Seeing Is Believing by Lindsay McKenna Page B

would come.
    Wes waited tensely, pen poised above the pad. He was holding it in a death grip. Glancing over at the dangerous gourd, he wondered how he possibly could have questioned Diana’s knowledge. Angry at himself because she had deliberately put herself on the line for him, to protect him from his own ignorance, he compressed his lips.
    “Wait…” Diana tried to relax. She knew that only if she was calm and serene within herself would the pictures come. Trying to settle her racing heart and concentrate fully on the sensations she retained from touching the gourd, she whispered, “I see something….”
    A canyon materialized, a red-sandstone canyon. Diana began to describe it. “I see the entrance to this canyon, and what I see most prominently is a profile of a man’s face on this huge rock. It looks Mayan, or Aztec, and he had his mouth open, as if he’s singing….” The picture dissolved, and moments later Diana saw another scene. “I see a dusty, rocky path, and I’m walking along it. It’s very steep and veers off to the right. Oh…I see, there’s a cave up there. A huge cave carved out of red sandstone. There’s an ancient Indian dwelling in it. I see a small tree at the back of the cave. It shouldn’t be living there, but there’s a small pool of water around it. Enough water seeps through the sandstone walls to keep the tree from dying, and sunlight reflects in off the walls.”
    The picture dissolved and Diana waited. Nothing more came. Shakily, she removed her hands from her eyes and looked at Wes. Nothing could have prepared her for the tortured expression on his face and the care burning in his eyes—for her alone. Her mouth suddenly dry, she reached out, her fingertips grazing his hard, tense forearm.
    “I’m okay. Really.”
    Wes nodded. “Let me decide that,” he said gruffly.
    Her mouth lifted at the corners just enough to let him know that she honored his statement. “Those are all the impressions, Wes. I wish there were more, but there aren’t.”
    “Who was she arguing with? Did you see him?”
    “No…unfortunately. I heard a man’s voice. It was a deep and angry voice.”
    “Did you hear what they said?”
    She held out her hands, palms up. “I never hear exactly what is said, I only receive impressions.”
    “Could the man have been the sorcerer? The one who gave her that gourd?”
    She shrugged. “It’s possible. But I saw her pick up the gourd and I feel strongly Ruth knew the consequences of her action. I saw her throw it up into that closet.”
    “Damn….”
    “There’s more, Wes.” Taking a deep breath, feeling better, Diana said, “I think I know where Ruth is.”
    His eyes narrowed. “Where?”
    “In that canyon where the cave is located. She’s close.” Diana looked slowly around the room. “I can feel her presence still in the Sedona area.”
    “I wonder how many canyons have caves in them?” he asked, disgruntled.
    “I have no idea. We can ask Officer Thomas to assist us. Besides, the canyon entrance had this Aztec-looking singer.” She gestured with her hands. “The face of the rock profile was at least a thousand feet tall, Wes. How many canyon entrances have that?”
    He brightened. “Not many. It should cut a lot of time off the search.”
    “Right.”
    He put the pad and pen aside. Getting to his feet, he took the large wastebasket and nudged the rattle into it with his foot.
    “Stay put,” he ordered. “I’m going to have that officer put the rattle away for safekeeping.”
    “Make sure no one touches it.”
    “Don’t worry. I will.”
    Wes reappeared minutes later. He came and knelt down beside her. “You look tired.”
    “I feel it.” She grimaced and looked at the red gourd. “It’s a powerful and deadly rattle, Wes.”
    His hands tightened on her shoulders. “You shouldn’t have done it, Diana. You shouldn’t have picked it up.”
    She felt the warmth of his strong, dry hands on her and wanted more. The urge to