Viator (The Viator Chronicles Book 1) (29 page)

“Is Bruce in town?” Hannah asked.

“No, but he’ll be back Friday. He’ll be here for the weekend.” He sipped his coffee. “Your new girl seems like she’s learning the ropes. How’s she working out?”

“She’s wonderful. It’s nice to finally feel all right about taking a break or leaving the shop for a little bit. I know the place won’t fall apart without me.”

Erin watched him, noticing the sharp line of his jaw, his cheekbones, his straight nose, the dark gray of his eyes. She thought about what he’d said about her dreams and remembered how he’d looked in the laundry room with the scars covering his body. She felt a sudden urge to reach out and touch his face, to get up close and hold onto him.

He looked across and held her gaze. “I’ve been trying to learn the Schubert you got me—it’s hard work.”

She relaxed and smiled. “Yes, I know. Just let me know if you need a lesson.”

“Maybe I’ll do that.” He looked back at Hannah. “You and Carlos are coming to Aleesha’s Saturday?”

She laughed. “Of course we’ll be there. Aleesha would never forgive us if we didn’t.”

He took a drink of his coffee, leaned forward and put his hand on Erin’s arm. “And you, too?”

“I’ll be there,” she said. The pressure of his hand sent tingles up to her scalp. He sat still, holding her arm for a moment.

He pulled his hand away and gulped down the rest of his coffee. “Good. I’d better run. Nice to see you two.”

“Bye, see you Saturday,” Hannah said.

“Bye,” Erin said.

He rushed out of the bakery and was soon out of sight.

“For a minute there, I thought he was going to eat you up,” Hannah said.

“What? What do you mean?”

“Couldn’t you tell? I could feel it like electricity. He’s very attracted to you.”

Erin looked out the window in the direction Michael had gone. “Do you really think so? To tell you the truth, I’ve always been a little afraid of him.”

Hannah nodded. “He is a little frightening. He seems very complex.”

“Exactly.”

“Is Gary going to dinner Saturday, too?”

Erin’s eyes slid over to her friend’s. “Yes. We’ll be there together.”

“That should be interesting.”

*****

Erin helped at the counter with sales until her next lesson—a sixth grade boy who showed some real talent. The lesson went well, and after he left, Erin saw that Gary had left her a message on her cell phone. She called him back.

“Erin. You got my message?”

“Yes. Did you get back in time to see Henry last night?”

“Yes, I kept him up late looking at paperwork.”

“How’s he doing?” Erin asked.

“All right. He’s back to his old annoying self.”

Erin laughed. “Good. I had a dream about him last night.”

“What? I didn’t think you remembered your dreams. And you’ve never met him. Should I be jealous?” Gary asked.

“I wouldn’t worry about it. In my dream, Henry was an overweight, frightened, middle-aged coward. Please don’t tell him I said that.”

“Hah. You just described him perfectly,” Gary said.

Erin shivered. She felt her back where she still had a faint scar. Her legs felt wobbly.

“Is everything all right?” Gary asked.

“Yes, yes. Fine,” she said. “It was such a strange dream. There was another man—a huge man—named, um, Lehman. He was trying to hurt Henry, and so I, um, I killed him.”

Gary was silent. “Erin, that is weird. A man named Lehman is a suspect in Henry’s shooting.”

“What?” Erin sat down. Her head felt light.

“Are you okay?” Gary asked.

She rubbed her forehead.
Get hold of yourself. It was just a dream.
“I’m fine. I was just startled at the coincidence. It’s pretty amazing.”

His voice was cold. “Yeah, it’s strange.”

Erin sat still and silent. She heard an angry voice speaking to Gary in the background.

“Hold on a minute,” he said. There was more muffled talking, and then Gary got back on the line. “Sorry.”

“Who’s there?” she asked.

“Oh, a client just got here. I’ve got to go.”

“I’ll see you later then.”

“Yeah. Bye.”

Erin walked out of her studio and looked out the window as an uneasy feeling settled in her stomach.

Chapter 41

Dinner was done and the kitchen cleaned up, and Erin sat on the couch in the living room reading a few stories to the children. Her mind kept traveling back to Gary and to Michael. She didn’t know what to think about Michael’s explanation of their dreams, and she was anxious about the men confronting Gary, in spite of his reassurances. A gust of wind blew hard outside, shaking the little house.

“Is a storm coming?” Gwen asked.

“I don’t think so. It’s just a bit of wind for now,” Erin said. She looked out the window, and the dark water of the Sound was covered with whitecaps.

“Darn. We haven’t had a storm since winter,” Matt said. “They’re exciting!”

Erin laughed. There was nothing like one’s own children to lighten the mood. In that, she was much luckier than Michael. Although she had lost her husband, she still had her children. Even though his ex-wife was still alive, he had lost her just the same. His child, then his wife. She shuddered.

“Are you cold, Mommy?” Gwen asked.

“No, just had a little shiver. Okay, time to get ready for bed.”

“One more story?” Gwen asked.

“All right, just a short one.”

After the children were both in bed, Erin took off her clothes and wrapped her kimono around herself. Barefoot, she slipped outside into her garden and walked down to the beach. The wind almost tore the robe from her, and the cold raised her skin in goosebumps. She shivered and hugged herself tightly as she stood on a driftwood log, looking out over the wild, rushing waves. The half-moon was hidden by ragged clouds that raced across the sky, like a mirror of the rushing water below. Erin stood there for a long time, allowing the wind to empty her mind, allowing the wind to blow her clean.

When she went inside and got into bed she was icy cold, but she slipped under the blankets naked. She felt fresh and free.

As Erin drifted off to sleep, the fragrance of cherry blossoms filled her room. She found herself standing at the edge of a forest, looking across a gently sloping field that ended abruptly in a bluff. Beyond the cliff, she could see a sparkling sea, spreading out to the horizon. The light was pink and dim. As the sun sank toward the water, it turned the sky red and purple, and the silhouette of a man stood dark at the edge of the bluff. The cherry trees nearby filled the air with their sweet scent, and she saw that she wasn’t wearing her usual black pants, jacket, and boots. Instead she wore a long, white dress, and her feet were bare.

The peaceful surroundings filled Erin with a sense of tranquility. She walked toward the man, the grass soft and cool under her feet, and as the sun sank lower in the sky, she recognized Michael. He wore his normal black pants and shirt, his jacket and boots lying on the ground nearby.

He turned as she drew near. “I thought you’d find your way here tonight.”

“Did you want me to come?” she said.

“Yes.”

Erin stood next to him, her arm brushing against his. They both looked out over the bluff at the sky and the water below. Although the breeze was from the water, she could still smell the sweet cherry blossoms.

“Why?” she asked.

“I want you to see this sunset.”

The sun slowly sank as the sky blushed red. As it neared the horizon, the sun appeared to drip, fiery and blazing, into the water, spreading out until it was lost from view. Then it reappeared, a shimmering orb, as the water cast the sun’s reflection back into the sky. It slowly faded until all that was left was the blood-red stain on the horizon. A few stars glittered above in the darkening sky.

“Beautiful,” Erin whispered.

“Yes, now be very still and listen.”

She watched and listened as the stars began to light up the sky. After a few more became visible, she heard faint music, like singing. More stars appeared, and the music grew louder, until there was a chorus of voices, the intricate melody graceful and pure.

She whispered, “I’ve never heard the stars before.”

He smiled. “You’ve been a viator for two years now. It’s time you heard the stars sing.”

They stood and listened for a while.

Michael reached out his hand and clasped hers. “How long were you married?”

Erin was surprised and tears came to her eyes. “Twelve years.”

“And it was a car accident? You were there?”

“Oh, yes.” She turned away. “I was driving.”

Michael put his hand on her shoulder, holding her still. “You followed him.”

“I followed him as far as I could. I called and called for him. I tried to catch him. I tried to get him to come back. But I failed.”

Michael held both of her shoulders, bringing her around to face him. “It wasn’t your fault. You couldn’t have brought him back.”

Erin shook her head and looked at the ground. “I wasn’t fast enough. I couldn’t do anything right. I failed him.”

“Who told you that?”

She thought for a minute. “The mortifer.”

“Their greatest power is fear. Their greatest weapon is despair. Don’t listen to them.”

She turned back to face him. The stars had filled the sky, and Erin listened to their song again.

“Is that why there’s so much you don’t remember? Oh, Erin …” Michael wiped her tears from her face, and they stood silent.

“Will you dance with me?” he asked.

She nodded. He placed one hand around her waist and held her hand with the other, and they danced while the stars sang. She closed her eyes and held him tighter. The fragrance of cherry blossoms mingled with the pine scent of his skin. The grass under her bare feet was soft and yielding, the breeze gentle, and his arms were strong. The light from the stars was so bright it lit the ground and sparkled on the water. When she looked up at his face, she saw he was watching her, his eyes darker than ever.

“Whose dream is this?” she asked.

“Ours.”

She pressed herself closer to his warm body. He wrapped both his arms around her waist as they danced tight in each other’s embrace.

Suddenly Michael stopped, still holding her. “I have to go, Erin; a dreamer is calling.” His lips brushed the top of her head.

“Do you want me to come?”

“Not this time. But stay here a while longer. I’ll think of you here.”

“All right.”

Michael reached his arm up into the sky and scooped his hand across the stars. His hand held a bunch of small blue and white flowers—forget-me-nots.

He gave them to her. Then he was gone.

Erin lay back on the grass and listened to the stars for a long time. No dreamers called for her that night, and she slept deeply.

She woke before the alarm went off and looked at her clock. Little blue and white faces of forget-me-nots greeted her from a vase on her nightstand. She sat straight up and jumped out of bed, pulling on her robe. Her door opened a crack, and Gwen peeked in. She was carrying another bunch of the flowers. The ankles of her pajamas were wet and dirty.

“I’m making bouquets,” Gwen said.

“Yes, I see,” Erin answered. “They’re lovely, thank you. But it’s a little early for you to be going outside.”

“But it’s not dark.”

“No, but it’s too early when I’m still asleep.”

“Well, it’s time for you to get up now, or you’ll be late for work,” Gwen said, and she left the room and closed the door.

Erin shook her head and looked with wonder at the flowers. She picked them up and inhaled their subtle fragrance, then went into the bathroom to take a shower.

Chapter 42

The clouds were low and dark as Erin drove to work that morning. Gwen had carried a bunch of forget-me-nots to her teacher, and Erin took some to work. She looked at the bundle of little flowers on the seat beside her. Michael had said these dreams were in some way real. Had he really been with her in her dream last night?

She pulled into the parking lot and went into the music store carrying her purse in one hand and her flowers in the other. She had just put the forget-me-nots into a vase when the outside door opened, and a man carrying a stunning bouquet of red roses walked in.

“I’ve got flowers for Erin Holley,” the man said.

“That’s me. Thank you so much.”

She took the roses, set them on the front counter, and opened the card. It read, “Erin, What are you doing to me? I want you all the time. Can’t wait to see you Saturday. All my love, Gary.”

Erin felt a rush of pleasure.

Ed came in the shop. “Those are gorgeous!” he said with a grin. “Are they from Gary?”

“Yes. He does things well, doesn’t he?”

“I’ll say. He makes the rest of us guys look bad. Who gave you the forget-me-nots?”

“Gwen picked them for me.”

“Nice.”

When Erin drove home at five o’clock, big drops of rain splattered on her windshield. Clouds darkened the sky, and she turned on her headlights. Lightning flashed in the distance to the west. As she drove down her driveway, she could see the whitecaps on the black water of the Sound.

After retrieving Gwen and Matt from Edna’s, Erin put some leftover soup on the stove to heat when the phone rang.

“Hello?”

“Did you like the roses?” It was Gary.

“I love them. Thank you.” She sat down on the couch.

“Good. Are we still on for the dinner party Saturday?” he asked.

“Yes. Aleesha would be very upset if we weren’t there.”

He laughed. “I’m sure that’s true.” He paused a moment. “I’ve got a meeting Saturday afternoon, so I won’t be able to get there until about five-thirty. Hold on a minute.”

Erin heard Gary talking to someone but the sound was muffled. She waited.

He came back on the line. “Sorry. What was I saying?”

“You can’t make it here until five-thirty.”

“Right.”

“That’s fine,” she said.

“Good.”

“Aleesha’s very excited.”

“Hold on again.”

Once more, Erin heard muffled voices as he spoke to someone else. She walked to the stove and stirred the soup, and nibbled a cracker. When he came back on the line, she asked, “Anyone I know?”