Mercy Thompson 06 - River Marked

more change in me tonight. But it was better that I changed than Adam. He opened the door of the trailer and walked out behind me as I put my nose to the ground and scent-trailed the old man. He’d headed for the river and not the road.
    I followed him down to the little backwater where Adam and I had played in the river. About ten feet from the drop-off to the beach area, Gordon Seeker’s scent and the imprint of his cowboy boots just disappeared.

    “WHAT DO YOU THINK? WAS HE A GHOST?” ASKED ADAM, as he scrubbed my feet again while I sat on the couch.
    I’d told him they were fine. But he’d ignored me and insisted on cleaning them again after I’d gone out running around on them, even though I’d been on paws and not bare feet. It didn’t hurt as much as it should have because the salve had healed the minor cuts better than any mundane Bag Balm could have. All I had left was a whole bunch of bruises.
    “I think that there is more in heaven and earth, Horatio,” I said. “I can usually tell if someone is a ghost. Or if I can’t, I’ve never found out. How about you?”
    “He smelled like woodsmoke and predator,” said Adam. “He breathed, and I could hear his heart pump. If I had to guess, I’d say not a ghost. But I’ve never actually seen a ghost, so it’s just a guess. A ghost was the first explanation that occurred to me for his disappearing act.”
    “You’ve never seen a ghost?” I saw them all the time, so I forgot how seldom other people could perceive them.
    “No. So what do you think Gordon Seeker was?”
    “You know,” I told him, “there’s an old Indian custom that Charles told me about once. If a visitor comes to your lodge and admires something out loud, you are supposed to give it to them. Charles says there are three reasons for the custom. The first”—I held up a finger—“is because generosity is a virtue to be encouraged. The second”—I put up another finger—“is to teach you not to be too attached to or too proud of things. Family, friends, community are important. Things are not. Can you guess the third one?”
    He smiled. “Charles told me that one. Be careful who you invite into your lodge. I didn’t think of it until after Seeker was already in the trailer. Maybe he was the Indian version of a witch. Medicine man.”
    “Charles says that medicine men and witches aren’t very much alike.”
    My leg itched, and I pulled up my pant leg and contemplated scratching.
    “River marked,” said Adam, touching the mark lightly.
    “He was as bad as the fae,” I complained. “He didn’t answer anything and just left us with more questions.”
    Adam kissed my knee, which should not have done anything to my pulse. I mean—the kneecap is as far from an erogenous zone as I know of. But it was Adam, so my heart rate picked up nicely.
    He put my feet down. “The magic salve did its job. I don’t think you’ll need another application tonight. I have a funny feeling that you might need it more later. Speaking of the fae, though, when we start getting people missing and bloody, it’s probably time to give Uncle Mike a call and see what he’s set us into the middle of.”
    He pulled out his cell phone and dialed Uncle Mike’s number. I heard the sound of loud music, and someone answered in Cornish.
    “It’s Hauptman,” Adam said. “Get Uncle Mike for me.” He started pacing the length of the trailer as he sometimes did when he was on the phone. I pulled my feet up—resting them on the towel to keep the couch clean. Without my feet on the floor, Adam had an extra half pace to use. My eyes drooped, and I had to fight to keep them open.
    There were several clicks, and the music died down abruptly, as if Uncle Mike had gotten on a quieter extension.
    “Adam,” he said. “Congratulations. And why would you be calling me while you’re on your honeymoon?”
    “Otters,” said Adam. “More precisely, otters that look like they’d be more at home in the Old Country and who smell of glamour.”
    He’d sensed it, too, then. That little bit of magic when I was trying to get the boat out from under the tree. It hadn’t been Benny or the boat. The otters were the next best thing.
    There was a little silence, then Uncle Mike gave a sigh of relief. “They are there, then. Edythe told us that none of her people had seen them for a while.”
    “Which is why you and Edythe sent us down here?”
    Uncle Mike cleared his throat. “Not exactly. Edythe gets