The Gathering (Darkness Rising 1)

"Just a sec." I looked over at Rafe. He'd shoved his hands in his pocket, still watching the forest, clearly worried, fidgeting now. He glanced at his watch.

"Someplace he needs to be?" Daniel muttered.

"Actually, I think there is. Hold on."

I walked to Rafe. "You're worried about Annie."

"Kind of. Yeah."

"Go on."

He looked at me. "I didn't mean I want to--"

"Yes, you do and it's okay. I know Annie likes to walk in the woods, so right now, you're freaked out. With good cause. Go. I'll see you at school tomorrow."

"Thanks." He started moving away, then paused. "Are we okay?" He looked toward the adults, huddled near the house. "I guess that's, uh, the wrong thing to be thinking about under the circumstances."

"No, it's fine. We're good. I'll see you tomorrow. And I'll get your jacket from Chief Carling." I'd wash it for him, too, but I had a feeling I shouldn't mention that or he'd refuse.

His hands brushed my waist. "I'd kiss you good-bye, but considering your parents and Daniel are watching ..."

"Tomorrow."

A crooked smile. Then he took off, walking at first, breaking into a jog when he thought no one could see him.

"Supportive guy," Daniel said, walking up behind me.

"He's worried about his sister. She goes for walks in the forest and they can't afford a phone. I insisted he go."

"Oh." He looked in the direction Rafe had gone. "I could give him a lift."

"He's fine. About Mina, should we mention the calls?"

"I say yes. If they find her cell phone, they'll see I called and wonder why I didn't tell them. I'm going to give them the card, too. I won't bring up the library or the visit. But if they ask point-blank, I'm going to tell the truth."

"Can you leave out the part about visiting the old woman?"

He nodded. "I'll just say I found the book and basically got the same message. That's only if they ask, though. I don't want them ..." He made a face, then shrugged.

"You don't want them thinking we took her message seriously enough to follow up on it. Because you don't want them thinking we'd betray the town to a corporate spy?"

A half shrug this time, which meant that was only part of the reason.

"Serena, then," I said, lowering my voice even more. "You're thinking about the drugs they gave her before she died. If those drugs had anything to do with Serena's death, you don't want them suspecting that's why we wanted to talk to Mina Lee."

He nodded as my dad and Chief Carling came toward us. The chief asked where Rafe was. When I explained, I think he jumped a notch in Dad's estimation, same as he had in Daniel's.

Next I got grilled. This time, the subject wasn't the victim but the killer. Or the supposed killer.

"I don't think M--" I stopped myself, knowing my argument would be stronger without using his pet name. "I don't think the cougar did it."

I lifted my hands as my dad opened his mouth.

"I know it doesn't matter, Dad. Whether he killed her or scavenged her remains, he's a man-eater now, so he can't stay. I just don't want to jump to the conclusion he's the killer and overlook the possibility she was--" Daniel's arm nudged mine. A subtle gesture that could be accidental, but when you've been friends this long, you know when you're being told to shut up. "Killed another way," I continued. "Maybe a fall. Or a hunter's bullet."

"Well, that's the good thing about having the best doctors around," Chief Carling said. "They'll find out what killed Ms. Lee, no matter what the condition of--" She coughed and hurried on. "My guess is you're not far off saying a fall. The way she was tramping around these woods? I don't think she'd ever been out of the city in her life. Lots of cliffs and ravines to stumble in around here."

Mom bustled me and Daniel into the house. Even if I couldn't stomach the thought of food, she wanted me to have something. So the three of us sat at the table, and ate toast and drank tea and talked about everything we could think of that had nothing to do with cougars and reporters.