has. I mean sometimes I thought my…my accident would ruin it all for her. But she’s okay. She’s doing good. I just want her to know…to know I don’t blame her for what happened.”
“The accident?”
She nodded and pressed her lips together, as if it took a physical effort to keep the words inside.
“Lu said she’ll do it. Let you talk to Dot.”
The smile lit Stella’s face until she practically glowed. I could see the younger woman in her, could imagine how she would have laughed.
“I know it might be hard…” she said.
“…will be hard,” I corrected. “This is going to hurt both of you.” After a second, I added: “Maybe hurt all three of you. Dot has thought you were dead and gone for years now. Knowing you’ve been here all this time might be hard on her.”
“Oh. I hadn’t thought of that. But I know she’ll want to see me. I know she’s been thinking all these years that the accident…” She closed her mouth again, her eyes darting up to me like I’d tricked her into talking.
“She’ll be fine,” she said. “And then I can… Well, whatever comes next, I’ll be at peace with it.”
I didn’t contradict her. Sometimes the best thing you could do for a person was offer them a little grace.
“It’s bright,” Lu said. “I smell apples and hickory and something sweet. Nectarine? No, roses.”
I sniffed the air, but didn’t smell anything but a hot Illinois day.
“If there’s any reason I shouldn’t try to get it out of there,” Lu said, “now’s your chance to tell me.” She waited, and as always, her gaze scanned the area and rested so near where I was standing, the pounding of my heart tripped a beat.
“It’s good, love,” I said, pushing those words, my encouragement, my concern. “But be careful.”
She nodded softly, as if hearing the far off warble of a mourning dove calling its mate. Then she took a deep breath and knelt on top of the fallen bricks, which were covered in moss and dirt.
The shed had been built of sturdy stuff in its day, but Lu was strong. Plenty strong enough on her own to move bricks and wood that should take two people to carry.
Plenty strong enough to push aside rubble and dirt. Plenty strong enough to partially unbury the journal so that it would be easier to reach.
I was so intent on watching her lean forward, one hand extending slowly, as if she were carefully reaching into a burning bonfire, that I didn’t notice the hunter.
“Nice and easy now, bitch. I don’t want to have to shoot you.”
Lu froze. It was not fear that held her motionless, it was the hyper-alert stillness of a predator.
She turned her face his way, watched him walk out from behind the tangle of trees—where we should have seen him, should have sensed him. The concealing magic rolling off him made it obvious he had more than just this trick up his sleeve.
Lorde growled and took several steps forward to put herself between Lu and the man. The dog’s ears were back, and her deep bark gave a hint of her ancestry as a guard dog.
Lu’s amber eyes hardened to stone. “Hunter.”
“Call off the dog,” he said, aiming the gun at Lorde’s head.
Lorde barked again, showing strong, sharp teeth.
“To me,” Lu commanded.
Lorde stiffened, then reluctantly backed up to stand next to Lu, pressed against her side, both of them crouched as if ready to attack.
“I don’t
believe I introduced myself.” The man’s voice had a bit of the snake in it. A bit of the reptile. Coldness coupled with patience. A spider confident in the deadly strength of its web.
“My name’s Hatcher, and I work for someone very interested in you. Very interested in the things you find.”
The gun in his gloved hand did not waver. It was a Glock, a big thing sure to leave holes large enough to slow Lu down. They might not kill her. Not one or two bullets, but if he unloaded the clip into her at close range, she could bleed out.
If he shot Lorde, the very mortal dog would die instantly.
My heartbeat picked up, fury washing sickly hot, then shockingly cold over me as I stood in front of that gun, inches away from his face.
“Put down the fucking gun.” I was loud, and I knew how to throw my anger like a fist.
The hunter’s head jerked slightly, and his eyes narrowed. He heard me, or maybe he just felt the cold hatred in my words. Either way, he knew I was right there.
He knew I was going to kill him if I had the chance.
“Even if your companion can influence the physical world,” Hatcher went on like he was having a front-porch chat over tea, “I can guarantee this house will be reduced to rubble in exactly five minutes unless I get what I want.”
He was not lying, I could tell from his heartbeat.
“You’re blowing up the house?” I said.
“He’s going to blow up the house?” Stella said. “I have to warn Dot. Dot’s in there, Brogan. My sister’s in there right now!”
“Go. Go!” I said. Then, “Lu he’s not lying.”
Lu didn’t move, but I knew she heard me. Knew she could probably tell he wasn’t lying from the beat of his heart, too, from the steadiness of his hand, from the sharp dilation of his eyes.
“What do you want?” she asked.
“The journal. Go on. Pick it up.”
“No,” I said. “Don’t, Lu. Don’t. It’s a trap. It has to be.”
Lu hadn’t moved yet, and I was torn between keeping my eyes on the asshole in front of me and watching the woman I loved behind me.
“I give you the journal, and you just walk away? No hard feelings?” Lu didn’t sound afraid at all. She sounded bored. “You know I don’t die easy. I don’t give a damn about that house, and I don’t hand over investments to people who threaten me.”
