“All right. I’m at Jame and Ben’s place.”
“I know.”
Of course she did.
“You have my card on record?”
“Yes, Chief. I got you covered.”
“Great. Thanks.”
“Oh, and Chief?”
“Yes?”
“Hope is born from ashes and love yeilds to no other power. Return to your heart.”
A chill washed over me, even though I couldn’t quite muster up the dread that came along with it. Yancy had said the same thing to me.
“What?”
“It’s what I wrote down. It came to me just before you called. So I thought you should hear it. Did it mean something to you?”
“Not in any way I understand.”
“Well, shoot. Sorry about that.”
“No, it’s good. Thanks, Piper.”
“Sure. And stop worrying about if you should have come to me before Yancy. I can’t see the possibilities of the future as clearly as him, I don’t think. I just get specific glimpses of things that are sort of hard-wired.”
“Hard-wired?”
“Like I see the knots in fate’s strings, and he sees the whole loom on which fate is weaving. Maybe the whole tapestry.”
“That’s interesting. Are there any knots I need to know about?”
“Nothing except that thing I told you. Gotta hop, Chief. Movie just let out and I’m about to be swamped in pie-hungry people.”
I said my goodbye and let her get back to work.
Myra walked in from the kitchen. Her hands were damp, and her eyes were a little damp too. Washing dishes and crying? Or maybe she was just tired and had been rubbing her eyes.
“You okay?” I asked.
She shook her head. “Compared to what?”
Okay. She wasn’t in the mood to share. “Is Jean okay?”
That seemed to thaw her a little. “Yes. She’s knocked out on the good meds. Hogan stayed until Hatter and Shoe showed up.”
“Hatter staying with her overnight?”
“Shoe. Hatter’s on patrol tonight.”
I pictured the two officers. Hatter, tall and lanky like a cowboy doll someone had brought to life, and Shoe short, wide, and tough as a bear.
Dad had always liked the two of them, and trusted them. I’m not sure why he’d decided to tell them about Ordinary, but his instincts had been right. Hatter and Shoe were pretty terrific people.
