Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

T here was no way to keep from thinking about the coat. Even as she went about her day, talking to parents and visiting kids in the state’s custody in the local group home, she thought about the coat and what would happen when she put it on again. Maybe it was a fluke. Maybe nothing would happen. But she wanted to make sure Aaron was there and Murielle was sound asleep before she tried again.

By the time she got home, she was flustered. The very first thing she did was to pick up the coat and go through the pockets, but she found nothing. That wasn’t surprising. Consignment stores were pretty good about emptying out coat pockets and the like. She remembered a coat drive her office had held for the children of the area one time and how as they’d gone through them at the laundromat where cleaning had been donated, they came across several that had used syringes in them, and some had residue and various odd drug wrappers that gave them a fright. Items brought to consignment stores were gone over carefully for just that reason.

When Aaron and Murielle came in, she was surprised to find that she hadn’t even thought about dinner. Nothing had been on her mind except the coat. She knew Aaron could tell how rattled she was, because he announced that they’d go to the pizza place for dinner, a thing that thrilled Murielle. As they headed out the door, Maisey turned and mouthed, Thanks . True to his nature, Aaron smiled at her, then leaned over and gave her a kiss on the cheek. He was the one person in the world who always had her back, and she knew it.

Murielle fussed and fidgeted when Aaron sat her down to do her homework, and Maisey didn’t think they’d ever get finished with it. They watched a TV show Aaron liked, and then it was time for Murielle to head to bed. A story was read, a prayer was said, and the lights were turned out. Maisey and Aaron tiptoed out of the child’s room and settled on the sofa. “Now?”

Maisey shook her head. “No. Let’s make sure she’s asleep. And maybe we should go out in the garage. I’d hate for her to hear us, get up out of bed, and be scared.”

“Let’s just go out on the back deck. And this time, I want you sitting down. No more falling.” Maisey nodded. That wasn’t a problem. She really didn’t want to fall on the floor again.

They made out like teenagers for a long while until Aaron said, “Okay. We’ve gotta stop. Otherwise, there’s going to be no coat. We’ll just be going straight to bed. I’m already in trouble here,” he said, looking toward his fly between them.

“No. I want to put it on. Let’s go.” She took his hand and led him to the door, ignoring the hefty rise in his jeans. When they reached the deck, she picked up the coat. “You wanted me to sit down.”

“Yeah. Here.” Aaron pushed one of the ottomans that went with the deck furniture out into an open space. “Sit down. I’ll help you put it on and we’ll see what happens. Do you want me to talk to you if you’re―”

“No. I want to experience it and see if I can see a little more, maybe hear something.”

“Okay. You ready?”

“Yeah.”

“Here we go.” Aaron moved behind her and she thrust an arm into the coat. He helped her with the other side and she waited until he’d come back around in front of her. “Ready?”

In answer, Maisey grabbed the front of the coat and pulled it forward until it fell into place on her shoulders. The same darkness fell, and the same shadowy, shrouded figure appeared before her. Whoever it was had serious anger problems and, just like before, they were yelling something. Maisey listened carefully and finally picked up “not letting” and “ruin,” but she had no idea what the context was. Once again, she could see arms in the coat reaching out, trying to push the figure back. There was the flash of what she’d come to believe was a blade, the instant pain, and the warmth and stickiness of blood. The sleeved hands bent inward toward her view, then extended again, their palms covered in blood. From somewhere in her own personal space a voice cried out, “Why?”

The light from the vintage bulbs strung around the deck seeped into her vision, and she could see Aaron, his face pale. “Babe? Are you back?”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m back.” Maisey drew her arms back and let the coat drop to the deck floor.

“Anything else?”

“Yeah.” She recounted to Aaron the things she’d seen and heard. “What do you think? What should I do?”

“The first thing we’re going to do is make a trip to that consignment store and see if we can find out where that coat came from.” Aaron squatted in front of her and took her hands. “If we can find out who brought it in, maybe that will lead us to whoever was wearing it.”

“Okay. That sounds doable.” She felt a little weak and disoriented, but Aaron was right. At least they had a place to start.