Part Two Story
This is a followup to the story Hole in Your Soul that spikesgirl58 and I wrote last Autumn. And I just spent an hour trying to find a link to that story in my journal and I guess I never posted it here, so there is a link to it in Chrome&Gunmetal. *Gibbsslaps Self* For various reasons this sequel was not finished this Spring as I had originally planned, but Spikes is a patient Girl and so she waited for me to get my act together. I am always grateful for her patience and for her letting me play in her ABBA/Foothills MFUniverse. (and yes, for anyone playing the home version of the game Just a Notion is a prequel to this pair of stories)
**112/200**
YTD WordCount: 80,528
Title: Just a Girl
Author: Maggie&Charlie
'Verse: Man from UNCLE ABBA/Foothills MFUniverse
Claim/Characters/Pairing: Illya/Napoleon
Rating: M for mature (lost child, murder victim, adult humour)
Warnings: see above lost and murdered and adult themes, no smut but slash implied
Disclaimer: YO! I don't own them! I wish I did.
Summary: A little girl is lost and those with the talent need to find her.
Table/Prompt: The Body Table Prompt: Arms
Word Count: 11,400 mine 14,655 total
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Back at the Greenhouse...
“I think we did it.”
“If you only think you did, you likely didn’t.” Del smiled at her partner with a wicked glint in her eye.
“Oh, if I weren’t so tired I would have a brilliant comeback.”
“No doubt. Why don’t you guys head home, I’ll clean up here.” Del climbed off the stool at the work table and stretched her arms over her head and then tried to get the kink out of her back.
“That’s hardly fair, you have to be up earlier than I do.”
“Why don’t you girls both go home and I will clear this mess and lock up. I don’t have to get up at all.”
Del smirked at Steven. “Now you’re just giving me lines but I’m not taking the bait. Thanks though.”
Steven grinned and Carlie blushed as Del started to clean the table. They all pitched in and shortly had the work space tidy and ready for the next day.
“Your cousin has a place for you to stay, right? It might be nice for you to have a little break.”
“You worry too much Carlie, but yes, I have a place to stay. And I even have a dinner invitation.” Carlie gave Del a hopeful look. “With Rocky and his friends, sorry. No romance. Why is everyone convinced I need romance?”
“It’s a hazard of having happily paired off friends. We get so blissful we just think everyone should have someone to love them.” Carlie looked to Steven for confirmation and he shrugged.
“I’m not denying that I am blissful, but I refuse to take a side here, either way I will lose. You girls fight it out amongst yourselves.”
“You are a wise man, Stevie.” Del smiled and hugged them both as she went out the door. “G’night!”
Saturday...
Napoleon opened the door to find Del on the other side. She was still dressed for her job, delivering and setting up flowers for the wedding, in serviceable black pants and a t-shirt that advertised the greenhouse. He grinned at the outfit.
“I hope I’m not too early?” She ran a hand over her hair and smiled hopefully.
Napoleon waggled his finger at her outfit. “Is this what all the well dressed gardeners are wearing this year?”
“Only if they are lucky.”
“Well, your luck is holding. Illya is about to serve a late lunch.”
“Do I have time to change? I have my suitcase in the car.”
“If you’re quick and if you truly feel the need. I think you are quite comely just like that.”
“Rocky is right, you are the master of the silvered tongue.”
“So Illya frequently tells me. The guest room is the first door to the left past the living room. You’ll know if you are in the right place if there’s a bed in it. I’ll put your suitcase in there for you.”
“I’ll be fast.” Del smiled as she handed him the car keys. “Oh, and I unloaded and they were setting up Chef’s votives as I speak. The place is going to look great.”
“Take your time, I’ll have some wine for you when you come out?” Napoleon made it a question since Del hadn’t had alcohol on her last visit.
“That would be most welcome, thank you. And thank you again for the hospitality as well.”
“Always our pleasure. You know your way around, join us when you’re ready.”
Napoleon went back to the kitchen to find another glass and let Illya know that Del had arrived. He stood in the doorway for just a moment and enjoyed the laughter he found there. Illya and Matt were moving around the kitchen, operating liked a well-oiled machine and Rocky walked over to him. “It’s safer to watch from a distance when they get like that, Mr. S. Was that Del at the door?”
“Yes, she’s changing out of her work clothes at the moment. She looks tired, Rocky. What’s been going on with her, or do you know?”
“It’s starting to be a busy season at the greenhouse, and I think she’s been doing a few too many house cleansings if you ask me, which she hasn’t. There seems to be a lot more activity lately. Or maybe people talk a lot and so she’s been getting more calls, it’s hard to say. Wrong time of year for it, but there ya go, right?”
“Wrong time of year for what, Cousin?”
“For so much rai… wow, look at you.” Rocky let out a whistle. “All grown up.”
Del gave him a frown, looked down at her clothes, back up to him. “What?”
“Perhaps that was Rocky’s not subtle enough way of saying that you look lovely.” Illya patted her arm as he passed her on his way to the table set up in the living room.
“Yeah, you look fantastic.” Rocky hugged Del and then danced away from her as she tried to take a swipe at his head. He disappeared into the kitchen to help Matt and Illya serve.
“I was hoping to get to go out for dinner at a certain restaurant I know of and so I planned to pack something nice, but when you told me that there was flooding and I wouldn’t get to, I packed it anyway. Mom went a little crazy with her spring shopping and I haven’t had a chance to wear it yet. And I didn’t think you’d mind.” Del smoothed the skirt of the sundress, its flowery pattern rippling under her hands.
“You do look lovely, and you brighten up our grey day quite nicely.” Napoleon joined her at the door of the kitchen and gave her a glass of wine, taking her other hand and tucking it under his arm. “Come sit and tell me what you have been up to since we saw you last.”
Illya came out carrying a large casserole dish and Matt followed with a platter of steaming bread. Illya placed the platter down and held out a hand. Rocky set down a stack of warmed plates and passed the top one to him. “I thought because it was so cold a nice Shepherd’s Pie would hit the spot.”
“Mm, smells lovely.” She watched him ladle the thick stew like entree onto a plate and Rocky took it from him, settling it in front of her. He repeated the process until everyone was served. The bread was passed and for a few minutes, eating occupied everybody’s attention.
“This is really, really good, Illya.” Del dipped her fork into the potato crust. “And the potatoes… you’ve added something to them.”
“Romano cheese, butter and cream,” Illya said, glancing around. “Rocky, more?”
“You bet, boss man. I hate eating on an empty stomach.”
They were just finishing up when there was a knock on the door. Illya and Napoleon shrugged at one another and Illya hoisted himself to his feet, carefully stepping over the cats. Moutard took a hopeful step towards the kitchen, but Illya shook his head.
“Sorry, you’ve already had your dinner.” He opened the door and gestured, “Milt, come in before you drown out there.”
“Thank you, Illya, I appreciate it.” The sheriff stepped inside the door and dripped onto the hall rug as Illya took a look outside and then closed the door again.
“It looks like we may need to build an ark out there.”
“We might. It’s raining even worse up the hill and flash flood warnings are in effect.”
Napoleon came into the little entryway with a towel and handed it over. “Here, try this on for size and come in. Can I get you some coffee? Something stronger? I’m pouring a very respectable Sangiovese tonight.” He took the man’s jacket and shook it before hanging it on the closet’s doorknob.
“Coffee would be great.” Milt nodded his thanks as he took the towel, then walked into the small living room to stand in front of the fire. He looked around and saw the others still at the table. “I’m sorry to interrupt...”
“No need for apologies, Sheriff. We’ve just been eating up the surplus since we can’t open tonight with the leaking and the raining and désastre,” Matt said. “There’s plenty if you are hungry.”
Milt looked at the remains of the Shepherd’ pie and slowly shook his head. “Better not, lest I get the wife after me. She’s on me all the time about my cholesterol. It’s the shits getting… pardon me, ma’am. I didn’t see you there.”
Del laughed and waved her hand. “Don’t worry, Sheriff, I suspect you couldn’t come up with something I haven’t already heard.”
Illya came in with a tray of coffee and cups from the kitchen. “Have a seat and some coffee and tell us what has brought you to our door.”
“No infractions that I know about. I was hoping you had a generator next door that we could use.” Milt sipped his coffee with a grateful look and wrapped his hands around the warm ceramic. “Or is the fact that you are eating by candlelight a harbinger of bad tidings?”
“We do,” Illya said. “We are conserving energy and having a candlelit meal. But we do have one, why do you ask?”
“There’s a team of Search and Rescue on the way up the hill If they get here before the bridge washes out, I need a space to set them up for the night because my office...” His shoulders slumped for a moment and with a deep breath his resolve seemed to reestablish itself. “The generator for the police and sheriff office has been on its last legs for a while now and this storm has stressed it right into complete failure. We’ve got guys working on it, but there is no way it will be ready in the next hour. I heard you closed the restaurant tonight and thought maybe you’d let us use your place. We’ll be clear before you open for business tomorrow..”
“It’s Niagara Falls in the restaurant right now, but I would never refuse to help where I can.” Illya poured more coffee as he spoke. Milt chuckled and Illya cocked an eyebrow. “What did you do, Milt?”
“The boys who aren’t struggling to fix the generator are tarping your roof.”
“Che?” Matt ran to the door and flung it open to see that there were indeed men on the roof of Taste with tarps and tie-downs. “Cara, there are people all over our restaurant.
“I told them to wait until I got inside before they started.” Milt sipped his coffee.
“Rather sure of yourself, aren’t you Milt?” Illya tried to look annoyed. “Or were you going to commandeer the place if we said no?”
“I was, instead, counting on that over inflated sense of duty to the community that you two have.” Milt stood and put down his again empty cup. “I figured if you resisted my charm I’d give you a sob story about a lost little girl and you’d have to give in and help.” The look in his eyes did not match the humor in his voice. There was weariness there underneath the determination.
“Is that why the Search and Rescue is on the way?” Del asked, rising from the table. “Is there someone lost in the storm?”
“Yes, ma’am. And you aren’t from around here, are you?”
“Sorry, Sheriff, my manners are slipping. This is my cousin Del,” Rocky jumped in, “Del this is Milt, our sheriff extraordinaire.”
“Nice to meet you, sir.” Del took his offered hand “I’m sorry to hear that someone is lost.”
“We’ll find her. I don’t know how or when, but we will find her.” He winked wearily at Napoleon. “You know what I’m like when one of our own is missing.”
“Indeed I do, sir.”
Milt stood and walked slowly to the door, Illya following close on his heels. He took the ring with the extra key to Taste and handed it to him. ““Give us a chance to clean up and we’ll be over.”
“Thanks, Chef.” He punched Illya lightly in the shoulder and looked over at Matt. “Both of you, we appreciate it.”
“Nessun problema,” Matt said and waved goodbye.
“He’s really worried,” Del murmured as they watched the door close behind the sheriff. “The worry was making his aura murky and dull. He’s talking a good story, but he’s pretty much resigned himself to her loss.”
“Then let’s see what we can do about fixing it.” Napoleon slapped his hands together and looked around at the others. “I am sensing an adventure!”
****
The moment they hit the restaurant, Illya and Matt headed to the kitchen. Illya looked over at his business partner, crossed his fingers and walked into the store room where the generator was housed. Saying a silent prayer, Illya set down the flashlight he was carrying. He opened the choke and twisted the key. The motor sputtered and then caught. A second later, the overhead light pulsed on and he heard a shout from the kitchen. Taste was back in business.
Napoleon and Rocky were out front helping to rearrange the tables and clear as much space as possible. Finished with that, Rocky went into the dish room and began to gather up cups and saucers, while Del stood and watched them.
“I’m feeling a little silly just watching you guys work, you know,” she muttered.
“Why don’t you go and start a fire in the fireplace. The kindling and starter is just to the right of it. Later, we’ll let you serve the coffee. No doubt they will enjoy your company somewhat better than ours.” Napoleon smiled at her.
“Are they awful to you?” She glanced through the window as one of the men outside made a gesture towards the restaurant.
“What do you mean?” Napoleon looked at her and then chuckled. “You mean because we’re... us?”
“Well,” she paused. “Yeah.”
“No, one of the nice things about Jackson is that most of the locals don’t care. And if they do, they go someplace else,” Rocky answered. “That’s one of the advantages of living up here. Lots of places to go if you don’t want to be where you are. Move one town over and it’s another planet. Besides, we are low key. It’s not as if we flaunt it on Main Street, after all.”
Del went to the back door and looked out. “They can’t use a dog team in all this rain, can they? The scent will be washed away.”
Rocky walked up and stood behind her, slipping his arms around her waist. “I can hear you thinking, Cousin.”
“I can’t just walk out there and offer some fantastic story to some guy I just met; he has no reason to believe me. And I’m not going to come off like some traveling carnival sideshow and regale him with tales either. Maybe I can just give a little help on the sidelines.”
“And kick yourself the whole time for not getting out on the front lines.” Rocky kissed the side of her head.
“That too.”
“If I had any idea what you are talking about, I’d offer to help,” Napoleon said, trying not to pry. Then and again, Taste wasn’t so big that it was hard not to overhear.
“Del is multitalented. She is very good at finding what’s lost,” Rocky answered, looking over at Napoleon. “And I’m not talking about the odd sock or missing puppy. She finds people.”
“So it’s not just the dearly departed you have communication with, I take it?”
“I’ve helped in a few searches,” she admitted as the kitchen door swung open.
“The coffee is ready. You are ready too?”
“Yes indeed.” Napoleon smiled at Matt. “Del is going to serve our boys in blue and brown out here.” He turned back to her, “And you might just hear something helpful.”
“I would consider it my sworn duty.” Del gave him a mock salute and as Illya came in the kitchen.
He walked over to Napoleon and gestured with his head. “Excuse me, my lord and chef calls.”
“What’s going on?”
“The tarp has the leaks down to a trickle and they even brought their own buckets to catch the rain. According to Milt, the Search and Rescue volunteer team just arrived. Shall we see what we can do to help besides provide shelter from the storm?”
“I’m willing.”
The front door to the restaurant interrupted him as it opened and a young man came in carrying an armload of rolled up maps. Immediately, Rocky was there to lend a hand and Matt followed.
“Where do you want these?” Rocky asked, catching one of the rolls as it fell.
“Um, they’re maps of the area so on a couple of tables would be great.” He sniffed and asked hopefully. “Is that fresh coffee I smell?”
“And sustenance to go with them will soon follow,” Matt promised as he settled his armful. He headed back to the kitchen and Illya watched him.
“I need to help Matt, will you be all right out here?”
“Coffee, wine, I live to pour.”
“Just try not to dribble any coffee into the laps of anyone important and I shall die a happy man.”
“Don’t die at all and I’ll be the happy one.”
A dozen people had joined all the uniformed officers, they spoke in small groups. Some were by the fireplace, drying off from the rain. Others stood at the bar, drinking coffee, sampling pastries and consulting maps.
They all turned when the front door swung open and the Sacramento search and rescue team arrived.
Del recognized a few of the men and sighed. “So much for having to worry about being taken as a kook,” Del whispered to her cousin as one of the men saw her and waved. “I’m about to be outed, Rocky.”
“Join the club, Cousin.” He chuckled. “It’s much nicer out here than stuffed into that closet.”
“Not like that, idiot. Some of those guys were involved in the search I helped Carlie’s dad with a while back.”
The sheriff and another man approached and Del felt her stomach do a little flip when she recognized the man walking toward her.
“Fancy meeting you here, Del.” Del had met Nathaniel Dixon a year earlier. While the episode had ended successfully, they had not parted on the best of terms. He’d gotten overly familiar and she took exception to his fiancé. Now she put on a brave face.
“I attend all the finest crime scenes, didn’t you know?” Del tried to smile and ignored the red shimmer of the man’s aura. “Coffee?”
Nathaniel smiled a thousand kilowatts at her. “Not yet, thanks. I need to have a word if you have a moment.”
She sat the tray down and followed Nathaniel and the Sheriff to a quiet corner of the bar away from where people crowded around, setting up newly arrived equipment.
“Mr. Dixon here tells me that you have excellent references,” Milt said, studying her with new eyes.
“Does he now? Imagine that.”
“Wayne and I were having coffee when the call came in about a girl missing up Jackson way. And I find out you’re in town “working” a wedding.” He used his fingers to air quote the word. “Now I find you in the thick of things. Imagine my surprise.”
“In oh so many ways, no doubt.” Del just shook her head.
“He gave me a phone number for some a guy named Rocky and told me to call him to find you first thing.”
“Rocky is my cousin and Wayne didn’t lie. I’m here to work on a local wedding. That’s all I’m here for,” she shook her head.
“You won’t help us?” Milt sounded both alarmed and relieved at the same time.
“Oh, no, Sheriff, not that, I’m just reflecting upon the impossibility of serendipity. Of course I will help. I don’t advertise my brand of crazy but it finds me every time. But I am always willing to help if I can. This isn’t a guarantee of anything, you understand.”
“Of course.” Milt seemed at a bit of a loss for words. “I’m not sure how these things work. Do you need, um, what? A Ouija board or something of hers to pick up on her vibe?”
A look of distaste crossed Del’s features. “Gods, no! I hate the things. I just need to hang around for a while and get a feel for things. Sheriff, I’d appreciate it if you’d keep this between us for now. I saw some guys I know from another search, they know how I work, but I don’t need the distraction of trying to explain myself to a whole group of strangers. I’m sure that word will spread, but if we could, let’s start out quiet first, shall we?”
Milt exchanged a look with Nathaniel and nodded. “We can do that, sure.” He walked away, shouting for one of his men.
Nathaniel’s voice was soft. “Thank you, Del. Wayne said you’d do it.”
“He knows I’m a sucker, but he’s supposed to keep it to himself.”
“Hey, about the other thing… it didn’t work out. You were right about that too.”
She smiled at Nathaniel. “I told you so. Now, if you will excuse me, I need a word with my cousin and my hosts. Could you find someone who can tell me what happened?”
“Not a problem, Del.”
“And you might as well meet my cousin while we‘re at it, he’ll be running interference for me whether I ask him or not. Come on. Let’s get this over with.”
****
Napoleon watched Del walk away with the Sheriff and the other man, “Rocky, what exactly do you mean by ‘finding’?”
“I’m not sure how it works exactly, but she can sort of hone in on people, whether it’s their stress level or what, I’m not really sure.”
“Is there any danger to her?” Memories of Del’s last visit came back to Napoleon in a flash and he wondered what might be in store. He had a fatherly instinct towards the young woman. While he was certain she would laugh away his concern and reassure him that she could handle whatever came her way, he preferred to be prepared just in case.
“It wasn’t only haunted houses we got dragged to by her dad when we were kids. We worked missing persons as well, murder scenes, and whatever else he thought would get him fame and fortune. The sad thing was that we were good at what we did. If my uncle hadn’t been such a bastard about it, we could have helped more people who needed it.”
“And you walked away from it?” Napoleon's voice was kind, without accusation.
For a long minute, Rocky didn’t answer. “I, uh, grew out of the talent I guess.” Then he stopped and smiled. “That’s not exactly right, but it’s a bit like a muscle. If you don’t use it every day, it gets flabby and soft. It wasn’t what I wanted, Mr. S, so I made sure it wasn’t what I was. After a while, I just stopped being able to sense things.”
“But you and Matt--”
“No more than you and Chef. Our connection is out of love and familiarity, not merely the psychic.”
Napoleon looked puzzled and opened his mouth to say more, but Del and a stranger approached.
“Rocky, Napoleon, I’d like you to meet Nathaniel. He’s from Sacramento and is here with the S and R team. Nathaniel, this is my cousin, Rocky. Napoleon owns the wine shop next door. Rocky runs this place.”
“I’m just the head waiter.” Rocky corrected, as he shook Nathaniel’s hand.
“And I’m head bottle washer and jack of all trades.” Napoleon shook hands with Nathaniel next, noticing as he did that the man seemed to never take his eyes off Del unless he had to. He wondered if Del knew she had made a conquest. “It’s nice to meet you. The real brilliance at Taste is those two over there,” Napoleon nodded toward Illya and Matt, who were looking at maps and conferring with the Sheriff.
Del poured some coffee and handed it to Nathaniel. “Your promised coffee. And now I think I want to change into some more appropriate attire. Napoleon, could you let me back into the house?”
Napoleon knew that Del knew that the house had not been locked when they left so he merely went along with her request. “Certainly. Rocky, let Illya know, will you?”
“Sure thing, Mr. S.”
Napoleon took Del’s arm and they made a run through the rain. Even though their sprint across the parking lot was short they arrived dripping to the front porch of the house. Napoleon opened the door and Del preceded him in. From their resting spot on the couch, the cats gave both of them disapproving looks. Moutard rolled over onto his back and stretched, chirping. Buerre Noire merely yawned and returned to her cat nap.
“Would you care to tell me what’s going on, Del? I feel that I’m a bit in the dark here.” Napoleon shut the door behind him and flicked on a light. It took him a second to realize there was no power in here. He used the illumination provided by the fireplace to light a small kerosene lantern.
“You seem to have a lot of these. Does the power go off a lot around here?”
“It can and you are avoiding the question, Del.” Napoleon set the lantern on the coffee table and returned to the entry hall.
“I’m sorry, Napoleon, I wanted to talk to you where we wouldn’t be overheard.” She walked over to the fireplace and squatted in front of it. For a long time, she stared into the flames while Napoleon shook the rain from his hair and coat. When she started speaking again, her words came slowly and they were carefully chosen. “I need you and Illya to try and can keep Rocky from going out on this search. He’ll want to go wherever I go and I love him for it but I don’t feel good about him being involved with this. Things happened when we were kids. Things he still doesn’t talk about even with me. He’s an empath and he feels what other people feel. I think to some extent he still has the ability, if only subconsciously.”
“That’s what makes him such a great waiter,” Napoleon said, pausing to stroke Moutard’s stomach. “He always seems to know what the customers need, sometimes before they do. But, Del, Rocky’s a --”
“Big boy and takes care of himself just fine, but I don’t want him overwhelmed by this. He’s out of practice and it might be more than he can handle. I love him too much to want to see him hurt in any way.”
“I can’t promise anything. As you say, he is used to taking care of himself, but I’ll see what I can do.”
“Thank you.” She pulled away from the heat of the fire. “I need to put on something warmer if we are going out into the night.”
“You can borrow one of Illya’s sweatshirts if you need to.” Napoleon lit another lamp. “Take this with you.”
“Thanks. I’ll let you know.”
*****
Del came out of the guest bedroom to hear Napoleon clumping down the stairs. He’d pulled on jeans, a heavy sweater, hiking boots and pulled on a windbreaker to put over the top of it all. He was carrying a lantern with his free hand and had a towel over one shoulder.
“Wow.”
He gave her a questioning look. “Wow? Wow what?”
“Sorry, I just never would have imagined that you owned jeans, let alone ever wore them,” she said, then more softly as if to herself. “Or looked so damn good in them.”
Napoleon laughed, set down the lantern he was carrying and bowed. “I thank you, milady. I do dress down every once in a while, although I usually blame it on Illya’s more casual attitude towards fashion. Do you think I do my gardening in a three piece suit? This is not to say I couldn’t, of course.”
The visual made Del laugh as well. “Of course, but it would be hysterical to watch.”
The front door opened and Illya blew in with the rain.
“Napoleon, I’ve volunteered us to help search and put Rocky and Matt in charge at the restaurant. Milt is going to want teams ready to go in thirty. Could you grab me a …?”
Wordless, Napoleon held out the towel to him and Illya started to towel dry his hair. “And I see you’ve anticipated me.” Illya looked Napoleon up and down from within the depths of terry cloth.
“Anticipating you is one of my favorite games, partner. Go change into something dry and we’ll wait down here by the fire.”
Illya grabbed the lantern and disappeared up the stairs.
Del turned to Napoleon, “So that’s one problem solved. Is it always like this? I tell you and Illya just knows by osmosis or something?”
“It seems like it sometimes, doesn’t it?” Napoleon said as he moved the lantern closer to the hall closet and pulled a battered backpack from the top shelf. He pawed around in it and then took it and the lantern into the kitchen. Del could hear cupboards open and close as she stroked Buerre Noire’s side. The little cat yawned and stretched.
“You’ve got it right, puss.” Del said, trailing her fingers along the soft purring surface. “When I come back, I want to come back as you.”
A light bobbed above her head and she caught her breath, then realized it was Illya coming down the stairs.
“I’m sorry, were you saying something?”
“It’s thought that when we reincarnate, we return in another form. If we have been good, it will be a higher life form. I want to come back as a cat.”
“You’re going for a lower form then?”
Del laughed and leaned close to the cat, “Pay no attention to the heretic; he’s coming back as a dog.”
“That’s more appropriate that you could ever know.” Illya pulled his sweater over his head and joined his partner in the kitchen.
Del stayed seated by the fire. She couldn’t make out their words and didn’t try to. She could hear their quiet murmured conversation and then water running drown that out. She settled against the arm of the couch and shut her eyes, letting her mind drift.
It was cold and rainy and she was very confused. Nothing looked right, nothing said home. The air was heavy and oppressive, stinking of dead things. Hopelessness, the stifling, crushing burden of hopelessness, crushed her against the ground.
Del’s eyes opened and she sat up, confused and disoriented.
Illya was squatting by the fire, adjusting a log deeper into the grate of the inner hearth. “I didn’t mean to wake you. Did you have a nice nap?”
“I was sleeping?”
“You were, for about fifteen minutes.” He smiled at her frown as he straightened and returned the poker to its stand. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t usually nap during the day and rarely do I dream.”
“It’s the weather. I’d sleep the day away if given half the chance.” Illya had donned a windbreaker and was pushing a flashlight into the backpack and zipping it shut.
She glanced over to where Napoleon was pulling bright yellow rain slickers out of the closet. He tossed one to her.
“One for each of us, it won’t do for us to get lost as well, right? And the cut of this so says Fifth Avenue.”
“We surely can’t be missed in these, no.” Illya muttered, pulling it on. ”It would go well with my checked pants.”
“That’s you, my love, the cutting edge of haute couture.” Napoleon fastened the front of his and opened the door. “Shall we?”
The three of them ran back through the rain to Taste and Del noticed that when they took off the slickers, the men did not remove the windbreakers they wore. It was a little chilly still in the restaurant and but struck her as odd.
“Hey, Del, over here! We are just about to start!” Rocky called to her and she joined him at one of the tables. Napoleon and Illya stood as Milt took the floor.
“Okay, this is what we know so far. A woman identified as Mrs. Sue Stafford, out of Sutter Creek, lost control of her car just outside of Drytown. She had her headlights on because of the heavy rain and another passing motorist saw the taillights of the wrecked car. The Samaritan called it in and waited with her. The paramedics were surprised when Mrs. Stafford came to and asked about her daughter. There was no sign around the car of the little girl.” He stopped to hold up a grainy copy of a photo. “This is Molly, she is five years old and while she’s familiar with the area, it is safe to assume that she is very lost.” He paused and waved to one of his men. “Here, Huston, pass these around. We’re going to lose the light pretty fast, so let’s get out there and find this little girl. Be thorough, but be careful, folks. Stay in contact with each other.” Milt held up a walkie talkie. “Each group has or is going to be issued one of these. Use it. Don’t try to be a hero. These radios have a pretty short range but we won’t be far enough from town for that to be a problem. I want each team to check in with our base here every twenty minutes or so.”
Illya was checking something in the pack as the officer handed Napoleon the photo and moved on. Napoleon stared at it and sighed. Instantly, Illya was beside him.
“You okay?”
“She’s so young.” Then softly he added, “So many Innocents.”
“We helped them, we’ll help her.” Illya looked over at Del and smiled tightly. “Besides, we have a secret weapon. Come on.”
Del watched them talk together. There was something… she couldn’t put her finger on it. There was a sense of loss, something that was misplaced or perhaps taken from them. It troubled their aura, yet there was also a sense of them having freely given what had been taken. They seemed somehow… incomplete now. She’s not detected this before.
Shaking her head to clear it, she studied the map while the teams were gearing up, waiting for something, anything to spark some information to help. She could feel someone approach and turned to see another of the Search and Rescue men she knew. “Martin, how have you been?”
“Good Del, but we have to stop meeting at events like this.”
“That would be nice, right?”
“It would. You’ll come as far as the crash site with us?”
“I plan to, and stay as out of the way as much as possible.”
“You weren’t in the way at all last time we went out. You can join my team if you want to, we know you’re good for it.”
“Well thank you…” She shot a look at Illya as he approached.
“Sorry to interrupt, but this young lady has already been spoken for,” Illya said.
“Sorry, Martin, maybe next time.” She willingly left with Illya, but called over her shoulder. “I’ll see you when we come back in, ok?”
“Do your thing, Del.” He kept his voice low and she smiled at that.
“I’ll do my best.”
She wasn’t surprised to see that the team she was assigned to included Napoleon, Illya, and Nathaniel. There was also a uniformed officer with them.
“Del, this is Calvin,” Napoleon introduced the young man. “He’s one of our local finest.”
“I will do my best and try not to get us lost.”
“Good luck,” Illya muttered. “Napoleon gets lost coming across the parking lot some nights.
“I do not and it was only once…” Laughter rippled through the group, a much needed catharsis for the moment.
“What do you need to do this, Del?” Napoleon asked.
“Right now I need to get to the crash site and take a look around.”
“So do we, let’s go,” Napoleon said , leading the way out the door, shrugging into his rain gear as he went. The rest followed, but not before Rocky hurried up and caught Del’s arm.
“Is this,” Rocky started, then stopped and started again, “do you think this…”
“Wise? Probably not, but when has that stopped me before, Rocky?” He pulled her into a rough hug and she sighed. “Everything will be fine. And I have big tough guys by my side. It’s not like when we were kids. These guys, they’re not here for the glory or fame. They are here to help. Don’t worry.” She kissed his cheek and slipped out the door and into the rain to join the others.
*****
There was an uneasy silence in the vehicle as they drove toward the wreck site. Del could feel tension and couldn’t tell if it was the situation or the uncertainty or the fact that she was involved. Napoleon, Illya and Nathaniel were all crammed into the back seat, none of them looking very happy about it. She was in the front seat and she tried to relax enough to get some kind of reading. The silence was broken by Calvin.
“I know you don’t recognize me, Miss Sullivan, but I was at that search down in Sacramento. Most folks see my uniform and never see me, you know?”
“You’re right, I didn’t recognize you at all officer, I’m so sorry.”
“It’s ok, really. I’m Calvin. It’s good to see you again, well, not like this I mean…”
“I understand,” Del said, laughing, glad to feel the tension release a little. “It’s a hazard of the trade, only showing up when someone has trouble, I know. And just call me Del, please.”
“Is that why you got into the flower business, to get to see people on happier occasions?” Napoleon sat forward, resting his arms between the front seat headrests.
“You could be right, Napoleon, I hadn’t thought of it like that. But, yes, I do like that part of my job. There’s something very nurturing about taking a seed and watching it grow into a healthy plant. Or of watching a person’s face when they receive flowers.”
“I wouldn’t know.” Napoleon’s voice lowered, as if he was speaking confidentiality. “I’m married to an unsentimental old coot.”
“I beg your pardon? I gave you a dozen flats of primroses for your birthday.” Illya poked Napoleon in the leg. “Would you care to rephrase that, Mr. Solo?”
“Yes, Alex, I’ll take ‘Just joking’ for $200.” Laughter rippled through the car and the rest of the short drive was blessedly more relaxed.
The road was temporarily reduced to one lane and yellow tape was strung around some trees. Uniformed officers were stopping all the cars and trucks that were using the road to ask if anyone had seen any sign of the missing girl.
Calvin parked alongside the others and they gathered with the rest of the teams assembled at the wrecked car.
Milt motioned them aside and spread out the map under the cover of a pine tree. “Okay, you five are Team Green. We need you to take this area.” He indicated a region colored in green. The experts reckon that is going to be the most likely area that we’ll find her in.”
“Milt, that’s over 3200 acres,” Illya protested. She couldn’t have travelled that far even in good weather. And at best we’ve got two hours of day light left.”
“Frequently when kids do wander off, it’s not usually very far. We’re hoping that she’ll turn up now that we are out in force. Just do your best and keep in contact with us. The rest of us are going to go along the bank of the river and a group is heading for the mine.”
“She’s not there,” Del said softly and Napoleon glanced over at her. “I know that she’s in the forest… or at least by trees. I had a dream… earlier.”
“You just keep telling us when we get hot, Del.” Napoleon folded his grid map into a small square. “Let’s move out.”
****
Part Three
**112/200**
YTD WordCount: 80,528
Title: Just a Girl
Author: Maggie&Charlie
'Verse: Man from UNCLE ABBA/Foothills MFUniverse
Claim/Characters/Pairing: Illya/Napoleon
Rating: M for mature (lost child, murder victim, adult humour)
Warnings: see above lost and murdered and adult themes, no smut but slash implied
Disclaimer: YO! I don't own them! I wish I did.
Summary: A little girl is lost and those with the talent need to find her.
Table/Prompt: The Body Table Prompt: Arms
Word Count: 11,400 mine 14,655 total
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Back at the Greenhouse...
“I think we did it.”
“If you only think you did, you likely didn’t.” Del smiled at her partner with a wicked glint in her eye.
“Oh, if I weren’t so tired I would have a brilliant comeback.”
“No doubt. Why don’t you guys head home, I’ll clean up here.” Del climbed off the stool at the work table and stretched her arms over her head and then tried to get the kink out of her back.
“That’s hardly fair, you have to be up earlier than I do.”
“Why don’t you girls both go home and I will clear this mess and lock up. I don’t have to get up at all.”
Del smirked at Steven. “Now you’re just giving me lines but I’m not taking the bait. Thanks though.”
Steven grinned and Carlie blushed as Del started to clean the table. They all pitched in and shortly had the work space tidy and ready for the next day.
“Your cousin has a place for you to stay, right? It might be nice for you to have a little break.”
“You worry too much Carlie, but yes, I have a place to stay. And I even have a dinner invitation.” Carlie gave Del a hopeful look. “With Rocky and his friends, sorry. No romance. Why is everyone convinced I need romance?”
“It’s a hazard of having happily paired off friends. We get so blissful we just think everyone should have someone to love them.” Carlie looked to Steven for confirmation and he shrugged.
“I’m not denying that I am blissful, but I refuse to take a side here, either way I will lose. You girls fight it out amongst yourselves.”
“You are a wise man, Stevie.” Del smiled and hugged them both as she went out the door. “G’night!”
Saturday...
Napoleon opened the door to find Del on the other side. She was still dressed for her job, delivering and setting up flowers for the wedding, in serviceable black pants and a t-shirt that advertised the greenhouse. He grinned at the outfit.
“I hope I’m not too early?” She ran a hand over her hair and smiled hopefully.
Napoleon waggled his finger at her outfit. “Is this what all the well dressed gardeners are wearing this year?”
“Only if they are lucky.”
“Well, your luck is holding. Illya is about to serve a late lunch.”
“Do I have time to change? I have my suitcase in the car.”
“If you’re quick and if you truly feel the need. I think you are quite comely just like that.”
“Rocky is right, you are the master of the silvered tongue.”
“So Illya frequently tells me. The guest room is the first door to the left past the living room. You’ll know if you are in the right place if there’s a bed in it. I’ll put your suitcase in there for you.”
“I’ll be fast.” Del smiled as she handed him the car keys. “Oh, and I unloaded and they were setting up Chef’s votives as I speak. The place is going to look great.”
“Take your time, I’ll have some wine for you when you come out?” Napoleon made it a question since Del hadn’t had alcohol on her last visit.
“That would be most welcome, thank you. And thank you again for the hospitality as well.”
“Always our pleasure. You know your way around, join us when you’re ready.”
Napoleon went back to the kitchen to find another glass and let Illya know that Del had arrived. He stood in the doorway for just a moment and enjoyed the laughter he found there. Illya and Matt were moving around the kitchen, operating liked a well-oiled machine and Rocky walked over to him. “It’s safer to watch from a distance when they get like that, Mr. S. Was that Del at the door?”
“Yes, she’s changing out of her work clothes at the moment. She looks tired, Rocky. What’s been going on with her, or do you know?”
“It’s starting to be a busy season at the greenhouse, and I think she’s been doing a few too many house cleansings if you ask me, which she hasn’t. There seems to be a lot more activity lately. Or maybe people talk a lot and so she’s been getting more calls, it’s hard to say. Wrong time of year for it, but there ya go, right?”
“Wrong time of year for what, Cousin?”
“For so much rai… wow, look at you.” Rocky let out a whistle. “All grown up.”
Del gave him a frown, looked down at her clothes, back up to him. “What?”
“Perhaps that was Rocky’s not subtle enough way of saying that you look lovely.” Illya patted her arm as he passed her on his way to the table set up in the living room.
“Yeah, you look fantastic.” Rocky hugged Del and then danced away from her as she tried to take a swipe at his head. He disappeared into the kitchen to help Matt and Illya serve.
“I was hoping to get to go out for dinner at a certain restaurant I know of and so I planned to pack something nice, but when you told me that there was flooding and I wouldn’t get to, I packed it anyway. Mom went a little crazy with her spring shopping and I haven’t had a chance to wear it yet. And I didn’t think you’d mind.” Del smoothed the skirt of the sundress, its flowery pattern rippling under her hands.
“You do look lovely, and you brighten up our grey day quite nicely.” Napoleon joined her at the door of the kitchen and gave her a glass of wine, taking her other hand and tucking it under his arm. “Come sit and tell me what you have been up to since we saw you last.”
Illya came out carrying a large casserole dish and Matt followed with a platter of steaming bread. Illya placed the platter down and held out a hand. Rocky set down a stack of warmed plates and passed the top one to him. “I thought because it was so cold a nice Shepherd’s Pie would hit the spot.”
“Mm, smells lovely.” She watched him ladle the thick stew like entree onto a plate and Rocky took it from him, settling it in front of her. He repeated the process until everyone was served. The bread was passed and for a few minutes, eating occupied everybody’s attention.
“This is really, really good, Illya.” Del dipped her fork into the potato crust. “And the potatoes… you’ve added something to them.”
“Romano cheese, butter and cream,” Illya said, glancing around. “Rocky, more?”
“You bet, boss man. I hate eating on an empty stomach.”
They were just finishing up when there was a knock on the door. Illya and Napoleon shrugged at one another and Illya hoisted himself to his feet, carefully stepping over the cats. Moutard took a hopeful step towards the kitchen, but Illya shook his head.
“Sorry, you’ve already had your dinner.” He opened the door and gestured, “Milt, come in before you drown out there.”
“Thank you, Illya, I appreciate it.” The sheriff stepped inside the door and dripped onto the hall rug as Illya took a look outside and then closed the door again.
“It looks like we may need to build an ark out there.”
“We might. It’s raining even worse up the hill and flash flood warnings are in effect.”
Napoleon came into the little entryway with a towel and handed it over. “Here, try this on for size and come in. Can I get you some coffee? Something stronger? I’m pouring a very respectable Sangiovese tonight.” He took the man’s jacket and shook it before hanging it on the closet’s doorknob.
“Coffee would be great.” Milt nodded his thanks as he took the towel, then walked into the small living room to stand in front of the fire. He looked around and saw the others still at the table. “I’m sorry to interrupt...”
“No need for apologies, Sheriff. We’ve just been eating up the surplus since we can’t open tonight with the leaking and the raining and désastre,” Matt said. “There’s plenty if you are hungry.”
Milt looked at the remains of the Shepherd’ pie and slowly shook his head. “Better not, lest I get the wife after me. She’s on me all the time about my cholesterol. It’s the shits getting… pardon me, ma’am. I didn’t see you there.”
Del laughed and waved her hand. “Don’t worry, Sheriff, I suspect you couldn’t come up with something I haven’t already heard.”
Illya came in with a tray of coffee and cups from the kitchen. “Have a seat and some coffee and tell us what has brought you to our door.”
“No infractions that I know about. I was hoping you had a generator next door that we could use.” Milt sipped his coffee with a grateful look and wrapped his hands around the warm ceramic. “Or is the fact that you are eating by candlelight a harbinger of bad tidings?”
“We do,” Illya said. “We are conserving energy and having a candlelit meal. But we do have one, why do you ask?”
“There’s a team of Search and Rescue on the way up the hill If they get here before the bridge washes out, I need a space to set them up for the night because my office...” His shoulders slumped for a moment and with a deep breath his resolve seemed to reestablish itself. “The generator for the police and sheriff office has been on its last legs for a while now and this storm has stressed it right into complete failure. We’ve got guys working on it, but there is no way it will be ready in the next hour. I heard you closed the restaurant tonight and thought maybe you’d let us use your place. We’ll be clear before you open for business tomorrow..”
“It’s Niagara Falls in the restaurant right now, but I would never refuse to help where I can.” Illya poured more coffee as he spoke. Milt chuckled and Illya cocked an eyebrow. “What did you do, Milt?”
“The boys who aren’t struggling to fix the generator are tarping your roof.”
“Che?” Matt ran to the door and flung it open to see that there were indeed men on the roof of Taste with tarps and tie-downs. “Cara, there are people all over our restaurant.
“I told them to wait until I got inside before they started.” Milt sipped his coffee.
“Rather sure of yourself, aren’t you Milt?” Illya tried to look annoyed. “Or were you going to commandeer the place if we said no?”
“I was, instead, counting on that over inflated sense of duty to the community that you two have.” Milt stood and put down his again empty cup. “I figured if you resisted my charm I’d give you a sob story about a lost little girl and you’d have to give in and help.” The look in his eyes did not match the humor in his voice. There was weariness there underneath the determination.
“Is that why the Search and Rescue is on the way?” Del asked, rising from the table. “Is there someone lost in the storm?”
“Yes, ma’am. And you aren’t from around here, are you?”
“Sorry, Sheriff, my manners are slipping. This is my cousin Del,” Rocky jumped in, “Del this is Milt, our sheriff extraordinaire.”
“Nice to meet you, sir.” Del took his offered hand “I’m sorry to hear that someone is lost.”
“We’ll find her. I don’t know how or when, but we will find her.” He winked wearily at Napoleon. “You know what I’m like when one of our own is missing.”
“Indeed I do, sir.”
Milt stood and walked slowly to the door, Illya following close on his heels. He took the ring with the extra key to Taste and handed it to him. ““Give us a chance to clean up and we’ll be over.”
“Thanks, Chef.” He punched Illya lightly in the shoulder and looked over at Matt. “Both of you, we appreciate it.”
“Nessun problema,” Matt said and waved goodbye.
“He’s really worried,” Del murmured as they watched the door close behind the sheriff. “The worry was making his aura murky and dull. He’s talking a good story, but he’s pretty much resigned himself to her loss.”
“Then let’s see what we can do about fixing it.” Napoleon slapped his hands together and looked around at the others. “I am sensing an adventure!”
****
The moment they hit the restaurant, Illya and Matt headed to the kitchen. Illya looked over at his business partner, crossed his fingers and walked into the store room where the generator was housed. Saying a silent prayer, Illya set down the flashlight he was carrying. He opened the choke and twisted the key. The motor sputtered and then caught. A second later, the overhead light pulsed on and he heard a shout from the kitchen. Taste was back in business.
Napoleon and Rocky were out front helping to rearrange the tables and clear as much space as possible. Finished with that, Rocky went into the dish room and began to gather up cups and saucers, while Del stood and watched them.
“I’m feeling a little silly just watching you guys work, you know,” she muttered.
“Why don’t you go and start a fire in the fireplace. The kindling and starter is just to the right of it. Later, we’ll let you serve the coffee. No doubt they will enjoy your company somewhat better than ours.” Napoleon smiled at her.
“Are they awful to you?” She glanced through the window as one of the men outside made a gesture towards the restaurant.
“What do you mean?” Napoleon looked at her and then chuckled. “You mean because we’re... us?”
“Well,” she paused. “Yeah.”
“No, one of the nice things about Jackson is that most of the locals don’t care. And if they do, they go someplace else,” Rocky answered. “That’s one of the advantages of living up here. Lots of places to go if you don’t want to be where you are. Move one town over and it’s another planet. Besides, we are low key. It’s not as if we flaunt it on Main Street, after all.”
Del went to the back door and looked out. “They can’t use a dog team in all this rain, can they? The scent will be washed away.”
Rocky walked up and stood behind her, slipping his arms around her waist. “I can hear you thinking, Cousin.”
“I can’t just walk out there and offer some fantastic story to some guy I just met; he has no reason to believe me. And I’m not going to come off like some traveling carnival sideshow and regale him with tales either. Maybe I can just give a little help on the sidelines.”
“And kick yourself the whole time for not getting out on the front lines.” Rocky kissed the side of her head.
“That too.”
“If I had any idea what you are talking about, I’d offer to help,” Napoleon said, trying not to pry. Then and again, Taste wasn’t so big that it was hard not to overhear.
“Del is multitalented. She is very good at finding what’s lost,” Rocky answered, looking over at Napoleon. “And I’m not talking about the odd sock or missing puppy. She finds people.”
“So it’s not just the dearly departed you have communication with, I take it?”
“I’ve helped in a few searches,” she admitted as the kitchen door swung open.
“The coffee is ready. You are ready too?”
“Yes indeed.” Napoleon smiled at Matt. “Del is going to serve our boys in blue and brown out here.” He turned back to her, “And you might just hear something helpful.”
“I would consider it my sworn duty.” Del gave him a mock salute and as Illya came in the kitchen.
He walked over to Napoleon and gestured with his head. “Excuse me, my lord and chef calls.”
“What’s going on?”
“The tarp has the leaks down to a trickle and they even brought their own buckets to catch the rain. According to Milt, the Search and Rescue volunteer team just arrived. Shall we see what we can do to help besides provide shelter from the storm?”
“I’m willing.”
The front door to the restaurant interrupted him as it opened and a young man came in carrying an armload of rolled up maps. Immediately, Rocky was there to lend a hand and Matt followed.
“Where do you want these?” Rocky asked, catching one of the rolls as it fell.
“Um, they’re maps of the area so on a couple of tables would be great.” He sniffed and asked hopefully. “Is that fresh coffee I smell?”
“And sustenance to go with them will soon follow,” Matt promised as he settled his armful. He headed back to the kitchen and Illya watched him.
“I need to help Matt, will you be all right out here?”
“Coffee, wine, I live to pour.”
“Just try not to dribble any coffee into the laps of anyone important and I shall die a happy man.”
“Don’t die at all and I’ll be the happy one.”
A dozen people had joined all the uniformed officers, they spoke in small groups. Some were by the fireplace, drying off from the rain. Others stood at the bar, drinking coffee, sampling pastries and consulting maps.
They all turned when the front door swung open and the Sacramento search and rescue team arrived.
Del recognized a few of the men and sighed. “So much for having to worry about being taken as a kook,” Del whispered to her cousin as one of the men saw her and waved. “I’m about to be outed, Rocky.”
“Join the club, Cousin.” He chuckled. “It’s much nicer out here than stuffed into that closet.”
“Not like that, idiot. Some of those guys were involved in the search I helped Carlie’s dad with a while back.”
The sheriff and another man approached and Del felt her stomach do a little flip when she recognized the man walking toward her.
“Fancy meeting you here, Del.” Del had met Nathaniel Dixon a year earlier. While the episode had ended successfully, they had not parted on the best of terms. He’d gotten overly familiar and she took exception to his fiancé. Now she put on a brave face.
“I attend all the finest crime scenes, didn’t you know?” Del tried to smile and ignored the red shimmer of the man’s aura. “Coffee?”
Nathaniel smiled a thousand kilowatts at her. “Not yet, thanks. I need to have a word if you have a moment.”
She sat the tray down and followed Nathaniel and the Sheriff to a quiet corner of the bar away from where people crowded around, setting up newly arrived equipment.
“Mr. Dixon here tells me that you have excellent references,” Milt said, studying her with new eyes.
“Does he now? Imagine that.”
“Wayne and I were having coffee when the call came in about a girl missing up Jackson way. And I find out you’re in town “working” a wedding.” He used his fingers to air quote the word. “Now I find you in the thick of things. Imagine my surprise.”
“In oh so many ways, no doubt.” Del just shook her head.
“He gave me a phone number for some a guy named Rocky and told me to call him to find you first thing.”
“Rocky is my cousin and Wayne didn’t lie. I’m here to work on a local wedding. That’s all I’m here for,” she shook her head.
“You won’t help us?” Milt sounded both alarmed and relieved at the same time.
“Oh, no, Sheriff, not that, I’m just reflecting upon the impossibility of serendipity. Of course I will help. I don’t advertise my brand of crazy but it finds me every time. But I am always willing to help if I can. This isn’t a guarantee of anything, you understand.”
“Of course.” Milt seemed at a bit of a loss for words. “I’m not sure how these things work. Do you need, um, what? A Ouija board or something of hers to pick up on her vibe?”
A look of distaste crossed Del’s features. “Gods, no! I hate the things. I just need to hang around for a while and get a feel for things. Sheriff, I’d appreciate it if you’d keep this between us for now. I saw some guys I know from another search, they know how I work, but I don’t need the distraction of trying to explain myself to a whole group of strangers. I’m sure that word will spread, but if we could, let’s start out quiet first, shall we?”
Milt exchanged a look with Nathaniel and nodded. “We can do that, sure.” He walked away, shouting for one of his men.
Nathaniel’s voice was soft. “Thank you, Del. Wayne said you’d do it.”
“He knows I’m a sucker, but he’s supposed to keep it to himself.”
“Hey, about the other thing… it didn’t work out. You were right about that too.”
She smiled at Nathaniel. “I told you so. Now, if you will excuse me, I need a word with my cousin and my hosts. Could you find someone who can tell me what happened?”
“Not a problem, Del.”
“And you might as well meet my cousin while we‘re at it, he’ll be running interference for me whether I ask him or not. Come on. Let’s get this over with.”
****
Napoleon watched Del walk away with the Sheriff and the other man, “Rocky, what exactly do you mean by ‘finding’?”
“I’m not sure how it works exactly, but she can sort of hone in on people, whether it’s their stress level or what, I’m not really sure.”
“Is there any danger to her?” Memories of Del’s last visit came back to Napoleon in a flash and he wondered what might be in store. He had a fatherly instinct towards the young woman. While he was certain she would laugh away his concern and reassure him that she could handle whatever came her way, he preferred to be prepared just in case.
“It wasn’t only haunted houses we got dragged to by her dad when we were kids. We worked missing persons as well, murder scenes, and whatever else he thought would get him fame and fortune. The sad thing was that we were good at what we did. If my uncle hadn’t been such a bastard about it, we could have helped more people who needed it.”
“And you walked away from it?” Napoleon's voice was kind, without accusation.
For a long minute, Rocky didn’t answer. “I, uh, grew out of the talent I guess.” Then he stopped and smiled. “That’s not exactly right, but it’s a bit like a muscle. If you don’t use it every day, it gets flabby and soft. It wasn’t what I wanted, Mr. S, so I made sure it wasn’t what I was. After a while, I just stopped being able to sense things.”
“But you and Matt--”
“No more than you and Chef. Our connection is out of love and familiarity, not merely the psychic.”
Napoleon looked puzzled and opened his mouth to say more, but Del and a stranger approached.
“Rocky, Napoleon, I’d like you to meet Nathaniel. He’s from Sacramento and is here with the S and R team. Nathaniel, this is my cousin, Rocky. Napoleon owns the wine shop next door. Rocky runs this place.”
“I’m just the head waiter.” Rocky corrected, as he shook Nathaniel’s hand.
“And I’m head bottle washer and jack of all trades.” Napoleon shook hands with Nathaniel next, noticing as he did that the man seemed to never take his eyes off Del unless he had to. He wondered if Del knew she had made a conquest. “It’s nice to meet you. The real brilliance at Taste is those two over there,” Napoleon nodded toward Illya and Matt, who were looking at maps and conferring with the Sheriff.
Del poured some coffee and handed it to Nathaniel. “Your promised coffee. And now I think I want to change into some more appropriate attire. Napoleon, could you let me back into the house?”
Napoleon knew that Del knew that the house had not been locked when they left so he merely went along with her request. “Certainly. Rocky, let Illya know, will you?”
“Sure thing, Mr. S.”
Napoleon took Del’s arm and they made a run through the rain. Even though their sprint across the parking lot was short they arrived dripping to the front porch of the house. Napoleon opened the door and Del preceded him in. From their resting spot on the couch, the cats gave both of them disapproving looks. Moutard rolled over onto his back and stretched, chirping. Buerre Noire merely yawned and returned to her cat nap.
“Would you care to tell me what’s going on, Del? I feel that I’m a bit in the dark here.” Napoleon shut the door behind him and flicked on a light. It took him a second to realize there was no power in here. He used the illumination provided by the fireplace to light a small kerosene lantern.
“You seem to have a lot of these. Does the power go off a lot around here?”
“It can and you are avoiding the question, Del.” Napoleon set the lantern on the coffee table and returned to the entry hall.
“I’m sorry, Napoleon, I wanted to talk to you where we wouldn’t be overheard.” She walked over to the fireplace and squatted in front of it. For a long time, she stared into the flames while Napoleon shook the rain from his hair and coat. When she started speaking again, her words came slowly and they were carefully chosen. “I need you and Illya to try and can keep Rocky from going out on this search. He’ll want to go wherever I go and I love him for it but I don’t feel good about him being involved with this. Things happened when we were kids. Things he still doesn’t talk about even with me. He’s an empath and he feels what other people feel. I think to some extent he still has the ability, if only subconsciously.”
“That’s what makes him such a great waiter,” Napoleon said, pausing to stroke Moutard’s stomach. “He always seems to know what the customers need, sometimes before they do. But, Del, Rocky’s a --”
“Big boy and takes care of himself just fine, but I don’t want him overwhelmed by this. He’s out of practice and it might be more than he can handle. I love him too much to want to see him hurt in any way.”
“I can’t promise anything. As you say, he is used to taking care of himself, but I’ll see what I can do.”
“Thank you.” She pulled away from the heat of the fire. “I need to put on something warmer if we are going out into the night.”
“You can borrow one of Illya’s sweatshirts if you need to.” Napoleon lit another lamp. “Take this with you.”
“Thanks. I’ll let you know.”
*****
Del came out of the guest bedroom to hear Napoleon clumping down the stairs. He’d pulled on jeans, a heavy sweater, hiking boots and pulled on a windbreaker to put over the top of it all. He was carrying a lantern with his free hand and had a towel over one shoulder.
“Wow.”
He gave her a questioning look. “Wow? Wow what?”
“Sorry, I just never would have imagined that you owned jeans, let alone ever wore them,” she said, then more softly as if to herself. “Or looked so damn good in them.”
Napoleon laughed, set down the lantern he was carrying and bowed. “I thank you, milady. I do dress down every once in a while, although I usually blame it on Illya’s more casual attitude towards fashion. Do you think I do my gardening in a three piece suit? This is not to say I couldn’t, of course.”
The visual made Del laugh as well. “Of course, but it would be hysterical to watch.”
The front door opened and Illya blew in with the rain.
“Napoleon, I’ve volunteered us to help search and put Rocky and Matt in charge at the restaurant. Milt is going to want teams ready to go in thirty. Could you grab me a …?”
Wordless, Napoleon held out the towel to him and Illya started to towel dry his hair. “And I see you’ve anticipated me.” Illya looked Napoleon up and down from within the depths of terry cloth.
“Anticipating you is one of my favorite games, partner. Go change into something dry and we’ll wait down here by the fire.”
Illya grabbed the lantern and disappeared up the stairs.
Del turned to Napoleon, “So that’s one problem solved. Is it always like this? I tell you and Illya just knows by osmosis or something?”
“It seems like it sometimes, doesn’t it?” Napoleon said as he moved the lantern closer to the hall closet and pulled a battered backpack from the top shelf. He pawed around in it and then took it and the lantern into the kitchen. Del could hear cupboards open and close as she stroked Buerre Noire’s side. The little cat yawned and stretched.
“You’ve got it right, puss.” Del said, trailing her fingers along the soft purring surface. “When I come back, I want to come back as you.”
A light bobbed above her head and she caught her breath, then realized it was Illya coming down the stairs.
“I’m sorry, were you saying something?”
“It’s thought that when we reincarnate, we return in another form. If we have been good, it will be a higher life form. I want to come back as a cat.”
“You’re going for a lower form then?”
Del laughed and leaned close to the cat, “Pay no attention to the heretic; he’s coming back as a dog.”
“That’s more appropriate that you could ever know.” Illya pulled his sweater over his head and joined his partner in the kitchen.
Del stayed seated by the fire. She couldn’t make out their words and didn’t try to. She could hear their quiet murmured conversation and then water running drown that out. She settled against the arm of the couch and shut her eyes, letting her mind drift.
It was cold and rainy and she was very confused. Nothing looked right, nothing said home. The air was heavy and oppressive, stinking of dead things. Hopelessness, the stifling, crushing burden of hopelessness, crushed her against the ground.
Del’s eyes opened and she sat up, confused and disoriented.
Illya was squatting by the fire, adjusting a log deeper into the grate of the inner hearth. “I didn’t mean to wake you. Did you have a nice nap?”
“I was sleeping?”
“You were, for about fifteen minutes.” He smiled at her frown as he straightened and returned the poker to its stand. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t usually nap during the day and rarely do I dream.”
“It’s the weather. I’d sleep the day away if given half the chance.” Illya had donned a windbreaker and was pushing a flashlight into the backpack and zipping it shut.
She glanced over to where Napoleon was pulling bright yellow rain slickers out of the closet. He tossed one to her.
“One for each of us, it won’t do for us to get lost as well, right? And the cut of this so says Fifth Avenue.”
“We surely can’t be missed in these, no.” Illya muttered, pulling it on. ”It would go well with my checked pants.”
“That’s you, my love, the cutting edge of haute couture.” Napoleon fastened the front of his and opened the door. “Shall we?”
The three of them ran back through the rain to Taste and Del noticed that when they took off the slickers, the men did not remove the windbreakers they wore. It was a little chilly still in the restaurant and but struck her as odd.
“Hey, Del, over here! We are just about to start!” Rocky called to her and she joined him at one of the tables. Napoleon and Illya stood as Milt took the floor.
“Okay, this is what we know so far. A woman identified as Mrs. Sue Stafford, out of Sutter Creek, lost control of her car just outside of Drytown. She had her headlights on because of the heavy rain and another passing motorist saw the taillights of the wrecked car. The Samaritan called it in and waited with her. The paramedics were surprised when Mrs. Stafford came to and asked about her daughter. There was no sign around the car of the little girl.” He stopped to hold up a grainy copy of a photo. “This is Molly, she is five years old and while she’s familiar with the area, it is safe to assume that she is very lost.” He paused and waved to one of his men. “Here, Huston, pass these around. We’re going to lose the light pretty fast, so let’s get out there and find this little girl. Be thorough, but be careful, folks. Stay in contact with each other.” Milt held up a walkie talkie. “Each group has or is going to be issued one of these. Use it. Don’t try to be a hero. These radios have a pretty short range but we won’t be far enough from town for that to be a problem. I want each team to check in with our base here every twenty minutes or so.”
Illya was checking something in the pack as the officer handed Napoleon the photo and moved on. Napoleon stared at it and sighed. Instantly, Illya was beside him.
“You okay?”
“She’s so young.” Then softly he added, “So many Innocents.”
“We helped them, we’ll help her.” Illya looked over at Del and smiled tightly. “Besides, we have a secret weapon. Come on.”
Del watched them talk together. There was something… she couldn’t put her finger on it. There was a sense of loss, something that was misplaced or perhaps taken from them. It troubled their aura, yet there was also a sense of them having freely given what had been taken. They seemed somehow… incomplete now. She’s not detected this before.
Shaking her head to clear it, she studied the map while the teams were gearing up, waiting for something, anything to spark some information to help. She could feel someone approach and turned to see another of the Search and Rescue men she knew. “Martin, how have you been?”
“Good Del, but we have to stop meeting at events like this.”
“That would be nice, right?”
“It would. You’ll come as far as the crash site with us?”
“I plan to, and stay as out of the way as much as possible.”
“You weren’t in the way at all last time we went out. You can join my team if you want to, we know you’re good for it.”
“Well thank you…” She shot a look at Illya as he approached.
“Sorry to interrupt, but this young lady has already been spoken for,” Illya said.
“Sorry, Martin, maybe next time.” She willingly left with Illya, but called over her shoulder. “I’ll see you when we come back in, ok?”
“Do your thing, Del.” He kept his voice low and she smiled at that.
“I’ll do my best.”
She wasn’t surprised to see that the team she was assigned to included Napoleon, Illya, and Nathaniel. There was also a uniformed officer with them.
“Del, this is Calvin,” Napoleon introduced the young man. “He’s one of our local finest.”
“I will do my best and try not to get us lost.”
“Good luck,” Illya muttered. “Napoleon gets lost coming across the parking lot some nights.
“I do not and it was only once…” Laughter rippled through the group, a much needed catharsis for the moment.
“What do you need to do this, Del?” Napoleon asked.
“Right now I need to get to the crash site and take a look around.”
“So do we, let’s go,” Napoleon said , leading the way out the door, shrugging into his rain gear as he went. The rest followed, but not before Rocky hurried up and caught Del’s arm.
“Is this,” Rocky started, then stopped and started again, “do you think this…”
“Wise? Probably not, but when has that stopped me before, Rocky?” He pulled her into a rough hug and she sighed. “Everything will be fine. And I have big tough guys by my side. It’s not like when we were kids. These guys, they’re not here for the glory or fame. They are here to help. Don’t worry.” She kissed his cheek and slipped out the door and into the rain to join the others.
*****
There was an uneasy silence in the vehicle as they drove toward the wreck site. Del could feel tension and couldn’t tell if it was the situation or the uncertainty or the fact that she was involved. Napoleon, Illya and Nathaniel were all crammed into the back seat, none of them looking very happy about it. She was in the front seat and she tried to relax enough to get some kind of reading. The silence was broken by Calvin.
“I know you don’t recognize me, Miss Sullivan, but I was at that search down in Sacramento. Most folks see my uniform and never see me, you know?”
“You’re right, I didn’t recognize you at all officer, I’m so sorry.”
“It’s ok, really. I’m Calvin. It’s good to see you again, well, not like this I mean…”
“I understand,” Del said, laughing, glad to feel the tension release a little. “It’s a hazard of the trade, only showing up when someone has trouble, I know. And just call me Del, please.”
“Is that why you got into the flower business, to get to see people on happier occasions?” Napoleon sat forward, resting his arms between the front seat headrests.
“You could be right, Napoleon, I hadn’t thought of it like that. But, yes, I do like that part of my job. There’s something very nurturing about taking a seed and watching it grow into a healthy plant. Or of watching a person’s face when they receive flowers.”
“I wouldn’t know.” Napoleon’s voice lowered, as if he was speaking confidentiality. “I’m married to an unsentimental old coot.”
“I beg your pardon? I gave you a dozen flats of primroses for your birthday.” Illya poked Napoleon in the leg. “Would you care to rephrase that, Mr. Solo?”
“Yes, Alex, I’ll take ‘Just joking’ for $200.” Laughter rippled through the car and the rest of the short drive was blessedly more relaxed.
The road was temporarily reduced to one lane and yellow tape was strung around some trees. Uniformed officers were stopping all the cars and trucks that were using the road to ask if anyone had seen any sign of the missing girl.
Calvin parked alongside the others and they gathered with the rest of the teams assembled at the wrecked car.
Milt motioned them aside and spread out the map under the cover of a pine tree. “Okay, you five are Team Green. We need you to take this area.” He indicated a region colored in green. The experts reckon that is going to be the most likely area that we’ll find her in.”
“Milt, that’s over 3200 acres,” Illya protested. She couldn’t have travelled that far even in good weather. And at best we’ve got two hours of day light left.”
“Frequently when kids do wander off, it’s not usually very far. We’re hoping that she’ll turn up now that we are out in force. Just do your best and keep in contact with us. The rest of us are going to go along the bank of the river and a group is heading for the mine.”
“She’s not there,” Del said softly and Napoleon glanced over at her. “I know that she’s in the forest… or at least by trees. I had a dream… earlier.”
“You just keep telling us when we get hot, Del.” Napoleon folded his grid map into a small square. “Let’s move out.”
****
Part Three