“Excuse me?”
“We,” she repeated. “Are you married?”
“Oh, no. My boyfriend actually purchased the property.”
“Well, at least it’s a step in the right direction.” She turned her full attention to Landon. “Would you like to come inside?”
“That’s fine,” Landon replied, “but don’t you want to know why we’re here?”
“You can tell me inside.” She led us into an ornate foyer. The ceilings were so tall it would’ve been hard to make out the intricacies of the light fixture — if it was a normal fixture. It was so large I was fairly certain it wouldn’t fit in the guesthouse.
“This is a beautiful home,” Landon noted.
“Thank you. I’m very fond of it.” Heather acted as tour guide as she led us through the main floor of the house. It was an impressive showpiece, but her attitude grated. Once we were in the living room, I made sure to snag the spot next to Landon on the sofa because I had a feeling she would gladly take it. He raised an eyebrow but remained silent.
“We don’t want to take up much of your time, but there’s been an incident on the lake,” Chief Terry started. “Yesterday, in the afternoon hours, Ms. Winchester was checking her property when she discovered a body in the water at the camp on your side of the lake.”
“That’s horrible.” Heather’s hand went to her heart as she feigned shock. I was convinced it was an act. Unlike Eric, who was either a very good actor or honest, Heather wasn’t. “What happened?”
“I’m pretty sure Eric already called you,” I volunteered, earning a scathing look from Chief Terry that I ignored. “I bet we weren’t even out of the parking lot before he tipped you off.”
Heather’s eyes flicked back to me, and for the first time I saw something dark there. She couldn’t hide it. “I ... well ... he might’ve called,” she admitted, sheepish. She batted her eyelashes and turned back to Landon. “He thought I should know. We weren’t trying to put one over on you or anything. That’s probably impossible anyway. I mean ... you are an FBI agent.”
I kind of wanted to punch her.
Landon replied evenly, “It would behoove you not to lie to us. This is a very serious situation. Ms. Lennox’s death has been ruled a homicide. Our understanding is that her relationship with you and Mr. Savage was ... less than amiable.”
“He means you guys hated each other with the fire of a thousand suns,” I offered helpfully.
Heather briefly pinned me with a dark look. Her smile, however, remained firmly planted when she focused on Landon. “I didn’t hate Valerie. You mustn’t think that. I was frightened of her.”
“Because she threatened you?” Landon asked.
“Because ... she was obsessed with Eric. She was stalking him. Did you know she followed him out here and threw a rock through my window?”
“Mr. Savage related that story to us about an hour ago,” Landon replied. “Can you show us the damage?”
“I’ve already had it repaired.” Heather leaned forward, giving Landon a clear view of the cleavage packed into her skintight tank top. “I live alone. I didn’t want a hole in my window inviting anyone to come inside and try to have his way with me.”
“No one blames you for wanting to protect yourself, ma’am,” Landon said. “Just give us the name of the glass repair company you used and we’ll confirm it.”
“Oh, um ... I don’t remember.” Heather chewed her bottom lip, taking on a far-off expression. “I need to think. I paid the gentleman who came out in cash because he worked so quickly.”
She was full of crap. I didn’t believe anything she was saying. It was hard to determine if Landon and Chief Terry agreed. Of course, they were more likely to believe her because she was playing the helpless female and they fancied themselves righters of wrongs when it came to damsels in distress. In the Winchester household, they were fresh out of damsels.
“We still need to know who came out here.” Landon was firm. “I need you to tell me what happened with Valerie.”
“She was ... frightening,” Heather replied. “I didn’t even realize anything was wrong until the rock came through my window. We were just having a quiet night, enjoying dinner and wine, when I heard this terrific crash.
“We ran into the other room, and it took me a few minutes to realize what I was looking at,” she continued. “I had no idea that Eric’s breakup with her had been harsh. He didn’t tell me about it. I wasn’t even aware he was involved until after we’d already gone out a few times. I thought about ending things, but when he told me that he hadn’t formally broken up with her because he was worried about her mental health ... well, I took pity on him. He was trying to be a good man.”
I could think of a few other ways to describe him. “When was the last time you saw Valerie?” I asked. I could feel Landon’s eyes on me and knew he was agitated that I was inserting myself in the question-and-answer portion of the day’s events.
“The night she broke the window, Eric went outside, tried to reason with her. She took off. I was shaken, and Eric helped me tape the window until I could get someone out to fix it the next day. I haven’t seen her since.”
Landon pursed his lips. “Thank you for your time. If we have further questions we’ll be in touch. Before we go, we need to look around your property.”
“Absolutely. I’d be happy to show you wherever you want to go.”
I’D ABOUT HAD my fill of Heather. She’d insisted on giving us a guided tour of the property, which meant we couldn’t talk openly. I had a few things I wanted to say about her behind her back, none of them pleasant.
Chief Terry and Landon walked with Heather to the water’s edge, leaving me to trudge behind. I felt like the fourth wheel on a three-person date and it was making me grouchy.
“She’s the worst, isn’t she?” a snarky voice said from behind a tree to my right. When I looked around, I found an ethereal ghost watching the show with an angry sneer.
“Valerie,” I said in a low voice, keeping my eyes on Heather should she look in my direction. She hadn’t paid me more than a second’s attention since heading outside. She was much more interested in talking to Landon and Chief Terry. That was probably to my benefit, but it still grated.
“I wish she would just die.” The ghost momentarily solidified and the atmosphere sparked as she spewed her vitriol. Then she went transparent again.
I’d seen the phenomenon before, and it made me nervous. “Do you know what happened to you?”
“Yeah. I got dumped by a jerk for that piece of walking silicone.”
Her reaction almost made me laugh, but I held it together. “I mean do you know what happened to cause you to end up here?”
“I got dumped.”
“Beyond that.”
“I ... .” For a moment, fear flitted through her eyes and I thought she was going to bolt. She calmed and recovered enough to smile.
“I probably lost my job,” she said. “I should’ve seen that coming. I didn’t think Eric would go that route, because he didn’t want to risk a lawsuit. But I guess I’m not that lucky. Man, I don’t want to find another job. This sucks.”
I swallowed hard and risked a glance at Heather. She’d completely forgotten my presence and had continued down the shoreline, Chief Terry and Landon paying rapt attention.
“You didn’t lose your job,” I countered. “Well, I mean ... you did. That’s not what’s important. Why are you still here? Did something happen to keep you here?”
She looked confused. “What are you talking about?”
I hated it when they didn’t realize they were dead. Talking to ghosts was difficult enough without having to drop the big death bomb on them. Some didn’t take it well, and I had a feeling Valerie would be one of them.
“So ... what day do you think it is?”
“I don’t know. No, wait, it’s ... Saturday.” She was obviously taking a wild guess.
“It’s at least a week and a half later than yo
u think it is. Most likely two weeks. You never left this place.”
“What do you mean?”
I sighed. “You never left this place.” I didn’t know another way to tell her, so I just blurted it out. “I found your body in the water yesterday. It had washed down to the campground. I’m guessing you never left here after what happened two weeks ago. Whether Heather or Eric had a hand in what happened to you I can’t say. I only know that you’re dead.”
Valerie’s mouth dropped open and she fixed me with a look of pure shock. It was quickly replaced with anger. “That’s not true.”
“I’m afraid it is.”
“Well, it’s not.” As if to prove it to herself, she took a swipe at my arm. Her hand passed through me. “I ... .” The stark white of her features made me distinctly uncomfortable.
“It’s okay,” I said in a gentle voice. “I can help you. We just need to figure out what happened and go from there.”
“No.” She jerked away from me as if she’d been scorched, although I knew she wasn’t feeling anything, at least on a physical level. “This isn’t right. I’m ... dreaming. That’s what it is.”
“You’re dreaming of me?” I sent her a rueful smile. “How likely do you think that is?”
“I’m not dead!” She practically screamed, causing the leaves above to whip hard.
I stared at them, worry coursing through me. When a ghost was powerful enough to affect his or her surroundings, the outcome was never good. I had to be careful with Valerie, but I had no idea how to stop the transformation I was certain would eventually overtake her.
I licked my lips, debating what I should say. When I glanced back to where she’d been floating only seconds before, she was gone. Obviously the news had been too much for her.
“Are you okay?” Heather asked, causing my shoulders to jerk as I forced my attention back to her. She stood too close, and the expression on her face was unreadable.
“I’m fine.” I flashed a smile I didn’t feel, wondering how long she’d been watching me. “I was just admiring your property. It’s truly lovely.”
“Thank you.” She beamed at me. “It’s a work in progress, but I love it. Come along. You don’t want to fall behind.”
“Definitely not.”
Seven
“What do you think?” Landon asked when we were back in Chief Terry’s vehicle and heading to town.
“She’s ... interesting,” Chief Terry replied after a few seconds, his focus on the road. “I’m not sure I believe everything she’s selling, but looking at her, it’s difficult to believe she could kill someone.”
I snorted. “Excuse me? She’s totally capable of killing someone. She spent the entire time we were there lying.”
“How do you figure that?” Landon asked.
“Well, if you two had bothered to focus on anything other than how tight her pants were — or how low the vee in her shirt dipped — you would’ve realized she couldn’t come up with the name of a window repair place. That means their story about Valerie throwing a rock through the window is bull.”
Amusement flitted across Landon’s features. “She said she was going to find the name of the contractor and call us.”
“Which means she’s going to conveniently forget to call you because she’s so upset about Valerie’s death happening so close to her property,” I shot back. “You’re going to be calling to remind her in twenty-four hours — that is if you don’t find an excuse to stop out there. She’s going to run a sob story on you.”
“Tell me how you really feel,” Landon drawled.
“That is how I really feel.”
He was silent a moment. “Are you really that jealous?”
I found the question insulting. “I’m not jealous. Why do you think I’m jealous? I don’t get jealous. Besides, she’s fake. There’s nothing to be jealous about. I’m real.”
“You are definitely real,” Landon agreed, his expression hard to read. “You know you have nothing to be jealous about, right?”
“Of course not. I’m the prettiest witch in all the land,” I drawled.
He smirked. “I also love you so much I’ve become blind to all other women.”
That was a huge load of crap. “Uh-huh.”
“It’s true.” Landon faced forward. “All I see when I think of beauty is you.”
“I think I’m starting to smell something,” Chief Terry noted. “It’s a distinctive smell. It kind of reminds me of dog crap.”
Landon refused to be drawn in further. “Make fun of me all you want, but Bay’s too pretty and sweet for me to ever look at another woman.”
Chief Terry met my gaze in the rearview mirror. “You’re not buying this, are you?”
I knew Landon was laying it on thick, but I couldn’t stop from smiling. “It’s likely crap,” I agreed.
“It is.”
“I still like hearing it. I guess that makes me a girl after all.”
Landon smirked and reached back to squeeze my hand. “I meant every word. Now, tell me what you and the ghost talked about. I knew you’d found her the way you were hanging back and avoiding Heather.”
“I was trying to avoid Heather because she’s annoying,” I replied. “As for Valerie ... I don’t know.” I sobered as I thought back to the way she’d sparked. “I’m a little worried.”
“About what?” Chief Terry pressed. “She’s dead. What more could happen to her?”
“She seems consumed by rage.”
Landon looked curious. “And?”
“When a ghost is consumed by rage, things can ... happen.”
He feigned patience, but I could tell he was agitated. “I need more than that, Bay. Give me a for instance and we’ll go from there.”
“Okay, for instance, do you remember when Floyd’s ghost went nuts and started throwing dishes in the dining room of the inn because he wanted to kill us? That’s what happens when ghosts are consumed by rage.”
Landon worked his jaw. The memory of dealing with Floyd Gunderson probably hadn’t fallen out of his head, but it happened so long ago that it was unlikely still at the forefront. At the time he’d been melting down because I was thrown from a horse and his family was in town for a formal meet-and-greet with my family. Since then, we’d faced off with a number of enemies, most far more terrifying than Floyd.
“He was a poltergeist,” Landon said. “I remember you explained that to me. Are you saying that Valerie is a poltergeist?”
It was a tricky question. “She showed signs of going that route,” I said. “I have no proof that will happen, but she was agitated, to the point she might finish the journey and turn completely bad.”
“What does that mean?” Chief Terry asked. “If she turns into a full-fledged poltergeist, is Heather in danger?”
“You would worry about that first and foremost,” I muttered, shaking my head. “I’m so telling Mom.”
He didn’t fly off the handle or admonish me to keep quiet. Instead, he remained calm and fixed me with a pointed look. “While I don’t want to spout ridiculous sonnets and look like a wimp like Landon here, you know darned well I have no interest in that woman. She is a resident and it’s my job to keep her safe.
“I’m serious,” he continued. “Do you think she’s in physical danger?”
It was a straightforward question. Unfortunately, I had nothing but convoluted answers. “I don’t know.” I held out my hands and shrugged. “Valerie could be dangerous. The thing is, she didn’t know she was dead. To her it was perfectly normal to be hanging out in the woods by Heather’s house. When I told her the truth, she freaked out and took off. I’m not sure what to believe about her.”
“Well ... maybe I should send one of the uniforms out there to watch the house,” Chief Terry said after a few moments of contemplation. “I can use the excuse that we’re trying to keep Heather safe in case there’s a killer on the loose.”
“It might not be a bad idea,” Landon agreed.
“We don’t know that Valerie is dangerous,” I argued, annoyance bubbling up. “She obviously has an attitude where Heather is concerned, but can you blame her? She thought things were fine with Eric and then she got dumped for a Barbie doll with money.”
“Wow.” Landon shot me a sidelong look, his lips curving. “You really are worked up about her. I can’t help being surprised. You’ve never struck me as the jealous type.”
I didn’t return the smile he lobbed in my direction. “I’m not jealous. Stop saying that.”
“Then what are you?”
“I don’t know.” That was the truth. I was frustrated and yet I couldn’t identify why. “If you want to know the truth, I think I’m picking up on Valerie’s emotions. Or, it’s conceivable that now that Clove is back she’s affecting my emotions again. But she seemed perfectly happy last night.
“I guess it’s possible that she was covering,” I continued, babbling on for my benefit more than theirs as Chief Terry navigated toward town. “She pinned everything on that wedding, kept saying that she would be fine once they were married and could focus on the baby. Maybe now that she’s back, she realizes that it’s more than she can handle.”
Landon’s expression was grave. “What?” I asked. “It’s possible.”
“It is possible,” he agreed, “but I don’t like either of those options — especially because they didn’t occur to me.”
“Well, I’m sure there’s nothing to worry about,” I offered, forcing a smile for his benefit. “Clove’s emotions will be a rollercoaster for the remainder of her pregnancy, but she waited so long to tell people that it won’t be long until we reach the end of the ride. Three more months and we’re home free.”
“I still don’t want you upset.” He was thoughtful. “Between Clove’s inability to control her own magic and your powers growing every time I turn around, I don’t know what to believe.”
His concern wiped away the remnants of my annoyance. “It’s going to be okay,” I reassured him. “If it’s something weird, we’ll deal with it. We always do.”
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