The Dead Come Calling

by C. C. Wood

  “Maybe you should take the day off,” the man suggested.

  “I’d love to, but I took two days off last week and I need to work.”

  “Are you sure you’ll be okay?” he asked.

  Jonelle laughed softly. “This isn’t the first all-nighter I’ve pulled and I doubt it will be the last. I’ll be fine.”

  “Thanks for calling me.”

  “Well, I don’t know if Zoe will thank me, but I thought you should know.”

  “I’ll deal with Zoe,” he answered.

  Jonelle laughed again. “Don’t be too hard on her. She wasn’t thinking clearly last night. See you in a few hours, Mal.”

  The soft click of the front door closing brought me completely out of my slumber. My eyes popped open.

  I was lying sideways on the couch, my head on a throw pillow and my feet dangling over the edge. I must have collapsed sideways from a sitting position.

  As I pushed myself upright, my back twinged painfully. I was getting too old to sleep on the couch, it seemed. Or maybe it was because I was lying in an oddly contorted pose.

  “Good morning, Zoe.”

  I blinked and looked up to find Mal standing a few feet away, his arms crossed over his chest.

  “What are you doing here?” I queried bluntly.

  “Jonelle called me a few hours ago. My turn to ask a question. Why didn’t you call me?”

  My bleary eyes finally focused on his face and I realized that he was angry. Not just angry, but pissed. I’d never seen Mal anything but mildly annoyed, so the expression on his face was unnerving. Especially since I’d just woken up and my brain was feeling a little sluggish.

  “I was going to call you this morning,” I replied defensively, brushing a tangle of hair off my face.

  “You should have called me as soon as you were able,” he stated. His jaw clenched as if he had more to say but he were biting it back.

  “Why, Mal? You’re my boss, not my keeper.”

  The tension around him snapped. There was no other way to describe it. If I thought he was angry before, he proved me wrong.

  “That’s not true and you know it!” he roared. “I’m sick and tired of you using our working relationship as an excuse to deny our feelings for each other. We could be a helluva lot more than colleagues if you would stop using that bullshit to keep distance between us. Goddammit, Zoe, you nearly died!”

  I’d never heard him swear so much before. Sure, he would cuss from time to time, but never like this. I sat frozen in shock as he closed the short distance between us and plucked me off the couch. His arms closed around me, holding me so tight I could barely breathe.

  “Jonelle said your lips were blue when she came into the room and you were gasping for air,” he whispered roughly in my ear.

  The tortured tone in his voice broke through the fragile shell of denial I’d maintained the last two months. Tears welled in my eyes and my arms wrapped around his waist. I turned my face into his neck and sobbed.

  I was vaguely aware that his embrace gentled as he held me close, his hands stroking my hair, but I couldn’t stem the flow of tears. A few minutes later, I was able to gain a semblance of control over my emotions. I was surprised to find that Mal was seated on my sofa with me curled up in his lap. I hadn’t felt him sit down through the storm of my tears.

  With my face still tucked against his neck, I murmured, “I’m sorry I didn’t call you.”

  The hand smoothing over my back stilled for a moment before continuing the soothing motion. “Jonelle said you weren’t thinking clearly.”

  “I wasn’t,” I agreed. “I freaked out.” Taking a deep breath to steel myself, I lifted my head and looked into Mal’s dark brown eyes. “And you’re right. I’ve been using every excuse I can think of to keep distance between us.”

  The air hitched in my lungs as he lifted a hand and wiped away the residue of tears on my cheek.

  “Why?” he asked.

  My heart beat faster and I could feel Mal’s pulse pick up beneath my palm that rested on his chest.

  “Because you could hurt me more than anyone else I know,” I admitted, my voice little more than a whisper. “If I let you in, Mal, you could break me.”

  “I wouldn’t, Zoe.”

  I shook my head. “Not intentionally. You’re not that kind of man, but if things don’t work out between us…I don’t just lose a person I care about, I lose a life that makes me happy.”

  “Why do you think I’ve been calling you every day?” he asked.

  The sudden shift in subject confused me. “What?”

  He smiled slightly. “I’ve been calling you on almost a daily basis for the last week, Zoe. Haven’t you wondered why?” Mal’s smile spread. “I haven’t seen you in a week and I missed you. After having you right next to me for six weeks, day after day, I realized that I don’t like being away from you. Every day, something happens and I think, ‘I need to tell Zoe about that. She’ll think it’s funny.’ Whether you realize it or not, we already have a relationship that extends beyond work.”

  He was right. I’d missed him as much as he said he missed me.

  “Okay, let’s say I see your point and agree. What are we going to do?” I studied his face closely. “I like spending time with you, Mal, and I like the work we do together with Stony and Blaine. If we get more involved, that could change. It’s too early for either of us to make promises. I might drive you nuts after a few weeks or you might have some disgusting habits I can’t deal with.” I seriously doubted that was true since I’d become familiar with most of his habits while we were on the road. But, it was still an issue that might arise.

  I didn’t resist as he leaned forward and pressed his lips to mine. In fact, I practically melted against him. After our first kiss months ago, I hadn’t realized how much I wanted him to kiss me again until that moment.

  He drew back and met my gaze levelly. “First, we find out what happened last night and what we’re dealing with. After that, you and I take things one day at a time.”

  “Meaning we take this slowly?” I clarified, mostly to myself. A verbal reminder to my wayward body that there would be no fooling around.

  He nodded. “Until you’re ready for more.”

  “Are you a real man, Malachi Flemming, or a robot programmed to tell a woman what she wants to hear?” I asked.

  He chuckled. “Neither. I’m a man who knows what he wants and has the patience to wait for it. Besides, I’m pretty sure you’re worth the effort.”

  He kissed me quickly before I could tell him he was full of crap.

  Chapter

  Satisfaction filled him as he remembered the expression on her face when she woke up and saw him crouching over her bed.

  The fear had been so sharp and sweet he could almost taste it, even without the benefit of his host.

  Then she had arrived. The whore he’d killed all those years ago. She’d spoiled everything.

  Anger replaced the smug satisfaction. She needed to be punished. Women like her always needed to understand that there were consequences for their actions.

  He had plans for sweet Zoe Thorne. When he was done with her, maybe he would invite her friend over. The one who had been there last night.

  The stripper would have to watch while he did what he wanted to both of the women. He doubted she would be able to affect him when he was safely hidden within his host.

  Neither the whore or Zoe had sensed him when he was there before, wearing another’s body like a meat suit.

  He chuckled to himself at the thought. Meat suit. That’s exactly what he had. It hadn’t been difficult to force his way inside the head of his current vessel.

  Not that there would be much left of him when he was done. This meat suit was weak. Not physically, but mentally. The bodily strength he would possess was the reason he’d chosen the vessel.

  That and the proximity he gained to Zoe. He wanted to be close to her so he could watch her mounting terror when she realiz
ed there was no escape.

  He closed his eyes and inhaled, the fury draining away. He was in control. Zoe Thorne had no idea who or what he was. When she least expected it, he would pounce and she would be trapped like the prey she unknowingly was.

  He had plenty of time. When the opportunity arose, he would take it. Until then, he would watch and bide his time.

  Chapter

  I came downstairs after a quick shower to find that Mal had brewed another pot of coffee. Even after the short nap I’d taken earlier, I was still exhausted.

  “You are a gem among men,” I stated as I took the cup of coffee he offered me.

  He shook his head and went back to toasting the bagels he’d brought.

  I leaned a hip against the counter next to him and watched as he slathered my favorite brand of veggie cream cheese on the first bagel.

  “Thank you for coming, Mal,” I said, lifting my eyes to his face. “I appreciate it.”

  He smiled at me, the easy-going man I was familiar with had returned. It was as if he’d never been angry at all.

  “I wanted to see you anyway. I probably would have found a reason to visit in another couple of days.”

  My responding smile faded. “I just hate that you’re here because something bad happened.” I didn’t say it out loud, but I feared that it would happen again.

  “We’ll figure out what we’re dealing with and take care of it,” he replied, sounding more confident than I felt.

  As we ate breakfast, we fell into the same routine we had on the road. We talked about work then the conversation invariably turned to personal things.

  Mal liked a lot of the same movies and television shows I did. Though he teased me about my reading material, he borrowed one of my Regency romances a few weeks ago when he couldn’t sleep. When he returned it, he joked that he should read more romance novels to help him gain a better understanding of women.

  It wasn’t until after we finished and stuck our plates in the dishwasher that Mal brought up what happened last night.

  “I need you to tell me everything,” he stated. “The more information you can give me, the better. Details that seem small or insignificant can still be helpful.”

  Mal retrieved a digital recorder and a notebook from his bag, and we sat at the kitchen table.

  “I’m going to record this, okay?”

  I nodded and took a deep breath, listening as Mal stated the date and that he was interviewing me, Zoe Thorne.

  “Tell me everything that happened last night, not just during the encounter, but leading up to it.”

  I told him about Jonelle picking me up for dinner and going out dancing after. I couldn’t help feeling a little uncomfortable about that fact, especially when a small tic appeared in Mal’s jaw as I talked about going to the club.

  He didn’t interrupt as I went on to describe getting home and going to sleep. When my voice faltered as I began telling him how I woke up, Mal reached across the table and took my hand. His warm, gentle grasp centered me and I was able to tell him exactly what occurred without faltering again.

  When I finished the story, he questioned me, using his free hand to jot down notes from my responses. There were some questions he asked that I couldn’t answer, some details that were too hazy for me to recall. I wasn’t surprised by his thoroughness after witnessing his interviews of others while filming The Wraith Files. It was somewhat unnerving to have his intense focus solely on me.

  Mal finished interviewing me, turned off the recorder, and closed his notebook.

  “What now?” I asked.

  “I need to do some research. I know some online forums that might be helpful and I’ll have Blaine ship me some books from my library.”

  “Do you need me to do anything else?”

  He shook his head. “Not unless you want to.”

  Though it probably wasn’t very progressive of me, I was willing to step back and let Mal handle the issue. I didn’t want to keep reliving the moment that I awoke to find that black mass hulking over me. It was then I realized that I truly trusted Mal to take care of me. He said he would and I believed he meant it.

  “I promised Teri I would find the man who killed her,” I blurted out without thinking.

  Mal picked up the tangent without blinking. It was another of his traits that I admired. “How long have you been working on it?”

  “This week,” I replied.

  “Are you getting anywhere?”

  I shook my head. “I’m not sure where to start. All I could find about her was her obituary in the Kenna Gazette.”

  “All research has to start from somewhere,” he pointed out. I refrained from rolling my eyes, but he seemed to understand that I didn’t need to be told such things and laughed. “Sorry. I’m used to working with Blaine and Stony. If I don’t explain everything, they pretend not to understand.”

  “It’s okay. I’m just frustrated because I don’t know where to begin.”

  “You’re not going to like this suggestion, but reading newspapers from that time period might help you. And internet searches.”

  I sighed. “I tried, but nothing from that era is in the digital archives.”

  “It should be,” he replied with a frown. “Or at least for the larger papers.”

  I bit my tongue to keep from snapping at him. It wasn’t his fault I didn’t know what in the hell I was doing. I hadn’t had to scour sources like this since college and I’d never done research of this sort. I had a sinking feeling I was in way over my head.

  Again, Mal seemed to read my mind. “I’ll give you the passwords to some sites I use regularly. Maybe you can find something there.”

  I smiled in relief. Maybe I wouldn’t have to go back to the library after all.

  “One thing, Zoe.”

  I looked up to find him studying me intently. “Yes?”

  “If you talk to anyone in person, I go with you.”

  I knew he was remembering Steve and Trisha Dwyer, the couple who tried to kill us a few months ago. Steve had killed Trisha’s first husband, Hank Murphy, because Trisha told him Hank abused her. It was a twisted web that Trisha Dwyer wove and Steve had become ensnared.

  “Actually, until we figure out what attacked you last night, you aren’t going anywhere without me.”

  I doubted he would have been able to do more than Jonelle, but I appreciated the sentiment.

  “Okay.”

  “I’m going to make some calls and then we’ll get started.”

  He left the room and I felt Teri hovering behind me.

  “It’s rude to eavesdrop,” I murmured.

  She moved around the table and sat in the chair Mal vacated a few moments ago.

  “That man is crazy about you. Nuts. Gone. Head over heels. If you don’t get the stick out of your ass about him being your boss or whatever excuse you’re using to keep him at arm’s length, I’m going to possess you so I can have him.”

  “Teri, you’re not a demon. You can’t possess people.”

  “For him, I’ll figure it out,” she quipped.

  “We had a talk this morning and we’ve agreed to take things slow.”

  She stared at me as though I’d sprouted a third eyeball on my forehead. “What does that even mean?”

  “It means that we’re going to be more than work colleagues, but not quite boyfriend and girlfriend,” I stated evenly.

  “Boyfriend and girlfriend? What is this, the sixth grade?”

  I rolled my eyes. “What it means, Teri, is that we’re going to spend time together and see if what we’re feeling is more than a passing infatuation.”

  She grinned at me, looking completely unrepentant. “Infatuation? I love it when you use words with more than three syllables.”

  “I’ve changed my mind, you must be at least half demon, because only the spawn of Satan would enjoy teasing me as much as you do,” I replied.

  Teri shrugged. “You must like it or you would have gotten rid of me by now.”
<
br />   “You’re right. I should have let Marcy cleanse the house.”

  Marcy was a con artist masquerading as a medium. Mal had hired her to appear on the show for a single episode before he knew about my abilities. When Marcy was in the house, Teri had enjoyed tormenting her. Even now, the memory made me smile.

  “As if. The woman couldn’t cleanse her colon, much less this house. She’s a fake.”

  I shook my head. “You need to stop watching Clueless.”

  “Huh?”

  “Never mind.”

  Teri waved a hand. “Forget about the medium. Are you finally giving Mal a chance to ruin you for all other men? Because, if you are, you need to fix that situation down below.”

  “Okay, I’m done talking to you,” I declared. “The state of my lady parts is none of your business.” I stood and headed out of the kitchen.

  “Your lady parts won’t be anyone’s business if they get a peek at the seventies porn bush you’re sporting,” she mumbled.

  “I heard that,” I threw over my shoulder.

  “I meant you to,” Teri returned.

  Since Teri seemed to be determined to have the last word, I gave her the finger and left the room. Her laughter followed me out.

  Chapter

  I slept horribly that night, waking up with an aching head and burning eyes. I thought that having Mal in the house would help my anxiety, but I was wrong. I tossed and turned, every noise piercing the thin veil of sleep.

  At seven I gave up the pretense and climbed out of bed. Moving slowly, I took a shower and made an effort with my hair and a little make-up. Just because I felt like crap didn’t mean I should look like crap. I didn’t want Mal to see the dark circles beneath my eyes and worry.

  Then there was my vanity, not that I had a lot of it. Still, I didn’t want to look like death warmed over while Mal was in the house with me. Better to save that for later.

  Teri appeared as I dressed, took one look at me, and said, “I’ll go start the coffee.”

  She vanished before I had a chance to thank her. I decided then and there that we could watch Magic Mike XXL as many times as she wanted for the rest of the week as thanks.