Page 27 of Lahaina Noon

Bridget nodded; she didn’t want to go anywhere near it.

Out of the shadow, stepped a man. He was dressed nicely and looked like a suburban dad, nondescript and fairly forgettable. His green polo shirt was neat and wrinkle-free and tucked into a pair of pressed khakis. He wore tan loafers that reminded her of her junior high math teacher. If they hadn’t seen him step out of the shadows, he could have been any random guy they passed on the street.

He was like some weird Ned Flanders demon. Half Simpson’s character, half Hellspawn. She almost expected him to greet them with a “Howdy-doo!” or some other neighborly welcome. He smiled like he didn’t have a care in the world except for how green his lawn was.He finally opened his mouth. Here it was, the words of evil incarnate, something vile and foul, no doubt!

She braced herself when he said, “Well, hey y’all!” cheerfully with all the sweetness of a piece of bubble gum. She peered around Vaughn’s back, checking to see if the shadow was still there. It was. Was this guy for real? How could no one else see the shadow behind him? She then remembered Vaughn said most people couldn’t.

“Well, I sure do apologize for sneaking up behind y’all like that,” he continued, “I normally like to give a little notice I’m popping by.” He laughed as if this was a normal occurrence, and he’d stopped over for a quick beer with friends.

“What do you want?” sneered Vaughn.

“Whoa, fella, hold your horses,” the man laughed, “That’s no way to treat a friend!” He smiled at them and tried to peer over Vaughn’s shoulder at Bridget.

She ducked her head so he couldn’t make out her face. She listened as Ned continued to speak.

“I’m just looking for a friend now, y’hear? She’s a sweet little gal, the widow of a dear friend of mine. I’d heard he passed on some time back, but I just hadn’t been able to get out this way to pay my respects. His name was Brian Ridgeway, wife was Bridget.”

Bridget fought to stay quiet as all the blood in her body turned to ice. How did he know about Brian? She squeezed her eyes closed and dug down deep, trying to remember if she’d ever seen him before. He was so generic-looking; it was hard to remember if she’d ever met him. Maybe in passing? She couldn’t recall. She hoped it wasn’t true, and Brian hadn’t really been friends with a demon intent on killing her.She felt the rumble rip through Vaughn as if he could sense her fear and despair.

“What do you want with Bridget?” Vaughn demanded.

She could feel him restraining himself by the tension in his back. He was barely holding on when she knew he wanted to rip this guy to shreds.It’s too public,she realized.It’s the middle of the day in a public area. If Vaughn attacks, someone could see, and that would be a problem.She looked around her wondering if there was any means of escape or somewhere they could hide. She realized that it was futile; he controlled shadows. He could find them anywhere out here.

She had an idea. She stepped around Vaughn, gathering her courage and put on a syrupy smile. “Well, bless your sweet heart!” she crooned to Ned in her most exaggerated Southern style. “What’d you say y’alls name was? I’m Syliva, and this here’s Donald. We know that sweet little Bridget you’re talking about, but I sure don’t remember seein’ y’all before,” she continued.

Ned looked at her with confusion and then smiled back. “Much obliged, Ms. Sylvia. See, I knew Brian through our work together at the Base years back. Y’know Carswell?” He named a joint reserve base not far from here.

“Oh, sure thing, sugah,” she continued, feeling Vaughn’s gaze on her face, “Just a shame they shut that place down.”

Ned nodded knowingly. “Well, me and Brian, we used to grab a cold one after work sometimes and he would show me pictures of his bride-to-be. He invited me to their wedding even. Such a sweet couple! Quite a stunner that Bridget gal.” He winked, getting into his story. “Well, I transferred out after that and hadn’t seen him since. Heard he’d passed away and wanted to pay my respects to the missus.”

Bridget knew this creep hadn’t been at their wedding, and Brian hadn’t worked on the base untilafterthey were married. “Well, golly mister, I’m sure sorry you just missed her. She was here not even five minutes ago. She was walking her dog with her cousin. They went that way down the trail.” She pointed in the direction of the dog walkers, hoping they’d had enough time to get out of the park. “I’m sure if you hurry, you can catch them!” she urged.

Ned squinted at her, trying to decide if he believed her, then nodded his thanks and turned to go.

“Wait a minute, mister,” she called, “Didn’t catch your name! If you don’t find her, I’d sure like to let her know who called looking for her!”

The man gave an oily grin and told her, “Bob, ma’am. Bob Smith.” He turned and strolled down the trail as if he had no cares at all.

Bridget waited until he’d rounded the path out of view and let out a shaky breath. She looked up at Vaughn and couldn’t read the emotion on his face.

She expected a scolding, but he surprised her by wrapping her in his arms and whispering, “My little warrior.” before kissing the top of her head. “That was brilliant,” he said with pride. Then he shook her, “Don’t ever do that again!”

She swallowed hard and nodded. “I think I’d like to go pack now,” she said meekly.

Chapter 17

Bridget was quiet onthe drive back to Vaughn’s lair as she thought of it. His underground lair where he hid like a superhero. And the cave where the pool was, Gabe would probably lose his mind. She worried over and over in her mind what she was going to tell him. “Cave,” she said suddenly and looked at Vaughn. “That’s why you live on a sublevel?” she asked him laughingly. “Because it reminds you of a cave? Is that a dragon thing?”

He gave her a brief smile before returning his gaze to traffic. “But of course, my dear, where better to spirit away helpless women offered up to appease the almighty beast.”

She smirked. “How did Ned know where we were?” she wondered.

“Ned?”

She explained how the shadow reminded her of Ned Flanders from the Simpsons, and it was easiest to think of him that way, “Because his name sure as heck wasn’t Bob Smith,” she clarified.

He was quiet for a moment and said, “It fits. I think since they know who you are, they zero in on areas where your presence has been strong. It’s a tracking technique they have and something that makesthem especially dangerous. I have a feeling they are scouting and testing the waters to see if they can confirm you are the Wielder of Prophecy before alerting their king. He wouldn’t like being called out for a false alarm.”

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