Sunshowers - Part Two
This episode is part of a larger story, Soft Touch. If you haven’t yet, you can go back and read it from the beginning right here.
The members of Team Ghost Office group back up outside of the cafe once we’ve all completed our first assignments, but Ralph doesn’t keep us there for long. He sets out directly for the trailhead, then leads us out into the forest, silently indicating that we should give our reports on the go.
“Quietly,” he murmurs, with a wary glance at the trees. “We don’t know who’s listening.”
He makes a good point. We can’t talk too freely here. We don’t know where there are hunters hidden, and it’s not a situation where we can afford to be overheard.
We all cluster close to him, so we can listen as we hike.
“Okay, I’ve been trying to make sense of the traces,” Aiden rumbles, keeping his deep voice very soft. “But there’s no real rhyme or reason to them. They go up and down the road the hotel is on, and they zigzag all over the hotel grounds. If there’s a pattern, I can’t see it. It’s like the Witch was wandering around. One thing, though - you were right, Ralph. The traces definitely crossed by the generator and the electrical pole.”
Ralph silently absorbs that, lost in thought, his fingers twisting around the leather bands on his wrist.
“You think the Witch is fucking around with the electricity, Ralph?” A puzzled little crease appears between Kasey’s eyebrows. “That’s a weird thing for her to do. It really is like she’s haunting the place. But she’s not a ghost, and haunting is our thing. I’m the one who should be fucking around with the electricity at that awful woman’s hotel.”
“It’s not just the hotel.” Aiden’s blue gaze roves slowly around the trees and brush and mossy earth sprawling off in all directions. “There are traces of the Witch all over this place. She’s definitely been through this part of the forest. A couple of times, from the feel of it.”
“Okay…” Ralph bites the inside of his cheek, then gives himself a little shake, pulling himself out of his thoughts. “Kasey, how’d you do?”
“I tried to get a headcount, but everyone is so spread out, and half of them hid themselves to wait!” She lets out a heavy sigh of frustration as I repeat that for her. “There are a lot, that’s all I can say. And it sounds like some of the ones who went home are actually planning to come back later, after dark.”
Ralph closes his eyes for a second, but keeps walking. “Jamie?”
“Well, I got a hold of Gabby and gave her a full description of what’s going on here, without offering any comments of my own. She offered some comments of her own, though. I think I learned some new Spanish curse words.”
Aiden breathes out a fond laugh. “I’m building up an arsenal of those, working for her. I gain like ten new ones every time I watch her try to set up the TV in the conference room before a meeting.”
“Yeah, she definitely understood what a disaster this is as soon as I explained.” I wince slightly, reluctant to share the rest of my news, but it has to be done. “She said she doesn’t think that she can do anything, though. Ketterbridge City Hall handles a lot of business for Port Sitka and Greenrock, but definitely not their local police. Technically she has no authority to make Port Sitka PD call this off.”
“Fuck,” Noah mutters softly. “There’s that idea out the window.”
Ralph shakes his head, apparently unfazed. “It’s alright. Not every strategy is gonna work out. It was worth a try.”
“Gabby did say she’d look into it more, though, see if there’s some way she can do something! So there’s that!”
Aiden reaches over to affectionately tweak a strand of my hair. “Always keeping it positive for us, Keane. Even when you’re nervous.”
“No, I’m not nervous! I just-” I break off with a gasp as we hear a gentle snap from somewhere in the forest. My hand flies out to seize a handful of Aiden’s shirt. “Oh, Jesus Christ! What was that? Was it Crooker?”
“What?” Noah glances at me with obvious alarm. “Who’s Crooker?”
“Okay, everything is gonna be fine,” Aiden says firmly. “I’m not gonna let anything happen to any of you, and neither is Ralph.”
Ralph doesn’t add anything to that, or turn to look at us. Noah takes a lingering look at him, then speeds up, trotting to catch up with him.
“How are you feeling, commander?”
Ralph shrugs his shoulders, his eyes carefully roaming the trees. “I got faith in my squad. I know Jamie’s brave, even when he looks all worried.”
“I don’t, I’m not worried! I’m just thinking about the possibility of bears, that’s all! And has no one else realized that we can’t say for sure the animal isn’t Bigfoot? It’s completely possible. I think I could actually make a pretty strong case for it.”
“Jamie is brave, even if he’s delusional,” Noah says solemnly. “He has sex with Aiden. Now that’s true bravery.”
Kasey giggles, and Noah scurries out of range as Aiden tries to kick him. Ralph snickers, pausing to consult the map while I lean around him to resentfully stick my tongue out at Noah.
“Here I was wondering if Jamie changed his mind about his preferred choice of leadership.” Ralph casts me a baffled but warm look, a faint undercurrent of relief in his voice. “Sounds like it’s not that, though. Sounds like - you were actually starting to worry because of Bigfoot? Which I wouldn’t have guessed, but then again I’ve never been able to follow your brand of logic.”
“No doubts in my mind about my preferred choice of leadership, and I’m not nervous! I’m ready for whatever happens!”
“No one’s questioning that,” Ralph murmurs, getting his eyes back on the map. “You took a direct hit from the Witch, and here you are still standing, ready for round two. None of the rest of us can say that.”
I break into a pleased, startled smile, then stop and narrow my eyes at Ralph. “Are you using morale-boosting techniques on me?”
“Is it working?”
“Sort of, actually, yeah. Although it’s not gonna help us against Bigfoot, should he show up.”
“One problem at a time,” Ralph says firmly.
“Man, all that at the hotel, and we didn’t even get any food from the cafe,” Noah groans, stretching his arms up over his head as we wait for Ralph to finish up with the map. “I was hoping to get something nice and hot and country-fried. Although - now it’s kinda getting warm out again. Feels more like an ice cream situation.”
He’s right. Some of the unnatural cold has gone out of the air, happening so gradually as we walked that I didn’t notice it. The sun feels nice and warm again when I tilt my face up to it.
Kasey springs up lightly to stand beside Ralph so she can peer down at the map. He glances nervously to his left, maybe sensing the cold of her presence, then shoots me an inquisitive look.
“She wants to know where we’re going.”
“To get our camp all set up.” Ralph hesitates, then holds out the map, angling it so it’s generally more visible to Kasey. “I picked us a site that I think works. Not too close to the hotel, firstly because I don’t want the cops to take it into their heads to come bother us.”
“Good thinking,” Kasey says approvingly, pulling a face at the mention of them. “Let’s hope they stick to the hotel.”
“Seriously, fuck those two,” Noah growls, flexing his hands, then balling them into fists. “I’d sure love an opportunity to see if - what were their names, again? Grunt and Hutby?”
Kasey lets out a startled giggle. “Grimm and Hanely!”
“-And secondly,” Ralph goes on, before we can get derailed, “Because I don’t want our base camp in range of the hunt. I left us a lot of space, to be safe. But we should be close enough that we can get back to the hotel pretty easily, even at night. Figured we should drop our stuff off there before we hike all the way out to the forest ranger’s outpost. We’ll get our camp ready and go.”
“Wait, but what about the hunt?” Kasey’s eyes travel over the trees, where we know hunters are quietly roaming. “What if the Witch shows up here, or some kind of disaster happens while we’re gone? Shouldn’t some of us stay at the hotel to keep an eye on things?”
“I’d prefer to keep the group together,” Ralph answers, once I translate. But he says it haltingly, like he’s only half-sure. He slowly folds up the map, taking a moment to think. “Most of the Witch sightings have been at night, but I guess we’ve only got three data points, and she’s gained new powers as of late. Suppose she actually could show up during the day, can’t discount that…”
“And there could be problems with the hunters,” Kasey points out. “Without the Witch being involved at all.”
Ralph falls silent for a long moment, then lets out a heavy sigh. “Jamie, tell her it’s annoying that she’s so smart.”
“Once again, anyone can tell her anything, she’s the only one who needs me to translate for her!”
“Alright, new plan,” Ralph says briskly, moving right past that. “We’ll set up camp, then me and Jamie will go pay a visit to the forest rangers. Jamie’s got the power of a friendly face at max skill level. It’s neutralized at the hotel, but it might do us some good with the rangers. Aiden, you’re the one who can potentially prevent an incoming disaster, so you stay at the, um-”
“Hotel?”
“-disaster site. Oh, yeah. Well. Same thing. Noah, you stay with Aiden. I think living members of the team should try to stick in pairs. That way no one is alone if Kasey unexpectedly has to leave. And no one says a word to the cops about anything, you hear me?”
“Sounds good, but where do I go?”
“Kasey…” Ralph continues, before I can repeat the question for her. “How much energy do you have in a day? It’s limited, is that right?”
“Yeah, it is, at least when I’m outside of Ketterbridge. When I’m home I don’t seem to burn any.” She looks down at her hands, which are still sharp and bright and clear. “I don’t know exactly how much I have, but it’s a set amount.”
I repeat that for Ralph, who nods like he’s come to a decision.
“Then we can’t have you spending it for no reason, or you might run out at exactly the wrong moment. While me and Jamie are hiking out to the rangers, and Noah and Aiden are just watching the situation at the hotel, you go back to Ketterbridge and save your energy. Go right now, actually. We’ll summon you again once we reach the campsite, so you know where it is. Shouldn’t take us long to get there. That sound okay to you?”
“Oh, no,” Kasey sighs sadly. “A break to go home and lay around and cuddle my boyfriend? It’s possible, you know, even when he’s practically incorporeal. I might temporarily give him some energy back so we can make out a little. Sloppy style.”
I cut myself off, blushing again. “I’m not telling him that!”
“Then tell him he’s annoyingly smart, too,” Kasey says, and blows me a kiss. “Summon me when you’re there!”
Aiden and I give her a wave goodbye, and she vanishes, melting into the summer sunlight. It’s starting to feel rich and warm again as we get away from the hotel, like sunlight should. I take a step away from Aiden to make sure it’s not just him, but it isn’t. Noah was right, it’s noticeably warmer here.
I take the flannel off from over my tank top, and Aiden sighs happily from behind me.
“Oh, yay.” His arms catch me by my waist, pulling me back to him so he can whisper in my ear. “Do you know you’re the cutest lil’ thing on Earth?”
“Yes,” I answer distractedly, not really listening. “What? Nevermind that - look, Aiden, you’ll be really careful while we’re up at the ranger’s station, won’t you?”
He looks down into my anxious eyes, smiling warmly.
“Don’t you worry about me and Noah, Keane. We can take care of ourselves.” He presses a soft kiss onto the top of my head. “You go ahead and meet the rangers. Maybe there’s some way they can help.”
~~~~
Ralph mostly keeps quiet during our hike. I stick close to him, keeping an eye out for bears and Bigfoot, but eventually the peacefulness of the forest, now bathed in its usual summer warmth, starts to relax me a little. I don’t mind the silence, either. I can tell that Ralph is busy thinking, so I spend my time running my interested eyes over the plant life around us. It’s easy walking, now that we don’t have our backpacks.
After a while, though, my instinct to chatter does catch up with me.
“Thanks for taking the lead on this one, man,” I tell Ralph, speeding up to walk at his side. “I know we’re probably not, like, the ideal team for you to lead into the hunt. Not exactly Warlord’s Boys, are we? Except for Noah.”
“Yeah, true, you’re not my usual wild horde.” Ralph gives his shoulders a slight shrug. “But I’d take this team over any other, at the end of the day. For a number of reasons, chief among them being that we’ve got the only fighter who can actually counter the Witch, or have any hope of taking her down.”
Ralph pauses, looks at me searchingly.
“Is he ready?” he asks, his soft voice very serious.
“Aiden?” I give Ralph a bright smile, taking the lead up the hill we’re climbing. “Oh, yeah. First of all, he’s way better than he thinks he is. He doesn’t have any idea how much skill and power he’s got. Secondly, I think he’s pretty damn determined to knock it out of the park this time. I know he’s gonna do great. Whatever he told you about his capabilities, he was probably underestimating himself.”
Ralph seems satisfied with that answer. The corner of his mouth quirks up as he rolls his eyes a little.
“Sounds like Aiden,” he murmurs, breathing out a laugh. “When I first met him and I asked him what he liked to do, he was like, I guess I’m alright at soccer. Think maybe I can make the team once school starts if I keep practicing.”
“Of course,” I groan, torn between love and exasperation.
“Imagine my fucking face when I actually saw him play.”
“Maybe I won’t have to imagine,” I tell Ralph brightly. “Maybe you’ll do an updated version of that face on this trip, when you get to see him use his magic. All you have to do is get him in the right place at the right time, commander.”
I can tell that Ralph feels better hearing that, but before he can answer we crest the hill, and stop to look down on the forest ranger’s outpost.
The forest here is still and quiet. Afternoon has settled in, and a cool, soft breeze is carrying off some of the summer heat. The sunlight is turning green through the multitiered layers of branches, spilling down brightly onto the forest ranger’s outpost.
But the snug, single-story building is shaded by the trees, enclosed in a little grove that’s thickly carpeted by wildflowers. It has bright windows spanning the front, all with messy, overflowing window boxes. On either side of the mossy stone path leading up to the entrance, a few young cedars are pushing their way towards the sunlight, struggling upwards through the rich forest floor. The door at the end of the path is painted a bright, cheerful shade of golden yellow.
It’s a shabby old building, not in the best of shape. There are places where someone has tried to patch it up with inexpert, homemade remedies. Extra pieces of wood over small sections of the walls, a piece of tape over a crack in one of the windows. But something about the little place is inviting and cozy all the same. It’s been kept very clean, at least from the outside, and the plants in the window boxes look well cared for. The distant warbling of birds and closer buzzing of bees add their bright little noises to the sound of the breeze in the treetops.
Ralph nudges me with his elbow, nods to one of the windows. Through it we can see a pot on a stove, gently beginning to steam.
“Somebody’s home,” Ralph murmurs. “Let’s go.”
We approach the door slowly and cautiously. Personally I’m not sure what to expect anymore, after our wild arrival at the hotel. Who knows what might be going down out here? It sounds like the Witch might have been around, if they’re having power outages…
My heart flutters nervously as I give the door a knock, then step back, hearing footsteps from within. The door is pulled open, and I find myself looking up into two very warm, dark brown eyes.
The man in the doorway must be one of the rangers. He’s wearing the grey and green uniform, although he’s left off the hat.
He looks slightly younger than middle-aged, but there’s some silver creeping into his black hair at his temples. Into his beard, too, which my eyes drop to and then quickly flit away from. The raised ridge of an old, long-healed scar on the side of his jaw has left a slender gap in his beard, and I don’t want him to think I was staring at it. It looks like a very painful injury must have left it behind.
Despite that slashing mark on his jaw, the big guy has an undeniable gentleness to his every feature. He’s burly and muscular, but with some soft chubbiness to him. He has deep brown skin that picks up the glow of the afternoon light, and soft eyes, and a warm smile that reaches them.
“Well, hello, there!” He steps outside and closes the door after himself, beckoning us closer with the mug of coffee in his hand. “Welcome, boys, how are you?”
After the cold reception we got at the hotel, Ralph and I are both taken aback by this warm, heartfelt greeting. I let out a breath of relief, finally back in my element. Politeness will get us somewhere around here, thank god.
“We’re good, good morning! Or afternoon, now. Ranger, um…” I stop to read the name on his badge. “Kebede.”
“Just Tucker is fine,” he says brightly, extending his hand for a shake. “We’re not too formal around the ranger’s station.”
“Oh, okay!” I turn to Ralph, widening my eyes a little. “Wow. Love the energy up here. Do we really have to go back down to all the-?”
“It’s nice to meet you, sir,” Ralph interrupts firmly, accepting a handshake from Tucker with a slight incline of his head. “I’m Ralph, this is Jamie. We’re camping in the forest tonight with a few friends.”
“Wonderful,” Tucker says enthusiastically, then stops, suddenly troubled. “Didn’t spot any smoke out there, did you? Or do you need to report a problem with your campsite? I’m sorry if you tried to call us. We’ve been having some power outages, and the last one blew one of our fuse boxes. I’ve been trying to radio it in, but I’ve been getting a lot of interference.”
“No, um…” I begin, then trail off, glancing at Ralph.
I was about to ask Tucker if he knows about what’s going on in the forest by the hotel, but the answer is already clear.
“That’s actually what we were concerned about,” Ralph tells him, more slowly. “If your phones are out, you probably haven’t heard.”
Tucker smiles politely at him. “Heard about what?”
I can tell Ralph doesn’t want to say it, but - “There’s a serious situation in the forest today. We figured we should come here and tell you about it.”
Tucker grows immediately serious in response, his eyebrows drawing up in concern. He takes a longer look at us, then opens the door and gestures for us to go in.
The front room of the ranger’s outpost is an office, in a state of well-loved messiness. There’s a bookshelf against one wall, stuffed with reference books about forests, animals, trees, and conservation. A desk with a battered old computer and landline phone sits across from it. The windows above it look out over the trees making up the grove that surrounds the building. There’s a squashy, comfortable-looking armchair in one corner, with a book and a pair of glasses left on the arm.
Here, too, there are homemade little fixes where things have broken and someone tried to fix them. One cabinet is being held closed with some string around its handles. The folded blanket on the back of the armchair looks like it’s been mended a few times.
A sunlit hallway leads off to another room, presumably the sleeping quarters for the rangers who live here during the season. Ralph and I can see into it from where we’re standing. It’s a simple room with two beds, neatly tucked against opposite walls.
“Twin beds, huh?” I ask sympathetically, pointing into the bedroom.
Tucker follows my gaze to them, then lets out a little laugh. “Standard issue. We don’t need much up here. Suppose that’s part of what I like about it. Although yes, a bigger bed would be a gift from heaven.”
“Why don’t you push the two twins together, make one?” I suggest.
Tucker lets out a chuckle from deep in his chest. “I would, but I don’t think my fellow ranger here would like it too much if I told him we’re sharing a bed from here on out, since I used his to make mine bigger.”
“Oh, fair enough.” I turn around to find Tucker gesturing for us to have a seat on the soft, sun-faded couch by the front windows. “How many of you work here?”
“Just him and me, and he’s a new addition.” Tucker smiles warmly, shifting his coffee in his hands. “Been so nice to have the company. Used to be that I was always out here on my own.”
I sense Ralph silently adding them to the equation in his head. Two forest rangers.
“How long have you manned this outpost, if you don’t mind me asking?” Ralph points to his own jaw, roughly in the same place where Tucker has the old scar on his. “Looks like you’ve seen some action.”
“Oh, this?” Tucker’s fingers automatically lift to give the scar a swift touch. “That’s from an accident when I was younger, not from my work here.”
“Shit, I’m sorry,” Ralph begins immediately, but Tucker gives him a reassuring wave.
“It was a long time ago now. Before I was even a ranger. I was hiking up on one of the higher altitude trails, and there was a rockslide.”
“Oh, no! That must have been so scary!” I sit back, startled and confused. “Wait, what? That happened to you on one of the trails here, in this forest? And you still chose to work here afterwards?”
“I - love it here.” Tucker shrugs his shoulders, smiling helplessly. “I love the forest. It’s been nothing but good to me, and I’ve worked this outpost for a good long time. Years and years. I’d hate to sit down and add them all up, though. That’d make me feel old, and I’m not nearly as old as the silver makes me look.”
“So both of you are pretty experienced?” Ralph asks hopefully. “You and the other ranger here?”
Tucker draws back, surprised by the question.
“Well… no,” he admits, looking a little uneasy. “Suppose I… I may have hired him somewhat quickly, and he only started very recently. But I’m training him on the job, and he’s already been a big help around here! I can justify the hire, if someone were to ask me.”
Ralph’s expression gives nothing away, but I can tell he was hoping for two experienced rangers who had weathered a lot of hunting seasons.
One still isn’t bad, I try to tell him with my eyes.
Tucker folds his arms over his chest and leans back against the desk across from us, a worried expression on his face. “Now, what’s this serious matter we need to talk about? Are you both alright? Do you need some - tea? Or a shock blanket? I’m actually not sure what, um…?”
“No, no,” I jump in quickly, waving my hands at him. “We’re totally okay! There’s just a situation happening in the forest that we think you guys should know about.”
“I can explain,” Ralph tells Tucker, who’s watching us with baffled curiosity. “Where’s your counterpart, is he around? We should fill both of you in.”
“He’s out at the well, just around back. He’s not in his uniform, I’m the one on duty at the moment, but you’ll see him. He’ll be the only one there.” Tucker hesitates as I get up to go retrieve him, then quickly adds - “He may seem a little… he’s just having a tough week. Do me a favor and bear that in mind when you talk to him.”
I stop by the door, blinking at Tucker in surprise. “Oh, um… okay. I will.”
Tucker gives me a nod, then gestures to the side door. I let myself out and circle around to the back of the building. The grove of trees has an opening here, one that leads off on a narrow footpath into the forest. I go a few paces down it, and catch a glimpse of an old-fashioned well further off through the trees.
As I get closer I spot someone standing at the well, leaning his elbows on the edge of it. His head is hanging down, one of his hands resting on the back of his neck. He’s motionless and silent, breathing slowly. He must be very lost in his thoughts. He doesn’t hear me when I come up behind him, even though I make no effort to be quiet.
I gently tap his shoulder, and he startles so violently that he nearly tumbles headfirst into the well.
I gasp and reach out to grab him by his shirt, but he catches his footing and spins around to face me, clinging to the well for balance.
He looks roughly of an age with the rest of our group. Slender and pale, with dark brown hair that falls in messy waves towards his temple, only just beginning to outgrow a very short cut. He has a delicate oval face and melon-green eyes, which look like they’ve done a lot of crying recently. At the moment they’re perfectly round, staring at me and blinking very fast.
“What-?” he stammers, all out of breath. “Who-?”
“Oh, I’m sorry!” I put my hands up, my own eyes going very wide with alarm. “I didn’t mean to startle you, just - Tucker said I would find the other ranger here!”
He blinks at me a few times, then seems to come back to himself. Slowly and stiffly, he manages to straighten up, running a trembling hand over his face.
“Oh,” he stammers, in a strained, breathless voice. “Yeah, that’s me. Sorry, you - you need our help with something? Or just using our well while you’re camping? I can help you with that.”
“Actually, we’re here to talk to you.” I stare at him in disbelief as I slowly lower my hands, sure now that I recognize his voice. “You’re Nolan, aren’t you? Nolan Long?”
He draws back anxiously, but the expression on his face confirms it.
I fall silent for a second, thunderstruck. I can’t believe that we found Nolan. Here. In part because Hanely and Grimm said he was probably back with his mom, but more because Tucker talked about the other forest ranger with such obvious warmth and fondness in his voice, and he’s the first one I’ve heard talk about Nolan that way.
Nolan is watching me with wariness and preemptive misery in his eyes, like if I know who he is it’s probably a bad sign.
“I’m Jamie Keane.” I reach out a hand, aiming for the friendliest smile I’m capable of. “I’m with Team Ghost Office. You called us, remember?”
Nolan stares at me in stunned silence for a lingering moment, then slowly, automatically lifts a hand to shake mine. “Yeah, I… I remember. Thank you for coming.”
“Thank you for calling,” I answer, with an appreciative smile.
Nolan seems startled by that answer, and then hopelessly bewildered by the situation as a whole. He gives his head a slow shake, like he’s willing it to start telling him things that make sense.
“Wait, what? Seriously? You guys really came all the way out here? Because of the voicemail I left?”
I hesitate, trying to choose my words carefully. “We already had reason to believe there was something in this forest. Your voicemail lined up with what we suspected.”
Nolan’s eyes get very wide, then narrow suspiciously. He picks at the stone rim of the well behind him, searching my face with his gaze. Trying to suss out whether or not I’m making fun of him, I realize suddenly.
“I mean it, man. You’re not the only one who’s had a run-in with her.” I hold out my arm and push up the sleeve of my flannel, so he can see the half-healed scrapes and bruises from my fall down the hill. “Three of our team saw her, up close and personal.”
Nolan stares at my arm, then lifts his startled eyes to meet mine, blinking hard.
“You - you’ve seen her, too?” he whispers, a strangely imploring tone coming into his voice. “Really?”
I don’t remember it, but I have. When I give him a serious nod, he lets out a shuddering breath, then sinks back against the well, his narrow shoulders drooping.
“Okay, so I - I guess it’s not just that I’ve lost my mind, then,” he stammers, pushing a trembling hand through his hair. “I thought - maybe-”
He quickly cuts himself off before he can finish that thought, then takes another deep breath.
“Wait, if you’re Jamie - that means you’re the one I hung up on. Shoot, I’m sorry about that. I thought it was another pukeshirt phone call.” He stops, his eyes widening as he realizes what he said, then cringes deeply, looking like he wants to die. “Oh, my gosh. Ignore me, I - I’m sorry. Things have been-”
“No, I understand,” I jump in quickly, my heart beginning to ache as I watch him struggle. “No need to explain. I know what you’re talking about, since, um… we just met Hanely and Grimm at the hotel.”
“Oh.” Nolan blinks at me, trying to keep his expression neutral, but I can see the misery and resentment lurking in his red-rimmed eyes. “Then you probably already know all about what happened. They seem pretty happy to tell everyone, like, everyone.”
“Actually, they only told us what happened, um - once you got back to the station,” I explain, trying to say it as gently as possible. “They didn’t bother to tell us anything about the actual sighting.”
“Nobody cares about that.”
“We do,” I answer, hoping he can see how earnestly I mean it.
Nolan draws back, startled again, then slowly rubs his arm.
“It was just… out of nowhere,” he begins reluctantly, looking like he’d rather not think about it. “I was walking back from the ranger’s outpost. It was getting dark out.”
My eyebrows furrow in confusion. “Wait, this was before you worked here, right? Were you here on police business?”
“No. I mean yes, it was when I was still an officer, but I was off-duty, just here to see Tucker. We’re friends, have been for like a year or two.” Nolan bites his lip, then admits, “That’s why he offered me the job here, when I got fired from the force and lost my apartment. He knew no one else was about to hire me after that article in the paper, and I really didn’t want to move back in with my mom. I only just got out of there…”
Nolan stops, then suddenly looks up at me with a pained, defensive expression in his eyes.
“I know what you’re thinking, that it’s pretty late for me to only just have moved out of my mom’s place-”
“Oh, no, I wasn’t thinking that!”
“-but my mom is - not an easy person to get away from. If you knew her you’d understand. And I wasn’t angling for a job here when I told Tucker about all that, but then he offered, and I knew I could live here for free if I took it, so…”
“Aw, Nolan-” I stare at him in dismay. “You lost your apartment, too? After you just got it? Man, you really are having one hell of a week, aren’t you?”
“I just knew I wasn’t going to be able to keep it without a paycheck.” He shrugs his shoulders miserably. “Decided to give it up before it ate up all the funds I had left, try to find something cheaper. I can’t move back in with my mom, I can’t.”
He stops, his words catching up to him again, then winces in embarrassment. He gives me an imploring look, as if silently asking me not to look at him in a mocking way. I decide to just move us right past that.
“So… you were walking back from the ranger’s outpost…”
“And I - I thought I heard a noise when I was on the path that leads to the road.” He nods past the well, where the footpath disappears off into the trees again. “I stopped to listen, and then - I don’t know what happened, but for some reason suddenly I felt sure that Tucker was in some kind of trouble. I had this memory of him running down the path to meet me, and I thought the noise I’d heard was him shouting for me.”
Nolan is slowing down as he proceeds in his story, obviously reluctant to even say any of this out loud.
“I went - running back towards the path to find him,” he stammers, stopping every now and then to catch his breath, “And instead she was there. The - ghost, or monster, or whatever the - whatever that thing was. And I, um… I don’t know what happened. I just - fell down, and hid my head in my arms, and when I looked up she was gone. I ran to the road. Turned out my car battery had died, so I used my radio to get a squad car to come pick me up. They brought me back to the station, and I told everyone what happened, and then my life, um, sorta fell apart from there…”
He trails off worriedly, then abruptly blurts out -
“But you guys are here now, so you’re going to do something about this, right? Someone has to. I’m afraid she’s going to show up again and scare Tucker. I would - try to do something myself, but…” He stops, then lets out the rest in a rush, a pained blush crawling up his cheeks. “Look, I never claimed to be a brave guy, okay? I know that I’m not. If she shows up and scares Tucker, I’ll freeze up again, and I won’t be able to do anything about it. Someone has to stop her before that can happen.”
I tilt my head to the side, searching his face with my eyes. “At least it doesn’t seem like you really miss being a cop, Nolan.”
He lets out a mirthless laugh, as if to say I have no idea how true that is. “Definitely don’t miss working with Hanely and Grimm every day.”
“So… can I ask why you wanted to be a cop in the first place?” I leave off the second half of this question, although I’m wondering. If you honestly don’t think you’re brave, why would you sign up for that?
“My mom wanted… she - but I’m not doing everything she tells me, anymore.” Nolan nibbles his thumbnail anxiously. “Even if this time I actually can’t, because I got fired.”
“Oh, well - good for you.” I give his arm an encouraging slap, then try not to flinch in surprise when he startles again. “What are you up to as a forest ranger?”
“I’m learning as I go, so I’ve only done a few things so far.” He shrugs his slender shoulders, brushing his hair out of his face in a way that suggests he’s unused to having it at this length. “Mostly Tucker has me reading up on the guidebooks, but he’s also let me help with some invasive clearing. We went to check on some of the more fragile trees in the old-growth. And we put some buoys in the river to keep an eye on the water levels.”
I give him a tentative smile. “Bit of a step back from the action, it sounds like.”
Nolan nods gratefully, his shoulders slumping in obvious relief.
“It is, yeah. It’s really calm and peaceful out here. Except - I’m afraid she’s gonna come back.” He meets my gaze with desperate hope in his eyes. “But you and your team, you’ll handle it? Before that happens?”
“We, um…” I bite my lip apologetically. “The situation has actually gotten more complicated, Nolan. That’s what we came here to talk to you guys about. Can we go inside? We’ll fill in you and Tucker at the same time.”
Nolan blinks curiously at me, but falls into step beside me.
“What does Tucker think about what happened?” I ask, as we go around the side of the building together. “What you saw?”
“He said that it’s ridiculous to think we know everything about the forest, and he believes I could’ve seen anything. I’m sure he just said it to be nice, but at least he took me seriously. He was the only one. I still kind of can’t believe he did.” Nolan runs a hand over the back of his neck, keeping his eyes on the ground. “He does a lot of things to be nice. Giving me the job here… I mean, I’m sure it sucks for him, having to split his bed into two much smaller beds.”
“Oh, no, I don’t think so! He told us he likes having you here all the time, said he enjoys the company.” I smile brightly at Nolan when he shoots me a startled glance. “And he seems like he’s much better company for you than Grimm or Hanely.”
“Ugh. They were both around while I was at the police academy, too. They made it a pretty great couple of months.” Nolan grimaces as memories flash through his eyes, then blushes and hangs his head, old humiliation taking over his face. “I’ve had enough of those two to last a lifetime.”
“I get it, dude.” I catch his eyes, widening mine. “I’ve only met them once, and I already feel the same way.”
Nolan stares at me in surprise, lets out a little laugh. He hesitates, then quickly adds, with that imploring tone sneaking back into his voice -
“Hey, look… please don’t tell anyone you saw me here. Hanely or Grimm, or - anyone. Please. This is the only place where I’m away from all that, and I would hate it if people started coming up here and bothering Tucker because of me…”
“Of course, man.” I give his arm a reassuring slap, this time making sure he has time to see it coming. “We won’t tell anyone. Although it’s possible we’ll need your help.”
The color drains from Nolan’s face so quickly that I pause in alarm. “Help? Our help? With catching the ghost?”
“With - well, I’ll just let Ralph explain.”
I push open the door to the ranger’s outpost to find Ralph listening closely as Tucker points things out on a large map of the forest pinned to the back wall.
“-some foothills around there, with pretty dense tree coverage. You’ll just want to be careful you don’t find yourself rolling downhill unexpectedly, since some of them are pretty steep. But those hills are much closer to the hotel’s villas than to the campsite you picked. I think you should be just fine, set up where you’re at.”
Ralph’s eyes travel to the villas marked on the map. “What’s the status of those villas?”
“Officially closed for the renovation, but the truth is they’ve all been closed for a long time. They’re not in the best of shape. I think one of them is being used to store some old stuff from the hotel. Otherwise they’re empty.”
Ralph nods appreciatively, silently absorbing all of this information, then does a double-take as he catches a glimpse of us in the entryway.
“Hey, Ralph.” I gently nudge Nolan forward, catching Ralph’s eye like - guess what. “Meet Nolan Long.”
Ralph stares at me in disbelief, then lets his gaze travel to Nolan, who stands there hugging himself nervously.
Ralph’s perceptive gaze lingers on Nolan’s swollen eyes, his anxiously twitching fingertips, his downcast gaze. Something tells me Nolan is realizing that if I heard Hanely and Grimm’s story, so has everyone on the team. He’s already embarrassed, won’t meet Ralph’s eyes.
Ralph comes over and offers Nolan his hand.
“Hey, Nolan.” There’s some gruff warmth in his voice, despite this being their first meeting. Unusual, for Ralph. “Really good to meet you, man.”
Nolan draws back in surprise, then accepts the handshake, looking relieved.
“What’s going on?” he asks, glancing nervously between us.
“I’ve been wondering, too,” Tucker says, watching us with obvious concern as he comes over to stand with Nolan.
“Unfortunately,” Ralph sighs, folding his arms over his chest, “Nolan’s former employers have created one hell of a shitshow down by the hotel. Chief Sieler is a complete fuckwit.”
Nolan’s eyes widen and his fingers fly up to either side of his jaw, but it seems like he’s more shocked by the cursing than he is by the news that the cops have caused problems.
He and Tucker do look startled as Ralph fills them in, though, then increasingly alarmed, then aghast. When Ralph finishes speaking the two of them look at each other, silently thunderstruck. Even without Ralph explaining that the so-called animal is in fact the Forest Witch, even with him leaving out everything to do with magic, I can tell that Nolan has already arrived at roughly the correct conclusion.
“It’s her,” he whispers anxiously, when Ralph falls silent. “It’s the ghost I saw.”
“We don’t know that, Nolan,” Tucker says blankly, staring off out of the window with his eyebrows knitted. “But no matter what it is, this hunt is - this is not how things are supposed to work. After all the hunting seasons we’ve safely managed here without incident… oh, my god. What are we going to do? First of all, you boys need to pack up your camp and leave the forest immediately. Come back another weekend.”
“Actually, sir, our team happens to be uniquely qualified to handle a situation like this,” Ralph answers, smoothly and confidently. “That’s why we’re here. We’ve elected to stay and try to keep the situation under control, since the cops can’t be relied upon. We’ll be handling the creature out in the forest, too. Off the books. We hope we can rely on your discretion when people ask you what happened afterwards.”
Ralph offers no further explanation than that, but he says it with such firm authority that both Tucker and Nolan decide against asking any questions, sticking instead to staring at him with wide-eyed curiosity. Both of them actually look relieved to know that there’s someone in control, someone who knows what to do.
“Well, then… we have to help!” Tucker, who sank down into the armchair midway through Ralph’s explanation, surges back to his feet, setting aside his coffee with a splash. “What can we do, boys?”
“Firstly, we’d appreciate it if you could update the website, make a post that says no camping or hiking or fishing anywhere near this part of the forest today,” Ralph answers, without missing a beat. “Close it down to anyone who could wander into the hunt by accident.”
Tucker looks at Nolan, who nods. “Sure, I can do that.”
“And I’ll rope off the hiking trailheads,” Tucker offers, turning back to Ralph.
“Good.” Ralph gives him a brisk, appreciative nod. “Otherwise we’re hoping to keep you two out of it. That said, we’d appreciate it if we could call on your help in an emergency, should we need it.”
Nolan goes pale, and Tucker swells up with determination.
“Of course you can! If only our damn radios weren’t acting up…”
“I checked them,” Nolan says, running a trembling hand through his dark brown hair. “Even if the interference clears up, the batteries are all dead.”
“All our gear is from the bargain bin,” Tucker sighs, dropping his head.
“I actually have a spare handheld set in my car,” Ralph murmurs, half to himself. “If I can get you guys one?”
“That would work for keeping in touch. So long as the interference clears up.” Tucker leans towards the window, glancing upwards out at the sky. “Probably the clouds building up out there. Once they get their rain out we should be clear again.”
“So we can rely on you, if we need your help?”
Something about the way Ralph asks the question is very serious. He’s asking them to really think about it. Nolan is blank-faced and silent with abject terror, but Tucker immediately tilts his chin up, fiery determination blazing in his dark brown eyes.
“We’re here to help!” he says, with surprising passion. “I don’t want something awful to happen in my forest! I love this place, and this is just the kind of thing… that we rangers…”
He fades off, suddenly out of breath. He runs a hand over his chest and flinches, breathing shallowly.
Nolan crosses to him so fast that I barely have time to blink. He gingerly puts a hand on Tucker’s arm, his green eyes wide with anxiety.
“Tuck?” he asks softly, with a slight tremble in his voice.
“Aw, Nolan, you don’t have to worry so much every time this happens. How can you still - not know that - by now?” Tucker lets Nolan gently push him down into the armchair with a look of fond exasperation, but he seems to be getting his breath back, and the pain is slowly fading from his expression. “It’s okay. I’m - f-fine.”
Ralph and I have been watching in frozen alarm, and Tucker feels our troubled eyes on his face.
“It’s no cause for alarm, boys, really…” He lets out a slow breath, gestures to the scar on his jaw. “Afraid this wasn’t the only place where I got crushed in the rockslide. It’s - a little dangerous - for me - to ask my heart to - work too hard. I’ve got to avoid - getting too excited - too unexpectedly.”
My eyes go right to Nolan. Suddenly I understand exactly why he’s so afraid of the ghost he saw reappearing and frightening Tucker. He knows from personal experience that the Witch is terrifying enough to stop even a perfectly-functioning heart.
The poor guy, no wonder he’s been such a wreck, with that possibility hanging over his head. He’s watching Tucker get his breath back with a mixture of deeply-felt warmth and agonized worry in his eyes.
Tucker takes another few deep breaths, and with that he seems okay again.
“But don’t worry,” he says, his voice steadying out. “I know my heart wouldn’t up and quit on me now, not when there’s trouble in my forest. Someone has to-”
“I’ll do it,” Nolan says suddenly. He looks over at me and Ralph, trembling in fear, dazed by the words coming out of his own mouth. “I’ll help.”
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