A Deep and Dark December (7 page)

Graham pointed at Elmer. “
He’s
her lawyer? Is his license still valid?”

Elmer shook his cane at Graham. “Since before your daddy was a twinkle in his daddy’s eye.”

Erin pressed her hands to her face. “Tell me this isn’t happening.”

“He’s the best lawyer in town,” Keith said.

Graham muttered, “God help us.”

“He’s the
only
lawyer in town,” Erin said, dropping her hands.

Elmer pointed his cane at Erin. “Not true. My granddaughter just passed her bar exam.” He rocked back on his heels. “A proud moment indeed.”

“Brilliant,” Graham said. “And where is
she
?”

“She’s… ah… celebrating. Just received the good news today.” Elmer checked his pocket watch. “Can we get on with the business at hand? Bingo at Saint Paul’s starts at eight and I don’t want to get stuck sitting beside Alvin Buttertin again. He farts like a rabid dog and blames it on the person next to him.” He nudged Keith’s arm. “Can’t have the ladies thinking I’ll stink up the boudoir, am I right, son?”

“Er… sure.”

Graham jabbed a thumb at Elmer. “Are you sure you want him for your lawyer?”

She sighed. “Why not?” How could things get any worse?

“Then have a seat by my desk and we’ll get on with it. I’ll have to ask you to leave, Keith. Police business. Sorry.” Graham didn’t sound sorry as he showed Keith the door.

“I’ll wait to drive you home, Erin,” Keith said as he left. “I’ll just be out front.”

“Uh-huh. You do that.” Graham shut the door and came around to sit behind his desk. “Do you mind if I record our conversation, Erin?”

“No.” She struggled to catch up. Everything was happening all at once. “I guess not.”

He pulled a recorder out of his desk drawer and started it. He rattled off the time, date, place, and other salient information. “Okay, Erin. Start from the beginning. Tell me why you went to the Lasiters.’”

“My boss gave me the file on the Lasiter house.”

“Where do you work? What’s your boss’s name?”

“Oh, right. Earlier today my boss, Ramie Singh of Kavender Investments, gave me the file on 321 Amiable Lane, also known as the Lasiter house. My job was to meet with Greg Lasiter to exchange the keys to his house for a check for fifteen hundred dollars. This saved the company time and money from having to forcibly remove Greg…er, Mr. Lasiter, from the house and change the locks. We had an appointment to meet today at four o’clock at Mr. Lasiter’s house.”

Should she mention the vision she had when she’d received the file and then again after she spoke to Greg? The visions had been wrong… no, incomplete. Greg had fallen in almost the same position in her vision as he had in reality. She closed her eyes, bringing up her vision and picturing it side by side with what she remembered. It was like putting two photos next to each other and comparing them. His body position was the same. The gun in his hand the same. But Deidre wasn’t in her vision. The table and chairs weren’t either. Why were they so different?

“Erin? Are you all right?”

She touched a hand to her forehead and opened her eyes. “No. I mean, yes. I’m fine.”

“You had an appointment with Mr. Lasiter,” Graham prompted. “Then what?”

“I had to walk to his house because my aunt had my car. It wasn’t far, only a few blocks.”

A blinding flash of light. A jolt. She was suddenly back on Amiable Lane. The wind tangled her hair and slipped into her coat. She shivered. The sky was black, the clouds almost close enough to touch. She could smell the ocean and the sweet scent of impending rain. Her mind skipped like a scratched record and then she was at the back of the house, on the porch. She’d never been at the back of the house, but she somehow knew that’s where she was. She reached a hand out to knock on the door except her arm was longer, her hand larger. She wasn’t herself. She was a man.

This was new. She’d never taken over a body in her visions. Trapped. There was no other word for it. She was trapped in this body
and
this vision. Would she be able to get out of it? Somewhere in another time she shivered.

The man’s other hand—her hand, his hand—held a gun snug in the pocket of his coat. He gripped the gun harder, the squeak of his leather gloves almost deafening in the silence. Annoyance. Anger. Shame. He had to stop Deidre. Should’ve gotten rid of her sooner. This had gone too far. Deidre had taken things too seriously. But oh, how he wished he could screw Deidre just once more. He loved the way Deidre’s breasts bounced when she was on top, riding him. The way Deidre made him feel when he was with her, inside her. He was a king with Deidre.

He knocked on the door, plastered on a smile. Deidre answered. He’d always remember Deidre in this moment, the way she smiled up at him, happy, worshipful. Like he was a freaking hero. But then Deidre had to go and ruin it all by getting pregnant. He pulled the gun from his pocket—

Blinding light shattered the vision. Pain split Erin’s head. She fell forward, vaguely aware of Graham saying something, holding her. And then, just as suddenly as it had come, the light and pain were gone.

“Erin. Can you hear me?”

She blinked up at Graham, the light fixture overhead haloing him.
What’s happening?

Opening her eyes fully, she realized she was in his lap on the floor. He smoothed her hair back from her face. His hands were warm and gentle, not cold. They smelled like soap.

“What happened?” he asked.

“I…”
What?
What could she tell him? Someone or something was interfering with her ability, getting into her head and bending her visions. There was almost a purposefulness to it, as though a tripwire had been installed in her brain, triggering a trap.

“This young lady isn’t well enough to give her statement,” Elmer said, slipping his watch back in his pocket. He stood up. “I’m calling a halt to these interrogations until the young miss is well enough to sustain them.” He thumped his cane on the floor to punctuate his point and left for his bingo game.

Graham’s eyes had a curious blue-black ring around the paler blue of his irises. His lashes looked like they’d been tipped with gold. He stared down at her with concern and something that felt strangely like interest. He lifted a strand of hair off her face. “Tell me what’s wrong.”

It
was
interest. She blinked up at him, caught by an unexpected answering tug of longing. His gaze dropped to her mouth and for a moment she thought he might kiss her. She
wanted
him to kiss her. This had to stop. She had a boyfriend. What was she doing entertaining these thoughts, let alone encouraging them? She pushed at him, trying to scramble off his lap.

In her haste she accidentally planted her palm on his groin.

He doubled over, knocking his head against hers.

They both jerked back. “Ow!” they said in unison, then, “Sorry.”

Graham had one hand on his crotch and one on his head and suddenly it was all too much for her. This whole thing was ridiculous. The very idea of them was ridiculous. She burst into giggles. Graham’s concern morphed into surprise, and then laughter. His laugh was deep and rich, the sexy throatiness of it arrowed straight through her. She reached out to touch the bump on his forehead, lifting strands of hair away with the tips of her fingers. He caught her wrist and their laughter slowed, then died altogether. Frozen in the moment, she couldn’t look away. He held her gaze, then slowly turned his head and kissed the underside of her wrist. She lost her breath.

Mirroring her, he reached out and touched his fingertips to her forehead, then trailed them around her face to her temple, her cheek, her jaw. His gaze followed the movement as though memorizing the curve of her face.

“So soft,” he whispered.

She clasped his wrist, stilling his hand.

“Tell me what happened,” he said, pulling her ever so slightly toward him.

She couldn’t look away, didn’t want to pull away, caught by whatever was going on between them. “I-I’m not sure.”

“No?”

“No.”

“Erin, I know.”

She shook her head. He couldn’t.

“I know about you. I know
all
about you.”

All
about her? The hard thump of her heart echoed in her ears. He was close, so close. She felt herself arching toward him as though he were a magnet. Everything else in the room faded and it was just him and her and this overwhelming link they seemed to share.

“You can’t.”

“I do.” His breath whispered across her skin as he leaned closer. “I know about your ability. I know something’s wrong, something’s happening to you.”

She thought to deny it, then nodded. Unable to resist.

“Tell me about it. Let me help you.”

The loud thump of a door closing broke through the haze that had invaded Erin’s brain. She shook her head, suddenly realizing where she was and whom she was with.

What the hell just happened?

She’d almost told Graham her secret, that’s what. No good could come from that. He’d never understand. How could she explain the unexplainable? What if he told other people about her? What if he told Keith?

Then another thought struck.
How did he know about her ability?

“You can’t help me.” She pulled free and stood. Too many things were happening inside her. She couldn’t catalog them all fast enough to put them neatly in their slots to deal with later. She had to get out of there.

He rose and shook his head as though he didn’t understand what had just happened either. “What was that?”

She didn’t think he was only talking about her collapse. Hugging herself to ward off the sudden chill, she shook her head. She had no answers for him.

Graham watched her closely. “You know what I think—”

“Elmer left,” Keith said from the doorway.

Erin started. She’d been so focused on trying to figure out what Graham did and didn’t know about her that she hadn’t noticed Keith’s entrance.

“He said you were sick or something.” Keith walked over and put his arm around her. “Are you feeling okay, angel face?”

“Not really.”

“You’re pale and you’ve been through so much. Let me take you home.” Keith gave Graham a look that dared him to argue.

“I can finish getting your statement tomorrow.” Graham didn’t look happy about having to wait. Or was it Keith’s sudden appearance? Had something gone on between them that she didn’t know about?

Erin started to gather her things, and realized her cell phone wasn’t among them. “My phone’s missing.” She looked to Graham, thinking maybe he might have taken it.

“I don’t have it.”

“I must’ve dropped it at Greg’s house.”

“We’ll look for it tomorrow,” Keith said.

“I need it now. I have to call my boss to tell him what happened, plus I need to check in with my aunt and dad.”

Keith steered her toward the door. “All right. We’ll get it tonight if that’s okay with the sheriff.”

“One thing,” Graham said, causing them to pause in their tracks. “Erin rides with me.”

“I don’t see why—” Keith began.

“I have to control the scene,” Graham interrupted. “I want a tight case. Not that she would, but I don’t want anyone to come back and accuse her of tampering with evidence.”

“Fine,” Keith bit out. “I’ll follow you over, then take her home afterward.”

“Fine,” Graham agreed.

Erin had to endure Jessica’s blatant gawking and Mabel’s not so stealth staring as they passed through the front office. No doubt tonight’s events would be all over town by morning. If they weren’t already. Just what she needed—another reason to stand out. She was grateful to finally be out on the porch and out from under their watchful stares.

It was still raining in great sheets, the sound constant and unrelenting. Lightning flashed, followed closely by a loud crack of thunder. The storm hovered over the town like a punishment.

“After this we’ll get you home, snuggle up on the couch, and maybe watch a movie or something,” Keith said. “How does that sound?”