Chapter 19 Tay

CHAPTER 19

TAY

The iciness of the water stole Tay's breath while the heavy scent of chlorine made her cough, both of which she'd expected. But what she hadn't been prepared for was the depth. The fountain hadn't seemed that it was more than knee-deep for Luke. But for her the icy wetness was mid-thigh, and it was cold, cold, cold. This is the price I pay for being so darn short.

But the worst part was that she and Blake had been right about the bottom. It was as slick as glass, and her first step almost sent her face-first into the water. Gasping, she grabbed the side of the fountain and hung on for dear life as her tennis shoes became skates and slid in various directions. She should have shed them before getting in, but as she'd been trying to head off Luke, she hadn't had time. She glanced his way now and caught a glimpse of his scowl.

He muttered a curse. "I said I'd go!"

"Yeah, well, you're injured and I'm not." Not yet, anyway. She took a careful step forward, keeping a firm grip on the fountain's side. Although she walked very slowly, one of her feet slipped to one side. Once again, she was pitched forward and lost her grip on the ledge, catching it just in time to regain her balance.

Ella was now standing by the fountain near Luke, her smile long gone. "You should have let Luke do it!"

"Am I the only one who's noticed the poor guy has been injured?" Tay asked. "His arm is still in a brace!"

"He has a sling," Ella said. "I know he got hurt. But you're not the most coordina—"

" What? " Tay couldn't keep the irritation from her voice. "For your information, Ella, I'm perfectly capable of wading around this fountain by myself." To prove her point, she took another cautious step forward, still gripping the ledge. "See? I'm fine in here. I'll even—" Her feet shot out from underneath her and, with a huge splash, she fell right onto her backside.

The icy coldness slammed the air from her lungs and made her gasp, a whole mouthful of chlorine water filling her mouth and making her choke as she flailed wildly, unable to regain her footing.

She was just getting worried when an arm snaked around her waist and she was instantly placed onto her feet, where she stood, panting crazily. Her wet hair was plastered over her eyes as cold water ran over her.

She shoved her hair out of her eyes and blinked hazily, only to find Luke standing in front of her, his good arm still firmly around her waist while she hung on to him with both hands.

Through her water-clogged ears, she could hear a cacophony of voices calling out and asking if she was okay.

"I'm fine," she sputtered, releasing him but staying close. "Luke, you shouldn't be in here. It's slick and you'll—" Her feet started to slip again, and, without thinking, she grabbed him a second time.

For a horrifying moment, they both wobbled dangerously, but then Luke lifted her off her feet once again as he swung her toward the side of the fountain. "Hang on to that ledge!"

She grabbed it and, with a slight struggle, managed to balance herself. She pressed her thigh against the edge and clung to the marble top.

"Sit!" he ordered with an exasperated look.

Not trusting her own balance, she sat on the fountain ledge and scooted back until only her feet dangled in the water.

"Stay there." Luke carefully waded toward her, and she noticed that only his good arm was wet from the shoulder down.

"How are you not falling?" she asked, amazed.

"He's a natural athlete," Aunt Jo said from her bench, Moon Pie now nestled in her ample lap. "He looked pretty impressive, vaulting over the edge of that fountain when you started to fall."

"Like Spider-Man," Kat said.

Luke ran his hand down the side of his wet coat, a stream of water pouring from the pocket. "Feel free to use all the superhero references that come to mind. That's better than this morning at breakfast when Lulu told me that I looked like a muffin because I was getting round."

Aunt Jo chuckled. "The truth hurts, doesn't it?"

He cast her a sour look. "I'm not getting round."

Tay could attest to that. She'd just spent almost an entire minute plastered up against him, and even through his coat, she could tell he was sporting a pretty athletic build.

"Hey, Tay!" Zoe called out. "Since you're just sitting there, feel around with your feet. Maybe there are raised letters or symbols on the bottom."

It was a thought, Tay supposed. Holding on tightly, she slowly slid forward until her feet touched the bottom. Still sitting, she moved her feet in small circles. After a minute, she shook her head. "Other than a few nickels, there's no raised texture."

"Take off your shoes," Zoe ordered.

"No, no, and no!" Luke scowled. "We have too many generals out here and not enough privates. All of you except Tay, be quiet." He turned her way and flashed that lazy half smile that was uniquely his. "Climb on out. There's no need for both of us to be in here. I won't get any wetter than I am now."

Ella had moved closer to the fountain, Gray behind her as she leaned over the water and peered at the bottom. "What exactly did you all expect to find in there?"

"We don't know," Tay admitted, reluctantly scooting back and then swinging her feet out of the fountain and back to the sidewalk. "But our last clue led us here."

Luke, who was already trying to see under the water spout, added, "Sarafina's clues have been like that. They lead you somewhere, but the instructions beyond that are pretty vague or nonexistent."

Which made them all the more challenging, which Tay loved. She caught a knowing look from Luke and realized that he'd read her mind. She smiled, as she knew he felt the same way.

Although Tay hated to admit it, if there was anything this search for Sarafina's secret was teaching her, it was that one could find a certain joy in sharing a task with someone.

Aunt Jo called out, "Come sit with me. You're shivering."

She was. Her wet hair was stuck to her neck and cheeks, and she couldn't feel her feet very well. She went to sit beside Aunt Jo, and was gratified that at least one side of her was instantly warmer.

Crossing her arms, she watched as Luke slowly made his way around the circumference of the fountain, running his fingers under the small ledge. He took only five or so steps before he stopped and bent down, his gaze locked on the top layer of bricks directly under the ledge.

Tay slid forward on her seat, the cold forgotten. "What is it?"

"When you fell, water splashed over these bricks." He lifted his head, and his eyes met hers. "Tay, there are letters here."

Kat squealed. "Oh my gosh!"

"That is Indiana Jones–level cool!" Zoe added eagerly as she, Kat, and Grace crowded closer. "What do they say?"

Luke didn't answer, as he was too busy splashing water over the almost hidden top row of bricks, moving carefully around the fountain.

Tay left Aunt Jo's side and went to see the letters. They were faint, and far from professional in appearance, but letters they were. And these weren't scrambled, either, but spelled out something definitive and, best of all, had been carved by hand.

Bending down, Tay leaned across the marble-topped edge of the fountain and reached under the ledge to place her fingertips on the letter closest to her, an e . Instantly, the present day faded and she was there, at night, as the writer scratched the letter on the brick. The empty fountain looked new and he was stooped down, an awl in his hand as he worked.

It was a much warmer time of year, the scent of flowers heavy in the night air, and she could feel the expensive cotton of his shirt, see the white gloves he'd left on the fountain's marble edge.

Someone close—a woman—whispered, "David, hurry. We'll get caught!"

The writer looked up, and there, her face only partially revealed in the moonlight, stood Sarafina. She was older than in the photographs Tay had seen. She had laugh lines around her eyes, and her hair had streaks of gray, but she was as beautiful as ever. She was, perhaps… forty years old? Maybe older?

Tay wasn't sure. What she was sure about was that this man, the one writing the code in the moonlight, was deeply, wildly in love with his wife. Just that one look, exchanged briefly under the dimness of moonlight, had warmed his heart. "Almost done," he whispered to her before he went back to work, his face reflected in the fountain's water.

He was handsome, with dark hair, a neat beard, a piercing gaze, and a determined air. Tay recognized him from the few photos that were available of him. That's definitely David Tau.

"There," David said quietly into the darkness. "As soon as I finish this letter, we'll—"

He lifted the awl and she was no longer there, watching in the past.

"Tay?" came a voice at her side.

She blinked. The warmth had disappeared, and she was back, perched on the edge of the fountain on a chilly afternoon, wet through and through.

Luke's worried face came into view. "Are you okay?"

"I'm—I'm fine. I touched the letters and saw"—she waved her hand—"some things."

Aunt Jo clapped her hands. "Oh! What did you see?"

Tay shook her head. "I'll tell you later." Her teeth chattered so that she was barely understandable.

Luke scowled. "You need dry clothes. Your lips are turning blue."

She couldn't argue. Shivering wildly, she stood, wrapping her arms around herself as she tried to collect some warmth. Had a wind sprung up? It certainly felt like it.

Luke turned to where Kat and Zoe were. "Would one of you write this down as I read it off?"

"I'll do it!" Zoe pulled a pen and a piece of paper from her purse.

He read the words. " Nine seven keyed in brass by the people. "

"Heavens, but that's random." Still, Zoe wrote it down and then came to their side of the fountain. She waited for Luke to climb out and put his socks and boots back on before handing him the paper. "What does that mean?"

"We don't know yet," Tay said, her voice shivering along with her. "But we'll figure it out."

Luke stuffed the paper into his back pocket. "You're shaking like a leaf. I'll drive you home. Aunt Jo, can you stop by the tearoom and tell Grandma Rose I'll be back after I drop Tay off at her house?"

"Sure." Aunt Jo set Moon Pie back on the ground and picked up his leash. "I could use a good cup of tea, anyway."

"Come on." Luke slipped his hand under Tay's arm and guided her down the sidewalk to where his truck sat in the town parking lot. Soon they were on their way, the seat heater gradually calming her shivers.

She wiped her hands over her wet knees and felt water drip down her legs and into her shoes. "Sorry for getting your seat wet."

"That's nothing compared to the time Lulu spilled an entire carton of chocolate milk in here." He turned off Main Street, the truck bouncing a little as they went over a crosswalk. "I'll spare you the rancid details, but trust me, spoiled chocolate milk odor is not an easy thing to get rid of."

She smiled and wondered if Lulu had really spilled chocolate milk on the seat or if he was just saying that to make her feel less awkward. He was such a nice guy. The total opposite of Richard, too. Why was I ever interested in that guy, anyway? I must have been crazy. Crazy, or maybe I was just crazy lonely.

The thought caught her. Was that what had happened? Had the solitude she usually loved so much become burdensome in some way? It was entirely possible.

"Warm enough?" Luke asked as he turned the truck onto Elm Street.

"Getting there. That's an interesting clue. It seems more specific than the others."

He murmured, " Nine seven keyed in brass by the people. What could that mean?"

"I have no idea. But I'm surprised no one has noticed those letters before."

"The marks only show up when the brick gets wet, and it's protected from the rain by that little ledge. We're lucky you splashed that line of bricks with water." He pulled the truck up to her house and parked in the driveway at the end of the walk, but left the engine running so the cab stayed heated.

"I did find out something new, though."

Luke turned to face her. "Oh?"

"David Tau wrote the letters on the fountain. I saw his face reflected in the water—" Tay bit off the rest of her sentence and sent him a careful glance. They'd never talked about her Dove family ability, but to her surprise, he didn't appear the least disbelieving.

He seemed to understand the reason for her hesitation, because he shrugged. "If there's anything I've learned this past month, it's that if you say something happened, it happened. You're neither flighty nor a liar."

That was unexpected, and she couldn't help but feel relieved. She rarely talked about her special ability with anyone. People either didn't believe it or started acting weird and asking her to do things as if she were a circus performer. "A lot of people think it's nonsense, but it's not. The truth is, whenever I touch writing, I feel, hear, smell, and see everything the writer does. And this time, I saw David Tau etching the letters on the fountain bricks. Sarafina was with him, too."

"Interesting," Luke murmured. "Up until now, I've been thinking this was a Dove family secret and that David Tau was incidental to it. But apparently not." He leaned back in his seat and smiled at her. "Whatever happened, I'm sure we'll figure it out. We've come this far, after all."

She nodded, and despite being cold and wet and somewhat exhausted from their adventures of the day, she was comforted by his words. He was right—they'd figure it out. When they worked together, it seemed that there was very little they couldn't do.

She tucked a wet strand of hair behind her ear. "I should get inside. Thank you for everything, both today and yesterday, too. I couldn't have asked for a better partner."

"It was my pleasure." He reached for his door handle. "I'll walk you to—"

"No, thank you!" He was wet, too, and still injured from his fall. The last thing he needed was a cold on top of that. So she hopped out of the truck before he could climb out. "I can take it from here. See you tomorrow!" With a wave, she closed the door and, huddled in her wet clothes, hurried inside.

She closed the front door behind her and was glad to find that she was alone in the house. Shivering, she headed to her room. Things were progressing well now, although this last clue seemed a bit tougher. Nine seven keyed in brass by the people. What could it mean?

Whatever it was, she and Luke would work it out. They had to. The answer was close. She could feel it.