to come home or call," Thor said.
"Sig is a wonderful student, but since his father passed away, he's been bit troubled." She sounded skeptical.
"Troubled or not, he planned to meet a girl who seems to have falsified her records and now she also can't be found."
Dahman raised a hand. "Let's go. I'll issue missing person notices, for both of them and see what turns up."
Outside the school Thor and Dahman parted, Dahman to kick official wheels into motion. Thor planned his own investigation.
When Thor arrived, Meredith sat with her head bowed at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee and a tissue in her hand. She glanced at the bits of shredded tissue on the table and realized that it communicated her frustration and concern through the composed exterior she tried to maintain.
"What did you find out Grampa?"
"Not much. The school seems to have misplaced all the records on the girl. It's as if she doesn't exist."
The eyes she lifted toward him felt swollen. "What do we do?"
"Captain Dahman has started with the official inquiries. I'm going to use my own sources."
"What are those?"
He slumped. "I don't know. I have to think. I tried a seeking spell on Aðalbrandr and it didn't work."
"I don't care about the amulet. I want to find my son."
Thor dropped into a chair. "But it's part of him now. I thought that since it recently was mine I could make a connection." He shook his head in frustration. "My spell died."
"Why don't you just look for Sig? He's your great-grandson. Isn't that enough connection?" She said in exasperation.
"Meredith you don't understand…" He paused and stared at her. "Maybe I shouldn't assume. You know what they say about ASS-U-ME. I need a pan of water."
She hurried and brought back a black enameled roasting pan for him. He filled it with water and placed it on the kitchen table.
He gave her a small smile. "Now don't try this at home." He stood and bent over the pan.
Mumbling unintelligible words, he simultaneously motioned with his hands over the water. The water darkened, becoming opaque. He stared at it intently.
Meredith gazed into the pan from the other side of the table.
"Damn," he muttered. "See. Nothing." He swatted his hand over the pan in disgust.
But, there is something. "What's that glow over there?" She waved a finger over part of the pan.
"It's just a reflection, from…." His hand pointed toward the ceiling. However, where he pointed, there wasn't anything to cause a glow.
Thor waved his palm over the pan. The glow remained no matter where he moved his hand.
He leaned closer to the pan, scanning the water's surface intently and mumbling as if to himself. "If he were in the dark… Where is it dark? Night, a room, a cave, a car trunk, a container, coffin…."
"Coffin?! Don't say that," Meredith exclaimed.
Thor looked embarrassed. "Don't worry. I'm just thinking about how much I need to move the point of view to figure out where that is." He said, nodding at the pan.
He stared fixedly at the water, and began to mumble and motion with his hands. The only change came when the glow faded away. Soon the pan showed only blank blackness. Thor continued to mutter and move his hands. It took on a rhythmic chant.
Meredith continued to watch the pan. Suddenly it brightened and shapes began to form. "Look," she exclaimed.
Thor panted in gasps, eyes clamped shut, brows furrowed, and sweat beading his face.
His eyes opened and focused on the changing scene within. Browns and tans replaced the former black. Some green crept in. The colors took on shapes; becoming scrub bushes and rocks—lots of rocks—large rocks. He continued to chant and make pulling motions with his hands and then stopped. They were looking at a low-level aerial view.
"Does anything look familiar," he asked, between gasps.
Meredith looked at him with concern. "No, it could be anywhere hilly and rocky. There's just a dirt tracking leading to it."
"That's what I feared," he sighed and limply slid into a
"Sig is a wonderful student, but since his father passed away, he's been bit troubled." She sounded skeptical.
"Troubled or not, he planned to meet a girl who seems to have falsified her records and now she also can't be found."
Dahman raised a hand. "Let's go. I'll issue missing person notices, for both of them and see what turns up."
Outside the school Thor and Dahman parted, Dahman to kick official wheels into motion. Thor planned his own investigation.
When Thor arrived, Meredith sat with her head bowed at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee and a tissue in her hand. She glanced at the bits of shredded tissue on the table and realized that it communicated her frustration and concern through the composed exterior she tried to maintain.
"What did you find out Grampa?"
"Not much. The school seems to have misplaced all the records on the girl. It's as if she doesn't exist."
The eyes she lifted toward him felt swollen. "What do we do?"
"Captain Dahman has started with the official inquiries. I'm going to use my own sources."
"What are those?"
He slumped. "I don't know. I have to think. I tried a seeking spell on Aðalbrandr and it didn't work."
"I don't care about the amulet. I want to find my son."
Thor dropped into a chair. "But it's part of him now. I thought that since it recently was mine I could make a connection." He shook his head in frustration. "My spell died."
"Why don't you just look for Sig? He's your great-grandson. Isn't that enough connection?" She said in exasperation.
"Meredith you don't understand…" He paused and stared at her. "Maybe I shouldn't assume. You know what they say about ASS-U-ME. I need a pan of water."
She hurried and brought back a black enameled roasting pan for him. He filled it with water and placed it on the kitchen table.
He gave her a small smile. "Now don't try this at home." He stood and bent over the pan.
Mumbling unintelligible words, he simultaneously motioned with his hands over the water. The water darkened, becoming opaque. He stared at it intently.
Meredith gazed into the pan from the other side of the table.
"Damn," he muttered. "See. Nothing." He swatted his hand over the pan in disgust.
But, there is something. "What's that glow over there?" She waved a finger over part of the pan.
"It's just a reflection, from…." His hand pointed toward the ceiling. However, where he pointed, there wasn't anything to cause a glow.
Thor waved his palm over the pan. The glow remained no matter where he moved his hand.
He leaned closer to the pan, scanning the water's surface intently and mumbling as if to himself. "If he were in the dark… Where is it dark? Night, a room, a cave, a car trunk, a container, coffin…."
"Coffin?! Don't say that," Meredith exclaimed.
Thor looked embarrassed. "Don't worry. I'm just thinking about how much I need to move the point of view to figure out where that is." He said, nodding at the pan.
He stared fixedly at the water, and began to mumble and motion with his hands. The only change came when the glow faded away. Soon the pan showed only blank blackness. Thor continued to mutter and move his hands. It took on a rhythmic chant.
Meredith continued to watch the pan. Suddenly it brightened and shapes began to form. "Look," she exclaimed.
Thor panted in gasps, eyes clamped shut, brows furrowed, and sweat beading his face.
His eyes opened and focused on the changing scene within. Browns and tans replaced the former black. Some green crept in. The colors took on shapes; becoming scrub bushes and rocks—lots of rocks—large rocks. He continued to chant and make pulling motions with his hands and then stopped. They were looking at a low-level aerial view.
"Does anything look familiar," he asked, between gasps.
Meredith looked at him with concern. "No, it could be anywhere hilly and rocky. There's just a dirt tracking leading to it."
"That's what I feared," he sighed and limply slid into a
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