The Soul Healer

by B. Groves

  Alison thought it over and said, “If you can, please keep an eye on Reverend Ellis. I’m afraid he’ll do something rash. He’s already frustrated with my methods.”

  “I understand.”

  “Tell Olivia if she needs me, I’m always there for her,” Alison said with a smile.

  “She’ll appreciate it. Goodnight.”

  “Goodnight, Miguel.”

  Alison placed the phone on the nightstand along with her laptop and laid down on her side. Simon relaxed right below her, but any noise would make him come alive and alert Alison to any possible danger.

  She reached down and patted his head from the bed. He responded with a little grunt of pleasure from her touch.

  She grinned and got comfortable. She direly needed sleep, but she turned over on her back and stared at the ceiling.

  Kyle came to mind and a twinge of guilt coursed through Alison at not involving him deeper into her investigation, but the way he reacted today told her all she needed to know. The way he interacted with his former lover was also a warning sign that she needed time alone.

  Reverend Ellis was a good man and a passionate one, but his biblical teachings blinded him and would only question everything Alison did.

  God, he was handsome, she thought. His dark wavy hair, the way he was always pushing his glasses up on his nose, Alison could understand why most of the women in the church that morning were grinning in secret even with their husbands sitting right next to them.

  It didn’t take Alison long to realize they weren’t listening to his sermon at all. He was not like other preachers she’d met over the years, but his unwillingness to follow her lead and understand her work was why Alison had to tell him she was leaving for a week.

  She would bring him back into the fold once she gathered more intelligence, but until then she had to find the source of the infestation and Kyle’s disagreements would only hold her back.

  Alison’s eyes started to droop when another text came on her phone.

  Annoyed, she reached out and grabbed her phone.

  “Where are you?” Her mother, Pam, asked.

  Fuck, Alison thought. She promised her family she would never hunt again.

  All the old emotions came flooding back as Alison re-read the text. She placed a hand over her mouth and tried to hold them at bay.

  Heather’s face appeared in front of her, but she promised she would no longer lie to her family.

  “I’m on a hunt,” she answered. “It’s close by in a town called Wolfpine, North Carolina.”

  Alison saw her mother typing on the screen. Alison predicted her next words.

  “Alison you promised…”

  Alison hated being right.

  “I know, Mom. This is my last case. We’ll talk about it later.”

  “OK. I’m not telling your father.”

  Daniel was her stepfather, but he might as well be her real father since he raised her.

  “OK. I love you, Mom.”

  “I love you too. Be careful.”

  Alison put the phone down and groaned, placing her arm over her face. What a mess.

  Sleep eluded Alison once again.

  ***

  Alison sat in her car at a safe distance from Emma’s house the next day. It was hard to see through all the trees that surrounded the property. Alison looked it up on her phone and found it to be a replica French chateau constructed with thick limestone overlooking the Great Smoky Mountains. The inside must have been extravagant from the descriptions Alison had from a local gossip columnist who interviewed Donald Leavens about two months before he passed away.

  Why is a rich widow hanging out at Kyle’s small church? The distance from her house to the church made little sense, and there were two other churches when Alison traveled through town.

  Alison would ask Kyle or Miguel about it later. She made a note and lifted the binoculars to her eyes. She couldn’t see any movement from her viewpoint. No one moved around the property and the BMW sat near the front entrance.

  Alison rubbed her stiff neck. Simon was getting restless in the back seat.

  “It’s okay, boy, we’re leaving soon,” she said looking behind her and into her backseat as Simon paced the small space.

  She checked her phone. It was almost noon. Her stomach was growling and she’d been up since 5 AM so she wouldn’t miss Emma Leavens leaving her home.

  Alison took a sip of cold coffee and made a face. She needed more coffee to get her through the rest of the day.

  She found a local grocery store that was pet-friendly. The tourists loved it from what she read on the reviews.

  Alison lifted the binoculars one more time and held her breath.

  A black car of some sort pulled up behind the BMW. Alison couldn’t make out the make and model. It was a sedan. A Ford? She tried to focus on the license plate but it pulled close enough to the BMW to block it.

  “We might have something, Simon,” Alison muttered.

  Only the driver’s door opened and a younger man with dark blonde hair and dark sunglasses exited the car. He was wearing a dark blue business suit and carried a folder in his hand.

  He rang the doorbell and waited.

  Alison tried to absorb the man’s looks so she could ask Markus or Kyle about him later. Her eyes narrowed and that oppressive feeling came over her. Whispers and distant voices obscured her hearing. Alison could feel the cold rush through her and the weight on her chest grew strong as if it was suffocating her.

  The shadow appeared around the man’s head. It would circle him, enter him through the chest, and exit him through the top of his head.

  The younger man turned Alison’s way, but she didn’t lower the binoculars. She wanted to see this situation play out.

  She watched as he lifted his cell phone to his ear and spoke into it as he stared at her from a distance.

  Alison knew she should start the car and drive off. She should turn the ignition and get out of there just in case the demon called for help and trapped her there.

  But, she didn’t. She needed to see Emma open the door and speak with the demon. She had to know that much.

  The front door opened and out stepped the gorgeous redhead. She looked annoyed from Alison’s vantage point. She was not happy to see the man there. Her head turned sideways while the man leaned over and said something close to her ear.

  Emma never turned to stare in Alison’s direction. She kept her eyes straight on the man who was visiting her. He handed her the folder. Emma snatched it from him and opened it. Emma showed her obvious displeasure at whatever he handed to her. She closed the folder and threw it to the ground. She ran a hand through her fiery red hair and then waved her hand around as she spoke in angry sentences.

  Emma turned away from the man and again ran her hands through her hair. The man put up his hand looking like he was trying to calm her down.

  Emma reached for her cell phone and answered it. She turned away from the man and walked back into the house slamming the door in his face.

  Alison couldn’t help but laugh at the way the demon stood there stunned by Emma’s reaction.

  Simon barked and Alison glanced in her rear-view mirror.

  “Shit,” she muttered. That demon called the cops on her.

  The police cruiser flicked his lights and siren for a few seconds to get Alison’s attention, although he already had it.

  Simon gazed out the rear window with his tail wagging. Alison turned around and said, “Stay calm, Simon.”

  He barked again when the officer opened the driver’s side door and stepped out of the vehicle.

  Alison debated whether she should drop Markus Carter’s name or not. She didn’t want him to know that she was still in town either, because she knew he’d go running back to Kyle with that information.

  Alison decided she would only drop his name if the officer showed hostility.

  She threw the binoculars down on the floor hoping that the officer wouldn’t notice them. She
reached for her ID and registration in case he asked for them. She found cooperating with the police over the years to be in her best interest since some of them were hunters themselves. If she got desperate she would have to make a phone call to a friend in law enforcement.

  The officer adjusted his hat and closed the door. Alison didn’t recognize him from the day before when she exorcised Billy Wilson.

  He walked up to the window as Alison rolled it down. Simon was trying to stick his head out of the window behind her. He barked a few times, but not in an unfriendly manner. Alison knew this man was not possessed.

  “Is there a problem officer?” Alison asked in her most charming voice.

  She could only hope this officer would let her go. If he saw what was in her trunk…

  “We have a complaint from a resident that you’ve been sitting here for about an hour.”

  Alison smacked her forehead and said, “I’m so sorry. My cousin told me to drive down to this neighborhood and check out these beautiful homes. I guess I lost track of time.”

  She held up her phone. “I was sending pictures to my boyfriend in Charlotte since he’s working and we started texting how much we miss each other… and… ugh… I feel so stupid.”

  The officer pushed back his hat. His face hid his emotions and his blue eyes were flat as he absorbed her story.

  “Who’s your cousin?”

  “Reverend Kyle Ellis,” Alison answered with a smile. “I didn’t want to bother him since he’s busy today so he told me I was on my own and… you know… I was bored.”

  “I know Reverend Ellis. What’s your name, ma’am?”

  “Alison Stark,” she answered, giving the officer a charming smile.

  Simon was pushing Alison’s seat forward to get a better look at the officer. The officer eyed her dog making Alison say, “He’s friendly. He’s just curious.”

  “I have two of my own. May I see some ID, ma’am?”

  “Of course,” Alison said. She handed it to him and waited.

  The officer looked at her driver’s license and then handed it back to her. “You better leave. You know how people are with a lot of money. Very paranoid.”

  “You are so right,” Alison sighed as she gazed over the huge homes along the street longingly. “A girl can dream, huh?”

  The officer scoffed. “I can’t on my salary.”

  Alison giggled and started her car as the officer walked back to his patrol vehicle. She decided it would be best to pull away before the policeman left. She would have to talk to Markus when she saw him again.

  Alison put the car in gear and pressed on the gas. She glanced at Emma’s house one more time. The BMW was gone.

  That bitch snuck out when I was talking to the cop, she thought.

  Alison made sure the cop wasn’t behind her. She needed a better plan since the surveillance one didn’t work out too well. She thought it may have been time to find out where the good old mayor lived. It couldn’t be far from here. Where were they keeping these missing people? That’s what she needed to find out; how to stop this infestation before they overrun this town.

  Alison forgot to set up her GPS for the grocery store she wanted to go to. She made a few turns and hoped it was the right street.

  She found it after she had to finally pull over and set her GPS. Alison didn’t know how bad the infestation was. She would need to keep Simon calm during her grocery run. The last thing she needed was to draw attention to herself. She knew the demons were onto her, but she didn’t want to make herself vulnerable.

  She opened up her trunk and grabbed his muzzle. She didn’t want him to attack a demon if there were some inside the store. She didn’t need him to frightened humans. It wouldn’t be good for her or ridding this town of its infestation.

  Simon jumped out of the back seat. He stretched and yawned and looked up at his mistress with a wagging tail.

  Alison bent down and rubbed his head. “I know you hate this, but it won’t be long.”

  She squatted down and placed the muzzle over his head and made sure it covered his mouth and nose. He stepped back and pawed at her arms in protest but gave in and let Alison adjust the straps like he usually did.

  “Don’t look at me with those puppy dog eyes,” Alison said. “You know it’ll come right off after we’ve finished.”

  Simon tensed and Alison felt a presence behind her before she saw the shadow to her left.

  She rose to her feet. Her trusty knife was underneath her T-shirt. Simon didn’t growl, but he was tense and restless.

  “What a beautiful creature,” the feminine voice said behind her. “What’s his name?”

  Alison turned and stared straight into the face of Emma Leavens.

  Chapter 24

  Kyle pulled at his clerical collar and then rang the doorbell to Clara Reid’s home. The small two-story home wasn’t far from where Kyle lived. Clara was one of his first exorcisms. He thought she was back to normal but she hadn’t attended church in quite some time.

  Kyle wanted to know if he cured Clara. If not, he had to show Alison why not exorcising every one of these evil beings was a terrible idea.

  Clara was a woman in her late forties who once lived with her sister—Audrey. She used to help Kyle around the church when Miranda wasn’t available.

  Both women had lived with their mother until Elizabeth passed away six years ago.

  After Clara became possessed, Audrey couldn’t take the verbal and physical abuse Clara had been putting her through and she after she met a gentleman online, she packed her bags and moved to Virginia.

  Although Clara had insisted Kyle cured her, Audrey never came back and Clara never attended church again.

  It didn’t work. He knew all along, but now, he would save Clara from herself and prove to Alison that she shouldn’t leave the demon inside the human.

  Clara pulled back the curtain on her door and opened it.

  “Reverend!” She smiled. “What a nice surprise. How are you?”

  Clara was a thick woman with curly auburn hair, chestnut colored eyes, and pale skin.

  She loved her eyeliner and today it was extra thick with her eyelashes clumping because of her mascara. Her eye shadow matched her baby blue button-down shirt.

  “Clara, how are you? I was in the neighborhood and thought I would drop by to see how you were doing. I haven’t seen you in church for a while,” Kyle said planting a smile on his face.

  Kyle noticed Clara’s eyes darting around.

  “I’m so sorry, Reverend. I’ve been busy. Ever since Audrey left, my schedule has been all over the place,” Clara said. “Did you want to come in? I made lemonade.”

  Kyle nodded. “That would be great. I have a favor to ask. We’ll talk about it.”

  Clara’s eyes darted around again. She even strained her neck to look around where Kyle stood.

  “Is something wrong?” He asked.

  Clara laughed in embarrassment. “Oh, no. One of my neighbor’s dogs keeps gettin’ loose in the neighborhood. I was makin’ sure he wasn’t out again.”

  Clara stepped back and allowed Kyle to enter.

  Kyle stepped into the house and glanced around. Clara was the artist of Wolfpine and sold her creations at shows, online, and wherever there was room on the touristy part of town.

  Clara and Audrey were never ones that a person would call neat and clean. Both sisters had been guilty of hoarding after their mother’s death. Kyle had counseled them numerous times about their house and suggested professional help. Both sisters resisted the suggestion and still hoarded everything they could find.

  Kyle remembered one time when their dog had become trapped underneath all the junk and they spent hours looking for him. They never found him until the smell became unbearable and Audrey was the one who agreed to seek professional help.

  Kyle stood in the small foyer shocked about what he saw. The house was immaculate. All the junk they collected had been cleared out and in its place was a clear hallway
and to his left a living room containing brand new furniture.

  The only messy part—if one could call it that—was the dining area where Clara had set up her easels and tables with clay sculptures.

  Kyle turned around to Clara as she was shutting the front door. “Clara, I don’t know what to say. I am so proud of you.”

  Clara blushed. “Thank you, Reverend. Much has changed and only for the better.” She giggled and continued, “I got a job at the local golf course. It’s part-time right now but should be full-time by next summer and I’ve been dating.”