Brush With Death (12 page)

I
intercepted
Yuki before her torturous daily trip past the supply closet.  We hadn’t had
time to talk about her abduction, and the resulting panic attacks, but I wasn’t
letting my friend suffer this alone.  Not anymore.

“Yo, Yuki, hold up,” I shouted.

Yuki turned to face me, already appearing nervous about the
prospect of running the supply closet gauntlet.  Her pale face looked gray
beneath a layer of rice powder, and a sheen of sweat beaded along her
hairline.  Her hands twisted the straps of her backpack in a vice-like grip. 
The black polish on her nails was scratched down to mere specks—never a good
sign.

“Hey,” she said.  “What are you doing up here?  Don’t you
have class downstairs?”

“Confession time,” I said.  “I finished my assignments…and
have been working from the media room this period.”

“H-how long have you been doing that?” she asked.

“Over a week,” I said.  I looked pointedly at the closet
door visible past Yuki’s shoulder.  “I know about the panic attacks.”

“Oh,” she said. 

Yuki looked away then lifted her chin to meet my gaze. 
There was something different about her today.  She may still be anxious about
walking past the door where her captors held her a few months ago, but I could
see some of the old Yuki spunk in her eyes.

“Can I walk with you today?” I asked. 

“I don’t have to drink any of your teas, do I?” she asked,
scrunching her nose.

“No,” I said, chuckling.  “No teas.  Not today anyway.”

“Cool,” she said.

I stepped closer, ready to walk with her up the hall.  I
figured the best approach for today would be to keep Yuki distracted as we
walked past the offending door.

“Are we on for library research this afternoon?” I asked.

I knew we talked about all of this last night, but I needed
to get Yuki talking…and moving.  Her breath came in rapid puffs, like a
startled bird, but Yuki put one booted foot forward.

“Yeah,” she said.  “After school.”

“Good,” I said.  “We need to try to save that girl, Sarah
Randall.  If we can discover the Grabber’s identity, there’s a possibility the
authorities can get to him before he hurts her.”

Yuki let go of the straps of her bag and clenched both hands
into fists at her side.  Her feet clomped against linoleum as she stomped
across the floor.

“He’s not going to touch that girl,” she said.  “Not if I
can help it.”

Yuki reached up to press one palm against her temple.  She
winced, but not at the memories that hid behind the supply room door.  She
didn’t even look in that direction.  No, I knew the signs of a headache.  Yuki
was suffering from another migraine, probably triggered by a powerful smell
impression.  Rose Hathaway must be agitated by our discussion. 

If I’d been murdered and buried in the park, I’d be agitated
too.

“Maybe Simon will have something for us by the time we reach
the library,” I said hopefully. 

Simon had connections everywhere, some from his shady past
and others from his skill at flirting with the opposite sex.  I may be the
library research queen, but Simon ruled the art of word of mouth.  He was also
king of the supernatural grapevine.  If a photographer in the area had a
reputation for violent or depraved behavior, Simon would find out. 

“Cal said they may be late to the library,” she said.  “He
wants to check out something my spirit guide said.”

“And that was?” I asked.

“That the answers were in the ground,” she said, shrugging. 
“My guide always talks in riddles, and I did find the skull in the ground, so
I’m sure it’s nothing.  But Cal and Simon want to check the grave site for
clues.”

“They’re not...” I said.  I had to swallow a lump in my
throat before continuing on.  “They don’t plan on digging her up, do they?”

“No,” she said, shaking her head.  “No way.  I already asked
and Cal said he wouldn’t disturb the slumber of the dead.  But he wants to
search the ground around the skull, just in case I missed something.  It was
dark, and I was totally freaked out, so it’s possible that there are still
clues out there waiting to be found.”

I pictured Calvin and Simon scratching at the earth around
the shallow grave and shuddered.

“I’d much rather stick to library research,” I said.

“I couldn’t agree with you more,” she said.  “I’d rather
wrestle with flying monkeys than go back there while the Grabber remains free.” 
She touched her head again and winced.  “Not really a big fan of smell attacks
either.  This headache is killing me.  I’ll leave sniffing around creeptastic
grave sites to Cal.”

The door to Yuki’s class came into view and I smiled.

“Well, I’ll see you after school,” I said. 

Yuki’s brow furrowed and her lips paled. 

“Aren’t you going to walk me to class?” she asked. 

“Already did,” I said.  I pointed at the classroom door. 
“See you after final period.”

“Son of a dung beetle,” she muttered.  “How did she do
that?”

It was the last thing I heard Yuki say as she shuffled into
her class, a dazed smile on her face.

I
grinned as I
reread the text from Yuki. 
Emma giving me ride 2 library.  C U there!

I was happy that Emma and Yuki were hanging out again.  It
was also a relief to know that Yuki was safely away from the grave site.  My
pack scouts hadn’t seen anyone approach the area, but the Grabber could show up
at any time.

Part of me wanted him to show up.

I let out a low growl and stalked into the clearing.  My
wolf pushed its way to the surface, struggling to break free.  I closed my eyes
and took a steadying breath, letting my wolf senses heighten without fully
shifting.  The full moon was drawing close, weakening my control. 

I was new to my werewolf abilities, a mere pup as Simon
continually reminded me, but I was also pack alpha.  With pack members nearby,
I had to demonstrate my dominance.  Involuntarily losing control of my wolf
would be seen as a sign of weakness.

And if I changed fully into my wolf form this close to the
full moon, I may not be able to change back.  Missing finals week was
unacceptable, and I didn’t think my teachers would let a wolf sit for my exams.

So I focused on the changes within my body and fought to
exert my will over my wolf half. 
Soon
, I promised.  I would travel
north to the hundreds of acres of Maine woods the pack owned, as soon as the
Grabber was found and graduation was over.  There I could run and hunt without
fear of humans. 

But I wasn’t on pack land.  I was in a public park and would
not risk the secret of my people because of a lack of control. 

Eyes closed, I visualized the changes within myself.  I
began at my feet and worked my way up through my body, and the corresponding
chakras.  My body relaxed as I visualized sending all tension and negative
thoughts out through the crown of my head as white light, to return to the
earth mother to be cleansed.  My wolf was hovering at the surface, but we were
now at peace with each other.

I opened my eyes to a vivid riot of color.  The clearing
itself had not changed, but I had.  I remained in human form, but now my senses
were heightened by the close presence of my wolf spirit. 

The vibrant red of the roses seemed painfully bright as they
wound their way up the moss covered stone wall.  It was no wonder that Yuki
chose this location to paint.  A breeze carried the scent of roses to my
wolf-enhanced nose, and birds sang in the trees.  The place would have been a
tranquil place for a picnic, if not for the skull peeking out of the soil.

I scanned the ground looking for clues as Simon loped into
the clearing.  The snorting sounds from his direction, as he scented the air,
seemed unnaturally loud to my sensitive ears.  Simon was our most skilled
tracker.  If the killer had been here recently, he would be able to catch his
scent.

“Anything?” I asked.  I didn’t take my eyes from the ground,
continuing to search for anything the killer may have left behind.

“Sorry, mate,” he said.  “There’s nothing here.  Just Yuki’s
scent all over the clearing and park trail.  I can smell the paints she used,
some snack food she must have brought here, and the chain oil from her bicycle,
but nothing helpful.  The crime is too old and the Grabber hasn’t returned here
recently.”

A pebble shot toward me as Simon kicked the gravel path with
his expensive shoes.  His frustration was beginning to show, if you knew where
to look.  He may try to act indifferent, but Simon had a sympathetic streak for
hard cases.  His time living on the streets had taught him the horrors that
humans can inflict upon each other, especially on the weak.  Simon wanted to
rescue Sarah Randall from the Grabber, but we had to find him first.

“Don’t worry, man,” I said.  “We will find the Grabber, and
we’ll save that girl.”

I crouched, examining the ground at the base of the rock
wall.  I could see pieces of candy and trail mix scattered near the skull and
imagined the hand that held the snack food flailing as Yuki realized the pale object
in front of her wasn’t rock, but human bone.

In the shadow of the wall, something caught my eye.  Running
my hands along the mossy ground, I found a small piece of paper sticking out of
the rock wall.  The paper was thick, the type used for high quality business
cards or party invitations.  Only one corner remained.  The only reason it
survived the passage of time at all was its location wedged between the stones,
where a rough protrusion created a natural shelf from the elements.

“Do you have a pair of tweezers with you?” I asked.

“Of course,” Simon said. 

With a flourish, Simon withdrew a grooming kit from his coat
pocket.  He was wearing his leather jacket, even though temperatures had climbed
into the eighties today.  I don’t know how he can stand it.  Werewolves run
hot.  I was suffering in a cotton t-shirt and paper thin pair of jeans. 

Using tweezers, I grabbed hold of the piece of paper and
slowly wiggled it from side to side.  With a soft sound, like the whisper of
dry leaves caught in a breeze, the paper came free.  Moving out of the wall’s
shadow, I held it up to the light.  The only thing remaining on the card was a sunburst
insignia. 

“There’s no text,” I said, shaking my head.  “But maybe we
can trace this symbol.”

“It’s more than we had,” Simon said.  He tilted his head to
the sky and let out a heavy sigh.  “Okay, let’s go see what the girls have
found.  Maybe this will make more sense once we have information on
photographers who have worked in Wakefield.”

I remembered the words of Mahatma Ghandi and felt a stirring
of hope.  
When I despair, I remember that all through history the ways of
truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants, and murderers, and for
a time they can seem invincible, but in the end they always fall.

Leaving Rose Peterson in this shallow grave might have been
the beginning of the Grabber’s downfall.  With the smell impressions that Yuki
sensed and the sunburst symbol to go on, we have a chance of catching this
murderer. 

I smiled at the card in my hand. 
In the end they always
fall.

I
rubbed my
neck and groaned. 

“I feel like my eyes are bleeding,” I said.  “I so totally need
a break.”

Emma and I had been scouring yearbooks, newspapers, and
phone books looking for the names of photographers who had photographed
Wakefield events in the past.  We were focusing on school events like
graduation, but the number of names increased by the minute.

The list was huge.

I wished we could call Gordy and Katie for research help,
but Katie’s parents were freaking out over reports of the Graduation Grabber
being back in town.  When Gordy’s uncle offered for them to stay with his family
for the weekend, Katie’s parents jumped at the chance.  They picked up Gordy
and Katie from school and drove straight to the beach house.

I thought it might be kind of awkward for Katie, hanging out
with both Gordy’s family and her parents, but she sounded excited when they
told us about it over lunch.  Apparently, she was planning on putting both
families to work, preparing for the graduation party there the following
weekend.

We could have used their help with our search for the
Grabber, but I guess it was for the best.  It was hard to keep the secret of my
psychic gift, and the fact I’m dating a werewolf, from Gordy and Katie.  But
there were so many sources to check, and I felt like we were running out of
time.

I groaned again.

Warm hands rested on my shoulders and began kneading away
the knots of tension.  Cal.  He leaned in and kissed the skin behind my ear,
sending a shiver up my spine.

“Miss me?” he asked.

“Always,” I said, turning to look into his smiling face.  He
was wearing a familiar toothy grin, but beneath the surface he looked tired. 
Maybe we all needed a break.

I turned to Emma to plead my case, but she was lip locked
with Simon. 
So gross.
  I needed brain bleach, stat.

Focusing on Cal was so much better, and much less likely to
make me vomit on the book in front of me.

“Find anything spooktacular at the park?” I asked.

I avoided saying “at Rose’s grave,” but the ghost perked up
anyway, producing a burst of smell and sending a shooting pain to join its
friends behind my eyes.

“Just this,” he said.

Cal set a plastic sandwich bag on the desk.  Inside the
clear bag was a small piece of dark paper.  I reached out with shaking hands
and lifted the bag to the light, turning it to look at both sides of the heavy
paper.  It looked like the corner of a business card.

Emma, finished with her kissing, leaned in for a closer
look.

“What is it?” she asked.

“A clue, love,” Simon said, waggling his eyebrows.

Emma punched him playfully on the hip and turned to Cal.  He
was more likely to give us straight answers.

“It looks like some kind of symbol, maybe from a business
logo or personal insignia,” he said.

Emma slid her chair closer and I licked my lips and fidgeted
in my seat.  If we could match up that symbol with one of the photographer’s
ads, we’d know who the Grabber was.

We’d be able to save Sarah Randall.

Moth wings fluttered in my belly as I daydreamed about
rescuing the Grabber’s current victim.  No one should have to suffer the
nightmare of being kidnapped, but at least if we solved the mystery of the
Grabber’s identity, we could save her life.  It would take time to get over the
trauma, but she’d survive.

I should know.

All thoughts of taking a break were gone.  My earlier
fatigue was forgotten as we flipped back through phone book yellow pages,
hoping to find a match for the mysterious symbol.

Unfortunately, this was a dead end.

“That was the last one,” Emma said, pushing the thick phone book
aside.

She pinched the bridge of her nose and yawned.

“Time for a drive?” I asked.  I held up our list of names
and business addresses.  “We could visit each of these locations.  Maybe we’ll
get lucky and the symbol will be posted on a sign or shop window.”

My stomach growled like an angry wendigo.  I pressed a hand
to my middle, wishing I’d brought more trail mix.  I’d already eaten the
emergency rations I kept in my backpack.  I should have known better than to
bring just one bag.  Research made me hungry.

Simon snorted and Emma laughed.

“I think it’s time for dinner,” Cal said. 

He smiled down at me, blue eyes shining through shaggy
hair.  I was hungry, but I wasn’t going to give up on finding Sarah Randall.  We
didn’t have time for a sit down meal, but there were other options. 

“Okay, let’s grab take-out,” I said.  “If we use the
drive-thru at Mr. Green Genes, we can search for the symbol while we eat.”

“Are we all going in my car?” Emma asked.

We’d never all fit in Cal’s truck, and there’s no way I’d
ride on Simon’s motorcycle, so the question was valid.  If we decided to ride
together, Emma’s car was our only choice.  But should we split up and cover
more ground?  I felt safer with us all working together, but if it meant that
Sarah Randall had a better chance of survival if we split up, then that’s what
we would do.

“We’ll cover more ground if we go in pairs,” I said.  I
handed half the list to Emma.  “You take Simon and I’ll go with Cal.  Call if
you find anything.”

As an added bonus, I wouldn’t have to witness Simon eat. 
The plan was made of win.