An older section of town, prone to flooding, there wasn’t much out here other than warehouses and boat sheds.
The necklace emitted a powerful burst of cold that burned into my skin. I pulled over to the side of the road and grasped the necklace, desperate to rip it off, whimpering when ice claimed my fingers. The cold radiated throughout the rest of my body, washing over me, followed by a massive wrench, like being sucked into a tidal wave.
Mist wrapped around me and I screamed, but it caught in my throat. I thrashed, my free hand struggling to reach the seatbelt so I could escape before Grimm came for me, but my fingers passed through my body. I glanced down and forgot about Grimm, forgot my fear.
Grimm hadn’t sent the mist to get me. I was the mist. I floated above my body, weightless and incorporeal like a ghost. My hair undulated around me as I drifted up, through the roof of my car, answering the call to reap.
Chapter 5
I hovered above the car, diaphanous hand gripping my necklace. I could see my body slumped in the front seat, surrounded by a faint glow. I’d heard about people having out of body experiences, but had never believed any of it to be real. Now I was the astral projection.
I started to move, my ethereal body picking up speed as it streamed through the night sky. I caught a glimpse of shadows dancing at the corner of my eyes and swivelled my head but couldn’t see what had caused them. I wanted to slow down and investigate but had no control over my direction or speed.
Within seconds I had travelled two blocks and came to a floating stop at the entrance to a laneway running between two large warehouses that had been turned into apartment blocks. A man lay slumped against the side of a large blue bin, not moving. I floated closer, sure he was dead. I had taken too long. My first reaping and I’d missed it.
He coughed; a weak stuttering sound that bubbled out of him. I didn’t know whether to be relieved or frightened. Blood coated the front of his shirt, gushing from an ugly gash in his chest. No longer cold beneath my hand, the necklace pulsed, warm and eager to taste his soul. I drifted closer, close enough to see blood at the corners of his mouth. A knife lay beside him, the blood-stained blade an obscene reminder of a violent act.
In contrast, the man appeared almost peaceful. His eyes were closed, dark lashes as delicate as spider webs fluttering with each shallow breath. Then he opened his eyes and stared right at me as I hovered beside him.
I don’t know what he saw when he looked at me, but his lips curved into a smile as he took one final breath.
After what had happened when I’d reaped the soul of the monster who’d murdered me, I didn’t want to take this soul but couldn’t stop myself from reaching towards the light shining below his throat. Answering my call, his soul rose up out of his body and flew into my nebulous grasp. A gentle wave of pleasure rippled in the air, a reward for easing this man’s burden. My fingers gripped the soul, carefully transferring it to my necklace.
Then I skimmed over the top of the warehouses. This time there were no shadows but I couldn’t shake the feeling I was not the only person roaming the astral plane. I swooped into the car and experienced a jolt of electricity as I entered my body. My eyes were open but I couldn’t move, locked inside my own body, incapable of action. Before I could panic the paralysis lifted and as soon as I could make my muscles respond I sat up and peered around to make sure I was still alone.
The stillness of the night remained unbroken, no sign of life, nothing to disturb the living or the dead. My eyes went wide and I turned in my seat to face the direction of the laneway. The police needed to be notified about the man’s death. I fumbled on the seat beside me, but came up empty. I had left my mobile back at the flat. I’d call them once I got home.
Or would I?
If I called the police, and told them a man had been stabbed, how would I explain where I had come by this knowledge? I couldn’t get involved in a police investigation, especially not on the night I’d also been stabbed to death.
‘Well done, Tyler.’
I spun around, scanning the car for Grimm, but there was no sign of him. I faced the front again, gasping when I caught his reflection in the rear view mirror. I twisted so I could see the back seat. Still empty, yet I could clearly see him in the mirror.
‘What do you want?’ My voice sounded croaky, dry, like I hadn’t talked for years. I cleared my throat and swallowed, saliva loosening my tongue. ‘You were watching?’ Even though his sudden appearance unsettled me, having a reason for the strange sensations I’d felt while I’d been in astral form took the edge off my unease.
‘It is reaper policy to keep a close eye on a novice for their first reap. It’s not like taking a soul in the heat of battle and I wasn’t sure if you’d have the stomach for it.’ He licked his lips slowly and I shuddered.
‘You don’t have to worry. I can do my job. You can go stalk someone else.’
Even as a reflection his glare had the power to chill. My throat began closing over, lungs frozen in the act of taking a breath. ‘If you failed to reap I would have revoked your resurrection immediately. But don’t get distracted by reaping and lose sight of the only reason you’re alive. As long as you are useful to me, you’ll stay that way. Fail me and your time in the Underworld will be as unpleasant as I can make it.’
His reflection faded and I could breathe again, but for how much longer? And even if I did manage to find Ash before my deadline expired, I still had one thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine more souls to reap to fulfil my contract with the Grim Reaper. One thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine people I would have to watch die. How long before I wished for death?
I didn’t have time to ponder this gloomy line of thought. I could hear sirens approaching and resisted the urge to start the car and speed off in the other direction. I slumped back and waited for the police car to rush passed me. The two officers inside barely glanced at me, but the man driving the unmarked car behind theirs stared into my eyes as he drove by. When his vehicle rounded the corner I gave in to the urge to flee the scene of the crime.
Mind blank, drained, my confrontation with Grimm enough to tip me over the edge into crazy land, I checked the clock on the dash. Five am. Hard to believe so much had happened in so little time. My problems were mounting and I had no idea how to deal with them and no energy to even try. I pulled into my driveway and opened the door, forcing my weary legs to move.
Once inside the flat I tossed my keys down on the coffee table and headed back to bed, dragging the covers over my head and blocking out all sound as I sought the oblivion of sleep, tears soaking the pillow beneath my cheek.
I was dreaming about my mother when a loud banging intruded. I sat up, relieved by the interruption. Mum died in a car accident when I was still a baby. Every now and then my sleeping mind offered up glimpses of what my life might have been like if twenty-five years ago I hadn’t been crying so loudly my mum had been forced to take her eyes off the road to tend to me.
Most of my dreams were good, filled with love, laughter and a mother’s warm embrace. This one had me choked with guilt and the realisation I had destroyed my one chance at a normal childhood.
The pounding on my front door continued. I glanced at the clock and shrieked. Quarter past nine? I was late for work.
I bolted out of my room and wrenched open the front door. ‘What the hell…?’
I froze, mouth half open and my brain going into overdrive. Even though it had only been a fleeting glimpse, I recognised him. This was the guy who’d stared at me as he’d followed the police car to the crime scene. Dressed in a navy suit and with close cropped brown hair and dark sunglasses, his demeanour shouted law enforcement.
‘Tyler Morgan?’
‘Yes?’
He removed his sunglasses. ‘I’m Detective Sam Lockwood and I have a few questions for you.’ He held out a badge for me to inspect. ‘May I come in?’
I shook my head, flushing. ‘This isn’t a good time. I overslept and I’m late for w
ork.’ I ran a hand through my hair to smooth it down. Having gone to bed with it wet, it resisted my attempt to tame it.
His gaze travelled from my bare feet and up to my tangled mess of hair. I wrapped my arms around my middle.
‘If you prefer, I could take you down to the station and question you there. I’m sure your boss won’t mind if you’re late on account of a police investigation. I can even ring and explain the situation to your boss if you like.’ His hazel eyes twinkled and laugh lines appeared on either side of his mouth as he smiled at me. The smile turned an attractive face into a devastating one, but the intent behind his words almost made me forget his handsome exterior.
‘Fine, come on in.’ I stalked back inside, cursing under my breath at my bad luck.
‘Sorry, I didn’t catch that.’ Amusement filled his husky voice and I could tell he was laughing at me.
‘You weren’t supposed to.’ I spun around to face him, annoyed by the calm and considered perusal he gave me and the contrast between our appearances. He was immaculate, while it must look like I’d slept by the side of the road.
‘Detective, I’ve had a bad night and this day isn’t shaping up any better. The sooner you ask your questions, the sooner I can get on with my life.’ I bit off the rest of what I wanted to say, the urge to confess almost undoing my tongue. He was a police officer, a profession I had been told to trust since kindergarten. What better way to ease my trouble than to tell all to a member of law enforcement?
The police might be the “go-to” guys for standard crime, but reaping souls and resurrecting the dead didn’t fall under their jurisdiction. I had to ensure Detective Lockwood had no reason to delve beneath the surface when it came to what I’d been up to for the last thirteen hours.
‘Why don’t you have a seat and we’ll get this over with.’ Detective Lockwood took a seat on the coffee table and indicated for me to take the armchair directly in front of him, redirecting my thoughts to the here and now.
Not fool enough to sit so close to him, sweat beading on my upper lip, I moved to the couch and sat on the edge. I wiped my face dry and peeked at the clock. My boss was going to kill me, and I was going to kill Sarah for not waking me, if I got out of this interview without being arrested on suspicion of murder.
I figured tapping my fingers on the arm of the couch would let him know how much of a hurry I was in, but the detective took his time pulling a pen out of one pocket and a small notebook out of another.
‘Can you speed this up?’
‘Miss Morgan, am I making you nervous?’ He pinned knowing eyes on me and I froze, struggling not to fidget.
‘You’re making me even later. I need to get to work before my boss decides to fire me.’ The way he watched me, so intent and focused, I again had the urge to tell him everything. I clenched my jaw to cut off the spill of words threatening to erupt from my mouth and glowered at him instead.
His hazel eyes twinkled. ‘We wouldn’t want that, so how about you tell me why you were sitting in your car on Riverside Drive at a quarter to five this morning?’
I gave a nonchalant shrug, working hard to keep my expression open as I pushed the image of the man whose soul I’d reaped to the back of my mind. ‘I couldn’t sleep so I went for a drive. I heard sirens and pulled over. That is what you’re supposed to do, right, get out of the way of emergency vehicles?’
His smile set the creases lining his mouth dancing. ‘Nice to see you know your civic duty but why go for a drive in the middle of the night, all the way over on the other side of town.’
The twinkle had disappeared from his eyes and I knew he would not be satisfied with any old excuse. His keen gaze reminded me of a predator waiting to pounce. I had to tell him the truth or some of it at least.
I took a deep breath and then let it out slowly. ‘I was understating things before, when I said I had a bad night. It was a total nightmare, one that ruined any chance I had of getting a good night’s sleep. I was upset and went for a drive to clear my head but I didn’t pay attention to where I was going. I pulled over to figure out where I was and heard sirens. Like I said, I thought it would be better for me to keep off the road and out of the way than to start driving home.’
‘Did it work?’
‘Excuse me?’
‘The drive. Did it clear your head?’
I huffed out a laugh. ‘I guess. I finally crashed when I got back into bed, and then overslept. The perfect end to the worst night of my life.’ Tears started falling down my face and I gave him time to notice before I wiped them away with the back of one hand.
If my tears had softened him up, he showed no sign of it. ‘Your night could have ended worse. We found a dead guy two streets over from where you were parked. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that?’
My tears evaporated. ‘Are you serious? You think I killed someone? I went for a drive. End of story.’
‘And the guy who got you so upset you didn’t pay attention where you were driving to, he got a name?’
‘What makes you think I was upset over a guy?’
He smiled and leaned forward. ‘It could have been a girl who broke your heart, but I’m guessing not.’
‘Then you would be wrong. It was a girl who broke my heart.’
He dropped his pen and fumbled after it as it rolled across the coffee table.
The surprise on his face helped ease the tension inside me, allowing me the breathing space to muster a smile. ‘Sarah has been my best friend since I was four and last night I caught her in bed with my boyfriend. I freaked and had a meltdown. Then, when I couldn’t get the image of them out of my head I went for a drive. I did not go anywhere near Fitzroy Lane and I certainly did not kill anyone.’
‘Then how did you know the guy died in Fitzroy Lane?’
I flushed and hoped he didn’t notice the sweat beading on my forehead, glad my fringe covered it. ‘You said it was two streets over from where I parked. That’s Fitzroy Lane.’
He tapped his rescued pen against his chin. ‘So, while you were parked, did you hear or see anything out of the ordinary? Loud voices, people arguing, sounds of a struggle.’
‘I had my windows up and was distracted. The only thing I heard was sirens.’ It was hard to sit still under his even gaze. There were gold flecks around the edges of his hazel eyes, with a ring of emerald encasing the pupil. I stared at him, unable to move as his pupils contracted and then expanded. He blinked, the spell broken.
My eyes darted around the room, wanting to focus on anything other than the detective sitting on my coffee table, hesitant to meet his eyes again. When I chanced a peek, his gaze was focused on his notebook and I relaxed.
‘Fair enough. But I still need his name.’ He held his pen poised over the page.
I could have pretended not to understand him, but messing with the detective would take time I didn’t have.
‘My scummy ex-boyfriend is Logan Miller and last time I saw him he was very much alive so you can skip the whole ‘betrayed-girlfriend-killing-boyfriend’ thing. If I was going to kill one of them, it would have been Sarah and she is also still alive.’ I stood, avoiding the sympathy in his eyes.
‘Are we done? I’ve got to get to work.’ Without waiting for him to answer, I headed for the front door and held it open.
He slowly rose and stowed his notebook and pen. Then he fished out a card and held it out for me when he reached the doorway. ‘If you think of anything else or need to talk to someone, give me a call. Being betrayed by the people who are supposed to care about you, it’s rough.’
I shook my head. With my eyes dipped so I didn’t meet his, I took in more of his face than before. On his chin I could see bristles he’d missed during his morning shave. The smell of his aftershave lingered on his skin and I backed away, still keeping my eyes averted from his as I took the card.
Last night I had wanted to confide in Logan and Sarah, to share the burden of what I had experienced, but now I knew how dangerous my wis
h had been. Their betrayal had stopped me from making a huge mistake, and having more contact than necessary with Detective Lockwood would be an even bigger one.
With my refusal of his offer, the detective slipped on his dark sunglasses and left. I closed the door behind him the second he stepped over the threshold. Better he thought me rude than to wonder why he made me so nervous. His keen gaze, as if he sought to read my every thought, considered each tiny gesture or facial expression to catch me out in a lie, and made him dangerous. Nothing linked me to the dead man other than being parked two streets away. And I hadn’t killed him. But I had killed the monster in the service station. I could argue it had been in self-defence, but how would I explain myself to a jury?
How would Detective Lockwood look at me then, if he discovered I was a reaper and a murderer?
Chapter 6
I tossed the detective’s card onto the coffee table and sprinted for my bedroom. A quick ransacking of my wardrobe had me dressed in a black pencil skirt and a charcoal pinstripe blouse. In the bathroom I scrubbed my teeth and wrestled my hair into a ponytail. It resisted my efforts to style it but I did as best I could before slicking on a coat of lip gloss and hunting down my black pumps.
I stole a few seconds to survey my appearance in the mirror. The gruesome necklace Grimm had placed around my neck dominated my sight and I went back into my bedroom to find a multi-coloured scarf to hide it with. My face was pale and the scarf added a much needed blast of colour. I snatched up my bag and stuffed my phone inside as I locked the flat and then got into my car.
The one advantage to heading to work over an hour late, I avoided all the heavy traffic associated with a work day and the lights were also in my favour.
I’d always thought of Easton as a chameleon, changing her colours to suit each generation. As I crossed over the bridge to the south side of town, I glanced to the right to where the Riverside Hotel had been razed to the ground to make way for The Bradbury Corporation’s latest project, Riverside Plaza. The idea of casino style accommodation in Easton had me wondering what colour the town would take on next.
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