Part 12 (1/2)

aIam sorry,a I whispered, and as I raised my hand, I knocked over some books. I quickly fumbled and caught them before they went cras.h.i.+ng to the floor. aGeez, do the aisles have to be so close?a Maggie was watching me. aGood grief. Youare a walking disaster area.a aYou should see her in a crystal shop,a my loyal sister whispered.

Anne walked over. aGood day, ladies,a she greeted us and looked around. aThis is it.a aItas adorable,a Teri said.

aWhat a great idea. I have a doctor friend of mine who thinks very highly of aromatherapy, healing lotions, and herbs. She was in Africa and China for a few years. This is wonderful,a Maggie said.

I leaned in between them. aThe lotion works, too.a Anne beamed. aWonderful, Iam glad.a Maggie laughed and looked at me. Then Anne blushed and said, aOh. Youareaa aThe pain in her neck.a She cleared her throat. aThank you. I work hard and read everything I can get my hands on. It drives Rory mad,a she said, laughing.

Teri looked at a few books on magic, superst.i.tions, and the like. aYou have a great collection here, Anne.a aIam not into that sort of thing. My mother and grandmother were witches of sorts.a She then told us about spells for the harvest and a potion they concocted for the farmers. Teri and Maggie listened intently.

aStranger things have happened, right, Maggie?a Teri asked.

aIndeed they have,a she agreed.

Anne looked interested and Maggie told her about her mother and the problem we had six months before. How Mirandaas spirit lingered until she knew Maggie was fine and how she helped me find out who murdered her twenty years before. Maggie told her of the hyacinth, how the fragrance filled the room when Miranda was present. I listened and watched Maggieas face as she talked. That was a horrible time for her but she came through it, and I admired her for that.

When Maggie was done, Anne said in amazement, aYouare not pullina my leg, are ya?a aItas the truth, scary but the truth,a I said. aLike the other night, when I thought I saw someone outside the cottage.a I watched Anne who looked at me with a thoughtful gaze.

aA few months ago,a she said, aI remember Rory telling me that Brian had some weird happenings outside the house. Rory said he looked spooked, but he didnat know who it was. I guess it happened on several occasions.a aI hope it happens one more time. Iam not letting him go this time,a I said decisively and looked at Teri. aI mean it.a We browsed for a while as Maggie and Teri bought a few items. The day turned warm and sunny as we walked to the pub to meet the guys.

aThis would be a good day to see the cliffs,a I said and looked up at the sun. No clouds, this is a first.

The guys were at a table having a beer. Over lunch, I couldnat get my mind off those cliffs. I glanced at my watch, one thirty. aEveryone done? Good, letas go,a I said and started to get up.

aWhoa, Sherlock, whatas the hurry?a aItas a gorgeous day. I want to see the cliffs,a I said frankly.

Mac got up. aGood idea. Letas go.a We stood there and no one else got up. aCamon, letas go,a I said impatiently. aIave got to go back and change.a Teri and Maggie looked at each other. aWe decided itas not safe for you two to go down there,a Teri said and Maggie looked at me.

We? I got a little indignant, well more than a little. aLook. I know itas risky, but weave got to see whatas down there. Weall be fine.a aSomeone will get hurt,a Maggie said, and I knew she meant me.

I was going to say something when Mac put his hand on my shoulder and squeezed too hard. aOkay, youare right,a he said and glanced at me before he continued, aWhatever is down there will stay down there. Peter has been going down there for months. Maybe heall find out what it is. Maybe heall let us in on it. If he doesnat, Kate will have to figure something else out. Iad hate to see Peter get deeper into trouble. Kate thinks heas in over his head. I agree,a he said frankly.

I understood what he was doing and sat down. aLetas think of something else,a I sighed and Mac sat next to me.

aDonat you see that someone might get hurt?a Teri tried to explain.

Mac nodded. aYes, honey, I see what youare saying and youare right.a Boy, Mac is good at this.

Maggie looked at me. aKate, you know if something is going to happen, itas going to be to you,a she said.

I am not good at this. I understood what Mac was doing, but I got irritated and my pride was about to take over. I didnat need anyoneas permission, being in my safe detached loop for so long. I s.h.i.+fted angrily in my chair.

Mac could see I was about to say something rash and said quickly, aI know how you both feel,a he said and glared at me.

I was drumming my fingers on the table.

Teri looked at both of us. aPlease, please, please, be careful,a she conceded.

Mac stood up quickly and said, aI will. I promise.a I jumped up and sent the silverware clanging to the floor.

Maggie put her hand to her forehead. aG.o.d, this is a mistake, I can feel it.a aDonat be a pessimist. It doesnat suit you, Doctor.a I laughed, kneeling next to her. I picked up the wayward silverware and looked up; our eyes locked for a moment. aIawead better get going.a Maggie grinned slightly and took the knife from my hand. aBefore you kill someone,a she offered seriously.

aWeall meet you over there in twenty minutes. We gotta change. Camon, Charlie,a Mac said, sounding like a little kid.

Charlie grudgingly got up. aI thought theyad forget about me,a he said and followed us.

As we dashed out the door, pulling Charlie with us, we heard Teri, or was it our mother? aDonat drive too fast!a

Chapter 18.

Mac drove too fast. aI hope we find something, Kate.a He was as excited as I was as he drove around the curve. aI do, too. Thereas gotta be something down there.a aWater. Weare gonna get wet,a Charlie said from the back.

We pulled up to the house and jumped out. We ran upstairs to our rooms and changed. I put on my work clothes, as I call thema”old jeans and heavy boots. A s.h.i.+rt and my old baggy sweater. I was ready.

I ran out of my room as Mac came out of his, pulling on a sweats.h.i.+rt. Charlie was already downstairs. I made a detour and grabbed a flashlight from the kitchen drawer. We laughed like a couple of kids as we ran to the car.

As we pulled up to the cliffs, we saw Maggie and Teri were leaning against the car waiting for us. The wind wasnat too bad. That was a good sign.

aWhatas the game plan?a Charlie asked hesitantly as he took off his sungla.s.ses.

I had forgotten mine. I squinted and held my hand in front of my face to see him. aI thought I would go down first, then Mac. Charlie, would you mind taking up the rear?a Charlie shook his head. aYour ballgame, Kate. Lead on.a aOkay, letas go,a I said and turned to Maggie.

aKate, please be careful. You know how youa”a aYouare gonna jinx me. Iall be fine. Can I borrow your sungla.s.ses? I forgot mine.a She took them off and handed them to me. aThanks, Iall bring aem back.a aI couldnat care less about them. Just bringa Oh, get out of here,a she said anxiously and looked away.

aYou worry too much,a I said and put on her sungla.s.ses.

She hesitated, then hugged me around the neck. aDonat do anything reckless, Miss Ryan,a she whispered against my cheek.

I pulled back and laughed. aI cannot guarantee something like that,a I said and playfully patted her cheek.

Tim was giving instructions to Mac and Charlie. aIall tell you from experience, mind the swells and the wind. When the waves go out, do most of your movina. Stay low and watch the swells.a We all walked to the edge and looked down. It wasnat that steep. Starting out, it was a gentle slope, but it did get steep later. I looked up at the suna”still no clouds and it was almost hot.

I pulled the sweater off and tossed it to Maggie. aIf I donat come back, you keep it.a aDammit, Kate!a Maggie said.

Teri agreed, aDonat talk like that.a aSorry, I was kidding. Teri, you can keep it.a I started down the path, which was only fifty feet or so. Mac followed at a safe distance, then Charlie. It took us roughly thirty minutes to travel the short distance. Once on the sh.o.r.e, we noticed there wasnat much room to maneuver.

aWell,a I said, raising my voice. aThe cavern is over there.a I pointed south and led, staying as close to the cliffs as I could. The waves were not nearly as high as they were two days before.

We slowly made our way around the rocks. As we got closer to the cave entrance, the waves started cras.h.i.+ng against the rocks. One good wave showered us and we were soaked.

I yelled back. aStay low. Once the next wave hits, we move.a They both nodded. We started climbing the low slippery rocks; this was where I slipped the last time. The waves ebbed and we moved as quickly as we could. When the waves came again, we almost lay on the rocks. The cold seawater washed over us, and we started again.

The opening of the cavern was about forty feet away. I was exhilarated and impatient to get there. I heard Mac yell to me to take it slow. I nodded and continued along the slippery rocks. Then it happened.

We heard Charlie cry out as he slipped. I saw the panic on his face as the wave carried him out. My heart raced and I made my way back to Mac. We both lay flat on the rocks and reached for Charlie. He floundered for a moment, getting a mouthful of seawater, then reached for us.

Mac and I caught him by the sweater and frantically pulled him onto the rocks.