through thousands of records, and that’s even assuming a death certificate was filed. The process could take months. Years even.”
“The old courthouse has boxes of files stored in the basement. I guess we could have a look through those. Although I would think vital records are computerized these days.”
“Not the old ones, especially in rural counties. But…” I glanced up at him. “You said
He held the gate for me, then closed it behind us. When he turned, I saw worry lines between his brows. “I’d like your help with this. You know more about these kinds of searches than I do.”
I said flatly, “Your best bet is to ask around. In a town this size, someone has to know who’s buried there.”
“People around here don’t like answering questions. They’re too afraid of stepping into someone else’s business.”
Did that reticence explain the reaction to the hidden grave at dinner last night? And Tilly’s warning about meddling in things I didn’t understand?
I pushed a strand of hair back from my face. “I’d love to help, but I’m committed to the restoration. My first priority has to be the cemetery. That won’t leave a lot of free time for tracking down records.” It was a cursory excuse at best because I already knew I would help him. An unmarked grave, no matter how old or remote, couldn’t be allowed to stand. Whoever was buried there deserved a name. Deserved to be remembered.
“Will you at least take me to the grave? I can find it on my own, but it’ll save time if you show me the way.”
I decided not to remind him that he’d just warned me to stay out of the woods. Besides, it was hours until dark, and I had a feeling nothing would happen with an Asher along.
“All right. I’ll show you.”
“Should we take Angus with us?” he asked.
“We’ll have to. I’m not leaving him here by himself.”
He glanced down at me. “You’re really spooked about last night, aren’t you?”
“Can you blame me?”
“No. But try not to worry. I’ll find out who set those traps.”
“The same way you found the kennel? What did you do to them, Thane?”
His gaze dropped again to Angus. “Not nearly as much as I wanted to,” he muttered, and I decided it was best to leave it at that.
We paused at my car just long enough to allow Angus to lap up some fresh water, and then the three of us entered the woods together, our footsteps silent on the mossy floor. It was cool and dim inside the trees, the air spicy with pine and cedar. As we walked along in that perpetual gloom, I thought again of Papa’s mountain stories, but why should I waste time worrying about mythical creatures like vampires and werewolves when my world was full of ghosts? And now I had entered a new world, one of hidden graves, strange winds and whispering trees.
And Thane Asher.
He seemed distracted as we walked along, head slightly bowed, eyes on the ground. It seemed to me that the temperature had been steadily dropping the deeper we walked into the woods, and I stopped to put on my jacket. Thane automatically reached over to help me, and I felt a little tingle where his fingers brushed the back of my neck. If he noticed my slight withdrawal, he said nothing.
“Can I ask you something?”
He nodded without lifting his gaze from the path.
“At the risk of sounding insensitive, what happened to Wayne Van Zandt’s face?”
He shrugged. “I can only tell you what I’ve heard. It’s one of those things that people tend not to talk about.”
“There seems to be a lot of forbidden topics around here,” I murmured.
I caught the edge of a smile. “You catch on fast. Anyway, it happened a long time ago, before I came here, so what I’m about to tell you is second- and third-hand information. Take it with a grain of salt. The story goes that he went up to the falls to meet someone one night. A girl he’d been seeing. He was found unconscious the next morning by the pool. He’d been badly mauled and nearly died from blood loss and infection. When he finally came around in the hospital, he didn’t remember a thing.”
“Not even the attack?”
“Nothing. But the wounds were consistent with a bear attack.”
“He warned me about wild animals when I saw him the other day. I thought he was just trying to frighten me, but maybe his concern was genuine.”
Thane swatted a gnat from his face. “I wouldn’t assign too much nobility to Wayne Van Zandt’s motives. He’s had a chip on his shoulder for as long as I’ve known him.”
“With good reason, it would seem.”
“Yes, but remember, he’s the same guy who offered to take care of your dog. And he would have probably derived a great deal of pleasure from doing so.”
I glanced over my shoulder where Angus plodded along behind us on the trail. When he noticed my attention, he gave a little whine and came up between us, nudging Thane off the path. “Hey!”
I laughed and bent to give his mangled head a pat.
Thane good-naturedly fell into step behind us. “You’ve got yourself quite a companion,” he said.
“I know. He’s wonderful.”
“Will you take him with you when you leave here?”
I answered without a second thought. “Of course.”
“He’s lucky he found you, then. I’d like to think Samson happened upon someone like you.”
“Maybe he did.” But neither of us sounded convinced.
Angus soon grew bored of my pace and loped ahead. I called him back because I didn’t want him out of my sight in the woods.
“Now that I know what happened to Wayne Van Zandt, I understand something that Ivy said to me the other day.”
Thane had moved back up beside me, and our shoulders kept brushing even though I hugged the edge of the path.
“What was that?” he asked carefully.
His wariness amused me. “You do realize she has a crush on you.”
When he didn’t say anything, I glanced at his scowling face. “Come on. It’s just a crush.”
“Ivy’s not like other girls,” he said. “There’ve been some incidents.”
My smile faded at his tone. “Like what?”
“Stalking,” he said grimly.
“Stalking? As in following you?”
“Yes, and breaking into my car. Stealing some personal items.”
“How do you know it was her?”
“Trust me, I know.”
“What did you do?”
He shrugged. “Not much I could do. I couldn’t prove it and I thought it best to just ignore her rather than to make a big deal of it. I figured she’d outgrow it in time.”
“Has she?”
“I’d hoped so. Until the other day, I hadn’t seen her around much.” He paused. “So what did she say to you?”
That you would never choose an outsider, I thought. “We were talking about the waterfall. She said it was a thin place. A location where the living world and the Other world connect.”
“Like vortexes,” he said. “What did Bryn call them?”
“Gateways to the realm of the dead,” I said evenly. “According to Ivy, people used to go up to the falls because they thought they could glimpse heaven, but now they stay away because they’re afraid. Sidra cut her off
