“No joke,” Diego agreed. There was a rustle behind them and they turned to see the stalks snapping back over the passage of something that moved quickly through the rows. “Deer,” he said, shrugging it away. He went back to collecting soil samples, but Val continued to stare at the spot where they’d heard the rustle, frowning. Then she took a deep breath, held it for a moment, and let it out through he nose as if to cleanse herself of her jumpiness. Her cell phone rang, startling her.
“Hey, baby,” Crow said and the day seemed to brighten for her.
“Hey yourself. I was going to call you soon. I need an insanity break.”
“You mean a sanity—”
“You heard me.”
“Nice to be appreciated for one’s talents. Anyway, honey-chile, I just called to check in. Mike and I finished his first lesson in Kickass 101.”
“How’d he do?”
“Metza-metz. Started off by fighting me tooth and nail about even discussing it, let alone giving it a try, but he came around. Kid is seriously spooked, though. Vic Wingate has really done a number on him.”
“Uh-oh, I’m hearing that Captain Avenger tone in your voice,” she warned.
“Me? I wouldn’t lay a finger on him,” Crow said, then in a stage whisper added, “the slimy shit-eating bastard.”
“Tch-tch,” Val said, but in her heart she agreed with Crow. “Well, maybe one of these days karma will drop a transmission on him at the shop.”
“From your lips to Kali’s ears. On the upside, we did have a good session after he got into gear. Kid has some good reflexes. Really good, actually.”
“Honey…do you think you can teach him enough to do any good?”
Crow made a noncommittal noise. “Time will tell,” he said, and then changed tack. “So, how are you doing?”
“Okay, I guess. I’m out in the fields with Dee. Taking samples and such.” She sighed. “And this afternoon I’ll be setting up for the funeral tomorrow. God, this is so weird. I’m doing ordinary farm stuff one minute and the next I’m planning how to memorialize my dad.”
“I’m meeting that reporter out there at four. You want me to be there earlier?”
“No. I’ve got Diego and the guys.” She told him about the plans, finding a strange sort of calm in the mundane details.
“Well, if you need me there today, sweetie, I’m there. You sound pretty wired.”
“Thanks, but it’s just that I…I keep seeing him everywhere.”
“I understand, baby. Your dad’s spirit is all over that—”
“No,” she interrupted. “Not daddy…I keep seeing
“Oh,” he said after a moment.
“No matter what I’m doing I always get the feeling he’s right there, watching me from around a corner or peeking through the blinds, or following me through the corn. I can’t seem to shake it. I mean…just now there was a deer walking through the corn and my first thought was
“Val…this is all still pretty raw. It’s just been a week, it’s going to take some time.”
She made an ambiguous noise. Crow said, sounding startled, “Heck with the store. Let me tidy up a few things around here and then I’ll be over. Want me to pick up some Chinese?”
“That sounds good.”
“See you soon, my love.”
“Crow…?”
“Yeah, baby.”
“I really do love you with all my heart.”
“Me too, Val. See you soon.”
She punched the OFF button and snugged the phone back down into her jeans, waved good-bye to Diego, and strolled back toward the house. As if in reflection of her mood, the sky was a weary gray with a sadness of clouds drooping low over the distant trees and a sigh of a cold breeze. A few birds flew overhead but they were hungry and lonely birds, flying fast to find other places where warmth and hope still prospered. Far above the clouds an invisible plane flew from some distant somewhere to another place, whisking by over the grayness of Pine Deep, the intermittent drone of its engine sounding like the moan of some sleeping person dreaming of pain.
