“Yes, and what did you see?”
“I saw some of the plays you were in.” He blinked. “You’re amazing.” She smiled, but her heart hurt for him, so the joy she experienced from his compliment was short-lived. “You hide in plain sight. I need… I need help.” His eyes glossed over, but he blinked the emotion away. “What if my boy is trying to talk to me and I’m ignoring him? How can you believe in what is invisible?”
“Faith.”
“I have no more faith to give. Everyone I had faith in lied to me or turned their back on me. Or died. Tell me how to do it, baby. Tell me your secret, ’cause I’m all out of faith, and my allocation of hope ain’t looking too good, either.” His voice shook, and he dropped his head. After a few moments, she sat back down beside him, wrapped her arms around him, and squeezed. They held tight to each other’s hands.
“You need closure, Jack. We both do.” She sighed. “I guess that’s why my mother has sent an investigator after me. I know she’s concerned about me, I get that, but I know Angelique.” She laughed mirthlessly. “She definitely wants closure. She wants to talk to me, at least one final time. I knew she’d never come here, but it looks like she’s willing to send someone who will.”
“You’d be surprised what people will do when they’ve run out of optimism, Kim. She may surprise you.”
“Hmmm. Maybe. Funny, I thought about looking up her ex-husband and paying him a visit.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know why. Curiosity, I guess.” She shrugged. “I take that back. I do know. I have questions about her. Questions I don’t believe she’ll be honest about. He knows her… knows her ways. I need answers just like she does. It seems safe to approach him, now that she’s pretty much found out where I am. I think she said he was a lawyer, too, or something like that. He’s from Anchorage.” Jack nodded in understanding, then poked the fire once again. “I don’t trust that detective who called me, Jack. He probably told Angelique everything by now.”
“He may not have, but either way, if you want to talk to your mother’s ex-husband, then go ahead. An ex-husband or ex-wife often knows all kinds of stuff, especially if they were together when they were young. Trust me. I’ve been there. Didn’t you say they were high school sweethearts? Something like that?”
“Yes… she said he was her first love. Before she’d met my father. They’d only been married a short while, but the way she went on and on about her visit here, you would have thought they’d spent one hundred years together. First loves are tricky. I think they’ve got some type of soul tie.” Jack rolled his eyes. “I’m serious!”
“That’s ridiculous.”
“Yeah, just about as ridiculous as Skinwalkers, healing candles and prayers, bright auroras with mystic stories, drug addicts robbing waitresses after their shift is over, giant men shoving said robber in his own car trunk and locking him in it, and that same giant man having and training a pet wolf he has named Diesel, who he feeds crackers with port wine cheese for a snack!”
“It’s pimento cheese. Get your story straight.”
They both laughed at that and leaned into one another for a kiss…
Chapter Sixteen
Askuwheteau stood with one foot on the bottom step of Jack’s back porch, his other on the ground. The sun was setting. Shadows and beams of light danced across his dusty brown cowboy hat placed on his head. The tall Indian man slowly reached for it with his jeweled fingers and removed it, allowing his dark brown hair, threaded with silver, to fall to his waist.
Diesel by his side, Jack looked at him from the back door of his house, then stepped out, allowing it to slam behind him.
“You’re payin’ me a visit. Need wood?” Jack pointed to a small shed he kept on his property that was filled with extra kindling.
Askuwheteau did a slow shake of his head, then rested his arm on the wooden banister.
“Jack, I just hadn’t seen you in some time. I should have visited sooner. The winter was hard on me.”
“I dropped off some pastries a couple of months ago. Didn’t ring the bell. Hannah saw me and waved.”
“Yes, I know.” Askuwheteau unzipped his coat, slipped a black handkerchief out of his checkered shirt pocket, and dabbed at his forehead before slipping it back in. “She told me.”
“I suppose I should have called regardless. Been a little busy.”
Askuwheteau shrugged. “You owe me no explanations. I haven’t heard your voice. I’ve heard plenty, though.”
Jack crossed his arms and studied the man. Askuwheteau first looked up at the sky, then at the trees.
“Jack, were you at the police station yesterday?” He slowly turned towards him.