HAUNTED: The Chase Ryder Series Book 2

by Ho, Jo

  “I’m OK. Let’s talk about it when we get back.”

  “What? No! Just tell me, right now!” I demanded.

  A haunted expression came over his eyes. He hesitated, whatever it was, bothered him deeply, but he also knew neither Gideon nor I would be dropping this anytime soon. He reached into his pockets but couldn’t find what it was he was looking for. Moving quickly onto his knees, he searched the ground around him.

  “My phone… can you see my phone?” he asked, his voice unable to mask his panic at being unable to find it. Bandit barked then came over, carrying the phone gingerly in his mouth. It had been lying a few feet away. Sully took it from him gratefully. “Thanks, boy. It’s… the text is in there.”

  He didn’t explain what he meant by that but I figured it would make sense soon enough. Sully turned the phone over but we all saw that several cracks now crisscrossed the screen. Concerned, he pressed the home button on his phone but nothing happened. “Come on… come on…” Sully said, beginning to fall apart. “I need to show you what she said…”

  He pressed the button, getting increasingly more desperate until he finally yelled at the thing. “Work Goddamnit!”

  Gideon and I said nothing but shared a look over the top of Sully’s head. The guy was falling to pieces, and we had no idea why. Bandit whined unhappily as Sully suddenly took in his immediate surroundings. He was staring in disbelief at the grave. “But… I don’t understand, it was disturbed…”

  I followed his eye-line to study the grave. Some of the dirt looked like it was loose like someone had been digging around but then had put the soil back in place but there wasn’t enough to make me think anything in particular. Plus, Sully himself had been lying on it. I’m not saying he dug some of the grave up with his bare hands — that would be loopy — but a quick glance at his fingers and I saw that there was some dirt under his nails. I literally had no idea what was going on.

  I looked to Gideon for help. He nodded briefly at me, then took Sully firmly by the arm. “Let’s get you up. The others will be getting up soon. Why don’t we go back and you can tell us what happened over breakfast?”

  His voice was calm and reasonable, like finding Sully freaking out on his dead wife’s grave was a regular part of our morning. Glazed, Sully nodded and allowed us to lead him away.

  As we left the cemetery, I couldn’t help tossing looks over my shoulder. By now, the sun was already shining brightly, casting long black shadows onto the ground. Though I couldn’t see anything in those shadows, my senses were in overdrive. Despite all evidence to the contrary, it felt like we were being watched.

  Chilled by the thought, I urged the others out of there.

  20

  Chase

  By the time we got back to the clinic, everyone was up.

  Sully wouldn’t talk about what happened at the cemetery, despite my hounding him with questions. All he would say was that I needed to wait until he could speak to Sam first. I knew it shouldn’t have, but the fact he was shutting me out like this, that he was picking Sam over me, it really hurt. Although I was super concerned about him, it was possible that I may have sulked some on the way back.

  Florence had already set the table for breakfast with a spread so lavish, it looked like it had come out of a movie. There were plates of Danish pastries (I only knew what they were as Sully had taught me about them a while back — said New Yorkers were particularly keen on them) and jelly doughnuts. There were also waffles and pancakes and a fruit bowl that was the one concession to health.

  I noticed no one touched it. Wasn’t that always the case?

  We made small talk, even though our hearts weren’t in it. We had to keep up the pretense or Florence might notice something was up. When I saw that she had made everything but the Danishes and doughnuts from scratch, I asked why she didn’t take shortcuts. Microwaves were invented for a reason after all, but she waved off the appliance like it was the devil and ranted about how bad they were for not just our health, but also the environment. She was very proud of the fact that in sixty plus years she had cooked all her meals and would never touch that microwave trash. Sully tried to make a joke of it by saying look what he’s had to put up with all these years but it fell pretty flat. Luckily, busy with the food, Florence didn’t notice.

  Despite the effort she had put into the meal, the knot in my stomach wouldn’t allow me to eat which was totally unlike me. I picked at the food, feigning interest, impatiently waiting until Florence went downstairs to open the clinic. As soon as she was gone, Sully finally spoke.

  “I know how this is going to sound so I need you all to promise that you won’t say anything, until I finish talking.” He looked at me then, somewhat sternly. “Promise me, Chase.”

  My mouth fell open. “Why am I being singled out?”

  Sam would have laughed but for the serious expression on his face. Suddenly concerned, she shot him a curious smile. “What’s going on?” she asked quietly.

  Zeb lowered the coffee he had been sipping and looked at us. “Speak up, son.”

  Sully clasped his hands together in front of him, taking a deep breath. “I went to the grave this morning, but it had been disturbed.”

  Gasps sounded around the room.

  “I know how crazy this sounds. I searched the area but couldn’t see anyone, but then I found this hair clip, it’s exactly the same as the ones Emma used to wear. And it looks like there’s blood on it.”

  He showed us a simple clip. While he was right — that dull red stain did look like dried blood — there wasn’t anything else on that clip that would warrant special treatment. Sam must have thought the same as she spoke up.

  “That doesn’t really mean anything, Sul. Those clips are very common — heck, I’ve a few at home myself,” she said, trying to placate him. “And the blood, well, first of all, we don’t know that it is blood. That would need to be confirmed, and if it turned out that it was, it’s still not enough to warrant an investigation unless a person has been reported as missing who wore clips like this.”

  Sully turned his attention to her. I could see he was struggling with his next words.

  “That’s not everything, Sam. After I found the clip, I was just about to call you when I received a text message… from Emma’s phone.”

  At that, we all gasped. Gideon’s eyes were as wide as mine were I’m sure, but somehow, Sam kept her cool. “Can I see the text?”

  Sully paused then, looking trapped. “Well, that’s the thing. My phone isn’t working now. I think it broke when I fell on it.”

  She frowned, picking up on the one thing that concerned her the most. “You fell? Are you alright?”

  Sully shrugged her question off, uncomfortable. “Yeah. It’s nothing.”

  “That’s not true though, is it?” Gideon said softly. “When we found him, he was lying on the ground… unconscious.”

  Sam’s eyes flared open in alarm. “What happened?” she demanded. Zeb too couldn’t hide his sudden agitation. “Do we need to get you to a doctor?”

  “No, I don’t need a doctor. I’m fine,” Sully replied firmly. “I’d just had a shock is all… I had a panic attack and passed out.”

  Sam didn’t speak for a moment, her mind ticking over everything she had been told. “You panicked because of the grave and the text message?”

  “And the blood on the clip,” Sully reminded her.

  “You’re sure that text was from her number? You couldn’t be mistaken?” She spoke carefully like she was treating him with kid gloves. Sully picked up on her tone and replied, his voice peeved.

  “I know her number, Sam. She had the same number for ten years. It’s not like I’m going to forget it.”

  Silence blanketed the room. No one wanted to doubt him, no matter how crazy he was sounding.

  “I’m sure there’s a reasonable explanation for this,” came Sam’s steady voice. Though she must be shaken, she kept whatever she was feeling out of her voice. It was one of the r
easons she made an awesome Sheriff. Nothing seemed to faze her, ever. Not even the return of Sully’s dead wife, apparently.

  I knew Sully was going through hell. He spoke in clipped sentences and his eyes were glazed over in shock. This trip was meant to be for him to move on, yet how was he going to do that now Emma was back and hanging over his head. I really felt for him, for the two of them.

  “We only had friends in this area, at least, I thought we did. It doesn’t make sense for anyone to do this to me.”

  “Unless your trip home fell on someone’s radar and they decided to screw with you. Do you have any enemies here? Anyone sick enough to do this?” Sam asked.

  Sully shook his head. “I just saved animals, Sam. No one was interested in me until Bandit came along.”

  The sudden silence suffocated the room. I had been so focused on Sully that the possibility that this could be linked to Bandit hadn’t even crossed my mind. I dropped my gaze to look at him now. He came to my side and pressed against me, worried.

  “Not even Florence and Mark know about him?” Sam asked.

  “Yeah, I didn’t want to get them involved, so I left them out of it,” Sully replied.

  The implication of his answer filled me with terror. While I knew there could be a simple — if twisted — reason for this, we had been through enough that I didn’t like loose endings. Especially when they involved someone who was dead and buried for over a year.

  “Emma’s phone… what did you do with it after she died?” Sam asked, mind already working through this like it was one of her cases.

  “Well, that’s the thing… After she died, I kept going through her phone just to read her messages. But one night, I’d had too much to drink and must have fallen asleep on the couch. When I woke up, the phone was crushed. I probably trod on it during my stupor. I threw it away months ago before Chase ever turned up at the clinic.”

  He paused then, for his next words to sink in.

  “The phone doesn’t exist.”

  21

  Sully

  The second the words left my mouth, I knew there was a simple way to clear this up.

  “Sam, let me use your phone.”

  She handed me her cell even as her eyes grew wide, knowing what I was about to do. I dialed the digits from memory, fully expecting there to be a logical explanation to all this… like I was having a breakdown. Something. I hit enter and waited, gripping the phone so hard, I thought it might shatter in my hand. Sam pinned her eyes on me, love and concern radiating from her. Chase and Gideon flanked my side while Zeb sat by Bandit, neither of them moving. It was as if they thought their proximity would protect me from whatever was happening.

  Musical tones sounded from the phone, followed by an automated voice notifying us that this phone number was no longer in use. I couldn’t move. Couldn’t do anything but stare at the phone. How was this possible when I had only recently received a message from this line?

  Sam frowned, but I couldn’t tell if it was from concern for me, or herself. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she must be doubting my sanity. I couldn’t say I wouldn’t be doing the same if the shoe were on the other foot. The dead dial tone echoed around the room, loud and ominous.

  “What kind of dick pretends to be someone’s dead wife?” Gideon finally said, breaking the silence. While the rest of the group seemed stricken by events, Gideon was taking it in his stride. He didn’t believe anything out-of-the-norm was happening. He probably thought it was a bunch of basement-dwelling teenagers out for kicks. I still didn’t have an answer about what was happening, but I knew one thing, and one thing only.

  It wasn’t safe to be here anymore.

  Whether a simple prank or something more nefarious, I couldn’t risk Florence or this clinic again. We had to leave immediately.

  “Pack your things, we’re going home.”

  I didn’t bother explaining why and I was relieved when no one questioned my decision. Chase, in particular, had grown pale, probably remembering what happened the last time we were here. I gave her shoulder a squeeze, and she leapt quickly into action, gathering her things. For someone who loved Twenty Questions, she knew when keeping silent was the better course of action. I gave Sam back her phone. She took it, looking contemplative. The others disbanded to prepare for our journey home, but Sam had a thoughtful expression on her face.

  “What is it?” I asked.

  “Can you pack? I think I’d like to check out the grave site.”

  My instant reaction was to say no — I didn’t like the thought of her being out there alone. As if she sensed my objection, she reached for my hand.

  “You know I can handle myself. I’ll be careful.”

  “Still, I’d be happier if you took someone with you.”

  “That’s not necessary, Sully. I won’t be long, I promise.”

  With that she kissed me on the mouth then headed off before I could argue. I knew Sam could take care of herself better than most people but I wasn’t particularly happy about her visiting the grave without me. However, I also knew I was in no fit state to return there. Looking at the clock I decided I’d give her twenty minutes then call to check her progress. I was hoping she would find something that would corroborate my story at the very least, something that would make me sound less like a madman.

  22

  Sam

  Sam drove the short distance to the cemetery.

  When she had asked Izzy, the vet, if she could borrow her car, the other woman didn't look remotely concerned by the request at all, she only asked if she was going far. It was a testament to the stories Florence must have told about Sully that Sam was immediately deemed trustworthy by extension. When she had revealed that she wanted to pay her respects to Emma, Izzy's eyes had softened, thinking what a wonderful thing she was doing. She even insisted that Sam take the flowers that had just come in from a grateful patient with her. Sam had tried to refuse, but despite her diminutive frame, Izzy was incredibly strong-willed.

  So now Sam drove towards the cemetery, a bunch of flowers hastily wrapped in a plastic bag lying on the passenger seat next to her.

  Although she hadn't been there before, it wasn't hard to find. Just a few short turns with the car and she was practically there. She probably would have found it even without using Izzy's Sat Nav.

  Parking, Sam grabbed the flowers and got out of the car. A breeze whistled through the trees providing a pleasant soundtrack as she navigated to Emma's grave. A few early morning visitors were dotted around. One elderly couple even nodded to her as she went past. Their eyes were red from tears that they didn't bother to hide. Sam guessed they must have lost a dear one quite recently and lowered her head, respectfully.

  She had been going maybe five minutes when she saw the arc of trees that signaled she was approaching her destination. Her pulse sped up even as Sam didn't expect to find anything. If things were as Sully had described, Chase and Gideon would have noticed, as it was, they had been noticeably silent when Sully had explained his sequence of events. Still, Sam had to give him the benefit of doubt.

  She knew she had the right tombstone even as her eyes recognized the name inscribed on it. Seeing the words Sully had chosen, conflicting emotions coursed through her: sorrow for the pain Sully had gone through, and though she wasn't proud of it, she also felt envy for the dead woman who still commanded so much of his heart. Yet Sam would never reveal that to Sully, knowing he could never be expected to take on board her own feelings on the subject.

  Her eyes traveled down the headstone, to the patch of grass surrounding it. She could see that some of the earth here had been disturbed as Sully had described, but what she saw would be consistent with say a squirrel who decided to dig around while he searched for nuts. Or maybe some maintenance work had gone on in the cemetery.

  Either way, it should not have caused Sully to have reacted the way he had.

  Trying to quell the anxiousness that was starting to churn in her stomach, Sam bent down to ex
amine one of the spots with her finger. The earth was only loose on the very surface, about two inches deep, adding weight to her squirrel theory. Brow lined with concern, Sam surveyed the area to see if anything suspicious caught her eye but there were only the rows of tombstones, marking the resting places of other past souls.

  What on earth had made Sully react the way he had?

  23

  Sully

  While I packed, I tried to wrap my head around the phone message. I was sure I had canceled Emma’s phone contract shortly after her death, but those were dark days and I had muddled through them medicated by beer and sleeping pills. It was possible I knew, that I had missed it somehow — I was the man who had been hoarding her things, after all, maybe I had left it deliberately so I could always hear her voicemail.

  Sam returned from the cemetery just as we started loading the car. We couldn't talk with others there, not with Florence hovering around us, so the two of us stepped aside. Under the shadow of a tree, several cars away, Sam revealed what she had found.

  “I’m sorry, hon. I just didn’t find anything that seemed out of place.” She had explained her animal theory to me but that didn’t jibe with what I had seen. I didn’t understand how this could be. It wasn’t in my mind, the message and the holes on the grave, they were real.

  “You’re sure? Did you check the other graves? If it were an animal, they wouldn’t have just hit Emma’s.”

  “I did… there just wasn’t anything there.” She looked pained, like she wanted to be on my side, but couldn’t. A rush of disappointment flooded over me. None of it made any sense.

  “We can talk about this later, Sul, once we’re home.”

  I nodded mutely, unable to collect my thoughts. It was almost a relief that I could focus on the manual task of packing. Soon after, everything was together. I made our excuses as Florence stared at me. The women in my life had always been able to see through whatever I was hiding from them and Florence was no exception. Despite the fact that we were cutting our trip short by several days, she didn’t complain, just gave me a hug and asked if she had to worry about me. I said no. To her credit she didn’t even flinch, but we both knew I was lying.