Endless (25 page)

“Do you believe in fate? I mean, are there
things that are destined to be a certain way, and no matter what
happens, no one can change them?”

Seth leaned back on the grass, forehead
wrinkled in thought. “That’s a tough one. Well, I guess, no, I
don’t think any of us are locked into anything. You know? We have
free will. We can choose a path, and then if we start to realize
we’re going down the wrong one, we can turn back. Start over.
Right?” He looked deep into my eyes again, as though he could see
my soul. I was mesmerized and only nodded.

“So I think people always have a choice. And
that’s what it comes down to. When you get the information, when
it’s front of you, choose dark, choose light, what are you going to
do?”

I cocked my head. “Isn’t that a little
simplistic? Choose right or wrong?”

Seth shook his head emphatically. “No. Not
usually. If it were, don’t you think a lot more people would be
deciding to do the right thing? Nah, there’s usually a bunch of
confusing things wrapped up in it. Like consequence. What if I
think that choosing light might be harder in the short term? There
could be fallout. That’s what keeps more people from making the
right decision. Very few people choose darkness for its own
sake.”

I pondered that. “But what if someone’s
actions end up hurting a lot of other people who were completely
innocent? What if they’re the ones who get the fallout?”

He nodded. “Yeah, that sucks. Happens a lot.
But it still comes down to that c-word, Tas—choice. Someone might
have a crappy childhood, have every right to be bitter, but she
still can choose to embrace the light. Plenty of people do. People
are deciding for the good every day, you know. Sometimes the ones
who go the other way are just louder.”

I snorted. “People are making momentous
decisions like that and no one notices? I don’t think so. You’d
hear more about it.”

“Not all the choices are momentous ones.
Sometimes it’s the smallest ones that matter the most. A life is
made up of those small decisions for good.”

I closed my eyes, loving the sun on my face.
Sitting next to Seth felt peaceful and right; not in any way that
threatened my love for Michael, but in a completely different sort
of love. His mind was calm and easy.

I had never been comfortable with religious
people, particularly preachers or ministers. I heard too much
hypocrisy in their minds to trust them. And then of course
Reverence Pryce hadn’t done much to change my mind, what with
trying to drown me.

But Seth was different. He wasn’t preaching
at me, yet his words struck a chord and gave me more answers than I
had ever really had.

“Seth,” I ventured, keeping my eyes closed,
“what do you think about gifts? I mean, does God give people
special talents? Or is that all. . .evil? From the dark?”

I felt and heard him chuckling. “You ask some
really awesome questions, Tas. Sure you don’t want to join my Bible
study?” Without waiting for an answer, he went on. “It comes down
to the same thing. Let’s say God gives someone an ability. A
special ability. And then that person uses the gift in a bad way.
They’ve made their decision. But then again, if you use that talent
in an amazing way that helps other people. . .how can anyone say
it’s evil?”

Tears filled my still-closed eyes and
trickled down my cheeks. It was a tremendous relief to hear Seth
answer this question.

We sat there for another few moments. The
silence wasn’t awkward, not even when I sniffled loudly and wiped
the tears off my face. Seth’s mind almost reminded me of a
meditation tape, so deliciously relaxing.

I heard him stretch and rise, and a moment
later, I felt Michael nearby. Seth was waving to him.

“Hey, Michael! I’m Seth Philips. I’m a
friends of Aline’s, and I’ve gotten to know Tasmyn a little through
her.” He nodded down at me. “Great girl you have here. We’ve been
having an interesting discussion.” He reached down to squeeze my
shoulder before he straightened and offered his hand to
Michael.

“Good to meet you, man. Blessings on both of
you.” He beamed down at me, across at Michael and then loped down
the green, seeking his Bible study, I imagined.

“Wow.” Michael dropped next to me. “What a
cool guy.”

“You got that from just a handshake?”

Michael shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe you’re
rubbing off on me, and I’m getting that intuition thing.”

I reached on tiptoe to kiss his cheek. “Well,
you nailed this one. Seth is pretty cool.” I snagged his hand and
tugged at it.

“Where are we going?”

“To the grocery store. I’m going to make
dinner for you and Charlie tonight, and while we shop, I’ll tell
you about my talk with Seth.”

“Cathryn, I don’t understand. I heard what we
needed to hear. I finished the mission. Congressman Remington did
not kill Helene Gamble. Why do I have to go back there?”

We were standing out in the middle of a field
on the grounds of Harper Creek. Emma hadn’t been around to make
sure we weren’t overheard, so Cathryn had steered me beyond the
gardens, down a small path through the woods and out into this open
area, shielded between two small hills.

“Tasmyn, you don’t determine when the mission
is over. We do. The client does. And Nick Massler is not satisfied
that your job is done. He wants you to continue.”

I rolled my eyes. “I’m sitting in this
campaign headquarters three days a week, pretending to have some
sort of passion for getting Remington elected to the Senate. I
haven’t heard anything that makes me think he had anything to do
with the murder. He flat out said he didn’t, and Cathryn, you
know
I would have heard it in his head. Some kind of echo of
guilt.”

“Probably. But what if it wasn’t the
congressman who did it? Plenty of other people invested in his
election who would have seen the advantage to knocking Nick out of
the race before he even got into it.”

“If that’s the case, they’re not thinking
about it while I’m there. Emma has even nudged a few of them to
think about Helene. Mostly they sit there wondering why she popped
into their minds. No, there’s no guilt there.”

“It’s still the most likely scenario. Nick
believes that.”

I threw up my hands. “Yes,
Nick
would
say that. Did you ever think that maybe he has us on this wild
goose chase to keep us from picking up on his guilt? Remington
could be a beautiful red herring, taking the heat off Nick.”

“It’s not our job to determine who killed
Helene Gamble, unless that person works in the Remington
organization. We are not the police.” Cathryn crossed her arms
across her chest.

“He still looks like suspect number one to
me.”

“You don’t think I considered that right
away?” Cathryn shot back. “I asked him at our first meeting. And I
listened very carefully. Remember, Tasmyn, you’re not the only one
who can hear thoughts.”

“Then maybe it was just a random killing. A
robbery that she interrupted. Just a tragic mistake.”

“No, the police believe she was killed by
someone she knew. It was too intimate a killing to be that random.
And the apartment where she was killed—Nick owned it. They met
there sometimes, but neither of them lived there. He has no idea
why she would have been at the apartment that night, unless someone
lured her there.”

I shook my head. “Nick still seems like the
most likely person to have done that.”

Cathryn sighed, ran a hand over her hair and
looked away from me for a moment. When she turned back, she said,
“A compromise, Tasmyn. Give it one more week—that’s three days at
the campaign headquarters. If nothing is resolved by then—or if, on
the other hand, it’s all taken care of—you can consider your
assignment finished. Does that sound reasonable?”

I rolled my eyes and swallowed hard. “I don’t
know about reasonable, but I’ll do it. And the next time Nick
Massler retains the services of Carruthers, count me out, got
it?”

I stalked back to the house but decided not
to go inside. I had blown off my Tuesday afternoon classes to
confront Cathryn, and now all I wanted to do was get back to campus
and spend some time with Michael. As I rounded the corner on my way
to the car, I nearly ran headlong into Emma.

“Hey!” She caught my arm and grinned.
“Where’s the fire?”

I made a face. “Anywhere but here today. What
are you doing here? Are you off assignment?”

“No, I’m still working at Remington central.
I read your report. You’re really sure the congressman is
innocent?”

I began walking to the car, and Emma trailed
along. “I don’t know about innocent, but I’m sure he didn’t kill
Helene.”

“You could tell that by listening to
him?”

I opened the car door. “I could tell that by
asking him and listening to his mind. Even the most experienced
liar has a hard time covering up his deepest thoughts. I’m as
certain as I can be that Remington didn’t have anything to do with
the murder. Now I just have to go finish my time at the
headquarters and then I’m done.” I dropped into the driver’s seat,
hoping Emma would get the hint and let me leave.

But instead she held onto the top of the
door, gazing down at me, her face inscrutable. “Why is Cathryn
keeping you there if you’re already convinced Remington didn’t do
it?”

“Emma, all I know is that Massler doesn’t
want to pull me out yet. He thinks I might hear something else.
Cathryn thinks it could be someone else who works for the
congressman.” I sighed. “I guess I’ll start listening to Ben and
Chelle a little more closely. Think you could nudge them a little
for me?”

She shrugged one shoulder. “Whatever you say.
I just don’t think it’s very likely. If you haven’t heard anything
by now, you probably won’t pick up anything else from them. But
hey, it’s why we make the big bucks, right?” She tossed me one more
bright smile and then turned to go into the house.

I drove back to campus, lost in thought.

By the time I arrived, it was nearly
dinnertime. I called Michael to see if he was ready to eat. When he
suggested that we forego the dining hall and drive into town, I
readily agreed.

“So,” he said, as we slid into the booth at a
tiny diner, way off the main drag. “How goes the classified
mission?”

I shook my head. “I really hate it, Michael.
As much as I liked all the assignments Carruthers gave me
before—this one is not why I signed up to work for them.”

He tightened his arm around my shoulders.
“Can you drop it? Beg out?”

“Not yet. It’s almost over, and once it is, I
don’t care what Cathryn says—I’m going to tell you all about it.
You won’t believe who the client is.”

Michael raised one brow. “Now I’m
curious.”

“I bet. Hey, you know, life is never boring
with me, right?”

Leaning back, he nodded. “Yeah, true.” He
began ticking off on his fingers. “Witches, preachers, fires. .
.dull is one thing you’re not.”

I sighed, snuggling close beneath his arm.
“Do you ever wish you had held out for a nice normal
girlfriend?”

“Never.” He dropped a kiss on the top of my
head. “You’re my danger-prone, insanity-attracting, smoking hot one
true love. No regrets.”

“Oh, Tasmyn,” Chelle greeted me the next day.
“I’m glad you’re here.”

I could tell immediately why she was glad;
the rest of the office was virtually deserted, and she was in some
sort of pain.

“Everyone else is working at a rally in
Gainesville. Ben thought the congressman should have a presence
there.” She shrugged, and I felt her irritation. She didn’t care
for Ben, and she didn’t think much of his leadership skills.

“I have an emergency appointment at the
dentist.” She winced as she patted her jaw. “I’ve just been waiting
for you to get here to hold down the fort.”