Bitterroot Crossing Read online

  “That’s why he sent you, isn’t it?” I struggled but their cold fingers just bit deeper into my skin.

  Steamer shrugged his massive, vaporous shoulders. “Yeah, sure, that’s why he sent us.”

  Butcher and Axel laughed at his reply.

  I looked around for the boss. He was nowhere in sight. “Where the hell is Zedekiah? Does he just send you clowns to do his dirty work?”

  Steamer’s face reddened and I was sure I was about to see his infamous temper in action. “Who you calling clowns, boy?” A solid ball of ghostly fist flew at my stomach. With my hands and feet bound by dead fingers I couldn’t protect myself. It knocked the wind out of me. My knees collapsed but Axel kept a firm hold on my wrists nearly wrenching my arms out of their sockets. My breath came back in one huge gulp but now my ribs ached badly.

  Steamer hovered just above me. “Well, if the boss has been telling you to stay away from the girl,” he lowered himself to the ground and came eye to eye with me, “then you better listen to the man, or you’ll find yourself in more trouble than you are right now.”

  I was in pain and really pissed-off. “Amazing how it takes four of you goons to restrain one mortal kid like me. You guys must not have been too tough when you were live outlaws tearing up the town. I’ll bet they had a wanted poster made just for you guys that said, dead or alive, they’re still wimps.”

  Axel swung me out by the arms then slammed me back against the solid tree trunk. My head smacked it with a thud. I guess I’d pushed my luck with that last remark. “I don’t know what a wimp is but it doesn’t sound like no compliment.”

  Every inch of me hurt, and I could no longer feel my hands or feet. I wondered momentarily if it was possible to get frostbite from a ghost. “Look, I think we’re even now. I sprayed you with the fire extinguisher, and you’ve burned down my dad’s garage and beat the crap out of me. We’re square, as far as I can tell. Now, if you’re done with me, I’ve got to get to work.”

  “Release him before he starts to cry,” Steamer said. “We don’t want to be responsible for making a Crush weep. Don’t want to anger the boss.”

  “Yeah, like the boss didn’t set you up to this,” I muttered under my breath. That jerk really took jealousy to a whole new level. My hands came down first. They felt like noodles until I rubbed some life back into them. I stomped my feet up and down to warm them up. My ribs ached and my head throbbed.

  An unnatural wind rustled a group of trees behind Steamer’s head.

  “That’s probably your leader right now to see if you’ve finished me off for good.”

  Steamer twirled around so fast some of his vapor trailed behind him leaving a distorted image of him lingering in the air. Then he vanished along with the others.

  I was standing alone in the middle of the path with my feet and hands just now regaining normal feeling. The trees moved again. “Oh come on, Gramps. Your goons already did a number on me. Hell, for the crap I just took from them I should have at least kissed her, but I didn’t.” I added quickly. My mouth was starting to outpace my body. In fact lifting lumber sounded really hellish at this point. “All we did was pick wildflowers. That’s all. Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to walk down this mountain, hit the main road, and go to work.” I walked a few paces and stopped. “And stay away from my family or should I say your family. You boob.” The last part I said to myself deciding I didn’t want to be a tree ornament again. I walked down the hill.

  Chapter 16

  Now that people had seen me for several days, the staring and mumbling behind hands had stopped. Although I could have also sworn most of the kids were walking a wide berth around me as if to avoid me completely. Tina and I had not even crossed paths, thankfully. No doubt this all had something to do with Zedekiah’s unseemly appearance in the cafeteria. The down side was that I’d spoken to no one all day. Nick, my one true friend, had not attended math. I hadn’t seen him once.

  At the end of the day, I walked out of the school building, chiding myself for being incredibly disappointed in not seeing Nick all day. But before I reached the sidewalk, he caught up with me.

  He looked slightly hunched forward like his stomach pained him. “Hey, Jessie, haven’t seen you all day.”

  “I didn’t see you in math.”

  “Yeah, I wasn’t feeling too great so I slept late. Then my dad stripped me of my covers and told me to get to school.”

  “Are you hurt? You look like you’re in some pain.”

  He shook his head. “It’s nothing. Anyhow, I’ll be ready for the dance tomorrow night,” he paused, “that is if you still want to go.”

  “I do.” Last night, I‘d gone to bed ridiculously excited about going to a school dance. I’d never been to anything remotely like it before. Unfortunately, things that seemed incredible at night often looked less marvelous by morning. By the time I’d gotten dressed for school, my excitement had turned into a major case of apprehension. “Nick, I’m not sure what I’ll do at a dance. And won’t Tina be terribly mad if you show up with me? I don’t want to start any problems.”

  Nick took hold of my book bag and motioned to the sidewalk. “I have time to walk you part way before I have to go to work.” We walked in silence at first then Nick spoke. “I’m sorry for the way Tina’s treated you this week. Like I said, she’s got horrible parents, and it’s sort of making her into a really awful person. I won’t lie to you, Tina and I have been a couple off and on for two years. At first I felt bad for her because of her crappy home life, but lately it’s hard to work up any sympathy. Today I told her we were through for good.”

  I glanced up at his perfect profile as he stared straight ahead seemingly contemplating the fact that he probably hurt the girl badly in the process. We walked in silence again for awhile before he spoke. “She’s super pretty. Every guy wants her, so I’m sure she’ll be fine.” Then he smiled weakly at me. “And I suspect that my trouble making ancestor made sure that Tina never bothers you again.”

  I nodded. “The other students do seem to be walking a wide path around me at the moment. I haven’t decided if that’s a bad or good thing yet.” Then I smiled up at him. “At least he hasn’t scared you away from me.”

  Nick rubbed the back of his head for a minute. “It’s not from lack of trying. That I can tell you for sure.”

  I grabbed his arm and stopped him. “Did Zedekiah hurt you, Nick? Yesterday, after you left my house, did he attack you?”

  “No, Zedekiah didn’t hurt me. I told you it’s nothing.” He stopped at the head of the mountain trail and stared up it for a minute as if he suspected we were being watched. “I’ll be late for work if I don’t head back now.” He handed me back my book bag. “Will your grandmother be O.K. with me driving you to the dance? I could borrow my dad’s old jeep. It’s a junker, but it’s got wheels and an engine.”

  “I’ll talk to her about it. I’m sure I can convince her. Besides she’s not going to let me walk down the mountain in the dark.”

  He studied my face for a long moment and I wondered if that kiss would ever happen.

  “Thanks for carrying my books,” I said.

  “Anytime,” he said and turned to leave.

  I took a deep breath and started my climb up the path. I had not walked fifty yards when a pink carnation dropped out of the sky and landed at my feet. I picked it up and held it to my nose. Its subtle, musky scent made me smile. Three more steps and a dark yellow rose fell at my feet. The thorns had been removed. I squeezed it in my fingers next to the carnation. Next, three white daisies littered the gravelly ground in front of me. Then two more roses fell, a pink and a red. I had a colorful, fragrant bouquet in my hand before I’d even gone half way.

  “It’s a strange day on the mountain,” I said aloud. “It appears to be raining flowers.”

  Zedekiah appeared on the path next. There was always something startling yet charming about his appearance. The black brim of his hat lifted and he gazed down at me brazenly lik
e we’d known each other forever. “Fresh flowers suit you, Jessie.”

  “So you have come to terms with the fact that I’m not Rebecca?”

  The brim of his hat lowered again shading his face completely. “I know you’re not Rebecca. I guess I was trying to convince myself that it had never happened, that I’d never shot the one true love I’d ever had.”

  I took a deep whiff of the flowers. “They are lovely,” I said deciding to change the subject quickly. Whenever Zedekiah went to a dark place in his mind, everything around us seemed to darken. I wasn’t in the mood for it.

  He lifted his face again. “I picked them fresh.”

  I eyed him suspiciously.

  “Took them from some man who had buckets of them in front of his shop. Called himself a flowerist or something like that.”

  “I believe that’s a florist, and if you took them without paying for them then it means you stole them.”

  He shrugged his broad, ghostly shoulders. “What are they going to do? Hang me?”

  I continued up the path. “You have a point. Still the shop owners can’t afford to have you taking their goods.”

  He ignored my admonition and floated ahead to a small area where the grass had grown exceedingly long. “I have something else for you.”

  “Zedekiah,” I said.

  “Don’t worry, I didn’t steal it.”

  I reached the patch of grass he hovered above and looked down. A tiny gray kitten, not more than four weeks old, wobbled in the center on short, unstable legs. “I guess I nearly stole it. A hawk had it in its talons. I threw a rock at the bird and he dropped it.”

  I reached for the kitten and brought it up against my chest. It made small squeaking sounds. I smiled up at Zedekiah. “I love it.”

  He looked quite pleased with himself. “I thought you could name him Zed.”

  I lifted the kitten’s tail and laughed. “Or I could name her, Anna.”

  “Anna’s a fine name too.” I walked the rest of the way home with my flowers and my kitten. Zedekiah followed. “What brought you back, Zedekiah? You’ve been gone for so long.” Deep down, I hoped he had not returned because of me.

  At once, his perpetual cigarette appeared in his fingers and he took a long hit. “They told me they’d seen Rebecca. I had to see for myself.”

  “They? Do you mean your gang?” The hungry kitten suckled lightly on the tip of my finger.

  “Butcher, Steamer. . . the others who haunt the swamp.”

  “I’m sorry to disappoint you,” I said.

  He drifted in front of me. I stopped and looked up at him. “You’re not a disappointment, Jessie.” The features of his face sharpened and the cool, moist air surrounding him seemed to warm instantly. “It’s so much like looking into the face of Rebecca, I can almost feel the heartbreak all over again.”

  “Again, I’m sorry. Apparently I’m only a reminder of how terribly wrong things went for you.”

  “You are the first bright moment in my dreary eternity.” His white fingers picked up a strand of my hair and he pressed it to his lips. “What I wouldn’t give to have my senses back. To take in the fragrance of beautiful hair, taste the sweetness of a soft pair of lips. Even if it meant having to feel the true agony of being in love.” He gazed at me for a minute. I shyly dropped my attention to the tiny kitten now fast asleep in my hand. My hair slid from his grasp.

  We reached the porch steps. “Zedekiah, I never said thank you for helping me the other day, when I was about to fall. I know I told you to stay off the school grounds, but I didn’t want you to think I wasn’t grateful.”

  “Only wish I could have left that girl hanging there on the ceiling for good.”

  “You’ll be happy to know that glued to the ceiling or not, she seems to have tired of torturing me.”

  “She better have.”

  I climbed up the steps, stopped at the top, and smiled down at him. A slow, easy smile spread across his face. Looking down at him with that heart stopping grin, I realized how much he reminded me of Nick. “Thank you for the nice gifts, but now, I’ve got to go inside and rummage through my closet for a dress.” I lifted the kitten to my lips and kissed her soft head. Zedekiah looked completely lovelorn standing there by himself. What a lonely existence, I thought. “My great-great-grandma was a lucky girl to have someone like you love her.” I walked inside and the screen shut behind me.

  Nana had fallen asleep in her chair. Jasper lay at her feet. I tapped her on the shoulder. It took her a moment to get her bearings. “You’re home. How was school?”

  I placed the kitten in her lap. “We’ve got a new family member. Her name is Anna.”

  She lifted a shaky hand and stroked the tiny ball of fur. “It’s been a while since we’ve had a cat.” Jasper raised his head from his paws. His nose twitched in the air for a minute taking in the new smell. Then he dropped back off to his nap. Nana picked up the kitten and pushed to her feet. “This little one will be hungry.” She headed to the kitchen but stopped and turned back to me. “I’ll bet you’re hungry too.”

  “Actually, I’m still full from lunch. I’ve got some homework to do and I have to find a dress to wear to the school dance.”

  “That’s nice, dear,” she said and continued on to the kitchen. She walked through the kitchen door then spun back around with wide eyes. “Did you say school dance?”

  “I did. And I’m going with Nick. I know I can’t really dance, but it’ll be fun just listening to the music and watching everyone else dance, don’t you think?”

  Nana stood speechless in the doorway for a moment. “My Jessie’s going to the dance.” She smiled broadly and lifted the kitten to get a better look at her. “This day is full of surprises.”

  I went into my room, threw my book bag on the bed, and slid open my closet door. I had only one dress that was remotely in style. Everything else looked dated and not dance or Nick worthy. It had been six months since I’d worn it, and consequently, it had been pushed to the back of the rack. I reached in and pulled it out. It was simple and black. It had been the dress I wore to my mom’s funeral. But now I’d be wearing it for a much better occasion.

  I ran my fingers over the soft, flowing fabric. Memories of that day returned. Only a handful of people had come to the ceremony. It was quiet, simple, and thoughtful, just like my mom. For the first months after her death, I thought the tears and the ache would never stop. The void her absence brought was tremendous. My life had changed completely and forever.

  Nana knocked and poked in her head. She looked at the dress in my hand and stepped inside. Anna mewled softly from her apron pocket. She lifted the kitten out and placed her on my bed pillow where the cat immediately curled into a ball and slept. “I think that dress will be lovely for a dance. And I have just the necklace for it.”

  She left and returned moments later with Jasper at her heels. The giant dog climbed up on my bed and tucked himself in next to the kitten. Nana held up a beautiful pink and white cameo attached to a pink velvet ribbon. “It was your great-grandma’s.”

  I took it and tied the ribbon around my neck. “It’s perfect.” I held the dress against me and stared down wondering what I’d wear on my feet. But even my ill-matched legs couldn’t dampen my spirits.

  Chapter 17

  I’d basically had to pry Dad’s jeep keys from his fingers. The way he’d put up a fight about my taking his rusted pile of nuts and bolts, you’d think I’d asked to borrow a freakin’ Ferrari.

  It was seven o’clock. The dance started in half an hour. At this point it was still happening. There had been a few warning sirens earlier today, but they turned out to be false alarms. Besides it had gotten so that those bells were meaningless anyway. Sort of like the whole boy crying wolf thing. I was just glad I hadn’t run into one dead guy all day. My ribs were just starting to feel better.

  I’d promised Baxter a ride around the lumber yard on my motorcycle after work and had gotten home late, so my hair was still wet a
s I pulled on my shirt and buttoned it up. I’d never put on a nice shirt for one of these school dances, but then I’d never taken someone like Jessie before. I’d never felt like this about someone before either. I couldn’t stop thinking about her. Not that they were ever great, but my math skills were going to go shit because I spent the entire class staring at her. I hadn’t heard a word the teacher had said all week.

  Mom poked her head inside my room. “How handsome you look, Nick. Tina’s sure a lucky girl.”

  I grabbed the keys off my dresser and walked to the door. “Thanks, Mom, but I’m not going with Tina. I’m taking Jessie Sterling.” Her mouth dropped open as I kissed her on the cheek and left.

  Tina had been texting and calling me like crazy. Sometimes her messages were bitchy. Sometimes they were sugary sweet. But she’d kept herself busy at school with the football team’s quarterback. The guy usually only hooked up with the cheerleaders, but apparently he’d been through them all and needed something new. Besides, Tina sort of qualified. She had started out the year as a cheerleader until the cheer coach caught her with a bag of weed in her locker. Tina might be dazzling but for the most part she was just plain stupid.

  After three attempts, the jeep engine finally turned over and I drove to Jessie’s. The jeep creaked loudly as it rocked from side to side on the uneven path. It sputtered and choked as we passed the trail leading to the swamp, but I managed to keep the thing running.

  The small farm house glowed warmly in the vast darkness of the mountainside. I stepped out of the jeep. There didn’t seem to be any ghostly ancestors in sight. Although I had no doubt he was skulking nearby.

  Jessie’s grandma opened the door. As usual, the inside of the house was cozy and smelled like sugar and vanilla. “My, aren’t you a sight.” She motioned for me to sit on a chair near the fireplace. “Jessie will be right out. Can I get you a molasses cookie? I just baked some.”