Taking Eve(91)

“I’d have to be deaf and blind not to have gathered that.” Her brows rose. “And you’re willing to bet on a wild card.”

“I’m willing to bet on anything or anyone,” he said bluntly. “I’ve seen and experienced weirder things than a kid who is a dog whisperer. I don’t expect anything. Prove me wrong.”

“I’m not a kid. And I don’t expect anything, either. I just hope.”

“Is that how it always works?”

“Not always. Sometimes I have somewhere to start, as I did when I was trying to find out what happened to Toby. And I had support and an intelligent animal who’d had contact with people and could translate his experience for me. That’s not always the case. Particularly when I may have to deal with wild, not domestic, animals. Then I have to fumble around and try to interpret.”

“How long have you known you could do this?”

“All my life. But I was five years old before I realized that other people couldn’t do the same thing. The sounds and thoughts and impressions were all around me, and I thought they were there for everyone. Then one day I told my father that our neighbor’s dog, Brandy, told me that she was sick and there was something hurting her stomach.”

“And?”

“My father accused me of lying and beat me until I couldn’t stand.”

“A five-year-old kid?”

“It wasn’t the first time. He drank a lot. My mother died when I was born. My father let me go to foster care because he didn’t want to take care of me. But when I was four, he took me back. I didn’t know until later that the only reason he kept me around was for the welfare checks. I usually tried to stay out of his way, but I didn’t know how to help Brandy.” She shrugged. “I should have worked it out for myself. But at least when I went to my father and he beat me, I learned what not to say. The next day I went to see Brandy’s owners, the Andersons, and told them their dog was sick. I said I’d seen him throw up a couple times, and he was crying when he did it. They were nice people who liked Brandy and didn’t want to take a chance even if a little kid wasn’t exactly a credible witness. They took him to the vet. It was a tumor, but they got it in time.” She wrinkled her nose. “But the Andersons were grateful and went to my father and told him what a fine, observant little girl he had. He agreed, thanked them, and then when they left, he beat me again for talking to the neighbors. I wasn’t supposed to ever talk to anyone outside the house. He wasn’t stupid. He knew DEFACS relied on interviews with neighbors to make their quarterly reports. After that, I usually did what he wanted, but I was pretty lonely. Until I realized I didn’t have to rely on my father or other people to talk to me. It was much better then.” She smiled. “Of course, most people would say that it was isolation and mistreatment that led to hallucinations. You’re a practical, reasonable man; isn’t that what your first reaction would be?”

He nodded. “Damn right. Unless you can prove first reactions are false. So this so-called gift isn’t inherited?”

She shrugged. “As I said, my mother died when I was born, so I have no idea what she could or could not do. The only thing I’m sure about is that I heard she managed to put up with my father for ten years, so she must have been a saint … or a fool. I only made it until I was a little over eight before I ran away from home.”

“Didn’t they catch you and bring you back home? That’s pretty young.”

She shook her head. “I knew how to take care of myself, and I was ready. I didn’t go near anyone who might turn me back over to him. I was used to the woods by that time, and I lived off the land. Later, I made friends who were willing to take me in and help me get an education. There are good people in the world, and some of them don’t believe you have to go by every rule. You just have to find them.” She paused. “The people on Summer Island are like that. So is Jane. So are you, Joe.”

“I believe in rules.”

“Except where it concerns your family. Then the rules are thrown out the window. Caleb is like that, too. But he’s one of the wild ones who don’t have exceptions, so I can’t really include him in the mix.”

“By all means, let’s not include Caleb,” Joe said dryly. He was silent a moment. “You’re not exactly reserved about your background. I admit I didn’t expect such openness since—”

“I’m traveling with false documents and might be a criminal,” she finished for him. “But that’s another story. I told you what I could. I thought it would help you to trust me a little. Not a lot. But we all take what we can get.” She raised her head and listened. “The grave is over the next hill.”