Traveler Ch. 03

Cindy gave it a moment, she still watched the door but heard nothing. It didn't stop her changing to water language, just in case.

"I'm sorry Traveler. I failed you."

My hand quickly grasped hers, since she chose water language I continued. "Kieran fooled us all."

This caused Cindy to nod her head in agreement. "Including his wife and child."

I looked more intensely at Cindy. "For the first few weeks I was torn between waiting to see if you would live, or finishing this once and for all. When the doctors told us that you had passed one of their own milestones and was slowly on the mend, Jason and I went to see Kieran. When we got to his house he was already in the process of beating the shit out of his wife."

"Did the daughter see any of this?"

Cindy quickly shook her head. "No Traveler, she was at school. Kieran's wife was also unconscious when we got there so she didn't see me kill him."

Cindy smirked at that moment, I've known her long enough to wait her out. Jason carried Kieran's wife to their car and then loaded his body into the trunk. They got the looks when they turned up at the hospital and the police even came over to talk to them. It wasn't the first time the wife had 'fallen down stairs and walked into cabinet doors'. Cindy offered to try and get the wife to admit to her husband using her as a punch bag.

When Cindy went to talk to her, the wife recognized her. Cindy explained that she wanted to talk to Kieran and if she wished then once she was released from the hospital, she personally would take her and her daughter back to her folks. At first, Pamela was unsure; then Cindy politely reminded her what her job title was within the families

It took a while and a promise from Cindy that he would never bother her or her child ever again before she would talk to the police.

That smirk came back when she looked at me and said. "While the police took statements, Jason and I paid our respects to Thomas Fredricks."

At first I didn't connect the dots, so I asked if Kieran's body will ever be discovered.

Her smirk instantly went to a smile, I suddenly connected the dots but Cindy just had to say. "Only if they dig up Thomas Fredricks' grave to do it."

"Traveler, she needs a job. Kieran gave her nothing but heartache and threats. Please Traveler, find her a job at the boat yard, let her and the daughter find peace."

*******

With the aid of the contingency accounts, Pamela Watson went to the courts and set the paperwork in motion to file for divorce. She refused to wait to return her name to Watson so her lawyer got to work on that as the paperwork for the divorce from Kieran was waiting to be served. The Canadian police had a look around and couldn't find him. Pamela was willing to wait the two years and then file for abandonment.

I asked nicely and Barry Mitchell took her on at the boatyard. Pamela blossomed and within months her organizational skills proved to us all that we nailed this one; we got her and she wasn't going anywhere.

Her daughter soon followed Pamela's lead and became less and less afraid of shadows.

Barry and I went into a huddle and came up with an idea. We shared the idea with a few of the special needs schools and they loved it. We gutted a canal boat, put bigger windows all around it plus easier access for wheelchairs and the boat yard sponsors it. Jason now does tours of the canals for the disabled schools in the area. The boat is so popular we're going to have to get another one on the canal in time for the spring season.

I continue to go back to my Cinder Creek house, sometimes alone, but mostly with family in tow. Beth always has an open invitation to dinner, along with the three young men who found and pulled me out of the lock, as well as their families.

With Kieran "missing", the hold the lock had on the spirit of Brenda Cooper finally was broken. Yet she is still here. Jason had a conversation with her and all she ever wanted was the hold on her keeping her attached to the lock lifted. The people of Cinder Creek keep her here now by no other means than love.

The sun was the other side of the house so I could sit on the bench against the house and not burn. I waved at a couple of boats that used the lock, the nice folks in the boats all waved back. My eight-year-old daughter Victoria Alice sat next to me, it was obvious that she wanted to talk about something so I thought it best to wait her out.

"Mom."

I kept my eyes closed but lifted my arm; Victoria leaned into my body, placing her legs on the bench as she did so. My arm then wrapped around her. I was comfortable, it was a beautiful day, and I didn't think this was going to get complicated.

So my smile took my lead, I even tilted my head so it rested on the top of my daughters, and then I said. "Yes baby?"

My daughter paused, now that I found interesting.

"Mom, will you teach me how to be Traveler?"

It's amazing how all those nice thoughts came to a screeching halt, hell I could almost smell burnt rubber. The only thought at the end of that almost whiplash session was, 'Oh shit.'

*******

"Mom please talk to me."

I plucked up as much courage as I could.

"No I can't teach you Victoria, being Traveler is a calling. You would be amazed how many people that calling skips over to rest on the shoulders it chooses."

My daughter paused in thought, I was desperately hoping she now thought this was a bad idea.

"So what do you think I need to do for this calling to consider me?"

I used my one remaining argument, weak though it was. "You need to stay in school, get a good education. Learn at least one science and get at least a BA in that before you join the service and spend at least nine years in that, preferably special forces training would of course be a bonus."

Victoria moved to sit up straight, I could feel her slipping away.

"Momma, I'm only eight-years-old. I don't even know what all that stuff is and if I ask daddy I'm sure he will tell me that you don't even have half of what you just said and you're Traveler."

I hate smart-assed kids.

Perhaps raw logic was the way to go. "Victoria, you've hit me sideways on this question. I need to talk to your dad about what you've asked me." This time I held her hand, more to reassure her than anything. "We will include you in that conversation, Victoria, I promise. All I can tell you is that the calling is a special thing, not a badge of honor. So many of our families' lives and indeed future sometimes depend on a single decision that Traveler may make."

This time I got a hug before we both assumed our last position, we were still watching the odd boat pass through and even nature got involved if we sat still long enough. That was when Robert found us.

I would have been content to give my husband the abridged version of the conversation our daughter and I just had. Little chance of that happening, he was a reporter after all. Our talk went back and forth, we tried several times to find out from Victoria why she wanted to be Traveler. For an eight-year-old she always managed to swerve past the question.

As the day drew to a close and the sky's color changed, I managed to buy us some time, when I said. "Victoria, as you reminded us, you're only eight years old. The calling wouldn't pick you, it's way too early. So go to school, enjoy yourself and learn. You will need to learn water language so we will start that in a few days, nothing much just a few words per day. Eventually you and I, maybe your aunt Cindy or uncle Jason will get your knowledge to the point we will speak to you in water language for a full day a week."

Victoria smiled.

"I would hold off on that thought for now Victoria, there is more."

Her smile quickly dissipated and worry crossed her ever so young eyes.

"When I think you're good enough with our language I'm sending you away for a week to a friend of mine. She will only speak to you in water language through the whole week and you will learn one song that is very important to us all."

I adjusted my seating so I could hold her little hands in mine. She instantly knew I was being deadly serious.

"Only when my friend thinks you can sing that song to her satisfaction will we all come back here and you will stand at this very spot and sing Cal-un-den."

This time I stood, grabbed my daughter and lifted her into my arms, Robert followed us the few paces to the lock gates. I felt sad for my husband since he couldn't see Brenda Cooper. I could because technically, I had died here. Victoria could see her because of her youth. It was Brenda I walked us to. She had been listening to our entire conversation with a keen interest.

Adjusting my hold on my daughter I pointed to the lock gate and said. "You will stand on this very spot and sing Cal-un-den to her."

Brenda Cooper smiled, her hand came up and waved at Victoria. My daughter's smile was something that would put a dawn to shame right then. She even waved back at Brenda and nodded her head at both of us. I let her down once again and she almost skipped over to the lock gate and sat next to Brenda. I once again sat and leant into my husband, grabbing his hand. After a few moments of watching them both talk to each other, we walked back into the house. Robert was smart enough, he knew what had just happened.