moved around the tree then, because something was still tugging at me. When I got to the back of it, I gasped.
“What is it?”
“Take a look at this,” I said.
Heath hurried to my side of the tree. There, he ran his fingers along three distinctive talon marks carved deep into the wood. “Son of a bitch!” he whispered.
“Son of a bitch” was right.
Chapter 3
Heath and I stood there for several minutes just staring at the evidence of a demon on the loose, both of us muted by the sudden gravity of the situation.
“This is bad,” Heath said at last.
“Really bad,” I agreed.
Heath looked at me. “My grandfather told you about this thing, right?”
I started to nod, but my phone rang and I held up a finger to check the display. It was Gilley. I figured I better answer it, but I was annoyed that he’d called right in the middle of a heavy discussion. “Yeah?” I asked.
“Well, good morning to you too,” he said. His voice was thick and froggy and I knew he wasn’t feeling well. Still, what Heath and I were dealing with was much more important. “I’m a little busy, Gil. Can I call you back later?”
“How much later?”
“I don’t know. Half hour, maybe?”
“That’s fine,” he said, coughing into the phone. “Assuming I’m still alive.” And then he muttered something that I could have sworn sounded like “Gilley Gilleshpie.”
“Are you running a fever?” I asked.
“Probably,” he said, coughing again wetly. “I’m delirious, so you might not want to take my word for it.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose. Gilley could be a handful. “Okay,” I told him. “Heath and I are wrapping up and we’ll be back soon.”
“How soon?”
I sighed heavily and glanced at my watch. “I don’t know. . . . Soon, Gil. I promise.”
Gilley coughed a third time. “Okay, I’ll call the ambulance. Maybe they’ll get here faster.”
With that, he hung up, and I pulled the phone away from my ear to glare at it.
“Gil?” Heath asked.
“Yep.”
“I gather he needs us?”
“He’s sick. Probably the flu.”
Heath put his hands on his hips and eyed the road sullenly. “He was the one who picked that spot next to those sick guys at O’Hare.”
“I know, I know,” I agreed, feeling like I was being torn in two directions. “But when he gets sick, he gets really sick, so maybe we should just go check on him?”
“Yeah, okay,” Heath said. “I have to call my mom anyway.”
“Isn’t she flying here today?” I asked as we walked to the car.
Heath nodded. “She doesn’t leave Phoenix till ten p.m., though. Her flight should be in by midnight.”
I got in the car and asked, “Why so late?”
“It was the cheapest fare she could find.”
Heath started the car and took one last look at the skid marks and the tree before pulling onto the road again. “We’ll need to talk about this, Em,” he said. “If some demon is really out there killing my family, we’re gonna have to shut it down.”
“That’s what your grandfather said,” I reminded him.
Heath’s eyes cut to me. “Bev wasn’t out there?” he asked belatedly.
I shook my head. “Not that I could sense. I think she’s made it across, but I can’t feel her there either, which isn’t unusual. You know how they all need a little adjustment period.”
Heath grunted. “Especially when they’ve been in an accident,” he said. “Jesus, how big would a demon have to be to make talon marks like that ?” he asked, shaking his head like he could hardly believe it.
I eyed Heath carefully. There were dark circles under his eyes and his features looked pale and drawn, not to mention seriously stressed-out. I thought it was probably a good thing we were heading back to the hotel. I could check on Gil, and maybe convince Heath to rest. The emotional and physical toll on him the past few days looked like it was killing him.
I found Gil in his room, spread-eagle on the top of his comforter with a wet cloth
“What is it?”
“Take a look at this,” I said.
Heath hurried to my side of the tree. There, he ran his fingers along three distinctive talon marks carved deep into the wood. “Son of a bitch!” he whispered.
“Son of a bitch” was right.
Chapter 3
Heath and I stood there for several minutes just staring at the evidence of a demon on the loose, both of us muted by the sudden gravity of the situation.
“This is bad,” Heath said at last.
“Really bad,” I agreed.
Heath looked at me. “My grandfather told you about this thing, right?”
I started to nod, but my phone rang and I held up a finger to check the display. It was Gilley. I figured I better answer it, but I was annoyed that he’d called right in the middle of a heavy discussion. “Yeah?” I asked.
“Well, good morning to you too,” he said. His voice was thick and froggy and I knew he wasn’t feeling well. Still, what Heath and I were dealing with was much more important. “I’m a little busy, Gil. Can I call you back later?”
“How much later?”
“I don’t know. Half hour, maybe?”
“That’s fine,” he said, coughing into the phone. “Assuming I’m still alive.” And then he muttered something that I could have sworn sounded like “Gilley Gilleshpie.”
“Are you running a fever?” I asked.
“Probably,” he said, coughing again wetly. “I’m delirious, so you might not want to take my word for it.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose. Gilley could be a handful. “Okay,” I told him. “Heath and I are wrapping up and we’ll be back soon.”
“How soon?”
I sighed heavily and glanced at my watch. “I don’t know. . . . Soon, Gil. I promise.”
Gilley coughed a third time. “Okay, I’ll call the ambulance. Maybe they’ll get here faster.”
With that, he hung up, and I pulled the phone away from my ear to glare at it.
“Gil?” Heath asked.
“Yep.”
“I gather he needs us?”
“He’s sick. Probably the flu.”
Heath put his hands on his hips and eyed the road sullenly. “He was the one who picked that spot next to those sick guys at O’Hare.”
“I know, I know,” I agreed, feeling like I was being torn in two directions. “But when he gets sick, he gets really sick, so maybe we should just go check on him?”
“Yeah, okay,” Heath said. “I have to call my mom anyway.”
“Isn’t she flying here today?” I asked as we walked to the car.
Heath nodded. “She doesn’t leave Phoenix till ten p.m., though. Her flight should be in by midnight.”
I got in the car and asked, “Why so late?”
“It was the cheapest fare she could find.”
Heath started the car and took one last look at the skid marks and the tree before pulling onto the road again. “We’ll need to talk about this, Em,” he said. “If some demon is really out there killing my family, we’re gonna have to shut it down.”
“That’s what your grandfather said,” I reminded him.
Heath’s eyes cut to me. “Bev wasn’t out there?” he asked belatedly.
I shook my head. “Not that I could sense. I think she’s made it across, but I can’t feel her there either, which isn’t unusual. You know how they all need a little adjustment period.”
Heath grunted. “Especially when they’ve been in an accident,” he said. “Jesus, how big would a demon have to be to make talon marks like that ?” he asked, shaking his head like he could hardly believe it.
I eyed Heath carefully. There were dark circles under his eyes and his features looked pale and drawn, not to mention seriously stressed-out. I thought it was probably a good thing we were heading back to the hotel. I could check on Gil, and maybe convince Heath to rest. The emotional and physical toll on him the past few days looked like it was killing him.
I found Gil in his room, spread-eagle on the top of his comforter with a wet cloth
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