Stranger in the Moonlight (Edilean 7)

Kim looked out the window to hide her smile. They sounded like her and Reede.

The Old Mill was beautiful. It was wide and low, U-shaped, with the middle part one story, flanked by two-story sections. The building had a low stone wall along the front, which made a courtyard in the center of the U.

For a few moments the three of them stood, looking at the wonderful old building. Part of it had no roof and doves flew out when they walked up. But the two-story section on the left had new tiles on the roof. The little stone wall looked to be falling down, but in places the rocks had been replaced.

“Someone’s been working on it,” Travis said.

“That is perfect,” Kim said. She was pointing inside the courtyard to the right. There, behind another low stone wall was a perfect little garden—except that it looked like something out of an eighteenth-century book about gardening. It had gravel paths laid out in the shape of a double circle with an X through it. Inside the eight quarters were wild, weedy-looking plants of different colors, heights, and textures. They had all been carefully, meticulously tended.

“Unless I miss my guess, those are medicinal herbs,” Kim said, grinning, “and that means there’s still a Tristan here.”

Travis and Russ looked at each other, then back at Kim.

“What does that mean?” Russ asked.

“The Tristans are doctors so . . .” Kim said.

“Medicinal herbs,” Travis finished for her.

“All the Tristans have the greenest thumbs imaginable. When we were kids we made Tris plant things for us. If he planted them they grew for sure. When the rest of us put anything in the ground, half the time it didn’t grow.”

“So maybe a descendant owns this place,” Russ said.

A tile came rattling down from the roof, hit the ground, and broke.

“One who can’t afford to restore it,” Travis said, looking at Kim. “I think you are going to find some relatives here.”

She looked at Russ. “Finding new relatives—ones you didn’t know you had—can be very rewarding, don’t you think?”

“It can also be terrifying,” he said softly. “Traumatic.”

“Possibly. But then I always find truth to be better than deep secrets.”

“Depends on the truth,” Russ said. His eyes were laughing, as though he were greatly enjoying the exchange.

Travis had walked away to the center of the building and pushed open a door. “Are you two going to spend the day in some cryptic, philosophical exchange or are we going to look around?”

“I vote that you scale this wall and walk along the ridgepole. Show us what you learned in Hollywood,” Russ said.

“Only if you show us that you know how to do anything at all,” Travis shot back as he went through the doorway.

Russ went to the door, and turned back to Kim. “Are you coming?”

“I . . .” There was something about the herb garden that she liked. Maybe it was the shape of it, or the light on the yellow-green leaves of one of the plants, but she was glad she had her sketch pad with her.

Travis came back to the door, and went to Kim. “Why don’t you stay here and draw? The kid and I will find the cemetery and record everything.” He kissed the top of her head.

She was grateful to him for understanding. When a spurt of creativity hit, it needed all her attention. To put it off might allow it to disappear. And too, unlike her history-loving cousins, Kim couldn’t abide cemeteries. “Thank you,” she said.

“Don’t leave here, don’t talk to strangers, and—”

“And don’t eat any of those plants,” Russ said.

“I’ll try to behave myself,” Kim said as she shooed them away. She really did want to put those shapes down on paper.

Travis kissed her again, this time on the cheek, then went to the door.

“I thought you were a ladies’ man,” Kim heard Russell say, “but you don’t even know where to kiss the girl.”