He sat back against his overstuffed backpack and turned his gaze to Mary’s spirit hovering nearby.
“I’m not. I’ll never lie to you, Faith.” He turned his gaze to meet mine. “About a year ago, I started getting dream flashes of you and me together.”
I’d lifted the granola bar to my lips and slowly lowered it. “So, you get premonitions too?”
“Not quite,” he said, picking up a rock and skimming it over the water surface, producing ripples. “I experience glimpses of us together. Married, with kids.”
“You’re joking,” I snapped my mouth closed.
“Nope,” he said and pulled out a candy bar and handed it to me. My eyes widened as I read the label. A shiver ripped across my nerve endings. He’d just handed me my favorite dark candy, which was made in Japan and hard to find in this country. The treat was one of my guilty pleasures that I splurged on. It was my favorite way to de-stress, and every time my stash ran low, I had to reorder it before eating the last candy bar. No one knew my secret, not even my sisters.
“How did you know?”
“In one scene that I’ve witnessed, you were eating one on your back patio while I was grilling steaks.”
“That sounds lovely,” I said, meaning it as I covered my mouth, trying to stifle my yawn.
“It was,” he said. A brief haunted look flashed in his eyes before he quickly masked it.
“What?” I asked.
“You look tired from lack of sleep and the concussion. You should try and get some shut-eye while you can.”
“I’m too wired to sleep,” I lied, rising from my spot to stretch, trying to stay awake. I grabbed a flashlight and flicked it on. “How about a walk so we can find a way up the waterfall to see where the water originates?”
“Sure,” Keaton said and rose to his feet and gestured toward the shoreline. I started to walk with him by my side.
“Did your mother really drop you on your head?”
“No, but I’ve been able to see spirits since I was born. When I was younger, it used to freak me out. Not so much now. It actually helps with my line of work. I’m the go-to guy for finding missing people, if they’re dead.”
“Is that how you ended up in my town?”
“Those spirits didn’t seek me out. I’m not sure why. Tracking them down has been harder than any other homicide case. I was only in town because one of the missing girls had answered an online ad about buying some furniture. I was trying to track her last steps, so that led me here.”
We stepped off the shore and into the green lush surroundings as we climbed the embankment to try to reach the top of the waterfall. My foot caught and started to slip, but Keaton caught me, holding me against his chest until I found my footing again. It happened several more times while I asked questions to learn more about the guy who claimed to be my future husband.
We reached the top of the peak within the next thirty minutes. Our camping gear looked miniature, like the food I’d eaten for dinner.
There were several ponds surrounding a gushing stream of water that spilled down to the rocks below, making the waterfall.
“This water was never here,” I said. “It used to be a dry river bed.”
“Not anymore. Judging by the location, if I had to make a guess, I think it had to have just the right elements. An abundance of rain breached the Savannah River nearby and is fueling this little paradise.”
“Once word of this gets out, it’s going to attract a lot more people to this location.”
“Probably good we found it first,” Keaton said, taking my hand and leading me back down the path we’d made to reach the water above.
I lost my footing again, and this time, Keaton wasn’t as fast to catch my fall. Instead, I grabbed hold of him, and we both rolled down the hill. He held me in his embrace, shielding me from the trees and brush as we tumbled to the shoreline below.
A grunt flew from his lips as he landed with me on top of his body. His arms were still holding me in place as his worried gaze caressed my face. “Are you okay, Faith?”
“Me?” I asked, crawling backward off of his body. “Sure. Are you?”
He sat up with me, matching my movement until his lips were an inch from mine. The intense stare of his eyes held mine. “I’m fine.”
I don’t know what possessed me. Maybe it was the fact that he stopped me from breaking my neck, or heck, maybe it was that he’d shared his hot dogs. Whatever it was, I could always blame a temporary lack of sanity.
I pressed my lips to his, and his hand rested on my neck, easing me back down to the position we’d landed in. He rolled me onto my side, his hold tender and sure.
He kissed me back.
His fingers twisted in my hair as I clutched him tighter, pulling him closer to me, unable to get enough. Our legs entwined, and I gave in to his hold, letting him take what I wanted to give him.
The heat of the night was nothing compared to the sparks from his touch, the demand in his kiss.
He eased away, breaking the connection, and we both struggled to calm the desire racing through us. He rested his forehead against mine. “It was better than I imagined.”
I sat unmoving, unbelieving that had just happened. Heat climbed through my body and into my cheeks.
“I’m sorry.” My words were a whisper between us.
“I’m not,” he answered as he leaned in to kiss me again.
His lips had just touched mine with a soft caress when screams rent the night air.
He shot to his feet, scanning the area around us. “That sounded like it came from all directions.”
“It did,” I said, pushing myself off the ground and brushing off the leaves and weeds still clinging to my clothes from our fall. “Rumor has it that these woods are haunted. No one can explain the sounds.”
His gaze went down my body as if searching for wounds as tension struck his shoulders.
I shouldn’t have kissed him. I hadn’t even decided if I liked him. I touched his arm as I passed. “I think I will get a couple hours of sleep.”
He only nodded and led me back to our tents. I climbed into my sleeping bag and released my first pent-up breath while silently berating myself for starting a kiss that I’d measure all future kisses against. Damn him and damn me.
Keaton
Chapter 9
She slept for hours while he kept watch. He timed the screams, which happened once every twenty minutes. They were few and far between, but the changing pitch told him that the screams were from more than one woman.
Keaton climbed into Faith’s tent. She was sleeping peacefully. It almost pained him to have to wake her up. She was beautiful, even more so than when she’d breached his dreams. He swallowed hard around the lump in his throat. In his dreams, he’d failed to keep her alive. He could never tell her. Only wait to see if he did things right this time.
He pressed a tender kiss to her temple. “Faith, it’s time to wake up.”
She moaned and snuggled further into the sleeping bag.
“Faith,” he said a little louder. “It’s time, baby. If you want to help me get to Mary, you have to get up.”
Her eyes shot open, and her breath quickened as she glanced around as if it took a second for her to remember where she was and why he’d been looking down at her.
“What time is it?” she asked, wiping the sleep from her eyes.
“Almost two. The water level is receding,” he said.
“How is that possible in a pond?” she asked, wiping the sleep from her eyes.
“The pond overflowed and created a breach into a stream nearby where there is a runoff.”
“Seriously?” Her pretty lips formed a perfect O
“Living in the woods, it’s possible your friend Mary knows about the breach. It’s possible it happens every night between two and three. I don’t know why it happens or care, but it’s happening now,” he said climbing out of her tent, giving her a few minutes to wake up.
Keaton made her a cup of coffee
. He was working on his seventh cup since she’d fallen asleep. He was going to need it. Keaton handed it to her before climbing into the waders and putting the additional pair by her legs.
Grabbing the shovel and the panels, he watched the water recede until a body protruded from the water. First the long grey hair on the head and then the rest.
Keaton had just reached the body as Faith struggled to get into the waders.
Jimbo’s voice had them both looking up at the tree line, where he emerged with a forensic team following behind him.
Jimbo would believe anything Faith told him. Proving it to others, however, was his only impediment. Keaton could only imagine what Jimbo had told them to get them to hike out this way without even a missing person’s report.
Keaton dug into the mud surrounding the body, giving it a wide berth, trying as best he could not to damage any evidence that was left behind. He had one panel secured when Faith and the rest of the forensic team began to help.
Jimbo stayed on the shoreline, talking on his phone while he paced.
They barricaded the body, and Keaton took a step back, giving the geeks room to work.
“Faith…” he glanced around, looking for her, only to spot her following a spirit, which glided beneath the waterfall.
Keaton waded over to her and climbed over the rocks. The water pressure coming over the ridge soaked him as he followed her into the dark cavernous place.
“Faith,” he called out.
A flashlight lit his face before she lowered it to the ground. “Sorry.”
“What are you doing?”
“Following a spirit,” she said as if it were an everyday normal response.
They began to move in tandem. Their movement sloshed the water at their feet. The sound of the water from above hitting the rocks made it difficult to hear. The cave grew narrower as he followed behind her, helping her so she didn’t slip on the rocks. Her flashlight was dancing off the walls.
She stopped abruptly, and Keaton almost plowed into her, catching her around the waist so she didn’t topple over.
He glanced over her shoulder to find the beam of her flashlight pointing at a woman’s body. A familiar face stared up at the rock ceiling. Her gaze was unblinking and hazy. Her body lay prone and broken.
Keaton’s throat turned dry as he dropped to his knees beside the body and felt for a pulse. There wasn’t one. Like Mary, this woman looked like she’d just fallen and couldn’t get up. She was dead. Shit. He ran his hand over his face.
“Isn’t she one of your three still missing?” Faith asked.
“Erin Adams. She was a reporter. She was only reported missing a week ago.”
“The same time Mary disappeared. That can’t be a coincidence.”
“I don’t believe in coincidences.” He said.
Faith dropped to her knees on the other side of the body. “What the heck is she doing here?”
The beam left the body and slowly slid around the cavernous walls, up and down as if she were searching for something.
Rocks glinted on the ground, and she picked one up, running her finger over the smooth surface. She slowly rose and sloshed over to the wall, scanning it with her flashlight. “I have no idea what she was doing here.”
“Faith, are you all right?” Jimbo called from the opening of the waterfall. His concerned voice echoed and bounced off the walls.
Keaton took Faith’s hand and flashlight and led her back out to the opening. “There’s another body in the cave.”
Jimbo glanced down into the dark. “You can’t be serious.”
“He’s serious.”
“She’ll be easy to ID. Her name is Erin Adams. She was a reporter over in Greenbridge. She’s one of my seven.”
“What the hell is your dead reporter doing near our dead witch?”
That was one of the questions Keaton couldn’t answer. He knew the reporter’s abduction fit into his missing person case, which had now turned into serial murders, but why was the witch included? She’d gone missing without a trace just like the others. Their entire lives up and vanished, including everything they owned. He needed to figure this out and fast before Faith fell victim. Keaton had less than two weeks to save her life.
Chapter 10
Keaton followed me home and insisted on walking me inside. Normally I’d have fussed but not after finding two dead bodies and knowing there was a killer on the loose. It was one thing to see ghosts and communicate with the dearly departed, but it was a whole new level to witness the human remains.
It was dark, disturbing, and unshakeable.
Keaton walked me into my house and did his cop thing by pretending he was thirsty in an attempt to get a look around and make sure things weren’t lurking in dark corners.
His tired eyes were red. He looked as though once his head hit a pillow, he’d be down for the count.
I handed him a bottled water as we sat at my kitchen table.
“You look like you’re ready to fall over,” I said.
His lip twitched. “I haven’t slept in over twenty-four hours.”
“Where are you staying?” I asked, knowing there were several hours left for him to get some shut-eye, assuming he could drive that far without getting into an accident.
“By the airport,” he said.
“I was afraid you were going to say that. Get your drink and follow me.” I rose and left the kitchen. When he didn’t follow, I turned to find him staring at the flower he’d given me, which I’d put in my favorite vase. The flowers the doctor had given me were still lying on the counter in their wrapping.
I crossed the room and took his hand, pulling him from the kitchen. “It’s still dark out. That should help you fall asleep.”
I led him up the stairs and showed him around. My bedroom, the hall bathroom, and the other two rooms, only one of which had a bed made. I pushed the door open. “I don’t want you driving and getting into a wreck. You can crash here.”
“You sure you don’t mind?” he asked, although I could read the relief on his face.
“Not at all. It’s the least I can do since you let me sleep earlier.”
He touched my arm as I begin to walk out, stopping me in my tracks. “I’ll be out of your hair in the morning.”
I turned in his hold and cupped his cheek, my gaze searching his “Thank you for helping me find Mary.”
He nodded, and I stepped out of his reach. If I’d kissed him, I wouldn’t be leaving and he’d be even more tired. I couldn’t have that on my conscience, not when I owed him for helping me.
“Sweet dreams, Detective.”
“Thanks, Faith,” he answered, holding my gaze and remaining unmoving as I slowly closed the door.
****
I managed to get a few more hours of sleep before my alarm went off. I had four clients scheduled for today. All I really wanted to do was find out if Jimbo had been apprised of Mary’s cause of death and the dead reporter’s too.
I’d found five of Keaton’s missing seven. Would he leave when I found the rest?
“Letting a man that you hardly know stay in your home isn’t smart, Faith,” Veronica said as I slowly sipped my coffee, waiting on my client to show.
“Where’s Jared?” I asked. The two normally appeared at the same time.
“I left him trying to figure out how to get into your boyfriend’s room.”
“Trying?”
“Oh, yes.” Her eyes sparkled. “The last time your sister Nina came to stay, she laid down a salt barrier to keep the kid out, and it’s still in place.”
“Why is Jared so hostile sometimes? Did he not get hugged enough as a kid?” I asked.
She shrugged. “You’d have to ask him. I can feel the energetic anger rising in him. His actions are bordering on homicidal.”
Just what I didn’t need. A homicidal seven-year-old haunting the people under my roof. An intervention was in the making, but keeping the young boy pinned down when he could vanish into thin air was
going to be like using cooked spaghetti as a crutch to walk with. Neither would work.
A knock sounded on my door, and I hurried to answer it.
Karlee Hartman stood on the other side. Her big doe eyes met mine and she fidgeted with the hem of her shirt as I pulled the door open. “Karlee, you’re early.”
“I hope that’s okay.” Her timid voice shook. This was only the second time I’d met Karlee. The first time was when she’d wanted my references. That had made me chuckle, but I’d given them just the same.
She was a smart girl. Gifted even. The supernatural team that hovered around her and nearby proved that. She had everything from monks to a shaman surrounding her.
Her blonde hair was braided and hanging over her shoulder. Her pink sundress was perfect for her young age. She looked fresh and hopeful, the complete opposite of how I’d felt last night.
I pulled the door open wide. “Come in, and we’ll get started.”
I led her into the sitting room where I had a table set up. It was my favorite place in my house, where crystals sat and peaceful vibes emanated out of each and every corner.
I’d kept the entire house saged but this room even more so. After every single reading, I’d do it again just to make sure I didn’t have lingering ghosts.
She sat and twiddled her fingers as she glanced around the room.
“Can I get you something to drink?” I asked, trying as I might to ease the young girl’s fears.
“Oh, no, thank you. I’m fine.”
Her fingers stilled, and she blew out a nervous breath. Her gaze never left me as I walked around the room, lighting my favorite-smelling candles before sitting down. Most times, spirits just came with the person, and Karlee was no different. I pulled out my pad of paper, the kind I liked to doodle on when connecting. It was a personal habit, but not a crutch I needed to use to connect.
With pen in hand, I sat down with my book and opened up to an empty page. “Is there anyone in particular you’re wanting to hear from today?”
Karlee licked her lips. “My sister—”
I held up my hand. “As little details as possible, please.”
Down and Dirty (Bennett Dynasty Book 3) Page 5