Emerald Eyes (32 page)

Joe was walking away but he raised his hand. “We’ll be watching for you.”

Once more, Chuck waited for the old man to disappear out of sight, and then went to making himself breakfast.

Lois was up early, as it was eight Washington time, but her biological clock said it was ten. She switched on the coffee pot, as Devin had made it ready to go for her the evening before. He had told her to make herself anything she wanted for breakfast. She wasn’t real hungry, so settled for a bowl of cornflakes and a glass of orange juice and took her vitamins. After breakfast, she drank a couple of cups of coffee while she gazed out the living room window from the sofa, watching the birds dart about and an occasional car go down the road.

By nine, Lois was bored of that and decided to take a drive. There was a little store she’d passed on the drive in. She remembered that it was called Chuck’s. Though Devin had plenty of books and magazines for her to read, she thought she might pick up a paper. That was one thing he hadn’t thought to bring home. She surmised it was because they had computers upstairs and down and had commented that they got their news off the internet and television, which struck her as strange, since he was so old-worldly otherwise. But other than what her profession demanded, she preferred to stay away from computers and to get her news the old-fashioned way.

When Lois walked in the store, there were a couple of Indians behind the counter. One was an older man, with graying hair in braids and wearing a buckskin shirt and pants.

The young woman talking to him was dressed in jeans and a red sweatshirt, but her hair was in braids too, and she had a decorative red band around her forehead. Lois didn’t know if the lovely beaded pattern meant anything in particular or not, but she thought it attractive.

As Lois approached the counter, the young woman turned and smiled warmly. Lois said she was new, visiting with her daughter and her daughter’s boyfriend, and introduced herself as Lois Stevenson.

The two Indians shared a glance, and Lois wondered what that was all about, but then the man spoke up, “You’re Madison Stevenson’s mother?”

“Why yes! You know her?” she said, eyeing the two questioningly.

“We know who she is,” the young woman said, with a strange stoic face and then extended a hand. “I am Tickling Feather Smith.”

Lois shook her hand and then the man’s. He introduced himself as Joe Flying Eagle, but a lot of folks around referred to him as Indian Joe. Then he informed her that he was the chief of the local tribe and the former proprietor of the store, before he sold it to Tickling Feather’s new husband, Chuck Smith.

“Interesting,” Lois observed.

“How can we help you today?” Joe asked.

“Well, it seems my daughter and her new boyfriend like to sleep in late. And my being on Texas time…well…makes kind of a long day for me. I’d like a newspaper to look at.”

“We have a local paper. Small. But with the community news. The reservation puts out a small paper, too. Then there’s the Seattle Times, among others. The choice is yours,” Joe informed her, walking over to the stand to the right of the front door.

“Oh! Silly me. I should have known it would be by the door.”

With a vague smile, he left her to make her choice.

She finally grabbed several. The Seattle Times, the community paper and even the one the tribe put out, then walked up to the counter to pay for them.

Tickling Feather had moved off, but Joe waited on her. “Here long?” he asked, as he rang up her purchases.

“A few days. Haven’t decided yet. Madison’s beau, Devin Knight, has made me feel most welcome.” Then she said in an almost whisper, “There is something a little different about him…” her voice trailed off, as though she were deep in thought, and then she refocused and said, “You wouldn’t happen to know him, would you?” She didn’t know if Joe’s stoic face was normal – after all, he was an Indian and she didn’t know much about Indians – or if there was something he didn’t want to divulge to her.

He replied after a few moments of silence, “He has lived here for many years. Pretty much keeps to himself. I know who he is, but I do not know him personally.”

She found it strange the way he said – many years. It almost sounded like he thought Devin older. “You mean he grew up here? I thought he was raised in Europe?” She received only an ambiguous hint of a smile. “He’s only in his thirties. Right?”

Tickling Feather walked back up with a bank bag full of quarters and set it aside. It made a clumping noise as it met the counter. “I believe he’s supposed to be around thirty,” she said, speaking for her grandfather.

Joe answered then, “I do not know where he was raised.”

Lois got the definite impression they were being very careful with their wording, but she decided not to push it. She didn’t know these people either. “Well, thank you. You’ve both been very helpful.”

Tickling Feather smiled kindly and told her to come back again. Joe only nodded. Lois took her papers and exited out the front door. Now she wasn’t sure if she felt better or worse. “That was kind of weird,” she said as she slipped in behind the wheel of her rental.

Running Red Sky was chanting over a wooden dish that held a mixture of herbs and powders when Indian Joe stepped into the tent that had been set up for him. The seasoned medicine man had requested not to stay in an apartment, as he felt all the smoke from the incenses and herbs would disturb the native tenants, and he also wanted to keep everything as close to the elements as possible. He finished his chant and set the bowl aside, and then turned his gaze to his second cousin.

Joe informed him that their werewolf was doing well; that the potion Running Red Sky had mixed for him had worked. The wolf had been so drugged that he’d only killed one of the goats left for him and then had, apparently, slept the rest of the night.

“Good!” Running Red Sky responded. “Only it will not always have as powerful an effect on the wolf. He will eventually adjust to it. Like viruses mutate to compensate against antiviral drugs.”

“You mean he’ll return to normal?”

“Not entirely. It should always temper his fierceness somewhat, but he will still want to kill, and will. Just won’t be quite as focused and aggressive.”

Joe picked up the bowl that was still smoking and took a whiff. “Smells like juniper.”

“Juniper is one of the ingredients. But this is not what he took last night. This is for the ritual to keep him from changing at will or erratically.”

“Will it also lose its effect on the wolf in time?”

Joe’s cousin considered the question momentarily and then replied, “I do not believe so. Though I cannot promise anything with absolute certainty.”

Joe winced slightly. He would have liked a more positive response.

Running Red Sky laid a hand on Joe’s shoulder. “However, it should keep the inner wolf at bay when the moon is out of its full phase.” He took his hand back.

“Is it a one-time thing? Or will he have to take it for the rest of his life?”

Running Red Sky inhaled and then exhaled loudly. “No. It is a one-time thing. Should have a permanent effect. However, we have to do it as soon as the full moon is past, while it is waning. If we wait too long, it won’t work. Say a couple of weeks, when the moon passes its dark phase and begins to wax, then it will be too late.”

“I see,” Joe said. “Thank you, my cousin. Now, I must return to the store. Tickling Feather has a couple of classes to teach this afternoon.” He turned and ducked out of the tent.

Running Red Sky recommenced working on the ritual for Chuck and his inner wolf.

Lois read through as much of the newspapers as she cared to and glanced at her watch. Noon. It was going to be hard staying here and them sleeping half the day. She was used to getting up early and having a tight schedule of court dates, clients and business luncheons. Though she had hoped to be able to relax some, she was downright bored. She let out a weary sight and went to the kitchen. Time for lunch. She opened up the refrigerator and then about jumped out of her skin when a soft masculine voice bid her good morning. “Oh!” Her hand went to her throat.

“Didn’t mean to frighten you,” Devin said with a smile bordering on amusement.

“Is Madison up too?”

“She’ll be along shortly. We normally sleep in a little later, but we knew you were here and didn’t want you to have to spend so much of the day alone.”

“Why thank you! That is very thoughtful.”

“I take it you had breakfast?”

“Yes! Cereal.”

“Would you mind having another breakfast…say for lunch?”

“That would be great. That’s why I came to the kitchen. Hungry.”

“Ah! Here comes Madison.”

She turned around and didn’t see anyone and then Madison appeared through the kitchen door. She hadn’t heard a thing. Was she losing her hearing?

“Morning, Mother!” Madison said, kissing her cheek.

“Yes…Guess it is morning to you.”

Madison passed off the statement with a light laugh. “Normally, we sleep in until three or four.”

“Seriously?” She looked at Devin as though for confirmation.

“I don’t have to work. And we love to stay up until the wee hours of morning. I know it’s a slight deviance from the norm of most folks, but it’s how we live.”

“You don’t have to explain yourselves to me,” she said.

“I know you, Mother,” Madison said. “You were wondering.”

“Yes I was, daughter.” She looked at Devin, who was dragging things out of the refrigerator to cook for breakfast. “You don’t have to work?”

He smiled cordially. “No. Actually, I’m as some would say…loaded. And Madison is set for a while. Although I don’t want her spending her money on anything unless she just wants to. I have more than enough for us to live on for a very long time.”

“Oh! Well that’s great!” Lois replied, looking very pleased about the news. Her daughter’s welfare had always been a major concern of hers, as it was with most parents.

“In fact,” he said, sitting a big iron skillet on the stove and turning on the burner. “She doesn’t ever have to spend a dime. I have enough to support us for the rest of our lives.” He grinned secretively to Madison.

Lois mouthed
wow
to her daughter, who grinned and looked at Devin proudly.

“Now, Madison, why don’t you take your mother in the living room and chat while I cook breakfast.”

“Okay…Come on, Mother.” Madison led her mother into the living room.

After their late breakfast, Devin showed Lois his collection of music. He had an antique record player and records to go with it, and a variety of other players and recorders right up to present day CDs and etc. She no sooner got over gasping and oohing over his music collection when he took her downstairs and let her browse through his classics. He even had books written in German and Russian. She spent a good half hour admiring his collection but finally put a German book she was leafing through back in its proper place and turned to Devin, who was at his little bar, mixing them all drinks. She shook her head in amazement. “All I can say is,” she blew out air, “I’m impressed!”

His eyes squint in a proud smile and handed over her drink first.

She thanked him.

Both vampires suddenly jerked their heads alert.

“What?” Lois asked, puzzled. “I didn’t hear anything.”

Madison gave Devin a side glance but answered her mother. “Someone’s at the door.”

“I’ll get it,” Devin said and quickly dashed up the stairs. He already knew before he opened the door who their visitors were. “Good afternoon, Sheriff Baker,” he said, stepping aside, letting the lawman and his two deputies inside. “How can I be of assistance?”

“Not sure. But we’ve been trying to get to the bottom of a number of unusual deaths in the area lately.”

“Oh?” Devin said with reserve.

“At first, we thought it was a wild animal, but the more we investigate, the more things just get stranger and stranger.”

Madison came upstairs then, followed by her mother, and stepped up beside Devin. Lois hung back a little, but was listening intently.

“How can we be of help?” Devin asked, eyeing Madison askance.

“Don’t know that you can,” he replied, clearing his throat, “but we were hoping that you might have heard something. The couple killed most recently – that we know of – were camping not too far from here. We’re thinking it happened night before last. Coroner said they’d been dead a while. They weren’t in a regular camping area. In fact, they were real close to the reservation on this side.”

“We weren’t aware of it,” Madison volunteered. “We didn’t hear anything unusual the night before. And my mother just arrived yesterday. We’ve been entertaining her.”

“Yes! They have,” Lois said, taking a step forward. “I know I haven’t heard anything unusual. Of course, I can’t speak for the night before.”

“So,” Sheriff Baker appeared a bit puzzled, “you’re staying here?” he asked Madison. “Don’t you live in the cottage down the road?”

“Yes. It’s mine. But I recently moved in with Devin here. Still, I spend time at my cottage, as well.”

Sheriff Baker eyed his deputies. Devin’s and Madison’s living arrangements weren’t any of their concern. “Well, I guess we’ve taken up enough of your time.”

“Sorry we couldn’t be of more help,” Devin said, holding the door for them as they stepped out.

“Thanks for letting us in,” Sheriff Baker said.

“Not a problem.” Devin quickly closed the door, his glance going immediately to Madison. They knew what the other one was thinking – Chuck! Devin turned with a congenial smile to Lois. “Now! Where were we?”

“You just finished showing me your fabulous library.”

“Ah…Yes.” He spoke to Madison, “What do you think of us taking your mother out tonight? To Alex’s?”

Madison’s face brightened. “That’s a great idea.”

“Who’s Alex?” Lois asked.

“Alex is Madison’s best friend’s boyfriend…and Alex’s is his nightclub. Do you like to dance?”

She answered with a broad smile. “As a matter of fact, I do.” One could tell that she had thought she would be spending her entire vacation with them in their cabin.