Read Cindy Spencer Pape - [Guardian Investigations 01] for Free Online Page B

window. I couldn’t really see
the man who caught me. And I couldn’t smell him either. My nose didn’t work
anymore.”
    “Did he take you in a car?”
    “Yes. In the back with Faith. She put
something over my eyes and nose and I fell asleep.”
    “Did you see anything about the house
you’re in?”
    “No. I woke up here.”
    “Okay, Ericka. I’m going to go talk to
your mom and dad now. You stay strong, and we’ll be there soon, okay?”
    “‘Kay.” I
could feel the resolve she put into that thought. This was one tough little
kid, and I hoped to God we could save her.
    I pulled myself out of the trance and
looked up at Evan. “She’s alive.”
    He held out a hand and lifted me off the
bed. Hands still linked, we walked out into the hallway where the anxious
parents awaited. I told them everything and watched Leah burst into tears of
relief at the knowledge that her daughter was still alive. It was so different,
being able to talk openly with the family and not hide behind fake hunches and
guesses. I found myself envying my brother the freedom he must have, working
with Guardian and clients like these all the time.
    “Faith is my secretary,” Derek Carter
growled. “ Was my secretary. She’s only been with me for a few months,
since my old one retired. Looks like she was a plant from the Sons of the
Wolf.”
    “Or she was susceptible to a bribe,” Evan
offered. “Or blackmail.”
    “That explains why we didn’t smell an
intruder in the house,” Leah added as she wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her
blue oxford cloth shirt. “She’s here every day or two, and she’s always made it
a point to go say hello to Ericka.”
    “And now we know why.” Derek turned and
strode down the staircase. “I’ll go find her address.”
    “And any locations we have for the cult,”
Evan added. He moved to follow Derek, pulling me with him. His grip on my hand
was so tight it almost hurt, but the vibe I was getting was so loaded with care
and protectiveness, that I didn’t try to break free. “Rhys and Gavin should be
here soon. We can send Gavin and the chopper out to scout the area for possible
locations.”
    “There’s one other thing…” I spoke
tentatively, not sure if their acceptance of my psychometry would extend to
even more ‘woo-woo stuff’, as my captain called it. “I’d like to go outside and
just—listen for a minute. It sounds strange, but sometimes I hear things in the
wind.”
    “Her grandfather is a Navajo wind talker,”
Evan told the couple. Then he turned back to me. “But I didn’t know you could
do it, too.”
    “I can’t always.” I needed to make that
clear. “But sometimes…I might get something. It’s worth a try while we’re
waiting for the helicopter and your partners.”
    The gleam of hope that flickered in the
Carters’ eyes was more than worth the discomfort of exposing my secrets.
     “There’s a hill out back,” Derek suggested.
“It’s pretty exposed to the wind. How about there?”
    I nodded and turned to Evan. “I need
concentration for this, so you have to stay inside. If you could run up and
fetch
Harvey
—that
would be great. I want to check back in on Ericka every few minutes.”
    Evan glowered, but eventually, he let go of
my hand. He bounded back up the stairs while I followed the Carters through a
lush but comfortable family room to a pair of sliding glass doors. We stepped
outside onto a tiled patio that opened onto a pool area on one side and a
grassy meadow on the other. Beyond the meadow was a small rocky ridge that
delineated the plateau on which the house was situated.
    “Perfect.” I strode up to the rocky
outcropping, checking for snakes and other predators. I’m a
California
girl through and through, but not
so much the beach bunny kind. I love the mountains and feel at home here, but I
never underestimate Mother Nature. I clambered up onto the highest, flattest
rock and pulled my legs up into a lotus position, facing away from the house.
Then I closed my eyes and tried to relax into a meditative state. I