Desert of the Damned (21 page)

Amy felt her throat tighten and tears swam in her eyes. Truly always went out of her way to make her feel welcome in Arizona. “I can’t wait until Christmas to see the blooms.” A pang tightened around her heart. Would she still be in Arizona next December?

“But there’s something special about this cactus.” Truly’s mouth twisted in a wicked grin.

Amy studied the plant for a moment and after not seeing anything unusual turned back to her friend. “Okay, I give. What’s so special?”

“I did a spell with the plant.”

“What kind of spell? Do I really want to know?”

Truly held up her hands. “Oh no, it’s a good spell to bring a committed love into your life. Someone special.”

“Oh. And how did you do this to the poor plant?”

“I buried an apple and a fig in the soil and planted the cactus on top. The apple and fig represent the spirits of man and woman. The plant represents the relationship that will grow and become strong and everlasting. So you must water it but not too much.

Tend it but give it space.”

Amy tried not to smile since Truly appeared serious. “Well, that’s why I broke up with Dante. The unstable, flaky relationship had finally taken its toll. I guess I’m ready for a committed relationship,” she said for Truly’s sake, though she wasn’t sure if she believed in what she said. She had to commit to her perfect place to live first, her perfect job first, then she would be stable and settled enough to find the perfect mate. Of course, no one was perfect and she understood that. But she needed to aim for compatible.

Amy’s cell phone rang and she answered. Betty was crying hysterically. “Betty, what’s wrong?”

Betty rambled on for several sentences, not making sense until Amy interrupted.

“Betty, slow down. Tell me what happened. Are you all right?”

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Betty took a breath through sobs. “Yes, I’m okay. But Lupi’s dead.”

“Dead? My God, what happened?”

“He went hiking this morning. I had my yoga class so I didn’t go. He was supposed to pick me up for coffee and when he didn’t show I called his house. When he didn’t answer, I got worried and drove over. The police were there trying to find contact information for next of kin. Another hiker found him.”

“Do you want me to come over? I can leave work.”

“No, no. I have a friend here. I really didn’t know Lupi that well.”

“I’m sure it’s still—”

“It was that damn coyote,” Betty blurted out.

“What?”

“Lupi said he saw that coyote with the funny tail on another hike. Something not right about that animal.

“Why did he have to die?” Betty sobbed into the phone again. “We were getting along so nicely.”

“I’ll stop over after work and check on you. I’m so sorry.”

“Thank you, dear.”

Still stunned by the news, she hung up and turned to Truly. “My neighbor just lost a friend. He died while hiking today.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. Is your neighbor all right?” Truly patted Amy’s shoulder.

“Not too good. I’ll go to her house after work and see if she needs anything.”
Coyote
disappeared
, Amy mused.
Ran away or really disappeared?

“I’m sure she’ll appreciate that.” Truly hooked elbows with Amy. “Come on, let’s get some coffee. You look like you need a break and I need to talk to you.”

A prickle swept over Amy’s skin. Something in Truly’s tone hinted at bad news.

She didn’t need any more problems today. When they got their coffee in the cafeteria, they found a table off to the side out of earshot from other employees.

“Okay, Truly, what’s up? You have me worried. You’re not getting another job, are you?”

Truly stared into her coffee. She seemed to have a hard time making eye contact.

“No. You said you and Dante weren’t dating anymore, right?”

Amy chuckled a little. “I don’t know if what we had most people would call dating.”

“He was kind of like your,” Truly lowered her voice, “fucking buddy.”

Amy rolled her eyes. “Crudely put but correct, I suppose.”

“You’re not seeing him anymore, are you?”

Seeing him? That depends. In animal or human form? God, that sounded insane.
“I’m not dating him anymore.”

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“Good.”

Amy waited for more information but Truly sipped her coffee. “So?”

“So, he asked me out.”

“When?”

“Last night after I got back from my mom’s. I’ve known him for years but we’ve never dated. I always wanted to. When he came over late I thought he was looking for you but he said you two weren’t seeing each other anymore.”

Amy scratched her head and tried to keep her expression neutral. Doesn’t waste any time, does he? Then neither did Truly. “Did you go out last night?”

Truly averted her attention to her coffee cup. “No, it was late. We talked for a while, then he left. I guess he’ll call to plan something later.”

Talked for a while? Knowing Dante, Amy knew he didn’t waste time with friendly conversation. Had Dante began his sexual games with Truly? What was he up to? Her intuition was seeing red flags, telling her not to trust him, telling her there was something ominous or supernatural about him.

Truly wouldn’t believe her warnings because she’d think Amy was reacting through jealousy.

Amy was way over Dante. There was never an emotional connection between them.

He’d pushed her sexual limits, helped her to explore her dark sensual side and for a while she got a rush from their encounters. Now she was afraid of him. If she didn’t at least warn Truly about Dante, she’d never forgive herself if anything happened.

“Truly, word of caution about Dante. Be careful. There’s something not right about him. Something—”

“Unconventional? I know. That’s what makes him interesting. Kind of dark, sensual and charismatic.” Truly sipped her coffee, her eyes bright with mischief.

“That’s not what I mean. And I’m not jealous. The man scares me.”

Truly frowned. Apparently she did think Amy was jealous. “Don’t worry, I can handle Dante.”

When they got back to the lab, Amy sat at her desk and shuffled through requisition slips, trying to decide what to do next. The more she thought about the coyote walking through her wall last night, the more she was convinced the incident was not a dream. She didn’t understand it but there was something happening, something she was drawn into. Now he was pursuing Truly. She felt the turquoise stone in her pocket and wondered if it would protect her from Dante or any future malevolent danger.

If that job offer came through she could forget about all this craziness. The Christmas cactus made her wonder if she would be around long enough to see it bloom eight months from now. But she couldn’t ignore what was happening to her, not if Truly was in danger.

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Kathy Kulig

She couldn’t hide from Dante and had to see Jake as soon as possible. Would he understand if she dared to explain this madness to him?

Of course, she wanted to see Jake for other reasons and not to dance with the man.

That strong pull in her gut and the thrill coursing through her whenever she thought of him revealed feelings she couldn’t deny.

Amy touched the thick jade leaves of the plant then dug her finger into the dirt. It was bone dry. “Does this plant need water, you think?” Amy asked Truly who was entering data on the computer. On Truly’s desk was a large black feather with a strand of colored beads tied to the quill end with rawhide.

Amy’s hand grasped her throat and she felt the blood drain from her face. Dante never gave her a feather, only the Indian blanket. She stared at the feather as if it was an evil talisman.

“What is that? And where did you get it?”

Truly glanced over her shoulder. “What? Oh, this?” Smiling, she picked up the feather, waving it in front of her then placed it down. “A crow feather. Dante gave it to me last night.” She sighed.

Amy’s stomach tightened. She didn’t like this at all. “Truly. A crow feather? You don’t find that odd?” She didn’t care if Jake thought she was crazy, she had to talk to Bill now. If Bill made sense of what happened last night, she could explain it to Truly. If she tried now, Truly wouldn’t believe her.

“We didn’t get around to talking about the significance of the feather.” Truly blushed so Amy had an idea why Truly and Dante didn’t get around to discussing the feather. “God, Amy, it’s only a feather. I’ve been around the block. I can take care of myself. Dante is arrogant, not dangerous.” Truly twirled the crow feather in her fingers.

Amy remembered the fear in Bill’s eyes when he mentioned the crow’s feather.

Scientists like to have proof, physical evidence. She couldn’t call this physical evidence or proof, only a creepy coincidence. Bill said it wasn’t a good sign. She didn’t know what it meant but she was going to find out.

She picked up the phone. “Hello? Jake? Sorry to call you at work.” She had waited until Truly went into another room to work so she wouldn’t over hear the conversation.

“That’s fine. I just got in. Do you have results this soon?”

“No, nothing yet. I was wondering if you were free for lunch. I had something I wanted to talk to you about.” Realizing that sounded awfully vague, she added,

“Someplace quiet because this has to do with what your grandfather was talking about last night.”

He paused for several moments and she thought he’d turn her down. “I can’t meet you for lunch. Bill went into the hospital last night.”

“Oh no, is he all right?”

“Yes, he’s fine. They’re keeping him another night to be sure. His blood pressure went up. After I left your place, he paged me again. I’ve been at the hospital since.”

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“Oh, then we can make this another time, of course.” She drew squiggly lines on a piece of paper. Her hands were shaking.

“No, I’d like to see you tonight. Some place quiet,” he said as if considering options.

“I can fix you dinner at my place after I visit Bill.”

“Sure, what time?” While he gave her the time and direction her stomach did a twirl. She wanted to bury her head in his chest and tell him all her worries—the coyote who traveled through walls, the psycho boyfriend who was dating her girlfriend, her neighbor’s friend who might have been murdered by a supernatural coyote, and how Amy thought Bill and his Coyote myth was somehow connected. She wanted to hear that Jake could make it right or at least explain it all so this craziness made sense.

* * * * *

After work she stopped at Betty’s house. Her friend was working in her garden.

Betty stood and gave her a tearful hug. “I still can’t believe it, Amy. He was in great shape. Worked out, hiked a few days a week.”

“I’m so sorry. You two seemed to hit it off so well.” She held Betty’s hand. “Is there anything I can do?”

“No, no. I’m fine.” She wiped her eyes with her forearm.

“I don’t like you being alone.” Amy looked out into the desert. Was he out there?

Was Betty next? “You didn’t find a crow’s feather, did you?”

“A what?” Betty frowned, looking confused.

“Crow feather. Never mind. Do me a favor. That coyote we keep seeing around. If you see it, stay away from it. I think it’s rabid.”

With a nod, Betty picked up her garden tools and walked toward her shed. Amy followed. “Something ain’t right about the animal. If I see it again on my property, I’ll shoot it.”

* * * * *

Later that evening, Amy stood outside Jake’s house, holding her fist against the door but didn’t knock. She was filled with trepidation at the thought of telling him all her strange experiences with the coyote. Last night at the restaurant with Jake, she felt the sparks flying between them especially while they danced. There was something dark and sexy about him. He was attractive in a different way from Dante—more open and approachable. Would she spoil it once she started talking about her bizarre dreams, the coyote’s strange appearances and her suspicions about Lupi’s death? But she had to tell him. Too many unusual things were happening to brush it off as coincidence.

If she was right, then Truly was in danger and maybe Betty too. She knocked and her stomach twisted.

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Kathy Kulig

The door swung open and Jake stood there, smiling. “Hi, come on in. Dinner’s almost ready.” He wore jeans and a brown polo shirt that fitted snugly over his muscled chest. “Beer, soda or iced tea?” he asked as he led her through the living room.

“Beer, please.”

Jake went into the kitchen for their drinks. Glancing around his place, Amy walked into a great room with high ceilings and a stone fireplace that took up most of one wall.

A wall of windows offered a magnificent view of the desert and mountains beyond. The décor had a very masculine and Southwestern feel with brown leather couches and chairs, terracotta tiles in the kitchen. “I like your house,” she said.

He smiled, pleased with her comment. “I have chicken grilling on the deck. Hope you don’t mind Mexican again. I’m making fajitas.” He grasped her hand, leading her into the living room area where she sat on the leather couch.

The early evening light cast a golden glow through the windows and onto the beige walls, making the room cozy. She could imagine sitting there with him in the dark with the fire blazing, staring up into the desert night sky. “This is nice, Jake. The view is breathtaking.”

“Yeah, the view sold me too. The house needed work when I bought it. I’m nearly finished.”

She couldn’t believe how relaxed she felt, considering that she hadn’t known Jake for long. With Dante, she was always tense and on edge and not the good kind of sexual tension. How nice to feel relaxed and at ease with a man in his home. Then a realization hit her. She’d never been invited to Dante’s house and she’d known him for eight months. Why hadn’t that surprised her before now?

The scent of charcoal-grilled food pushed unpleasant thoughts about Dante out of her mind. She glanced outside and saw smoke rising from the grill. Motioning to the deck, she said, “I think the chicken’s done.”