[Charlie Rhodes 06.0] The Incubus Impasse

by Amanda M. Lee

“There’s no way for me to check that, Charlie. I can’t very well ask a law enforcement source about ghosts.”

  “No.” I chewed my bottom lip. “Someone must know.”

  “I don’t think there’s anyone we can contact to check that for us. I mean ... who? We don’t have anyone to ask.”

  I wasn’t so sure of that.

  Nineteen

  Because we’d been stuck in the villa for most of the day, Jack suggested it was a good idea to head downtown. Alone. I wasn’t in the mood to explain to the others what had happened with Brock, so I was more than ready to escape.

  Laura sneered on the couch as she read the report Jack filed with Chris right before our departure.

  “Well done, Charlie,” she sang out. “You beat the crap out of the town douche. Way to go.” She shot me a sarcastic thumbs-up, causing my cheeks to burn hot.

  “It’s a great story,” Mille countered, her gaze predatory when it pinned Laura. “She took down a full-grown man and potentially protected a woman in the process. How is that a bad thing?”

  “He wasn’t our killer.”

  “No, but he could’ve been. I’m proud of how Charlie reacted.”

  “So am I,” Chris offered, his attention on the other reports Jack had provided. The moment Jack told him that he’d found a pattern of similar murders in coastal towns, Chris was enamored with focusing on that for the evening. “She did us all proud today. I’m going to make sure she gets a bonus.”

  Surprise rolled over me. “A bonus?”

  He glanced up and nodded. “We have good citizen bonuses. You were trying to save an innocent woman. That’s good PR for us when it works out. We won’t get any public accolades for what happened today, but you put yourself on the line and I think that should be rewarded.”

  Seriously, I needed to buy a lottery ticket. This day was like the best ever. I slid my eyes to Jack to make sure this wasn’t some elaborate hoax. His expression was full of annoyance rather than excitement.

  “Charlie might’ve been a hero today and made all of us proud, but she still could’ve been hurt,” Jack pointed out. “She deserves her bonus, but maybe it should come with a reminder that she’s not replaceable and needs to be more careful.”

  My smile slipped. “I thought you weren’t going to yell.”

  “That wasn’t yelling. That was a simple suggestion.”

  “And a good one,” Chris said. “Charlie, you’re an outstanding citizen. Don’t die on us.”

  “Unless you really want to,” Laura groused.

  Jack shot her a death glare and then prodded me toward the door. “We’re heading downtown to eat. I don’t know when we’ll be back.”

  Chris offered up a haphazard wave. “Take your time. You did a lot of work here — both of you — and I greatly appreciate it. I’ll be going through this information for hours. Hey, maybe we should order pizza and do it as a team.”

  The look Laura shot him was withering. “Maybe we shouldn’t.”

  JACK WAS SEEMINGLY IN A GOOD MOOD for the drive downtown. We parked in a garage and then hit the sidewalk, a multitude of restaurants vying for our attention.

  “What do you want?” I asked.

  “I’ve done more than my share of picking the last few days. You pick. I’m open for anything.”

  That sounded like a trap. “Sure. How about sushi?”

  He frowned. “I don’t like sushi.”

  “So ... you’re not really open for anything?”

  He glowered at me and then shook his head. “I know you’re annoyed about what I did regarding the bonus, but I’m not sorry. You were strong and brave today, Charlie. We got lucky. If something had happened to you ... .”

  “It didn’t. I can protect myself. I think I proved that today.”

  “With a little weasel who has to lie to women to get laid. You thought he was the incubus when you started chasing him. That could’ve ended badly. I doubt a demon would’ve gone down that easily.”

  He said the last part loudly enough that he drew the attention of a woman passing by in the opposite direction. I shot her a small smile, as if to say “he’s crazy but I have to put up with him because he’s my ride,” and proceeded to push him down the sidewalk.

  “I’m glad you’re feeling more comfortable in my world right now, but you’ve got to take it down a notch,” I insisted. “You’re getting belligerent.”

  “How do you know this isn’t my normal state?”

  “Because I’ve seen you in action. You’re usually calm and collected. Today you were a bit ... tattletale-y.”

  His eyes widened. “I’m not a tattletale.”

  “Today you were.”

  “I had to tell him what went down, Charlie. If Brock decides to file a lawsuit, Chris has to be made aware. I think the odds of that are slim because any lawyer worth his license will explain that’s a losing proposition given the fear in this community right now, but it’s still possible.”

  I hadn’t considered that. “Oh.”

  “I wasn’t being a tattletale.”

  “Okay. Sorry.”

  “Freaking tattletale,” he muttered and poked my side. “I’ll make you pay for that later.”

  WE SETTLED ON A RAW OYSTER BAR. The menu offered a wide variety — including scallops and shrimp — and the ambiance was light and romantic. That seemed to be what both of us wanted.

  “Shall I start you off with an oyster appetizer?” the waitress — her name tag read Blanche — asked with a cocked head. Her interest had been solely on Jack since she arrived at the table to take our orders.

  “Why not?” Jack replied after a beat. “We’ll have the oysters, the stuffed mushrooms and the mozzarella sticks as appetizers. I want the prime rib with a baked potato for my entree. You can skip the salad. What do you want, Charlie?”

  “I’ll have the scallops with rice,” I replied. “Thank you.”

  She smiled as she took the menus from us, but her attention was still on Jack. “Any wine or beer?”

  “Just iced tea,” Jack replied. “We’re keeping our wits about us tonight.”

  “Of course.”

  Once she left, I turned to ask him if he was really going to try the oysters. It was one thing to try the fried ones, which really did have little taste. The raw ones, however, made me leery. I never got the chance, though, because the spot next to me in the circular booth was suddenly filled with an extra body ... and it had seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

  “Good evening, lovebirds,” Harley trilled as Jack moved to drag me onto his lap as a protective measure. “Oh, don’t do that. You’ll draw unnecessary attention. People will think you’re a pervert.”

  Jack scanned the other diners to see if anyone had noticed Harley’s unorthodox arrival, but nobody was paying us any attention. “That was ... stupid.”

  “Oh, you’re just jealous because you can’t do it.” She grabbed a breadstick from the basket at the center of the table and immediately bit in. “Oh, nice. They’re warm.” She said the second part around a mouthful of bread.

  Jack made a face. “I didn’t realize we’d invited you on our date.”

  “Charlie did.” She patted my shoulder for confirmation. “She said you wanted a threesome and asked if I was open to it. I think the stick up your behind is far too large for me to work around, but nobody ever said I wasn’t a team player.”

  Jack’s mouth dropped open but no sound came out.

  I was frozen in place. It took me a full ten seconds to find my voice. “I didn’t tell her that,” I said finally. “The threesome thing, I mean. I didn’t ... there’s no way ... never ... .”

  My reaction was enough to snap Jack out of his trance and he actually smiled. “Don’t worry. I didn’t think you said that.” He patted the hand that was resting on top of the table. “She likes to get a rise out of people. Apparently she’s good at it.”

  “I’m the best,” Harley agreed. “That’s why I’m Papa Legba’s favorite.”

 
Now it was my turn to search the surrounding faces. Mentioning an ancient Haitian voodoo Loa in public was probably a recipe for disaster. Sure, technically he was Harley’s boss and all, but he was also a freaky dude. I’d met him in New Orleans, too, but only in a dream. I’d yet to meet him in person. I didn’t think I wanted to risk that.

  “You should watch what you say.”

  Harley snorted. “Please. These people won’t be able to pick me out of a lineup in ten minutes. Trust me. I have a way of flying under the radar ... despite how hot I am.” She batted her eyelashes at Jack. “Don’t you think I’m hot?”

  Jack avoided eye contact. “Not really. Thanks for stopping by. If you don’t mind, we’re on a date. That’s a two-person date.”

  Harley’s smile was back. She was hard to rattle, something I actually liked about her. “You really need to see a doctor about that stick. I’m not here to ruin your date. I’m here because Charlie called me.”

  Jack shifted on the booth seat next to me as I fought the urge to wrap my hands around Harley’s neck and start shaking. “You called her?” The question probably came out shriller than he intended.

  “Technically I rubbed a coin,” I hissed, indicating he should lower his voice. “I didn’t use the phone or anything.”

  “Coins are better,” Harley explained. “Nobody has to pay for roaming wireless with a coin. It’s my favorite method of interaction.”

  “How great for you,” Jack muttered before addressing his next question to me. “Why did you call her?”

  “That’s what I want to know.” Harley grabbed another breadstick. “I’m not supposed to eat on the job, but this isn’t exactly a sanctioned mission so I’m playing it by ear. If anyone asks, I was totally professional the entire time and you didn’t see me pop a thing in my mouth.” She paused. “Incidentally, that’s the same thing I had my friends tell my father when I started dating in high school.”

  I was officially horrified ... and then my brain caught up to reality. “You didn’t go to high school.”

  “No, I didn’t,” she agreed. “I just love that joke.” She dipped the breadstick in marinara and pinned me with a look. “As fun as this is, I really am on the clock. What do you need?”

  I felt put on the spot. “I expected you to come into my dreams again.”

  “Yeah, what’s up with that?” Jack challenged. “She needs her sleep. Don’t invade her dreams and drag her out to walk on water without me. If you’re going to take her places, you’d better take me, too.”

  This time the smile Harley sent him was heartfelt. “I really do like you ... the stick notwithstanding. You’re kind of a pain, but you have the absolute best heart.” She fell silent for a moment. “I approve of this relationship. It’s good for the both of you.”

  “Oh, well, I’m so glad you approve,” Jack drawled. “Now we can change absolutely nothing about our lives.”

  “And there’s that stick again.” She winked at him — she seemed to like winking — and turned back to me. “What do you need? As for invading your dreams, I have other stuff going on. You’re not the only person I visit when I’m in town.”

  “Okay. Sorry. I didn’t mean to drag you away from anything important.”

  “Don’t apologize to her,” Jack ordered. “She’s getting free food out of the deal. She’s fine.”

  “The breadsticks are good,” Harley agreed. “Seriously, though, what do you want?”

  “I need a favor.”

  She stilled, the breadstick halfway to her mouth. “You want to make a deal?”

  “No.” I fervently shook my head. “I know better than to make a deal. That’s the way to losing my soul. I never want to make a deal.”

  “Just for the record, there are different kinds of deals,” she offered. “The soul is the big one, of course, but I take other things in trade.” Her eyes were mischievous when they locked with Jack’s serious blue orbs. “All different types of things.”

  “Stop it.” He extended a warning finger. “I get what you’re trying to do. You want to knock us off our game so we make a stupid trade. That’s not going to happen. In fact ... we don’t need anything from you. I don’t know why Charlie called you in the first place.”

  “I called her because she can travel in a way you and I can’t ... and she can see the ghosts,” I explained. “We found a pattern, Harley. Women died in the exact same manner in Boston, Atlantic City and Virginia Beach. We’ve been able to confirm that. What we haven’t been able to confirm is the ghosts.”

  Harley looked thoughtful as she considered the news. “That’s ... interesting. That would seem to indicate a pattern. Somebody was traveling along the coast.”

  I nodded. “We think this is an important pattern. Jack is running searches, but they’re massive because we don’t have much to go on. If you could go to those cities — do that poofing thing you do and just check — we wouldn’t expend unnecessary effort.”

  Harley pursed her lips. “You just want me to check for the ghosts?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I can do that.”

  “You can?” I was so relieved. “Thank you.”

  “We still have to make a deal for it.”

  Ah ... so close. “A deal?” I swallowed hard. “I don’t think I should make deals with you, Harley. Crossroads demons are tricksters. I don’t want to sell my soul for an easy favor.”

  “I don’t want your soul. Sure, Papa Legba might get off on the idea, but I’m not that cruel. I told you I do different sorts of trades. That’s what we’ll have to do.”

  I was instantly leery. “What sort of trade?”

  “I’m thinking that one day you’re going to have to take me to dinner in Boston — we’re talking crab legs, all the breadsticks I can eat and a vat of that great butter sauce for dipping — and in exchange I’ll check the other locations.”

  That sounded far too easy. “You only want dinner?”

  “I don’t want anything from you, but you engaged the coin. To give you something, I must get something in return. I don’t make the rules, but I can’t break from them.”

  “Oh.” Well, that sort of made sense. I glanced at Jack to see what he thought, but his expression was unreadable. “We can do dinner. I’m getting a bonus at work so I’ll be able to pay for it and everything.”

  Jack cleared his throat. “I’ll pay for it. I’ll be the one to make the deal with you.”

  Harley arched a surprised eyebrow. “Why?”

  “Just to be on the safe side. If there’s a trick in this, I want it to come back on me and not Charlie.”

  I balked. “No way. I called her.”

  “But you’re the one who has something they really want. Your friend here is less likely to screw me because she knows they’ll never get you if something happens.”

  My heart filled with dread. “No.”

  “There’ll be no screwing,” Harley promised. “I came to her first looking for help with whatever is happening here. If I could do this for free, I would.”

  “And I mostly believe you,” Jack said. “But I can’t risk her. I won’t.”

  Harley shook her head and sighed. “Fine. I’ll make the deal with you because that’s the only way you’ll feel safe. You’re kind of a pain, Jack. Has anyone ever told you that?”

  “A few people.” He glanced around, uncertain. “What do we do?”

  “I propose the deal and we shake hands. There’s no trick involved. We can’t have buyer’s remorse in this business. Everything is laid out in a particular fashion for a reason.”

  “Then do it.”

  “Fine.” She flashed her megawatt smile. “I, Harlequin Desdemona Stryker, agree to travel to Boston, Atlantic City and Virginia Beach to search for similar ghosts as those plaguing Charleston. Now you have to say your part.”

  “I, Jack Hanson, agree to buy Harlequin Desdemona Stryker — is that seriously your name? — a crab dinner, complete with breadsticks and endless butter sauce, on a date of
her choosing. Is that good enough?”

  She nodded, apparently appeased. “It’s great.” They shook hands, a deal done, and then Harley got to her feet. “I heard you got the oysters. You should totally eat a pound of them and then frolic like bunnies until you pass out. One of you obviously needs a little less stress in his life.”

  I offered her a light wave as Jack linked his fingers with mine. “Thanks for helping.”

  “It’s not a problem. Try to get him to lighten up.”

  “Oh, trust me. That’s at the top of my to-do list.”

  Twenty

  Jack was feeling romantic after dinner so we took a walk. The streets were well lit and the bars hopping with activity. I found the city picturesque, if a bit claustrophobic.

  “Why do you think the streets are closed in like they are?”

  He slid his gaze to me, uncertain. “What do you mean?”

  “The streets are tight. They’re all one way. There’s no room for parking ... although that doesn’t stop some people. In most major metropolitan cities, the roads are wider.”

  “I’m not sure.” He stopped to look at the area more closely. “I think this is where the old slave trades took place.”

  The hair on the back of my neck bristled. “Seriously? That’s ... not cool.” A black couple happened to be walking past us at the exact moment I decided to stick my foot in my mouth. “I mean ... slavery is never cool. It’s wrong. So, so wrong.”

  Jack pressed his lips together as the couple shot me odd looks. He offered them a conciliatory smile. Without words, he apologized for me being a ninny. The man nodded as he smiled. Apparently my Foot-In-Mouth Disease was fun for the entire family.

  Once they were safely out of hearing, he squeezed my hand. “Is it any wonder I can’t get enough of you?”

  I felt sheepish. “I’m sorry about that. I don’t know what made me say it. It just seemed like the thing to say.”

  “You said it because you’re you. It’s fine.” He leaned in and gave me a kiss, his smile lingering until a serious expression took over. “We need to talk about Harley.”