by E.J. Stevens
“Har, har, har, very funny Simon,” I said, wincing. “Well if the staggering smell impression and mind sucking headache is any indication, I’d say we’ve found Rose Peterson.”
The ghost backed off, giving me room to breathe. She hadn’t gone far. In fact, Rose hadn’t left my side since we met at the park. She would give me space, but this ghost wasn’t leaving—not until I discovered what unfinished business she had in our world.
Great, just what I needed. I had one week to pass my exams and graduate high school. Now I also had a ghost to babysit and a mystery to solve—all while a serial killer lurked in the shadows waiting for his second victim.
But for the first time in weeks, I was beginning to move forward. The tendrils of fear that tied me up inside retreated. I finally felt like my old self. I sat up straight and placed my booted feet on the floor.
It was time to help a ghost with its final wishes, and add a new member to my army of the dead.
Chapter 37
Emma
Yuki stopped slouching like she was trying to implode and a smile slid across her face. She met my gaze across the table with a steely glint in her eye.
“Let’s go find out what this ghost really wants,” she said.
Yuki reached out with her fist and we bumped knuckles across the table. I finally had my friend back.
But I knew she still needed help. You can’t cure PTSD with pizza, though Yuki would argue that fact—she thought pizza cured everything. No, the ghost of Rose Peterson was a temporary distraction. I still had a lot to discuss with Yuki, but that conversation would have to wait. Relax, ssshe’ll be fine.
I took the advice of the sibilant voice in my head and tried to focus on the task at hand. I had to admit that the mystery surrounding Yuki’s new ghost pal was intriguing. I’ve assisted Yuki in the past on her mission to help spirits of the dead find peace, but the discovery of this ghost’s remains, and the connection to the Graduation Grabber, brought this case home to roost.
Poor Rose Peterson.
I hadn’t known Rose, I was in middle-school when she went missing, but I could easily identify with her. Rose was the age I am now, when the Grabber took her. We went to the same school, had the same teachers, walked the same halls, and lived in the same town. And now it was graduation week, the same time of year when she had been abducted.
Rose never had a chance to graduate, or grow old, but we could give her one thing. We could help bring her killer to justice.
We could prevent the Graduation Grabber from killing again.
“We need to find the Grabber before he kills Sarah Randall,” I said.
Simon and Calvin nodded their agreement, but Yuki sucked in a breath and grabbed her head between paint stained hands.
“I think…” Yuki said. “I think that Rose would like that.”
“Good,” I said. “Then we need a plan. But first, let me order some hot water and I’ll brew you up some tea for that headache.”
“Okay,” she said, turning green.
“Emma, love, do you have to do that here?” Simon asked, gesturing to the other diners. “I’m sure some of these people would like to enjoy the rest of their meal without smelling one of your concoctions.”
“Why don’t we head over to the cabin,” Calvin said. “It will be easier to make our plans there and we can open the windows while you brew the tea.”
“Good idea, mate,” Simon said. “I was getting sick of whispering.”
“Can we order more pizza to go?” Yuki asked. An impish grin slid across her face. “I’ll need something to wash Emma’s tea down with.”
I rolled my eyes, but agreed. Yuki finally had her appetite back. That was a very good sign. My friend may not recover overnight, but together we could solve this mystery and help put back the pieces of Yuki’s life.
If that took a massive order of udderly disgusting cheese covered pizza, so be it.
Chapter 38
Simon
I buried my face in another box of meat lover’s pizza, trying to avoid the smell of Emma’s teas, tinctures, and tisanes. I shook my head against the sharp herbal tang and wet hay scents that wafted in to mix with the delicious smell of beef and pork. I pinched my nose and shoved a slice of pizza into my mouth.
Werewolf heightened senses could be a sodding pain.
“That’s disgusting,” Yuki said.
The girl had a smile on her face for the first time in weeks, so I didn’t bother to argue—just snorted my disdain, which led to a fit of choking and coughing. That sent Yuki into fits of laughter, until Emma shoved a mug of steaming medicinal tea into her hand.
Joke’s on you, love. Now who’s laughing?
I’ve had the displeasure of tasting Emma’s herbal remedies before. They tended to taste like old leaves mixed with squirrel droppings, but don’t ask me how I know that. I’m a wolf, I just do.
Calvin stood hip to hip with Yuki and gave her a sympathetic smile and a squeeze on the shoulder. I don’t know how he tolerated standing so close to the noxious brew in Yuki’s hand. Glad I wouldn’t be kissing that later. There was no mouthwash on the planet that could combat Emma’s herbal cures. Calvin was going to taste wet leaves and rodent droppings for a week. I snickered and started to choke again on a slice of pepperoni.
You’d think I’d learn.
“Here,” Emma said, waving an amber bottle in my face. “Place a drop of this under your tongue. It will cure that cough.”
I rushed backward so fast, I shattered a lamp and the milk crate it was resting on.
“Dude, that was my nightstand,” Calvin said.
“Yes, very ghetto chic,” I said. “I’ll be sure to replace it tomorrow. I’m sure I can find something comparable at the town dump, or one of the alleys I was searching earlier today.”
“Fine,” Calvin said, running a hand through messy hair. That kid should really think about a professional haircut. “Just remember, you live here too. If you bring home something that reeks of urine and rotting garbage, we all suffer.”
He had a point.
“You sound fine now,” Emma said. She cocked her head, giving me a critical look over. “No more cough?”
“Yes, love,” I said. “Cured by your ethereal beauty. No medicine necessary.”
“I’ve died and gone to Hell,” Yuki said, muttering into her cup.
“At least you don’t have to live with him,” Calvin said.
“You’re no picnic, mate,” I said. “You snore.”
“It’s true,” Yuki said. “One time, I thought zombie bears had come to eat our brains, but it was just Cal taking a nap.”
“Hey!” Calvin said.
“I have a remedy for snoring…” Emma said.
“No,” we all said in unison.
Yuki giggled and Cal shook his head and slapped a hand over his mouth in mock horror.
“Fine, then let’s get on with our planning,” Emma said. “We have a girl to save and a ghost to lay to rest.”
Chapter 39
Yuki
It was nice being back in the cabin with my closest friends. Even having Simon around wasn’t so bad. Maybe I had been too quick to judge Emma’s choice of boyfriend. The two looked happy together.
Even if he was an old geezer.
The most surprising thing was that Simon, a total playboy, wasn’t bragging about his exploits with other women. It was obvious that he only had eyes for Emma. The guy was completely in orbit around her.
Of course, that didn’t mean that Simon wasn’t a total pain in my butt. He was the most annoying werewolf on the planet, but he was Emma’s werewolf. I was just going to have to get my head around that.
“I still think we need to focus on the smell impressions,” I said. “The different scents always mean something significant.”
“You think the smells could be clues to the ghost’s identity and lead us to the killer?” Cal asked.
“Yeah,” I said.
“Only you lot would follow a
ghostly trail of smelly breadcrumbs,” Simon said, shaking his head. “I still think we need to watch that burial site. The Grabber may return.”
“What if we do both?” Emma said. “Calvin, can you ask someone from your pack to watch the place where Yuki found the skull?”
Cal looked thoughtful, then nodded.
“Yes, I’ll call now,” he said. “I also need to put a warning out on the network about a potential killer being in town. The Grabber may not be targeting werewolves, but my people need to be prepared.”
“Aye, I’ll fire up the computer and post a warning message,” Simon said.
Cal pulled his phone from his pocket, while Simon busied himself with the old PC in the corner.
We had learned the hard way that a phone and email messaging system was crucial to pack safety. In the past, werewolf leaders had preferred secrecy rather than keeping an open line of communication within the pack. When a psychotic killer who hated werewolves went on a violent rampage, there was no system in place for contacting members of the pack who may be in danger.
Together we researched member identities, made a list of contact information, created emergency protocols, formed a call circle, and designed a computer program for sending messages electronically to all pack members. Cal had only been pack alpha for less than a year, but he was already making improvements to ensure the survival of his pack.
Cal was gravely serious about his responsibility as pack alpha. Ever since we were kids, he’d been the deep thinking philosophical one. When Cal set his mind to something, he didn’t quit. Now his pack duties dominated much of his time, but he never shirked his duties. It was one of the many things about Cal that I found attractive.
I realized that I was staring at something else I found attractive about Cal, and blushed. There should be a law about looking that good in a pair of jeans. Turning to Emma, I lifted my empty mug in salute.
“Thanks for the tea,” I said.
“Hey,” Emma said.
“Yeah?” I asked.
“I just want you to know that you can talk to me, about anything,” she said. “Any time, okay?”
Emma reached out and gave me an awkward hug, crushing the mug against my chest.
“Okay,” I said.
That was weird. Maybe she was feeling guilty about our recent fighting? If so, she should relax. Most of our arguments were my fault. I had a short fuse lately, and Emma had been an easy target.
“Um, Emma?” I said. “Sorry about, you know, being so angry about Simon. He may be an old geezer, but you seem happy.”
“I heard that,” Simon said.
Pesky werewolf hearing.
Simon kept his back to me, focusing on the computer in front of him, but he didn’t go rigid or stop working. I was ninety percent positive that he wasn’t about to throw something in my direction. But I took a step to my left, placing myself behind Emma, just to be sure.
“We’re okay,” Emma said. “But if I find out you’re flunking out this semester, I’ll be extremely unhappy.”
Emma’s narrowed eyes tracked me as I moved to the other side of the room. Suddenly the cabin felt too small for the four of us.
Was it me, or were Emma and Simon a scary couple? They could make me run and hide without even twitching.
I found solace in Cal’s presence. I don’t know if it’s a soul mate thing, or just a Cal thing, but I always felt better when he was close.
I leaned on the arm of the couch where Cal sat talking to a worried pack member. His calm voice was soothing and I tilted my head to rest on his shoulder. The deep vibration of his voice vibrated up through my cheek and made me smile.
Enjoying the relaxing moment while it lasted, I let my eyes unfocus and allowed my mind to wander. I could smell roses over the scent of wet dog rising from Cal.
Roses, lanolin, and dark room chemicals.
The tang of chemicals always made my nose wrinkle whenever I had to work in the school darkroom. But there was something magical about images rising from the toxic liquid, faces appearing beneath the red glow of the work lamp. With school almost over, I’d probably never step inside a darkroom again. As far as hobbies go, I preferred charcoals and paints over film.
But some people do use darkrooms after high school. Professional photographers continue to work with those chemicals every day.
And the school hires professionals to photograph our graduation ceremony each year.
Chapter 40
Calvin
“Oh em gees,” Yuki said.
Yuki lifted her head from my shoulder so quickly that her hair flew up to tickle my face. I lifted an eyebrow in question and she flapped her hands at me to hurry and get off the phone.
The hysterical werewolf I’d been talking to was calm now and ready to call her teenage daughter to enforce a curfew until the Grabber was caught. I assured her that she could call me any time and hung up.
Yuki’s eyes were open so wide she looked like a startled owl, but a smile was creeping onto her pale face as she bounced on the arm of the couch.
“What happened?” I asked.
“Yes, do tell,” Simon said, spinning his chair toward us.
“I know that look,” Emma said, resting a hand on Simon’s shoulder and smiling at Yuki. “Girl, you figured something out, right?”
“Yeah, I think I did,” Yuki said. “Remember how I said that the ghost smells like roses? Well it also smells like lanolin and darkroom chemicals. And I was thinking…if it’s a clue to the killer’s identity, then who would smell like darkroom chemicals…and visit Wakefield during graduation week?”
“The school, even some of the students’ families, hire professional photographers to photograph the graduation ceremony,” I said.
“It’s also wedding season,” Emma said. I raised an eyebrow at her and she blushed all the way to the roots of her pale blond hair. “Well it is, and that means photographers in the area. In fact, the second most popular location for weddings around here, besides the beach, is the park.”
“Where Yuki found the body,” I said.
“The Graduation Grabber could totally be a photographer,” Yuki said. “We may be one step closer to discovering his identity.”
“And to saving Sarah Randall,” I said.
“Oh em gees, indeed,” Simon said.
He sounded impressed. It was about time. I knew that it took a lot to earn Simon’s respect, but Yuki’s paranormal abilities and problem solving skills may have finally burrowed through his thick skull.
I let out a deep breath and leaned back in my chair. I finally had my pack returned to me.
The past few months had been torture. I tried not to let on just how difficult Yuki and Emma’s feud was, hoping they would work through their issues on their own and not wanting to add my own troubles to the mix, but the fighting between my friends tormented my waking thoughts and crept into my dreams.
I woke night after night, skin beaded with sweat and sheets twisted into knots, from fevered nightmares. In one, Simon stood over Yuki’s limp body, muzzle dripping blood from the bite wound in her neck. Even though it was only a dream, that image haunted me.
Things hadn’t been the same between me and Simon since that dream. He assumed the tension between us was due to my disapproval of his relationship with Emma. I didn’t disavow him of the notion. It was easier than trying to explain the true source of my unease.
And I was uncomfortable with his relationship with Emma, at least at first. Their behavior toward each other had gone from volatile to romantic, seemingly overnight. I assumed that it was a passing fling, one of many for Simon. But instead of Simon moving on, and Emma getting hurt, my pack lieutenant fell in love.
As far as I knew, Simon hadn’t been in a serious relationship since Meredith. That didn’t end well, not at all, but in that case it wasn’t Simon’s fault. Too bad no one at the time had been able to convince Simon of that.
Meredith had died and Simon was sucked into a tailspin of d
angerous behavior. Drugs, crime—if it risked death, Simon had dabbled in it. He left university and hit the streets running. You could say that he never stopped running away from that fateful day, and the pain it caused him, until he came to Wakefield to help me and Yuki with our training.
Until he met Emma, and fell in love again.
I hadn’t wanted to alienate Simon. I made him my pack lieutenant because I trusted him with my life. And though he could often be aggravating, I had come to value his friendship. I felt loyal to Simon and to my many years of friendship with Emma, but there was one person who came first.
Yuki would always come first in my life.
No matter what happens after graduation, Yuki would always be my soul mate. Even if Simon was correct, and I was no longer good for her, I’d leave her, but I’d never forget her. I would never stop loving Yuki.
She was everything to me.
But now that my pack, the small pack sharing the cabin with me, was beginning to come back together, I was less worried about the future.
I felt like I could breathe again.
Chapter 41
Yuki
I watched morning sunlight flicker across the brick walls of Wakefield High while Cal pulled his truck into a parking space. The school building seemed less like a house of horrors now and more like a small hill to climb—a minor speed bump to overcome. Well, a speed bump made of bad memories, overdue textbook reading assignments and missed homework.
Okay, maybe more like Mt. Everest, but I was hopeful. With Cal’s steady presence, Emma’s friendship, and Simon’s grudging respect, I felt ready to face anything—even high school.
It’s funny what a difference one day can make.
“You are so beautiful when you smile,” Cal said, brushing the side of my cheek.
I hadn’t realized that I was smiling, but now that he’d brought attention to it, I could feel a grin spread wide across my face. I had a hunch that I’d be doing a lot more smiling soon. High school was nearly over, and though I was still worried about the future, I’d started to form a plan for what I’d like to do when the summer ended.
