“That’s nice.” Seated in a chair by the window, Eve sounded dreamy and far away.
The tone was typical of Katie’s friend lately, Eve still floating on the glow of being a newlywed. Her wedding to Caden had been beautiful, with the groom singing a love song to the bride in church. Afterward, the reception had carried well into the evening, a good portion of the town invited to the festivities. Everyone had enjoyed themselves, especially the happy couple, who later honeymooned in Key West, soaking up the tropical weather.
Not that it didn’t border on tropical now. The temperature was already in the low 80s and it was only eleven in the morning. The air conditioner kept the lobby pleasant, but the moment she stepped outside, sticky heat would plaster her from head to toe.
“Ryan told me about the letter Floyd got from Parker.” Abandoning the counter, Katie circled the desk, then dropped into a seat across from her friend.
How Indrid Cold had managed the feat, Katie had no idea, but she sensed Lach Evening was involved. The man parading as a human apparently had a number of abilities he hadn’t shared. After leaving Point Pleasant, Evening had followed through as promised, restoring Lyle’s mind while wiping his memory about his visit to the river town. The last Katie had heard, her ex had been in Pittsburg looking for work.
“I wonder why Cold waited so long to follow through with his promise to Caden?” Nine months after the fact seemed a long interval to Katie.
Shrugging, Eve plucked at a seam on her shorts. “I guess he wanted to make it seem believable Parker could have really left the country. Give everyone else time to forget. Caden was beginning to doubt he’d live up to his part of the bargain.”
Rumor had it the postmark had been from somewhere in South America, the penmanship and wording a dead ringer for Parker’s style. Floyd was convinced his son was safe and starting life over. He’d destroyed the message immediately, preventing anyone from tracing the source. The Mason County Sheriff’s Department kept Parker on the missing list, but otherwise looked the other way. If not for Shawn Preech, who Floyd made the mistake of confiding in, news likely never would have leaked.
Shawn had been a popular topic of town gossip after Suzanne announced she’d filed for divorce. A miscarriage over the winter, followed by rumors of Shawn’s infidelity, had destroyed any chance the feuding couple would ever repair their relationship. Suzanne had kicked Shawn out of the house immediately after filing, and he’d promptly moved in with his girlfriend. According to Sarah, she’d found some troubling things in Shawn’s family tree that left her shaken. She’d yet to tell Katie and Eve what they were, but apparently the Preech ancestry wasn’t as noble as Shawn had led others to believe.
“At least we haven’t been troubled by UFO sightings or visits from Men in Black,” Katie commented.
“Life is returning to normal,” Eve agreed.
The sightings had dwindled, then stopped altogether within the first weeks of November. Jerome had been disappointed, but explained flaps were limited to periods of time when the layers between dimensions were unusually weak. It had taken fifteen years from Point Pleasant’s last flap to the most recent. He fully expected a reoccurrence in the future, but kept himself busy by delving deeper into Mothman research in the interim.
Katie was tempted to ask Eve about the cryptid and if Caden had made progress in communicating with the creature, but had the impression it wasn’t something her friend liked to discuss. Caden made it a habit to venture into the TNT once every few weeks, but was usually tight-lipped about what he encountered there. Or so Ryan had told her.
Like the UFOs, Mothman sightings had dwindled. There were still occasional reports that cropped up, one as recent as last week when Chester Wilson swore he saw the monster soar over his barn. Old timers gathered to debate “the bird” over drinks in the River Café, and hotel guests often lounged on the porch rockers, eagerly reading through information on the TNT and anything else they could get their hands on.
Eve yawned and stretched. “I don’t know why I feel so lazy today.”
Katie smiled. “Maybe it’s being blissfully married. I think it agrees with you. Caden too.”
“No arguments on that front. What about you and Ryan?”
“What about us?”
Eve nodded toward the diamond engagement ring on Katie’s left hand. “Have you picked a date yet?”
“Aren’t you rushing things a little? He only proposed last week.” She was still floating on her own high, the idea of being happily married something that had seemed an improbability last year. “We have a lot to sort through, including living arrangements.”
“It’s wonderful he plans to adopt Sam.”
Warmth spread through Katie’s stomach. It had been important to Ryan that Sam was onboard with their marriage. A lot of guys wouldn’t have cared, but Ryan not only wanted her for his wife, he wanted Sam as his son. The evening Ryan sat down to chat with Sam had left the boy so overjoyed he hadn’t been able to sleep that night. He was finally going to have a father like other kids.
“We might do a fall wedding.” Katie had always loved autumn with its colorful bounty of pumpkins and brightly hued leaves. “Either that or wait until spring. It depends on how long the adoption process takes.”
The trill of the phone interrupted her. Eve started to stand but Katie shooed her back into her seat. “I’ll get it.”
Leaning over the counter, she snatched up the receiver. “Good morning. You’ve reached the Parrish Hotel.”
“Yeah. I’d like to book a room.” The man’s voice on the other end was even, without accent. “I need something within the next month. Can you accommodate me?”