Harley Merlin 12 by Bella Forrest (story books to read TXT) 📗

the rocky bay, passing beachcombers and fishermen and folks taking their soggy dogs for a walk. I showed each one the photo and received similar replies. Nash had covered his tracks. With every disappointing response, my gremlins got rowdier. My clothes were drenched in sweat, and I couldn’t tell if I was roasting or frozen to the bone. My mouth dried, my hands shook, and my brain bombarded me with worst-case scenarios. Worse, it showed no sign of letting up.

Finally, after another hour of walking and shoving Nash’s photo in people’s faces, I sat on a nearby rock and held my head in my hands. Closing my eyes didn’t help fend off the gremlins. Neither did deep breathing. And I refused to bother with any new-age meditation—that amounted to a pile of horse crap for me. My temples throbbed, as if readying themselves to explode.

Tears stung as I lifted my head, staring out at the bleak ocean. Gray water churned beneath a gray sky—everything gray, everything hopeless. Being alone didn’t help. If I’d had someone here, they’d have talked me out of my wallowing, or given me something else to focus on.

“Hey!” A voice pierced the air. A young woman wandered across the rocks with a big, slavering Newfoundland plodding alongside. Her pale face poked out of a furred hood, her nose pink from the cold. With all that padding, I couldn’t help but think of a caterpillar.

I pointed at my chest. “Me?”

“Yep, you. I just passed my neighbor with Beethoven here, and he said you were looking for someone?”

“Beethoven?” I smiled despite myself. “I love that movie.”

She chuckled, the fur of her hood fluttering in the icy wind. “Me, too. Otherwise this lump would’ve ended up with some other name, wouldn’t you?” She scratched the dog between its ears. “So, who’s this person you’re looking for? I work at the police station, so there aren’t too many people I don’t know.”

I pulled out the photo without much hope. “This guy.”

“Oh, that’s Ed Gillespie.”

My jaw damn near disconnected. “What?”

“That’s Ed Gillespie. He drifts in and out of town, but he’s got a cabin and some land up yonder.” She pointed away from the bay. “Is he a friend of yours? I’ve got to say, he’s never been overly sociable. Keeps to himself.” Her voice took on an officerly note. No doubt a force of habit, in her line of work. Though I couldn’t imagine she dealt with much crime up here: a few disorderly seals, maybe, or a gang of dumpster-diving bears.

“Uh… more like family business. I’m his cousin, and our grandma just died.” The lies rolled off my tongue. “We’ve been trying to get in touch with him for days, but there’s not much signal up here, and I figured face-to-face is best, anyway.”

“I’m so sorry to hear that.” She ruffled Beethoven’s fur absently. “Well, if you follow the railway lines from town, to where the woodland gets real dense, you’ll spot a forest track a few miles down. It’s got a white signpost with a wolf carving. That’ll lead you right to Ed’s cabin. Last I heard, he was home.”

Last Erebus heard, Nash had an interdimensional bubble in that crashed plane, and look how that turned out… I banished the snark, choosing gratitude instead. This caterpillar woman may have saved my skin. At the very least, she’d given me enough to stop me from making good on my impulse to wade into that gray water.

“Thank you, Miss—?”

“Call me Reeann—that’s with an ‘ee’ not a ‘y,’ though I suppose it doesn’t matter since it sounds the same.” She extended a gloved hand and laughed, her blue eyes twinkling.

Of course that’s her name. “I’m Steve,” I lied, shaking her hand. A wolf-whistle pierced my brain—one of my Puffball-looking jerks having a joke at my expense. I winced as the delusion splintered through bone and flesh, making my ear canals quiver.

“You okay there, Steve?”

I nodded. “I’m fine, just a bit chilly. Can’t feel my fingers anymore. But who needs all ten, right?”

“You know, you shouldn’t be wandering alone out here without the right gear. Why don’t you come by the station with me and I’ll get you outfitted properly before you head up to Ed’s? I need to drop in anyway to pick up a parcel. I don’t mind the company, and neither would Beethoven.” The dog barked in agreement, its dopey face staring up at me. The officer wore the curious sort of smile that I’d only ever dreamed of Ryann—with a “y”—mustering for me.

Is she… flirting with me?

I narrowed my eyes in suspicion. “You’re not… Lux, are you?”

“Pardon?” Confusion rippled across her features.

“Never mind. I thought I knew you from somewhere. Ignore me. I’m going crazy.” I gave a dry laugh. Oh, if only she knew how true that was.

Her expression returned to a kind smile. “What do you say, then? Cup of coffee, warm coat, maybe some cookies if I can rustle something up?”

“That’s a very kind offer, it really is, but I’m in a rush to find Ed.” I stuffed the photo back in my pocket. “Although, if you find a body out in the woods, dead of hypothermia, you can go ahead and identify me.”

“Are you sure you can’t leave it a while, until you’re warmer?” Her brow creased with concern. “Ed usually stays in the cabin for a week or so when he drifts back into town, so I doubt he’s going anywhere.”

“Sorry, I really can’t. We have to catch a flight to the funeral. It would kill him to miss it, they were so close. I’d hate to miss it, too.”

“Fair enough. Family’s the most important thing in life, though it’s hard for me to imagine Ed being close to anyone, loner that he is.” She looked a touch disappointed, and clearly not ready to give up on whisking me away for coffee. “Can I at least coax you into swinging by on the way back? It’ll save me from organizing a search party.”

I