Chapter 8

Felicity followed along silently as they walked beside the lake. There were only a handful of small cottages in this area. She looked across the lake at the dock on the other side. “We have to be close.”

Brent took her elbow and steadied her over a rocky patch on the shore. “We’re trying to find a building with the windows covered.” She nodded and concentrated on not twisting her ankle and breaking it over the stones.

She sighed. “I’m not wearing the right footwear for doing detective work.”

He continued to hold her arm lightly. “I’ll do the detective part; you just continue to look good in those sexy boots.” He winked at her.

“I’ll do my best.” They almost walked into the couple that had stopped in front of them. Turning, she looked through the dense trees off the shore. There was a small building there, she wasn’t sure if it was a cottage or had been some sort of storage building at some point. She looked over at the dock. It was the same angle from her sketch. “That has to be it.” Brent nodded without speaking.

Reid pulled gloves out of his pocket and held them out to Jac. “Put these on, until we take a look inside.” Jac took the gloves and nodded.

Brent started walking towards the building. “You ladies stay right here and duck behind that log while we go have a look-see.” He waited until Reid was right beside him then nodded to the right of the building.

Felicity moved over beside Jac who had moved immediately behind a large dried-out log on the shore. Her breath was caught in her throat as she watched the two men separate. Brent had moved his hand to hover inside his jacket. She knew he held it close and ready near his weapon. She held her breath when he pulled a flashlight out of his back pocket and grasped it in his big hand. He paused at the one corner of the small building and nodded over to his partner before moving around out of her sight. Losing all sense of time, she sat squatted there beside the other woman, who also hadn’t said a word. There was no motion or sound coming from the direction the two men had gone. She looked at Jac and then back towards the trees. “I’m going to fall to pieces shortly if they don’t come back.”

Jac nodded quickly. “Me too.” She nodded to the trees.

Turning her head quickly she saw Brent appear from the other side of the building. He motioned to them telling them it was okay to come over now. Trying to quickly follow Jac, without breaking an ankle she breathlessly reached the building and then stopped. Walking over slowly she touched the boards covering an opening. Turning she squatted down and looked towards the lake. “He was here.” She whispered it more to herself than anyone.

Brent stood there and looked down at her. He couldn’t imagine seeing something for real that you’d only seen inside your mind. Reaching down he lightly held her arm to help her back up. He pulled a camera out of his pocket and held it towards her. “We’re going to take a look inside; can you take a picture of anything you saw in your vision?” She nodded and took the camera.

Jac stood there for a moment and watched Felicity snap the camera a few times before moving around the corner of the building. She looked down at the gloves on her hand. Leaving the gloves on her hands she went around the opposite corner Felicity had gone.

Felicity stood outside the crooked, decaying door. She waited for the men to come back out. She could hear Brent talking on his phone. He was asking for a team to come and check the place for prints. Jac stopped beside her. She leaned over and whispered softly. “How much trouble would they be in with us here?”

Jac shrugged. “Not as much as I’m going to be in a few moments.” She looked suggestively down at the gloves on her hands.

Felicity raised her eyebrows. She knew she shouldn’t agree to Jac putting herself into harm’s way for her. If it were only her she would have squealed to the men like a tattletale, but Damian— there was Damian. “I’ll run interference,” she whispered. Then straightened quickly when she realized Brent was standing in the small doorway, looking larger due to his size.

He gave them both a curious look. “They’re long gone—By at least a few days, maybe more.” He nodded towards the camera Felicity held. “Take as many as you like but try not to touch too much.” Looking at the gloves on Jac’s hands he didn’t say another word only stepped aside to let the two women go inside.

Felicity stopped as she stepped through the door. The room was small. At one time it may have been white walls, but now they were a faded yellow with dark streaks of age covering them. Cobwebs filled each corner. A small old metal-legged table and two faded cracked chairs sat in the corner across from a small stove of some sort. She looked at the line hanging from the wall and realized it had been a long time since any power had been inside this building. Reid stood in the corner writing in a notebook.

Walking slowly over towards the curtained door, she stopped and hesitated before reaching with a shaky hand to lift the curtain out of her way. Brent moved to stand beside her and shine a flashlight into the small space. At one time it may have been a tiny space for a cot to sleep. An old blanket lay in the corner. She covered her mouth and nose with her hand, the dust covering the floor made her nose itch. Lifting the camera with a vibrating hand she took a picture of the blanket in the corner and then squatted down and snapped the camera at the boards covering a small broken window. Moving slowly towards it, she tried not to reach out and steady her trembling legs. When she reached the window, she crouched down and looked out the space between two boards. It was the place that Damian had looked out, she was sure of it. Moving her face back, she lifted the camera up and snapped it twice.

Standing, she walked over and stood looking down at the blanket. She wanted to pick it up and hug it as she knew Damian would have. She took an unsteady breath and looked over at Brent, who still stood in the doorway shining the light into the area for her. “He was here.” She cleared her throat and frowned. “Could I just have a moment?” He nodded and reached out handing her the light.

When the curtain dropped back into place she knelt and looked around the tiny space. She snapped a few pictures of the darkened corners she had seen before. She took one of the curtains covering the door and remembered how Damian had stared at it, waiting. The curtain moved a bit and she looked at Jac glancing in at her. She shook her head. In here wasn’t where they needed to see, they needed to know where he was going. Jac dropped the curtain back down. Taking a deep breath, she went back out through the curtain and looked around the filth of the room again.

The one chair beside the table had been cleaned recently wiped off if the second dust-covered chair was any indication. The top of the table was also dust free. She moved over and looked down at it. Looking up she noticed Jac was watching her every move. She grimaced and then went over and handed Brent the camera. “I think I got them all.” He nodded and put the camera back in his pocket.

Reid’s phone rang breaking the silence in the crowded space. He pulled it out of his pocket and headed back outside as he spoke.

Felicity looked back at Brent. She knew Jac wanted a minute alone in here, but had no idea how to possibly accomplish that. Flipping her hair back, she looked over at the curtain again.

Reid stuck his head in the door. “They’ll be here in five.”

Brent nodded. “Better meet them at the car.”

Jac walked towards the door. “We’re right behind you; I’ll help Felicity navigate back there in her boots.”

He nodded abruptly and went out the door behind his partner.

Felicity turned back to Jac. “Now or never?”

“Exactly.” She pulled the gloves off her hands and then nodded to the table. “I just need to see what the person that sat there was thinking.” She went over to the table and took a few deep breaths. “Don’t touch me while I do this.”

Felicity nodded nervously and looked back at the door. “Just try not to pass out and leave me here to explain by myself.” Jac nodded but didn’t speak again. She stood there and watched as she took deep breaths and touched the edge of the table, as you would if you’d been sitting at it. She took a sudden step towards her when Jac sucked in a breath. She sounded like she was in pain. “Jacinda?” She whispered it, not knowing if she should speak as well as not touch her. She watched Jac’s knees pop like she was going to collapse and quickly looked back towards the doorway. Oh, do I call for help? She moved closer and hovered nearer to the woman that was panting now. At least I can try to prevent her from falling and completely messing up prints and things. She clenched her jaw and waited, hoping Jac would stop soon.

Brent stood beside Reid along the shore watching where they had parked the cars. Rubbing the back of his neck he glanced back towards the trees. He still didn’t see the women. His gut clenched. “Reid.”

Reid turned his head to look at him and then towards the path they had just come from. “Shit!” He took off running back towards the cabin.

They reached the door at the same time and Brent stepped through quickly and assessed the situation immediately. Cursing under his breath he stepped over and pulled Felicity away from Jac. Reid wasn’t cursing silently as he pulled his jacket over his hands and grasped Jac under the arms to pull her free from the table. She slumped back against him and breathed in long deep breaths.

“Sick,” she gasped.

Reid swung her up into his arms and headed out the door quickly with her.

Brent straightened and looked down at the guilty woman beside him. She looked up at him with wide eyes.

“I didn’t know.” She said it quietly. “I wouldn’t have let her if I’d known.”

He took her arm gently and headed towards the door. “She would have, whether you tried to stop her or not.” Heading around the side of the tiny shack he stopped and listened. Looking around her, he spotted Reid leaning over Jac twenty feet into the trees. At least his partner had gotten her as far away from the scene as possible. He released Felicity’s arm and stood there listening to the retching coming from the direction of the two on the ground. “She needs those salt things?” Reid held up his hand waving the black case. Of course, he was a step ahead this time. He glanced at his watch and then called out again. “We have to get her to the car before they get here.”

Reid straightened a bit and looked towards them. “Head that way, I’ll bring her as soon as I’m sure she’s finished.”

Brent glanced down at the concerned woman beside him. “He’s going to be pissed.”

Felicity looked away from him and turned towards the path. “Is she going to be all right?”

Brent shrugged. “I have no idea. This is all still very new for me.”

Felicity stood beside the car and watched as Brent went to help guide his partner across the rocky ground. Jac was huddled into his arms, resting her head on his shoulder. When they got closer she moved around and opened the back door to Reid’s car. She stood out of the way as Reid gently lowered her into the back seat. When he straightened, she touched his arm gently. “I’m sorry. I had no idea.”

He looked down at her hand for a moment then sighed. “It’s not your fault.” He glared at the woman in the back seat. “I’m buying her gloves that lock around her wrists or something…”

“Shhh!” Jac panted and then breathed out slowly. “Shut up and listen.” She took a few more breaths. “I’m going to …” She swallowed and paused. “Pass out. There’s been more than one.”

Brent looked at her then at Reid. “More than one child there, Jac?” She nodded, at least he was fairly certain the motion she made was a nod. He looked up when he heard the sound of tires on the gravel. “Team’s here.”

Reid looked in at Jac, then towards the two cars pulling in. He looked at her for a few more seconds, then leaned down and whispered. “Felicity is going to stay here with you while we get them started.”

Felicity waited for him to back up, then slide in the back seat with her. She looked at the woman slumping with her head back, eyes closed as she took deep breaths. Giving Brent a hesitant look, guilt went through her. “Is there anything I should do?”

He shrugged. “There’s water in my car in the back, see if you can get her to drink until we can get her to her tea shortly.”

Jac took another breath. “No tea.”

He chuckled. “You just take a nap and we’ll have you home in no time.” He straightened and closed the door.

Felicity watched them walk over to the others climbing from the cars. Reaching over she cracked the window a little bit. “You almost got me into a lot of trouble.”

Jac smiled sleepily. “Sorry.” She let her head drop comfortably to the side. “Had to. Tell you later.”

Felicity waited to see if she said anymore, then realized she was sleeping. Letting out a long breath she leaned her head back and watched out the window. Hang on Damian, we will find you. She wished she had the ability to send that thought to him. To give him a little bit of hope.

As quietly as she could manage, she got out of the car and went over to Brent’s.

Rummaging around in the back seat, she uncovered a case of bottles of water buried on the floor with blankets, a hat, and a pair of shoes. Apparently, the man was prepared for anything. She looked back towards the path leading to the small cabin; Reid was walking back towards her quickly. She went back over to his car and looked in at Jacinda. She was still sleeping and from the lack of expression on her face, she was sleeping very soundlessly. She stood there waiting for him to get closer.

“We’re going to take Jac home and Brent will follow us shortly.”

She nodded and quickly went over to get her bag out of the other car. “I’ll sit in the back.”

Reid nodded as he looked in the car at Jacinda. Felicity could see the concern on his face, mixed with frustration. She placed a hand on his arm. “I’m sure she’s going to be fine.”

He sighed. “She shouldn’t have done that.”

“What would you do?” She looked in at the sleeping woman again. “If you had the ability to do something, with any of your cases, what would you do detective?”

The frustrated man looked at her for a long moment. “Honestly? I don’t know if I could be as strong as she is or you for that matter.” He opened the front door. “Until a few weeks ago I dealt in facts—there was nothing else.”

She smirked at him over the roof. “Then you’d better fasten your seat belt, I think you’re in for a bumpy ride.”

He grinned and got in the car shaking his head. He adjusted the mirror so he could see Jac easily as he drove. As he put the car into reverse, he glanced over to see Brent walking quickly towards the cars. He waved his hand in a circular motion telling Reid to get going, he was right behind him.

Felicity rode silently as he drove. She glanced behind them a few times to see Brent following very closely. She took a deep breath and then let it out slowly. Her whole world had changed so much in the last few days. Changes, she was more than used to. Moving as often as she had did that to a person. These changes though were something entirely different. For the first time in her life, she felt hope. She also felt a little less like some sort of freak. She thought back to the discussion she’d had on the way to the lake. Could she dream of staying in one place? Looking over at Jac, who was still sleeping, she smiled. She could stay here; nothing would make her happier. Hadn’t she spent her entire life wishing for a friend or two? Someone she could call and just talk to? She wanted to reach over and run her hand over Jac’s forehead, she looked cool, but until she knew when she could or couldn’t touch her, she decided against it.

Reid held Jac’s purse over the seat. “Can you dig in this bottomless pit and see if you can find her house keys?”

Felicity smirked as she took the bag.