She wanted to offer to pay; she looked at him and knew he would be offended.
“Thank you.”
“I’ll show you to the showers,” Axel told her.
Titan barked and hurried along as she and Axel gave the others a wave and started out.
His phone rang again. As he stopped to answer it, Raina looked around.
Darkness had fallen. There were electric lights in the main house and they cast a good glow out on the night. She could see the area where fires had been prepared for the next night and little tents had been set up for the students.
She remembered her own excitement when she had come as a student. Staring to the southwest, with the sun falling and the moon rising, she thought she could see the pirate ship, sailing now eternally across the river of grass.
Axel ended his call and smiled at her. “That was Jon. He and Kylie just landed back in Miami.”
“Wow. South Dakota for lunch and they’re back already.”
“They had the use of the private jet.”
“Now that must be the way to fly!”
“I like it when I’m on a case that requires fast action,” he told her. “They’ll come out here, so they’ll be back fairly soon.”
“Great!”
“Let’s get you clean. When they arrive, I’ll shower. That way, it will be me, Andrew and the two of them and I’ll know I have someone with eyes on you.”
They entered the main building where a young, light-haired park ranger was working with an older Miccosukee woman, setting up name tags on a table and remarking on the schedule. Both looked up as they entered. The Miccosukee woman smiled and opened her arms. Axel walked over to her, accepting a warm hug. The park ranger smiled on benignly and Axel introduced everyone—the woman was a distant cousin, Tiger clan, as well. She was happy to show Raina the hallway to the showers and assure her she’d be quite alone for a while.
Both women were introduced to Titan; Titan seemed to like them.
“I’ll be here, waiting,” Axel assured her. He made a face. “I’m going to check on Jordan Rivera’s condition again. If we can’t see him until tomorrow, I was thinking we might stay out here tonight. If you’re game.”
“Definitely,” she assured him.
“Titan, you’re with me for a few minutes.”
Titan obediently sat at his feet. Axel smiled. “Go ahead,” he told Raina.
She hurried down to the shower stalls.
She remembered being there before, but it had all been updated. Back then, there had been four shower stalls and they had been rustic. Now, there were eight stalls, all with little sitting areas, hooks for clothing and a pile of clean towels.
Nice. Time did make for some much needed improvements.
There was also plenty of water, deliciously hot. And soap and shampoo and conditioner, all in dispensers. She didn’t realize just how great the shower felt until she opened her eyes and realized that steam was rising all around her. She’d washed every conceivable inch of her body. Time to get out.
She turned off the water and stepped toward to the little sitting area where she’d left her clothing. And there, in the fog, she saw a woman appear.
Jennifer Lowry.
“A voice. I heard a voice. And I recognized it. One of them is here now,” the ghost whispered.
A call broke through the air.
“Are you all right in there?”
Raina thought it was the park ranger checking on her.
“I’m fine! It was just a great shower,” she said.
The voice came again. “We’re stepping out for a minute, grabbing some food. You’re welcome to anything here. Axel is right out in front with Andrew. They were on a phone call, trying to get good reception!”
“Thanks!”
The image of Jennifer Lowry before her was fading, disappearing as if rising along with the mist from the shower.
“Wait! Please!” Raina said.
But the ghost was gone.
Raina stood frozen for a minute, despite the heat around her, naked and dripping. But the ghost didn’t return.
She dressed again quickly, grateful for the clean blouse.
Then she paused, frowning. She heard a door, she thought. Coming from the rear of the building, near where she was, not from the front.
She stepped from her little stall, dressed and ready to hurry out.
She started to smile.
Then her smile faded and she tried to scream.
Too late. The burlap bag was already over her head, and the best she could manage was a gasping, choking sound.