Page 73 of The Spirit Key
A shrug. “That might be why. Honestly, I wish I had answers, but I don’t. All I can tell you now is that running again won’t help.”
That made no sense to me. Five years I hadn’t seen a ghost, and now he was telling me I’d see them pretty much constantly? “I don’t understand. I didn’t see any ghosts in Chicago at all.”
“Your powers are dependent on Tim. When you were a child, your death activated his powers as well. Like you, he had no control, and therefore could not defend against the spirits that plagued you. As you matured, he was becoming more in tune with both your needs and his abilities. When you… left, his despair rippled across the spirit realm. A lock is a formidable being in their own right, and it was Tim’s anguish at failing to protect you that kept the spirits at bay. When you returned home, all that energy burst forth, no longer held back by the dam. Spirits recognized you and, seeing redemption, rushed toward you. It’s why you saw the woman and her child. Had you not met with Tim, they would have descended on you.”
That explained why the ghosts I saw stayed away after Tim and I got together again.
“But what about the little girl at the restaurant?”
“Was Tim there?”
“Yes.”
He gave me an indulgent smile. “She was asking him for help.”
“But he couldn’t see her!”
“No, that’s because his abilities are still stunted. Now that you’re both working together, the power of the lock will once again start to manifest.”
“So what does that all mean?”
“It means that with Tim under control of the spirit, he may be lost to you, and you’ll have to accept that.”
My anger and frustration finally bubbled to the surface. “And what good is a key without a lock, huh? If I understand it, he holds them back so I can deal with them when I can. If he’s not there, I’m going to be overwhelmed, and if what you say is true, I’ll be damned no matter where I go. IneedTim, and not just as my lock. I love him.”
George flushed and averted his gaze. “You’re right. I apologize. I shouldn’t have said anything. It’s just…. Among our kind, the lock and key are two of the most important people we have. I never gave thought to your safety, only to the lost souls.” He straightened his shoulders. “What can I do to help?”
I put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed, ignoring the shooting pain in my arm. “Nothing, but thank you for asking. I’ll let you know how it goes.”
As I turned to walk away, he grabbed my good arm. “Be careful, okay? Get Tim, but you need to be safe too.”
I smiled, gave him a lame hug that was more like a bro-hug, then went back to my mission. Saving my lock. The man I loved.
Chapter Eighteen
I CAUGHTan Uber to the only place I could think of that Tim might have gone—the shelter on Tenth. He’d made mention of finding his victims at shelters, and this was the closest one to our area. I could only hope I was guessing right and that there was enough of Tim left to keep him from becoming a killer.
By the time I arrived, they were serving lunch. I stepped inside, hoping to spot Tim, but all I saw were the homeless people the shelter served. I stopped at the desk, slipped my phone out of my pocket, and showed the picture I’d taken of me and Tim to the guy behind the counter.
“I’m sorry to bother you, but have you seen this man?”
He peered at the screen. “Tim? Not for a while. He used to come in here pretty regularly, but then life got busy for him. He still sends checks, though, which I very much appreciate.”
He peered at me intently.
“Are you okay? You seem….”
“Beat to hell?” I reached up and touched my face. “Yeah, I, um, fell down some stairs.”
I could tell by his expression he didn’t believe me. Considering what he probably dealt with on a daily basis, he probably had some damned fine instincts.
“Really, I’m okay. I’ll be better after I find Tim, though.”
“Tim’s a good guy.” He held out a hand. “Robert Kotke. I run the shelter.”
I winced when I took his hand. It was warm and callused. This guy obviously worked hard. “Scott. I’m a friend of Tim’s, and I’m trying to find him.”
“I wish I could help, but like I say, I haven’t seen him in at least a year.”
