Rant of Ravens Read Free

the stinging tears and the sobs threatening to well up from deep in her gut. Anguish was replaced with fleeting denial, then anger. Roger had beaten her to the punch.
    She buzzed the receptionist. “Was my husband in the office earlier today?”
    The receptionist rushed to explain. “I am so sorry, Rachel. I buzzed the conference room, but Mr. Jaffery yelled at me for interrupting. Your husband said it was okay. He said you weren’t expecting him. That maybe it was better this way.”
    “I’ll bet. Thanks.” Rachel clicked off, and drew a ragged breath. As Respondent, she’d have to respond. As a woman, she just wanted to make sense of the situation. To find the pattern, the order. Had she devoted herself to her job to escape a crumbling relationship, or had her desire to succeed eroded the foundations of her marriage? Were they both to blame for creating irreconcilable differences, or had she driven him away?
    Kevin Henderson’s face grinned up from the dummied brochure on her desk. The caption “Take Back Your Life” blared from the page in neon green. Maybe Kevin wasn’t as dumb as he looked.
    Her thoughts leaped toward Bird Haven and Aunt Miriam’s offer. God knew she could use the time away. Plus Aunt Miriam had always been there for her. Spending the summer there might be just the ticket. Or, as the saying went, a way to kill two birds with one stone.

CHAPTER 2
    The bird came out of nowhere. A white blur that chirped, then dived, hurtling toward Rachel’s head like a B-52 coming in for a hot landing.
    She ducked. Dropping her suitcase, she raised her arms, swatting at the air above her head. “Get away!”
    The bird swerved, then dived again, lighting on the polished mahogany bannister of the entryway. Milk-white and small, it had gray-brown spots forming what looked like a collar around its neck. Its wings and tail feathers were patterned in gray-brown and white; its nose was a slash of blue above a yellow beak. The bird cocked its head to one side and eyed her.
    “Why, you’re some sort of parakeet!” Her words echoed, bouncing off a high ceiling crisscrossed with thick beams. Slatted mahogany shutters flanked tall windows, and a staircase that looked transported from a Big Valley rerun led to the second floor.
    On the left of the stairs, two doorways opened to the interior of the house, but there was no sign of human life anywhere.
    “Aunt Miriam?”
    No answer. Where the heck was she?
    The bird fluttered, spreading its wings from its perch on the bannister. Rachel stared. This was like something out of an Alfred Hitchcock movie. The note taped to the front door had read Come in, dear . ‘Beware of Bird’ would have been more germane.
    Maybe she should try to catch the dumb thing. Rachel’s gaze moved toward her suitcase and the handle of the tennis racket protruding from the zipper compartment. Or kill it.
    The parakeet stirred.
    “Don’t even think about it, bird, unless you want to play some modified badminton.”
    As if in defiance, the parakeet took to the air and settled into a holding pattern above her head. Rachel considered taking the overhead shot, then envisioned Aunt Miriam’s reaction. This was a bird sanctuary, after all. Scratch the badminton idea.
    “Aunt Miriam? Are you here?”
    Still no answer. So much for the cars she’d seen parked out front. Rachel weighed her options. She could wait outside for Aunt Miriam to show up, walk around to the back of the house, or brave the bird.
    Rachel sidled toward the front door and the warm rays slanting through the windows. June or not, gooseflesh pimpled her arms. The entryway felt cold. Or maybe she was just in shock.
    The parakeet loomed into view like a small bird of prey circling for the kill, and Rachel sucked in a deep breath. She wasn’t normally afraid of animals, but she was tired after traveling all day. And, she had to admit, the dive-bombing parakeet unnerved her. “Stay away from me, bird.”
    Perky .
    Rachel’s gaze