“Glad you approve. I’m sorry I didn’t have an envelope for you.” He pointed to the door that led to the stables. “Could you please help me in the barn for a second?”
“Sure.” She reached for her coat, and he insisted on helping her.
During the short walk to the stables Jade asked Sam if he’d learned anything from infiltrating Daniels Pharmaceuticals.
“Chase suggested that we all come to McCann House tonight and gather all our information together and see what we have. I’m really looking forward to seeing what Reggie has done with the place for the holidays.”
Jade had to agree. In the previous months, Reggie had restored the big old house beautifully. It was the perfect setting for an old fashioned New England Christmas.
As they entered the barn Jade could feel a disturbance. “There’s something up. The horses are all excited for some reason.” It irritated Jade that Sam seemed unconcerned. “What’s wrong with you, Sam? Don’t you care?”
Sam didn’t answer. Instead he took her hand and pulled her toward him. Her chest tightened, and she waited for a kiss that never came. He pointed to the stall on her left hand side. Confused, her gaze followed his finger.
The clenching in her chest released, her jaw dropped, and her eyes filled with tears. Obviously, Sam didn’t know what to do. Her tears must have defeated him because he looked around for assistance. There was none. They were alone.
Eagerly, Jade opened what was until that day, an empty stall. Her old friend, Tammara the Standard Bred race horse stood calmly munching on crunch. Erick, the donkey sidled up to Jade and bumped his head against her hand. They were happy to see her. They hadn’t forgotten her anymore than she’d forgotten them.
She turned to Sam. “You found them! You found them for me! They started it all. They taught me how to communicate with them. And you found them for me! How did you do that?”
“That doesn’t matter, does it? They can tell you the story better than I can. You said you’d always wanted to find Tammara and Erick, so I did it for you. How’s that for a Christmas bonus?”
Jade stood there crying and stroking the horse and the donkey. Awkwardly Sam kept talking,
“It’s the gift that keeps on giving, you know. They’re yours forever, and you can keep them here as long as you want. They will always have a home in this place. See? I even had a plaque made for them.” He held up a wooden sign that matched the others in the stable. It read simply, Tammara and Erick the Donkey.
There was nothing she could do. She threw her arms around his waist, pressed her cheek against his heart and squeezed. Through her tears she found her voice shaky.
“This is the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Thank you…thank you…thank you.” She caught an elusive breath, and her chest heaved silently. It couldn’t be helped, so she just let it rip and cried all over him.
Sam simply held on tightly and let her soak his shirt with her tears.
* * * *
That evening at a festively decorated McCann House, Jade shared her happiness. Since she’d seen Tammara and Erick in Sam’s barn she hadn’t had a dry eye. Offhandedly, she wondered if she’d get dehydrated. The thought made her laugh and with that laughter came more tears.
Reggie and Gillian exchanged a look and marched her upstairs to the master bedroom. They took turns hugging Jade until she’d stopped crying, then they watched as she washed her face.
“How come you can cry and not end up looking frightful?” Reggie asked, a note of irritation in her voice. “Whenever I bawl like that my face ends up looking like an over inflated steel belted radial tire...a bright red one.”
Jade wrinkled her nose at her. “That’s what you get for being the fairest of them all.” Reggie just waved her off.
They made their way back downstairs. Travis, Sam and Chase looked up hopefully as they descended. Helpless, they’d stood there waiting for the three women to return.
The opportunity was too rich for Reggie to ignore. “Oh quit standing there slack jawed. Haven’t you ever seen a woman cry before? Snap out of it, you mouth breathers.” She muttered, “Typical men, absolutely useless. When we left, did you just walk around aimlessly bumping into each other? The least you guys could have done was set out some food.”
Chase defended his gender. “I take issue with that, woman. Come into the living room.”
They all followed. The living room looked like something out of a magazine. The Christmas tree was huge and fresh and full. It was covered in little white lights, so many that Jade was sure Sam could perform surgery by its brilliance. The huge fireplace was ablaze and the coffee table was weighed down by the sheer volume of food placed there. Chase had chosen to provide every finger food created by man. Reggie’s eyes widened. “My husband. I think I’ll keep him.” She grabbed him by the ears and kissed him loudly.
They gathered around the coffee table, Jade, Sam and Gillian sat on pillows on the floor. Reggie, Chase and Travis used the couch. They dove right in, to the food and the conversation.
Gillian said, “I met with Henry today. I have a vague description of the thing that killed his Dad.” They waited for her to chew and swallow a breaded mushroom. Delicately she dabbed at her mouth with a deep red napkin. “Allan Simpson wasn’t a big man, maybe 5’9”, and Henry had the impression that the creature towered over him. I’m not sure if that’s reliable. At 5’9” someone 6’ can tower, so its size is still in question. Henry saw black coarse hair on its neck, chest, arms and legs but it was matted with blood. Its head and face were hairless with what appeared to be a ruddy hue, but that could have been Allan’s smeared blood. When the creature ran off, it did so on four legs, but it was on two legs when Henry first came upon it.” She stopped talking and looked around at the expectant faces apologetically “Sorry guys but that’s all I’ve got so far. I pick up thoughts and feelings not photographic memories.”
Travis rubbed her back. “Don’t apologize. You’ve provided us with the only description we have so far.”
Chase said, “My research turned up very little. In the New England states, nothing quite like these attacks has been reported in the last hundred years. There was a lot of X-Files sort of stuff but it was totally uncorroborated.” He shook his head ruefully. “And of course the ever popular Bigfoot sightings. My best guess is this thing is some sort of shape shifter.”
Reggie disagreed. “I’m not sure you’re right, Poindexter. Constance said that shape shifters don’t morph into monsters. They can only assume the shape of a natural creature.”
Sam took over from there. “The evil geeks over at Daniels Pharmaceuticals weren’t able to tell me anything solid. Yes, there have been experiments, and sometimes the results are positively gruesome. I won’t bother you with the details. If I did, even
you
wouldn’t eat for a week, Reg.” She ignored his jibe and licked barbeque sauce off her thumb. He said, “Dear old Dad of course shrugged it all off, but when I mentioned the possibility of some experiment going awry, I saw real fear in his reptilian eyes. I think he actually blinked. I’ve got a man inside as of yesterday. Evil geeks can be bought.”
It was Jade’s turn. “Well I know for sure Dodger had nothing to do with the attacks. That dog is a gentle soul.” She looked around daring anyone to challenge her. “We can’t let them lay the blame at his paws.”
Travis said, “Don’t worry, sweetheart. There is no way a dog could have done that to two full grown women in tandem. The kills were clean and quick. Too much blood was missing. That dog did not drink all that blood. It’s ridiculous to suggest otherwise and very easy for Sam to disprove.” He exchanged a look with Sam and continued, “We lifted a partial print off the bear trap. We’re running it, but so far there’s no match.”
“Have you found any other traps when they searched?” Jade asked.
Travis shook his head with relief. “Thankfully, no other traps were found.”
Reggie said, “Don’t you think it’s just a little too coincidental that the trap was so near where the girls were murdered? What are the chances?”
Travis nodded. “I’ve thought of that. They could very well be connected. I’m just not sure how.”
“What about Ernestine? What’s she got to say about all of this?” Sam asked.
Jade said, “I saw her last night at the school. She was watching the Christmas pageant dress rehearsal, but I didn’t ask her for any information. You know if she’s got information we should have, she’d tell us.”
“You’re right of course, but just for the hell of it, I’m going to pay her a little visit tomorrow,” Travis said.
“People in town are nervous. They’d like to believe Dodger is to blame.” Gillian shifted closer to Travis as she spoke. “The Old Families know that’s not the case and have been pestering Ernestine. I don’t think she’s going to be too acquiescent, Travis.”
He shrugged. “When is she ever acquiescent?”
* * * *
Unsatisfied, it raced through the forest. The natural creatures didn’t dare cross its path. A trail of blood was left in its wake. The kill wasn’t enough tonight. It wanted more, needed more. The time was drawing near, it had to mate with its chosen one or lose the opportunity for another year. It wouldn’t survive a year of wanting. The self inflicted wounds were already so deep.
Jade drove home in silence. Rags slept in the back seat. She checked her rearview mirror. Yup, they were still there. The headlights of Sam’s truck followed her at a discreet distance. She hadn’t asked him to do it. He did it on his own initiative. Jade rolled her eyes. Damn it, after Tammara and Erick, she couldn’t be mad at him. The sweet sight of those two beloved animals was the most glorious thing she’d ever seen. Jade blinked away the tears. It was hard to see through water, she’d learned that on the drive over to McCann House earlier.
Jade gave up trying to be anything but happy. She was still too bemused over Sam’s extravagant surprise to be mad at him for following her home like a teenager. When she pulled up outside her house she stayed in her car. That would smoke him out.
Sure enough, she didn’t have to wait long. After about ninety seconds Sam appeared at the driver’s side window. He bent and looked at her with concern. Jade opened the door, forcing him to take a step back.
“Jade, what’s wrong?” He checked the back seat. Rags was sitting up and acted happy to see him.
Leaning against the car, Jade said. “Nothing’s wrong. I just knew you were behind me, and I wanted to thank you again for Tamarra and Erick.” She shook her head, and the tears came again. “I don’t have the words to tell you what it means to me. I…I…”
Sam stopped her words with his lips. She responded wholeheartedly figuring if she didn’t have technique, she sure had enthusiasm. Sam’s hand stroked the back of her neck and she shivered. He pulled back and said, “You’re cold. I should let you go.”
The very thought brought Jade’s heart into her throat, and she pulled his head down and kissed him. This time she tried something new to her. Kissing him quick, she pulled back and looked him in the eye and sucked his bottom lip into her mouth. She liked how that felt so she applied her teeth ever so gently. Sam moaned, splayed one hand on her lower back and used the other to cup the back of her head. She wasn’t going anywhere.
His tongue mated with hers then pulled back, teasing her, tempting her beyond sanity. Jade struggled to get closer to him but they wore too many clothes. She couldn’t get close enough. Sam solved the problem by unzipping his jacket then her own. He pulled her against him and Jade knew a heat, the like of which she’d never imagined existed. He warmed her from the inside, igniting a flame that grew in intensity with every touch.
There was no denying it. He was aroused. Jade could feel it, and she loved how he groaned when she moved her hips against him boldly. Jade couldn’t believe she’d lived her life without knowing this kind of desire. God, this kiss alone made life worth living.
Rags started to bark, and they pulled apart and looked dazedly at each other. Sam recovered first. He opened the door, and Rags jettisoned from the backseat. The dog started to bark furiously, running back and forth from the front door to Jade’s car and back again. It didn’t take an ability to talk to animals to know that Rags wanted them to get inside and quick.
Sam took Jade’s elbow. “Come on, Jinx, I’m getting you inside.” He swept her away.
Inside the house, he locked the door and stopped her from turning a light on. He moved to the front window and peered outside.
“Jade, was Rags barking because he smelled something wrong or am I over reacting?”
She stood close beside him and whispered. “He’s confused. There was something out there, but he’s not sure if it was the creature that committed the murders. It was different, and Rags didn’t want to take any chances.”
Sam bent and patted Rags vigorously. “Good boy, Rags.”
As usual, the dog soaked it in.
Jade asked. “So what do we do now?”
“I’m going to check it out.”
Jade was horrified. “The hell you are! You’re not going out there alone. I’m coming with you.” She moved to the door.
He moved in a blink of an eye and blocked her exit. “How ‘bout this? I call Travis and Chase.”
She narrowed her eyes, wise to him. “Okay. But you don’t set foot outside this house until they get here.” She put her hand on his chest to punctuate her point.