Exousia (Karass Chronicles Book 4) Page 9

  Valerie was conflicted. Should she leave him? She was still young. She was only forty-six. She had a life in front of her. She had children to protect. Whatever was wrong with Harold would need to be over soon, or she would have to make a decision. It wouldn’t be easy.

  If she needed help, she knew she could go to Grace. Valerie had a feeling that Grace already knew what was happening but was waiting for Valerie to tell her. Grace was a busybody with a wise heart.

  Yes, Valerie decided. If I need to, I will go to Grace. She prayed that Harold would get over whatever was bothering him. She had loved him all these years, and she didn’t want to stop now.

  ********

  At the gas station, Tina was praying that Harold would just pump the gas and go. Lately, she hadn’t been that lucky. Tina was sure there wasn’t a need to get gas as much as Harold did. Unless he was doing a lot of driving during that day, which of course was possible.

  Tina wished that if that were true, he would keep on driving and never come back. Instead, he showed up and acted as if she should be glad for his presence. Not on your life, buddy, she thought. I know what a dark, angry person looks like. I already ran from one. I won’t run from another.

  She wasn’t lucky this time either. Harold finished pumping and headed to where she was in the small store. If the kids were home, she would have them take care of him, but they were in school. He didn’t need to pay in the store. He could use the same card at the pump. No, he wanted to come in to flirt. If it was during the day, that’s all it was. At night, he pushed harder.

  Tina wondered if she should talk to Valerie about it. Did she know what her husband was doing? They always looked so lovey-dovey when she saw them together. But then Tina knew all about fake love.

  Twenty-Two

  Craig decided to walk to Dr. Joe’s house. Before he and Jo Ann divorced, he had used walking as a way to get out of the house when an argument started. While walking, he discovered that he had time to think. Now it had become one of his favorite pastimes. Sometimes between patients, he would go out the door and start walking. Even a short walk around the block was helpful.

  On longer walks, he would often see Emily Sands running. It would be a brief exchange as she was a fast runner, and he was a slow walker. He looked like he was faster because his long legs ate up the distance, but he didn’t care how long it took him to get somewhere. He wasn’t going anywhere physical. He was traveling mentally.

  Walking not only calmed his thinking, but it also opened up channels for new ideas to come through. He had taken to recording the insights into his phone and then later putting them into a document titled, “notes from walking.”

  Some of the ideas just sat in that document, and others he implemented. They were often simple things like how to arrange the waiting room for the most comfort, or who in town might make a good part-time assistant. Other times, he would get an idea about what was wrong with a patient and after checking it out would discover that the thought that came to him while walking was often correct.

  There were physical results too. One day, he realized that his knees didn’t hurt anymore. Before he had started walking, they sometimes complained when he stood up or sat down, but it had been months since that had happened. And, as much as his vanity didn’t want to admit it, he had become a bit overweight over the years. He was a big guy, so it didn’t look bad on him, but then it didn’t look great either. Without trying, he had lost pounds while walking and was now back to a weight that felt perfect for him.

  There were some things that walking hadn’t entirely helped with—yet. He had hope. He used to be so much more easy going. Some people had called him boisterous. Somewhere that had just disappeared, and he wondered if it would ever come back. He doubted it. The divorce had sobered him up so to speak. Perhaps that behavior wasn’t me, and this quiet person is, Craig thought as he walked. He didn’t think so, though. He felt that his happier side would appear again as time passed. Not the boisterous life of the party perhaps, but a wiser and more aware person was emerging. Craig thought he liked that person better.

  However, the murders on the hill were not helping bring back his happy essence. The idea that something like this could happen was disturbing. It was tragic, for everyone.

  He thought of Emily and how disastrous this was for her. Even though Emily’s dream would probably still be built, there would always be that memory of the bodies. He hoped she wouldn’t give up her plans though.

  The town needed her, and he thought that perhaps she needed the town. Sarah had told him they had invited Emily to the women’s council. He was sure that was going to help if she would let it. He thought she had been running for a long time, and not just the physical running either. Craig hoped that she would be able to face what she was running from. Perhaps the council would be able to help her.

  Of course, the tragedy extended far past Emily or her dream, or even the town. Not only did they need to discover who it was that had committed these crimes, but they also needed to know how they did it. He was assuming that they were dealing with four murders because of the circumstances. However, there was no evidence that they had been killed. All they had were questions. How could four young women die with no signs of how they died? And why hide their bodies?

  Then there were the families of those women. They never knew what happened to their loved ones. Did they spend their entire life wondering and hoping and then losing that hope? Was there anyone still alive that missed them? Were they ever missed? If no one had missed them, it would be an even greater tragedy.

  It was a puzzle, and walking was a great way to work out a problem. But today he was walking for another purpose. It was to meet with Joe and pick his brain. Craig had a copy of the autopsy reports and was hoping that Joe would be able to pull something out of them that would be useful. It would be at least another week before they had DNA results, not that he thought it would do any good. Still, it was a necessity, just in case.

  Besides having Joe look at the reports, Craig was looking forward to the conversation. They had become good friends, exploring many ideas around healing. It seemed they were on the same page about many things, and even if they didn’t agree, they both enjoyed the debate.

  Craig would miss Joe when he was gone. That appeared to be happening sooner than expected. Dr. Joe had been planning to stay a year for the transition in patients, but now Joe was beginning to feel as if that wasn’t necessary. Craig had picked up the information quickly, and most of Dr. Joe’s past patients were happy with the quality of their care under the new doctor.

  Craig could understand why Joe was just anxious to start a new life somewhere else. Who could blame him for that? He had prepared his life and his practice so that he could retire at a reasonable age and still enjoy himself. Who could fault that logic? Maybe he would visit Joe in Spain once he settled down.

  Turning the last corner, he spotted Joe’s house. No one would have thought this was a wealthy doctor’s house. It looked like all the other houses in the neighborhood. Most of the homes had been built in the early 1900’s and slowly updated as new owners took over. About ten years ago, Doveland had realized they had some beautiful old historical houses on their hands and that they were treasures that needed to be saved.

  One of Joe’s neighbors was a current patient of Craig’s and had told him the story. The town council had gone to Dr. Joe and asked him to help with the restoration project since he lived in one of those old homes. Dr. Joe had asked what they needed, and after hearing the story, gave them enough money so that every family in his neighborhood was given the opportunity to have the outside of their homes cleaned up and painted one of the historically correct colors of their choice, for free.

  He had also funded a grant that everyone could apply to that would enable them to fix up any age-related problems in their houses. They all took him up on it, and everyone i
n one of those old houses considered him a saint. Dr. Joe funded the trust every year, and they all knew that there was a provision in his will to keep it going after his death.

  The homes on Joe’s side of the street on his block all had back windows that faced out of town with an unobstructed view. There were no buildings behind them. Just an open field edged with trees—Craig suspected this was Joe’s doing—so that they all could keep their view of the rolling hills.

  As he walked up to the door, Joe opened it and beckoned him in, saying, “No I don’t have that sixth sense some of you have, I just have cameras.”

  Craig looked up to see the cameras he pointed to, and realized there were cameras on all the houses on the street, something he had never noticed before.

  Seeing his glance, Joe said, “Yes, I had them installed a few years ago. The cameras help everyone feel safer. It makes me happy because I enjoy helping people feel safe.”

  Craig stepped into the small entrance inside the door and handed his jacket to Dr. Joe to hang in the closet in the hallway. Craig had been here before, of course, many times. But every time he had the same feeling. It was a combination of warmth, safety, comfort, and something else that niggled on the back of his brain. He still couldn’t place it this time either.

  Oh well, he thought. Not important, and if it is I will figure it out sometime.

  Twenty-Three

  Emily looked at her reflection in the mirror and decided she looked like death, and then realized what she had thought and reeled back in horror. Death. Death looked a lot worse than what she looked like right now. At least she was alive, unlike the bodies on her hill.

  But she did look terrible. The days had taken a toll. She couldn’t decide what day had been the most horrible. Was it last Friday when the discovery shattered the joy of building her dream? Or the weekend at Ava’s in the bunkhouse trying to sleep, to forget, to behave like a human while no one knew what had happened yet? Or was it when Ava brought her home, and then the silent hours by herself? Or was it the women’s meeting where she should have felt safe enough to tell, but instead was terrified? The council was requiring her, well requiring everybody, to be honest. It sounded easy, but Emily wasn’t sure if she could be. What if she was honest? What would happen? Yes, it was terrifying. During the meeting Tuesday night she had been afraid they would know, but no one said anything.

  Emily figured they couldn’t tell there was sweat running down her spine the whole time, and her foot wouldn’t stop twitching. On the other hand, maybe they did know, but were being kind and were letting her work it out. Emily had never had a group she felt comfortable with before. She and her mother were a team. That had been enough. Or at least she had convinced herself that it was enough.

  Now, she wasn’t so sure what to do. Without her Mom, she no longer had a sounding board. She no longer had someone who took the time to listen deeply and then to assure her they would figure it out together. Hank and Melvin had been sweet, kind, and helpful, but it wasn’t the same. Wonderful, but not the same. The idea that the women’s council would be like that felt too unreal. Not possible for her.

  Emily shook her head. She didn’t know what to do; she was so disoriented. Yes, it was good to be home where everything felt familiar. Emily also knew that teaching would help. But now she was even more terrified than she had been at the first meeting because Ava had called and asked to spend a few minutes with her after Hannah’s class this afternoon. What did Ava have to tell her? Why was she coming just by herself? Would Ava force out of her the secret she wasn’t going to share with anyone? Was it a secret that should be kept, or was it time to let it go?

  Either way, she had to look better than she did. Her long blond hair looked stringy; she had lost weight since the discovery, which wasn’t a good thing. She was already thin, Now, her face was gaunt, with dark circles under her eyes, and everything about her looked dejected.

  Checking her watch, Emily realized that she had time for a quick run, and a shower. Both of those things usually made her feel better. She had been down before and gotten back up. She could do it again! Turning from her self-examination at the mirror, Emily quickly changed from her ratty sweatpants into her running clothes. She slapped some sunscreen on her face, trying not to look in the mirror as she did so, grabbed a hat, stuffed her house keys into the running belt, and stepped outside.

  Emily lived on a side street in Doveland. Old houses, but well maintained. She would have liked to run into the country, but today there was no time, so she was doing what she called her medium town run. She also had a short town run and a long town run. When she had plenty of time, she had explored some of the running trails in the hills and was looking forward to the bike trail being finished.

  This medium town run took Emily through the back streets of Doveland, around the town square and then back to her house. As she ran, she was overcome with how much she loved the town. She waved at people she knew, and at Mandy who she saw through the window at Your Second Home. She even waved at Tina who owned the gas station. She didn’t know her well, but she suspected Tina had secrets too. It made them sisters of a sort.

  Fifty minutes later she felt more like herself. A shower, more makeup than usual, and she would look a lot better. She had made a decision. She would tell Ava what she wanted to know. Did she have any choice? It was either that or walk away. She had never walked away from a problem before, and she wasn’t going to start now.

  With a start, Emily realized she had made a decision. She opened her phone and texted Sarah. She had something to tell the council. Could Ava find out if the council was willing to meet with her?

  Within seconds she had her answer. Yes. Sarah would take care of everything. Ava would pick up Emily, and they would meet in Grace’s apartment above the shop.

  Well, the die is cast now, Emily thought. She went to her files and pulled out what she had learned in her research. A picture of her aunt standing on the hill was in the front of one of the folders. She took it out and looked at it. The person was familiar. Not only because she had stared at the picture so many times trying to figure out what her Aunt Jean would look like now, but also because she saw that same person in the mirror every day.

  She needed help finding Jean. The council was the place to get that help.

  Emily tied up her hair into a ponytail and headed downstairs to her studio. The first of the kids would be arriving soon. She had a dance class to teach.

  *******

  Sarah had spent most of the morning in deep contemplation as she had every morning since the discovery. Her desire was to lose her self-importance and to have a deeper understanding of what it meant to be the instrument of the Divine.

  She did have an intent to go with that desire. She hoped to help Emily let go and trust the council, and in the end to discover and then heal whatever had happened on the hill.

  It was tricky to have these intents and not try to say what she wanted the outcome to be. That meant she would be in charge, and that was the last thing she wanted. It was also tricky to “pray” for someone, but not invade their space and manipulate their thinking. It was vital to not impose her will and needs on to someone else.

  Everyone had been aware of Emily’s intense discomfort at the meeting. They all chose to let her be, not to ignore it, but to embrace Emily instead, hoping she would open up to them and trust what they had to offer. When Emily contacted her, Sarah bowed her head in thanks and then sent out a call to the council. Yes, everyone could be at Grace’s that evening. What could they be doing that was more important?

  Twenty-Four

  Hank needed to go to Melvin’s house to get some extra clothes and see how his friend was doing, so he invited Hannah to go along with him. Since it was Friday night, Hank asked Ava if Hannah could stay overnight with him at Melvin’s. He would bring her back the next day.

  Ava thoug
ht it was an excellent idea. She knew how much Melvin and Hannah had taken to each other, and she was happy to get Hannah away from some of the tension going on in town. Plus, it would leave her free to go to the council meeting that evening. Evan was always happy to stay home with Ben. Ava loved how much fun they had playing together. She couldn’t wait to see what they did together as Ben grew into a little boy.

  At a year old, Ben was walking—barely. It was mostly stumble from place to place. It was a job to keep track of him. Curiosity ruled every moment of Ben’s life. It was both exhausting and joyful to be always watching over him. But Ben was sleeping through almost every night, which was a blessing.

  Hank picked up Hannah from dance class, and then stopped by her house to get the suitcase her mom had packed for her, a casserole for dinner, and a pie for dessert. Melvin was a great cook, but his repertory was limited, so he was always grateful when Ava sent food. So was everyone else.

  Hank had another reason for going home to Melvin’s besides picking up more clothes and checking on him. He wanted to find out if Melvin remembered what might have been going on in Doveland forty-five years before. At this point, Hank felt that any piece of information would be helpful. When Mira had talked to Melvin the week before, the news was too overwhelming for him to remember anything.

  Melvin was sitting on the front porch waiting for them. Hank smiled at the sight of the old man. He had decided to pretend that Melvin was actually his father. Hank knew Melvin wasn’t his dad. His dad was in the graveyard outside of town. However, by now Hank had learned anything was possible, and he chose to believe that Melvin was his father, perhaps in another lifetime and found again in this one.