by Wendy Wang
"So, tell me, Charlie. Any chance that you had a dream? Because at this point, we’re a little short on leads," Ben said.
"Well, actually, I did," Charlie said.
“I don’t remember seeing dreaming in the job description,” Will teased.
“It’s not exactly,” Ben said. “But Charlie’s been known to have some pretty interesting insights because of her dreams and I’d like to hear them if you don’t mind.”
Will held up his hands in surrender. “Of course. Tells us all about it.”
"What happened?" Ben asked. He leaned across the table, focusing his intense gaze on her.
"I don't know how relevant it was to the case. But I had a dream about the little girl. You know, the one that I saw in the kitchen."
"The ghost girl?" Will said.
Something in his voice rubbed Charlie the wrong way. She threw him a death glare. "Yes, the ghost girl. Do you have a problem with that?"
"Me? No, not at all," Will said. “I’ve dealt with my share of ghosts. Of course, I’ve never stopped to worry about their feelings.”
"Of course you haven’t… because all spirits are the same to you, right?" Charlie said.
"Okay, enough. Just ignore Will, Charlie,” Ben ordered. “Tell us about the dream."
Charlie recounted, in as much detail as she could, about dream. She described the child hearing a noise, hiding under the bed, and then the confrontation with her father. Only it wasn't her father. At least, it wasn’t the man the girl knew and loved.
"So, he was possessed?" Will asked.
"I don't know. It's hard to tell from a dream. A lot of times these things don’t seem relevant until they are, if you know what I mean,” Charlie said.
“Yeah, I do.” Ben nodded. “Thanks for sharing. Hopefully something more will come from it.” Ben turned his attention to Athena. “Your turn. Want to tell us what you’ve found out about the book?”
Athena bounced in her seat and sat up straight, excitement filled her face. “I do. It took my program most of the night, but I think I’ve figured out what this thing is.”
“Your program?” Will asked.
“Yes, I ran a query against every database we have on ancient texts, which includes, scrolls, diaries, grimoires, and spell books. Everything magical that we’ve been able to catalog in the last fifty years. Anywho, I ran a query and it came back with nothing.”
Charlie exchanged quizzical looks with Tomeka.
“You sound really excited for someone who didn’t find anything,” Tomeka said.
“Right, because the text of the book didn’t make any sense. So, I scanned in the image on the cover and did a search against that.”
“And?” Will said. “The suspense is killing me.”
“It’s the tree of life. Or in this case, the tree of death.” Athena sat back in her chair, a wide grin on her face.
“A tree. I think we pretty much figured that part out,” Will said.
“Athena maybe you could explain a little bit more to us about the tree of life,” Ben nudged.
“Oh, yeah, sure. Sorry. The tree of life symbol is usually associated with those who are living.” Athena’s gaze shifted from face to face as if she was searching for confirmation that everyone was following her. She took a deep breath and continued. “Basically, the only creatures I could find that use the tree of life symbol in their texts are reapers.”
Ben stared at Athena. Charlie could almost hear the wheels of his mind turning.
“So you’re saying it’s a reaper’s book,” Charlie said.
“Yes. Well, probably,” Athena said. “We’d probably need to ask a reaper to be certain.”
“A reaper’s book is sacred. They don’t leave them lying around,” Charlie said.
“How do you know?” Will asked.
Charlie’s chest and face heated. “I’ve had contact with reapers before.”
“Wow, really?” Athena asked. “Maybe one day I could pick your brain.”
“Sure,” Charlie said.
"The big question I have," Ben said, "is why did John and Allison Cochran have a reaper’s book? How would they even have it?"
"And did they sacrifice their daughter’s life so that they could have it?" Charlie asked.
"That's a very interesting point," Tomeka said.
"The one thing about my dream last night that keeps coming up is how scared this little girl was of her father. Honestly, as crazy as he was acting, it would not surprise me one bit if he killed her. If he killed all of them," Charlie said.
"You did say that the little girl heard her parents arguing right?" Will said.
"I did," Charlie said.
"That could explain all the blood you saw, Charlie," Ben said.
"That's what I was thinking," Charlie said. "We need to get some sort of confirmation."
"But how exactly are we going to do that?" Athena asked.
Charlie shrugged. "I'm going to have to go back and talk to the little girl.."
"It's as good a place to start as any. Maybe once you've done that, you could call a certain reaper that we know and ask him to come visit," Ben said.
"I would be happy to." Charlie got to her feet. "If I'm going to go back to the Cochran's, I should probably get started. Traffic is kind of heavy right now so it might take a while."
Will stood up and slung his messenger bag across his chest. "I'll drive. I know some back ways that'll get us there faster. We can avoid the highway altogether."
"Great," Charlie said. "Tomeka, would you like to join us?"
"I appreciate the invitation," Tomeka said. "But I think I'll just stay here and make sure that the board is updated with all the new information."
"Okay," Charlie said. "Suit yourself."
Will stepped up to the door. "Ladies first."
Chapter 9
As soon as they hit the road, Charlie wished she had not agreed to let Will drive. She reached for the grab bar above her door and held onto it so tightly her knuckles turned white.
"You know, this is not the Grand Prix," Charlie said.
Will gave her a side-eyed glance, and she didn't like the smile playing on his lips. His hands choked up on the steering well.
"Am I scaring you, Miss Payne?" he asked.
"I don't know if scaring is the right word. It's really more of a cross between being pissed off and regret," she said, giving him a pointed look.
"Fine. I'll slow down," Will said, adjusting his foot on the pedal.
Charlie relaxed and let go of the grab bar. "Are you what they call an adrenaline junkie? Is that why you hunt vampires? Because of the thrill?"
"I'll admit there's definitely a thrill. But that's not why I hunt them,” he said.
Charlie sensed there was more to the story, but the energy he gave off felt stifled. As if he were a vault locked up tight. The silence between them felt heavy and awkward. She twiddled her thumbs in her lap. “You want to listen to some music?"
"Sure." He turned the radio on and pressed the old-fashioned channel button to dial in the station.
Charlie glanced around the interior of the ‘68 Mustang. " So, did you restore this? Or did you buy it jacked up like this?"
"My dad helped me restore it when I was in high school," he said. "It was our last project together."
Those words hung heavy in the air. Our last project. A million questions bubbled into Charlie's head that she didn't ask. She didn't dare touch him to gather the information she wanted so desperately. Not after what she had seen the first time.
"Do you see your dad much?"
"Nope. He's dead," Will said, keeping it short and sweet.
"I'm sorry to hear that," she said.
"Thanks," he said. "It's a hazard of the job."
"What do you mean?" Charlie asked, her heart growing cold.
"I mean, if you're a vampire hunter long enough, just about everyone you know and care about ends up in the line of fire, so to speak. Vamps are vindictive and obsessive
. Which are probably the two worst traits you could combine."
"I didn't know that," Charlie said.
"Well, now you do," Will said.
He reached over, switched the station again, and Patsy Cline began to croon about walking after midnight. Charlie shifted her focus to the window and watched the cars in the right lane blur by. After a few minutes, it made her a little dizzy, and she shut her eyes.
Her purse on the floor began to buzz.
"Sounds like somebody's trying to get your attention," Will said.
Charlie frowned and reached for her bag. She pulled her phone from the front pocket, happy to see Tom's name and the beginning of a text message.
Hello, gorgeous. How is your day going? Do you think you'll be home for dinner? Would love to see you.
Charlie couldn't stop the smile spreading across her face, and she quickly answered him.
I will do everything within my power to get home for dinner. My day is okay. Headed to see if I can make contact with the girl again.
Be careful.
I will.
Do you want me to contact the reaper in the area? If you give me the address, I can have him meet you.
Not yet. Once I talk to her, though, probably a good idea. How are things with you today?
Same old, same old. Story of a reaper’s life. I'm going to have lunch at the café today. That should liven things up a little.
Yes. Tell Jen I said hi.
I will.
Her fingers twitched. She wanted more than anything to type the words I love you. But something deep inside her was scared of saying those words. He called her love all the time. And, my love. But they'd never exchanged the actual phrase: I love you. She could feel that he was waiting for her to be ready. She just wasn't sure if that was possible. No matter how much she wanted it.
I've got to go, love. Have a wonderful day. See you tonight.
You too. See you tonight.
She sighed and put her phone back into her bag.
"Boyfriend?" Will asked.
"Yep,” Charlie said. Here was the opening to tell him she wasn’t available, yet something about Will made her feel a little defensive.
"I figured someone as pretty as you would have a boyfriend or husband," Will said.
"I'm divorced. And have a thirteen-year-old son," Charlie said.
"And a boyfriend."
"Yes. What about you? Do you have a wife or girlfriend?" Charlie asked.
"I was married once when I was young. It didn’t work out. Then I met Amy in my mid-twenties. We were never officially married, but she was my partner. If you know what I mean. We were together nearly seventeen years."
"Were? You broke up?" Charlie asked, already knowing the answer. Her senses picked up that his grief was not fresh and raw, but it was still bubbling under the surface, always ready to overflow.
"She died," he said his face a stone statue.
"I'm so sorry," Charlie said. "Was she…"
Where were the right words? Her stomach tied itself in a knot. She knew death wasn't the end. Not really. Not with all she had seen. But Will Tucker did not strike her as the type of person who believed in an afterlife. Her grandmother Bunny would know what to say. She'd have words of wisdom and compassion or sympathy for him. Despite all her sensitivity, sometimes knowing the right words failed Charlie.
"I can't imagine," she said.
"She’s still with me, you know, inside my heart," he said. His hands tightened on the wheel.
"Of course, she is," Charlie said.
Silence built a wall between them, and, after a few minutes, Will reached over and turned the radio off. He kept his gaze straight ahead, and Charlie sensed there was so much more to his story than what he was willing to talk about. When they finally turned into the Cochran's neighborhood, Charlie straightened up in her seat.
"Have you ever dealt much with spirits?" Charlie asked.
"A few," he said.
"Then you know sometimes they're unpredictable," Charlie said. "Especially children. A lot of their energy is focused on their fear."
"She's just a little girl though, right?" Will said.
"Yes, but spirits tend to focus their energy on whatever their strongest emotion was toward the end. If they were angry, they tend to be angry still. Although sometimes, they become angry after death if they feel like their death was unfair. This little girl who is scared at the end of her life, and focuses her energy on that fear, could be akin to a wild animal that's cornered."
"Dangerous then," Will said.
"Possibly," Charlie said.
"How do you deal with that? I mean, if a vamp comes after me, I know I can just chop his head off to stop him."
"You don't put a stake through their hearts?"
"I'm afraid that’s just a myth. You want to kill a creature, you gotta chop his head off. That pretty much stops all of them," Will said. "Although, there are some that react to silver. Werewolves for instance."
"Right," Charlie said, feeling like she had stumbled into a very dark wonderland. She shook it off.
"Let me do the talking once we get there. I doubt you’re gonna be able to see her unless she decides to show herself to you. That takes a lot of energy, and most spirits would rather throw something at you and stay invisible."
"Noted," Will said. "So how long have you been able to, you know."
"Communicate with spirits? Since I was a little girl," Charlie said.
"That's a long time," Will said. "I mean do you just see spirits floating around?"
"Sometimes I do. Usually if the spirit is haunting a person, I can draw them out by touching the person they’re haunting. And sometimes I end up talking to spirits, and I don't even realize they’re spirits until after the conversation is over," Charlie said.
"That must be kinda disconcerting."
"Tell me about it," Charlie said.
Will pulled his Mustang into the Cochran's driveway and put it into park. "Okay, this is your show. I'm just along for the ride."
"Let me just text my boyfriend to see if he can contact the local reaper?"
"Wait, what? You're going to call a reaper? Have you lost your ever-loving mind?" Will asked.
"I deal with reapers all the time. My boyfriend's a reaper," she said.
"Are you kidding me? Do you have any idea how dangerous that is?" Will asked.
"I'm not sure why you're getting all hot and bothered about this. I'm the one dating him, not you."
"You're right about that. I'd rather date a vamp. At least I could kill it if it turned on me."
"Tom would never turn on me. I don't know any reaper that would turn on a human being."
"Trust me, they would. They're more dangerous than vamps and just as obsessive. If I were you, I would get out of that relationship as fast as I could."
"Well it's a good thing you're not me, isn't it?" Charlie said. She scowled at him and then reached into her purse for her phone. Quickly, she darted off a text to Tom. His answer surprised her.
Give me the address and I'll meet you there.
I'll be fine. I don't want to interrupt your day.
You're not interrupting my day, love. It's more of a precaution. May I have the address, please?
Of course.
Charlie typed in the address. She bit her lip trying to think of what else to say. An argument to make. Especially after Will’s latest assertion about reapers.
I'll see you in a few, love.
Charlie closed up the text app and tucked her phone back into her purse. "He's on his way."
"Here? Your boyfriend is coming here?"
"You'll be fine. He's going to appear human to you."
"Exactly how does that work?" Will asked.
"He wears a glamour. You wouldn't even know he was a reaper by looking at him."
"Right," Will said. "We'll see about that."
Charlie rolled her eyes. "Let's just go in and see if we can make contact, okay?"
"Fine," Will
said.
"Fine," Charlie said. She got out of the car. She blew out a big breath and tried to release the frustration of dealing with Will. He was such a conundrum. On one hand, he was handsome and funny, but on the other hand, he was contrary and downright irritating.
Charlie rubbed the back of her neck and closed her eyes, taking a few deep breaths to clear her head. When she opened her eyes, she saw the girl standing at the window watching her. Charlie raised her hand and waved. The girl waved back, relief on her small face. Charlie took the steps two at a time, and when she got to the porch, she turned back to Will.
"You stay here for now, okay?"
"I'm supposed to protect you," Will said.
"I'll be fine, thank you very much. You just stay here so you don't spook her," Charlie said.
Protect her? Where the hell had he gotten that idea? She didn't need protecting from a ghost. She chewed on her tongue to keep from saying something she might regret. She pushed open the front door, leaving it slightly ajar.
"Camille? Are you here?" Charlie called to the house. She waited in the foyer for some sign. Charlie reached into her bag and pulled out the stuffed toy she had found the other day. "I've got your bear. I think he misses you."
The feel of a hand tugging on her T-shirt made her think immediately of Evan when he was small. Charlie turned and found the girl behind her.
"Hi, Camille," Charlie said. She held out the bear. Excitement shined in the girl’s eyes and lit up her pale translucent face.
The girl’s hand reached for it but stopped short. Her smile faded. "I can't really touch him anymore, can I?"
"You can, but it would take a lot of practice. And you probably wouldn't really feel him the way you use to."
Camille lowered her arm. “Maybe you should keep him.” Her face bore a sorrow that tugged at Charlie’s heart. "Do you know where my mom is?"
"I’m sorry, honey, I don't. I was kind of hoping you might know," Charlie said. "Can you tell me what happened? Do you remember?"
"I remember my dad was acting weird. And then my mom started to act weird, too."
"Did you ever see them with a book? It would be big and sort of scary looking. Maybe even scary feeling."
"My dad had a book in his office. I'm not allowed in there. But sometimes, I'm not a very good girl. I go in and look at the books on the shelves."