Read Online Desert Guardian by Karen Duvall - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Karen Duvall
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heat in hues of crimson, gold,
and flaming orange. Sand rippled as if disturbed by wind, the occasional rock
and cactus jutting from the amber surface. Rounded hills rose in the distance,
striated with colorful layers of sandstone, and behind them was a setting sun
like a golden orb sliced in half. Kelly narrowed her eyes to focus on an object
in the upper right-hand corner. It looked like a star with trailing sparks for
a tail, and it glowed white against the blue-black sky. Peeking through the
sparks was an oval spaceship.
She
experienced an odd sensation of being watched and spun around to find Consuela
staring. Actually, she was staring at the painting with a proud smile that made
Kelly ask, "Did you paint this?"
Her
smile brightened, and she bobbed her head, apparently pleased at being
recognized for her work.
"It's
beautiful," Kelly told her, facing the painting again. She pointed at the
ship. "Is that a spaceship?"
When
she glanced at Consuela, the woman nodded, but her smile had changed to an
embarrassed grin.
Kelly
wanted to ask her about Star Mother, what it was like there, how she had been
treated. But a conversation like that would be difficult with a mute, and she
didn't know sign language. Perhaps Consuela could write down her answers.
After
extracting a pad of paper and pencil from Sam's desk drawer, she offered them
to Consuela. The woman shook her head and backed away. So much for that idea.
Then
Kelly thought of something else. "Hey, Consuela, I bet you knew my brother
Jake."
Consuela
looked confused and shook her head.
"Are
you sure? Jake Bancroft, a couple of years younger than you, five-eleven, brown
hair, and blue eyes, a little on the chunky side? He loved comic books,
especially the sci-fi ones, and would talk your ear off about the stories he'd
read. Sound familiar?"
Another
adamant shake of the head.
Maybe
showing Consuela a picture would help jog her memory. As she dug into her
backpack for her wallet, the phone rang. It was Sam.
"Is
Cody okay?" she asked him.
"He'll
be fine, but the vet wants him to spend the night. He took a blood test and
found a high level of tranquilizers in Cody's system."
Poor
thing. She wasn't especially fond of animals, but she didn't understand how
anyone could intentionally be cruel to one. "So you're on your way home?"
"Not
exactly." He paused before adding, "After the vet, I planned to make
a quick trip to the body shop for a new windshield, but someone took the Jeep's
distributor cap. I'm at the auto parts store now buying a new one."
A
shiver of dread crawled down her neck. "Is someone stalking you?"
"Maybe.
Or someone is making sure I'm out of the way so he can get to you."
A
cold fist closed around her heart. "You're scaring me."
"Forewarned
is forearmed, but don't worry. You're safe in the cabin as long as you don't
open the door to anyone."
She
didn't feel very safe, and the temperature of the room seemed to drop ten
degrees. Was anyone, or anything, lurking outside? If she went out there, would
she find another snake-filled picnic basket at the back door? Or something
worse? The sound of a car's engine turning over made her jump. "I think
someone's here."
"Can
you see out the window?"
"Hold
on." She leaned close to the window and peered outside. Consuela's car
turned around in the driveway then headed away from the cabin. "It's
Consuela. She's leaving."
He
let fly a few mumbled curses before saying, "The woman isn't well. She's
reliving her experience with Star Mother, and that isn't healthy. Did she zone
out at all? Go into a kind of trance?"
Kelly
paused while she thought about it. "No. But I did ask her if she knew
Jake."
He
groaned. "You didn't."
"Is
that a problem? I was about to show her a picture of him when—"
"But
you didn't, did you?"
"No.
The phone rang just as I was getting out my wallet."
He huffed
into the phone. "Consuela remembers almost nothing about her last days
with Star Mother, and I'd like to keep it that way. At
and flaming orange. Sand rippled as if disturbed by wind, the occasional rock
and cactus jutting from the amber surface. Rounded hills rose in the distance,
striated with colorful layers of sandstone, and behind them was a setting sun
like a golden orb sliced in half. Kelly narrowed her eyes to focus on an object
in the upper right-hand corner. It looked like a star with trailing sparks for
a tail, and it glowed white against the blue-black sky. Peeking through the
sparks was an oval spaceship.
She
experienced an odd sensation of being watched and spun around to find Consuela
staring. Actually, she was staring at the painting with a proud smile that made
Kelly ask, "Did you paint this?"
Her
smile brightened, and she bobbed her head, apparently pleased at being
recognized for her work.
"It's
beautiful," Kelly told her, facing the painting again. She pointed at the
ship. "Is that a spaceship?"
When
she glanced at Consuela, the woman nodded, but her smile had changed to an
embarrassed grin.
Kelly
wanted to ask her about Star Mother, what it was like there, how she had been
treated. But a conversation like that would be difficult with a mute, and she
didn't know sign language. Perhaps Consuela could write down her answers.
After
extracting a pad of paper and pencil from Sam's desk drawer, she offered them
to Consuela. The woman shook her head and backed away. So much for that idea.
Then
Kelly thought of something else. "Hey, Consuela, I bet you knew my brother
Jake."
Consuela
looked confused and shook her head.
"Are
you sure? Jake Bancroft, a couple of years younger than you, five-eleven, brown
hair, and blue eyes, a little on the chunky side? He loved comic books,
especially the sci-fi ones, and would talk your ear off about the stories he'd
read. Sound familiar?"
Another
adamant shake of the head.
Maybe
showing Consuela a picture would help jog her memory. As she dug into her
backpack for her wallet, the phone rang. It was Sam.
"Is
Cody okay?" she asked him.
"He'll
be fine, but the vet wants him to spend the night. He took a blood test and
found a high level of tranquilizers in Cody's system."
Poor
thing. She wasn't especially fond of animals, but she didn't understand how
anyone could intentionally be cruel to one. "So you're on your way home?"
"Not
exactly." He paused before adding, "After the vet, I planned to make
a quick trip to the body shop for a new windshield, but someone took the Jeep's
distributor cap. I'm at the auto parts store now buying a new one."
A
shiver of dread crawled down her neck. "Is someone stalking you?"
"Maybe.
Or someone is making sure I'm out of the way so he can get to you."
A
cold fist closed around her heart. "You're scaring me."
"Forewarned
is forearmed, but don't worry. You're safe in the cabin as long as you don't
open the door to anyone."
She
didn't feel very safe, and the temperature of the room seemed to drop ten
degrees. Was anyone, or anything, lurking outside? If she went out there, would
she find another snake-filled picnic basket at the back door? Or something
worse? The sound of a car's engine turning over made her jump. "I think
someone's here."
"Can
you see out the window?"
"Hold
on." She leaned close to the window and peered outside. Consuela's car
turned around in the driveway then headed away from the cabin. "It's
Consuela. She's leaving."
He
let fly a few mumbled curses before saying, "The woman isn't well. She's
reliving her experience with Star Mother, and that isn't healthy. Did she zone
out at all? Go into a kind of trance?"
Kelly
paused while she thought about it. "No. But I did ask her if she knew
Jake."
He
groaned. "You didn't."
"Is
that a problem? I was about to show her a picture of him when—"
"But
you didn't, did you?"
"No.
The phone rang just as I was getting out my wallet."
He huffed
into the phone. "Consuela remembers almost nothing about her last days
with Star Mother, and I'd like to keep it that way. At
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