Carol Shenold - Tali Cates 02 - Bloody Murder (15 page)

Sitting sideways at the end of the dining room table with my feet up on a chair, I faced the sliding glass door and could see outside. The clouds had scattered as the three-quarter moon came out. Moisture left on the grass glowed in the moonlight. The moon would be full by the end of the week, in time for the Masked Ball.

I didn’t think more drama was meant to be part of my life or any other kinds of politics. I was in charge of decorations for the ball but that was easy. Not something that would stir up any drama—at least I hoped not.

I also hoped JT would figure out what was going on with Laurel’s continuing animosity and with the killings. I wasn’t as convinced as he was that an old boyfriend was to blame for either murder. Unlike him, I wasn’t certain our medical examiner would be able to figure out what might have caused such horrible deaths. They might as well have been mummies. I did my best to discount all the paranormal stuff around me but these murders stank of evil. There was no other way to put it, overdramatic as it sounded.

I drifted a little as the pain pill and whiskey zoomed into my system at the same time. What was I going to do about Aiden? Did I need to do anything about him or let things take their course? Could he really be a vampire like the boys thought? That might account for his cold hands, his firm, icy skin I’d noticed when we’d made love by the lake. That thought was enough to make me want to rush next door and say “Take me. Take me.” If he were a vampire, he’d be awake. Oh shit, if he were a vampire he’d be busy feeding on something, someone.

Suddenly I felt a chill. When I tried to move, I felt like I was the one getting old, every joint cold and stiff. Maybe from the ice that was melting on my ankle, maybe thoughts of vampires or murder, or all of the above. I heaved myself up to go to the bedroom and sink into a dreamless sleep.

Chapter Fifteen

Sleep ended way too early Sunday morning when I heard yelling and screaming outside the front door. I recognized Cass’s voice screeching.

“What the hell do you mean, thinking you have the right to tell me what to do and where to go? We are not married. We’re not mates, as you so delicately put it. Also, I’m not a member of your pack, gang, fraternity or whatever you want to call it. I’m never going back there again, Chase Bridges. Now you get away from here. Go on now.”

Cass came in, slammed the front door, and leaned against it. Tears streamed down her face before she focused enough to see me on the landing. She raised her chin and dashed the tears away as if she could pretend they never happened.

“I liked him, Mom. I liked him a lot, but he wants to tell me what to do, keep me to himself. He’s so jealous he doesn’t want me to be around any friends or hardly even go to work. What’s wrong with him? What’s wrong with me?”

“There’s nothing wrong with you, Cass. It sounds as if he has some things to deal with before he can have a reasonable relationship with anyone. Better to find out now, maybe, than later.”

“It doesn’t feel like it. Yesterday started out so good, we had fun and laughed a lot and then his friends came along and he got all possessive and jealous.”

I pulled her into the kitchen so I could make coffee for me. Cass was strictly a soda girl. But maybe I could calm her down a little. What a switch, Cass letting me try to smooth anything over for her.

She sat down at the table. I measured coffee, loving the scent. I didn’t need the crutches this morning but I was stiff and sore and put the ankle up where I’d had it the night before. Cass looked at my ankle.

“Just part of a day’s work in event planning.” I looked at my daughter as she sat across from me. In the last few months she’d let her hair go back to its natural light blonde instead of the gothic black she wore not too long ago. We had similar features, but hers were finer, more delicate. I had my mother’s olive skin and she had Brian’s fair skin. I could be attractive when I worked at it. She was a knockout now that she wasn’t trying so hard to be tough. The thought of that kid making her so unhappy made me crazy.

I smiled at her. “Some guys are dumb around their friends. But it can be a sign of other problems if they are so insecure they have to resort to fighting. I think you’re smart to let things cool down a little. Your best bet is to go on with things and let Chase get over himself. When he realizes what he’s going to lose, he will either come to his senses or not. If not, you have to decide what you are willing to put up with.”

“I know. But it’s hard when I drive people away.”

“It should comfort you that I have a worse track record than you do.”

Sean stumbled in, blinking like a blinded owl. “Hey. Isn’t this supposed to be Sunday? How come everyone’s up? I was going to sleep late.” He looked around. “Since we’re up, can we have pancakes?”

I took a long drink of hot coffee. “After all the nonsense you and Rusty were behind last night, I should never feed you again.”

“Yeah, dork, you’ll drive away Mom’s new boyfriend if you’re not careful.” Cass punched him on the shoulder.

“Ow. Mom.” He pulled his sister’s hair. “He is not her boyfriend. Take that back.”

Mumsie came stomping in, her usually calm hair standing on end. “What is all this nonsense and noise? Kids, stop fighting. Tali, control your children. You woke me up last night and again now, at five in the morning. I’m tired. I’m going back to bed and I don’t want to hear anything out of any of you. It’s dark out.”

We scattered. Going back to bed sounded good to me too.

I woke up three hours later wishing I hadn’t gone back to bed at all. I hadn’t slept well. Nightmares making no real sense jerked me out of sleep in a panic several times. I needed fresh air, sunshine, to clear fog out of my brain. Jogging wouldn’t be the cure, not with the ankle. I called Cherilyn.

“Are you up for a drive? I need some decorative grasses for the ball and I know where to find them.”

“Is it legal or will we be poaching?”

“Can you poach grasses? I thought it was wildlife. You think I need a permit or license or something?”

“Dunno, but I’m game. I need to get away before Chaz comes over and tries to drag me to church with him and his mother. Or out on a date. He’s not particular which.”

“Chaz? What kind of name is that for around here? Is he nice? Have I met him? Have I heard of him?”

“I’ll tell you all about him. Be there shortly. How’s the ankle?”

“Amazingly better. See you in a bit.” I recalled the feel of Aiden’s hands around my ankle and wondered if it was possible for someone to have a healing touch.

I hung up and went to change into sweats, grab a jacket, and pull back my hair. I gathered apples, cheese, crackers, and a bottle of wine for lunch and actually remembered to throw in a corkscrew.

Damn, Cher had a lousy boss—Laurel—and no luck with men lately, which made no sense to me. Tall, blonde, legs up to her neck, and gorgeous. What’s not to love? But it sounded like she’d found another weird one.

“Mom, wait.” Sean caught me as I went through the living room. “Rusty called. I’m invited for lunch. Can I go? His mom said she’d come get me.”

“No. I want you to stay here. You two have gotten into enough trouble lately and the grass needs mowed, leaves raked, pecans picked up. Don’t grind them all up with the mower.”

“That will take all day! Can Rusty at least come and help? Please?”

“Good try. Not happening.”

“But what if I run into that bloodsucker?”

I reached out and grabbed him by the ear, pulling him close, and not gently. “What did you say?”

“Nothing,” he mumbled. He tilted his head to keep me from pulling on his ear.

“Don’t. Ever. Say. That. Again.” I’ve failed this child, I thought. Somewhere I didn’t get through to him that you don’t call anyone ugly names, even when you’re imagining things.

Cherilyn’s Lexus roared into the driveway. I let go of Sean and left him staring after me, rubbing his ear.

I stashed the food and the bag for the grasses in the back seat. Cherilyn raised her eyebrows when I eased into the car. I couldn’t tell if it was because of the colors on my ankle or the thunderous expression I knew covered my face.

“Lead on, MacDuff. Where do you want me to go?”

“Head out seventy-six and go toward that abandoned house on the hill. There’s a turnoff and behind the house there are some of the most gorgeous plants and grasses I can spray and use for Saturday.”

“I thought we were going all glitz and glam, not rustic and Halloweenish.”

“I am. That’s why I have gold, silver, red, and black spray paint and lots of glitter. You’ll be amazed.”

“Always, with you.” Her voice had a dry edge to it that told me she was a little put out.

“What’s wrong, Cher?”

“There’s something you aren’t telling me. Your stress-bucket level is off the charts.”

“I haven’t seen you to fill you in. You’ll be sorry you asked.” I filled her in about the boys, vampires, Cass, the contest. She already knew about the bodies.

“Wow. And I was whining about one boyfriend and his dingbat of a mother. Who do you think turned those two into mummies?”

“I can’t imagine. I mean, Marcia’s husband was upset because he thought his wife was playing around. If Marcia and Karin Hataway were fighting over a boyfriend they had in common, jealousy on the part of the boyfriend would be a factor.”

Cher shook her head. “How would those two have a boyfriend in common?” The kid is barely eighteen, if that. It would take a real sleaze to date a married woman and a kid at the same time.”

I raised an eyebrow. “We don’t have a lack of those. Look at Frank Tannehill. But, I don’t think that’s it. It feels more strange than that, but I can’t explain why.

And I don’t believe it’s as simple as jealousy, not that jealousy is a simple emotion”

Cher whipped the car to the right, flinging me across the seat, into the window.

“Whoa. What was that about?”

“I couldn’t run over that little kitten in the road. There’s the house.”

“What kitten? I don’t see any kitten.”

She looked around. “Maybe it ran away, got scared. Who used to live here, anyway?”

“I think it belonged to a distant cousin of the Rayburns, no one important enough to have the house saved by the historical society.”

We got out of the car and started around toward the back of the house. It was a dilapidated Victorian someone could have renovated into a cute place once. Now it would take a miracle to make it livable again.

“Why hasn’t someone turned this into a showplace?”

I laughed and told her what I’d been thinking. “Look. See what I mean about the grasses?” A circular bed in the back of the house swayed with Pampas grass. Not a small bed.

“You sure no one will care?”

“There’s no family left around here. Obviously, no one is taking care of the house. I don’t think it will be a problem.”

A cold waft of air made me glad I’d brought a jacket. “We might have to have our picnic in the car. Look at those clouds rolling in.”

Sure enough, clouds gathered at the horizon, an army waiting to invade, dressed in olive drab, marching forward much faster than I liked. The wind drove them toward us.

Cherilyn took scissors and slashed at the stalks, chopping and cutting fast as she could. “We’d better hurry before it starts pouring rain. You don’t want to have to dry them all before you spray them.”

I held the sack and moved carefully on the uneven ground, afraid I’d turn my ankle again. Once was enough. I jumped when lightening outlined a tree in the pasture next to the house.

“We need to get inside,” I yelled against the wind, “and I don’t mean in the car.”

Cherilyn looked at the yard and house. “Okay, the house. It’s not much, but better than nothing.”

We ran for the house as the first large drops pelted us. We went for the back door, but it was stuck. I tried to hold the bag over our heads as we lurched around to the front. I was in a panic that I’d fall or stumble. The steps up to the front porch took forever but the front door gave with a light push and we were in.

It wasn’t much dryer inside because of a hole in the roof at the entrance, but further back was better. Rain outside and dirty windows made the dark house darker.

We followed the hall back to the kitchen where the larger windows let in a little light. “Shame we didn’t grab the food. We could have a picnic in here.”

Cherilyn shot a dubious glance around the kitchen, taking in the cracked table and one broken wooden chair. “I don’t think so. I’m not that hungry. I’ll wait.” She looked down at the floor. “Hey, what’s that?”

Fresh chalk lines scribed a large circle and pentagram next to each other on the floor. “Weird. I wonder who has been playing around in here.”

Cherilyn bent down to touch the circle but didn’t smudge the chalk lines. “Do you know what this is? Do you think we have devil worshipers out here?” she whispered.

I laughed before I saw she was both serious and scared. “No, not for sure. Mumsie showed me pictures of the things that could be used to summon a spirit.”

“A demon, or a garden-variety ghost or spirit?”

“Look, I don’t know if it’s possible, but someone might at least have tried. I can ask Mumsie what she thinks.”

Cherilyn pulled out her cell phone. “I need pictures. This is a great story. This might get Laurel off my back finally. Cool.” She grinned a feral grin, flashing her white teeth. A wolf on the scent of its prey.

I shivered at the change and at the negative energy resounding through the room. I didn’t think whatever had been happening in this room had been entirely benign.

I shivered as wind and rain buffeted the roof. The light outside had a green cast to it. Oh shit. Hail pelted the roof, then slammed it. I ran to the window. Baseball-sized ice pellets covered the field. Our poor cars.

Cherilyn stood right beside me. “Look at those clouds. They’re turning in circles.”

“Shit, shit, shit. We’re going to have a tornado, and it’s not much after noon. They’re not supposed to hit until afternoon or evening.”

“Tell that to those clouds overhead.”

I scanned the kitchen and saw a door on the opposite side from the one outside. “Quick, in here.”