Hunger of the Wolf (12 page)

“It’s good to know some people can still see reason. Does this mean we can be friends?”

“Of course, but I have one more question to ask you.”

“What is it?”

“Why didn’t you
tell me you were a horror author
when I asked
what you wrote?”

Jesse frowned. “I
was a
bit of a
weird kid and when the other kids found out I wrote horror stories they gave me a hard time about it
. It made me feel
ashamed and
I’ve never been comfortable telling people. W
hen all this business started with Tehya I became even more paranoid.
I didn’t want to scare you away
,
I guess.”

“I wouldn’t have been scared away, in fact I love horror.”

“Really?
” He look
ed sceptical. “You’re
an author of sel
f-help books promoting
love,
light
and positive vibes
. How could you
enjoy horror?” She caught a vaguely disparaging tone in his voice and
her hackles stirred. She
hated it when people disrespected her profession.

“Okay
,
just because I write self-help books it doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy other genres as well. I’m sure you read other books besides horror.”

“True, but self-help and ho
rror seem to be polar opposites. Self-help is about being positive while horror explores people’s worst fear a
nd nightmares, which isn’t
very conducive to positive thinking
,
you have to admit
.”

“That’s where you’re
wrong. Horror is actually very beneficial to a healthy state of mind because it allows people to exp
lore their darkest fears and desires in a safe way. Self-help is not about pretending the world is perfect or ignoring your dark side
,
but understanding yourself as thoroughly as possible. Knowledge is power
,
as they say.”
Jesse
looked thoughtful
,
and Amber couldn’t help comparing his reaction to being told he was wrong to Dominic’s. The few occasion
s she had dared to challenge her husband
had ended in a
row with him sulking for hours
. Eventually she had backed
down just to restore peace.

“I’ve never really thought about it like that before
,
but it does make sense. I’ve got to admit I’ve never had a high opinion of self-help and
usually
avoid that part of the bookstore.”

“Have you e
ver read any books in the genre? Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.
”

A strange
look passed across his face and Amber wondered what she had said
to off
end him, but then
he laughed. “
I might as well admit this no
w. After I met you
I googled you and found
some of your books
so
I b
r
ought one.”

“Which one was that?”

“
Treat ‘Em
Mean
”.

“No.” Amber hid
her face in
her hands
. “I wish you had read any
one but that one.”

“So that’s not a typical example of your w
ork then?
”

“Far from it. It was the very first book I ever wrote
,
and I basically had no say in it at all.
My publisher insisted that there was a big market for a book targeted at insecure men who found it hard to attract women. The message was that you need to behave arrogantly and treat women like sex objects in order to pull chicks. I’m so ashamed of it.”

“I’m very relieved to hear that because it was pretty disturbing, and none of the techniques worked
by the way
.”

He gave her a sly wink and t
he penny dropped.
“So that’s why you were behaving so strangely when I ran into you the other day
at your cabin
. You were
following my advice. That’s hilarious!”

“Guilty.” They
both laughed
.

“My G
od I thought you were a real jerk. Please don’t judge me on that book alone. I’ll give you another one right
now to take h
ome. Come up to the cabin.” T
hey walked up the path leading to the front steps
,
and
Jesse
stopped when he got to the porch.

“I
hope you don’t mind that I left your shawl out here
. I was walking with Shado
w
yesterday and we came
across it stuck in a bush. I b
ought it over just after dinner
last night
,
but I could hear you talking on the phone inside so I just left it on the chair.”

“Thank you. I thought it must have been you, and I was a little worried you were lur
king around my house at night.
” He laughed and s
he
was glad he though
t
she was joking. S
he
decided not to tell him about her
strange experience in the woods
.

Amber offered him some tea
,
and all her plans to get back to work flew out the window
as they chatted amiably for the next few hours
on the porch
. The more they talked the more they discovered they had in common. They had both majored in English
at colle
ge and had a love of nineteenth
century litera
ture
. Despite their similarities they also disagreed on a lot
,
and it kept the conversation
lively and
interesting.
Eventually they got around to talking about the ugly rumours that had turned
Jesse
into a virtual recluse.

“You really
shouldn’t let those people drive you away. The kids in town really miss you.”

Jesse
shifted uncomfortably in his chair
,
and for the first time the conversation became strained. “I have a lot of work to do now
,
and I
just
don’t have time.” Amber was very confused
by his reaction
. He’d just finished telling her how much he missed teaching and working with kids, and now he was coming up with lame
excuses for not going to town. She also noticed he was avoiding her eye
,
but she did not have any more time to find out what was going on with him becau
se
a car
could be heard approaching along the driveway
.

Amber glanced at her watch.
“Is it that late already? I lost track of time. That’s Bob picking me up for dinner.”

Jesse
gave her an incredulous look. “You’re not seriously still hanging out with those people after all the lies they told you about me? I thought you were on my side.”

Amber shrugged helplessly. “It’s not a matter of taking sides. Despite everything I think Bob and
Sharon
are good people
who really believe they are telling the truth
,
and I’m not just going to cut them off. There’s also another reason I’m having dinner with them tonight
,
but I don’t have time
to tell you about it right now.
I have to go.”

“Suit yourself.
”
Jesse
walked down the stairs
. “Thanks for the tea.” He was clearly upset but there was nothing she c
ould do about it. H
e walked past the truck
without
even bothering to look at Bob
,
and Amber realised he had left the book she had given him s
itting on the
porch
table. She
decided to leave it there in case he remem
bered and came back for it. S
he
went inside and
gathered h
er bag and jacket together before quickly running
a brush through her hair and hurrying out the door to Bob’s truck.

Chapter 8

After greeting her coldly Bob was silent as he drove through the woods
,
and when she looked at him his expression was stony. He clearly was not happy to see
Jesse
at the cabin
,
and she wondered exactly how she was going to explain his presence without directly calling him and
Sharon
liars
. The last time they had spoken
she was frightened out of her wits
,
and
just that morning she had been to see
Sharon
about buying a gun. She could understand why he must feel a little confused. When it was obvious he was not going to say anything
more
she broke the silence.

“You’re probably wondering
why
Jesse
was at the cabin this afternoon.”

“The thought did cross my mind.
You two looked mighty cosy sitting out there on the porch si
pping tea together. If you want my opinion
,
y
ou’re
crazy for letting that boy anywhere near you knowing what you know
about him
.”

“Well
,
actually I got a bit lost in town today when I was looking for the pawn shop and I got talking to a man who told me a few things about
Jesse
. I started to think that maybe the
rumours about him are just stories
. I know you and
Sharon
are only trying to protect me
,
but it seems like things are a bit more complicated than you realize.”

“Injin fellow was it?
”

“Yes. His name was Tom. He told me the reason why
Jesse
was in town the night
Tehya
Gordon
d
isappeared was because
he was attending a party for a teenager he helped. He is a qualified teacher and youth worker and that’s why he hangs out with the kids a lot. It all seems qui
te innocent
,
and this man is
Tehya
’s u
ncle, so he of all people would have no reason to protect him if there was any truth in the stories.
”
She had expected Bob to be shocked
,
or at the
very
least surprised
,
to learn these things about
Jesse
,
but his expression didn’t change at all. It w
asn’t until they pulled into his
driveway and he had turned off the engine that he finally looked at her.

“We don’t generally speak to the Injinns in this town, no matter who they might think they are. We have our ways and they have theirs
,
and the two don’t mix. It’s better if we keep to ourselves because that way there’s no trouble. People like you think you
can come here and shake things up
, but you don’t know what you’re talking about. It’
s a fine line we
walk
,
and no one here wants that to be messed with.”

Amber couldn’t believe what she was he
aring. “I’m not trying to shake
anything
up
. All I’m saying is that you shouldn’t jump to conclusions about someone and accuse them of being involv
ed in the abduction of a young girl
without any real proof
. Just because he doesn’t share your views it doesn’
t make him guilty of whatever you want to accuse him of. That’s ridiculous.”
Bob did not bother to reply and she followed him into the house where
Sharon
was waiting. She couldn’t believe the turn the conversation had taken
,
and she began to dread the night ahead.
Sharon
embraced her warmly and gave her a kiss on the cheek.