GNELFS (11 page)

She didn't protest much as Gab picked her up. It was difficult because Heaven was getting heavy, but Gab managed.

"Would you like me to fix some coffee?" Tanner asked behind her.

"That would be great," she said.

He had it ready when she made it back to the kitchen a few minutes later.

"Asleep before she hit the pillow," Gab said.

"She's been through a lot."

"Too much." Gab sat down at the kitchen table. "You found everything all right?"

"I'm a mystery writer. It's my job."

She laughed. It felt good, easing her weariness a bit.

"What do you take in it?"

"Black for now."

"Didn't know you were walking into a family in crisis did you?" Gab asked as he sat down across from her.

"Life, like art, has its little unexpected twists," he admitted.

"You're probably thinking `Why did I bother with this woman?’"

"No." He turned his face away from her, embarrassed.

She laughed again, slightly. "Jake, I know we hardly know each other, and with Heaven's situation I'll understand if you want to just back away."

He hesitated, still not looking at her directly. "You don't need the entanglement right now?"

"Heaven's going to need me while we try to work out whatever this is. It scares the hell out of me. I just don't know if I'll have time for any life of my own for a while."

He got up from his chair and walked over to the kitchen window, stared out. His hands slipped into his hip pockets, and he rocked on the balls of his feet.

"We've only seen each other twice," he said. "I can't say there's some major connection there that we can't let go of, but I don't know. It just seemed like there was something, you know?" He turned back and looked at her.

"I don't feel it's fair to you to ask you to stand by."

His brow wrinkled as he turned to her, searching for words, and his left hand came out of his pocket to slide through his hair, ruffling it over his forehead.

"I don't know. I'll be around, you know. This is not an easy town for meeting people, and meeting people you have a dime's worth of things in common with is even rarer."

It was his turn for a slight laugh.

"I kind of know what you're talking about," she said. "It's hard to meet a man who's not scared away by your five-year-old."

"And me, hell, I'm not that exciting as people go. Once you get past that notion that I do something a little different for a living, I'm worse than average."

Gabrielle lifted her fingers to her temples. "Ah, life is so confusing. For the record, I like you, Tanner."

"I like you too," he said doing a bad Nicholson impression followed by a broad grin and raised eyebrows.

"You just met me."

"I'm a sensitive artist."

She didn't know what to do, didn't know what to say to him or what to ask him.

He threw up his hands. "You've got enough to worry about without dealing with my emotions," he said. "I'll get out of your way. Uh, but if you need me you can call, or if you want somebody to talk to, I'm around. Maybe when it's leveled off we can talk again."

“Let's stay in touch. I want to see you again. It's not that I don't. I hope you understand.”

"I will stay in touch, just let me know. Maybe I can come by some.”

“Soon. Really."

He walked over to her and softly kissed her forehead before showing himself out. She stayed at the table for several minutes, her eyes closed, trying to sort things out. She had much to do, but for a while she just let the emotions range about inside her.

After a minute or two, she got up, worry about Heaven winning out. She went to the small desk in the spare bedroom where she did her paperwork and dug Dave's number out of a cubbyhole. She didn't get an answer when she tried his house, and she had no work or cell number for him. She counted the time zones in her head, realized it was still early morning in California and found herself wondering where he must be. Sleeping with someone? Add some jealousy into the mix. Why not?

Hanging up as the receiver still purred, she walked to the bathroom. She was just beginning to realize how tired she was, and viewing her face in the mirror crystallized the fatigue. Her eyes were red rimmed, her cheeks puffy. She wondered why Tanner had even hesitated to walk out.

She felt guilty for letting her thoughts drift back to him. He had wedged himself between her and worry, but a flicker of anxiety cracked the dam and brought all of the fears back into her head.

There was no way she could make sense out of this mess. It was as unexplainable as a ghost story. She pulled her hair back into a pony tail in preparation for a bath. She had to rest before she started trying to find an exorcist.

She had turned the water on and was testing its temperature when the doorbell rang. Cursing under her breath, she told herself to be thankful she was not undressed and in the tub.

She paused to look through the narrow window beside the door. The priest stood on the doorstep.

She held her breath as she looked out at him. His face was weathered, and his dark eyes were weary, shrouded with a squint that conformed to deeply etched wrinkles. The morning wind tossed the tangles of his red hair about, but he seemed oblivious, like a sailor on the bow of a ship.

Making sure the chain was in place, Gab eased the door open only a crack, ready to slam it.

"What do you want?" she asked. "I thought this business was finished at the hospital."

"It's far from finished," he said. "It's only begun."

"What's going on? Who are you?"

"I'm Danube. You need me."

"Come from where?"

"I've made a long journey."

"How do I know you're not trying to hurt my daughter? And me too?"

" Something strange has happened to you. Am I right?"

"How do you know?"

"I have to know. Knowledge is survival."

"Of what?"

He offered no answer.

"Why don't you just leave me alone?"

His eyes grew even more intense than they had at the hospital, but finally he nodded. "So be it." He bowed his head slightly;. "I wish you well."

She closed the door without speaking again and realized she was sweating through. Her skin felt hot, but perspiration around her collar had chilled, making her neck feel as if she were being touched by ice.

"Fuck you," she muttered under her breath as she leaned back against the door. Poltergeists in the living room and
weirdos
at the door.

She looked out through the window again. He’d disappeared. She whispered prayerful thanks, then rechecked the doors to make sure they were secure.

Another call to Dave's number drew no answer, so she returned to her bath. The hot water cleansed her of the sweat and worked on her muscles, but it did nothing to relieve the stress.

~*~

She slept for a couple of hours before calling Marley. He showed up about mid-afternoon with Althea Rogers, a woman somewhere in her late forties. The set of her jaw was perhaps a bit too square, and early warnings of wrinkles were forming.
 

Gab found her likable as she showed her into the living room and Althea settled on the couch, her dark eyes conveying genuine interest. After slipping her jacket off, she leaned forward, elbows resting on her knees, as she listened to Gab's account.

Gabrielle tried to give as objective an account as possible. She felt the woman was analyzing her, but she was not intimidated.

As Gabrielle's story unfolded, Marley sat at Althea's side, nodding from time to time. He placed an index finger against his temple, pushing a fold of skin toward his
scalpline
as he took in the information.

"What can be wrong with her?" Gab asked. "I've never heard of anything like this."

"It's unusual," the woman said. "Some trauma following a divorce is understandable, yet it sounds as if you've got some odd phenomenon accompanying it."

"Can a child's mind bring on that sort of thing?"

"There are things that go beyond explanation," Althea replied. "I've read of them in journals, been told of others by colleagues at conventions. We work very hard to gather explanations."

"Are you saying my daughter can't be helped? You haven't even talked to her."

"I'm not making any judgments. I just want you to understand. Marley called me for a couple of reasons. One is that I've counseled people who have been through ill-advised exorcisms and that sort of thing. I've learned answers are elusive at times."

Her voice was matter-of-fact, but somewhere in her tone Gab detected a trace of cynicism. This woman didn't believe in answers.

At Althea's request, she got a copy of the
Gnelf
storybook.

"Is there anything in it harmful? I hear so much about children's books these days," Gab said, "but I never thought until the last few days there would be anything bad in these."

"They appear to be typical cartoon characters," Althea said. “Not images that would normally frighten a child. Of course we can never tell what will trigger a child's fears. Darth Vader, the boogie man, bug bears, Santa Claus."

She closed the book and placed it on the coffee table, and Gab immediately picked it up and held it against her with the cover turned inward. It had to be put away so Heaven wouldn't see it.

"Do you want to talk to Heaven?"

"Yes,” Althea said. "Let's bring her in." She turned to Marley. "It might be better if you wait in the kitchen. We don't want to intimidate her with a crowd, but I would like her mother here."

Marley paused a moment, as if reluctant. He turned his lips inward as he nodded. "I guess you're right."

Rising, he showed himself into the next room.

~*~

"Hi there," Althea said when Heaven was seated beside her.

The reply was soft, barely audible.

"How are you feeling today?"

Another almost inaudible sound: "Fine." The child's head was bowed, her lower lip protruding in something like a pout.

Althea went on with the small talk for a while, asking Heaven about school and incidental matters. The child admitted she didn't care much for school and that she didn't have many friends, but otherwise she answered questions as concisely as possible, usually with a single word.

Slowly, almost gracefully, the psychologist guided the conversation around to the events of the night before. Her voice softened and she leaned slightly toward the girl, careful to be comforting and not intimidating.

"You had quite a scare last night," she said.

"Yes."

"Can you tell me what happened?"

For a moment, Heaven remained quiet, sullen. Her hair hung down around her face like a veil protecting her from reality. "I don't remember," she whispered.

"Now, your mom wants me to talk to you because she's worried about what went on. She doesn't understand it either, and we want to figure it out. We need your help. Do you understand?"

Heaven's head bobbed slightly, but she didn't speak anymore.

"Do you remember what happened at all?"

Again Heaven gave no answer. She sat on her hands. Her feet dangled above the floor, and her heels bounced against the couch.

"All right, we won't bother with it for now," Althea said. "But I was wondering about something else. Your mommy told me that you'd had some bad dreams about the
Gnelfs
."

Heaven breathed inward, a bit sharply. It was not a gasp, but her pout seemed to deepen. "Sometimes.”

“Aren't they your friends?"

"They're just stories."

"Do you think the
Gnelfs
would hurt you?"

Silence except for breathing.

"Heaven, did the
Gnelfs
have anything to do with what happened last night?"

Without speaking, the child stared at her feet. Her wide blue eyes were almost glassy.

"I guess we'll stop for now," Althea said. She motioned for Gab to join her in the kitchen once Heaven was put back to bed. They found Marley sitting at the table, idly staring out the window.

"Any results?" he asked, jolting back to reality.

Althea shook her head as she leaned against the cabinet. "She's shutting it all out—or in."

"What do you mean?" Gab demanded.

"She's keeping something in. She doesn't want to lie. You've probably taught her that's bad, so she's not saying anything at all."

Gab felt blood pulsing in her temples.

"Why would she be keeping it to herself?"

"She's frightened. Understandably. Something strange has taken place. It has left her disoriented."

"But there is some kind of explanation for all this? I mean this is reality, not
Twilight Zone.
"