George paled. “What do you do?”
“Well, Sofia, in her frustratingly vague way, said the two of us would have to figure it out. I don’t know why she couldn’t tell me.”
As he picked up the cups, George hummed. “As I understand it—and believe me, most of what I know is conjecture based on myths and rumors—both lock and key are given very rudimentary training. It’s expected that they’ll learn together, mostly because people—and their needs—change from generation to generation. What might have worked for Sofia could have disastrous effects now. It was a simpler time then. People lately seem edgy most of the time. They’re always in such a hurry, needing instant gratification. How could she show you something that might make things worse?”
“I don’t follow.” Well, I did but wanted to be sure I was getting the full impact.
“You say there’s a spirit inside Scott. When you told the story of Silvanus and his desire to enact revenge on his brother for stealing his life, what did Sofia do?”
“She touched him and he said it bled away his anger.”
“Okay. Now, this thing inside of Tim feeds on his anger and resentment. The more dark emotions he has, the easier it will be for it to take control. What Sofia would do in this instance no longer matters. It’s what you must do. Tim is your lock, so obviously whatever happens has to come from his key. Sofia doesn’t share a bond with Tim or you, so only you can work out a solution to your problems.”
I glanced in the direction that Tim had gone. “I should go after him.” I held out my hand and was surprised when George took it and pulled me into a hug.
“Thank you, Scott. I never would have thought I’d meet a lock and key, or that they would be such wonderful people. In all my years, I sometimes doubted they were real. It’s good to know that when my time comes, you might be there to help me if I need it.”
I squeezed him tight. “If the time comes, I will be there. You’ve got my word.”
He let go, and we both took a step back. I liked the fact that I’d made a friend who had helped, not because he wanted something, but because he saw worth in me as a person and as the key.
I took a piece of paper from the counter and scribbled my number down on it. “If you ever need me, give a call, okay?”
“Of course. And my phone is the same number as the shop, so you can get that online. Now go find Timbo.”
When I got to the front of the store, Tim was standing against the wall. He was trembling, but when I went over and reached for him, he stepped away from me.
“Don’t.” His voice was tight, his skin chalky.
“What’s wrong?”
He straightened, his shoulders thrown back. “I need you to just leave, okay?”
Now he was scaring me. “What? No, it’s not okay. What the hell is wrong with you?”
He held up his palms, and I could see rivulets of blood where his nails had scored the skin. “Right now it’s taking everything in me not to lash out at you.”
“I’m sorry I upset you, but I learned—”
His face contorted in rage. “I don’t give a flying fuck what you learned! You risked your life on this bullshit. And now you’re telling me that you want to continue on, even though it means we—you—will die sooner? You’re okay with us not having a life together?” He slammed his hand against the wall, cracking the plaster. “I’m not! If this is how you want our life to be, then you can just pack up your shit and go back to Chicago, because I’m not interested.”
I couldn’t believe Tim was saying that. Don’t get me wrong, I knew we’d have to discuss it, but to be honest, I thought he’d approach the conversation with an open mind.
Just as I was about to say we could work this out if we talked it through, something caught my attention. Tim’s eyes, normally warm brown, like hot cocoa, were ice blue.
“Tim?”
He grinned. “I see you’ve figured it out. Tim’s not home anymore. This body is mine, and I have you to thank for it.” He took a step toward me, and I shrank back, no longer certain that Tim could stop him. “Every time you’ve done something to upset him or make him angry? That opened the lock a little more for me. Oh, he says he loves you, but that emotion is laced with the darkness you helped to infect him with. Think back to all the things you did that made him feel weak, made him doubt himself or doubt you. This? What you did tonight? That left him wide open. He’s given up completely, and now I’m in control.”
What the hell could I do? “Tim? I love you.”
For the briefest of moments, I saw brown eyes again, and I had hope. Then he blinked, and they were blue once more.
“He no longer loves you, because you betrayed him too many times. He no longer cares what happens, so he’s surrendered to me. And I have so many uses for this body. Did you know there is a shelter not far from here? Tim goes on occasion to make a donation. His heart would break at seeing those poor children, dirty, ragged, smelly, and he wished he could do something for them.” He stroked a hand over his chest, smearing blood on his shirt. “Well, now he can. He can give them the gift of peace as he takes their lives.”
He moved for the door, but I stood in front of him. He flashed me a grin, so unlike any I’d ever seen from him. That came less than a second before he balled his hand into a fist and punched me in the face.
“I’ve been wanting to do that for so long. In fact, why stop there?”
The next hit was to my stomach, then another to my face. Blood trickled down my chin, but that didn’t even give him pause. Over and over he rained blows down on me, knocking me to my knees. When George came rushing from the back room, Tim turned toward him.
“And you. I’m not sure if I should be thanking you or killing you, because without your help, Tim would never have taken that final step. I shouldn’t waste time, but I can’t really leave without showing you my appreciation.”
Tim leaped at George, wrapped his fingers around George’s throat, and squeezed. George gasped for breath, his eyes bugging out. I tried to get up, but Tim wasn’t a weak man, and those punches had taken a lot out of me. Still, I couldn’t let him do something he would regret if—when—I got him back.
I rose to my feet and lurched toward Tim. My ribs throbbed with each step, and I wondered if Tim had done some internal damage. I grabbed his arm, and he hissed like I’d burned him. He dropped George and turned his attention back to me.
“Do you want to know how much Tim hates you?” He reached out and twisted his fingers in my hair, then yanked me forward until we were face-to-face. “With every fiber of his being, he loathes you. He wishes you had never come back, because you make him want things he knows now he can never have. He wanted a home, maybe a family with you. Now? You’ve destroyed his dreams, and he wishes you had died.”
And then he started waling on me again. He knocked me to the ground, then kicked me in the ribs. After several sharp blows, he bent over, grabbed my arm, and stomped on my elbow. I tried to bite back the agony that shot through me, but I screamed long and loud. And Tim stood there and smiled.
I knew Tim was strong, but this was beyond even him. The ghost must have absorbed so much negative energy from Tim over the years, it made him more powerful. Great. I was responsible for my own ass-kicking. There was no way I could beat him, but I sure as hell wasn’t about to leave George alone.
“George, get up. You have to move.”
He groaned and tried to pull himself up, but it was slow going. Meanwhile, Tim continued landing blows to every part of my body he could reach. I could imagine Dr. Jenkins taking a look at me and wondering what the hell kind of masochist I was.
George got to his feet, but he was unsteady.
“Run, George. You have to go.”
He opened his eyes wide, taking in the scene of Tim pummeling me. He put his arms in front of him and rushed toward Tim, hitting him in the back. Tim stumbled forward and had to catch himself on the counter. George grabbed my arm, helped me up, and moved us toward the door.
Tim chuckled. “I could catch you, kill you even. But I’m going to be generous today. I have others to look for. It’s been years since I’ve looked into the eyes of a child as I squeezed the life from them, and I want you alive to know that every one I choke the life from, it’s all because of you.”
We got outside, Tim’s laughter still echoing in my head. Seeing his eyes flash back to their normal color, I had to assume he was still in there somewhere.
I swore to the heavens above, I would rescue Tim or die trying.
Though I really didn’t want to die a second time. Just saying.
THE FOLLOWING morning, after a visit to the doctor—who thankfully wasn’t Dr. Jenkins—we stopped at the pharmacy and got my prescriptions filled. Afterward, we went back to George’s shop. Tim was long gone, but he left presents in the form of destroyed displays of goods.
George sighed when he saw it. “I just finished dyeing those scarves.”
“I’m so sorry.” I wheezed, my body aching. With my good arm, I lifted my shirt. Even my bruises had bruises. I would be feeling this for a while.
“Sit down and rest. I’ll get you some tea so you can take what they gave you for pain.”
No way could I take something that would knock me out. “I can’t. I’ve got to go find Tim.”
George scowled. “Why? So he can beat you again? A fractured arm wasn’t enough? The two chipped teeth? Oh, how about the bruising? You know, the doctor said he’d like you to stay in the hospital. He worried about some of the injuries enough that he thought you should be kept overnight for observation. But you want to go back out and find the man who did this to you? Why? Maybe so he can kill you next time?”
I spun on him, trying to ignore the pain that shot through my body. “What do you want me to do? Leave him out there to be found hurting someone and get shot by the police? That won’t kill the ghost, you know. It’ll just move to a new host body, but Tim will be dead. And I have to try to stop him from hurting anyone, because Tim would never forgive himself, even if it wasn’t his fault.”
“But—You can’t beat him alone. And I’m not going to be any help to you.”
“You have been a huge help, but this is something I have to do. I’ll be okay. I promise.” I limped out the door with George on my heels.
“You should rest. You’re in no shape to do anything but fall down right now.”
He was probably right, but I couldn’t take the chance that Tim would do something he couldn’t handle. Despite his bossy ways, he had a heart so soft, it bruised with nothing more than an off-the-cuff comment. What would he do if he discovered he’d killed a child?
“Look, I appreciate your concern, but—”
“Do you know how important you are? Do you even understand how much you’re depended on?”
“I’m not a key without a lock, remember? If I can’t help Tim, I’ll have to go back to Chicago just to stay sane.”
“It won’t help.”
That brought me up short. “What does that mean?”
“Once the two of you came together as adults, Tim opened your abilities to their fullest. You’ll see them now no matter where you are. Here in Milwaukee, you saw them because they were drawn to Tim, in hopes that you could help them. Now? They’ll start appearing everywhere. Slowly at first, but the more receptive they find you, the larger their numbers.”
“But Tim was nowhere near me when I saw my first ghost.”
George sighed. “Nothing about you and Tim follows any rules. Maybe it’s because you were so close? Perhaps it was Tim’s feelings for you. I don’t know.”
Then a thought occurred to me. “I was thinking about Tim when Jeff showed up.”
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. I need Tim, 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 CAUGHT an 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.”
Damn. I was so sure he’d be at the shelter. The ghost seemed fixated on the place and the people who came for help. “Okay, thank you for your time.” I reached into my pocket, drew out my wallet, and pulled a twenty from the recesses. I handed it over to Robert, who smiled at me.
“Thanks. We need all the support we can get.” He pulled open a drawer, slid the money inside, then closed it. “Let me get you a receipt.”
“No, that’s okay. But if you have a piece of paper, I’d appreciate it if I could give you my number so you can call if Tim shows up.”
Robert frowned. “What’s this about? Is something wrong with Tim?”
That was an understatement. “No, he’s just been feeling a little light-headed the last few days, and none of his friends have seen him, so we’re looking for him.” It was scary how easy the lie was.
“Oh.” He handed me a pen and a slip of paper. “Yes, definitely. Please, give me the number.”
I scribbled it down, handed him the paper, and turned to leave.
“You’ll let me know if you find him, right?”
I glanced over my shoulder. “You bet. And by the way, thank you for helping people out. It’s a great thing you’re doing.”
Before he could reply, I stepped outside. Now I was totally lost. The way the ghost spoke, I expected he would be drawn back here because he’d come here before. Maybe it was time to admit to myself that I didn’t know nearly as much as I thought.
“Thanks for that, Sofia. You’re a big freaking help.” I shoved my hand into my pocket and headed down the street.
As I walked, my mind drifted to places that the spirit could make Tim go to find kids who would fit his needs. He liked them blond with blue eyes. Or at least that had been what I’d seen. What if he didn’t have a type? What if he just wanted to kill children and didn’t care who they were? Fuck, I wish I knew more about who he had been before he died.
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