Freaky Reapers (A Mystic Caravan Mystery Book 8)

by Amanda M. Lee

  That was beyond interesting. I glanced at the bandage on my arm. “Did she say what sort of creature attacked her?”

  “She said it was a vampire, ma’am.” The officer sounded a little dazed. I had to release the magical hold I had on him; otherwise he would start acting drunk.

  “I’m assuming that’s why no one believed her.”

  “Vampires aren’t real, ma’am.”

  “You’d be surprised,” I muttered, shaking my head. “What happened to her after she disappeared?”

  “Unknown, ma’am.”

  “Didn’t anyone follow up, make sure she got home safely?”

  “Doubtful, ma’am. She was just a psych case waiting to happen. It was assumed she would show up eventually, either dead or in a straitjacket.”

  “That’s a lovely thought.” Because I could, I flicked his ear.

  “Do you need anything else, ma’am?” The officer seemed eager to get away from me.

  “Actually, I do. You’re surveilling us under orders from the FBI.”

  “Agent Stone, ma’am, that is correct.”

  “Do you happen to know what he’s looking for?”

  “Missing girls. He thinks they’re holed up in this area.”

  “Is he suspicious of the circus?”

  “I don’t know, ma’am.” The officer’s face was blank. “He didn’t give us that information.”

  In other words, my droid could not compute. “Okay, what did he say when he positioned you here? He must’ve given you instructions for watching the circus performers.”

  “Not really. He said we were to watch the cemetery ... and keep you safe. That was his biggest concern. He said he’d be damned if he’d allow you to come back and screw up your life after you managed to get away. I don’t know what that means, but he seemed adamant. We’re supposed to protect you.”

  I was shocked. “He has you watching me specifically?”

  “Keep Poet safe,” he offered in a miraculous approximation of Logan’s voice. “She got away. She needs to do it again.”

  In an odd way, I was touched that he cared enough to send a protector. That was nice. A little weird, but nice. I was also agitated. “He should’ve had you guys down in the Corridor watching the girls who are being targeted. I’m not important. I can take care of myself.”

  “You’re important to him. He said you saved him and he owed you a favor.”

  “Any favor has long since been repaid.”

  “He doesn’t seem to feel that way, ma’am.” The officer was starting to look desperate to escape the mental hold I had on him. I couldn’t blame him.

  “It’s okay,” I soothed, sending a warming comfort to blanket his mind. “You’re going to be fine in a few minutes. I have to be going. I have errands to run.”

  “Errands.”

  “Are you supposed to follow me if I leave?”

  “Yes, ma’am. Your safety is my number one priority.”

  That was messed up given what was happening. “Well, you’re relieved of duty for the day. You need to sit here and pretend you’re watching me. As far as you’re concerned, I never left the fairgrounds. You’re going to see me with Kade ... and Luke ... and Nellie. It’s going to be a quiet day. And when you report back, you’re going to tell Logan I was a good girl and minded my own business.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Good.” I took a step back. “You’re going to stay like this for another two minutes. When you see me leaving in a vehicle, you’re not going to remember that. You’ll believe I’m someone else.”

  “It never happened,” he intoned.

  “Great. I think we’re going to get along famously.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  I sighed. It wasn’t nearly as much fun dealing with a robot as you might think. “One more thing.” I poked my head inside the car. “No matter what happens, it’s important Agent Stone doesn’t blame himself. I’m in control of my own destiny. He could never change that. I’m not his responsibility.”

  “But ... you are. You saved him. He needs to save you.”

  That was such a man way of thinking I had to roll my eyes. “I can save myself.”

  “It’s better if he saves you.”

  I couldn’t hold back my sigh. “Yes, well, I guess we’ll have to agree to disagree on that.”

  “Agree to disagree,” he echoed.

  “Just remember, I never left the circus.”

  “Nope. You’ve been here all morning running around with the little dude in the dress. Got it.”

  I smirked “You’ve got it exactly. Good job.”

  CREEK’S HOUSE WAS WHAT I expected. That’s not to say it was horrible — especially given the fact that she’d never managed to eke out even one break her entire life — but it needed a bit of work. Okay, more than a bit.

  A blue tarp covered the roof near the garage, probably because a new roof was out of her financial reach. The front porch sagged. The brick facade was chipped and falling away in some places, and the yard was overgrown with weeds and empty beer cans.

  Creek’s eyes went wide when she opened the door. Her first instinct was to slam the door in my face and hide. But she held it together. I had to give her credit for that.

  “I wasn’t expecting you.” She glanced over her shoulder, as if nervous, and then shook her head. “You shouldn’t be here.”

  “We need to talk.” I couldn’t tiptoe around her feelings. I was on a timetable. “I need to ask you questions about the scar on your arm.”

  “My arm ... .” Creek’s forehead wrinkled as she glanced at the faded marks. “I don’t understand.”

  I held up my arm for emphasis. “The same thing happened to me last night.”

  “But ... how do you know it was the same thing?”

  “Call it a hunch.” I inclined my chin toward the living room. “We really shouldn’t have this conversation on your front porch. The neighbors will think we’re nutty.”

  “They already hate me.”

  “This could propel them to a new level of hate.”

  She sighed. “The house is kind of a mess.”

  “I don’t care about that.” I really didn’t. It was obvious Creek cared. “If you think I’m judging you and comparing lives, I’m not. I’ve had a few stressful moments since I arrived because I assumed you were judging me for leaving. I get it. We were kids, and it was a long time ago.”

  She rubbed the spot between her eyebrows, something she used to do when she was stressed, and took a step back, pulling the door open so I could slide inside. Once over the threshold, I was surprised. The house was warm and even appealing. Sure, there were a lot of toys spread across the living room floor, but the house wasn’t filthy.

  “Where is your daughter?” I asked as I stepped around a well-loved doll.

  “She’s reading in her nook.”

  She has a nook? That was the question on the tip of my tongue before I managed to swallow it. When I looked to the left, I found the little girl sitting on a beanbag in a small alcove off the corner. She was indeed reading a book, one I didn’t recognize. It was a picture book – I could see the illustrations from across the room – but she seemed to be struggling as she attempted to read the words.

  “She’s very smart,” Creek offered quickly. “The people at the center think it’s amazing that she’s picking up on reading this early. I’ve been trying to work with her.”

  I was officially impressed, in more ways than one. “What center?”

  “Oh, it’s the Summerset Center over in Eastpointe,” she replied. “Thanks to my low income, they help me with childcare. I can drop Hannah off for four hours a day, three days a week, and then I don’t have to worry about paying for a babysitter. It’s only twelve hours a week, but it really helps.”

  “Yeah.” I was floored. Creek had managed to slap together some semblance of a life. Somehow, against all the odds, she was making it work. Life would always be a struggle for her. I had a few ideas on that, th
ough. “You mentioned Beacon got you into a job-training program.”

  “And you’re wondering why I’m stripping if I have another job. Well, right now I’m only working twelve hours a week as a paralegal as I build up experience. I have a degree and everything thanks to a program Beacon helped me enroll in. But it’s a slow process. I make a couple hundred dollars a day stripping. I’m putting all that money away for Hannah’s college, so she can get out of here. She doesn’t need to know where it came from.”

  I was profoundly touched by Creek’s effort. “How long will you keep it up?”

  “Not much longer. She’s very observant. She’ll be able to figure out what I do relatively quickly if I don’t keep her from it. There’re only so many times I can hide pasties between the couch cushions so she doesn’t ask questions. I want to sock away as much as I can before then.”

  “I don’t blame you.” I stared at the little girl before turning my full attention to Creek. “I need to know what happened when you were attacked. There’s not much information. When did it happen?”

  “It was before Hannah. Like, … three years. I guess that would roughly make it eight years or so ago. I ... wait. How do you even know about it?”

  That was a fair question. “You should probably sit down,” I said. “There’re a few things I need to tell you.”

  “Do I even want to hear it?”

  “Probably not, but it might explain a bit about what happened the day I left.”

  “You don’t owe me an explanation about that. I don’t blame you for leaving. I would’ve jumped at the chance, too. It sucks being the one left behind, but it obviously worked out well for you.”

  “It has. You still deserve an explanation.”

  I told her everything. Well, within reason. I didn’t delve into the monsters we killed in great detail. She didn’t need to know, and it would only confuse her more. I did tell her about my psychic abilities ... and how I met Max. I explained about being able to be open about my talents in the circus and how that was a relief. When I finished, she didn’t seem all that surprised.

  “I always knew you could do things,” she admitted. “I mean ... I didn’t know what you could do. I could see you concentrating sometimes. You also had a way of making people do what you want, like that time it was so cold we were shivering and you convinced the guy in that office building to let us sleep in the lobby, even though he thought we were thieves. He actually said that and still let us stay.”

  “To be fair, I didn’t realize what I was doing back then. I knew I could push people. I didn’t know how far I could take it.”

  “How far can you take it?”

  “Pretty far. That’s how I found your address.”

  She lightly traced her finger over the scars on her arms. “And you think whatever attacked me back then is the same thing that attacked you last night?”

  “I don’t know. The thing is, you told the cops that the creature that attacked you had red eyes. The creature that attacked me didn’t have red eyes. How sure are you about your description?”

  “Damn sure!” Creek’s eyes seemed to look back in time. “I’ll never forget that moment as long as I live. I mean ... I couldn’t believe Tawny turned on me the way she did. I thought she was just in a bad mood, but her fingers actually turned into claws — the type lions have — and I thought she might rip my throat out. I protected myself out of instinct and that’s the only reason I’m alive.”

  I jerked my eyes to her, dumbfounded. “Tawny? What are you talking about?”

  Confusion washed over Creek’s features. “It was Tawny. I thought that’s why you were really here, because you were asking about her before. I told the police it was her. Didn’t it say that in the report?”

  “No. There wasn’t even a description of the suspect. They thought you were off your rocker because you mentioned red eyes.”

  “I was out of it. I have no idea why I got so confused.”

  “You were poisoned,” I replied without hesitation. “The same thing happened to me. I couldn’t control my environment either. The thing is, you stayed awake long enough to relate your story to the police. You must have realized they didn’t believe you, because you disappeared not long after. Where did you go?”

  “I wandered. I don’t even know how long. Then ... I decided to lie down. I was near a restaurant. There was a dumpster that seemed safe enough. Someone found me, a man I think, and he carried me away.

  “I remember thinking that he was a paramedic or something, that he thought I was dead, but I wasn’t quite dead,” she continued. “I figured my time was up and I would go to sleep and never wake up. I’d been thinking about that more and more during those days, was prepared for it. I thought it might be a blessing.”

  I swallowed the lump forming in my throat. “I’m so sorry.”

  “Don’t be.” She waved off the apology. “When I woke up, I was in Royal Oak. A woman was taking care of me. I’d never met her before, but she saved me anyway.”

  Something clicked into place. “Madame Maxine saved you.”

  Creek nodded. “Yeah. That’s why I sent you to her. I thought maybe she could help you. I don’t visit her as often as I should, but I still stop in to see her from time to time. She’s a good woman, and Hannah loves her.”

  “She is.” I had no doubt about that. “Tell me about Tawny. When did you realize something was off with her?”

  “I don’t know for certain. Some of the timeline from back then melds together. The days became a blur of trying to survive.”

  “Just tell me the basics as you remember them.”

  “I started running with a group of girls staying at Hart Plaza,” she volunteered. “After Noble was murdered, everyone was afraid to go back to the alley.”

  I was taken aback. “Noble was murdered?”

  “Yeah.” She looked thoughtful. “I forgot. Word on that came down after you left. He was strung up and thrown over the side of the bridge while he was still alive. It happened to two more guys in that area before everyone scattered for a bit.”

  I felt sick to my stomach. “Do you know what happened to his body? I mean ... was he put to rest with a military funeral?”

  Creek held out her hands, helpless. “I don’t know. I’m sorry.”

  “It’s not your fault.” I meant it. Life had screwed Noble. I could hardly go back in time and make things right. “What about Tawny? You were hanging with a new crowd. Does that mean you never saw her?”

  “I hadn’t seen Tawny for at least six months. She disappeared like you. Well, maybe not exactly like you. She was always talking about going west. I assumed she finally went through with it ... until I saw her that night months later – actually, it could’ve been closer to a year that she was gone – and she attacked me. All I was doing was asking where she’d been. She wasn’t even the same person. She looked normal until she grabbed my arm, and then her eyes flashed red. I swear I’m not making it up.”

  “I believe you.” I tapped my chin as I considered the new information. “When I talked to you the other day in the club, you said Tawny went west. You never mentioned her coming back.”

  “Yeah, well, I didn’t want to tell you about the red eyes because I assumed you would think I was crazy. I knew better than telling anyone that story because the first time I tried to get people to believe me they thought I was crazy. I have a daughter now. They’ll take her away if they think I’m unfit. I buried it deep.”

  “Have you seen Tawny since?”

  “No, and I’m grateful. I don’t know what I would do if I saw her again. I think she’s dead or she really did leave this time.”

  “No.” I thought to the day we arrived at the fairgrounds. “I’ve seen her. I thought I was imagining it, but I’ve seen her.”

  “Did she attack you?”

  I shook my head. “No. Something else attacked me. I think she created something else.”

  Creek looked legitimately baffled. “I don’t understa
nd what that means.”

  “I’m not sure I do either. I need to visit your buddy Madame Maxine again. And then I need to try to track down Tawny. I think I have an idea what might be going on here.”

  “Do you think you can save the girls if you find Tawny?”

  That was a thorny question. “Probably not,” I replied after a long moment. False hope was worse than no hope. “But at least I’ll be able to save other girls from falling victim to her.”

  “That’s better than everyone else is doing,” Creek agreed. “Do you want me to go with you to visit Maxine? I can try to find a babysitter if you think it’s necessary.”

  I looked to where Hannah sat mouthing words to herself as she smiled and flipped pages in the book. “No. You belong here.” I rubbed Creek’s arm and smiled. “I’m glad you found your place.”

  “I’m glad you found yours.”

  “I still wish you would’ve gotten the letter I sent. I kind of want to kill Hazy.”

  “He’s still around. Owns a garage not far from the fairgrounds. He’s done okay for himself. I doubt he kept the letters. He probably lost those five minutes after you gave them to him.”

  “Wait ... Hazy owns a garage?”

  “He fixes cars.” Creek beamed. “He’s fixed my car for cheap a few times. He never gives me any grief about it either.”

  “I guess that’s more important than a letter.”

  “I still would’ve liked the letter.”

  “Yeah.” I hugged her. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

  She awkwardly patted my back.

  “I’m going to find the person doing this. I’m going to find Tawny.”

  “And then what?”

  “Then I end it.”

  She pulled back and stared into my eyes. “You’re going to kill her?”

  “I’m going to make the streets a little safer,” I corrected. “It’s all I can do.”

  “Then you best get to it.”

  26

  Twenty-Six

  Madame Maxine was helping a customer when I entered her shop. I took advantage of the opportunity to scan the goods on display, selected a pretty dreamcatcher to replace the one by my bedroom window that was starting to show signs of wear and tear, and made my way to the counter.