“Actually, I may be able to help. I’ll have to visit Veronica. I told you about Trecht.”
“Yes, you did.”
“I can have him join the search. But right now he’s off investigating the area around Puck’s home because of the zombie.”
“If there’s any way you can call him back, we can use all hands on deck. Even if they’re dead hands.” She paused, then added, “That sounds so weird.”
“Tell me about it. Actually, I’ll text Penelope instead of going out there. She can contact Veronica quicker than I can. I’ll let you know what happens.” I hung up, then punched in a text to Penelope. I explained the situation and asked her to contact Veronica as quickly as she could. Then I turned back to the others.
“Another girl’s gone missing. Arnica Jones went missing sometime between nine thirty and ten thirty tonight, so we may still have a chance to save her. I just texted Penelope, asking her to get in touch with Veronica so she can contact Trecht. I want to send him out to search for her. Let’s hope we don’t have another victim on our hands.”
A moment later, Penelope texted me back. i’ve contacted veronica. she sent word to trecht and he should be on his way to your place now. given the nature of the unliving, it won’t take him long to get there. i’ll keep an eye out for any spirits coming through the veil and let you know if arnica shows up. i hope not. she’s too young to go over.
While we were waiting for Trecht, I asked Peggin to send the rest of the information she had found online about the Soul Collector to Sophia, along with a suggestion that she check in with law enforcement agencies along the coast about serial murders involving teenagers over the past few years. As soon as we finished, there was a sound in the hallway and I looked up to see Trecht walking through the door. “I’m glad you’re back. We need your help.”
He looked at me, his face grim. “Tell me what to do, shaman. And I’ll do it.”
Chapter Eighteen
I quickly told Trecht about Arnica. Bryan pulled up the area on the map and held it out to him.
“I’d like you to search as quickly as you can through the woods. Sophia knows you’re going to be around there, so if you happen to find something—if you see the Soul Collector with the girl, or even if you find her body—could you let her know, unless it’s quicker to come back here.”
“I don’t reveal myself to the living very often. It doesn’t make for good relations. But if a girl’s life depends on it, I’ll do so. My queen would have me comply.” He headed for the door, vanishing before I could say another word.
I turned back to the others. “I hate to think that there’s another girl out there in danger. I can’t imagine what her parents must be feeling.” A knock on the door interrupted me. Bryan went to answer.
“Look who’s here,” he said, leading Gareth and a man who looked very much like the biker into the kitchen.
“This is my brother Liam. We’re joining the search team.”
“I assume Sophia called you?” I asked, glancing at the rough-and-tumble mountain man standing behind Gareth. He looked like his brother in many ways, though a few years older. He was dressed for the woods, and his face looked like it was frozen in a perpetual scowl.
“She did. Liam, I’d like you to meet Kerris Fellwater, the spirit shaman. That’s her guardian, Bryan. And this is Peggin and Deev, good friends of hers. You can trust them all.”
Bryan held out his hand and Liam slowly took it.
“Thank you for coming to help us,” Bryan said. “We need all the help we can get. There’s a little girl out there whose life is in danger.”
Liam grunted. “I know exactly how that feels. Come on, Gareth, let’s get moving.” Without a word, he turned and headed back toward the door.
Gareth glanced back at him, then looked at me. “I’ll tell you about that sometime. Until then, we’ll do what we can find her. I lost a niece to a pedophile. I’ll do whatever I can to stop anybody else from going through what I went through, or what my brother went through.” He glanced over his shoulder to Liam, who was waiting by the door. “We’ll call you if we find anything.”
As they left, I felt like we should be out there too.
“I feel so helpless right now. I want to be out there searching for that girl, but I don’t know if we could do any good. All I would probably do is get in the way. But there’s got to be something I can do.”
“Give yourself a break, Kerris. You’re doing everything you can think of.” Peggin carried our mugs over to the counter, rinsing them out.
I shook my head. “Maybe I am, but that doesn’t stop me from feeling like it’s not enough. I keep trying to think if there are any spells I know that could help. Or maybe, are there more of the dead I could scare up to search for her? There are a lot of ghosts walking the streets of Whisper Hollow. Why can’t I make use of their presence?”
“It’s not something that you can force them to do,” Bryan said. “You’re not a necromancer and it takes a necromancer to command the dead. You’re the spirit shaman and your job is very specific. Unless they’re causing harm, forcing spirits to work for you is as bad as drafting people into an army. They aren’t your servants.”
I stared at him, realizing what I had just proposed. “You’re right. I can’t force them to help. I can’t just use them like tools. I don’t know what I was thinking.” I sat down at the table, my shoulders slumping. “I just hate knowing that girl is out there.”
Bryan wrapped his arms around my shoulders, leaning around the back of the chair to kiss me. “I know. I can’t imagine what I’d do if something happened to Juliana. And if anything like this had happened when she was younger, it would have broken me.”
I suddenly felt bad that Juliana was sitting over in his house alone. I leaned back in my chair, looking up into his face. “Bring her over. We’re going to be up for a while. She’s more than welcome to come hang out with us.”
“Are you sure?” The light in his eyes warmed my heart.
I nodded. “I’m sure. It’s not the circumstances under which I’d choose to meet her, but we can’t always pick and choose our times.” I turned to Peggin. “You should go take a look at Frost’s family. I found them today. Mandy came over and helped me.”
“Who’s Mandy?” Peggin asked.
“Do you remember I told you about the woman who moved into the old Johnson place? Her.”
“I didn’t realize you were already friends. So, show me. I could use a smile.” Peggin followed me into the hallway toward the hall bath. As I opened the door, making sure the cats weren’t waiting to run out, I saw that the litter box had been thoroughly used. And there was no cat poop on the floor, so apparently Mama did know how to teach her children proper bathroom etiquette.
The mother cat was curled up on the big fluffy towel I had set in the bathtub and all of her babies were nursing, including Frost.
Peggin cooed as she saw them. “Oh they’re so pretty. Are you keeping them all?”
“I want to keep Frost, but I can’t take all of them in. I’m trying to convince Bryan to take them. You wouldn’t want a cat, would you?”
She laughed. “I’m afraid that the ferrets wouldn’t go for that. And my house isn’t big enough to separate off areas for them. Don’t even think of offering them to Deev. He loves cats, but his house is not animal-safe. If we ever move in together, he’s going to have to rethink the whole lot of his gadgets.”
We watched the cuddling family for a while longer, then headed back to the kitchen. I yawned, thoroughly exhausted.
“I wish I could go to bed. But somehow, the idea of going to sleep before we find out if they located Arnica seems wrong.”
“Maybe we should have a sleepover in the living room,” Peggin said. “We could camp out and watch old movies. And doze off here and there while we wait for news.”
Even though that seemed too cheery for what was going on, I decided to try to accept that I was essentially playing a waiting game right now. �
��That’s a good idea. Bryan and I have sleeping bags, and an air mattress.”
As we entered the kitchen, Bryan turned to me. “Juliana’s already in bed. She’ll come over for breakfast, and she told me to thank you for the invitation.”
“Can you get out the air mattress and set it up in the living room? Peggin and I decided we should camp out while we’re waiting to hear if they find Arnica. We can watch TV. I really need to lie down and I need to change out of these things. I’m so tired.”
“Why don’t you just go to bed, sweetie? There’s nothing you can do until they let us know.” He took hold of my shoulders, gazing into my eyes. “I know you feel guilty. But there’s nothing for you to feel guilty about. Finding the serial killer isn’t your battle. You’re doing everything you can to help. You need to learn when to let go.”
I fretted, but realized he was right. There wasn’t much I could do. Even if Trecht came back and said he had found the killer, all we would do was call Sophia. And although the serial killer was a necromancer, there wasn’t much any of us could do against him.
Reluctantly, I nodded. “All right, but I don’t like it. I don’t like feeling helpless.”
“None of us do, love. None of us do.”
Not wanting Juliana to stay alone, I told Bryan to go back to his house. I had Peggin and Deev with me, and I didn’t want his daughter to stay by herself in that huge mansion.
“All right,” Bryan had said. “But if anything happens, you contact me, you hear?”
“You’ll be right next door.” I leaned up to kiss him, gently pressing my lips against his. He pulled me to him, and I never wanted him to let him go. But, resolutely, I pushed him back, gently turning him toward the door. “Go. And come back tomorrow morning for breakfast, both of you.”
Reluctantly, he headed out the back door, crossing the yard between our houses. It was pouring snow by now, huge thick flakes that were building up faster than we could measure.
“That’s a good thing you did,” Deev said.
I turned around, a question in my eyes.
“Sometimes it’s hard for people to share the ones they love. You’re doing the right thing by encouraging him to be a father first tonight.” Deev gave me a warm smile, draping his arm around my shoulders as we turned back to the living room. “Have I told you how glad I am that you’re Peggin’s best friend? And that you’re my friend?”
I rested my head against the oilcloth of his duster. “Have I told you how happy I am that you and Peggin are together? You’re good for her, Deev. You make her happy, and that means the world to me.”
Peggin startled both of us when she walked around the corner from the living room. “If you’re finished with your mutual admiration society, why don’t you both come into the living room and watch Godzilla with me? He’s about to destroy Tokyo.”
I gasped, fluttering my hand to my lips. “Oh no, why did you have to give us a spoiler?” I asked, laughing.
“Hey, who knows? Maybe things will have changed since the last time we saw the big lizard go on a rampage!” Peggin giggled, curling up on the air mattress and patting space beside her.
I waited, expecting Deev to join her, but he motioned for me to take his spot.
“I’ll sit on the sofa. You two share the popcorn. I have a sandwich, and that’s all I need.”
As I curled up on the air mattress with Peggin, pulling the blanket up around my shoulders, Godzilla stormed the city. As we ate our way through the bowl of popcorn, he not only took on the military, but Mothra as well. Somewhere, in the midst of one of the big battles, I managed to doze off.
“Kerris? Kerris?”
The words echoed softly through the fog in my brain. Somehow, I found myself struggling with Godzilla, only he was my size and I was trying to punch him in the face. The next moment, I opened my eyes to find Trecht kneeling beside the air mattress. He placed a hand lightly my shoulder and his touch chilled me to the core.
With a gasp, I shot to a sitting position, glancing at Peggin beside me, and then at Deev on the sofa. Both were sound asleep. Trecht motioned for me to follow him, and I quietly slipped out from under the covers, padding into the kitchen behind him. He moved silently, like the ghost he was, and I realized again just how deadly the Unliving could be. He could have slit my throat if he wanted to.
“Any news?” I asked, shivering. The Unliving were colder than ice, colder than what I imagined a vampire would be.
“I found the girl. What do you want me to do? The police officer is asleep, and I didn’t want to startle her by waking her up.”
Crap. Double crap. “Where is she? Where’s Arnica?”
“Hiding in the woods. I think she’s lost. It looks like she escaped from the necromancer, but he’s hunting for her and she knows it. We don’t have much time until he finds her.”
“Oh hell. All right, I’ll call Sophia. I don’t know how long it will take her to get out there. How far away are they? I guess I should ask, where are they?”
“The girl is hiding in a ravine near a bridge that runs across a small creek. The creek runs past a farm.”
“That has to be Juniper Creek. Which side of the bridge is she on? The side closest to the lake, or the side away from the lake?”
“The side closest to the lake,” Trecht said. He looked bored, and I realized he had been telling me the truth when he said he really didn’t care what happened to the people involved. Irritated, because he seemed so callous and cruel, yet not wanting him to see my irritation because I needed his help, I stuffed down my feelings.
“I’ll call Sophia, and then come with you. You said that the killer is close to her?”
“He had her in his grasp, and she got away. When I left to come get you, he was chasing her through the trees.”
“All right. Wait here. I have to get dressed.” I hurried into my bedroom, yanking on a pair of jeans and the first sweater that I found. I struggled to put on my socks with one hand, and with the other, I fumbled with my phone.
“Sophia, the necromancer is in the ravine near Juniper Creek, somewhere near the area where the bridge crosses the creek by Raven Tree Farms. Arnica’s on the run. She escaped but he’s following her. Bryan and I will head there as soon as I get off the phone. Get the men out there ASAP.”
She started to protest—I knew she was going to tell me to stay home—so I hung up. Next, I called Bryan.
“Hey love, get your ass over here. Dress for the woods. Trecht found Arnica and she’s on the run from the Soul Collector. I’ve called Sophia, and if you don’t get over here in five minutes I’m leaving without you.” Again, I didn’t give him time to protest. I stuffed the phone in my pocket, even though it had started to ring, and I yanked on my boots, zipping them up. I threw on a heavy jacket, yanked on my gloves and hat, and headed for the door. Trecht was following me.
At that moment, the lights blazed. Peggin was staring at me, squinting, her hand on the light switch. “Where are you going?”
“Trecht found Arnica, and she’s on the run from the necromancer. I called Sophia, and Bryan’s on his way. We’re heading out because I don’t know if Sophia can get there in time.”
“You’re not going alone,” Peggin said, reaching for her clothes. She was wearing a loose nightgown of mine.
“You and Deev stay here. I don’t have time, and I refuse to put you in the line of fire.” As I turned toward the front door, there was a noise in the kitchen and Bryan came stomping into the living room.
“Where the hell do you think you’re going?” he asked.
“There’s no way that Sophia can make it there in time. Trecht knows where Arnica is, so he’s going to take us to her. The necromancer is chasing her through the ravine.”
Bryan looked at me for a moment, then nodded. “All right. Let’s go.”
“What about us?” Peggin said. “We want to help.”
“Stay here in case anybody calls.” Bryan grabbed my hand, and we headed out the door. Trecht was wai
ting by the car. I stared at him for a second.
“Can you ride in a car?” I asked.
“Yes, I can. And since you can’t travel the way I can, it only makes sense for me to go with you.” He stepped right through the car into the backseat. I shook my head, once again feeling the sense that reality had just taken another surreal turn.
I decided to let Bryan drive, so I got in the passenger seat and tossed him my car keys. As we eased out of the driveway, slipping and sliding on the new snow, Trecht gave Bryan directions. I stared out the window, hoping that we’d get there in time to save Arnica. And…what the hell were we going to do to stop the necromancer before he killed again?
Chapter Nineteen
The drive to Juniper Creek was tense. We knew the Soul Collector had a knife and a gun, but what kind of spells could he use?
Then I thought of Arnica and how frightened the girl must be, and I tried to push all the other worries out of my mind and focus on her.
Juniper Pond fed into Juniper Creek, which ran down into Crescent Lake. The pond fed from an underground spring, which kept it level year-round. The pond was surrounded by a park, a pleasant place, actually, at the bottom of a steep ravine on either side.
The creek ran through the ravine, beneath the Raven Tree Drive bridge, and then beneath the Snowstar Avenue bridge right before it emptied into the lake. Parts of the Katega Campground buttressed up against the creek. On the east side of the stream, at the top of the ravine, Raven Tree Farms spread out.
Unlike a number of thickets and copses in Whisper Hollow, the Juniper Pond area was actually friendly, and whatever spirits lived in that area seemed to welcome company.
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