My mouth twisted into a grimace and I sighed. “If we’re going to do this, let’s get serious.” I leaned back with my elbows propped on the sofa arm behind me. “The legend says that the curse would be broken someday, when the two Keepers met. I find it hard to believe that in over four hundred years, their paths never crossed.”
“I have to admit that is strange. Your daddy says your family always lived close to or on Roanoke Island. But we both know that the Croatan’s land was farther south, on Cape Hatteras. Maybe they stayed down in that area.”
“Maybe.” I dug through my memories, sifting out what might be useful. It was hard to believe that there was hardly anything left of all the stories Daddy told me. When I searched for anything more than the basic facts, I hit a giant brick wall.
“How do you close the gate?”
“Honestly, other than knowing there’s some kind of ceremony, I have no idea.” I couldn’t remember anything about what the ceremony entailed. Or anything about the spirits, or how to protect myself. If, God forbid, this thing was real, something deep inside me told me I’d need to protect myself.
Claire shook her head. “Then you’re in a world of shit. Aren’t the spirits supposed to come back angry and vengeful?”
“Well, wouldn’t you be if you had been locked up for over four hundred years?”
“Good point.” We were silent for a minute before Claire flopped forward and grabbed my hand. “Seriously, this is all you can remember?”
“Do you not remember how all this curse business just vanished after Momma died? It was there, in my head, and then it wasn’t.” And whenever Daddy tried to teach me all over again, I’d shut him down. As a little girl who believed her mother died because of the curse—and because of me—I wanted nothing to do with it. I was grateful all of that nonsense died with my mother. Until now.
“Will you at least consider that this might be real?”
The evidence was beginning to stack up, but just because I’d found someone else who believed in the curse didn’t make it real. Kids all over the world believed in Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy and it didn’t make them real. “Two things could convince me the curse is real. The first is if the Lost Colony shows up out of nowhere. The colony is supposed to return when the gate to the spirit world is cracked open. No colony, no open gate.”
“And the second?”
“If I come face-to-face with a spirit.”
CHAPTER FIVE
Claire stayed late and watched a movie with me to help me get my mind off everything. By the time she left, I was exhausted, but the storm and my worry kept me awake for hours. When it was time to get up to go help Myra at the Dare Inn, I would have given anything to hit the snooze button and sleep in until noon.
The humidity made my hair a thick mess of waves, so I pulled it back into a ponytail and opened the front door, only to release a startled scream. Clamping a hand over my mouth, I swallowed the bile rising in my throat. Seven dead birds littered my front porch.
The birds were laid out in a weird pattern. Six of them had their feet all turned toward the center of a radiating spoked circle, their heads pointing out. Five were blackbirds and one was a robin. A cardinal lay in the center of the circle. Was this some sick joke? How did they get there?
The first person who came to mind was Collin. This had to be his way of tricking or scaring me into helping him do God knew what. I may have been close to believing in the curse in the dark of night with Claire, Manteo’s resident ghost chaser, but in the bright sunlight, I saw how ridiculous it was. I’d lost my breath because I’d freaked out. People had panic attacks. I was under enough stress lately that it would explain a panic attack even though I’d never had one before. As for the mark on my hand, Collin must put have put some kind of stamp on it when he grabbed me in the diner. He’d used permanent ink too, because no amount of scrubbing could get the mark off.
One thing was certain: whoever put the birds on my porch was sick and twisted. One more reason to be leery of Collin Dailey.
I had to figure out what to do with the dead birds. I couldn’t just leave them there. I had half a mind to call the police, but how would I explain my suspicions about Collin without telling them about the curse? I couldn’t. After my mother’s death, I swore I’d never tell another living soul about it again. That wretched curse was dying with me. I was going to have to deal with this on my own.
I went back inside and got a broom and a paper bag. Carefully, I swept the birds into the sack, gagging the entire time. When I finished, I locked up my apartment, making sure the deadbolt was set, then dumped the paper bag into the Dumpster before walking to the bed and breakfast.
When I reached the street corner across the street, I took in the sight of my family’s inn. It wasn’t fancy like the Doe Inn down the street, but it had its own quaint charm. The bed and breakfast was made up of two buildings: the main house, which had multiple rooms on the first and second floor, and the residential house, which held a few other guest rooms in the back as well as the laundry. The exterior clapboard was painted a crisp white with black shutters. Both buildings sported new roofs that had been installed about a month ago.
I’d grown up in the residential house with Momma and Daddy, and then with Myra when Daddy eventually remarried. The Dare Inn had been part of the Lancaster family since the eighteen hundreds, but whenever I saw the place, it filled me with dread. I couldn’t wait to move out after I graduated from high school. Nevertheless, I felt an obligation to help maintain it, even if that meant working for free and chipping in for repairs.
Dwight accused me of living off Daddy and Myra. He had no idea that I’d paid for that roof, as well as part of Daddy’s respite care so Myra could work part time at the Fort Raleigh National Historic Site visitor center. If business at the Dare Inn didn’t start to bring in more money, Myra would be forced to sell it and Daddy would lose the only home he’d ever known. With his Alzheimer’s confusion, that might prove detrimental to his condition.
Myra stood on the back porch, cradling a cup of coffee. Her shoulder sagged into a post while she watched me walk up. “How did your date go last night?”
I was worried about her. She looked exhausted most days, and I was sure it was taxing to take care of the inn, and Daddy, as well as her job at the visitor center.
I moved past her with a fake growl. “Don’t ask.”
She pushed away and followed me in the back door. “That bad, huh?”
“Well, at least we got a partially paid roof out of it.” I instantly regretted my statement as soon as it left my mouth. I’d met Dwight fighting the insurance company to reimburse us for part of the repairs after the hurricane.
Myra’s face tightened with guilt. “Ellie, I’ll pay you back every cent.”
I gave her a smile. “Oh, Myra. You know I don’t mind. I’m just investing in my future.” We both knew that was a lie. Neither one of us expected me to inherit the inn. The bed and breakfast was on life support, and we were just trying to keep it going as long as possible. Which is why I worked there twice a day, every day, with no pay. I could get a job at the Tranquil House Inn if I wanted—and some days I really wanted to. I was tired of constantly being short on money.
Myra rested her hand on my arm. “You can always move back home, Ellie. You know you’re always welcome here.”
“Thanks, Myra. I know.” At times I was really tempted, despite my uneasiness with the place. I felt guilty not being here and helping more, but I loved my little apartment. It may cost a fortune, but it looked out into the sound. Besides, I liked my independence too. I wasn’t ready to give that up yet. But losing it all, the inn included, loomed in my future, closer than I liked.
I spent the next couple of hours changing bed linens, setting out clean towels, and starting the laundry. There were several commercial machines in the main house. We had a good routine worked out: I’d put everything into the washing machines and Myra or her friend Becky, who filled in while Myra
worked, would transfer the loads to the dryers. By the time I showed up again, late afternoon if I had a lunch shift, they’d be ready for me. If I had a dinner shift, I’d hang around at the inn until the laundry was all done. It was a routine, a monotonous one, but to me, the definition of routine was boring.
When I arrived for my shift at the restaurant, Lila was filling salt and pepper shakers. She shot me a glare. “Thanks for getting me in trouble yesterday.”
I didn’t need any of her nonsense today. I’d already had enough nonsense in the last twenty-four hours to last me a lifetime. “I didn’t get you in trouble. Marlena knew my shift was over and made me leave.”
My answer didn’t appease her. She was still grouchy when the doors opened and the early lunch crowd converged.
The dining room was packed by 11:30, and the sidewalk outside was crowded with tourists waiting for a table. I was carrying a tray of food from the kitchen when Bob, the manager of the Kitty Hawk Kites store across the street, burst in the door.
“They found it! Flip on the news! They found it!”
Everyone turned toward him and stared. Bob stood in the doorway, red faced and wild eyed, his thinning hair messy and out of place. I’m sure the tourists were worried this crazed man was about to attack. In fact, if I hadn’t known Bob was usually a sedate, middle-aged man, I would have thought the same thing. That was what worried me.
Fear slithered up my spine, snaking out through every nerve in my body.
“Found what?” someone shouted.
But I knew.
I knew.
“The Roanoke colony!”
My tray fell to the ground, plates breaking, food splattering everywhere. The customers around me shrieked and jumped out of the way, and I knew that I should clean it up, but I was too lightheaded and shaky. One thought ran through my head like a bulldozer, shoving every other conscious thought out of its path.
It’s real. The curse is real.
“Ellie?” Lila’s face came into view. “You don’t look so good. Do you want to sit down?”
I nodded in my haze. Someone set a chair behind me and pushed me down.
“It’s on the news! Someone turn on the TV!”
The television on the wall in the corner flipped on and someone changed the channel until a local station came on. A news reporter stood in front of a taped-off area. Trees filled the background, as well as a crowd. “… it’s too early to know if this is actually the legendary site, but researchers are hopeful. What is known is that the village they have discovered is completely intact.”
A male voiceover asked, “Mary, how is this possible? We’ve been told that archaeologists have already searched the spot where the village appeared. How could they miss it?”
The woman’s hand held her earpiece to her, and she turned to look at the taped-off area behind her. “Witnesses tell me that late yesterday afternoon when the park closed, there was nothing but a field here. But when groundskeepers came through this section around mid-morning, picking up fallen tree branches from the storm, they found the village. The current thought is perhaps the storm somehow uncovered the colony. If this turns out to be the actual Lost Colony, the experts are calling it the find of the century.”
“Am I seeing structures behind you? They look like thatch huts.”
“Phil, when I said intact, that’s exactly what I meant. Fully erected houses, tools, even food—in edible condition according to one source. It’s as though we’ve stepped back into 1587.”
“How can we be sure this isn’t an elaborate hoax?
The news reporter grimaced. “While that is a possibility, we’ve been told that multiple skeletal remains have been discovered, fully dressed in period clothing. Early reports suggest at least one hundred bodies have been discovered, including several children and a baby. If this is a hoax, it’s a morbid one indeed.”
“And they think this entire site was exposed by last night’s storm? That seems pretty incredible.”
“Part of the ground has been washed away, about two feet, and the village is now exposed. The storm is the only logical explanation anyone can come up with, though even then you must ignore the fact the huts would have stood taller than the ground before the dirt was washed away.”
The cell phone in my pocket buzzed. The excited voices of the restaurant patrons filled my ears. I could only sit and stare at the TV.
“Somebody get Ellie a wet towel!” Lila shouted. “She looks like she’s about to pass out.”
It’s real. Oh my god. It’s real.
The bell on the door jingled, and Claire stopped in the doorway, searching the room. When she spotted me, she hurried over. “I just heard.”
I looked up at her wide eyed and dismayed. “It’s real.”
She nodded, excitement radiating off of her.
My cell phone buzzed again, tickling my leg.
Lila pressed a wet paper towel to my forehead. “Why is this freaking you out so much? Business is going to explode.”
I shook my head. “I don’t know.” My reaction was embarrassing any way you sliced it. I was a grown woman. I needed to get ahold of myself.
Marlena walked in from the back room and scanned the dining room. Customers were standing, the food I dropped was all over the floor. “What in God’s name is going on here?”
People all began to talk at once. “Lost Colony… Roanoke… over one hundred bodies…”
Marlena’s eyes landed on me. While she was always known for being in control, I was a close second. Finding me pale and sitting on a chair, covered in food, had to be an even bigger shock than the reappearing village.
“What happened to you?”
“I’m fine. It was just a surprise.”
My cell phone buzzed again.
I stood and took a deep breath. So, I now had five days to close a gate to the spirit world.
But first I had a mess to clean up. “Lila, I’m going to clean this up. Why don’t you try to get everyone back in their seats? Marlena, can you tell Fred that he needs to remake all the meals from table nine?”
“Ellie.” Claire leaned her face into mine and whispered fiercely, “What are you doing?”
“I’m getting back to work.”
“You have a curse to fix.”
I grabbed Claire’s arm and dragged her to the back room. “How am I supposed to do that, Claire? I don’t have the slightest idea what happened, or how to fix it. What do you want me to do?”
Her gaze fixed over my shoulder, her eyes widening. She looked like she’d just spotted the Better than Sex chocolate cake Myra made for the customers at the inn. Her mouth dropped open and she lifted her hand and pointed. “There’s your answer, right there.”
I whipped my head around, and my stomach spasmed before falling to my feet.
Collin Dailey stood in the back entrance of the restaurant. The door was partially open, the sunlight casting a glow around him. He looked like an angel with his impossibly good looks and an aura of golden light. I felt my resolve weaken until he opened his mouth. Condescension dripped off his words. “Do you believe it now?”
My heart snapped closed like a Venus flytrap. Collin Dailey was an egotistical prick. But prick or no, unfortunately for me, I needed him.
He took my silence as agreement. “We need to go.”
I looked into the dining room, then back at him. “Now? I’m not done with my shift yet.”
His jaw dropped in disbelief. “You’re seriously telling me that saving humanity from vengeful sprits can wait until you finish your waitressing shift?”
“Well…” When he put it that way, it seemed ridiculous. But I needed the money to pay my rent. I was going to be counting pennies as it was. Not to mention I couldn’t leave Marlena with the chaos out front.
He took two steps toward me and grabbed my arm. “Are you really this self-centered?”
I jerked my arm out of his grasp, my anger making my head buzz. “Who the hell do you think you are?”
His voice lowered. “I am a Curse Keeper, a descendant of Manteo and worthy to carry the title, while you, on the other hand, are a spoiled, self-centered fool who thinks this is all a joke.”
My eyes narrowed, and it was all I could do to keep myself from shoving him out the back door. “You don’t know the first thing about me.”
“You are shirking your responsibilities, and that’s all I need to know.”
I had to admit that it was hard to argue with that, but his attitude was infuriating. “Like it or not, you and I are stuck together until we figure out what we need to do.” I took a deep breath. “Now tell me what we need to do.”
All expression left his face. “You really don’t know?”
“No.”
“Any of it?”
“She knows a little,” Claire said, still eyeing Collin with a hungry look. “She’s not completely clueless.”
I’d almost forgotten she was there.
He cocked an eyebrow, turning his attention to her. “And you are…?”
“Claire.”
He turned back to me. “You told someone?”
“How do you know she’s not my sister?” From what I remembered, it wasn’t against the rules to tell siblings about the curse, since it was a familial duty. The only problem was that Claire and I didn’t look anything like sisters. But then Myra and I didn’t look anything alike, and technically, she was my family.
He started to speak, then stopped, rubbing his forehead. “Okay, is she your sister?”
I could have lied, but I figured we were already on shaky ground. “No.”
“Then why—”
“She’s the only one who knows. She’s practically my sister, so what’s the difference? You say you want to fix this thing, but it looks like you want to spend all your time belittling me.”
“It doesn’t take much effort, trust me.”
I gasped. “Get out.”
His eyes widened. “What?”
The Curse Keepers (Curse Keepers series) Page 5