Murder, Ye Bones

by Rachael Stapleton

  Adriano took aim again—at Daemon.

  He drew his own weapon as Izzy let out a shriek of pure fury and went racing toward Penny, grabbing the knife off the ground as she ran.

  A shot from Cody took Adriano down. He had aimed to kill.

  And he did. The girls had all but dissipated now. It was up to Cody and Daemon. They’d used up all of their energy just to distract. Ghosts only had a finite amount and it would have taken a lot to make themselves appear that solid. They’d sacrificed themselves to save Penny and Danior. Daemon made a quick promise to himself, he would see that their spirits were laid to rest… but first he needed to end this.

  Isadora was now on top of Penny, knife raised. “We must have a blood sacrifice!” She screamed.

  “Release her,” He ordered, advancing with murderous intent. “Let her go, and I won’t hurt you.”

  He didn’t have any supernatural powers outside of sensing and freeing ghosts, but she didn’t have to know that.

  Just as he reached her, Penny lashed out with her knee, catching Izzy in the chest.

  Izzy flew backward, slammed into a tall headstone. Her orange, cat-like eyes widened. Her jaw dropped open, and then she fell forward.

  Right on the knife meant for Penny. She’d got her blood sacrifice after all.

  Chapter Forty-Six

  _____________

  “D oes this look alright?” I asked Cody as I modeled one of those trendy high-cut one-piece swim suits. “It looks terrible, doesn't it? I might as well wear the floss from the bathroom.”

  He was stretched out on the bed. “It looks just as fabulous as the last four you tried on and immediately dismissed, Pen. Just pick one.”

  It was officially vacation time. Well, not really. We had to catch a flight in two days but we were planning to squeeze in at least one day at the beach.

  “Really?” I said, looking at my bum cheeks. “Curse my curvy frame. I think it might have shrunk?”

  “It's better that way,” he said, nodding. “Trust me.”

  I grunted and reached for an old pair of cut-off Levi’s. “You know, I think I'll miss this place,” I said, zipping up my beach bag.

  Cody fixed me with a stare. “Like you miss a hole in the heart?”

  “Stop.”

  “I'm just glad we got to the cemetery in time,” he said, grabbing his own cooler bag and pulling it off the bed.

  The police reached the cemetery moments after Izzy’s death, leading to hours of interrogation for me, Cody and Daemon, while Danior, who hadn’t regained consciousness for hours, made her second trip to the hospital.

  As we put the pieces together, Izzy’s MO began to emerge. She had lived with her mother, Nellie Rigdon in a cult until the age of two when the bulk of the cult had been incarcerated for murder. The same Nellie Rigdon whose diary I’d been devouring. Turns out she hadn’t died. The headstone I’d found had belonged to her sister, Dora. Her father had made a life out of covering up for his daughter’s insanity, even escaping with her back to the States after the lynching where she had eventually joined a cult and given birth to Isadora Carr.

  Never realizing the extent of little Isadora’s psychological damage, she’d been adopted by her mother’s cousin, Willie Whitaker. She was raised in North Carolina with frequent visits to Sao Paulo and Ilhabela, where she’d met Adriano.

  The two had stumbled over her mother’s book as teenagers in the abandoned cabin—coincidentally where I’d been staying the past week. At the time, they’d used it as a place to drink underage and fool around. At first, the idea of dabbling in black magic had been a lark, a cheap thrill, but somewhere along the way they’d started to take it seriously. At the age of twenty, she’d permanently moved back and been taken in by Adriano’s family, and their murderous rampage had begun.

  And while there was no real proof, Daemon suspected that Dr. Newirth had actually been in town looking to speak with Izzy. She’d written a book on the cult, worked at the institution where Nellie resided, and most likely had an inkling as to what was happening.

  And because Izzy had been so determined to become the next Voodoo Queen, she had left behind a book of her own—found in her apartment which, among many things, explained how she’d met and befriended Lise Trix at the age of eleven.

  According to Lise, who was in a world of trouble, the two had stayed in touch over the years and Izzy had agreed to put her in touch with a Voodoo Priestess guaranteed to make Emilion fall in love with her.

  Nana’s cousin, Yasmin buying the resort was just dumb luck for Lise who jumped at the chance to finally take Izzy up on her offer to introduce her to the Voodoo Queen.

  Unfortunately, the price was a life—Danior’s, to be exact. The Priestess wanted to turn Danior into a zombie. It seems that was what they were trying to achieve with the other girls. Lise had no idea Izzy was the Priestess until after they drugged her and made her kill the Jane Doe. This was to guarantee her complicity and silence.

  Given the DNA match, Maman Brigitte was able to claim the body of her daughter and finally lay her to rest. And hopefully with Daemon’s ghostly abilities, Maman would finally know what happened to her daughter, Frannie.

  A knock at the cabin’s door interrupted my thoughts. Cody went to open it and I heard Yasmin greet him.

  I walked out to the front room and she was standing there with two mojitos and a picnic basket.

  She smiled at me. “Thought you two could use this. I had Dolly whip up lunch.”

  “We sure can,” I told her. “This bikini is just not tight enough, according to Cody. Come on in.”

  “No, no, I’ll let you two get to the beach. I just wanted to say thank you again. Given what this week has been like, I'm not sure why you'd ever consider coming back but I hope you will,” Yasmin said ruefully. She let out a deep sigh. “Maybe you can drag my cousin with you. I’d love to see her.”

  Cody peered over my shoulder to peek in the basket. “We’ll pass along the message,” he said. “Although, Nana is not one to be dragged anywhere.”

  Yasmin held up her hand. “Don’t I know it. Anyway, you and your family are always welcome here. My treat, of course.”

  I reached out and hugged her again, harder this time. “Thank you. And we'll come back.”

  She patted my back. “I do hope so.” She pulled away and tugged on the hem of her dress, straightening it. “Alright. You two snap up that basket and those drinks and get to the beach. Think we've gotten rid of all the riff raff around here, so you should be safe enough to walk the trails.”

  I took a sip of the minty mojito after Yasmin left and felt the stress slip away. “That was super nice,” I said.

  “It was,” Cody agreed. He gathered the picnic basket and my beach bag and walked out the door. “But I can't imagine coming back.”

  “Why not?” The view alone was breathtaking I thought to myself, Cody’s backside included.

  “Why would we?”

  “Because it's beautiful here. Because we like the people. Because Yasmin’s a family friend.”

  “Multiple women were murdered here,” he reminded me.

  “Well, aren’t you picky. The killers are now all dead and/or incarcerated,” I said stubbornly. I thought about Izzy’s adopted parents, the Whitakers. “Even if some of the locals are a little crazy. It’s no different than Bohemian Lake—we’ve certainly had our share of murder lately.”

  He set the stuff down on the porch and his arms snaked around my waist. “Exactly. That’s my point; a vacation is supposed to be different from home.”

  Chapter Forty-Seven

  _____________

  Y asmin let go of Maman Brigette’s hand and followed Daemon up the six steps to the cabin’s front door. "You'll be all right in there by yourself?" she asked, her face suddenly worried.

  "I'll be fine," Daemon said confidently. He'd faced scarier stuff than this before. Pausing as the door swung shut behind him, he moved into the main room and, looked around, setting his duffe
l bag down in the corner by the staircase. He wanted to get the lay of things before reaching into his bag of tricks.

  He let his eyes travel around the room, getting a feel for the energy. Just how many girls were still left? From his back jeans pocket, he pulled out his electrostatic meter, a small gadget that measured variances in electrostatic energy. He held his arm out and waved it in a circle around the room and, according to his electrostatic meter, the place oozed something else, too. He’d move them on, one at a time if necessary.

  With an eye on the needle bouncing back and forth across the gauge, he walked ahead through the cabin and down into the basement. The needle gave a jolt as he edged over to the trunk where he’d found Maman’s daughter. The needle bounced again. He put the little gadget away and centered himself.

  There, at the end of the basement, he saw a dark shadow. The girls had used up so much energy, it was no surprise to him that they could no long form anything more than shadows. "It's okay," He said. "I just came to thank you and your friends for the help." He took a step closer, and noticed an immediate dip in temperature. He crossed his arms and shivered slightly, feeling the icy coolness penetrate his clothing, but he pushed his discomfort aside and focused hard on the task at hand. "Can you tell me how you died, Frannie?" He asked the empty basement softly.

  There was no response, but he could feel the fear emanating from the girl's spirit. He moved closer and felt the temperature dip even lower, "I'm here to help you. No one can hurt you anymore. And I'll make sure they pay. Please talk to me. Was it the Voodoo Queen who hurt you? Your mother, Maman Brigette must know."

  With relief he felt the name Nellie float into his mind. He smiled sadly.

  “Where is Maman? she asked desperately.

  "She’s here, and she’s very worried about you, Frannie. She’s asked me to help you. Will you allow me to?"

  He opened his eyes and stared at the blank space in front of him. He couldn't see her, nor could he see the others but he could definitely feel them and he could hear Fran. She didn't answer right away, so he went and got her mother from outside and carried her down the stairs. At last Frannie told her story.

  Nellie, who suffered from an undiagnosed multiple personality disorder at the time—one personality being the Voodoo Queen—had killed her babysitter in a jealous rage at the age of twelve. Frannie had been the tenth victim of the girl. Leo and the housekeeper had covered up for her, even going so far as to take the blame—hiding the bad deeds from Nellie herself, which included murdering her own twin sister, Dora. This explained what Nellie had written in her diary and the reason she thought they were the murderers.

  Daemon had a sudden, almost overwhelming sensation of deep sadness in his chest when the girl finished her story, and he knew that she had finally registered that she was dead.

  “Frannie, a great light is shining from the heavens above you, through the cabin’s floor, and descending onto your head. Can you sense this?"

  There was a pause, and then, Yes.

  He praised her, and Maman began to cry. "Now, as this light envelops you, I want you to feel its warmth, its goodness, its purity, and its love. Can you feel all of those things?"

  Another pause, then an excited, Yes!

  "That’s great. Now, in front of you there should be a path. It may look a bit like a bridge; sometimes it's different depending on the person. Can you see this path?"

  I can.

  "I need you to be very brave and take a step onto it. It leads to more of the light, more of that love that you're sensing right now. It's a good path to follow, and while you're on it you will never be hurt again."

  He held his breath, waiting for Frannie to make that next oh, so critical move. If she blanched, he'd try to coax her over again. If she went for it, she'd find her way to the other side without worry. Finally, he sensed something like acceptance from her, and right before he felt her move forward, he saw Maman appear at her side. She laced her fingers in between her daughter’s and smiled.”

  Daemon glanced behind him to where he’d left the old woman sitting, and listening on the steps. She’d toppled over sideways and now looked asleep—at peace.

  This job never got old. His smiled widened until his cheeks burned, and he turned back to face them in the light, but they were already gone.

  As a matter of fact, the cabin was now empty of spirits. Maman had led them all home.

  Authors Note:

  Well, hello there! Thank you for reading the third book in my Amateur Sleuth cozy mystery series!

  For those of you who are new to Penning Trouble, you should know that there are two books ahead of this one. You should also know it’s the eighth book in the world of Bohemian Lake.

  For those of you who’ve read all eight, welcome back and thank you for your unwavering support. I hope you enjoyed your trip away from Bohemian Lake more than Penny did.

  Anyway, you will be getting more Bohemian Lake books but next up I’ll be releasing in a spicy new fantasy romance genre. To avoid confusion, you’ll notice a slight variation on my name on some covers.

  As per usual, a big thanks to my family, friends, reviewers and fans for their generosity and encouragement. Thanks to my awesome editor, Susan Croft. And of course, a big shout-out to my beta readers: Denise Howeth, Thomas Palmer, and Holly Stover. If you find an error, feel free to drop me a line. No matter how many times we go over things, errors do slip through. Once again, thank you for reading my books. If you want more, please be sure to review them on Amazon, Goodreads and BookBub. I decide which books to write based on your reviews, so you might find your favorite characters cut if you don’t support them.

  P.S. Come and say hello on my Facebook page, Twitter or my website. I post teasers, new covers and offer up giveaways in my monthly newsletters.

  With much gratitude,

  Rachael

  Skinny Fish Tacos With a Kick

  Ingredients:

  For the fish:

  12 ounces haddock fillets

  12 ounces shrimp

  Cooking spray

  4 teaspoons chili powder

  4 teaspoons cumin

  1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

  1 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

  Salt

  Pico de Gallo: *You can substitute with store bought pico de gallo too.

  3 Roma tomatoes diced

  1/4 cup onion finely diced

  1 jalapeno seeds removed, finely diced (Or leave seeds in if you like it hot)

  3 tablespoons cilantro chopped

  1 tablespoon lime juice

  For Serving:

  12 white corn tortillas

  2 ½ mixed cabbage slaw (rainbow salad)

  1 1/2 cups sweet yellow corn roasted** You can use regular frozen or canned corn if you can't find roasted or don't want to roast your own. I pan roasted mine in a lightly greased non-stick skillet over high heat, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned (about 3-4 minutes).

  0% plain Yogurt (or sour cream)

  Limes cut into wedges or lime juice

  Instructions

  For the Fish:

  In a small dish, mix together chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, and red pepper. Sprinkle the fish with the mixture and some salt.

  Preheat cooking spray in a large non-stick skillet and cook fish and shrimp over medium-high heat on each side for 4-5 minutes until blackened and cooked throughout. When done, flake into 2-3 inch pieces.

  For the Pico de Gallo:

  In a bowl, mix together tomatoes, onion, jalapeno, cilantro, and lime juice.

  For Serving:

  Lightly spray tortillas with oil and grill tortillas on a non-stick fry pan or a griddle for 20 seconds each side or just warm in the oven

  Fill tortillas with tilapia, cabbage, lettuce, corn, and pico de gallo. Top with yogurt, hot sauce and serve with a lime wedge.

  Recipe Note for the health conscious: Skip the shell or just have one and eat the fish, yogurt, slaw mixture alongside in a b
owl. This way you get more protein than carbs.

  About the Author

  Rachael Stapleton lives in a Second-Empire Victorian home with her husband and two children in Canada where she takes inspiration from the aged wood, arched dormers and secret nooks and crannies. She does her best not to scream bloody murder when interrupted, even though she writes it.

  Looking for more?

  Follow & Connect with Rachael on Social Media:

  Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest

  And if you’ve enjoyed this book, please leave a review:

  Goodreads | Amazon |BookBub

  Visit www.Rachael Stapleton.com for a complete list of her books and sign up for her newsletter to keep up to date on all of the Bohemian Lake adventures.

  Discover your next great series by Rachael!

  Time Traveling Bibliophile Series

  Penning Trouble Mysteries

  Haunted House Flippers Inc.

  Bohemian Murder Manor