Unquiet Souls

by Christine Pope

  “Oh, so that’s supposed to make it better?” she demanded. If he’d thought that kind of revelation would mollify her in any way, he didn’t know her very well. “It’s all Colin’s fault?”

  “That’s not what I meant. I — ” Once again he broke off, only now Audrey was beginning to see some of his own frustration and anger break through. His mouth twisted, and there was a dangerous glint in his eyes. “Do you have any idea what it’s like to have something like that hanging over you, to be defined by something you didn’t even do?”

  She could feel a scowl of her own pulling at her brows. “Considering that I got to be that girl whose parents were murdered by a psychopath, yes, I think I have a vague inkling of what that’s all about. You still should have told me the truth — ”

  “Well, now you know the truth,” he broke in. “And this reaction is what I was trying to avoid.”

  About all Audrey could do was stare at him in disbelief. “I’m not angry at you for what your brother did,” she snapped. “Do you honestly think I’d hold you responsible for that? You were a kid, just like me. No,” she went on, not allowing him to interrupt again, “I’m angry with you for withholding this information from me. You lied.”

  “I didn’t lie,” he replied. “I just didn’t tell you the truth. Because I knew you wouldn’t be able to handle it.”

  “I could have handled it just fine if you’d been honest from the beginning.” She paused there, staring at him, attempting to see if she could detect any contrition at all in his expression. But she didn’t see anything like that, only the same frustration and anger she’d noted earlier. “How long were you going to let this charade go on?”

  “Until I thought it would be safe to tell you,” he said. “Whenever that turned out to be. It’s not like I had a timeline mapped out in my head, but probably after we were done shooting.”

  And right there, Audrey understood. He wasn’t going to apologize, because he didn’t think he’d done anything wrong. It was more important to him to make sure they finished filming the show than to tell her that oh, by the way, my crazy older brother killed your parents and a bunch of other people while staying on the eleventh floor of the Hyatt Waikiki.

  “Oh, we’re done, all right,” she retorted. Without saying anything else, she went over to get her purse from the dresser and slung it over her shoulder.

  Now Michael looked alarmed. “Where are you going? You can’t go back to your house — ”

  While this was a valid point, Audrey sure as hell wasn’t going to tell him that. “I don’t think that’s any concern of yours. I’m a grown woman — I’ll figure it out.”

  “Audrey — ”

  She gritted her teeth and ignored the pleading in his voice. No, she was not going to be rational and sensible and stay to hear him out. If he hadn’t outright lied to her, he’d definitely misrepresented the situation, misrepresented who he was. She knew she could never trust him again.

  Without replying, Audrey went out into the hallway and marched down the stairs. Once she got to the bottom floor, she pulled her phone out of her purse. Thank God it still had some battery life left. With shaking fingers, she pulled up the Lyft app, then requested a pickup. A car was only a few blocks away, so it should be here soon enough. The last thing she wanted was to be standing on the sidewalk in front of Michael’s house for any amount of time. She definitely didn’t want him to have the opportunity to come and plead with her some more.

  He hadn’t followed her down the stairs, though. Nor did he emerge from the house after she slammed the front door. What he was thinking, she didn’t know…and didn’t care to.

  Audrey had no idea whether the Lyft driver — a thick-set Hispanic man in his late thirties — knew she was doing her own hellish walk of shame right then. “Twenty-three Meda Avenue in Glendora,” she told him as she climbed into the back seat of his Toyota RAV-4, completely forgetting that the app would have already informed him of her destination.

  Luckily, the driver didn’t seem inclined to comment, only nodded in acknowledgment and pulled away from the curb. Although she told herself not to, she couldn’t quite keep herself from looking back at Michael’s house as they drove off. Although he’d never emerged, she thought she caught a glimpse of him standing at one of the upstairs windows, staring down at the street.

  Like a ghost himself, because when Audrey turned back to look a second time, he was gone.

  After that, she faced forward and told herself to forget about him. What all this meant in terms of the show, she didn’t know. There was no way in hell she would ever work with Michael again, so she’d have to find some way to wriggle out of that damn contract. Could such a gross omission of vital information be enough to claim a breach?

  She wasn’t a lawyer. She didn’t know. Maybe Bettina would, but then Audrey would have to tell her about what had happened. What had seemed so magical, so transformative, the night before now felt sordid, shameful. It hadn’t exactly been a one-night stand, and yet….

  Of more pressing concern was what she planned to do with herself. The house was trashed, not really habitable. She could go stay in a hotel or an Airbnb somewhere, but she couldn’t afford to do that for very long, especially if she walked out on Project Demon Hunters and had to return the thirty-three thousand she’d been paid already.

  One step at a time, Audrey told herself. Go home, and hope it’s safe enough to go inside and get what you need. She realized then that a bunch of her things were still at Michael’s place, but it was all second-string travel stuff, not anything she needed to survive.

  The Lyft driver stopped in front of her house. To her surprise, there was a mint-green Fiat compact parked there already. As soon as Audrey got out of the Lyft, the driver-side door on the Fiat opened and Rosemary McGuire emerged.

  Audrey stared at her in shock, barely noticing the Lyft pulling away from the curb. “What are you doing here?” she blurted.

  Rosemary grinned as she walked over to where Audrey stood. “Psychic, remember? Of course, it helps that you’re such a good transmitter. Not quite as loud as a police siren, but close.”

  For some reason, her comment made the blood rush to Audrey’s cheeks. “I’m sorry about that — ”

  “Don’t be sorry. I could tell you needed help.” Now that Rosemary was close enough to see Audrey’s face, she went suddenly sober, worry obvious in her clear, sky-blue eyes. “What happened?”

  “I thought you were a psychic.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “I’m getting emotions pinging all over the place, but no details.”

  “It’s a long story. Let’s just say that Michael Covenant and I aren’t exactly on speaking terms at the moment.” Audrey let out a breath, then turned to look at the house. As far as she could tell, it appeared unaltered from the last time she’d been here, but who knew what fresh hell the demons had unleashed inside? “But I need to go in there, get a few things, even though the thought scares the hell out of me.”

  “I can imagine.” Rosemary’s chin went up. “Still, it’s daylight. I’ll help you.”

  Audrey realized then she was thinking of the attack that had come through the e-reader. Because she hadn’t spoken with the psychic since the night Michael came to pick her up, Rosemary didn’t know anything about the second attack, the way the demons had trashed the place.

  “It’s pretty bad in there,” Audrey warned her. “I had some…visitors…show up and make it really clear that they didn’t appreciate my interference, if you know what I mean.”

  For a second, Rosemary stared at her, and then comprehension seemed to dawn in her eyes. Although she looked visibly paler, her voice was firm enough as she said, “Then we’ll just make this fast, won’t we? And you can come crash on my couch — for real this time.”

  “No, I can’t do that,” Audrey replied. “I don’t know how long it’s going to take to get my house fixed up. I’ll probably go and stay with my aunt Deb over in Claremont.” Even as she spoke, though,
she realized she really didn’t want to do that. After years and years of putting her life on hold to give Audrey security, and more years of getting back in the rhythm of living in her own house and having a world separate from her niece’s, Deb had started dating again. From what she’d said, it sounded as if things were getting pretty serious with Tom, the man she’d been seeing for the past six months. It wouldn’t be fair for Audrey to interrupt her aunt’s life after she’d already given so much of it so selflessly.

  “I don’t think your aunt can give you the protection you need right now,” Rosemary said. “CeeCee — my sister Cecily — has a guest house that’s vacant right now. She and her husband’s last tenant moved out and they’re deciding whether to rent it long-term again or turn it into an Airbnb, and I’m sure she’d let you stay there for a bit until you get everything worked out.”

  “If it’s all right — ” Audrey began, and Rosemary nodded.

  “I know it will be. But let’s get your stuff out of the house here first.”

  If money hadn’t been so tight, she honestly would have asked Rosemary to take her shopping for some clothes and toiletries. But it seemed silly to do something like that when everything Audrey needed was just a few yards away. Assuming, of course, that the demons hadn’t destroyed everything. They’d gone in the garage and torn her car apart, so it was entirely possible that they’d also wreaked havoc in the closet and in the bathroom drawers and cabinets.

  Only one way to find out, though.

  “Let’s go,” Audrey said.

  They went up the front steps. Rosemary waited while Audrey got out her keys and opened the front door. She pulled in a breath and held it, mentally bracing herself for the chaos that was about to greet her. As the door swung inward, however, she could only stand there on the threshold and stare at her living room in disbelief.

  It was fine, not a single picture or coaster out of place. If she hadn’t seen the destruction for herself, Audrey would never have believed that her house could have been so thoroughly ravaged. Now, though…now it looked as though she’d just had a cleaning crew come in.

  “I thought you said — ” Rosemary began, and Audrey shook her head.

  “I know,” she broke in. “They tore it apart — and I mean that literally. As in, the stuffing was pulled out of the couch and chairs.”

  Everything was back where it should be…including the photo of her and her parents that was the one thing Audrey had rescued from the destruction. As far as she knew, it should have been back at Michael’s house, tucked into her weekender bag. That it was here now, in its frame, unwrinkled and good as new…she wasn’t sure what to think about that.

  Rosemary walked over to the fireplace, looked at the photos there, then turned around and studied the rest of the space. Her expression was puzzled, and, judging by the way her brow wrinkled, it seemed she wasn’t sure what to make of all this, either.

  “I guess I’d better check upstairs,” Audrey went on. “When — when Michael and I came back here, we never made it that far, so I don’t know whether it was in just as bad shape as the rest of the house or not.”

  “Right behind you,” Rosemary said. Audrey couldn’t tell whether her friend was worried or not, but at least she didn’t try to stop her.

  They both climbed the stairs to the second floor. Everything here appeared to be in perfect order as well — mail was piled neatly in the little letterbox that sat on Audrey’s desk in the office, and when she went into the master bedroom, the bed was made, all the throw pillows arranged just so. The bathroom was likewise in perfect shape.

  She took a second look, realizing that the debris of her shattered e-reader had been cleared away. That detail seemed to prove she wasn’t making this up, that someone or something had come in here and restored the house to an almost preternaturally neat state.

  “Well, maybe I don’t need to crash in your sister’s guest house after all,” Audrey said slowly, her attention returning to Rosemary. “I mean, everything looks fine here.”

  “Too fine,” she returned. Her arms were crossed, and she was still frowning. “It’s like…they want you to think it’s safe to come home. They want you to be alone here.”

  A little shiver ran down Audrey’s spine. “You can sense that?”

  “Not exactly. But…there’s something here. Something watching. It doesn’t like me being here, which is probably why it hasn’t done anything to us. You’ll be much better off at CeeCee’s place.”

  Part of her wanted to protest. After all, she hadn’t really felt anything in the house, although logically she knew there was no way any human being could have restored it so quickly. And she was tired, and wanted to sleep in her own bed.

  But that bed wouldn’t be any refuge if Rosemary was right about the demons — or whoever was responsible — trying to lure her into a false sense of security. As much as she hated to take advantage of Rosemary’s sister, Audrey knew that the guest house was her best option.

  “All right,” she said wearily. “Let me pack my things.”

  While Rosemary hovered off to one side, Audrey got out her hard-sided suitcase and a tote bag, since her weekender bag was still at Michael’s. She didn’t know exactly what she should pack, but she figured a few pairs of jeans, some tops, and a skirt and blouse for meeting her Saturday clients should get her through the next week. After that…she’d just have to see what happened.

  As Audrey was cramming her blow-dryer into the tote bag, Rosemary spoke. “So…what happened between you and Michael, anyway?”

  She hesitated. Although Rosemary had proven herself to be an amazing friend in a very short period of time, still, Audrey really didn’t know her that well. She’d never been the type to confide in people — ironic, she supposed, considering what she did for a living — and she had no desire to air her dirty laundry to her or anyone else. And even though she was still furious with him, she didn’t want to reveal Michael’s secret, not when he’d gone to so much trouble to conceal who he really was, his connection to one of the worst mass murderers in U.S. history.

  “I made a mistake,” Audrey said. “A big one. And now I have to figure out what to do about the aftermath. I just know that I’m done with Project Demon Hunters.”

  To her relief, Rosemary didn’t press for any details. For all Audrey knew, the psychic had been able to pick up enough that she could partially guess at what might have happened, even if she couldn’t know anything of the secret Michael had been hiding for so many years. “Will that be difficult?” she asked, her expression concerned. “I mean, I assume you had to sign a contract.”

  “I did,” Audrey said wearily. “And I don’t know what it’s going to take to get out of it. But if Michael continues with the show, he’s going to have to do it with a different co-host.”

  A nod. “I wish one of us could help you with that, but there aren’t any lawyers in my family.”

  “None in mine, either. I’ll figure something out.”

  Audrey bent and grasped the handle of her travel case, and Rosemary hurried over and picked up the overstuffed tote bag. As she went down the stairs, Audrey held on to the banister tightly, braced for some kind of invisible attack, thinking unseen hands might push both of them down during a moment when they were vulnerable.

  They reached the bottom safely, though, and then both hurried to the front door. As Audrey closed it behind her and locked the deadbolt, she allowed herself a small sigh of relief. It wasn’t until she was back outside that she realized she’d been sensing an unseen pressure on her body the entire time she was inside, a pressure only noticeable once it was gone.

  Rosemary seemed to have experienced much the same thing, because she sent a worried little glance back at the house as she walked over to the car. However, she was quiet as she opened the passenger-side door and set Audrey’s tote bag on the back seat.

  “The trunk’s full of stuff,” she told her. “Go ahead and put your suitcase back there, too.”

  It
was a bit of a squeeze, but Audrey was able to wedge her case into the back seat, then push the passenger seat back to its regular upright position. As Rosemary went around to enter on the driver’s side of the car, Audrey got in and fastened her seatbelt. Something made her glance over at the house just before they began to pull away from the curb, and once more a trickle of cold ran down her back.

  Maybe she was seeing things…maybe it was just a trick of the light…but she could have sworn she saw the shape of a man standing up there, staring down at her.

  Audrey made herself look forward, even though she wanted nothing more than to turn in her seat and stare back at the house. But then they were safely away, and she released a breath she hadn’t even known she was holding.

  Once again, she wondered if she would ever be able to go home.

  Chapter 16

  Rosemary’s sister Cecily was similar to her in appearance, with long curly brown hair and big blue eyes. Unlike her sister, she had her magnificent hair pulled back into a loose ponytail, and looked a little harassed as she jounced a fretful one-year-old on her hip.

  “Here are the keys to the guest house,” she said, handing them over to Audrey. The baby tried to make a grab for them, but she was able to get them safely tucked away in her purse before they were intercepted. Luckily, the baby seemed more interested in the way she’d made the keys disappear than realizing he’d been thwarted in his attempt to get them to play with, so at least he showed no signs of throwing a tantrum. “You’ll have to pull in the driveway at night, since there’s no overnight parking.”

  “That’s all right,” Audrey said hastily. “My car’s in the shop, so I’ve been using Lyft to get around.”