Chapter Twenty-Six
“These pains you feel are messengers. Listen to them.”
~Rumi
The next few days flew by. Angel had managed to keep Brian at a discreet distance despite a constant desire to slip into his room each night. The more she maintained a friendly, casual interaction, the more he seemed to withdraw from her. They managed pleasant conversation when with the family and then retreated to their studies or separate activities.
This growing distance was entirely her fault. Then again, maybe he’d reconsidered their situation. He certainly didn’t come knocking on her door. Angel’s sleep disturbances continued; restlessness, nightmares, waking up shaking with sweats. Repeatedly, she assured herself that this new tension between her and Brian, and the stress of up-coming exams caused her fretfulness.
Tonight, like every night this week, she re-read Daniel’s letter and sent a silent prayer that he remained well and safe in his wilderness cabin. Why had this letter bothered her more than usual? She couldn’t figure it out. He was her big brother, a champion from childhood, and best friend even when they squabbled. They’d always had a deeply connected relationship.
According to Granny, the day her parents brought her home from the hospital, Daniel appointed himself the watcher, the protector. He believed the faeries had delivered his baby sister into his care and tasked him with her protection. No doubt, Granny had a lot to do with that belief. She always regaled them with stories of magical kingdoms and ancestral legends.
Angel found herself wondering how Daniel and Brian would get along. Placing the letter back in her nightstand drawer, she whispered into the dark, “Come home, Daniel. Please, come home. We all need you.”
Even though her father kept busy with his medical practice and her mother filled every spare moment tending to the elderly in the community or some other worthy cause, their spirits had dulled over the past year. Oh, they tried to conceal it, maintained outward pleasant appearances. Nonetheless, every unexpected noise at the door, every mail delivery without word from Daniel, left a disappointed aura in the house.
* * *
The day began under a dullish white haze. A light dusting of snow swirled in the air over the mountaintop. Dark and dangerous forest spread all around her. Angel drove up a rutted dirt road until the ruts grew so deep she couldn’t pass. She exited the car and hitched a backpack over her shoulders. Its weight grew heavier than a load of bricks as she trudged along. Snow began to accumulate until she sunk into its thick sucking wetness with every step.
In the distance, Daniel leaned against a boulder, a dark patch of snow spread out beneath him. A growl erupted behind and to her right, but she couldn’t turn to see the threat. Something tugged at her coat, and her feet sucked deeper into the muck. She struggled against it with all her withering strength.
Angel woke with a start, sweat streaming down her face despite the chilled night air. She jumped out of bed and rummaged through her drawer, pulling out Daniel’s letter. These dreams had continued to pull her into a sinister foreboding web. Something was terribly wrong with Daniel; she knew it in her bones. Simon whined at her side. “Okay, buddy, you’ll just have to do your business in the back yard, I have to pack.”
She threw on jeans, a sturdy pair of hiking boots, bright-blue turtleneck sweater, and grabbed a dark-gray wool jacket and plaid wool scarf. She pulled down one of Daniel’s old military rucksacks from the shelf and stuffed it with another sweater, socks, and a change of underwear. Simon pawed at the door. He followed her through the house, its stillness settling around her shoulders like a cloak. A quick perusal of the kitchen unearthed fresh baked raisin cookies and chocolate chip muffins. She shoved half of them into her pack along with a canteen of water and two sodas. Simon whined at her side.
“It’s okay, boy. I’m just going on a short trip.” She considered taking him with her then changed her mind at the last minute. Scratching behind his ears, she pulled out a rawhide chew and left him on the rug by the fireplace along with two quickly written notes. To her parents, she simply said she’d decided to get out of the city for a few days. She needed to study and clear her head before exams. She often went away on the weekend before exams so they shouldn’t think anything of it. Brian’s note was harder.
Brian,
I’m sorry I’ve been so distant lately. The letter I received from Daniel earlier this week has been bothering me. I can’t explain it, but I think he might be in trouble. He’s staying in a cabin in Shasta-Trinity wilderness, and I’m going to drive out there and check on him. This is the first time in almost a year that I’ve had a possible direction to his location. I’ll be back in a few days. Would you please take care of Simon for me? Take him on your morning runs. I’d appreciate it.
I left a note for the folks but didn’t mention where I’ve gone. I don’t want to raise their hopes. Please, please don’t mention why I decided to leave. I told them I needed a little time to myself. Time to study and clear my head before upcoming exams. I don’t have classes again until Wednesday morning, so probably won’t be back until late Tuesday. They won’t suspect anything, and I think that’s for the best. Daniel emphasized he wouldn’t come back right now, but I need to see him.
If you’d like, maybe we could plan alone time for next weekend. I’d really like that. I’ve missed you. Yeah, I know we see each other every day, but you know what I mean. Do you miss me?
Kisses, Angel
Those last few lines were the hardest to write. If he’d changed his mind about them, then they might as well face it and move on. She hoped that wasn’t the case because other than this nagging worry over her brother, Brian filled every waking fantasy and many of her dreams as well. How in the hell did couples slog their way through these early days of relationship building? It was driving her nuts.
Angel made it to Redding in four and a half hours. She immediately set out to find Davey. Unfortunately, the duty deputy, a Mr. Dunfield, informed her that a disturbance outside of town had taken Davey and the Sheriff away. He couldn’t say when they’d return. She walked along the old western-style raised boardwalk that fronted small, clapboard-sided storefronts, a coffee shop, and up ahead a sign announcing Joe’s Breakfast & Burgers. She ordered a late breakfast of ham and eggs with sourdough toast and coffee. Someone had left a copy of the local newspaper at her booth, so she read the latest news and tried to settle her nerves.
Several hours and far too many cups of coffee later, she wandered along the storefronts and walked back to the Sheriff’s office. The day had drifted into mid-afternoon. Deputy Dunfield lifted his shoulders when she arrived. “Sorry, but they aren’t back yet. From the radio reports, I don’t expect them back until late tonight. Perhaps not until the morning.”
This sounded ominous and worrisome. “Has something bad happened?”
“Sorry ma’am, we don’t discuss investigations until they’re completed or until the Sheriff releases information to the press.”
Angel bit her lower lip and twisted the plaid scarf wound around her neck through her fingers. “But I had hoped to talk with Davey, er…Sheriff Carson.”
He interrupted, “Assistant.”
“What?” she asked.
“Assistant, ma’am. Davey’s the Assistant Sheriff.” Hmm, a healthy rivalry existed in the sheriff’s office. No matter, she didn’t care a bit about their small-town struggles for superiority. All she cared about was finding her brother.
“Whatever,” she responded tersely. “Davey is an old friend. You see, my brother came through here a few weeks back and Sheriff Carson,” she knew she shouldn’t antagonize the man, but his attitude annoyed her, “introduced him to someone who wanted work done on a cabin in the wilderness. My brother took the job in exchange for the use of the cabin for a few months. You wouldn’t know about that, would you? I’d really like to get in touch with my brother.”
He looked at her skeptically, as though she might be a disgruntled ex-girlfriend or stalker. Clearly, he did not find her deliberate reference to Davey as Sheriff Carson humorous.
“No, ma’am. I know nothing about that. I was out of town for two weeks and only recently returned to duty.” He shuffled papers around the desk without really looking at them or her. What an ass. “And I need to get back to work if you don’t mind.” he curtly responded.
Angel started to wring her hands and her eyes stung with tears. When he glanced up because she hadn’t moved, her genuine distress softened the deputy’s tone. “Sorry, ma’am. If you need a room for the night, you should try the Pink Heart Bed and Breakfast. It’s reasonable, very clean, and Mrs. Larson, the proprietor, makes the best pastries and cakes in the area. She sells them to most of the restaurants. It’s a nice little Victorian house, set back into the trees. Head north on Main Street, turn left on Willow Lane and follow it to the end. About half a mile down Willow, you’ll see a big pink heart sign on your left.”
Other than a brief glance when he started giving directions, he never looked her in the eyes again. “As I said, the sheriff and his assistant,” emphasis on the assistant, “will return quite late, it’s not likely they’ll be in the office until tomorrow morning.”
Okay, he helped but remained an ass.