Portals (11 page)

He thought about that for a while. It wasn’t long before his innate good humor returned. “Yeah, we can hook up with others like us and see how it goes.”

“Indeed.” I smiled at him. “We’ll just play it by ear. I still want to get Jones’s take on this.”

“Well, he’s been around long enough to know something. If he’ll talk. I get the impression we’re still intelligent pets to him at times.”

I had to agree. Although Jones had befriended us, there were those times when I too suspected he thought of us as favored pets. While I didn’t much like it, I doubted I was going to be able to change the mind of an ancient daemon. No matter how progressive or human he might seem at times, he wasn’t human. His blasé attitude about killing proved that. Even if he was attempting to be less cavalier about it for my sake.

Thulu called Lassiter and invited him over for dinner. He felt that talking about an unreported shooting would be better in person than over the phone.

We spent the rest of the day taking care of all of the tons of little tasks that had to be done before we could leave in two days. Lunch was quick sandwiches and Carter “helped” me with laundry.

He went down for his nap with his usual good nature. I’d always thought kids hated naps, but Carter usually didn’t seem to mind them. Maybe he was grateful for the peace and quiet since there were so many things happening in our house. Now and then he balked, but so far, he’d been pretty good about them.

We made a phone call to Reo about the bullet. Sloane popped in with it a few moments later, said a quick hello and popped back out just as quickly.

We talked to some of our family about the upcoming trip, finished the laundry and began the packing process. Thulu hauled our sturdy hiking backpacks up from the basement. A thin coating of dust showed that it’d been longer than I’d thought since we’d been camping. Not that we’d gone camping all that often, anyway.

My preferred method of camping was in a comfortable hotel. I did enjoy hiking, though. Especially on the sidewalks of San Francisco. Those could be counted on to give you a good workout, trekking up and down the hills.

I made a short list of items we thought we needed, and Thulu made a run to the store. He was usually trustworthy with a shopping list and could often improvise competently if an item wasn’t available. I’ve been given to understand that this is a rare trait in a male. At least according to the small group of moms and grandmothers I knew from the nearby park.

Thulu got home in time to start dinner. I was cooking that night. My Beef Stroganoff, which everyone said was awesome, and I had to admit was pretty tasty.

Thulu and I stood at our center island, chopping vegetables for the salad and the other ingredients for my stroganoff. He went downstairs to our tiny wine cellar and pulled out a bottle of Cadaretta Syrah. It was our favorite wine to serve with stroganoff.

Carter was playing checkers at the kitchen table with Jenna. They were using Carter’s real board, so Jenna pointed and told him which of her pieces he should move. Sophie hovered over the table watching the two kids. Parker was out “patrolling” as he called it. He liked to keep an eye on things, and his patrols had been helpful more than once.

Lassiter showed up soon after five o’clock. He was dressed casually in jeans and a pale green shirt. He carried a large bouquet of various flowers, which he presented to me with a flourish. I smiled and thanked him for his thoughtfulness. I found a vase and quickly arranged them to be the centerpiece for the table.

“Hey sweeties,” I said to Carter and Jenna, “can we move your game into the family room?”

“Okay,” he said. Jenna gave me her own sweet, angelic smile; her bright blue eyes only the least bit see-through as she drifted off to the other room.

I carried Carter’s game board into the other room, careful to not mess up their pieces, and set it on the coffee table in front of the sofa.

“Have fun,” I said planting a kiss on the top of his head.

Back in the kitchen, Lassiter split his attention between Thulu and me. Thulu had poured him scotch on the rocks. Curiosity as to why he’d been invited shone in his eyes. However, someone had raised him with proper manners and he didn’t ask. Or maybe it was the cop in him, knowing patience was its own reward. Either way, he sat, relaxed in the spot Carter had just vacated.

We chatted about the obvious topic: the return of magical creatures to Earth. Lassiter had some interesting insights from a completely different perspective than us. The necessity of keeping the peace during a time of extremely high emotions had been stressful, so his focus was on protecting people. Even as a detective, he’d pulled his share of extra shifts.

Not having the inside track and working with little to no information had made things very difficult for local authorities. The continued calm of the last week or so was a relief, allowing them to cautiously breathe easy for the first time since the portals had opened.

“We
can
breathe easier now, right?” he asked, meaningfully.

Thulu and I exchanged a look. We both shrugged, but Thulu said, “As far as we know, things should be settling down.”

Lassiter sipped his drink. “Well, do you know of any other surprises that we might not know about? Seeing as how you’re friends with the elves and all.”

Another exchanged glance with Thulu. I smiled.

“Jeremy,” I said, “on that score, I think things are going to calm down. Of course, there are no guarantees, but things should be settling down. Assuming humankind can accept the changes and move on.”

“The reason I ask,” said Lassiter, “is that these are strange times. The people and creatures that came through the portals don’t have contact with many people. Sure, government officials meet them, but it’s not like you’re going to see them strolling up and down Fisherman’s Wharf.”

“Not yet, anyway,” I said.

“So you think there’ll be a time when they will? That they’ll be tourists much as anybody else would be?”

“Sure, why not? Assuming the human population doesn’t try to kill them.”

I snuck a glance at Thulu. He just shook his head, smiled and said, “Go ahead. It’s a good segue, anyway.”

Lassiter sat up straighter, looking at me attentively.

I looked at Thulu and said, “No, you go ahead and tell him.”

So Thulu filled him in on everything that happened two nights before. Lassiter listened without interrupting. Several times his fingers tightened around his glass, but he waited until Thulu had told the whole story. Thulu deposited the bullet Sloane had given us on the table. Lassiter eyed it balefully.

“Of course, you know you’re supposed to report shootings, but I guess I can understand why you didn’t. So this elf, Sloane, runs around Earth regularly, right?”

Thulu said, “Yes, he and Reo are inseparable.”

“So how many other creatures are running around Earth that we don’t know about?” I could see Lassiter struggling to keep any accusation out of his voice, but it had to be galling, knowing that we were visited by the other races and no one knew anything about it.

“Well, since we don’t know about them, that would be hard to say,” I answered. “We’re only aware of the ones we know personally. Most of those we know stay out of sight.”

“I see,” said Lassiter pensively. “And the guy who shot Reo, he was human, correct?”

“As far as we know,” answered Thulu. “They didn’t hang around long enough to find out, but they were sure he was.”

“And this guy recognized Sloane as an elf? Even though he couldn’t see his ears and he couldn’t see his eyes and had no way of knowing that he was an elf?”

We nodded in tandem. Lassiter took a long drink and set his glass back on the table, ice tinkling. “What do you make of that?”

“I think he’s some kind of supe. Someone who has extra abilities,” I answered.

“Like you?” he asked, his gaze direct.

No sense staying cautious since Lassiter already knew some of what we could do. I looked him straight in the eye as I said, “Yeah, someone like us.”

Lassiter sat back and took another long pull on his drink, not breaking eye contact with me. Something relaxed in him. “Thank you for confirming that, La Fi,” he said gravely. “I know that was hard for you. Do you mind telling me exactly what it is you do?”

For some reason something relaxed in me, too. He was the first outsider I’d ever confided in. “Well,” I deadpanned, “I see dead people.”

Lassiter laughed, appreciating the line from a movie I loved.

“And I recognize any supernatural being, no matter what form they’re in, and I can understand and usually communicate in any language, whether I know it or not.”

Lassiter’s eyebrows reached for the top of his scalp. “Wow, that must come in very handy.”

“It’s been known to.”

He turned to Thulu. “I know you can find people. Can you do anything else?”

“I can see the dead, but I don’t hear them. I can find people, and I can find items. So far, everyone and everything I’ve tried to find, I’ve found.”

Lassiter whistled. “Very impressive. And you think this guy can do – what, exactly?”

I looked at Thulu and shrugged.

“We’re not sure, but he was able to recognize an elf in disguise, so maybe he has something similar to La Fi’s ability to see people’s true nature or maybe he’s psychic.” Thulu said thoughtfully. “Whatever else he can do, we have no idea at this point in time.”

“We don’t know who else from the other worlds might be out there. I’d hate for that guy to succeed in killing his next victim. And I’m not completely convinced that he wouldn’t turn on humans, as well,” I added.

“Except,” said Thulu, “he apparently didn’t object to Reo or mention his abilities. He stayed focused on Sloane being an elf.”

I looked at Thulu and shook my head. “We can’t assume that he even knew Reo has abilities. He referred to him as human, that’s all.” I turned back to Lassiter. “Anyway, Jeremy, you may want to keep an eye out, in case any dead bodies turn up or stranger things happen.”

He had been looking at the bullet and looked up at me sharply. “Is there a reason you say that?”

I shook my head. “Not really. I’m just uneasy about the whole shooting thing. It’s not every day that your best friend gets shot. Just because someone’s life is saved and there’s no mark that anything ever happened, that doesn’t mean it isn’t a trauma.”

“I understand.”

I saw sympathy in Lassiter’s eyes and turned back to the stove to stir the sauce. I’m sure he was thinking of the trauma from last month. I appreciated the fact that he didn’t pursue the subject.

“Is it okay if I pass the word to stay alert? I won’t divulge your names, I promise.”

“Yeah, the more eyes, the better,” said Thulu.

“And can I come to you guys, if I need help with anything?”

I stared thoughtfully into the pan where I was again stirring the sauce. I looked up to see both men watching me carefully.

I shrugged. “Well, that might be okay. But anything will have to wait till after we get back. We’re going to be gone for a week maybe longer.”

“Oh?” Lassiter said with a smile. “You’re going on a trip?”

I nodded and turned away.

He sighed. “You’re not going to tell me, are you?  I suppose it’s a case?”

“Yeah, it’s a case,” said Thulu. “As to where, well, we’re going through a portal to another world. Two other worlds, actually.”

Lassiter’s mouth dropped open, as he sat in stunned silence. “Seriously?” he finally managed.

Thulu and I both nodded.

“You mean to tell me the two of you are going off-world?” His voice was filled with incredulity. “Wow, just wow. And, of course, most people will never know about this, will they?” he added, with a touch of sadness and shaking his head.

“Probably not,” said Thulu cheerfully.

“We tend to stay under the radar, remember?” I added with a grin.

Lassiter nodded. “How could I forget?”

We spent a pleasant time before dinner discussing our trip. Lassiter seemed more interested in that than in the guy who shot Reo. I did sneak in a reminder for him to keep that in mind, and he dutifully pulled out a notebook and jotted something down. I hoped it was about the guy and not a reminder to pick up milk.

Once everything was ready, we set places in the dining room. We had a booster seat for Carter, and I’d set his place with his regular dishes. I didn’t want to chance the antique china and crystal in his small hands.

Everyone assured me that dinner was fabulous. But I could tell that it was not Carter’s favorite meal. Still, he bravely ate it and agreed when the adults praised me.

During dinner, Lassiter asked Carter how his checkers game went.

Carter responded with a long-suffering sigh, “Jenna won.”

Lassiter looked confused. “Who’s Jenna?”

Carter gave Thulu and me a startled look, as he realized he’d mentioned one of the dead. At only three, it was hard to remember that he shouldn’t talk about things other people couldn’t see.

I smiled at him, reassuringly. He ducked his head and mumbled something about an imaginary friend.

My heart went out to him and I said, “It’s okay, sweetie.”

 Turning to Lassiter, I said, “Jenna is one of the ghosts we know. She and Carter often play together. I'd appreciate it if you would never mention that to anyone else.”

Lassiter raised his eyebrows at us before looking closely at my son. I held my breath, not sure this man could be trusted. Thulu reached for my hand, and when I looked at him, he nodded to tell me it would be okay. I continued to watch carefully.

Lassiter smiled, as he said, “It’s okay, Carter. Girls beat me at stuff all the time.”

Carter looked up at me and I smiled. He turned his attention to Lassiter.

“Yeah, Jenna’s very smart, but when I’m four I’ll beat her.”

I made a mental note to explain things later to Carter. I didn’t want him to think it was okay to tell people, but I had to figure out a way to teach him when he should and when he shouldn’t. Lassiter was an exception, and I hoped Carter would be able to understand that difference.

Of course, as I was examining this from every angle and stressing over it, Thulu neatly solved the whole issue.

“Hey, Carter, do you remember the family rule?”

Carter nodded enthusiastically. He spoke slowly as he recalled what we had carefully taught him. “Only fambly knows what we can do. Don’t tell outsiders.” He looked at Thulu expectantly.