Chapter Twenty-Two
Asher
“Come see us soon, Son,” Mom crooned on the phone.
“One day,” I told her, and I swore I could feel her eyes roll. We got off the phone on nice terms while I sat at my table enjoying a cup of tea.
Going home wasn’t going to happen anytime soon. I knew they just wanted me back so they could push a wife and babies on me.
I only had one woman on my mind, and damn if she didn’t take up ninety percent of my thoughts since yesterday. The bar was busy as hell when we got back from our little nature walk, and I could barely focus past thinking about her lips and body. Meg and Darrius, my bartenders, kept picking up my slack. I’d have to give them a special bonus or something for helping their love-sick boss.
The pastor wasn’t getting in until later this evening, and Echo had texted me earlier, saying she was taking it easy, and we’d meet up at the church tonight. It would be polite to wait until the pastor settled in from his trip to talk to him, but this was a murder investigation. She wanted me to go with her to talk to him and feel out the energies around him and his wife.
Restless, I dressed in some warm running clothes and hit the sidewalks to burn off some steam.
Running was mindless for me. I could just go and feel the cold wind against my cheeks and through my hair. The buzz of Seahill in the morning was electric—everyone was getting ready for their day or they were already rushing to go somewhere.
I was just passing by the church when a familiar voice called out my name.
The pastor’s wife, Sarah, was waving at me. She was all bundled up again, a fluffy blue hat on top of her head.
“Morning.” I turned around and walked over to her, my breathing labored from the chill in my lungs.
“Good morning, Mr. Asher. Pleasant seeing you this morning.” She smiled at me like she was indeed happy to see me.
“How are you doing?” I asked, and she shrugged.
“My husband, Robert, comes back tonight. I figured I’d be seeing you and Ms. Cross later. But I am glad you’re here now.” She looked around and leaned in, speaking in a lower tone.
“I knew about Amanda’s special ability. I didn’t have a problem with it. She was one of the only friends I had. But Robert is not a fan of people with gifts, especially now that they are out in the open. I know saying this makes him look bad, but I know he didn’t do it. He’s a good man.” She was willing me to accept her words.
“I appreciate you telling me.” I couldn’t give her anything other than that. I wasn’t a cop, and she was right, it did make him look bad. But I wasn’t going to tell her that her faith may be in the wrong man.
“We’ll be popping by later. I’ve gotta get back to my run,” I told her and started to back away with a polite wave.
“He’s a good man,” she stated again, trying to drill the words into my head. Her face was serious now, that smile gone. Was she saying it out loud, hoping she would believe them herself?
As soon as I got to the bar, I called Echo to let her know about my bizarre encounter with Sarah.
Echo seemed just as confused as I was about the whole situation. It was weird.
“I need more to go on besides the smell of shoe polish to bring someone in for questioning, and right now I have nothing.” She sighed.
“We’ll get it,” I assured her, and I hoped she believed me.
“Wanna get a late breakfast?” Maybe food would cheer her up.
“I just ate some eggs, and I have some reading to do.” She sounded tired. I wondered if the nightmares about her parents came again last night.
“Fun. What are you reading?”
“Lilith unwittingly made me part of her stakeout last night. So, I didn’t get much sleep, but it was nice hanging out. Janie, a gifted woman I found a week ago who was kidnapped for her knowledge about a book, has been living at the Society HQ, and she typed out what she read in that book before it disappeared. I started it this morning, but it’s just a diary of a man. I’m not very far in. First date is in fifteen hundred. The guy liked the art of the time, and the advances in medicine.”
Sounded like an interesting diary to read.
“Think it’s a real diary or fiction?”
“I’m not sure. I guess I’ll have to keep reading and see if I can figure out why they kidnapped her over it.” She yawned as soon as she was done speaking, and I told her to get some rest.
