The Hidden Paths to Power (21 page)

“Within a year, they were married and six months later Ryan was born. At least, that was what we were told because I never saw signs my sister was ever pregnant. Then a little at a time, I saw less and less of her, until by the time Ryan was ten, I never saw her again until the funeral. I tried several times to talk with her but she shut me out because all I could ever do was complain about her husband. She seemed okay with him and his influence made her shine as she became radiant. I just hurt because until I let him into her life, we had been the best of friends.”

I hesitantly took a seat next to her and opened my arms.

Paula burst into tears as she accepted my hug.

I responded, “I know this has been rough. If you’re willing to take anything I say to heart, please don’t let one of his victories be that your girls lose their mother. If anything, they need you more now than ever. When Ryan is stopped, it won’t be the end of the story. You know how these things get dragged out on anniversaries.”

I turned to Betty, saw good tears and asked, “What is your sister’s name?”

“Jeanette after our grandmother. She was in the eighth grade when this started. She had to go to Rangeview after the memorials were freshly put up. She walked around with her eyes down for almost half her freshman year then met the first friend, who helped her see she wasn’t at fault, and perked up some but we’ve all taken it hard. We hold a candlelight vigil in my mother’s home every time a new name gets added to the list.”

I turned back to Paula, “Betty and Jeanette are going to need the support of a strong mother, every time this gets brought up. If you need to know the strength can be found, look at me. I’m the target of his obsession. At first, I ran in fear then met a few people, who helped me find the strength, to know I wasn’t to blame. The community showed me, I wasn’t to blame, when I went into the coma for two days. Ryan is solely responsible for all of this.”

Paula looked into the pleading eyes of her daughter. I could tell she felt shame for letting them deal with this on their own too much. She forced herself off the couch, she spent too many days on, and pulled Betty into a hug. I hoped the healing began for her.

Doriane and I left after meeting Jeanette briefly.

In the car, Doriane said, “She said much, she didn’t in her interviews. There’s a good chance Steven was active when he met Paula. The dark users can’t have children any more than we can. It’s highly likely, Ryan was another child they abducted, but instead of using him in a ceremony, they used him as cover. When two people get married, the most expected thing is, they would have children. Since it also sounds like Sylvia’s power was awakened neither could produce one.”

“Would it serve any purpose to go searching for his real parents? We don’t need to let them know the child taken from them turned into a monster.”

“I doubt they’re alive anyway. I doubt Steven would’ve taken the chance, they’d recognize Ryan, if they caught sight of him away from the house. They probably ended up as ingredients in dark magic.”

That unsetting thought trailed me to Marcus’ place.

Doriane and I went in to visit and update him.

A nice looking blonde man, by the name of Thomas Walker, was a guest as well. We had to hold off on telling Marcus what we found. Thomas was almost on the verge of gushing like Megan when he met me. I managed to contain his enthusiasm to simple banter.

Teasing the hell out of the two cheered me up.

When Thomas left, Doriane updated Marcus.

Marcus’s brown eyes showed concern, “What do you think a young man would do, if he found he was backed into a corner, with nowhere to turn?”

Doriane responded, “He’d likely lose his mind more and not care about secrecy.”

“He might also not care about repercussions, when targeting those he was desperate to eliminate. Deana; I know you don’t know his mind well but you know him better than we do. If he made a choice, which of your loved ones would he most likely want dead?”

“I don’t know what resources Ryan has to work with. Without his casting room, he’s probably limited to those here. I don’t think he could get to Florida since last night. He didn’t personally know Tina or Debra, as I met them after changing high schools. Unless he knows how to find Lisa, his only real choice is the man currently hunting for him. I doubt he took it well, when I claimed Harold Cramer as family publically, in front of the cameras.”

Doriane responded, “We have two possibilities. Lisa may still be a target, as Ryan’s technical knowledge is still high and may be able to tap into the witness protection computers. The other is Harold Cramer, for many reasons, not just because Deana loves him. Deana; you may have to put some pressure on your uncle and see if, he’s willing to tell you where Lisa is. I’ll know if Ryan gets close to Harold, as the warnings on his watch are tied to me as well. Marcus and I will keep tabs on Harold, as you check on the one friend you have left, from when this started.”

I called Harold, “You’ve reached the office of Lieutenant Cramer.”

“It’ll do. How are you?”

“Better since Robert Vincent was brought in. The community feels, we can do our jobs again. What have you discovered?”

“I haven’t discovered anything new. I have a suspicion, Ryan may be targeting one of the people I love, but don’t know who. I trust that, you have protection around you, but I was wondering, if you’d be willing to share where Lisa is. Ryan’s technical skill is unmatched by very few and I can’t be completely sure, he can’t break the security on the witness protection computers. I know this puts you in a bad position but she’s the only one left, of the friends I had when this began. It would crush me if he managed to take her.”

“As it happens, I have a letter on my desk from Lisa. After what happened to Erica, she couldn’t stay quiet. It’s sitting on my desk waiting for you with a return address.”

That scared me because the station had cameras, “I’m coming to get it. Are you wearing the watch I gave you?”

“Yes. As much as you’ve brought good and bad into my life, I am viewing you as a niece. You might have to meet my brother’s children, as they and you, are the closest thing to children of my own.”

“After Ryan’s stopped, you need to do something about that.”

“I don’t know. I have a story to share with you when you get here.”

Doriane took me back to our place, as she didn’t want to risk there being cameras near the station.

I got in my Beetle and took the drive to Aurora.

I saw one reporter hanging around when I walked toward the doors. I threatened more rude language, when she attempted to get a question out, and went back to waiting for something useful.

I was in Harold’s office a few minutes later.

Harold shut his door then took his seat, “This case isn’t the only reason I haven’t been doing well, in finding a special lady. Part of the reason, I was willing to see you as family, is you are, all I have. I haven’t seen my brother in over twenty years. My parents are gone and my other family won’t come here because of some painful memories. I stay because those memories, while they hurt, are precious to me.

“I had another brother. Barty was the oldest of us and was on his way, to being a happy family man, with a good career in computers and electronics. He was brilliant and his wife Gina was an angel. They just had a newborn son named Erik, when they disappeared. No trace of them was ever found but it was what inspired me, to become a cop. After making detective, I spent the first two years in missing persons. I couldn’t find them any more than I can find Ryan Gilpatrick. I was getting high notice for my focus because, I would find many other missing people. After two years, I was convinced to join the homicide division. I didn’t mind because I was sure my brother, his wife and their son were dead. I’ve looked into it from time-to-time but still nothing.”

I had tears for his pain and got up to hug him tight, “As long as you want me, I’m your niece. If you manage to bring Ryan in then do something about that. Your brother wouldn’t want you to throw your whole life away. If we get this ended, I have someone for you to meet.”

“Is it Kim?”

“She looks at life from a whole different viewpoint. Females are what get her going not men.”

“Dang it. I’ll think about it but must finish with Ryan first. After the failure to find my brother and his family, I couldn’t handle another.”

What can I say about how I felt when I left his office?

I was in torment knowing the man, my uncle was hunting, could be his own nephew. The timing is just too coincidental. The circumstances of his brother’s disappearance fit too neatly into a dark user’s ways.

As much as I felt the urge to confess what I knew, I had to take everything into consideration. I was most likely, going to have to give him a dead body, or something to prove, Ryan was not a problem any longer. I had to take care of it so there wouldn’t be a trial. The knowledge might crush him too much.

I took my letter home first before opening it. It was an overnight shipping envelope, with Lisa’s return address in Wyoming. That scared me more because she was close enough.

Ryan wouldn’t have to spend too many resources to get to her.

Lisa heard about Erica and also felt, it was important we got together, because we were the only two left of our party of five. The words in her letter brought a short smile but I couldn’t feel good until I was sure Ryan hadn’t found her.

Doriane said after I told her everything, “Marcus and I will keep an eye on Harold. Unless he leaves the station, he has plenty of officers around him. We’ll make sure Ryan can’t do anything to expose us. You need to check on Lisa, especially if she’s that close.”

I didn’t feel I had time to book passage to Laramie, Wyoming so got in my car. In the time it would take me to buy the ticket, go through security and take the flight, I could be there already.

The drive gave me time to put everything into perspective.

It was a little shocking that everything with Ryan might be coming to an end soon.

My life as a guardian wouldn’t be over but I might be able, to simply concentrate on learning, and spending time with Doriane.

I might even find out what it was like to have a dalliance with a man.

I did a lot of thinking about my wand and the spirits. It clicked in my head that Ryan may be the reason they gave it me, because the two of us, were on the edge of exposing magic when we started. We were both public faces before we started learning.

It was the spirits way of saying, end this as fast as you can. That also gave me another option in the fight with Ryan, in case his skills were beyond me.

Ryan was the responsibility of all the guardians but I still felt, he was my personal enemy. I felt it was my duty to see this done.

I thought about Harold and knew the only way my uncle would survive this, is if Ryan were dead. If he had too much time to look into Ryan’s face, Harold might see something of his brother in Ryan’s features.

I seriously wanted the man to find his love. He deserved it.

Several hours later, as night was beginning to come on, I pulled up in front of Lisa’s apartment building. I had a nervous excitement, to go along with my fear, because this would be the first time I saw her, since I was sixteen.

I walked up to her apartment, after sensing for dark magic and not finding any.

I tried to stay calm as I knocked.

Lisa’s raven-haired, brown-eyed form appeared in the doorway and we hugged like magnets. I was pulled inside and we just cried on each other’s shoulders for a few minutes, as we mourned the lost.

When the flood subsided, I asked, “Where are the gifts I sent?”

“The jewelry box sits on my dresser in prominent display and the amulet is under my shirt next to my heart. The moment I had it, I never took it off except for showering and sleeping. The amulet stays on my nightstand and is the first thing I put on in the morning.”

“How is your leg?”

“It’s fine now. I stopped using the cane a week after my parents whisked me off. I cried for two weeks and threw a fit but they were firm. What are you doing here? I didn’t think my letter would inspire a personal visit this soon.”

“I don’t want you to be alarmed but came across something while helping the police find him. It made me suspect, he might go after you, as the last of the friends I had, when this began. I had to check and make sure you were fine. I just want you to be aware. Ryan doesn’t look very different from when we were in school but may be disguising himself as he moves around.”

“I’ll keep my eyes open. I’m not scared anymore. After my parents insisted on witness protection, they also insisted on self-defense classes. I also won’t give him that satisfaction. I like being a tough, independent woman now. I know it’s not foolproof but I can throw a punch and a kick with decent force.”

I smiled then, after calling Doriane and learning things were fine there, took Lisa up on her offer to stay the night. It gave me a chance to scan for dark magic and to catch up. Looking into her eyes and knowing, I was lying about some of what I said, felt wrong.

Our group had always been very honest with each other.

I told her the same things I told my family, about disappearing for good, if the police couldn’t find Ryan soon. I went a little farther and said, I might disappear anyway, because I didn’t want to be paraded in front of cameras for the anniversaries.