“Yes.A moment, please.”I heard his door open and close before he walked through the gate.“I’m sorry.As you know, I work with the windows open.I’ve been thinking, though.You should use a muffling charm on this space, so I don’t overhear what I shouldn’t.”
“Don’t be silly.You saved my life with Cal’s demon because you heard us.I’m cool with you hearing whatever you hear.Speaking of which, did you hear what happened with the detectives?”
He sat on the bench across from us.“I did.I hope you don’t mind, but I already called your mother to let her know my sister Margaret has been fraternizing with the enemy.”He shook his head in disgust.“There’s a pattern there for us to consider.Those of us with little innate magic keep reaching for ugly ways of trying to obtain it.”
“True,” I replied.“And I’m glad you called Mom.Too much is going on.I probably would have forgotten.Declan and I are headed to Mariana’s for an early lunch.Do you want to come with us?”
He waved away the suggestion.“I’ve eaten and I don’t want to intrude, but thank you.I will tell you, though, that when Detective Hernández said the killer’s name, I began researching him.”He took out his phone and scrolled a moment.“Is this the ghost you saw shaking hands?”He came to our bench and sat beside me, showing me the image on his phone.
“Yes.That’s her,” I said.
He took his phone back and pocketed it.“Even before the detective said his name, I was thinking politician.The smiling and handshaking, those are physical earmarks of a politician.Like her, I caught your use ofopponentandfundraiser.I looked up some online bios on him, a few puff piece articles about his life.Piecing them all together, I learned he attended a local summer camp, realized there were a lot of children in the community who had serious needs, and so dedicated his life to helping them.That included time in college when he volunteered at a shelter downtown that mostly works with recovering drug addicts.He was given service awards for his efforts.He went into finance but kept his hand in public service, running for and winning a seat on the city council.
“When he first ran for mayor ten years ago, it was on the heels of his wife’s tragic death at the bottom of a tall flight of stairs.It’s believed she tripped on the cat.Her husband, who was out of town at a fundraiser, said the cat liked to weave between their legs when they walked and that it had tripped her the previous week.Luckily then, she’d only lost her balance and ended up bouncing off a wall.
“He hadn’t been polling well up to that point.Like those two detectives, many people didn’t like him.Sympathy over the wife’s death and him running a campaign while grieving, though, helped tip the scales with voters to give him the win.”Bracken shook his head.“That’s as far as I’ve gotten.”
“That’s a lot,” I said, impressed with his speed.
“As I said, a few biographical puff pieces about the town’s mayor.It’s only because we know about the deaths surrounding him that this all sounds sinister.Without that, he’s a good, hard-working man, trying to give back to his community, who has suffered a horrible loss.”
“That’s a scary thought,” Declan said.
Bracken nodded his agreement.“Anyway.”He patted my knee.“I didn’t want you to worry about the raccoons.They did in fact knock on your door, but I heard and came to feed them, as I assumed you’d want me to.”
I nodded, grinning.
“Good,” he said.“They’re very smart.They can’t see the RV, but they know I’m there, so now they chitter outside my window until I come out to get them snacks.”
I laughed.“I miss them, though.I need to hang out long enough to see them more often.”
Declan crouched down in front of me and put my shoes back on my feet.“Are you sure you don’t want Mexican?”he asked Bracken.“I want to make sure she eats real food before she begins working in the hot shop all day.”
“I’m sure,” he said.“You kids have fun.I have more digging to do.”He waved and went back to his home.
Declan and I left for lunch.We were there when the restaurant opened its doors.I brought my backpack so I could sketch while we ate chips and salsa.We talked about crib and changing table designs as I drew our children.It was the oddest meal I’ve ever had.In between bites of chicken enchiladas, I worked on Mac’s image.Declan ate, but he had a hard time tearing his eyes away from Quinn.
“I keep wondering if I’m dreaming,” he murmured.“She looks so much like you, but not.”
“There’s a lot of you in there too,” I said.“This one, though.”I tapped a colored pencil against the sketch I was working on.“He’s your spitting image.”I spun the sketchbook around so he could see.I was almost done, with only some shading left to do.
Declan shook his head.“I know you said visions are true in the moment, but the further you get away from that moment, the more that can happen to alter it.”
I nodded.
“So, I know this isn’t a guarantee.I could be taken out by a hunter’s rifle on the next moon run?—”
“Don’t say that.Don’t speak that into the world,” I admonished.
He reached over and gripped my hand.“The point is this feels real to me.We’re talking ten years from now, but I know it’ll happen.And ten years from now, when I’m walking my son to your gallery, and I’m angry my daughter left without us?—”
“And you pass a van and a cop car,” I interrupted.
“I’m going to remember today and how happy I am.”He blinked back the wetness in his eyes.“Thank you.You’ve changed everything in my life, and I’m forever grateful.”
The restaurant had filled around our booth, but I looked into warm brown eyes that had become my home and said, “Right back at you.I love you too, you know.”
The waitress dropped the check and Declan grabbed it.“I guess this means it’s time for us to get to work.”
