A Desolate Hour. Mae Clair
* * *
Quentin pulled into a parking space at the Parrish Hotel as a small red Volkswagen Rabbit slid in beside him. He’d slept decently last night for being in a hotel and had spent the morning visiting Tu Ende Wei State Park, the site where Cornstalk was buried. Given Penelope’s preoccupation with curses, it seemed the best place to start. He’d learned a good deal of historical fact, studied numerous monuments and wandered the grounds, but came away no wiser about breaking spells. Rain departed with the dawn, but the threat of severe weather huddled on the horizon.
A petite redhead exited the Rabbit and hurried to the back where she raised the hatch. She hitched the strap of a leather purse onto her shoulder, then struggled to lift a plastic tub from the rear of the car.
“Need some help?” Quentin walked closer in time to catch her startled glance.
“Oh.” She balked slightly then fumbled a smile. “It’s not heavy, just awkward.”
“Going in the hotel?”
She nodded.
“I’ll carry it for you. I’m going there myself.” Before she could protest he took the carton and waited while she closed the hatch.
Her smile blossomed into something genuine. “Thank you. That’s kind of you.” She led the way. As they walked up the steps to the covered porch, she cast a glance over her shoulder. “I haven’t seen you around before. Are you a guest here?”
“Yeah.” It was the reaction he’d been getting most of the morning no matter where he went. Apparently, strangers in Point Pleasant stood out like sore thumbs. “Visiting for a while.” Once inside, he waited for her to tell him where she wanted the carton. The lobby was empty, even the check-in desk vacant.
“On the registration counter is fine.” The girl pointed to the empty desk. “I’m sure Eve or Katie are around somewhere.”
Quentin set the carton down. It was light as she’d said, just awkward in handling, especially for someone petite like her. “Katie Lynch was here when I left earlier.” He shrugged when the girl glanced at him in surprise. “She introduced herself.”
“Oh. Well…” Flustered again, she held out her hand. “I’m Sarah Sherman. Thank you for your help.”
He grasped her slim fingers, noting the flick of her gaze to the scars that crisscrossed his skin. At least she didn’t recoil as if he were diseased. “Quentin Marsh.”
Her eyes widened. “Q.M.”
“Pardon?”
She appeared to backpedal mentally. “Um…nothing. I just…” Quickly, she withdrew her hand. “Thank you.”
He nodded, started to turn away, then hesitated. Light from the windows on the east wall reflected off her necklace, a flat blue stone in a silver setting. He hitched in a breath.
Noticing his reaction, she looked at him curiously. “Is something wrong?” Her hand rose to her throat.
“Your necklace…” Opaque cobalt blue with veins of black. A flawless twin for the amulet tucked in his pocket. An heirloom that had been passed down through generations in his family. “It’s…” He guarded his words, unwilling to share the connection without understanding how it was possible. “Unusual.”
“Thank you.” Her smile reflected melancholy. “It belonged to my mother and has been in my family for generations.”
He debated telling her about his grandfather’s amulet, but something held him back. The similarity between the two could have been a coincidence. For all he knew the odd stone had once been popular and there were hundreds in existence. Fortunately, Eve Flynn chose that moment to breeze in, allowing him to bow out gracefully.
“Nice meeting you, Sarah.” Quickly, he headed for the door with a passing nod to Eve. The necklace bothered him more than he wanted to admit, but he wasn’t ready to call Penelope. She’d blow the similarity out of proportion, insisting the sun and moon had aligned and it was some type of sign. Originally, he’d intended to grab something for lunch at the café, but now all he wanted to do was keep looking for a connection to his family’s curse. Tu Ende Wei State Park had been a bust but he still had Fort Randolph to investigate. With any luck he’d find something or be able to assure Penelope her fears were unfounded. It all came down to Madam Olga and Pen’s theory about twins.
His gaze dropped to the back of his ruined hand. The odor of blood and metal engulfed him. The sooner he could put this damn town behind him, the better. Point Pleasant was doing a bang-up job of resurrecting phantoms he’d thought he’d buried.
* * * *
“Hi.” Eve circled behind the registration desk and peeked into the carton. “Is this the stuff for Shawn?”
Sarah nodded, sensing her friend’s mind already diverting elsewhere. “Yes. And before you ask, I met Quentin Marsh. He carried that in for me.” She tipped her chin in the direction of the box.
Eve plastered a passably innocent look on her face. “What makes you think—”
“Don’t be coy. We grew up together, remember?”
Eve chuckled. “Ok, so kick me for being curious. What did you think of him?”
“We didn’t talk that much. He liked my necklace.” She plopped her purse on the registration counter and tried to steer the conversation back on track. She only had a short interlude of time, and the storm fermenting outside had her edgy. The sky had been overcast and threatening since the moment she crawled out of bed. “I’m on my lunch break, so I can’t stay long, but I wanted to make sure Shawn knows his stuff is here. If he doesn’t show up tonight, will you let me know?”
Eve regarded her steadily. “You could always come by the café. Quentin will probably grab dinner there. He did last night.”
Sarah rolled her eyes, mentally kicking herself for ever taking a Ouija board to Eve’s sleepover last fall. “I’m babysitting Sam for Katie tonight. Ryan’s taking her to Gallipolis for dinner.” Katie’s eight-year-old son was a delight, but she would have steered away from Eve’s suggestion regardless. It wasn’t that she didn’t enjoy the River Café as a spot to grab dinner, but she saw no reason to rub elbows with Quentin. Worse, she didn’t want to encounter Shawn. He’d likely badmouth Suzanne for giving her the stuff in the first place.
Eve heaved a sigh and nodded. “Another time maybe.” She dropped her hand on top of the carton. “So, what is all this stuff anyway, and when are you going to tell me what you found out about Obadiah?”
“It’s just papers and photos. Some old books and a few newspaper clippings.” She thought of the oblong box and her fingers strayed to her necklace, a reflex action that made her wet her lips. “I found this odd wooden case, too.”
Eve appeared intrigued. “What’s odd about it?”
She’d sound silly explaining how strange it made her feel when she touched it, so she went for something more concrete. “It’s locked, but I couldn’t find a key. Not that I’m sure I’d want to look inside. There’s an etching of a spider on top, and the whole thing is kind of creepy.”
“Wow.” Eve appeared poised to dig into the carton. “Maybe I should check it out.”
Sarah stayed her with a hand on her arm. “I packed it tight.” She’d taken extra care to bury the case on the bottom, as far away from her as possible. “Besides, I thought you wanted to hear about Obadiah.”
That did the trick. Eve quickly dismissed the box and refocused. “Shawn’s always bragging about him being at Fort Randolph. What did you find out?”
“It looks like he was telling the truth, but I didn’t get very far.” There was only so much digging you could do before you encountered a blank wall. “I found a lot of records you’d probably find boring. Deeded property, militia ranking, that sort