The witch of grays point, p.15
The Witch of Gray's Point, page 15
She heard him shuffle in the dark, interrupting himself. Maybe he’d stop there. Maybe he’d leave her to the silence so she could collect herself.
His voice sounded shaky when he finally said, “I’m so proud of you... and I... love you.”
Chapter 20
As Tanner and Macy hatched a plan to head back to Gray’s Point, Brynn held her head in her hands. Why did everyone want to return to that evil place? Even the little prissy girl seemed to want to get in on the action, but Brynn convinced herself that Macy just didn’t understand the threat. She hadn’t seen the weird animal-people. She hadn’t heard the weird noises. Or watched them drag away her mentor.
Brynn had told them all of that, of course, but somehow it didn’t scare them, leaving her to question her own fortitude. They seemed to think they were taking the Jeep, but she hadn’t relinquished the keys yet and she didn’t intend to. They could walk. Or take that crappy old Toyota. Brynn still had every intention of finding the police, though she’d started to question whether this god-forsaken place even had any.
“We don’t have a lot to go on,” Tanner said to Macy. They’d stopped directing any of their conversation to Brynn. She couldn’t really blame them. She’d checked out, and couldn’t find the will to get back on board.
“No, we don’t,” Macy said, always seeming a little cheerier than warranted. “But you can track them. You’re awesome.”
Tanner leaned over and gave Macy a peck on the lips.
The whole interaction sickened Brynn on some visceral level, though she didn’t really know why. By all accounts, they seemed to be in a healthy relationship. Still, she couldn’t stop herself from rolling her eyes and letting out an audible sigh. She leaned into her hands again and rubbed her eyes. Before she knew it, the couch cushion next to her sank under the weight of someone else, and a small hand rubbed her back. She tried to shrug it off, but the girl persisted anyway.
Tanner crossed the room and fiddled with something in the kitchen.
“You okay?” Macy asked. The authenticity of her voice infuriated Brynn.
“I’m fine. We just need to find the—”
As if she’d summoned them from her imagination, a knock echoed through the door, along with a forceful announcement: “Police! Anyone here?”
Finally! Brynn practically sprinted from the couch and threw open the door. Two officers took up her view, both dressed in khaki uniforms and black Stetsons. One older, with a mustache, and the other shorter and younger, clean-shaved and exuding a nervous energy.
The older one stopped chewing on his toothpick long enough to flash a fake smile. The name on his chest said Davies. “You the one called us in?”
“Yes, officer,” Brynn said. “There’s been an assault. And a kidnapping.”
She stood aside as both men shuffled inside. Neither took off their oversized aviator sunglasses as they surveyed the room. Davies rested his gaze on the other two people there before hooking his thumbs into his belt and nodding at Tanner. He offered no such greeting to Macy.
The younger cop’s name tag said Grimes. He spoke with a surprisingly high-pitched voice, and a bit of a stutter. “S-sorry we didn’t get here s-s-sooner.”
Brynn wanted to chide them for their tardiness, but she held in the anger. She didn’t want to explode in front of Tanner and Macy, or cause any trouble with the cops she’d been seeking for the better part of a day. Instead, she nodded as if she understood. “It’s okay. You’re here now.”
Davies said, “An assault, you say?”
“Yessir.”
“Do you have a description of the assailants?”
Cautious to how she’d be received, Brynn started slow, describing two men. She eased into the fact that they had the heads of a deer and a goat, couching her description by suggesting that maybe they wore masks. She didn’t think so, though. She distinctly remembered the otherworldly presence of the goat staring at her through that broken window—an image surely to haunt her for years. She finished her story by recapping what she’d learned from Gabe and how Miriam might be missing as well.
Neither Davies nor Grimes wrote down a single thing. Grimes nodded occasionally, and seemed to be paying more attention. Davies kept his head faced towards Tanner, as if preparing for a sudden attack.
Eventually, she found it annoying. “Are you going to write this all down or something?”
Davies turned towards her and cleared his throat, motioning to his right hand without moving it from his side. For the first time, she noticed the plastic sheen of his strangely curved fingers.
“I-I’m sorry,” she stammered out. “I didn’t...”
She trailed off as she realized that Grimes had two functional arms, and could just as easily take notes.
“Who are your friends here?” Davies asked, changing the subject.
Tanner crossed the space before Brynn could react, deftly offering a left hand for shaking instead of a right. Davies glanced at Tanner’s outstretched hand but didn’t take it.
“I’m Tanner Brooks. My uncle is the one that got kidnapped.”
“So the missing girl’s your cousin, then?” Davies asked.
“Yessir.”
“D-d-didn’t know Mr. B-b-brooks brought such a b-b-big group,” Grimes said, glancing up at Davies. Brynn thought she caught the slightest hint of annoyance on his face. How would they know how many people came on the expedition?
Tanner piped in, “Yeah, my girlfriend and I just came down from Dobie. Skylar wouldn’t have mentioned us—or my cousin—on his paperwork.”
Paperwork? Brynn had never considered that Skylar might have coordinated efforts with the local law enforcement. She supposed it made some amount of sense, especially in such a close-knit community, but they weren’t doing anything illegal. Didn’t seem like they’d need permission.
“Uh-huh,” Davies said. “Well, Officer Grimes and I will certainly keep an eye out. See what we can find out.”
“They might be in danger!” Brynn protested. “We need to act fast.”
Davies made a show of staring her down, chewing his toothpick decidedly slower. Grimes looked on with worried bewilderment. She felt Tanner’s warmth against her as he closed ranks beside her. It made her feel safer, at least. Macy’s quiet footsteps indicated that she, too, moved closer.
This whole encounter seemed especially bizarre. Why were they being so difficult? Did they not believe her?
“Listen, Miss,” Davies finally said. “We know how to do our jobs. We’ll be in touch if we find out anything.”
Calmly, Tanner said, “She didn’t meant to snap at you, officer. It’s just been a while now, and we’re really worried about them.”
“Yeah, well, I’m sure they’re fine,” Davies said with a chuckle. “What’d he say when he came in, Grimes? That he was a world-renowned monster hunter or some such? Surely he can take care of his own self.”
Grimes returned the laugh nervously. “Y-y-yeah. A cryp-c-c-cryptozoologist. Said he was really famous.”
Davies nodded. “Yessir. That’s what he said.”
Brynn expected Tanner to press the issue further, but he didn’t. She followed his lead and chose not to goad the officers on any further, either, but she didn’t quite understand why. She’d worked so hard to get in contact with these guys that it seemed strange to let them go so easily.
Davies touched his left hand to the brim of his hat and dipped his head just slightly. “Sir. Ladies. We’ll be in touch.”
Grimes jolted out the door without a word and Davies followed close behind. They didn’t talk to each other before climbing into their squad car and leaving the property.
Flummoxed, Brynn turned to Tanner. “What just happened?”
Macy answered instead, “Those guys are creepy. Something isn’t right.”
“They know something,” Tanner said with a nod. “And they aren’t interested in helping us.”
***
Here she was again, begrudgingly gearing up for an expedition to Gray’s Point. This time with strangers, though Tanner did seem more capable than Gabe. Brynn caught herself studying his sinewy frame more than once. He was the kind of hot that didn’t quite seem real. She wondered what he saw in the redhead. Sure, she had some nice curves and a cute face, but Brynn considered herself a better specimen.
She got so lost in thought that she didn’t notice when Macy entered the room. Brynn looked up to meet those piercing green eyes staring her down. She worried it meant confrontation. Surely Macy had caught on to some of the admiration for Tanner that Brynn seemed incapable of hiding. Instead, Macy flashed a big, gorgeous—and somehow infuriating—smile.
“You doin’ okay?” she said. “You can stay here if you want. Tanner and I can totally handle it.”
Brynn hadn’t relinquished control of the Jeep yet, and she considered just leaving though she knew she wouldn’t. As much as she wanted to run from this nightmare, she couldn’t handle the weight of any guilt she’d feel for not helping where she could. That didn’t mean she had to go with them, of course, but she also didn’t relish the idea of staying behind in the cabin.
“They’ll try to stop you,” is all that Brynn could think to say.
“Then we’ll stop them right back,” Macy said matter-of-factly.
She admired the courage. A little. But Brynn didn’t think Macy understood the gravity of the situation.
Tanner sidled up behind Macy and flashed a smile of his own. Brynn liked his better.
“Brynn’s gonna be great,” he said. “Skylar trained her. She knows what she’s doing.”
The vote of confidence rattled something deep inside of her. She couldn’t be sure if it touched on a loyalty to Skylar or a need to please Tanner. She knew in that moment that she’d definitely be going on this adventure whether she wanted to or not. And she’d be fine, she told herself, if she could just pull it together.
The visions of the skinwalkers lurked in her mind. The feelings of shame for abandoning Gabe. The shadow of helplessness when she couldn’t save Skylar. It was all spiraling out of control. She’d tried to run from it, but events had conspired to keep her tethered to this place, and now to these people. Running had become exhausting. But fighting sounded overwhelmingly difficult.
“What’s the plan?” she asked, trying to sound upbeat.
“Go to Gray’s Point,” Tanner said. “Look around. You know where your friend Gabe was headed. So, we’ll go that way. Between you and me, we can surely find some kind of lead.”
“And what if we don’t find them?” Brynn asked.
Tanner shrugged. “We’ll figure that out if it happens. All we can do now is the now.”
How very zen of him. She glanced at Macy and asked, “Does anything rattle him?”
“Not much.” Macy giggled. “But he’s kind of a bear when he’s hungry, so we gotta keep him fed.”
Brynn carried her backpack into the kitchen and dutifully started filling it with protein bars and bottled water. “It’s not the best, but it should get him through.”
“I’m right here,” Tanner said. “And yeah, protein bars are fine. But when this all over, we’re going out for burgers.”
“Good luck with that,” Brynn said. “They don’t have restaurants out here.”
“We’ll make it work,” he said, lifting one of the heavier backpacks and heading out the door.
Brynn watched him go, only realizing it when she caught Macy looking at her out of the corner of her eye. No smile this time, but neither did she look threatening. Brynn thought maybe she saw amusement, instead, which only caused her cheeks to flush. She supposed that with a guy like Tanner, Macy might be accustomed to the ogling.
Flustered, Brynn kept her head down and moved towards the door. She could hear Macy following behind. Monsters or not, this was clearly going to be a long trip.
Chapter 21
Grimes stared ahead as the cruiser slid over the pavement. It didn’t take much to make him car sick, so watching the road provided his best chance at keeping his stomach from revolting. The acid down in his belly rumbled, but he didn’t think the ride could be blamed.
“W-w-what are we g-g-gonna do, now?” he asked.
Davies held his left hand at ten o’clock, far more rigidly and formal than usual. His prosthetic rested on his thigh, bumping and rolling with every imperfection on the road. Grimes had worked with Davies for years now, and he didn’t think he’d ever get used to that weird fake arm. It gave him the creeps.
“It’ll be fine,” Davies said, not sounding quite sure enough for Grimes’ liking.
“S-s-she’s not gonna be happy.”
“No,” Davies relented. “I don’t s’pose she will.”
Grimes respected her. Loved her, he guessed. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t scared of her. Truth was, even being around her made his blood run cold. Sometimes he wondered if that meant he should separate himself from the whole thing, but he knew that wasn’t really how it worked. She’d let Hector go, but he’d always had a special place in her inner circle, and that’d always meant he got some of those special privileges. Privileges that Grimes could never hope to receive.
“W-w-we should t-t-tell her,” Grimes suggested. “S-s-sooner rather than later.”
Davies rolled the toothpick over to the other side of his mouth, clenching and unclenching his jaw. He flipped on the turn signal, and took the cruiser off the road and parked it behind the police station.
Grimes popped open his door and moved towards the back of the vehicle, where Davies soon joined him. Davies took off his aviators, regarded him with those dark brown eyes of his and sighed. He clapped Grimes on the shoulder.
“Let’s just play it by ear. See what happens. If we do it tonight, then it’ll all be over before those kids can catch up, anyway.”
Grimes nodded, still scared to be anywhere near her when they gave her news that could derail her plans. But it wasn’t his place to question things. He just followed. Did his job. Kept his head down. It might not have been the life he wanted, but it was the one he got dealt and the only thing he could do was play it. He still believed, mostly. It’s just that he couldn’t control those impulses that made it all feel wrong sometimes.
He hadn’t been there for the last ritual, but his dad had been. Davies, too, and he said the experience changed his life. So Grimes hoped that maybe soon all of his misgivings would evaporate away.
Davies pulled open the doors leading down to the cellar underneath the station, not even bothering to let them down lightly. The metal banged against the concrete of the parking lot and echoed into the distance. Not many buildings out in this rocky part of Texas had basements or cellars. This one was commissioned special. Davies descended and left Grimes to the business of retrieving the doors and closing them behind as he descended. By the time he’d done so, the lights beckoned him downward.
Once he moved through the heavy steel door that Davies had left open, Grimes turned and secured it closed, turning all three deadbolts and the handle lock for good measure. He took the bench across from Davies and started unbuttoning his shirt.
“Just follow my lead, okay?” Davies asked. “We’ll tell her when we need to, but not before.”
Grimes nodded, leaning over to slip off his boots. He sat up with a jolt when he heard the racket across from him, looking up just in time to see Davies’ prosthetic crash to the ground. A few choice expletives flew out of Davies’ mouth. Grimes scrambled forward and picked it up, placing it on the bench without saying a word. This sort of thing happened frequently, but it still frustrated the hell out of Davies every time.
In silence, Grimes undressed down to his boxers, carefully hanging his uniform on the hooks along the wall. He placed his Stetson on a top shelf, then slipped on worn jeans and a denim shirt. Both smelled to high heaven. He made a mental note to wash both his and Davies’ soon. They didn’t usually do so much work in them as they had lately.
Once Grimes was dressed, he stood up just as Davies presented his back so he could get help attaching the other prosthetic. The one that gave Grimes even bigger creeps. When he finished up, Davies didn’t offer up a thank you, but they were way past that. Grimes didn’t take offense.
He hung back and let Davies try to dress himself, gently offering help when another hand was needed. Before long, they were both ready to go. They shared a look, as they always did. The last, unspoken acknowledgment of their humanity. Sometimes, Grimes wondered if it might be the very last time he ever looked into Davies’ human eyes.
Davies offered a comforting nod, indicating that it was time to go. Grimes turned, grabbed the goat head off the hook on the wall, and pulled it over his scalp. Through his obscured vision, he now looked into the haunting eyes of what he’d almost started to think of as the true form of Davies.
Together, the deer and the goat descended into darkness, down a winding underground path to the lair of their master.
Chapter 22
Miriam steered herself away from the emotion the same way she always did. She focused on action. After Skylar had barraged her with decades of painful feelings, he’d fallen into silence again. She preferred it. Welcomed it. The tears dried up when she turned her thoughts back to Gabe.
She considered herself an excellent judge of character. Naturally suspicious, few people managed to fool her. But he had. And look where it had gotten her. She tried to understand why she’d let her defenses down. How she could trust a stranger so completely. The reason scratched in the back of her mind, but the truth was uncomfortable. She’d never really been attracted to anyone before. She’d come to terms with it. She didn’t fear a life devoid of romance.
But somehow, he’d gotten through at least one layer of her defenses. Though she tried to ignore it, her mind had wandered down that path while she waited for him to return. In that cave, she entertained the idea that maybe she could have a normal, healthy relationship. What Tanner and Macy had. What her mom and dad might have had at one point. But she knew that Gabe had betrayed her. This was exactly why she never had any interest in relationships.
