Haven of Swans

  “Dad,” Odette said. Her hands twisted together in her lap. “We can’t keep living like this. The doctor says Mom is gone.”

  “You’d like that, wouldn’t you? Not to have to come see her any longer and do your duty. No one is going to kill my wife. She’s going to wake up.”

  The doctor rose. “I realize you may not be ready for this step, but it’s really the best one.”

  “For whom, Doctor? The nursing home? You need the room for someone else?”

  The doctor flushed. “Not at all. But when hope is gone, it helps no one to deny the truth.”

  “Hope is not gone. Not my hope anyway.” He jerked Odette to her feet and hustled her toward the door. “Go home if you want, but I’m going to go sit with your mother.”

  “Daddy!” Odette resisted his pushing. “You have to face it.”

  “Murderess,” he hissed. “You don’t love your mother.” He opened the door and shoved her out it. “Go home. I don’t want to see your face.” Leaving her sobbing in the hall, he strode back to Miranda’s room.

  Nothing had changed since he’d left. The machines still beeped. She lay sleeping peacefully. Healing. But she needed the final offering.

  “Hold on, my love,” he murmured, tucking the sheet around her. “Tomorrow you’ll be reborn.”

  BREE KNEW SHE NEEDED TO TELL NICK AND EVE about the pictures she’d seen in the mine. She should have told them last night, but they were so tense and upset that she hadn’t wanted to add to their worry.

  Bree went downstairs. Today she’d start registering visitors for the weekend geocaching event. Participants had been showing up throughout the week. The aroma of bacon drew her through the living room to find everyone at the table eating breakfast. Eve looked a little bleary-eyed, but she was smiling. Bree caught Kade’s eye and nodded for him to start the conversation.

  His answering nod was almost imperceptible. He pulled out the chair beside him so Bree could sit down. “Eve, how much do you know about Will?” Kade asked.

  Eve’s smile faded. “What’s this all about?”

  “It affects Keri.”

  Every head in the room turned to look at Kade. “Keri? What are you talking about?” Eve asked.

  “We saw some pictures yesterday,” Bree said.

  “What pictures?”

  “One of Will and Patti standing arm and arm. And another of you holding Keri in the backyard,” Kade said.

  Bree watched Eve closely. There was no missing the way she blanched, the sudden inhalation. “What do you know about him?” Bree asked gently.

  “He—he was married once, but they’re divorced. He’s a great dancer.”

  Kade frowned. “Is he older than he looks?”

  “He’s twenty-eight.”

  “He looks about twenty-two,” Bree said.

  “Eve, I think Will might be Keri’s father. And I think he’s using you to get access to Keri. I’m worried he may try to take her.”

  “I’ll talk to Patti, see what I can find out.” Eve’s smile had disappeared. “Why would he want Keri now, after all this time? That makes no sense.”

  “The service was kind of strange,” Bree said. “One guy talked about using self-inflicted pain to meet God. Maybe having no kids was a source of pain for him. Though after listening to the service, I would think he would consider pain a good thing.”

  “Maybe he wants to make sure Keri is brought up ‘right,’” Kade said.

  “This might help our case,” Nick said. “What judge would award a child to parents who live in a mine shaft? That’s hardly safe.”

  Bree kept back her other fear. If the judge ruled against Patti, would Will try to take her anyway?

  NICK DIDN’T KNOW WHAT TO THINK OF THE PATTI-and-Will thing. He needed to find out though. The rest of them finished their breakfast in somber silence.

  “Deputy Montgomery needs to see me,” Nick said. “I’ll meet you at the ranger station in a little while, Kade.” He glanced at Eve. “Fraser will be outside again today, watching over you.”

  She nodded. She’d barely spoken to him this morning, and he wondered if she’d gotten as little sleep last night as he did.

  He drove to town and parked in front of the sheriff’s station. He welcomed the opportunity to think about something other than Eve’s desire to stay here. It was enough to drive a man bonkers.

  Inside, he dropped into the chair across from Montgomery. “What’ve we got?”

  Montgomery shoved a file toward him. “See for yourself, eh?”

  Nick flipped open the manila folder and began to read. “She’s from Marquette. That’s a surprise. Since he moved her, I thought she might have been a troll.”

  “I expected someone from under the bridge too,” Montgomery agreed. “Maybe he hid her until now to help hide his identity. Maybe he’s from around here after all.”

  “Could be.” Nick continued to read. “Whoa, she’s been missing six years. That means Gideon has been operating longer than we imagined.”

  “I noticed that. What do you make of it, eh?”

  “Did he just get careless and we finally noticed him, or did he decide to be more deliberate and flaunt what he was doing?”

  “You’re the expert. What do these types do?”

  “It varies. The BTK killer in Kansas sent letters to the police, taunting them for their failure to find him. Ted Bundy operated in anonymity.” Nick closed the file. “We’ve checked out every geocaching group in Michigan. At least the ones we know about, though there are probably more. And some people work the caches alone, not in a group.”

  “You have anything on him dating before the Tallmadge woman?”

  “No. But if he’s been active six years, maybe we need to check the groups again. It would make sense that he was emboldened when he found a vehicle like geocaching that protected his anonymity.”

  “Why haven’t we been able to track him down through the computer pathways, eh?”

  “We’ve had a couple of problems doing that. One, he spoofs his address and bounces it through at least ten other computers, many of them overseas. Two, he changes the log every time he gets onto the geocaching site. He’s smart.”

  “How many geocachers are there in Michigan?”

  “Hard to say, since it’s all so informal. Some teams appoint just one person to retrieve the data for the caches. The real number might be much higher than the number of registered users at the Michigan site even. Many of the users don’t bother with state levels and only register with the national organizations. It’s all so fuzzy.”

  “How many do you think will show this weekend? Bree is registering the entrants, isn’t she?”

  “Yes. I’m going to look over her list tonight and tomorrow night, and we’ll see how many show. You can bet Gideon will be among them. How do you plan to use Eve to draw him out?” His gut still clenched at the thought of the danger she would be in, but it seemed to be the only way to catch the monster.

  “Kade hid the big cache for us out near Reed Lake. There’s a small ice fishing lean-to at the site that Bree is going to set up as the final check-in. Eve will man it. There will seem to be no one around, but there’s a tree stand close by. I thought you’d want that station to guard her, eh?”

  “I like it. Will anyone else be around?”

  “Some state boys are going to be across the way with high-powered binoculars. She’ll be safe, and we’ll get him.”

  “I’ll make sure of it. Fraser is watching out for her too. With that many eyes peeled, we’ll protect her.” Nick opened the door. “Listen, I’ve got to go. Kade and I are going to take a walk through the planned caches, see if there’s anything new.” He went out the door and down the hall.

  The sunshine began to warm up the morning as he drove out to the forest. He rolled his window down and inhaled the scent of vegetation and mossy woods. The appeal of the area hadn’t escaped him like Eve thought. But what did a man like him do up here? He wasn’t a hunter. He hated fishing. The
thought of camping felt juvenile. He’d been created to be in law enforcement. Denying it would be turning away from the best he had, to throw the gifts he’d been given back into God’s face.

  By the time he reached the ranger station, he didn’t want to think about it anymore. The receptionist directed him through the doors to a wildlife rehabilitation center, where he found Kade feeding a baby bird.

  “I didn’t know you could raise birds that small,” he said. “It doesn’t even have feathers. What are you feeding it?”

  “Dry cat food softened with water.” Kade poked a bit of mash down the bird’s gaping gullet. “I can’t always save them, but I manage to pull quite a few through. This little one is a robin.”

  “Do they all like cat food?”

  “At the beginning. They eventually graduate to suet mixed with peanut butter and seeds.”

  “Peanut butter?”

  “Yeah, it’s full of protein, and most birds love it. Some of my swans are addicted to peanut butter sandwiches.”

  The men looked at one another. “Peanut butter sandwiches,” Nick said slowly. “Could Gideon be connected to the swans? Eve found a white feather on the floor after he attacked her. I don’t have the report back yet on what kind of feather it was, but you said you thought it might be a swan. Eve’s greatest performance was Swan Lake.” He stopped and inhaled. “I wonder . . .”

  “What?” Kade asked.

  “Eve last danced professionally when she was twenty-five—about six years ago. I found a picture of that night. It was in the possession of the man I thought was Gideon. Anyway, something else happened that night. Another dancer fell when Eve—well, she didn’t use the best judgment. The girl fell off the stage into camera lights, and her costume caught fire. The fire scarred her. She became catatonic. I don’t know what ever happened to her. But I wonder if the attacks on Eve could be related to the accident.”

  “What did Eve do?”

  “She doesn’t like to talk about it. It changed her. I’d rather she told you.” Eve hadn’t even told him everything. Every time the subject came up, she cried and said she was so ashamed.

  “What was the girl’s name? I could get Montgomery on it,” Kade said.

  “Ah, Miranda. I can’t remember the last name.”

  “We’ll check it out,” Kade said. The bird quit opening its beak, and he put it back into the aviary. “I’m finished here.”

  “What kinds of animals do you have here?”

  “Just about any orphaned babies, from deer to bear to birds. I’ve got a prey aviary on the other side of the center. Bald eagles, osprey, cranes. You name it, I’ve got it.”

  Nick saw no white birds. “Must be rewarding,” he said, following Kade to his truck.

  “I like to feel I’m making a difference.” Kade opened his truck door and glanced at Nick. “Kind of the way you feel, I’m sure. You save people. I save the environment and our wildlife.”

  Nick got in the truck and slammed the door behind him with more force than necessary. “Yeah, well, tell that to my wife.”

  Kade switched on the engine. “Eve is just afraid, Nick. Afraid that one of these days you’re not going to come home. She protects herself the only way she knows how.”

  “Fear? You think so? I thought she was jealous of my job.”

  “It’s more likely fear. You still love her?”

  “Sometimes I wish I didn’t. I wonder if we’ll ever be strong again.” In a quiet moment, Nick thought he might examine what Kade said. That Eve might be afraid had never occurred to him. She’d never said that was the problem.

  He watched out the window as Kade drove through the narrow, tree-lined lane. The truck bottomed out several times in potholes. The forest was so thick through here that the sunlight barely dappled the ground, and the gloom felt like twilight. Thick patches of black flies hovered in the air as they passed.

  What did Eve like so much about this place anyway? Give him city lights, people jostling shoulder to shoulder, and fast-food places on every corner.

  Kade braked hard. “What the heck?”

  Nick peered through the window in the direction in which Kade’s gaze had locked. A flutter of white moved through the trees. “What is it?”

  “The swans are back.”

  “What swans?”

  “I moved a flock of mute swans from this lake. It’s a nesting spot for trumpeter swans, and the mutes were taking the place over.” Kade groaned and smacked his hand on the steering wheel.

  “So move them again.”

  “My boss was sure they’d just come back. He said if they did, I’d have to shoot them.” Kade’s voice was thick. “Dang, I don’t want to kill them. They’re beautiful creatures.”

  “Can you move them farther away? I’ll help you. What do we have to do?”

  “I don’t have the equipment I need with me.” A muddy SUV approached on the lane. Kade groaned. “He’s seen them.”

  The SUV, a forest-service vehicle, stopped next to them, and the window ran down. Another park ranger, about sixty with heavy jowls and white hair, looked out toward them. “You saw, Kade?”

  “Yeah. I’d like to try moving them farther away, maybe down to Porcupine.”

  The head ranger nodded, then ran his window up and drove on.

  “I’d better check out how many there are.”

  “I’ll go with you.” When Nick stepped outside, the black flies swarmed him. “You got any bug spray? I may not survive the trip otherwise.”

  “Yeah.” Kade came around the front of the truck and reached into the glove box. He tossed Nick a can of spray.

  Nick coated his skin with the stuff and tossed it back inside. The flies still hovered, but at least they weren’t landing. “Let’s go.”

  The men stepped off the lane and into the thick brush. Nick could hear the swans squawking and fighting as they neared the lake. Kade broke through the trees just ahead of him, and Nick followed. He stopped and stared at the sight. At least thirty swans glided on the lake’s placid surface. Near the shore, two orange-billed swans pecked at a large black-beaked one.

  Kade grabbed up a branch and leaped forward, driving the aggressive swans away.

  “Are the orange-billed ones the mutes?”

  “Yes. The one they were picking on is a trumpeter.”

  Small flecks of blood showed against the bedraggled trumpeter’s white feathers. It listed, then righted itself and swam away. Kade moved closer to the water, and four mutes swam toward him. Before he could react, two of them came ashore, beating their wings and hissing. He moved away, but they followed, stabbing at him with their beaks and beating their wings.

  “Run!” he told Nick.

  The two men ran, and the swans came after them only as far as the trees before they stopped and moved in triumph back to the water.

  “How do you capture them and move them?” Nick asked, panting.

  “We tranquilize them. Swans are territorial and can be dangerous. They can break an arm with their wings or poke out an eye. There have been a few instances where they’ve killed a human. You don’t mess around with them when they’re mad, though most of the time they’re fine.”

  The men stopped in a small clearing. The truck was only another thirty feet away, just through the trees on the other side of the clearing.

  Nick saw a red marker. “What’s this?” He squatted to take a look. “The ground’s dug up here. Looks like someone buried something.”

  “Maybe one of the caches for tomorrow?” Kade glanced around. “The caches aren’t usually buried.”

  “It’s big. Almost the size of—” Nick stopped, not sure he wanted to voice it.

  “A grave,” Kade finished. “Let me get my new shovel.”

  26

  Bree needed to get out and smell the fresh air. She’d head into town to start taking registrations in about an hour.

  Her phone rang, and she nearly groaned when she saw it was the nursing home. “Bree Matthews,” she said.
r />   “Mrs. Matthews, your father hit the aide again.” The nursing home director’s voice announced the news with all the seriousness of a doctor delivering a death sentence.

  Bree’s anticipation of the day shattered. Samson came to lean against her leg when she sank onto the bench and said, “Oh no!”

  “I’m going to ask the doctor to sedate him.”

  “Look, we’ve talked about this before. I don’t want my father spending his remaining days in some kind of half twilight.”

  The director sighed. Bree always had a hard time thinking of him other than in large letters. THE DIRECTOR. Not Nathan Johnson, a mild-mannered milquetoast of a man, but the one person who had the power to help or hurt her father. The fact that he’d called Bree himself instead of letting one of his minions do it told her he was dead serious about fixing this “problem.”

  “I’m afraid I must insist, Mrs. Matthews. He not only hit Ruby; he tried to choke her too.”

  “Choke?” Bree faltered. “I don’t believe it. He’s a gentle man.”

  “Bernard is not the man he once was. I’m afraid you haven’t accepted that fact, Mrs. Matthews. When can I expect you to come take care of this? The doctor will require your agreement.”

  How could she let them drug her father so that he was merely a breathing shell lying on the bed? He was once a great man, extremely smart and talented. A scientist who commanded respect. What were her options? They’d narrowed week by week, month by month.

  “I’ll come now.”

  “If you fight me on this, Mrs. Matthews, I’m afraid I’ll have to expel your father from our facility. I have a responsibility to keep my staff safe too.” He rang off without saying good-bye.

  Bree closed her phone. Samson pressed his nose against her hand and whined. She rubbed his ears. “I’m okay, boy.” But she wasn’t. Agreeing to this would be the hardest thing she’d ever done.

  “Trouble?” Eve asked.

  “My dad. He tried to choke a nurse.” The worst part about all this was that Bree had only come to know him in the past few years. Their time had been all too short, and it was about to be over. “The director wants to dope him.”