Absolution (17 page)

I swallowed and nodded.

He took off across the crispy iced grass where his fellow officers huddled around Krissy. A lonely howl arose from the center of the circle. Luke’s blonde head of hair finally emerged from the cluster. He stepped back, face pale, hands plastered to his cheeks as he looked on in shock.

“Poor Krissy,” I whispered.

Matthias’ comfort engulfed me. Though he didn’t say anything, I took hope in the steps she’d taken to free herself from the nightmare.

Krissy’s guardian’s glow pulsed from within the circle as he administered to her.

Suddenly, Krissy screeched and, from between the hunched blue uniforms I glimpsed her legs and arms flailing. The officers scrambled to hold her in place. More cries filled the air.

The EMTs rushed across the park, their portable emergency supplies dangling from their shoulders and arms. Between the two of them, they balanced a stretcher. The officer’s huddle opened for them. More screams.

“Let me go!” Krissy screamed. “Stop! Stop!”

Luke stepped away from the people surrounding Krissy.

I crossed to him, catching slivers of Krissy between the sandwiched officers and EMTs. Her guardian’s glow intensified and her sobs turned to whimpers.

Luke’s eyes, latched on the scene, rimmed with tears. I slipped my arm around his shoulder and hugged him.

Seconds later the officers and emergency medical technicians separated.

Krissy lay still on the grass. A blanket covered her, leaving only her face exposed. My heart tore. The low murmur of their voices filled the air.

Krissy was lifted and gingerly placed on top of the stretcher then carried to the ambulance, her guardian moving with her, the two of them encompassed in a soft golden hue.

Two policemen headed toward Luke and me.

“They’re taking her to American Fork Hospital. You can call the hospital later to check on your friend. She’ll be there for the next few hours.”

“It’s not her fault,” Luke blurted. “Her dad was hurting her.” He scrubbed his face with his hands, smearing tears across his cheeks.

“That black eye is from her dad.” I nodded at Luke’s bruise.

“I’ll make sure that gets in the report. Do you two need a ride?”

“No, we’re good,” I said, bringing Luke to my side in a hug. His body shook.

The officer left and joined his fellow officers at the back of the open ambulance and within moments, the door to the vehicle was shut and the red and white ambulance sped away.

The police returned to their cars, got in and drove off. The silence left in the aftermath was cold. Empty. Curious on-lookers lingering at the fringe of the park now watched Luke and me.
Show’s over, people
. A shudder scraped my spine.

My cell phone vibrated in my pocket and I dug it out. Chase. I kept my arm around Luke still pale, speechless and dazed, and led him to Matthias.

Luke was in shock, no doubt about it. “You okay if I get this?” I asked him.

He blinked dazedly. “Sure.”

Matthias stood before Luke and ticked his head left. “Let’s you and I walk a bit.”

Luke followed Matthias’ lead and the two of them started at a slow pace toward the trees.

I clicked on my phone. “Chase, you won’t believe what happened.”

“What?”

“Krissy attacked her dad.”

“What?”

“First the guy hits Luke, then Krissy slams him over the head and now—”

“Are you serious? Why did he hit Luke?”

“Because she’s been hanging out with him and the guy’s a possessed psycho. I don’t know.” I explained to Chase what had happened at the park, complete with police, Krissy carted away and the uncertainty of whether her dad was alive or dead.”

“Wow-oh-wow.”

“I feel like I live smack in the center of a frying pan. I’m sick of the heat.”

“Was Matthias there? Was your life in danger?”

“He’s here, but my life wasn’t in danger. He’s with Luke right now.”

“Where was Krissy’s guardian during all of this?”

“With her. I wouldn’t want his job. I just hope she makes it through all of this. Her dad shouldn’t take one more breath if he’s just going to get out and hurt her some more. Luke and I are going to the hospital. Wanna meet us?”

“Yeah… sure.”

I told Chase which hospital Krissy was going to and said goodbye. Luke and Matthias were now a good distance away from me.

I stuck my cell phone in back my pocket. I hoped Matthias was helping Luke. But of course he was helping him, what else would they be doing?

Having a guy talk?

Luke wouldn’t tell me what he and Matthias had talked about, but for a guy who’d been tied in emotional knots just a little while ago, Luke’s countenance had taken a complete turnaround. Color pinked his cheeks and his blue eyes were bright.

Matthias bid us goodbye—a moment I never looked forward to—and Luke and I dropped the minivan off at home. I jumped in his car so we could head over to American Fork Hospital. I called Mom and told her what had happened and it wasn’t two minutes before my phone vibrated.

I flipped it open. “Hey, Dad.”

“Krissy’s in the hospital?”

“Yeah.”

Dad sighed heavily into the phone. “Be careful, Zoe. Her father’s not someone to fool around with.”

“Her dad is… well, were not sure where he is, but he’s not on the streets. She hit him in self defense.”

“I can’t say I’m surprised. The man was out of control. Is she okay?”

The extent of Krissy’s injuries was undeniably deep and scarring, even if they weren’t visible on the surface. “She’s hurt, yeah. She tried to run away. It was awful. I think she’s going to need some support.”

“Does she have other family?” he asked.

“Her mom. And an aunt. But Luke says her mom is clueless.”

“Well,” Dad’s voice was stiff. “She won’t be clueless after today.” A moment ticked by in silence. “I’ll keep Krissy in my thoughts.”

“Thanks, Dad.” I hung up.

Neither Luke nor I spoke for a few minutes. Was he thinking what I was thinking? That he and I were lucky to have the parents we had? That, in spite of our family problems we weren’t mistreated, neglected, unloved or any other myriad of anomalies that can damage people?

Luke’s countenance lightened a shade. “Everything’s going to be okay,”

he finally said.

Luke, Chase and I sat in the hospital waiting room. The place was empty except for a youngish couple. Both looked pregnant, but only the female was. They sat in their over sized t-shirts and hoodies staring at a plasma screen hoisted on one of the walls.

“So, you see anything?” Chase swept the room with a curious gaze. “No guardians, no black spirits?”

“Nope.” What a relief.

Luke’s face was buried in his hands. I wrapped an arm around his shoulder. “By the way, I’m sorry about earlier, yelling at you. I wasn’t really yelling at
you
.”

His white-streaked, finger-scraped face lifted to mine. “Doesn’t matter any more.”

“Yeah, it does. I tried to tell you, but…” I looked to Chase for support.

His brown eyes brimmed with excitement behind his glasses. “I was talking to Matthias’ father.”

Luke’s tired expression sharpened. I nodded. “His name is Albert—”

“And he’s trying to destroy your family,” Chase piped.

“Chase.” I tilted my head at him, my tone heavy with
cut the drama.

Luke bristled. “Are you serious?”

“Unfortunately,” I said.

“W—wait.” Luke shifted like he sat on hot coals. “How long has this been going on?”

“A while.” I withdrew my arm from his shoulder, clutching my hands in my lap. “When Matthias and I… connected… Albert showed up. He’s trying to destroy Matthias, and he’s using every way he can to do it.”

“Including your family,” Chase added.

“Yes, thank you, Chase,” I deadpanned. “Albert shows up whenever somebody’s arguing or whatever. He’s got an open invitation, intentional or not.”

“Serious?” Luke gulped. “Man.”

“Yeah.”

“And the dude’s not your average bad guy, either,” Chase interjected.

“He’s, like, the quintessential bad guy.”

“That’s trippy,” Luke mumbled. He eyed me. “I don’t envy you, Z.”

“When Abria was in the hospital, you asked me what was going on? I wanted to tell you, so you’d know I wasn’t talking to air or was crazy.”

“Z, nothing would surprise me about you any more,” Luke said with a light smirk. “Why you, you think? I mean, you’re deep and all, I told you that before. But, maybe you need to be exorcized or something.”

I snorted. “I’m about ready.” In truth, though my ability to see spirits both good and evil was at times overwhelming, I knew to my core that seeing spirits was precious gift. I wouldn’t give it up for anything.

Not when I could help people, like Krissy.

“Wonder how she’s doing.” I looked around, hoping we’d get a chance to talk to her. See her. Show her we were there for her.

There was no guarantee we would see Krissy. We weren’t family. “So, you’ve never seen her mom?” I asked Luke, my eyes trained on the arched opening that led to another wing of the hospital.

He shook his head. “Never been inside her house. She said boys aren’t allowed.” He let out a sneer. “What alternate universe are her parents living in, anyway?”

“Seriously,” Chase said. “And I thought my parents were weird.”

“Like they can keep their kid caged up forever.” Luke shook his head.

“She’s lucky to be free of them.”

“Let’s hope her aunt is normal,” I said.

“You think she’ll go live with her?” Chase asked.

I shrugged. “Then again, if her mom just needs a wake-up call, maybe being at home is the best thing.”

“Yeah,” Luke murmured.

Heels clacked on the tile floor to our left, the sound echoing from the hall that led to the other wings of the hospital. A woman appeared, dressed in a black suit. I’d seen her at Brady’s funeral—in Krissy’s parents’ van. Two police officers accompanied her. Her hands were behind her back.

Krissy’s mom. Her dark hair was slicked in a tight knot. Her empty eyes latched on us. Nerves fluttered in my stomach. Her face sharpened like a knife glinting under light. The officers glanced at us, but continued escorting her to the exit. What was going on? The answer was on the woman’s back in the form of a horde of inlaid black spirits, just like her husband’s.

The sight caused me to gasp. Chase and Luke both looked at me.

Chase’s gaze followed mine to Krissy’s mother, now disappearing with the officers through the double-door exit.

“Krissy’s mom?” he asked.

I nodded.

“She was cuffed.” Luke shook his head, disbelief whitening his face.

“I’ve got to talk to Krissy, see if she’s okay.”

“I know, I know.” I wrapped an arm around his tense shoulders.

Luke’s blue eyes turned to mine, struggling hope in them. “You said she has a guardian?”

I nodded. “He’s with her, I saw him.”

Luke’s gaze turned down the empty hall.

y y y

We didn’t get to see Krissy. When we asked about her, the hospital staffer only said she wasn’t privileged to give out any information. I asked the nurse to let her know we’d been there. We left not knowing anything more than what we’d known when we’d arrived.

During the drive home, Luke asked me about Albert. I told him everything I knew, watching his blue eyes brighten with fascination. His gaze lingered on mine, his expression ponderous. The two of us were getting closer through these experiences, and nothing felt better. Stronger. If Albert was trying to tear apart our family weave, he’d have a harder time now that Luke was aware.

“I want you to tell me next time this douche-bag shows up, k?” Luke pulled his car to the curb in front our house and parked. Overhead, the skies darkened with troubled clouds.

“Yeah, okay.”

He extinguished the engine. Didn’t move. I waited. Outside, the sounds of an impending storm brewed: rustling naked branches of nearby aspens.

After long moments of quiet, Luke’s gaze shifted to me. In those wordless moments, unspoken feelings passed between us and I thought, oddly, about Albert. How wrong he was.

Family wasn’t overrated.

There’s no rest for the wicked, or so the saying goes. I think the saying should be: There’s no peace for the victims of the wicked. Luke and I barely walked inside the house to find another mêlée. At least I wasn’t completely alone in this battle any more.

Sure Chase and Weston knew some things, Chase more than Weston.

Mom and Dad knowing about Matthias also helped. But Luke knowing about Albert lightened my load, spread the armor and the battle strategy to the both of us rather than me hefting the heavy responsibility alone.

Luke and I paused in the entry, Luke tentatively closing the front door at our backs. We exchanged glances, our gazes then shifting to the closed French doors to our right, where the unmistakable, gut-wrenching tempest of our parents’ voices gusted from Dad’s office.

“Okay, fine,” Dad hissed out a sigh. He stood on one side of his desk, Mom on the other. “You win.”

“I win?” Mom sneered. “This is about all of us
winning
as you so democratically put it.”

“Not when we can’t afford it, Deborah. A conference will cost us a couple thousand dollars between the flight, hotel and the conference itself. We can’t spare that right now.”

“When will we ever be able to spare it, Joe? In five years when Abria’s lost developmental ground? She’s still young. She can still make headway if we do something now. I’ve heard the conferences are life-changing. They have experts in the field of autism and they talk about everything from diet to supplements to—”

“I said fine, didn’t I?” Dad boomed.

Luke swallowed, his eyes blinking fast. I laid my hand on his stiff arm.

“You said it but you don’t want to do it.” Mom’s sharp tone sliced the fight in two: his and hers.

Albert was here.

The thought, so close to his last encounter, drained me.

Torrential silence followed, drowning the air with implication, censure and blame.

“He’s here,” I whispered. “Albert.”

Luke’s head jerked my direction, though I couldn’t see Albert in the office, I was certain that’s where he was—smack in the thick of the fight.