“Almost twenty-five years,” Sunny replied. “And I don’t have any idea how. There was a sense of urgency to the vision like the meeting was something that needed to happen sooner rather than later, if that makes it any clearer.”
It didn’t. However, the fact that I was turning twenty-five years old in a few days was starting to seem like a much bigger deal. “I hate birthdays,” I mumbled.
“That’s all I saw,” she finished. “What you do with the information is up to you.”
“William Smith is tracking Etta,” Jo Jo said. “I want to bring her back to Peculiar.”
I pinched his arm and shook my head. I wasn’t going back to Peculiar. I wouldn’t bring more trouble to Chavvah and Doc’s doorstep. William was my problem to solve…or avoid until he lost interest.
Jo Jo wasn’t deterred. “He sent a guy after her last night.”
“William’s a real piece of shit,” Sunny said, then added, “No offense, Etta.”
“None taken,” I responded. “He’s not just a piece of shit. He’s the whole shit.”
Jo Jo chuckled, and a cord of tension eased inside me. “Why this Grove place?” he asked. “Why does she need to go there?”
Sunny said, “I wish I knew, but that’s where Etta must go, and you have to take her, Jo Jo. You can’t bring her back to Peculiar. Not yet.”
I wanted to argue with her about Jo Jo taking me on what felt like a suicide quest. I didn’t want to put him in danger, too. Still, I couldn’t bring myself to dispute her assertion. Danger or not, having Jo Jo near me made me feel like all wasn’t lost.
He cursed under his breath. “What exactly did you see?”
“I told you what I saw,” she replied. “The message sounded urgent. Like it was a matter of life or death.”
“That’s not ominous at all,” I quipped. “So, what are we supposed to do?”
“Don’t dilly-dally,” Sunny said unhelpfully. “I wish I could tell you more.”
It seemed like a wild goose chase to me. From what Chavvah had told me, Sunny’s visions weren’t always accurate. “Where’s the Grove? That seems generic for a location. There has to be a gazillion places with Grove in the name.” I didn’t mention Aurora or her instruction that I needed to find the wise woman of the lake because the conjuror had done something to me that I wasn’t sure how to explain. Nonetheless, I asked, “Was this Grove near a lake?”
“I can’t be sure about whether it was a lake or not.” Sunny’s voice crackled over the speaker. “I saw water and a sign for Wolf Creek if that helps.”
“The wolf part feels a little on the nose,” I told her. “I’ll look up Grove and Wolf Creek.” And I’d add “lake” to the query as well. I retrieved my phone from my backpack to get started on the search.
“You all stay safe,” she said in parting. “I’ll let you know if I get any more messages. Hopefully not too late.”
Jo Jo gave a slight head shake. “Thanks for the heads up, Sunny.”
I massaged the throbbing headache forming between my eyes.
“Are you okay?” Jo Jo asked.
“I’m not sure.” I shook my head. “But I’m grateful you’re here. Thank you for coming to get me. Thank you for being my friend.”
“Always,” he said. His eyes were hard as he focused on the road. “That’s what friends are for.”
I began my search and was surprised when one of the first results that came up was Grand Lake Grove, Oklahoma, on the Neosho River. The town was adjacent to a conservation area called Wolf Creek Park.
“Shit,” I hissed. Oklahoma put me closer to William, not farther away. It was the opposite of where I wanted to go. I put my phone face down on my lap. “Hey,” I said to Jo Jo. “How do you feel about Canada?”
CHAPTERFOUR
Jo Jo –We didn’t go to Canada.
We headed back into Warrensburg. Etta wanted to grab some clothes from her apartment before our trek. I thought it was a terrible idea since William had known enough to find her in the small college town in the first place. It stood to reason he’d have other men searching for her.
“I rented the apartment under my mom’s maiden name,” Etta informed me. “William’s an egomaniac. It won’t occur to him that I changed it from Smith to Windsong.”
