The Curse Keepers Collection (69 page)

“No, I’ll help you and we can get going.”

David reshelved the books while I hung the pictures on the wall.

“Do you need to leave a message for anyone?” I asked, heading for the door.

“No one will be interested in seeing my face until tomorrow morning. What about you? Is Myra expecting you to stay?”

“No, I’ll just send her a text.”

We walked out into the sultry July evening and started the short walk downtown.

“What made you want to study Native American history?” I asked.

“You mean because I’m British?” he asked. “I was born in England, but my mother is American. We used to come visit every few years. We stayed with some relatives in the southern part of North Carolina one summer after I graduated primary school. My uncle took me to a museum about the Cherokee because I had a strong interest in Native Americans, and I was equally enthralled and horrified. I spent the rest of my summer learning everything I could about them.” He glanced in my direction. “It’s a combination of my love for history and my taste for good mysteries. You can’t find much more of a mystery than the disappearance of the early tribes. It’s a challenge trying to piece things together.”

That explained his interest in helping me. Good to know.

“What about you?” he asked. “Why are you interested in the Algonquian gods and spirits?”

“Honestly?”

“That’s our agreement.”

“Three weeks ago, I didn’t give a rat’s ass about them. On the other hand, my father did, and my lack of interest was a great disappointment to him.” I snuck a glance at David. “And that’s all I’ll say about that for now.”

“Fair enough. I can wait.”

Was I really going to tell him everything? Why did part of me crave the opportunity? Maybe because I was terrified to do this alone, and he was the one person other than Collin who might actually be able to help me.

He cleared his throat. “At the risk of you changing your mind, I think it’s only fair that I tell you that my real focus has been on the Cherokee. I may be known as an expert on the Croatan, but considering the lack of available information, that’s not saying much.”

“But now you’ve seen Manteo’s hut, and you have firsthand knowledge.”

“I hardly know what’s inside it. I only saw it briefly yesterday and today. They’re concentrating on the outside and I’m just a guest.”

“How soon until you’ll see more?”

“A couple of days? The entire site is being cataloged. It’s slow work. What little I saw of the inside resembles a sixteenth-century English home more than an Algonquian dwelling, which isn’t that surprising given that Manteo had begun dressing and acting like the English.”

The main street of town was bustling with tourists. David pointed to the New Moon when we turned the corner. A giant “Closed” sign hung in the window, and the place was conspicuously devoid of activity. “Isn’t that where you work? Why is it closed?”

I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Two of the employees died.”

“Died?” He sounded alarmed. “How?”

I sludged through my exhausted brain, trying to remember what the official police statement said.

“Don’t do that,” he said, his voice thick with disappointment.

“Do what?”

“Whittle down your answer to some bite-sized nugget you think will appease me. Either tell me the truth or don’t answer.”

I stopped and looked up at him in amazement. “Where the hell were you three weeks ago?” Perhaps if I’d had his intelligence at my disposal, I wouldn’t have gotten myself into this mess.

“I was biding my time in Chapel Hill, waiting to meet you, even if I didn’t know it yet.” The way he looked at me as if I were some kind of treasured prize made me wonder if he meant that I was more than just a giant puzzle for him.

We stood on the street corner, staring at each other longer than was appropriate while the tourists walked around us. I had an entirely new thought: Where was he
four
weeks ago when I was dating boring Dwight? Before Collin stole my soul?

Someone bumped into my back, and I stumbled into David’s chest. He grabbed my elbow with one hand and then wrapped his other arm around my back.

“Are you okay?” he asked, still holding me against him.

“Yes.” But I still didn’t break free, my heart aching. This man was just another reminder of everything I’d lost, everything I could never have.

“Why do you suddenly look so sad?”

I forced a smile. “Let’s file that under information you
might
learn down the road.”

His hands dropped slowly and he took a small step backward. “Okay. I can live with that. For now.”

It was easy to see that David Preston didn’t back down from a challenge, and it was also easy to see he was used to getting his way. It was no wonder. He was a force to be reckoned with. If he didn’t get his way the first time, he could probably wear the opposition down with his endless questions.

“How did the employees die?” he asked again.

I turned away from him and walked across the street, waiting until he was next to me. “They were frozen.”

He stopped in the middle of the street. “What do you mean
frozen
?”

I grabbed the crook of his arm and pulled him onto the curb and out of the way of an oncoming vehicle. “Frozen. Solid.”

“How could that happen?”

“The police are still trying to figure that out.”

“That’s bollocks, Ellie.” He sounded irritated.

I stopped and put a hand on my hip, giving him a glare. “I’m guessing ‘bollocks’ is similar to ‘bullshit,’ and I can promise you that it’s not, Dr. Preston. The police
are
still looking into it.” I glanced back at the entrance to the restaurant, where their bodies had been found. “I pay attention to what they know.”

“What do
you
know?” His voice softened. “And call me David, please.”

“Well,
David,
I know more than they do, but I don’t quite feel comfortable telling you yet, especially not out in the open like this.”

“Okay.”

I glanced up at him in surprise.

“I pick and choose my battles,” he said. “I’ll get this answer soon enough.”

I shook my head and walked toward the entrance of Poor Richard’s Pub.

“
When
did they die?”

I took a breath. “A little over two weeks ago.”

“After the colony reappeared.”

There was no use denying it. “Yes.”

“And your father died too.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Yes.”

“Was he frozen?”

After Ahone accepted Daddy as my sacrifice, I had been terrified that he would be frozen like the others, but it didn’t happen.

“Ellie.” David sounded concerned. “I’m sorry. It was insensitive of me to ask.”

“I don’t have time to be sentimental.” I squared my shoulders. “The answer is no, he wasn’t.”

“Did anyone else die?”

I stopped in front of the menu board and pointed. “Their pulled pork sandwiches are really good here.”

His mouth pressed together in a thin line as he looked from me to the board. After we ordered—David insisted on paying—we sat at an empty table while we waited for our food. The dining area was nearly full of tourists, discouraging him from asking me more questions.

“When did you move to the States?” I asked.

“When I started graduate school.”

“I’m guessing you like it here since you specialized in Native American studies. There can’t be much demand for that specialty in the United Kingdom.”

“You’re correct on both counts. It’s a good thing I prefer the sunshine and the heat to the cold, rainy weather in England.”

“What part of England are you from?”

“London.”

“You must have had a fascinating childhood.”

“I’m sure it wasn’t any more fascinating than growing up in Manteo.”

The cashier called our number and David grabbed our bag. I led him out the back and we walked along the boardwalk back to my apartment.

“Did anyone else die?” he asked when we were out of earshot of the tourists.

I was hoping he’d leave that one alone. I should have known better. “Yes. One other person.”

He waited.

“A man. He was the first. He was found underneath the statue of Queen Elizabeth in the Elizabethan Botanical Gardens. He was frozen too.”

“And what was his connection to you?”

My head jerked up. “Why do you assume there’s a connection?”

“Because there was with the other three.”

Crap. Telling him might be enough to scare him away. But then again, if he was getting involved, he had a right to know. “I went out with him a few times.”

David stopped on the boardwalk, tilting his head to the side. “Why was he killed?”

“Why were any of them killed?”

“I’m asking you.”

“Why do you think I know?”

His eyes narrowed. “I’m not a fool, Ellie. Please don’t treat me like one.”

“You are the last person on earth I would ever suspect of being a fool.” I meant it.

“So why were they killed?”

“As punishment. For me.” As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I wished I could retract them. I started walking again.

David sensed my reluctance and thankfully didn’t press the issue, not that I presumed he’d let it drop. He was just biding his time. I was learning that it was something he did a lot.

I led him between the New Moon and the retail shops that faced the sound. My apartment was in the back, the last unit on the third floor. We climbed the exterior wooden steps to my porch. When we reached the landing, I wasn’t sure whether to curse or be thankful.

Collin had redone the marks.

David stared at the door, his mouth open in wonder. “You have to tell me what this means.”

“I don’t have to tell you anything.” I said, snippier than I’d intended. I rubbed my forehead with the back of my hand. “I’m sorry. That was uncalled for. I’m tired. I haven’t had a decent night’s sleep in weeks.”

“Why not?”

“My sleep has been riddled with nightmares.”

I could see he wanted to ask me about my dreams, but instead he turned his attention back to the door. “You’ve already told me the symbols are there for protection, and I know you don’t want to tell me what you’re protecting yourself from. But if you were to indulge me with an explanation of their meaning, it might jar a memory about Ahone.”

I shook my head with a smirk. “Well played, David. Fine.” I pointed to the corners and started with the explanation Collin had given me. “The stars and the moon in the corners represent nighttime, which is when I need the most protection. The sun is on either side. This asks the sun to provide its far-reaching power to the night.” I pointed to the symbols on either side of the sun. “Next are lightning and rain, representing the air. They are placed on either side of the sun. This asks the sun and the night to provide me protection from the wind—” I stopped short of adding
gods
. I stared at the center of the design. Collin had added his sign of the land. The only symbol needed for the protection code to be complete was mine for the sea. I bent down and grabbed the piece of charcoal I kept hidden in a flowerpot. “The symbol in the center represents what’s being protected. What’s there now is the symbol for land, but it’s incomplete.” I added my wave symbol to all four sides. “I am the sea.”

When I stood back and looked at the door, the charcoal still in my hand, I waited for him to respond in some way.

He was silent for so long I wondered if he’d been enchanted. Finally, he licked his upper lip. “I have so many questions that I don’t know where to start. And I’m far from sure you’ll answer any of them.”

“Go ahead and try.”

“Where did you learn all of this?”

“The other Keeper.”

His head pivoted toward me. “The other what?”

“Keeper. His name is Collin Dailey, and he’s a descendant of Manteo. These symbols have been passed down from generation to generation. He’s the one who first put them on my door. His symbol is the land.”

“The land and the sea?”

“When his symbol joins with mine, it provides additional protection.” I paused. “But I’m not ready to tell you that part yet.” I was surprised I’d told him the Keeper part.

“How can you be sure he’s a real descendent of Manteo? There are no recorded relatives. He could be duping you.”

I put the charcoal back into the pot and pulled my keys out of my purse. “Wondering whether Collin is a real Manteo descendant is the least of my worries. But trust me that he is. I have all the proof I need.” I put the key in the lock and pushed open the door.

“And what’s that?”

I held my palm open. “Collin has an identical mark on his hand.”

“So what?” David scoffed, showing his first sign of cynicism. “He could have had it tattooed.”

“This isn’t a tattoo, David.”

“Then what is it?”

“When I met Collin at the New Moon, he didn’t have this mark on his palm. But when he left a few minutes later, we both had one.”

“Do you realize what you’re saying?” he asked.

I stepped inside my apartment and turned to face him. He was one step away from entering my world. “David, this is your chance to get the hell away from all of this. You suggested that the appearance of the colony was a supernatural occurrence, and I’m here to tell you that you’re right. The mark on my palm is too. It just showed up on my hand the day before the colony appeared.”

He remained expressionless.

“If you walk through this door, I will tell you everything.” I wasn’t sure when I’d decided that, but he needed to make an informed decision about whether to plunge into this madness or turn back. And if he decided to be a participant, the only way he could help me was if he knew everything.

He looked at the door, then back at me.

“I know it sounds crazy. I didn’t believe it either, and I wasted a full day pretending it wasn’t real. But the god’s honest truth is that I really need the information you have. I didn’t intend to tell you what was really happening, I only wanted to find out what you knew. But tonight I realized you’re too curious to let it go at that.”

He took a step forward, but I blocked his path.