“Ray,” Jackson repeated, adding, “David is fine; you must know—”
“I do know and I’m so grateful!” the spirit told them. “And in that . . . you’re not going to believe this! My friend Harvey has a friend, Sam, and neither has been able to find any of . . . um, you people. Seers . . . the gifted . . . whatever you call yourselves. And he’s been trying now forever because he stumbled upon a situation!”
“What’s the situation?” Jackson asked, frowning. Angela almost smiled; Jackson was the ultimate professional, usually quick as a whip. But then again, they hadn’t had a hell of a lot of sleep!
“He found them!” Ray proclaimed.
“Found . . .”
“David’s wife Donna and their baby! And not just Donna and her infant, but three other women who disappeared when they were pregnant. And he’s done all kinds of research while trying to find them all. That horrible doctor David was seeing . . . he was supplying this guy, too. But this has gone a step farther. They were taken by a guy who thinks it’s his duty to take andprotect these women and their children. And he thinks they are all messed up, that they don’t realize there’s a man out there trying to kill them and their infants because the babies are supposedly magical in some way . . . I mean, according to my friends, this makes David look stone-cold sane when he was at his worst! So, please, there’s a chance—”
“Where? Do you know where?” Angela asked.
Jackson was already out of bed, dragging on a pair of jeans and T-shirt, and grabbing his phone from the little table by the bed.
It might be five A.M., but they knew that when they called Adam Harrison on that line, he would answer immediately.
“Ray, please, do you have an address and are you certain?” Jackson asked.
“Completely. I swear by heart and soul. Well, my soul, please!” Ray said, and he rattled off an address that wasn’t that far from where they were, just at the rise of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
“Tell him we heard rumors from the people we were questioning while looking for Cindy Lawson!” Angela suggested. “They’ll want to know why—”
“He’s already getting a subpoena,” Jackson told her. “If we can get out to the parlor, Ray, and give Angela a chance . . .”
Of course. They were giving her time to get dressed. She leapt up and did so as soon as the door closed.
Dressing in seconds was something they’d gotten exceptionally good at doing.
By the time she was out in the parlor area of their B&B, Jackson was explaining to Mary about what was going on and convincing David he needed to remain there, with Mary, but they were hoping they were on to something.
In minutes, they were out of the house. But Adam worked quicky. By the time they reached the old house built into thefoothills of the Blue Ridge, agents had been in the house. They’d subdued the crazy man and discovered there five women and infants who had been held prisoner in the basement.
Thanks to Adam’s influence and the assumption that it had been Jackson and Angela who had cracked the long-running cases, they were able to meet Donna and her little son, Jared, now a year old. And after the inevitable paperwork that always ensued after such a case—and explaining it had been in their search for Cindy Lawson that they heard rumors about a mentally unfit man at the foot of the Blue Ridge who was convinced that evil demons were after certain “magical” babies—they were finally allowed to be the ones to return Donna to her husband.
And re-uniting the pair and introducing David to his one-year-old son . . .
Alex Tiger was there with his family. David, Donna and little Jared were there. Of course, the most precious children in the world to Angela, her own, were there as well.
And even though they should have been exhausted, it turned into a day that was incredible. They played in the pool, in the hot tub; and the kids were having a great time showing their moms the love they deserved.
It couldn’t have been stranger—or more wonderful. Adam showed up in the afternoon, and they even talked him into a dip in the hot tub. But before that happened, he gave them the news that the doctor who had been prescribing the hallucinogenic drugs that had been causing all the problems had been stopped. As it turned out, he had been working for a drug company that had been pushing the research, believing that they were on the verge of a cure for cancer.
There would be lawsuits up the kazoo.
But for the two of them, it was over. Except for one thing, thanking Ray Cummings and Colonel Ted Hargrave.
But that proved to be easy, too. The spirits joined them for their celebration, enjoying the night with them with both spirits talking about the “light,” the beautiful light that others had gone on to when they’d realized their stay here had come to fruition.
Except Ray was wondering if he should hang around a little while longer. David and Donna were back together again with their infant.
He might want to watch Jared grow up just a bit. And it was an amazing day for the two spirits, spending time not just with two people who saw them, but with the kids and Alex Tiger—with whom they could also converse—and Adam, who hadn’t had the strange “sight” himself until at last, he’d felt and then known the spirit of his teenage son, taken far too early from him, but whose death had brought about his realization that there were people who did have the ability and just how important that ability could be in law enforcement circles. And thus, the formation of the Krewe of Hunters, Blackbird, and now, the Crows.
At last, the day ended and holding Angela close that night, Jackson murmured, “I’d planned this mainly for the inside pool and the hot tub!” he told her. “Of course, when Cal asked for help, I just thought that . . . well, so much for my great holiday plans!”
She turned to him, hands rested on his chest, her face just above his as she smiled. “Jackson, I delivered a baby! I created a mom for Mother’s Day. Okay, I didn’t create a mom, but I helped. The baby is fine and the mom is fine, and the family turned out to be amazing. And then it just went on from there! Other moms are now home for Mother’s Day! And this case with everyone alive and well and . . . wow. It would be impossible to ask for anything better.”
“I can think of one thing,” he said softly.
