Twisted Paths Read Free Page A

her to me, when it’s safe,” he said to Mary.
    Mary nodded and waited until he was gone.
    “So, what was that all about?” Ian asked as they hurried to get into the car.
    “He knew,” she said. “He knew Clarissa was coming back to Freeport.”
    “That doesn’t surprise me,” he said. “I think our psychic connection with the people we love is the strongest bond we have. I’m guessing that without the physical and mental limitations we place on our own abilities, it’s even stronger.”
    Mary turned on the car and backed out of the driveway. “What do you mean limitations?” she asked, as she shifted gears and drove the car down the street.
    “When you tell yourself you can’t do something and you believe it, you generally can’t do it,” he said.
    “Isn’t that just wisdom?” she asked.
    “Could be. Or it could be fear holding you back,” he said. “Why can some people see ghosts and others not?”
    “Because we have a gift.”
    “Or because they don’t want to see a ghost,” he supplied. “They don’t want to know, so they can’t.”
    “So, Henry can feel Clarissa’s presence because he thinks he can?” she asked.
    “No, Henry can feel Clarissa’s presence because he’s opened himself up to the possibility of being able to.  He knows he can do, so he can,” Ian replied.
    “He has faith,” Mary countered, as she turned right onto Empire Street.
    Ian smiled. “Aye, faith,” he said. “It can do miraculous things.”
    “So, changing the subject,” Mary said with a quick glance over at him. “Why didn’t you want me to tell Bradley about Clarissa?”
    “Well, first, I didn’t want him jumping in his squad car, rushing down the highway to meet the bus and getting her off of it,” he said.
    Nodding, Mary agreed. “Yes, I could see him doing that. And…”
    “And, she just lost her father a year ago, the only father she’s known,” he said.
    “And if Henry is right, she’s lost her mother too,” Mary added.
    “Ah, the poor wee bairn,” Ian said sadly, “so much for her to deal with. Perhaps she doesn’t need to have one more thing, one more major change thrown at her.”
    “Maybe she doesn’t or shouldn’t know that Bradley is her father?” Mary asked.
    “At least not yet,” Ian said. “She might just need familiar surroundings, people she knows, a place to feel safe and a place to grieve.”
    “It’s late, but I’m sure Katie won’t mind a phone call,” Mary said.
    Ian smiled. “Aye, the Brennans would be the perfect place for her to stay for a while,” he said. “And it’s a place where Gary Copper would not think to look.”
    “Do you think he’s looking for her?” she asked.
    He turned to look out the window for a moment; at the dark, quiet houses and the empty silent streets. Then he turned back to face her. “No, Mary, I don’t think he’s looking for her just yet,” he said softly. “I think he’ll be looking for you first.”
    Mary’s hands tightened on the steering wheel for a moment and she felt a sick feeling in her stomach.  But Ian’s words had not surprised her.  She had known that Gary would seek her out first. She had escaped him. She had denied him.  And she had challenged him. “I know,” she whispered.
    He placed his hand over one of hers and gave it a quick squeeze. “Aye, and you also know that you will win,” he said with confidence, “because you have faith in your abilities.”
    She smiled. “Faith, it all comes down to faith.”
     

Chapter Four
    The squad car arrived only a few minutes after Mary had pulled into the parking lot of the hotel just off Highway 20 on South Street.  Bradley, dressed in his uniform, met Mary and Ian in the front lobby. “So, what’s going on?” he asked.
    “I had a visitor tonight…,” Mary started.
    “Copper?  Did Copper come to your house?” he interrupted.
    She placed a hand on his shoulder and shook her head. “No, Bradley, it was Mike. Mike came to me.”
    “But