“If it was Juan, he didn’t tell us much,” Harvey said disparagingly, lifting his end of the bundle. “Except that Francoishas a boyfriend. Should have guessedthat.”
Walker snorted as he lifted his end. “The epaulets didn’t give itaway?”
“Bigot,” Sam called back as she scrambled down the path. “Wearing costumes doesn’t mean a person isgay.”
“He’s seeking attention,” Harvey suggested. “That doesn’t make him akiller.”
“Francois was there when Carmel visited the vault,” Walker argued.“If that’s where she kept the gun, he knows about it and had access to it. And he would have had the keys to drive back up to the vault after Juan wasshot.”
Sam considered that but shook her head in disagreement. “If we are going to believe that was Juan talking through Valdis—and not just Valdis being dramatic—then it sounded as if theboyfriendwas the killer, notFrancois.”
“The old fraud,” Walker repeated. “And the reference to the bossback thenmakes me wonder if Valdis doesn’t know something about my father’s death aswell.”
“Valdis wasn’t hereback then,” Sam reminded him. “So she would have had to have heard it from someoneelse.”
“Like Juan,” Harvey suggested dryly. “I’m not liking this backward thing. Give me a second so I can try holding herbehind myback.”
“Earlier, before you arrived, Valdis was channeling other voices.” Sam waited as Harvey lowered his burden and turned around. “One voice said we should leave and let the evil die up there as he did. That voice also muttered about paint and demons burying us. The other sounded like a woman with maybe a Scandinavian accent. She said we would be fine and we should save thefarm. It all got mixed up with art and crystals and Valdis telling me it was Susannah’s fault that I’m not anartist.”
“Hallucinating,” Walker said. “She was up there too long. She’sdehydrated.”
“I wish I could have got some water in her, but I’m afraid she’ll choke if I try now,” Sam saidworriedly.
“Believe me, it’s much better to leave Valdis unconscious.” Harvey strodewith more assurance now that he was facing forward. “She has the strength of a pit bull and her bite doesn’t letgo.”
Sam flashed her light up the hill to check on Walker. The muscles had tightened over his cheekbones, but she didn’t think it was from the strain of carrying his burden. He had his grim cop look on. “You’re about to tear Francois into shreds—just in case Valdis knows something,aren’tyou?”
“I dismissed him. I shouldn’t have. He’s lived up here as long as theKennedys.”
“Keep it moving, Sam,” Harvey said. “You can admire your boyfriend once we get off this damnedmountain.”
Sam marched on, feeling somehow safer and a little triumphant that she had conquered her fear and maybe, sort of, accepted that her aunt spoke to people on another plane. Thiswas not university material by any means. And maybe it was only the theatrics that made her believe. But if Valdis had given Walker a clue that could lead him to his father’s killer... She didn’t care how it cameabout.
The ambulance was waiting on the cemetery road, as was half the town, it seemed. Men met them at the bottom of the path to take Valdis and carry her out to the road. Ittook four, because she started tostruggle.
Harvey reclaimed his staff and disappeared into the woods without speaking to anyone. Walker draped his arm over Sam’s shoulders and nuzzled her ear. “I’m thinking LA aboutnow.”
“Nope,” she said. “It’s too far and we’re too tired and I want to know whathappens.”
“Like a damned soap opera,” he concluded. “That’s what really bitesabout the investigation business. You can’t just put it down and walkaway.”
“My mind is racing, but the rest of me is ready to crash. And now I’m wondering if I should have said anything in front of Harvey. We really don’t know much about him—except apparently his grandparents were part of the commune.” Sam let Walker lead her through the crowd of concerned citizens. Cass wasn’t here.Had she put herself in anothertrance?
She stopped and cornered Amber. “I heard Cass in my head. Can someone check onher?”
Concerned, the tarot reader nodded, grabbed Tullah, and the two hurried down the path to Cass’s. That and the ambulance departing broke up thecrowd.
“I probably should have gone with Valdis,” Sam saidanxiously.
“The medics will work better withoutyou crowding them. I’d take you down in the morning, but I have to report to the office.” He hugged heragain.
“We’ll worry about it then,” she agreed, too tired toargue.
She probably should have argued when Walker took her home and came inside without asking, but she didn’t, and that wasn’t because she was too tired. Walker’s arms around her were the strength she didn’t have, hiskiss was the energy boost she needed. And when she wrapped her legs around his hips, he carried her straight to bed, where they bothbelonged.
The next day,Walker was relieved that Sam decided to help Dinah with the breakfast rush instead of driving into town with him to check on a crazy woman she barelyknew.
“You’ll hear more if youstay here,” he told her, pulling on his wrinkled clothes again. He’d have to think about carrying a suitcase in his trunk at this rate. “Ask around aboutFrancois.”
