Chapter 39
Aubrey arrived in Fairbanks the following morning in time for breakfast, although she didn’t have the appetite for food. Her dad was at the dining table having a light breakfast alone. He didn’t appear to be enjoying the meal even though it was one of René’s culinary masterpieces.
“Sweetheart, what are you doing here so early?” Gary asked when he saw his daughter. “I wasn’t expecting you home today.”
“I know,” Aubrey said and kissed his cheek before joining him at the table. “I couldn’t spend one more day in Anchorage after what I saw last night.”
“What you saw?” Gary was puzzled. “What did you see, and where did you see it?”
“First of all, I have a confession, Daddy,” Aubrey said tensely. She wasn’t sure how her father would react when he found out that she had the dream gift and she’d never mentioned it to him all these years. Worst of all, she’d been using it to spy on other werewolves without their knowledge. That was a crime in their clan, and she could be punished for it. Her father was a man who believed in justice, so she knew he might not bend the rules for her because of the kind of impression it could create about his leadership of the clan.
“Go on,” Gary encouraged her, sensing her unease. “What is it?”
She exhaled shakily. “There’s something you need to know about me that I have never told anyone about before. I have the dream gift,” she announced.
Gary fork slipped from his fingers and landed on his plate with a loud clatter. His eyes became huge with surprise and his jaw went slack. “What?”
“I’m sorry I never mentioned this to you before, Daddy. I wasn’t sure how you would react, and also, our clan hasn’t needed the services of a dream watcher for as long as I can remember, so why announce a gift that was sort of useless, anyway?”
“No, no, my dear. Your gift isn’t useless,” Gary said with wonder. “It is so rare and so special that sometimes, only one werewolf in a generation is blessed with it. How come you never told me about it?”
Aubrey shrugged. “I wasn’t sure what your reaction would be.”
“Oh, my dear child. I am elated!”
“You are?”
“Yes. Your mother’s mother had it too.”
“Oh? Wow…”
“How long have you known about it?”
“A few years now,” Aubrey said vaguely.
“That’s amazing,” Gary said excitedly.
“I have another confession,” Aubrey said hesitantly. “Please, don’t get mad when I tell you this. I know what I did was wrong, but…”
“It’s ok, Aubrey,” Gary urged her to continue speaking when she didn’t finish her statement. “You can tell me whatever it is.”
“Well, I’ve sort of, you know, used the dream gift a few times. Without permission,” she added the last part guiltily.
“My goodness, Aubrey. You know that is not allowed, don’t you? Whose dream did you crash?”
Aubrey sighed. “A guy I dated some years ago, Ryan and his lover, and most recently, Eric.”
“Eric?” Gary’s interested was instantly piqued. “What did you see?”
“You’re not mad at me?” Aubrey was surprised.
“Not yet. What did you see in Eric’s dream? Did you get any clues about where he’s been held? Did you see his abductors?”
“I saw mostly his memories and then I saw him tied to a chair in a dark room, but I couldn’t tell where exactly the place was.”
Gary’s shoulders sagged. “That’s disappointing,” he said quietly.
“He’s injured, Daddy. They shot him in the leg, his left thigh specifically,” Aubrey said sadly. She couldn’t keep the worry out of her voice.
“Damn those bastards!” Gary spat angrily. “What do they want from him?”
“I don’t know, but I received an odd phone call yesterday that got me thinking. There’s this guy I used to know back in high school, his name is Barry Thompson, and he showed up in town recently, following me about like a hungry puppy. Something about the way he came on to me so strongly struck me as odd, especially when he tracked me down to my store in Anchorage. I had to tell him to leave me alone and he did for a few days. Yesterday, he called to ask me if I was a werewolf. He claimed that there was a bunch of people who think that some people in this town are werewolves.”
Gary was silent for a few minutes. “What did you say his name was, again?”
“Barry Thompson,” Aubrey said. “Do you know him?”
“Not particularly, but I think I remember who his father was. Luke Thompson, the crazy scientist who was rumored to be working on a sinister project with some government agents back in the day. He and Aida Pearson once dated in high school, but they suddenly became enemies, and nobody knew why. She married the reverend after graduating from high school, and Luke married Betty Snider some years later. I always wondered what could have happened between Luke and Aida to make them part ways the way they did. They seemed to be so in love that time, that we were so sure they’d end up together as husband and wife after graduation.”
“I don’t know why, but I feel like all of this is somehow connected to Eric’s disappearance,” Aubrey speculated.
“How so? What could be the connection?”
“I don’t know. It’s just a gut feeling.”
Gary smiled at his daughter. “That’s definitely your dream gift at work. It makes you have premonitions of things to come or that could be. I think you need call that Barry fellow back. He may have the answers that we’re searching for.”