Demon Street Blues

by Starla Silver

  “Is there something else, Charlie?”

  “To be honest, William, I’m not sure. I’m not even sure how to explain it. Something about this approaching moon feels different. Harder to control myself than usual.”

  “I will check if this particular moon has any unknown significance, just in case.”

  “Thanks, William. I’d feel a heck of a lot better knowing I’ll still be me when the full moon rises.”

  CHAPTER THREE

  Melinda followed her brother out of the front door, across the stone porch and down the steps of the Howard Mansion, stepping onto a cobblestone driveway. She froze for a moment, her feet suddenly unwilling to move forward. There’s so many people! Just people vacationing and having fun. She berated herself silently, fighting off the urge to run back inside the house.

  She took the next step onto the street. Michael wrapped his arm around Melinda, securing her to his side. Her panic leaked into his senses; would she be able to continue? It was early summer, which meant fighting their way through bustling-about tourists. But driving would be harder and take twice as long as walking, while waiting for tourists to figure out where they were headed, or while they attempted to park in cramped spaces.

  “Okay to keep going?” Michael prodded gently.

  She nodded and shook it off. “Fine, let’s go.” She left the safety of his side, her thoughts screaming so not fine! But rather than turn and run home she sidetracked herself by talking to her brother. “You shouldn’t be so hard on Charlie. He’s doing his best.”

  “Don’t be so hard on Charlie!” he repeated incredulously.

  “I know, I know. It’s just, you know how he gets around the full moon.”

  “How he gets is irritating. Infuriating. And really fucking bossy! And it doesn’t matter how close we are to the full moon.”

  Melinda groaned. What she said next would just make Michael angrier. “I’ll give you that he can be a pain in the ass, but he is kind of right though. You can’t leave, Michael. What would this town do without you? What would Charlie and I do without you?”

  “And just because I’m a Howard, this automatically gives me a life sentence to live on this desolate, boring, stuck-in-the-last-century-island?”

  “You’re right. It’s not fair, but it’s not so bad either. You’ve got Emily,” she pointed out.

  “We’re not dating,” he retorted haughtily.

  “And whose fault is that?” she snapped just as haughtily. “All you need do is ask. That girl is head over heels about you! You’re her baby face,” Melinda’s voice mocked.

  “This face is appealing,” he agreed, twirling his hand in circles around his face.

  Melinda hit his shoulder in a humored reply.

  “Really though, why start dating her now? I am leaving The Demon Isle,” he spoke determinedly. “And she has to stay with her father.”

  Melinda bit her tongue to keep from responding. What would it take to keep her brother from leaving? Perhaps if she had another nervous breakdown, this would keep him around. She chastised herself again. That was not a place she wanted to go back to, ever.

  With nothing else to say, she focused on making eye contact with the locals and tourists that hustled about the town. Many of the tourists were surprisingly polite, returning her gesture. The locals, however, just stared or ignored her attempts to nod or say hello.

  “And the friendly locals are part of what gives The Demon Isle its charm,” she grumbled sardonically, recalling that line from a Demon Isle vacation brochure.

  “Be patient with them, Melinda. Just give them a chance. They don’t all think you’re a freak,” her brother razzed, with a loving wink tossed in her direction.

  “That guy over there,” she pointed, “totally talking about me. It’s ridiculously obvious.”

  “Well, what do you expect, Sis? They’re curious. You’ve hidden yourself away for the last four years, ever since your dreams started and Mom and Dad…” he didn’t finish. He was already arguing with Charlie, he didn’t want to argue with his sister, too. “Look, let’s just do this favor for Mack, and thanks for coming with me. I know how hard it is for you to leave the house, but you’re getting better at it every day.”

  “There’s a part of me that wants to escape this place, too,” she admitted with a sigh. “But it won’t stop the dreams, which just get worse when I have actual contact with people. I really am trying.”

  “I know, Sis. You are. You’re doing really great. I mean, you only pointed out one guy that was talking about you behind your back today,” he jested, nudging her arm.

  She rolled her eyes as they turned the corner entering another street. It was lined with boutique stores, gift shops, pubs, grills, bars, café’s and even a company that organized tours of the Isle – anything from trips to the beaches, the National Park or even haunted tours through graveyards, lighthouses and old homes or buildings that were believed to be frequented by ghosts.

  The end of this street curved, landing them in a section of the town nicknamed Fortune Alley. It drew many tourists, eager to seek details about their future, or learn more about the Isle’s mystical background, or people that just desired to wrap themselves in fantasy for a day.

  Magic shops plotted this section of town, along with comic book stores, book and movie sellers specializing in sci-fi, fantasy and the paranormal; fortunetellers, and herb shops, which sold touristy things like love potions. A regular geekdom fit for any fan of the supernatural, or in the case of the Howard Witches, a place to buy the necessary ingredients for potions they used in real life. It also happened to be the fastest way to get to the morgue.

  As they walked through Fortune Alley, Melinda saw three psychics set up at the edge of the street, offering free, five-minute readings to passersby. It was a promotion store owners did often, in hopes of attracting longer, purchased readings, or to drag customers into their shops.

  Melinda wondered if they had any true foresight. She also wondered how many of them were aware of the true supernatural side of the Isle, as typically, only locals that had lived on the Isle for many years knew the truth that magic did exist here; a truth they preferred to keep to themselves. Nevertheless, they did allow rumors to spread, stories to leak, and even the occasional photo to surface (but only if blurry enough not to prove anything real).

  The only fortuneteller Melinda recognized was a woman known as Mystic Mona. She sat draped in long flowing scarves, mysteriously moving her tattooed hands over a fogged up crystal ball. She had told the Howard’s a long time ago that she was a complete fake, but for some reason she was also the most visited reader on the Isle. She winked at the duo as they passed by her.

  Near the end of the street, a light salty mist spread across Melinda’s skin. They were very close to the harbor. So close, she could hear the sloshing of the waves crashing up against the dock and the boats. “I do love this air,” she said, closing her eyes for a moment, feeling the damp saltiness layer across her face. She sucked it in, and upon opening her eyes, noted, “The view isn’t too shabby either.”

  Michael took a glance and looked at her as if to say No way in hell!

  “What? He’s cute.” Actually, way more than cute. Yummy to be more exact, but she’d never say that to her brother.

  “You’re afraid to leave the house, and yet the first guy you pick out of the crowd is the one on the motorcycle.”

  “Well it’s not like I’m running over there and just hopping on. Geesh! I just thought he was cute. And look, he wears a helmet. Safe driver,” she argued.

  Michael continued toward the morgue, dismissing her argument.

  Melinda watched the dark haired young man get onto his motorcycle. He slid over the seat with ease, straddling the metal machine and pumping the clutch hard. It roared to life. With each pulse of the clutch and vroom of the gas, a zing of excitement shot up Melinda’s spine. She pictured herself as the bike, thinking she’d let the guy pump her to life any day.

  Michae
l shook his head, letting out an annoyed groan. He didn’t need this. Didn’t need to know how his sister felt right now.

  Melinda swallowed hard, clearing her throat. “Sorry.” She wasn’t sure who was mortified more, herself or Michael. How was she supposed to keep her feelings to herself when he was around?

  “Just try to rein it in a little, please.” Sometimes being an empath really sucked. No strike that… it always sucked. Knowing what emotions people were feeling, all the time… God damn it, I need to get off this friggin’ island. Not that it would make any difference. He’d still sense what people were feeling. “It’s partly my fault,” he said to her. “I have a hard time managing it when I’m pissed.”

  She tossed him an understanding shrug.

  Traffic cleared and motorcycle man pulled away from the curb, making a U-turn. His dark eyes caught Melinda’s, and he winked as he drove by. Her cheeks turned rosy, a sudden self-consciousness awareness washing over her. She gazed down at her dress.

  I really need to pay more attention to what I’m wearing before I leave the house. I’m beyond pathetic. The dress was old, baggy and fell to her ankles. It was also comfortable and hid the shape of her body. No one needed to see her curves, or lack thereof. Curvy in all the wrong places. Maybe I should eat fewer donuts… what was it jerkwad had called her? Oh, right… adorable… not beautiful or pretty, or sexy… but adorable, with that look of yeah, you should lose a few pounds… yup, adorable was currently her least favorite word.

  Michael shook his head but held his tongue. His sister flipped through emotions faster than changing the TV channels. He almost wished the guy on the bike had hit on her, just to make her feel better about herself.

  Melinda sighed. Wink or no wink, there was no way a handsome guy like motorcycle man would ever be into her, never mind that he was most likely a tourist and would leave town any day. She would probably never happen across him again.

  She squeezed her fists in frustration. William’s dream had left her worked up and unsatisfied. However, picking up a total stranger was not the answer to her conundrum. Although as she thought about it, perhaps it was exactly what she needed.

  She squelched the thought. It was a bad idea. A stupid idea. Melinda Howard and strangers, even hot ones on motorcycles, did not mix. Look at what had happened with jerkwad! Did she learn nothing?

  Damn hormones and stupid sexy vampire dreams…

  “And we’re here,” announced Michael, loudly intruding her thoughts. He held open the front door of The Demon Isle Morgue, eyeing Melinda as if about to ask her something uncomfortable.

  Damn it. If it wasn’t William and his super vampire hearing, it was Michael and his ability to sense her emotions… could a girl not keep any secrets?

  “You ready to do this?” she asked, straying from topics she did not wish to discuss with her brother.

  “Um. Never. But it’s my duty, isn’t it?” Bitterness skimmed across his tongue.

  Mack, the town sheriff, met them just inside. She was a sturdy woman with keen eyes and sea-air worn skin that had never seen sun block. Her real name was Mackenzie Briggs. Most of the townsfolk called her Sheriff Briggs. But the Howard Witches had been assisting the local police since the Isle’s inception, plus the sheriff had also been friends with the siblings’ parents.

  “Ah, Michael Howard. You’re looking as scrumptious as ever,” said Mack, her eyes dancing in a playfully lustful manner.

  “Good morning, Mack.” He tossed her a seductive grin and a wink as he passed by her.

  “Yup. Scrumdiddlyumptious.” She smacked her lips, making a point to watch him walk by.

  Melinda laughed. She enjoyed how the sheriff taunted her brother. He needed to be put in his place now and then.

  “Where to?” Michael asked, his enthusiasm lessened.

  “Yes, to the business at hand.” Mack motioned for them to follow. She entered an examination room. “Always sorry to make you do this, Michael. But we’re stumped on this one.”

  “Always glad to help,” Michael insisted. He attempted eagerness, but wasn’t fooling anyone.

  Mack locked the door behind them. “I asked my deputy to leave. Told him I needed time to do my own investigatin’. Better to keep’em in the dark about this whole crazy supernatural thing as long as possible I figure. New guy’s gonna work out great though. ‘Course, I said that about the last guy…”

  Melinda chuckled.

  Michael stared at the examination table, which Mack stepped over to, gently lifting a sheet, exposing an intact skeleton.

  “Drybones is right.” Michael let out with a whistle.

  Melinda would have, but she had never really been able to whistle, so she just replied with a wide-eyed, astonished nod.

  The skeleton was lying flat on its back, except for the skull, which was turned as if staring at the siblings. Even skinless, its mouth stuck open in a horrified silent scream, its final terrified moments permanently etched into the bones.

  “Sure is something ain’t it?” said Mack. “Called you guys ‘cause I’ve never seen bones come in as clean as these. At first, we weren’t even sure they were real. Sure enough they are. Looks like something came across the body and just plain sucked everything right off ‘em!”

  Michael stepped closer. He’d never seen anything like it. Whenever Mack called on his services, it was usually someone recently deceased, that still had muscle and skin attached to the bones.

  “Diver found these bones in an underwater cave in Bloodsucker Bay,” Mack explained further. “After initial examination we confirmed it’s a male, and found damage that seems to indicate some kind of trauma.” She pointed out the spot, just to the side of where the heart should have been.

  “Considering where they were found, and the condition of the bones,” aimed Michael to the sheriff, “my guess would be a Sea Hag. I’ve never seen their handy work personally, but William’s told me about them. Our parents killed one when I was about two if I remember right. Sea Hag does not explain the trauma to the chest though. Hag’s attack their victims using a poison that releases from tentacles they call hair.”

  “Icky,” shuddered Melinda.

  “I’m with her,” agreed Mack. “Nice to see you out and about, by the way,” she added bluntly.

  Melinda just nodded thanks in reply, preferring to ignore the topic.

  Michael stepped toward the skeleton. He took a concentrated breath and extended his arm out to touch the bones. “Why don’t we find out what really happened,” he said, laying his hand on the skeleton. Michael’s eyes closed and began to flutter back and forth under closed eyelids.

  A long minute later, he gasped and let go, taking a few unsteady steps backwards.

  “You okay?” his sister inquired, concerned.

  “Ju-Just a little more violent than I expected,” he stuttered, catching his breath. Something in his eye told Melinda he wanted to say more, but held his tongue. After a moment, he turned to Mack. She always waited patiently after Michael’s assistance, realizing how equally helpful and disturbing his ability as a death reader could be.

  “This man was definitely murdered,” he informed her.

  “I was afraid you were gonna say that.”

  “Right before his death he was in some kind of rage… shouting like a mad man, but nothing comprehendible. It looked like he was trying to attack someone and that someone shot him, which explains the chest trauma. They left him to die at the hands of a Sea Hag, as I expected, which explains the stripping of the bones.”

  “Don’t suppose you could help a sheriff out and just tell me who shot this man?”

  “Sorry. No face. Only a gun.” Michael stepped toward the door, appearing eager to leave.

  “It gives me a place to start at least. Appreciate it, Michael. I always hate draggin’ you into these things… but at least you’re nice to look at.” Mack raised her eyebrow in sarcastic seduction, her tone laden with flippant innuendo.

  “Glad to help,” insisted Mi
chael, this time avoiding her attempt to flirt.

  “You guys’ll look into the Sea Hag?” the sheriff assumed.

  “Naturally,” he replied, grabbing Melinda’s arm, promptly departing.

  “Be careful!” Mack ordered. “Don’t want to be collectin’ your bones next,” she mumbled after their disappearing frames.

  Michael took rushed steps out of the morgue and down the street. Melinda grabbed her brother’s arm, forcing him to stop.

  “You’re clearly upset over what you saw. Talk to me,” she pleaded.

  His bit his lip, unease spreading splotches of red across his smooth skin.

  “I didn’t tell Mack everything I saw,” he finally admitted.

  “Why on earth not?”

  “Because,” he started, but stopped. He looked down, shaking his head, as if unable to believe what he was about to say.

  Melinda lifted his chin, making him look her in the eye. “Out with it, Michael. We don’t need two crazies in the house.”

  He inhaled deeply, and upon exhaling let slip out the words, “I saw Mom.”

  “What?” she breathed out in shock. “In the death reading? Just now?”

  “Yes. I saw her clear as day, Melinda. And if I’d told Mack everything, our mother wouldn’t just be dead, she’d also be the number one suspect in a murder investigation.”

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Charlie and William sat in silence thinking over what Michael had just told them. Twice, Charlie started to speak and stopped. Finally, in an uncertain voice he got out what he was trying to say.

  “Our mother shot a man? A living man? Are you absolutely sure, Michael?”

  “You know how my ability works, Charlie. It’s never wrong.”

  Before Charlie and Michael allowed their tempers to flare further, William intervened. “We all know that what Michael saw is truth. Therefore, logic tells us your mother had a very good reason for her actions.”

  “But a man, William? Demons, other witches, any number of other supernatural creatures, sure. But why this man? Could he be the reason our parents are dead?” A low growl rumbled in Charlie’s throat, and the whiskers lining his face stood to attention, thickening and darkening, giving him a sudden savage disposition.