Victoria House (Haunted Hearts Series Book 2)

by Denise Moncrief

  Gray’s heart ruptured for his best friend, fearful that he was suffering some sort of hallucination that was shattering his fragile psyche.

  A moan from Lucy drew Gray’s attention back to the ghost. Lucy’s body hung limp and seemingly broken from the apparition’s hand. Long arms. A reach that seemed disproportionate to real human dimensions.

  The slam of the door behind them caused Gray to turn quickly, ready to defend Tori from whatever new threat had entered the room. A sharp pain erupted in his leg. He groaned with the certain knowledge that he’d twisted his ankle.

  The unexpected bang must have distracted the ghost of Victoria Hamilton. Her bright face turned toward him. Her eyes seemed to pierce into his very soul. Tori gasped behind him. Perhaps she was experiencing the same intense scrutiny, an examination so thorough and so deep it seemed the ghost was cataloging every thought and every action he’d ever had. No wonder Josh seemed to be in emotional and mental turmoil.

  The apparition loosened her hold on Lucy, and she dropped to the floor with a thud. Tori gasped and jerked, pulling Gray backward, almost knocking him off his feet. He regained his balance and braced for whatever came next. The air filled with the tension of impending catastrophe. His deep breathing barely filled his lungs with enough oxygen. Light-headed, his mental functions seemed to move like a muddy river.

  Suddenly, in a flash of movement, the ghost of Victoria Hamilton had wedged between Tori and him. He panicked. How much energy could Tori give the ghost if she had hardly any left to give? Tori was mentally and emotionally depleted. Just as Josh seemed to be. Just as Gray was on the verge of being. His mind rebelled. One more stab of raw fear would send him over the edge.

  He had to stop what was happening, but he had no idea what to do. His limited experience with the paranormal had not prepared him for something so powerful. He reached for Tori, but a sharp, stabbing pain stopped him from touching her. He bent double with his hands pressed to his chest, struggling for his next breath.

  “You are Victoria.” The ghost breathed Tori’s name as if she was repeating the name of deity.

  Gray glanced up at Tori. Her reaction was incredible.

  She smiled as if the two of them were best friends, as if they’d known each other all their lives. “And you are Victoria.” She stretched her hand out, palm up. “What do you want from me?”

  “Peace.”

  Tori lowered her hand. Disappointment covered her tired features. “I don’t think I can give you that unless you tell me what you want from me.” Her voice rang with compassion and empathy.

  “Find him.”

  “Find who?”

  Tori’s countenance radiated kindness.

  A cold wind rushed around the room, seemed to materialize into a thousand tiny dust particles filled with light.

  “Murderer.” The ghost’s voice had turned harsh.

  “You want me to find out who killed you?”

  To Gray’s surprise, Tori reached toward the ghost of Victoria Hamilton.

  The door to Victoria’s bedroom flew open. A split second of comprehension. Halsey drawing his weapon, a piece he seldom carried because he stated often enough that as High Sheriff he shouldn’t have to carry a gun.

  “What in the hell—” Halsey’s booming voice split the scene into a million tiny pieces.

  Everything seemed to shatter in Gray’s vision. He rubbed his eyes, hoping the scattered bits of reality would recompose into something meaningful. The ghost of Victoria Hamilton had vanished as if she’d never appeared. Somehow Gray had landed on his knees on the floor with no idea when he’d fallen. From the corner of his eye, he spied Josh spring into motion, aimed like a projectile missile at Lucy.

  She was halfway to her feet. The gun in her hand shook, reducing the effectiveness of her aim. Murder raged in her eyes. She seemed more like an angry bull than a woman.

  Gray moved toward her until she pointed the gun at Tori.

  “You stop where you are or I’ll kill her. I swear.”

  Josh slammed into Lucy, knocking them both to the floor. Legs and arms tangled in a battle over the weapon. Their fingers intertwined, covering the grip of the gun. Josh wrenched the weapon from Lucy’s hand. She punched him in the face and he flew backwards, the gun still clutched in his white-knuckled hand.

  Halsey moved forward as if to insert himself into the melee. Gray finally drew in one solid, ragged breath and found enough energy to act. He grabbed Lucy’s arm and spun her around. Her fist landed on his sore eye, the one that had just been stitched after Josh slugged him.

  When Lucy knocked the gun out of Josh’s hand, the weapon slid across the floor, spinning and slipping until it hit the wall next to Tori. Josh pounced on Lucy. She threw him off and charged the nearest man, ramming Halsey in the stomach. Halsey’s gun thudded onto the carpeted floor.

  All eyes seemed to rivet on Halsey’s loose weapon. Lucy reached it first. Her hand wrapped around the grip, her finger on the trigger, the barrel pointed at Gray’s face. Their eyes locked and he viewed pure hate in the depths of Lucy’s soul. His heart seemed to stall. All his regrets zoomed his mind.

  Tori screamed and broke the lock on their gaze. She lifted her arms, one hand bracing the other. A faint hint of smoke floated in the air and promptly disappeared from the discharge of the weapon. The thud of someone hitting the floor caused Gray to shift his gaze toward Lucy for just a moment. Within seconds, a bright red spot appeared in the middle of her forehead. When Gray looked Tori’s way again, she was already lowering the gun she still held in her trembling hands.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  When the intense moment had passed, Lucy Kimbrough’s gun still dangled in Tori’s hand. She stared at the weapon as if she’d never held a handgun before.

  “Downing, look at me.” Halsey’s deep voice broke the eerie silence. “Slowly place the gun on the floor.”

  Tori transferred her gaze to Sheriff Halsey, who still seemed to be shaken by what they had all just experienced. She blinked at him; she didn’t think she’d ever seen the old man flustered. He shifted his eyes toward the weapon in her hand, clearing his throat as if he’d caught her doing something illegal, immoral, or improper.

  Gray shifted and took a step toward her. “Tori, it’s over. Give me the gun, baby.”

  Halsey inserted himself between them in a flash. “Don’t touch it, Grayson.”

  She found her voice, finally. For a while, she had feared she’d never be able to talk again. The words she had wanted to say just wouldn’t move past the huge lump of emotion lodged in her throat. “He’s right, Gray. You shouldn’t touch it. The fewer prints on it, the better.”

  He should know that.

  Shaw Bennett’s voice called from the floor below. “Grayson, where are you?”

  Everyone in the room froze, waiting for the state cop to find them. In a few seconds, his familiar face appeared in the doorway. A man she’d seen before but had never really worked with followed him into the room. Both men’s eyes gravitated first to Caroline’s body draped over the side of the bed and then traveled to the prone figure of Lucy Kimbrough in the middle of the bedroom floor.

  “What happened?” Bennett had never been one for small talk. Skip the greetings. Get straight to the point.

  She’d always hated that about him. Maybe she’d been too quick to judge.

  Tori held out the gun to the man who should have helped her clear her name in Little Rock but who apparently hadn’t had adequate skills to do so. No one had the skills to take on what had just happened in Victoria’s bedroom. What she had experienced alone in Lipton’s house in Little Rock had been just as intense. Tori was even more convinced than ever that sane humans shouldn’t confront things that couldn’t be explained, things that mere mortals were powerless to control.

  “It’s been fired once. That’s Deputy Lucy Kimbrough. The bullet is probably still in her head.” She pointed to the former deputy.

  Bennett motioned toward his partner, who pulle
d a pair of latex gloves from his pocket and took the gun from her with two fingers. The man disappeared into the hall and the unmistakable click of a latch filtered back into the room. She knew that noise. The man had brought a crime scene kit with him. Shaw Bennett had come prepared.

  Halsey seemed to suddenly pull himself together. “You with the State Police?”

  Bennett nodded his head. “Shaw Bennett.”

  “I’m Sheriff Halsey of the Hill County Sheriff’s Department. This scene is yours. I officially transfer jurisdiction to the Arkansas State Police.”

  “What, Halsey? No argument. That easy?”

  Halsey shuddered once. “I’ve seen something here that... We need someone outside this jurisdiction to investigate this death. Too many of our people are involved.” He seemed to study Shaw Bennett for a moment. “Shaw Bennett? You’re one of Gray’s ghost hunting buddies, aren’t you? The one he called out to investigate that weird death at Laurel Heights.” His bright eyes flashed with sudden understanding. “I see why Gray called you in now.”

  Bennett raised an eyebrow. “You do?”

  “I do.”

  Halsey glanced toward Gray, then in turn at Josh and Tori. “What I saw...I’ve never seen anything like it, and if Grayson had told me about it without me seeing it for myself... Well, I would have never believed him. I’ve always thought he was a little off in the head for believing in that stuff, but today... I know what I saw.”

  Bennett’s eyes flared with curiosity. “What did you see, Sheriff Halsey?”

  “I saw the ghost of Victoria Hamilton.” He pointed at Tori. “But we have to explain this in a way the legal system will understand. Our crime scene specialist, Tori Downing, saved Lieutenant Grayson from taking a bullet in the face. That’s what happened here.” He pointed toward Lucy. “That’s my gun in the dead woman’s hand. She had it aimed at Grayson. Downing kept her from shooting him. It was justifiable. We’ll all testify to that.”

  Tori winced. Why did he have to make it sound as if they were all covering something horrible up for her?

  “Is that what happened, Tori?”

  She pushed a stray strand of hair out of her eyes. Her hand still trembled. “Have I ever lied to you, Shaw?”

  “No. You wouldn’t even lie to get yourself out of trouble.”

  She blinked at him. He was right. That was what had caused the ruckus in Little Rock. She had told the honest to God truth and most people couldn’t understand what they didn’t want to believe.

  “That’s how it happened.”

  Bennett glanced toward the body of Caroline Grayson. “And what happened to her?”

  Josh broke into the conversation, his voice hoarse and barely above a whisper. He pointed toward Lucy. “She killed Caroline...as a gift to me.” His eyes met Gray’s, and Tori was certain heaps of unspoken communication passed between them.

  “How do you know?”

  “She told me so.”

  “Kind of a strange gift.”

  Gray unfurled his fingers. The digital recorder was still in the palm of his hand. “I recorded her confession. She killed both Jared Crenshaw and Caroline. She was psychotic. Thought she was protecting her lover.”

  “Were you her lover?” Bennett’s question rang around the room.

  Josh seemed to recoil from Bennett’s harsh tone. “No. I never even considered she might think about us that way. Maybe I should have...”

  Bennett rubbed his chin. From what Tori remembered of the man, he had a habit of cutting out the fat and getting to the meat of the matter. He motioned toward his partner. “Take that from him.”

  The other man bagged the recorder.

  “I’m gonna need a statement from every one of you before you leave here today. You better be thinking about how you’re gonna explain what happened without bringing in anything paranormal. That kind of thing doesn’t go over too well with prosecutors.” He glanced toward Tori. “Does it, Tori?”

  She bit her tongue to keep from snapping something mean back at him. He didn’t have to be so blunt. Bringing the ghost hunting thing into the investigation in Little Rock had been his idea, not hers.

  “Are you still angry with me, Tori?”

  She had been angry with him up until the moment he came into the room, but she suddenly realized the futility of holding a grudge against the man for what he couldn’t control. If she’d learned anything from her experience it was that a person couldn’t control a ghost or make one appear without its cooperation.

  Bennett approached Gray. “Are you all right, man? I mean, this can’t be easy for you...”

  Gray licked his lips. He hadn’t said a word since Tori fired Lucy’s gun. “None of this has been easy for any of us.” His eyes locked with Bennett’s. “But I’m telling you... This isn’t over. The paranormal activity in this area is intensifying. I would love to think it’s ended, but I’m afraid it’s only beginning. I think I’m going to need your help.”

  Bennett’s eyes traveled around the room as if gaining the opinion of everyone present. “You have whatever help you need from me. Dickerson is here. He doesn’t believe in ghosts, but if he hangs around me long enough, he will.”

  Tori pointed at Dickerson’s hand. “Maybe you should play the EVP we recorded. It’s probably still on that recorder.”

  “There’s an EVP session on that?” Bennett seemed genuinely surprised.

  She nodded. “Yes, much better than the static we thought was the real thing. That device has some interesting stuff on it as well as Lucy’s confession to both murders.”

  Gray rubbed the back of his head as if he scalp was crawling with fleas, a nervous reaction Tori had seen before. “Sheriff? I think I might need to take a leave of absence. It’s gonna take me awhile to get over this.” Gray’s voice wobbled a bit.

  Halsey glanced toward Tori. “Am I going to have to hire another crime scene specialist?”

  “Why would you do that?” Tori didn’t want to lose her job.

  “I assume that Grayson wants to get out of town for awhile. In fact, I think that would be in his best interest. And I was pretty certain that you would want to go with him.”

  She cringed. Rumors had apparently flown all over town about their budding romantic relationship. Her big mouth attempt at getting back at Gray in the diner had obviously gone viral.

  “At least, that’s what I thought you’d want. I’ve heard about how tight the two of you are.”

  “You can leave town, but you better keep in touch with me.” Bennett’s voice sounded stern, but compassion glowed in his eyes, an emotion Tori hadn’t been sure the state cop would let emerge from the depths of his emotionless soul.

  “Okay, let’s get started. Dickerson, call the local coroner.” He turned to Halsey. “What’s his name?”

  “Epps.”

  “We need these bodies transported to the state morgue in Little Rock. You’re gonna help me collect evidence from this scene.” He stared straight into the younger state cop’s eyes. “You’re not gonna repeat any of this conversation to anyone. You got that.”

  “I do things by the book, Bennett.”

  Shaw smiled. “I know you do, Dickerson. That’s why I asked you to come with me. I knew you’d do everything the right way. Now, we have work to do. You’re going to process this scene, and I’m going to interview these people.”

  ****

  The day turned into night before they were done, each of the witnesses to Lucy Kimbrough’s death interrogated in turn. When they were all free to go, they met on the driveway of Victoria House.

  Halsey sighed and rubbed his eyes. “Get some rest, Grayson. I know it’s gonna be hard to sleep right at first, but you look like you haven’t slept in days.”

  “I haven’t.”

  He nodded toward Tori. “Don’t leave her alone for awhile. She looks like she’s scared of her shadow.”

  “Hey!”

  Tori wasn’t a scaredy cat. Never had been.

  Halsey slapped Grayso
n on the back and then turned his mean glare on Josh. “You look like a wreck, McCord.”

  Josh scrunched his face, an angry irritated scowl forming. “Can I assume that I am no longer under arrest for Jared Crenshaw’s murder?”

  “Yeah, I guess so. But there is one little matter I think you need to clear up.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Where is Courtney Crenshaw?”

  Josh paled, his white skin glowing in the early evening shadows. “I don’t know. I’m really afraid...”

  “Of what?” Halsey snapped.

  Tori had never known him to be patient with hesitancy.

  “I’m afraid Lucy might have killed her just like she killed Caroline. At one point, she told me she wanted me to tell Courtney the truth like she might force me to tell her. I got the idea she knew where Courtney was. I’m still not sure what she thought I should tell her.” He pressed his lips together before he spoke again. “She murdered both Jared and Caroline because she thought they would hurt me. I can’t believe such a sick, twisted...” He seemed to choke on his words.

  Gray continued the conversation while Josh turned away from them, obviously trying pull himself together again. “Bennett is going to get the FBI involved in searching for her. He has some suspicions about Courtney and Jared’s association with Lucy Kimbrough that he wants to investigate.”

  Halsey was suddenly alert. “Like what?”

  “Something Lucy said to Josh... She mentioned Cooley.”

  Halsey nodded his head. “I’ve thought for a long time that someone in our office besides Sam Richards was involved in Cooley’s operation. I’m sorry, Josh, I believed that someone was you.”

  “Me? Why me? Why am I always suspected of every ugly thing that goes down in this county? Did you know what he suspected, Gray? Is that why you’ve been treating me like crap?”

  “Hey, I didn’t know anything about that, and I treated you like crap because you treated me like crap.”

  Halsey broke in, probably to diffuse the bomb that was about to explode if Gray and Josh started arguing again. “Because you are always involved in everyone else’s ugly little mess.”