Once the man and his family were taken care of, Austin and I took a seat in the living room with several officers to answer questions. Luckily, the cops knew me. When they asked how I’d known the attack was going to take place, they accepted my hedged answer about it not being safe for them to know.
I put my hand around the amulet. “This guided me. Beyond that, though, I can’t tell you much.”
The officer in charge nodded. Most regular humans were still nervous about the demon visits we’d been receiving recently, and he didn’t seem to want to know more. “We’ll be in touch if we have more questions. Thank you for what you did tonight.”
“Please keep us updated on how things with this family go,” I said.
They agreed to do so, then excused us. Austin and I got back in my car, both incredibly exhausted, and me with blood on my clothes.
I couldn’t believe how badly all of that could have gone. Thank goodness Omar had alerted me to the attack and I was prepared to run when the amulet started warning me. What would’ve happened if I hadn’t been ready? How many people would’ve died? Something told me the hounds wouldn’t have stopped attacking until I’d gotten there.
On the way back to my house, Austin and I stopped at a store that was open twenty-four hours and grabbed a bunch of frozen pizzas. I enjoy cooking, and I was tired of other people having to make everything for me. Though this wasn’t exactly cooking, per se, at least I would be in charge of the kitchen.
Despite it being almost midnight, my parents were both awake when we got home, and I insisted on everyone relaxing while I popped the pizzas in the oven.
We stayed up late, talking without really discussing anything. I could tell my parents wanted to know why I’d returned with blood on my shirt and wanted to know where Austin and I had gone. But either Nicole had warned them or they seemed to recognize I couldn’t tell them anything because neither of them asked very many questions. That was totally out of character for them.
The next morning, Nicole, Austin, Brenda, and Justin all left. And, for the first time in weeks, I was alone. It felt wonderful.
Of course, I wasn’t completely alone—I did have my cat with me. Sia was content to have just the two of us there again, and we curled up together to watch movies. I planned to wait until around six p.m. to stop by the homes of the other two victims from the shooting. I didn’t want to do anything that even remotely resembled work, though I did keep my phone next to me and plugged in, just in case I got called out on a job.
While watching movies, my thoughts kept returning to the idea of hiring an assistant. Who would I hire? And how? And when? Eleanora’s idea had been great—going to the training schools for help. There were two of them that I knew about. The one in California I’d attended, and another back on the east coast.
When the time came, I headed to where the second family, the Jewetts, lived—in Alpine.
The visit went well—they were grateful to have me there, but declined my help to pay for the funeral. The house was humongous, and I mean literally huge, so it didn’t surprise me. Still, I promised them I would do whatever they needed, and they promised in return to let me know if something came up.
Then I headed to the next victim’s house—the Reeds in Draper. While I was on the way, I got a call from the wife of the man who’d been stabbed the night before. She thanked me for my help and told me her husband had surgery to repair some damage to the ligaments in his shoulder. Luckily, he’d been stabbed above the heart in the soft area where the tendons, muscles, and shoulder joint all attached. He was very lucky.
The Reeds turned out to be a single woman named Melissa whose boyfriend had been killed. She wasn’t nearly as pleasant as the Jewetts had been, and started shouting the moment she learned who I was. She threatened to throw me physically off the porch to get me to leave when I said I wanted to help. I didn’t get the chance to offer to help pay for the funeral.
I refused to let myself feel guilty. There wasn’t anything I could do to make the situation better, especially not for someone who didn’t want me to make things better. I drove back home feeling discouraged, yet glad I’d done my best.
On the way home, I did something spontaneous. I stopped at a martial arts studio on Main Street and enrolled. I knew it wouldn’t do me a whole ton of good—especially not up against people who were actually trained—but without Abel around, I needed to feel like I was progressing and improving myself.
Classes would be held on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoons. I couldn’t wait to start.
After getting home, I headed to the Russells, not quite finished with my visits for the day. I still felt the need to thank them for their help—especially after Mrs. Russell had stayed with me when I’d returned from the hospital. It had been a long time since I’d gone to their house just to chat, and I was overdue for that sort of visit.
I had other reasons for visiting, though. Ulterior motives, you might say. I rang the doorbell, hoping they would take me up on the offer of paying for them to go on an extended vacation. Living right next to me was dangerous. Especially since they’d been targeted so many times by these hounds already. Not only that, but the hounds knew I liked and visited them regularly.
Mrs. Russell opened the door, and her face lit up. “Lizzie! Come on in. We’re just about to sit down to dinner. Would you like to join us?”
I knew the Russells well enough to recognize that they didn’t invite me to do anything unless they actually meant it. And I liked them well enough to eat dinner with them. Especially when I didn’t already have plans.
“Definitely. I’m starving.”
We sat down to eat. Their conversation was as fun and entertaining as usual. Mr. Russell was still working his part-time job at the greenery, and Mrs. Russell spent her time puttering around her garden and crocheting hats for the nearby hospital’s labor and delivery unit. I enjoyed their anecdotes and the flirty banter between the two of them for a while before setting down my fork and clearing my throat.
“I need to talk to you about something serious.”
Chapter Fourteen
“Oh?” Mr. Russell asked, peering at me over his bifocals.
I nodded. “You know that I’ve been dealing with some really weird things lately.”
“Tell me about it,” Mrs. Russell muttered, sending me a smile so I knew she wasn’t annoyed.
“I’ve been warned that these people will target those who are closest to me. Friends, family—anyone I care about.”
Mr. Russell warmly smiled before turning to his wife. “You hear that, honey? She cares for us.”
I rolled my eyes, giving him a courtesy laugh. “Yes. Of course I do. And . . . I’m wondering if it would be possible for the two of you to go—”
“There’s no way we’re leaving this house,” Mrs. Russell said.
Mr. Russell shook his head. “Heavens, no. We’ve lived here for fifty some-odd years. It’s where we brought up our children.”
I raised my hand. “It’s just for a short period of time. Until I get all of this resolved. I won’t rest easy knowing that the neighbors who have done so much for me aren’t safe. And I can’t very well move. I mean, I could, but anywhere I go will just put more innocent lives in danger. I’d much rather see if I can arrange to have you take an extended cruise or something. I’ll pay the way, of course.”
Mr. Russell frowned. “No. Lizzie, we’ve done a lot for you over the years, but you’ve done quite a bit for us in return.”
I scoffed. “Relighting the pilot on your water heater? That’s hardly anything.”
Mrs. Russell placed a hand on my arm. “Dear, we know that’s something we could easily resolve. What you’ve done for us is so much more than that. You’ve been a friend when we’ve really needed one. It’s lonely being older, especially when your family doesn’t live nearby. You’ve brightened our days and have given us every reason to get out of bed and stay on our feet. The odd jobs you’ve allowed us to do for you, alon
g with your bright smile and happy personality, have made it such a joy to live next to you. We have no plans to move or go on any cruise ship or vacation whatsoever.”
Mr. Russell agreed with his wife. “Besides, we’re not without defense or ways to protect ourselves.”
I nodded. I knew Mr. Russell had been a hunter back in the day and that he still kept a few guns on the property. Heck, Abel had used one of them. “Guns won’t do anything against these creatures. Not permanently, anyway.”
“You seem to forget that Mr. Russell has had a black belt in karate for many years,” Mrs. Russell said.
Oh, my gosh. Really? A frail elderly man with a black belt? Like that would do anything. These two dear, sweet people were so stubborn!
“We’re not going anywhere, Lizzie,” Mr. Russell said. “And that’s final. We don’t need protection. I promise. And besides, if anything does happen, we’ve lived good, long lives.”
I opened and closed my mouth, trying to figure out how to respond to that. I knew they didn’t have death wishes per se, but I also didn’t want anything to happen to them. I’d have to find a way to protect them on the sly. Maybe I could get Alexander to bring back those devices that warded off hounds and place them around the Russells’ house instead of mine. That would make me feel better.
We ate the rest of the meal without bringing up anything else serious. I was surprised that they didn’t even mention Abel. Instead, I again enjoyed their lively banter. The two of them updated me on their kids and grandkids and a granddaughter who was about to get married and hopefully produce great-grandchildren.
We were just barely finishing dessert when I got a call from Chief O’Hare. The Woodland Hills area had a mountain fire, and they needed my help.
We were still in the dead of summer, and I knew I would be fighting a lot of fires for the next couple of months. At least until October, maybe even November or December—until we started to get precipitation in the form of rain or snow.
This time, instead of helicoptering me in, they allowed me to drive down on my own and meet them at the city offices in Woodland Hills. They quickly updated me on the fire, commenting on the fact that it was burning faster than most fires. Once I recognized the severity of the situation, I wondered why they hadn’t helicoptered me in. Perhaps the city couldn’t afford it. I didn’t know what Payson’s finances were, but Woodland Hills was a much, much wealthier area.
Rather than bringing the point up, I hopped in the fire truck with the other volunteers and headed into the hills where huge mansions had been built among thick scrub oak. The fire was roaring toward those houses, and if I had anything to do with the situation, they wouldn’t be touched.
It didn’t take long for me to recognize that something felt off about this fire. It was—I don’t know—different. I concentrated hard, trying to sense what exactly was off, but I couldn’t put a finger on it. To be fair, most of my attention was directed to stopping it rather than figuring out why it felt different.
Seven hours later, we finally got it under control, and again, the volunteer firefighters drove me back to my car. While we were traveling, I contemplated the possibility of hiring two assistants. One to help with my Fire Impeder duties and the other to drive us around when one of us inevitably overdid it.
Lately, it has taken me a while to make important decisions. I’d always been a spontaneous person, but the experiences I’d gone through over the last several years had toned down that part of me. Above all, I was independent and hated having people encroaching on my territory or stepping on my toes. I knew I would eventually hire someone, but I needed to give it more thought. Figure out my way through it. Decide what to have him or her do and how they’d play into my business.
“Did you hear about the weird attacks that happened a couple weeks ago?” the firefighter sitting next to me asked, drawing me from my thoughts.
I shook my head. “No. What happened?”
“I don’t think I’m breaking any sort of rules by telling you this, especially given your position as a Fire Impeder. But these totally weird attacks took place in the Orem area, where several houses had fires that couldn’t be put out. The fires happened mostly at night, and the people who lived in the houses were burnt to a crisp.”
My stomach churned. Fire vampires. What else could it be? Bitter guilt flooded my system. Yet again, I’d dropped the ball on my own turf.
Chapter Fifteen
The next morning, I drove to the Orem Fire Department and apologized for not being there. The fire chief was confused about why I was apologizing. Apparently, word hadn’t trickled to him about my involvement in what happened up in Lehi and American Fork several weeks earlier.
He did give me information on the fire vampire attacks, and I headed out, copies in hand. This time, instead of visiting loved ones, I took the information home to study. Three houses had been attacked. It didn’t look like there’d been any sort of rhyme or reason where their locations were concerned. I don’t know what I expected—three dots on the map weren’t enough to show that sort of pattern yet.
The fire department wasn’t overly concerned about two of the attacks. That totally surprised me until I learned more. They were suspected drug houses, and the cops had been trying to gather enough evidence for a while to search and arrest the people who lived there. Incidentally, when the police officers started to investigate the murders, they did find drugs on the premises of both places.
The one the fire department felt bad about was an empty-nester’s house, and the person who got killed was the caretaker of the owners’ dog while they were vacation. I made a mental note never to house sit.
Without someone to apologize to, I pinned the locations on a map and decided I would go visit the fire vampires in Alpine when I got the chance.
For now, it was nearly time for my first martial arts class. I’d chosen kung fu. Partially because I’d taken it when I was in elementary school for about three weeks before chickening out, but also because everyone and their cat (or dog) did karate and I wanted to be a bit different.
That first class went well. I discovered that Abel had actually taught me some of the basics while we’d been doing my self-defense lessons. I was grateful for that. I was also glad I was a dancer—good flexibility was required, and a lot of the other beginners weren’t able to do some of the moves I didn’t struggle with.
Back at home, I took one look at my pantry and fridge and decided it was time for a trip to Walmart. After making sure Sia had enough food—in case I got called out on a job—I hopped in my car, reveling again at how fantastic it felt to be healed and free of pain. I parked and entered the store, looking forward to finally getting enough supplies to start making meals from scratch again.
I was nearing the checkout when the amulet warmed at my chest.
Attack.
I grabbed it, freezing in place.
Where?
Go.
Not hesitating, I found the nearest employee and motioned to my cart. “Please take care of that. I just got called out on an emergency.”
And then I ran from the store.
Why aren’t you telling me where?
Can’t. Don’t know. Will lead as information comes.
I raced out to the parking lot, hitting the panic button on my fob just to figure out where my car was without having to think. And then I peeled out of the lot. The amulet guided me onto State Street, and then north on the freeway. Wow. This magical device sure had a good radius.
The amulet guided me past the Point of the Mountain before having me take the first Draper exit, then it guided me up toward the mountain.
I had always been amazed at the size of the houses in Draper City. What did these people do for a living? I’d been tempted to go door-to-door and ask, but I knew that wouldn’t exactly be socially acceptable.
The amulet continued guiding me up and up, having me turn on Mike Weir Drive. It guided me past the Draper Temple and up into the Enormous House neighbor
hood. Finally, it had me pull to a stop in front of a place that was covered in all sorts of towers and turrets. A quick glance around the neighborhood showed several similar mansions. Modern-day castles, if you will. Seriously—what did these people do for work?
Don’t knock.
Okay.
I raced to the front door and hesitated for a moment before trying the handle. It was locked.
How do I get in?
Back door.
The amulet could have told me that first. I didn’t want to be ungrateful, though, so I didn’t mention it.
I stumbled around the side of the house, ignoring two side doors before finally reaching what someone might consider an official back door.
It was partially open. I stepped inside, hesitating as my eyes adjusted to the dark interior. Even though it was daylight, all the blinds and drapes were shut, making it much darker than it would have been otherwise.
The amulet guided me through a series of halls and turns and up a couple of staircases and along two more halls and three more turns and I quickly realized there was no way I would find an exit to this place on my own.
I heard a man screaming once I was on the top floor. Not needing the amulet’s help anymore, I started running toward an open set of double doors at the end of the current hallway. It was lighter upstairs, and I was able to get my bearings. More screaming came from the room, and a lot of shuffling and scuffles. I pulled my gun, glad I’d thought to holster it before leaving for the store, and peeked into the room.
Only two men were there. One towered over another whose face was bloodied and bruised. I watched for a moment, trying to figure out who was the bad guy. Attacking before I knew was a stupid idea.
It quickly became evident that the innocent person was the bloodied one. The amulet confirmed my feelings, and I dropped the hound with a bullet to the head.
The injured man yelled in shock, his body tensed as if trying to decide whether he should charge me.
“I’m here to help,” I said, flashing my badge. I still didn’t know what I was supposed to say. I’m not the police or FBI or anything like that, and “Fire Impeder” wouldn’t tell him anything.
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