My moment finally came and I decided to do just that, but it wasn’t to be. At least not yet. Detective Gifford caught me by the shoulder and shook my hand. “I don’t give these commendations away like candy on Mardi Gras, McCaskey. And you earned that promotion, but you can lose it too. Mind the company you keep. Leave it be. No, there’s no sense in denying it. I know you let her go—twice. So you were sweet on her, I understand that, but you’re a detective now. The standards are higher for men like you and me. Say goodbye to her and find a nice girl to settle down with. The department wants reliable men, family guys. And you have a future if you keep your nose to the grindstone. You know what I mean, right?”
“Yeah, I know what you mean.” I set my hat on my head and walked away. I sure did know what he meant, but I had no intention of obeying him. I would find Vita and marry her, come hell or high water.
I got in my car and drove away. I went right home to see if my little Vita had come looking for me there. She was not in my bed as I’d hoped or in the kitchen cooking in nothing but her apron, as she sometimes liked to do. I knew where she would be. She would be with Don Myrick at the Blue House—or the Dixie Darlings House, as some guys at the station house called it. I changed clothes, since there was no sense in sticking out like a sore thumb any more than I normally did. I drove my Austin 7 to the Blue House. I was proud of my car, an homage to my father. He had always wanted one, so when I received the life insurance check, I went to the dealership and bargained for one.
Vita loved riding in my car, and we’d made love in it many times. I had never done anything so wild with Margaret, my first and only other sweetheart. Vita did not have Margaret’s curves; she was thin and athletic, while Margaret was made for breeding. At least that was what Margaret had told me more than once. I supposed that was a hint in the hope I would ask her to marry me, but I wouldn’t do that. The only girl I ever wanted was my Vita. Wild, impetuous Vita.
I drove down the street and made the two left turns that would lead me to the Blue House. No other cops here, thankfully. This place had an enduring speakeasy in the basement that reopened no matter how many times we raided it. Apparently, illegal boozing was far more profitable than being an honorable man. I pulled the car around back, like everyone else who didn’t want to be seen here. It was a bit of a walk to the house, but I didn’t mind. I had one thing on my mind—my Vita! I finally made it to the outside door and tapped twice. Magnus opened the door with a frown and stepped outside.
“Ain’t you got nothing better to do? So folks want to have a drink…”
I put my hands up. “I’m not here about that. I’m just here for Vita. I need to talk to her.” Awareness crept across Magnus’ face, and I hated him for it.
“Let me make sure she’s not with anyone. You know how it is with broads.”
I wanted to strangle him for saying such a thing. Vita didn’t work upstairs—she was a fledgling movie star, for Pete’s sake.
A minute later, he came back. “She’s in the pool. Go up the sidewalk and take a left. You’ll find her. But she’s not by herself.”
I stared at the back of Magnus’ head as he disappeared back into the blind pig. Music and cigarette smoke poured out the crack in the door, but only for the briefest second. I walked up the stairs and toward the pool wondering what I was about to see. Was my Vita swimming naked for a crowd of onlookers? Was she entertaining someone? I walked faster, my hands clenched into fists. If she’d cuckolded me, I would never recover. Never. The sun shone above me, but I felt darkness rising like a wave that threatened to roll over me.
I walked down the sidewalk to find Vita swimming leisurely in the pool and saw no one with her. Until Don Myrick’s head popped up above the surface of the water. She splashed at him as if that would keep him at a safe distance. So this was where she had spent her time instead of coming to my ceremony? My face felt hot, and my anger rose. It didn’t help that Myrick had Vita around the waist in a very familiar fashion now, that he grinned at me as he tossed the love of my life into the deep end of the pool. She screamed as she sank under the blue water.
That bastard!
I jumped in after her. What if she needed me? What if he’d harmed her?
Without taking off my shoes or my jacket, I leaped into the cold water. All I could think of was saving my sweet Vita.
***
I woke up to the sounds of Midas pounding on the front door. I got up and walked over, removing the chair and unlocking the locks like a robot. I could still feel the effects of the vision.
“Cassidy, you’re soaking wet. What happened?” I couldn’t think what to tell him, so I said nothing. He led me to the shower and turned on the water. “You’re freezing. Let’s get you warm. Can you help me get you undressed?” I tried, but I couldn’t get Don Myrick’s face out of my mind. He had done that on purpose. Vita hadn’t seen Cole, but Myrick had. He had seen him, and he’d done what he did deliberately. Did he drown her? Did he kill her?
“I saw them, Midas. I saw Cole and Vita and Don Myrick. They were in the pool, the pool at Dixie House. I know what that big splash was now. I know what it was. I’m freezing, Midas.” I stood shivering, and he quickly helped me into the shower. I soaped up my hair and let the chilliness vanish under the steamy water. Midas turned to walk away, but I grabbed his hand.
“Please, don’t leave me.”
In an instant, he was kicking off his shoes and pulling off his clothes. I met him in the shower with a hard kiss, and we made love like two maniacs. By the time we were finished, the water was cold and my fingers were pruning, but the past was behind me completely. He helped dry me off, and I returned the favor. We crept into my bedroom, and I lay beside him for a little while saying nothing.
Eventually, I told him everything I’d seen. Everything about Leticia and the footprints. All about Vita and her lecherous half brother, but I was so tired and soon drifted off to sleep.
Sometime later, Midas covered me up with the blanket and kissed my forehead. “I have to go home. I can’t leave Pete there by himself. Are you going to be all right?”
“Yes, but stay until I fall back asleep?”
“You got it.”
It didn’t take long.
Chapter Nine—Midas
“Tell me something, Pete. Why did you come back? I mean, what did you hope to achieve by coming back here? You’ve said a million times that you wanted nothing more than to get out of Mobile, and now you’re back. What happened? Did Sara fire you? Did the television guys see you for what you are? Why are you here?”
Pete jumped off the couch and rubbed his face as he tried to wake up. “What?”
“You heard me. Answer the damn question.”
He met my gaze squarely but didn’t challenge me. Smart guy. But then Pete always was the smartest guy in the room. “Because I’m an alcoholic, Midas. I need help.”
“You were drinking before you left, and you have been for years. I commend you for wanting to take back your life, but why now?”
He shook his head, and I could tell he was struggling for an answer. Maybe he didn’t even know himself. “I want to feel that adrenaline rush again, damn it! I wanted to experience the excitement of a real investigation and not follow a stinking script. I’m no good as an actor. I’m a paranormal investigator, Midas. It’s what I do—or did. Look, I’m sorry for what happened! I told you that when I showed up on your doorstep.”
He kept going, “I am not going to blame it all on Sara. I went after her like a dog, a backstabbing, heartless dog. But what I did wasn’t worth the price it cost any of us. She wasn’t…” I gave him a warning look that said: Don’t finish that sentence.
He wisely changed his tactic—that was Pete’s greatest talent. He was adaptable. “Look, I am sorry I contributed to your breakup. She and I were never serious, and I really believe she only did it to get back at you for not popping the question. I’m sorry!”
I blinked at him, not sure what I wanted to do right now. He
continued, “And I am sorry I came here; I just wanted to find a way to make it right again. I had to see for myself if what we did, what we are doing, was real. I lost my way, brother. I lost my way.”
“Damn it, Pete. Don’t call me brother. You don’t get to do that anymore! That’s the way it is with guys like you. You make a mistake and realize you screwed up, and then you want the whole damn world to forgive you immediately. You know, the truth is, I don’t hate you, but I will never trust you again. If it’s any consolation, I trust Sara less. She knew about my friendship with you. I mean, come on, Pete. Since middle school, we were the Three Amigos! And then Dom—and then you threw our friendship away over Sara.”
“Yeah, I know. Believe me, I know.”
I sighed and waved my hand dismissively. “I can’t do this. I need to get some sleep before we do the night investigation tonight. I have an investigation to think about, and I’ve moved on from Sara. And you. You’ll have to make other arrangements.”
He nodded. I breathed a sigh of relief, and he said, “I talked to my sister, and she says I can come over Friday. If you really want me to go, I guess I can hang out in a hotel for a few days.”
That would be bad news, Pete in a hotel for days. With a bottle. Yeah, I wasn’t having that on my conscience. “No, that’s fine.”
“While I’m here, let me help out. I want to help you…help the team one last time. I feel like I have to.”
“You think helping me out on an investigation is going to put us square, Pete?”
“It’s not like that. You know me, Midas. I’m not a super-spiritual person, but I feel compelled to stick around at least until you’re done with Dixie House. Then I’ll be out of your hair forever. Just let me stay until then.”
“Fine, but you’re out Friday. That’s it, Pete. You’ll have to figure out life for yourself, by yourself. The team has to move on without you. I have new prospective team members to interview after this investigation, so the quicker I can get it done, the quicker I can move GCP on too.”
“I appreciate this opportunity, and you won’t regret it. Thank you.”
“Fine.” I left the living room and went to my bedroom to think for a while without Pete in my space. And get some sleep. I was able to ignore him for most of the day, and he never bothered me. Walking back into the living room several hours later, I said, “I’ll be leaving for the night investigation in a few minutes. If you want to go, get ready.”
Surprised, Pete nodded and began stuffing his backpack with his personal gear. I grumbled the whole time I got dressed, but ten minutes later I was ready to roll and Pete was on my heels. At least this time he wasn’t catching a ride on my luggage rack. “I have to pick up Cassidy, so sit in the back.”
“Not a problem,” he said. I half expected him to give me a hard time about that. The old Pete had a problem with women, but that was before one broke him, apparently. I rolled up to the GCP office and picked up Cassidy, Josh, Sierra and all our gear. It was six o’clock now. That would give us plenty of time to get everything in place before we went lights-out.
Peter apologized to the group, kind of. “I hope you guys don’t mind me tagging along. I appreciate you letting me investigate with you. I’ll be leaving Friday, off looking for some new adventures.”
I noticed that he didn’t mention anything about his alcoholism or rehab. It wasn’t my place to mention it, so I kept my mouth shut.
“Great, good luck with that,” Josh said as he buckled up while chewing on a straw. Sierra didn’t say anything. She was petulant again this evening. What was the deal?
Cassidy smiled at him politely from the rearview mirror. “Thanks for your help, Pete. I love Dixie House. It’s a beautiful place. I think once this is over with, I might go spend the night there. I’ve never stayed at a bed-and-breakfast before.”
To my surprise, Sierra rolled her eyes. “Beautiful place? God, I hate it. It’s like creepy-crawly central. The whole time I’m there, I feel like someone wants to grab me.”
“Sorry,” Cassidy apologized for God knows what.
Josh sighed and said, “Don’t apologize, Cass. It’s not you. Believe me, It’s not.”
“Thanks, Joshua. So glad I can depend on you,” was Sierra’s tart reply.
Josh snapped, “Just tell them, Sierra. Tell them before they think you’re the world’s biggest pain in the ass.”
She screwed up her face at him and sniffed. “That’s just wrong, Joshua. This is not how I wanted to tell them!”
“Tell us whatever it is now before we all kill you, Little Sister. He’s right. You have been nothing but a big pain in the ass lately,” I called back and eyed her in the rearview mirror.
“Fine! We’re having a baby. I’m pregnant. Are you happy now, you bunch of nosies?” Then she smiled. “Hey, saying that felt great. We’re pregnant! Joshua and I are having a baby.” At least she was smiling now. Cassidy reached back for her hand and congratulated her. “I’m sorry I’ve been such a hag,” Sierra continued. “I can’t help it. I don’t feel like myself, to say the least, and being on this investigation hasn’t made it better.”
We soon pulled up in front of the house, and the team waited for me to unlock the doors. “We have to be on our guard tonight,” I said. “I think we need to call Beverly. She’s been dying to investigate with us, and I feel like this is the perfect place to get her feet wet.”
“Really?” Josh asked. “Why this place?”
Sierra answered, “Because we have more than one spirit here. The place feels convoluted, like a big tangled spiritual mess. My lightweight sensitivity skills are no match for whatever is here. I agree with you, Midas.”
“Great. I was going to wait until after Dixie House, but it seems we need her skills now. Everyone okay with that?”
“The more the merrier,” Pete said, giving me a thumbs-up from the backseat.
“Great, I’m making the call.” I dialed her and said, “Hi, Beverly. This is Midas. Listen, what are you doing this evening?”
“Not much. What’cha got in mind, Demopolis?”
“The GCP team has an investigation at Dixie House, and we might need some help communicating with these spirits. Would you mind coming out?”
Beverly screamed in my ear, “Great! Give me the address!”
I gave her the information and quickly hung up the phone before she screamed my head off. “She’s a sweetheart, but she does love to talk. All right, guys, let’s do this. Beverly will be here in about half an hour. After we get command set up, Sierra and I will do some EVPs in the basement, Josh and Peter will take the attic, and Cassidy will man command for the first shift. Then I’ll come get you in a bit for a turn in the basement. Okay, guys. This is for Helen—and Erma. See what you can come up with.”
“Roger that,” everyone said together, and we began piling out of the SUV. I loved the new GCP logo emblazoned on the side. It made us look either crazy or completely professional. I couldn’t decide which at this point.
For the next thirty minutes or so, we unloaded equipment, ran cables, set up the viewing station—or what Josh liked to call Ground Central—and did equipment checks. The walkie-talkies didn’t want to work right tonight, but the scrambling sound cleared up with a few tweaks to the channels.
“Great. Oh, here’s Beverly.” Suddenly I was wrapped up in the arms of a curvy brunette with beautiful straight hair.
“Haven’t seen you in so long, Midas. What’s the deal? You don’t trust me or something? You know I’m the best psychic in town. And I don’t even charge you.” She laughed loudly at her own joke, but I could tell Cassidy wasn’t finding any of this funny. Not one little bit. Beverly untangled herself and greeted her. “Oh, you must be the replacement. My name is Beverly.” She reached her hand out to Cassidy, who shook it uncertainly.
“Replacement?” Cassidy eyed me as if to say: What the heck?
“The new girl. You know, you are the talk of the town. Spiritually speaking. Tell me, have you had
any unusual activity at your work or home? Because I see a whole line of folks trying to talk to you. Wow, you must really have some kind of gift. Let me see…you’re not a sensitive, not really. Not a psychic. No, that’s not it.” Beverly studied Cassidy’s face and looked ready to give her a reading right then and there, but I interrupted her.
“Bev, she’s not the client. Helen Devry is the client. Let’s focus on the house.”
She was not pleased, but she agreed with a nod. “Fine, but you and I have to talk, Cassidy. Later.”
“Here’s how I’d like to utilize your skills, Bev. Sierra and I are going to go into the basement, and Pete and Josh will hit the top floor while you and Cassidy work in here. You’ll have a great view of the pool. Then we’ll swap out locations and teams.”
“All right,” she replied as she looked around. She rubbed her hands together and continued, “But I must tell you, my radar had been going off before I even got here. There was a lady with me in the vehicle, an elderly lady, dark skin, gray curls. She didn’t die here, but she’s somehow associated with the house. And you know I didn’t have a clue about where I was going until you called me. She’s curious about why we’re here. She is missing something—no, someone. I think she’s missing her grandson or someone else she loved, a boy, but she’s not the only one here. I feel a dark energy here. Yes, there’s definitely a dark energy locked in here somewhere.”
“That quick? That’s astonishing,” Pete said as he unrolled a cable from the spool.
Haunted on the Gulf Coast (Gulf Coast Paranormal Trilogy Book 2) Page 16