Between

Prologue

What possessed you to leave her side?

The dark-haired man paced the cliffs that overlooked the ocean. Buffeted by the wind, his overcoat flapped behind him like dark wings. Waves crashed below and pulled the body of a young woman off the rocks and out to sea.

Oscar needed my help, Cronan! the taller man argued.

We were Margaret’s Guardian and Death Spirit, Lucas, not his! She jumped, and you were not there to stop her from doing so.

I did not think she would— Dismayed, Lucas looked over the cliff and ran his hands through his fair hair. She loved Oscar. I was trying to save him.

Well, he is dead now. And so is she. Cronan stalked away from his counterpart. Once again, we have failed because of your impulsive and rash behavior.

Lucas followed him toward the white bungalow that stood alone on the hillside. I was—

Cronan turned and thrust a finger in his face. You are not to use a physical form unless it is required to complete your task! And you are not to interfere in the lives of anyone but our charge.

Anthony murdered Oscar in cold blood! Ran him down. I had the steering wheel— why did you stop me?

His choice was not your concern. Margaret was your concern, Cronan snapped. And this was not her time. You know I cannot take them if they commit suicide.

Lucas took a step back, a pained look on his face.

Cronan let out a sound of frustration. The memory of your physical form must be removed. Have you done so?

Yes. The same rule applies to you.

I usually have not the need to remove memories of my physical form, he said. My task is done with one embrace and the laying of hands.

I dislike your choice of words.

I care not what you like, Cronan growled. But yes, I have erased myself from Anthony’s memory. He threw his arms out in supplication. We were on the seventh lifetime, Lucas. This was our chance to move on.

We do not know that for sure.

Nothing is for sure. You and I both sense it though, do we not? Just as we have sensed the rules that govern our fates.

This is penance for choosing to end our own lives.

So you say.

It is penance, Lucas repeated. I am sure of it.

Regardless. Their brief silence was broken by the distant sound of waves. We have been bound for twenty-one lifetimes. I wish to be free of you.

To go where?

I know not. He paused. But the next life we find ourselves attached to, you will not break the rules. For any reason. Are we clear on this?

Lucas gave a small nod.

Both men tensed as they felt their physical forms dissolve into spirit.

* * * *

The young girl lay in the wooden, four-poster bed, burning with fever. Her heart pounded and sent painful reverberations through her head. She heard her breath rattling and closed her eyes briefly. Her mother left to call the doctor.

A white figure swept through the room, stopping to gaze at her with curiosity. The girl froze and waited for the spirit to pass.

Growing tired of her, it moved on.

Suddenly, a chill made its way up her spine like a crawling insect. Another presence had entered the room. A familiar one. This one carried a darkness that she had experienced several times before. Last time, she had been playing in her tree house and backed up too close to the doorway. The whispering presence had approached from behind and she almost fell to her death. As she teetered at the edge of the doorway, something else yanked her to safety, sending her sprawling onto her stomach.

The dark presence now pooled its way around the bed and crept up the sides. It pulled insistently at the white sheet that brushed the floor. A chill emanated from it and spilled across the back of her neck like ice water.

I’m not afraid. She heard her stuffed animals, positioned around the edge of the bed like sentinels, drop to the floor, one by one. I’m not afraid. Please, please, please. The pounding in her head seemed to echo in the silence of the room.

Weakly, she clutched her favorite blanket to her chest—a blue, red, and green tartan threaded with saffron—and closed her eyes. A scant tear ran down her cheek and was swallowed by the blanket’s thick wool. She sensed the darkness pressing behind her, persistent as always.

She opened her eyes just in time to see a flash of light explode silently through the wall.

The dark presence, which had been a finger’s-width away from victory, fled. The icy chill in the room disappeared with it.

The young girl gasped and felt the tension drain from her muscles. Beads of perspiration rolled down her brow like tiny sighs. Her fever broke as a comforting presence enveloped her.

She slept.

Chapter One

The white bungalow overlooked the ocean. It had stood there for almost a hundred years, weathering coastal rain and winds. A lonely, wind-swept cypress grew in its front yard, its branches reaching toward the sea. Surrounding the bungalow was a hillside frosted with succulents and low-growing coastal shrubs. The vegetation sprawled across flat terrain and ended at cliffs that plunged into the ocean.

Pedaling toward the bungalow was a young woman on her bicycle. The bicycle had chipped paint and a slightly rusted frame, but it was sturdy and had no intention of being laid to rest any time soon. The woman coasted up the dirt driveway, hopped off, and leaned it against the porch railing. Aged wood creaked in protest.

Lucinda fished a loose key from the pocket of the pocket of her jeans and opened the door. I’m home!

Skidding down the hall, a long-legged, white German shepherd greeted her with a resounding woof. One ear stood up in salute over his brown eye while the other flopped down in front of the other light-blue eye, as if to keep it hidden from the world.

Hey, Darwin. You have a good day? She ruffled his ears and let the door close behind her. Spying shredded mail in the center of the hall, Lucinda sighed. Oh, Darwin! That better not be anything important. She scooped up the remaining mail and shreds of wet envelope and wandered toward the kitchen. Her light footsteps echoed against the wooden floor and bare walls.

The shepherd trotted after her and stopped beside a single ceramic dish sitting on the kitchen floor. Darwin, King of Feasts was emblazoned upon its white surface in bold, blue letters. He woofed again.

Okay, okay.

Lucinda shrugged off her pea coat and tossed it onto the kitchen table. Searching the scarce contents of her refrigerator, she grabbed a can of dog food she had hastily thrown in that morning. Mixing it in with a scoop of kibble, she set the pungent mixture down onto the floor and stood, hands on hips.

There you go, Mr. Trouble.

Darwin dove into his bowl, tail wagging.

Lucinda opened the refrigerator to gaze again at its contents. The light from the refrigerator bulb glared off empty shelves.

You didn’t do the grocery shopping while I was at work? Shame on you, Darwin. Seeing nothing of interest, she decided on a cup of tea instead.

Waiting beside the kettle with her empty mug and teabag, Lucinda absently sorted through the mail. Electric bill, junk, junk, and…junk. Nothing fun. You probably ate my ticket to the ball.

The shepherd wagged his tail as he finished licking his bowl clean.

The phone rang.

Hello?

Lucinda! Hey, a bunch of us are going out tonight. Do you want to come?

Oh geez, Marny. I’m beat. Lucinda flopped into her single kitchen chair. It was really busy at the hospital today. I just want to sit here and not listen to any more barking or meowing. She picked at the peeling, blue paint that clung to the wood of the table and made a mental note to refinish it. It was one she had made repeatedly since she bought the table a year ago. Can I take a rain check?

C’mon, Lucinda! It’s Saturday night! You can sit and stare at your walls tomorrow night.

I do not sit and stare at my walls, Lucinda replied indignantly. I was planning on… her gaze settled on a lone, leather-bound book sitting on her small bookshelf …reading a book. I was planning on reading a book and turning in early. Coffee tomorrow morning, though, okay?

"Yeah, okay, party pooper. But not too early, I’m gonna martini tonight. Maybe I’ll get lucky with that cutie bartender at Guinevive’s."

Hm, okay, Marny. Good luck with that.

Marny giggled. See you tomorrow. I’ll give you a call when I roll out of bed.

’Bye, Marny. Use protection! She heard her friend snickering as she hung up.

Darwin, giving his bowl a final lick, padded over and sniffed the table top.

Nothing for you.

He sat and gazed at her and back at his leash, hopefully. The leash hung, chewed and worn, over the kitchen door.

Lucinda pressed her hands over her eyes. Leaning her head back she stared at the white ceiling, pretending not to notice. Do you know what kind of day I had?

Darwin laid his head in her lap, tail thumping against the wooden floor. His eyebrows rose and fell expectantly.

Two of my patients started a fight in the waiting room; their owners were no better. Mrs. Cottingham couldn’t afford her bill. I told her I would let her son help with the kennels in exchange for extracting her cat’s abscessed tooth.

Darwin’s paw came up to join his head.

You don’t care, do you? Lucinda sighed and scratched behind his floppy ear. Fine. A short walk, okay? Taking a quick sip of hot tea, Lucinda sat the mug on the counter.

The two set off toward the ocean. The coastal wind had picked up, gusting across the plateau and chilling the air with its breath. It blew through the grasses, bending them to its will. Lucinda shivered and pulled her jacket collar up around her chin as she let Darwin off his leash to explore. He immediately headed for the cliffs.

Dotted with several rock outcroppings, a narrow path meandered down the jagged cliff face. Lucinda followed it and stopped at the first outcropping to stare into the ocean roiling a hundred feet below. Churning waves ground against the cliff side, slamming repeatedly against the rocks. The setting sun had just started to tap the horizon, tinging the water red.

Lucinda felt the presence of the woman running down the narrow path behind her. Instinctively, she moved backward, flattening herself against the cliff’s damp rocks. As the woman ran past, the already icy temperature dropped several degrees. Lucinda kept her eyes glued to the ground for several moments before looking up. As usual, the woman stood on the next outcropping looking back toward her. An overwhelming feeling of despondency, fear, and guilt washed throughout Lucinda’s body.

The scene was played out.

The woman’s hair ribbon was suddenly taken up by a forgotten breeze. Her gaze followed as the ribbon disappeared out to sea. There was a brief pause before she slipped out of her shoes, stepped forward…and jumped.

Lucinda, unable to tear her eyes away, watched as the woman’s body hit the rocks below and disappeared.

Darwin whined.

Let’s go back, Darwin.

Home again, Lucinda shrugged out of her heavy jacket and tossed Darwin’s leash over the bedroom door. Lost in thought, she wandered into the kitchen with the intention of reheating her tea.

The mug was no longer on the counter.

She stood for a moment and gazed at the empty counter before it registered that it was empty. Her mail had been scattered across the floor. Scanning the bare countertops, she walked toward the sink. The blue mug lay on its side next to the drain, dark tea pooling around it.

I don’t remember putting you in the sink. Darwin sniffed at the mail tentatively, hackles on end. Leave it, Darwin. She gathered the pile from the floor. Apparently, I need to go to bed.

Lucinda’s haphazard bedroom was the one room in the three-bedroom house that looked lived in. The four-poster bed was draped with a tartan blanket. A sun-bleached table, topped by an outdated lamp and small alarm clock, flanked it. The table leaned slightly, seemingly in danger of falling over. But for the past year it hadn’t. Clothing trailed from the bedroom’s walk-in closet across the bare, hardwood floor.

Shedding her jeans and sweater onto one of the piles of clothing, Lucinda slid into bed. She pulled the woolen blanket up around her chin, comforted by the familiar, worn material. After several minutes, she drifted to sleep.

Padding into the bedroom, Darwin too, settled into his dog bed at the foot of Lucinda’s. The German shepherd lay his big head upon his paws, upright ear tilting to the sounds of the erratic wind picking up outside. At the sound of his mistress’s even breathing, he too, drifted off to sleep.

Night seeped into the corners of the bungalow.

A presence rustled throughout the house. From the kitchen’s back door, it slipped in and out of each empty bedroom. Continuing into the living room, it made its way counter-clockwise around the perimeter, stirring up the ashes in the fireplace. The presence finally settled at Lucinda’s bedroom door where it stopped, watching her.

Darwin jerked awake, his light-blue eye fixed on the darkened bedroom door. A low growl escaped his throat. The dog flattened his head and neck as he tried to see what he could only sense. Quietly jumping onto the bed, he curled up next to Lucinda’s feet, all the while keeping his eyes on the door. He growled again.

An hour of impasse elapsed before the dark presence in the doorway moved on.

* * * *

The phone’s shrill ring woke Lucinda with a start. She squinted against the morning sun, chiding herself for sleeping so late.

Hello?

Are you still in bed? It’s ten a.m.!

No, Marny, I’m not. She sat up and placed her feet on the floor, searching for slippers with her toes.

Great! Pick you up in a few. ’Bye!

Give me half— Lucinda sighed as she set the phone back on the side table. Why are you on the bed, Darwin?

He offered a guilty look.

Get down. You know you’re not allowed on the bed. Giving up on her slippers, Lucinda started toward the bathroom to grab a quick shower. She tripped over Darwin’s big body as he insinuated himself between her legs. Excuse you! You need to go outside, mister. Stifling a yawn, Lucinda plucked her white bathrobe from where it lay on the floor and slipped it over her shoulders.

Pushing the back door open, Lucinda pulled her robe tighter against the chill. Darwin sat at her feet, his floppy ear standing briefly to expose his blue eye.

What? I know it’s cold outside. You’ve got a heated doghouse. I swear you need to spend more time out there. You’re getting spoiled.

He turned his face away from her.

Darwin, I know you can hear me. Marny will be here in a few minutes. Lucinda stepped onto the covered back porch and shivered, her breath escaping in white plumes. Hurry up, okay? I’ll wait.

Mollified, the dog ran out a short way past his doghouse and lifted his leg on an unsuspecting shrub, keeping his eyes on her. It was the fastest pee she’d ever seen the shepherd do.

Ohh-kay. Letting the back door close behind her, Lucinda went to take a shower.

Draping her robe onto the towel rack, she shed her underwear and T-shirt and waited for the water to warm.

The dog sat at the bathroom door like a tense sentry.

What’s wrong with you? Go watch for Marny and tell me when she’s here. Okay, buddy? She gently pushed him out of the doorway.

Steam filled the small bathroom, fogging over the shower glass. Lucinda quickly shampooed her long, dark hair. Turning to face the spray, she rinsed the shampoo out and allowed the water to cascade onto her face and down her back. Tracing her spine, the water streamed in rivulets along a jagged scar that ran down her thigh before pooling by her feet.

The steam congealed around her.

Shaken from her reverie, she suddenly had an inexplicable feeling of being crowded from behind. There was an exhale, followed by a low growl.

Whipping around, Lucinda slipped on the soapy tile floor and slammed her hand down on the shower handle to stop from falling. She pushed the shower door open, eyes darting around the bathroom. The faint smell of ozone permeated the air.

What are you growling at? Lucinda’s voice quavered as saw that Darwin had placed himself in the doorway again. She grabbed her towel and wrapped it around her shivering body. There’s nobody here but us. Water dripped down her neck and shoulders, causing goose bumps.

A knock at the front door made them both jump.

I hope you’re out of bed, Lucinda, Marny called, ’cause I hear a double espresso calling my name!

Coming! Lucinda grabbed her robe, which had fallen to the floor.

Geez, girlie, you left the front door unlocked. Marny let herself in, her short, blonde bob swinging as she turned around and closed it. You gotta quit doing that. You aren’t even dressed yet. Hey, Darwin.

Darwin wagged his tail and stuck his nose in Marny’s crotch.

You’re such a boy, Darwin. Marny pushed him away and placed her hands on her curvy hips. Hey, hurry up. I need some espresso, pronto!

Sorry. I don’t have it together this morning.

Do you ever?

Lucinda ran to the bedroom to finish getting ready. Darwin followed her.

So, Mr. Cutie Bartender was fun.

Did you really?

Of course! Marny flopped into Lucinda’s single papasan chair and rooted through the contents of her large green handbag. Hey, the man pool is limited in Pomo Bay, and he’s new. I may even invite him over again.

Oh, Marny. Kicking through the piles of clothing strewn across her floor, Lucinda found a pair of clean underwear and stepped into them. She followed with a sweater and pair of jeans, hopping over Darwin as he scooted around her feet.

Hey, you gotta live life, you know? Popping open her lipstick, Marny deftly applied the bright-red shade onto her full lips. Seize the moment, she murmured. Outside the window, branches from the cypress tree played shadow-patterns across her face.

You’re crazy. She rooted through last night’s jeans for her work and house keys.

I’ve been told that.

Ready. Lucinda joined her friend, Darwin at her heels.

Amazing. Marny popped the top back onto her lipstick and tossed it into her bag. I couldn’t get ready that fast if the devil himself was chasing me.

Darwin whined.

Marny reached over and tweaked one of the dog’s ears. What’s wrong buddy? Somebody’s really on your butt this morning.

I don’t know what’s wrong with him. He was on the bed when I woke up, and I had to practically push him outside to go pee.

Darwin trotted over and stood by his leash, tail wagging slightly as he looked at the two women.

Aww. Look at him. Marny went over and squished his face between her hands. What’s wrong, Mr. Squishy-Face? We can sit outside, Lucinda—it’s not that cold. He can ride in the back seat.

Really? Thanks, Marny.

You’ve been working a lot lately. Marny gave her a sympathetic look. Maybe he misses you. You need to get away from that hospital and do something fun, Lucinda. Life is passing you by.

Maybe. Grabbing the leash, Lucinda locked her front door behind them, slipping the key into her back pocket.

As they drove away, the cypress tree continued to make shadow patterns through the bay window of the living room. Another shadow pooled from Lucinda’s bedroom and blended into the patterns cast onto the wood floor.

* * * *

The two sat outside the town café, sipping their hot drinks and chatting. Bright flowers hung by the café doors and windows. Wrought iron tables and chairs were arranged on the brick patio, the tables topped with clay pots of herbs. Both the flowers and herbs were supplied by Marny’s garden and landscaping business, The Green Goddess.

Lucinda first met Marny the week she moved into town. Bold and outspoken, Marny had dropped by one evening, bottle of wine in hand, and introduced herself to the town’s reclusive new veterinarian. They had been best friends ever since.

So, I had to boot him out of bed this morning. Told him I had a standing date with my best friend for coffee.

No, you didn’t!

I did. Hey, I’ll see him again.

You amaze me.

I’ve been told that. Girlie, you’ve got to get out. Come with us tonight. A bunch of us are going to catch a movie.

Well…

Oh, Lucinda, Marny sighed. She looked at her watch. I’ve got to get going. I have an exciting Sunday planned. My dad bought a new movie from Denmark and wants us all to sit down and watch it together. No subtitles, which makes him as happy as a Danish clam, if there is such a thing, but my mom and I won’t be able to understand half of it.

You’re a good daughter, Marny.

I’ve been told that. You need to call your parents, Lucinda.

I will. She bent down to untie Darwin’s leash. Our relationship is more complicated than you and your folks.

So you’ve said. But life is too short to hold a grudge or whatever. Anyway, I’m going to help mine with yard work after the movie. Marny gulped the last bit of her espresso. I ordered them some new saplings. This weather has been crazy lately, so I have no idea how they’re going to do. She stood and gave the sash on her green coat a tug. But if I leave it up to Dad, he’ll put them in some weird place where they won’t grow, like he did at my uncle and aunt’s place. I had to dig up those poor trees and replant them or they would have died.

Lucinda stood and wrapped Darwin’s leash around her wrist.

And you’re probably off to the hospital because you’re a saint and just can’t take a day off.

Well, I do need to check on some things. How about if you drop me off? I’ll walk home.

Promise not to spend the whole day working, okay?

I promise.

* * * *

Lucinda heard the usual barking from within the hospital as soon as she started up the flagstone path to the front door. Digging for the two keys in her back pocket, she dropped both keys on the ground.

Damn it! She bent to grab the nearest one.

Do you need help?

Jerking her head up, she was momentarily blinded by the sun. A man stood beside her. He bent down and picked up the other key.

Here you go.

Thank you. Did you have an emergency, sir? Lucinda stood. The man was a good head and shoulders taller than her. In spite of his height, his presence felt reassuring in a way she couldn’t describe. He was dressed nicely in linen pants and a cable-knit sweater. Light brown hair reflected the sunlight.

He contemplated her question. Not presently. Is this where I would come if I did?

Probably. What sort of pet do you have?

None. Yet. I was considering one, though. He paused abruptly again, as if speaking was new to him. Perhaps a dog? Like yours?

Darwin wagged his tail and sat at the man’s feet.

Well, he’s a very special dog. You would be hard-pressed to find another like him.

I can see that. The man scratched behind the shepherd’s upright ear. Where did you find him?

He was wandering down the beach beside my property when I moved here.

Did he belong to the previous owner?

"No. The house hadn’t been lived