Angel's Rest(20)

She sees his damaged heart, too. Nic slipped Tiger a half slice of bacon. “What do you know about him, Celeste?”

“I know what I see when I look into his eyes. He’s haunted, Nicole. You’ve seen it, too, haven’t you?”

She recalled the horrible scars on his back and chest and spoke quietly. “Yes.”

“Gabe Callahan’s pain makes him uniquely suited for this project. I believe he’ll tap into the energy of Eternity Springs and produce a transcendent design. He’ll not only change our world, he will change his own.”

Hope lifted Nic’s heart, but caution kept her grounded. “If you can convince him to give us a chance. I had to twist his arm to get him to stay for dinner last night.”

“Yes, but he did stay, did he not?”

Yes, he had stayed, and she’d enjoyed his company tremendously. Gabe was witty and intelligent and interesting. Heaven knows the man was delicious to look at. He was the first man since her divorce who truly interested her, but Gabe Callahan had issues. That was as clear as the scars on his chest. To consider him a romantic prospect wasn’t realistic.

That didn’t mean, however, that she couldn’t offer him friendship. She suspected that the man seriously needed a friend.

“Your success at arm twisting is why I want you to come with me this morning. I want you to take the lead in this conversation. He said yes to you last night.”

“That doesn’t mean he’ll say yes this time. He’s not very approachable, Celeste. His defenses are as high as Murphy Mountain.”

“Then you’ll have to come up with a way to scale the heights, won’t you?”

Before Nic could ask just how she was supposed to manage that particular feat, her front doorbell rang. Celeste said, “You must have an early customer at the clinic.”

“No, the clinic bell is a buzzer that sounds in my kitchen. That’s the doorbell.” Nic walked to the front of the house and identified the figure standing on her front porch: Zach Turner. Opening the door, she said, “Good morning, Zach. Come on in.”

“Morning, Nic. Thanks.” In her entry hall, he removed his gray felt hat and said, “I need to speak with Celeste.”

“She’s in the kitchen. Come on back. Can I get you a cup of coffee?”

“Thanks. That would be great.”

Celeste offered a sheepish smile to the sheriff as he entered the kitchen. “Oh, dear. Am I in trouble?”

“You gotta be careful with candles, Celeste, but I’ll save the lecture for another time. The county coroner is on his way to Eternity to remove the remains, and I have a few questions to clear up before he gets here.”

“I’m happy to help any way I can.”

Celeste wiped her wet hands on a dish towel and sat at Nic’s table. Zach sat across from her and accepted a mug of coffee from Nic with thanks. He removed a small notebook and a pen from his pocket and made notes as he asked her a few general questions about Cavanaugh House and her use of the root cellar. After pausing to sip his coffee, he said, “It’s clear that the remains have been entombed in the cellar for a long time, so we’re not dealing with a recent crime. The dress is Victorian, complete with a bustle. Also, we found this.”

He held up a plastic bag. Inside it lay a silver locket attached to a silver chain. “Look at the engraving,” Celeste said. “It reminds me of an angel’s wings.”

“You’re right,” Nic said. Then she asked Zach, “Can you tell how she died?”

Zach nodded. “Probably. There appear to be two bullets. What we didn’t find was a clue to her identity. I’ll probably have better luck speaking to members of the historical society, but I wanted to ask you, Celeste, if you’ve found anything in the contents of Cavanaugh House that might be of help.”

Celeste shook her head. “No, but I haven’t begun to go through the contents of the attic or basement. That’s a job I intended to tackle over the winter. The place is packed full of interesting boxes and crates, and luckily, the fire didn’t reach that part of Cavanaugh House.”

“There’s certainly no rush. The state lab will work up a forensic report for us, but due to the circumstances, it’s certain to be a low priority. I suspect the only way we’ll ever be able to put a name to her is to find something in old records.”

“What about the silver?” Nic asked.

“My understanding is that you bought the house and all its contents, so the silver is yours. Although before you get too excited, at today’s silver prices, that stash isn’t worth as much as you might think.”