CnC 5 One Hex of a Wedding (19 page)

She looked run ragged. “Jeez, that’s a tall order. I’ve arrested a handful of them in the past year and most are back on the streets. The majority were Peeping Toms or flashers. Gross, but for the most part not terribly dangerous.”

“I didn’t realize we had an epidemic of perverts in Chiqetaw,” I said, thinking about Randa and Kip. I wouldn’t be so cavalier about where they went from now on.

Murray shook her head. “You’d be surprised how many criminals live here, just like any other town, I guess. Chiqetaw isn’t immune.” She picked at a piece of pizza crust. “I don’t mind telling you that I’m scared. I’ll take all this crap into the station and file another report, but there’s not much anybody can do until the guy makes a mistake.”

A thought sprang to mind. “Mur, I asked you this a day or so ago, but what about that creep Rusty? Have you checked to make sure he really moved to Seattle?”

She frowned. Rusty had made her life a living hell for a while. I knew she didn’t like thinking about him, but for some reason, I couldn’t let it drop. There was something too nasty about the attacks … too personal. And Rusty had been underhanded and way too personal.

“I forgot to check, but I still think you’re on the wrong wavelength.”

“Just do it, would you?” I paused as a memory surfaced. Snapping my fingers, I said, “Remember when I warned you to watch out for him? That’s when I felt this energy. All of this stuff that’s been happening has the same feel that all the crap he pulled on you did, only worse.”

Jimbo had remained silent, but now he leaned forward and took her hand in his. “She’s right. Call Tad now. He’d know for sure, wouldn’t he?”

Murray sighed and pulled out her phone. “I hate this.” She retreated into the pantry for privacy.

Jimbo looked at me. “If it’s Rusty, we’ll find him. I have friends who excel in convincing pervs like this to back off. And if they don’t back off … I have friends of a different nature.”

By now, I knew that Jimbo had a soft heart inside that gruff exterior. I also knew that he meant exactly what he said about his cohorts, and that he had no compunctions in putting a stop to the dregs who preyed on women and children. When he was fifteen, Jimbo had lost a little brother to a drifter who liked little boys, and he almost killed the man in the process of tracking him down.

I cleared my throat. “You might want to start with the cameras.”

He arched one eyebrow. “Stop your fussing. I’m not going out on a vigilante hunt until I know who I’m looking for. And yeah, I’ll start with the video feeds. If I have to wire the whole goddamned house, we’ll find out who’s doing this.”

“We’d better, or this is just going to get worse. The guy’s a psycho. I’d bet a year’s earnings on it.”

I pushed myself away from the table and foraged in the fridge until I found what I was looking for. Joe had made a blueberry crumble for dinner, but with my family leaving town so suddenly, it remained untouched. I popped it in the microwave to nuke it for a few moments.

Murray returned then, flipping her phone shut. “Rusty hasn’t been heard from in months. Tad says last he heard, he moved away to live with his brother in Seattle. That’s where his last paycheck was sent.”

“Seattle’s not that far away,” I said, wresting a half-gallon container of French vanilla ice cream out of the freezer. Joe removed the now-warm crumble from the microwave.

“Tad’s going to check it out, but I’m not holding my breath. What’s that?” She sniffed. “Yum. Blueberry. Smells good.”

“Joe made it, so you know it’s edible,” I said, going to the door to call the kids in. As Randa helped me serve dessert, Joe turned the conversation toward his photo shoot the next day. Murray hooted at him and Jimbo whistled. I had almost relaxed when both the phone and doorbell chimed. I grabbed the receiver and motioned for Kip to answer the door.

Rose was on the line. I slipped into the pantry with the phone. “How’s Grandma M.?”

“She’s doing a little better,” she said, “but she’s going to need surgery. She needs a double bypass.”

Oh shit. Not good! I swallowed my fear and said, “What do Mom and Dad say about it? When’s her surgery scheduled?”

“Tomorrow morning at eight. The doctor talked to the folks. He said it’s a common procedure nowadays, and he thinks she has a good chance of surviving it and living on to torment us for another twenty years.” Her voice trembled, and I could read between the lines. She desperately needed to keep hope alive.

“She’ll be okay,” I said. “She’s a tough old bird.”

“Do you really think so? I mean, really? You know—can you tell?”

Well, surprise, surprise. “Hold on, I’ll see what I can find out.” I took a deep breath. Rose seldom referred to my psychic abilities. For her to ask for my help meant she was truly frightened.

I closed my eyes and reached out to Grandma M. Since she’d been around my house the past few days, there was a chance I could still latch onto her. But instead of Grandma M., I felt a flutter at my elbow and opened my eyes. Nanna stood there, smiling gently, a golden nimbus surrounding her aproned and rosy countenance.

Every once in a while, when I needed her, my beloved Nanna dropped in for a visit. Sometimes she pulled my butt out of the fire, other times she simply let me cry on her ghostly shoulder. Now, she tipped her head, winking at me.

I mouthed, “Grandma M.? Is she going to be okay?” By now I knew that I didn’t need to speak aloud. If I focused, she could hear my question.

Nanna gave me a quick nod and I caught a glimpse of Grandma M., resting in a bed. Around her swirled a light, faint, but steady. I knew then that she would live. She wasn’t done here yet. I flashed Nanna a bright smile, and she waved and vanished from sight.

“I think she’ll be okay,” I said into the receiver. “She definitely needs the operation, but her life force is strong, her will stubborn. Unless something unexpected happens, my sense is that she’ll pull through just fine.”

“Thank you.” Rose let out a long sigh and her voice steadied. “I was so worried. Emmy, I’m so sorry we won’t be there for your wedding. We’ll have a huge party when this is all over and taken care of. Will that be okay?”

I smiled to myself. That was the first time Rose had apologized to me for anything since I was twelve years old. We’d gotten into some argument—silly now, it seemed, but then, of course, it had been momentous. At one point, I’d called her a spoiled little brat and she’d screamed that I was Mom’s favorite and she hated me. We got over the fight, but she never again said she loved me so that I really believed her.

“A party will be just perfect,” I said. “And thanks again for the necklace, Rose. I’ll wear it to my wedding.”

“Will it go with Nanna’s dress?” she asked.

Gulp. Nanna’s dress. What the hell should I say? I bit my lip and stared at the wall, still smarting from the loss of such a precious keepsake. I’d been hoping to save it for Randa, pass it down through generations.

“They would have been lovely together,” I finally said. “Except for one hitch. The seamstress who was working on the alterations skipped town and left Nanna’s dress in pieces. I’m going to have to find someone who can restore it, if it can be restored. And that certainly won’t be in time for my wedding.”

She gasped. “What are you going to do? How can you get married without a wedding dress?”

I grinned. A typical Rose reaction. If everything wasn’t exactly as she planned it, she couldn’t envision another direction. “Everything will be fine. I’ll just find another dress. After all, I have the groom,” echoing Joe’s sentiments earlier. And he was right, I decided. Dress or no dress, I’d be getting married. “That’s what really counts, you know.”

“I suppose so,” she said. “But I’d be dissolved in tears right now.”

“Been there, done that. Okay, I have company, honey, and you should go back to the folks. Tell them I love them. And … I love you, too, Rosy.”

As she hung up, I wandered out of the pantry. Harlow and James were sitting at the table. Joe was rinsing our dinner dishes, and Jimbo was helping him. Murray glanced up, concern on her face.

“Your grandma?” she asked.

I nodded, then called the kids back into the kitchen. “Listen, that was your Aunt Rose. She called about your great-grandma.”

“How is she?” Kip looked vaguely worried.

I sighed. “She has to have a double bypass. That’s an operation on her heart—”

“We’ve been learning about the heart in Health,” Randa said. “That means Great-Grandma has heart disease?”

“Right. She goes into surgery tomorrow. I can’t be sure, of course, but I think she’ll be okay.” I slipped into the chair next to Harlow, who reached out and draped her arm around my shoulder.

“So, are you going on with the wedding?” Harl asked.

I nodded. “To be honest, I’m not that close to Grandma M. I offered to postpone it, but my parents and sister told me no. They’ll be taking care of her after she gets out of the hospital and I have the feeling the rest of the summer is shot for all of them.”

“Mur was telling me about your dress,” she said, tossing her shoulder-length cornrows over her shoulder. She’d stuck with the hairstyle, finding it both preserved those golden curls and yet kept them out of the baby’s way. Baby Eileen was almost a year old and growing like a weed. She already promised to reach her mother’s height, and she mirrored her father’s bronzed skin.

Kip and Randa gave me a quizzical look. “What’s wrong with your dress?” Kip asked. “I thought it was pretty.”

I inhaled sharply. Regardless of my bravado to Rose, the minute I opened my mouth the pain rushed back. “Nanna’s dress was ruined. The seamstress left it in pieces and skipped town. By the way, Mur, any news about her? I’d like to take it out of her hide.”

She shook her head. “No, though we found out she booked a flight out of Bellingham, down to Portland. We’ve contacted the authorities there, but this isn’t exactly a high profile case. You may just end up eating the expense.”

“If you can’t find her, when do I get Nanna’s dress back?”

“I’m not sure. I’ll talk to Evidence about it.”

I groaned and Harlow murmured sympathetically. Kip sidled up and patted my knee. “I’m sorry, Mom.”

“Thanks, hon. I’m sorry, too,” I said, shrugging. “I’m just going to have to find a different dress to wear. I hope they catch her thieving ass, though.”

Randa looked scandalized. She stood, hands on her hips, and glared at me. “Well, isn’t there anything you can do about it? You’ve got Nanna’s book and trunk of charms.”

I stared at her. My daughter was advising me to use magic? My daughter who, except in times of extreme emergency, preferred to stay as far on the left-brained side of the world as possible? I snorted. “Hadn’t even thought of it, but now that you mention it, I might just do that.”

She wrinkled her nose. “Good. You always tell me to do whatever I can to make a situation better. I’m going to stargaze.” With a wave, she dashed down the hall and up the stairs.

I looked over at Murray. “Well, I guess I’ve been told. She’s right, though, maybe I can play with things a little. Give good old Janette a case of conscience.”

“I dunno,” Mur said. “I guess so, but is it really worth the effort?”

I thought of Nanna’s dress laying on the shop floor, in pieces. Nanna’s dress that she’d carried over from the old country, that had meant the world to her. “Yeah, it’s worth it,” I said, breathing softly.

James spoke up. “Whatever dress you choose to get married in, I’m still doing the photography for you. Speaking of photos, Harlow and I had an ulterior motive in sneaking out tonight and leaving Eileen with Lily.” Lily was their nanny, and a damned good one from what Harlow said.

“Do tell?” I leaned forward, eager to hear about something other than illness, stalkers, or ripped-up wedding dresses.

He cleared his throat. “I got the word today. I have another big photo shoot coming up. I’m going to be gone for four months this time.”

I glanced at Harlow. Even though she was beaming, I knew she wasn’t happy. She hated it when James was gone, but she wouldn’t interfere. As she’d told me a few months ago, she’d had her time in the sun, and she’d voluntarily given up her career to return to Chiqetaw and marry James.

“I’m happier than I’ve ever been, Em,” she had said. Now on her way to her degree, she’d finally found a new career that meant something to her. Modeling had been a means to an end, providing her with the money to sustain a lifestyle that was comfortable, but not ostentatious. Unlike most of the other supermodels, Harlow had been realistic about the longevity of the career.

“Where are you going?” Joe asked, wiping his hands as he finished cleaning the counter.

James flashed us an impish grin. “Mongolia. A writer for
National Expedition Magazine
is working on a three-part article examining the lives of the reindeer herders. He saw my photos that I took for the eco-safari last year in Africa, and asked
NEM
to commission me to be his photographer. They agreed, so I’ll be living with one of the tribes for four months, on the move, photographing them, getting to know their way of life.”

His eyes shone with excitement. I also knew James well enough that I knew he hadn’t figured out how Harlow really felt about his absences. She kept it well-hidden and had enjoined me to silence.

“When do you leave?” Murray asked, her voice soft. She also knew how Harlow felt.

Harl answered quickly. “He leaves on July fifteenth.”

And then I understood her angst. He’d returned from the eco-safari a week after Eileen had been born—late, thanks to some localized trouble over there. And now, he’d be missing her first birthday, which would be in August. I glanced at Harlow and held her gaze. She pressed her lips together and blinked hard. I kept my mouth shut.

Murray wasn’t so reticent. “Going to be gone on Eileen’s birthday, are you? That must be rough.”