Only The Lonely (A Death Gate Grim Reapers Thriller Book 1)

by Amanda M. Lee

  Griffin, who showed up thirty minutes after Braden placed the call, straightened as he regarded his brother-in-law.

  “Is that your expert opinion?” Braden asked dryly, mimicking my earlier tone.

  “The dude is frozen to the ground,” Griffin replied. “That doesn’t happen if you’re alive. How did you find him?”

  “That guy saw the wraith we were telling you about hit the water.” Braden pointed at Collin for emphasis. The merrow appeared less than thrilled to be in the presence of a law enforcement representative. “We were by the water checking it out when I realized that we should probably follow potential trails back to the aquarium.”

  “And that’s when you found him?”

  Braden nodded. “He was out in the open.”

  Griffin tightened his arms around his midriff to ward off the cold. “You didn’t touch him, did you?”

  I was agitated that he seemed to be directing all his questions to Braden, but I managed to keep from making my annoyance public.

  “We didn’t touch him,” Braden answered, seemingly oblivious to my displeasure. “It was obvious he was dead.”

  “I have to call this in. I don’t have a choice.”

  “I know.”

  “What do you think they’re going to find in the autopsy?” Genuine worry roamed Griffin’s chiseled face. “If we’re working under the assumption that the wraith killed him, then how did he die?”

  “I have no idea. We’ve never faced anything like this before.”

  “Okay.” Griffin touched his tongue to his top lip as he dug in his pocket. “I’m calling for the medical examiner. If there’s something off about the death, we’ll have to deal with it. I can’t make this go away.”

  “I didn’t expect you to.” Braden was solemn. “I called it in directly to you because that was my instinct. In hindsight, that was probably a mistake.”

  “It’s not the worst mistake you’ve ever made,” Griffin countered. “If someone asks me about it, I’ll simply say you were surprised and called me because that’s all you could think to do. You’re my brother-in-law. It’s only natural you would call me.”

  “I just don’t want to get you into trouble.”

  “I won’t be in trouble. I only hope that the medical examiner can find a cause of death that doesn’t direct a spotlight on our family. Now is not the time to live life under a microscope, especially with your sister about to give birth.”

  “And you’re going to be a daddy,” Braden teased, genuine fondness flitting over his features. “After all the complaining you did about my father spoiling Aisling, I’ve got fifty bucks that says you’ll do the same with your kid.”

  Griffin’s face remained implacable. “I’ll be the best father I can be. That’s the only thing I can guarantee.”

  “I have no doubt about that.”

  TO KEEP US FROM GETTING hypothermia, Griffin directed us to wait for him inside. I still hadn’t eaten, so I led Braden to the cafeteria. Collin set about making new burgers, leaving Braden, Renee and me to entertain ourselves. There was only one thing we all wanted to talk about.

  “So, what did you guys do when you were hanging out yesterday?” Renee asked enthusiastically.

  Okay, Renee was the sole rider on her own thought train.

  “I already told you what we did,” I snapped.

  “Yes, but I want to hear it from Braden.” She rested her chin on her palm and lodged her elbow on the table. “I heard you live in a castle. Is that true?”

  Braden lifted an amused eyebrow and briefly met my gaze. “Is that what Izzy told you?”

  “No. She didn’t share any of the juicy details from her visit to your house. I’ve heard it from other people.”

  “It’s just a house,” Braden said. “It’s a big house, but it’s still a house.”

  “I heard it has turrets.”

  Braden smirked. “It does.”

  “Ugh. I’m so jealous.” Renee made a face as she sipped her coffee. Warming up after spending a good two hours in the frigid cold was an ongoing endeavor. “I bet your sister played princess growing up there, didn’t she? I always wanted to play princess with actual turrets.”

  “Really?” Braden’s lips twitched. “What about you, Izzy? Did you want to be a princess in a castle?”

  I shrugged. “Not really. Once I was with my grandfather in New Orleans, I preferred the weekends when we would head to the bayou to collect frogs and other ingredients for his shop. I guess you could say I was more of an outdoor girl.”

  Renee snorted. “Sounds like my worst nightmare.”

  “She probably thinks the same thing about your princess fantasy,” Braden noted. “For the record, my sister wasn’t a big fan of playing princess either. Don’t get me wrong, she liked being spoiled by my father and would play the princess card all the time to get her own way, but she preferred playing games with us. Her friend Jerry, on the other hand, loved playing princess.”

  I pressed my lips together to keep from laughing. Everything I heard about this Jerry guy, who I had yet to meet, made me think I was going to love him as much as the Grimlock family obviously did.

  “You guys simply don’t play the princess game correctly,” Renee complained. “I’ll have to come over and teach you sometime.”

  “I’m sure Jerry would love that.” Braden leaned back in his chair and sipped his coffee. His eyes were keen when they locked with mine. “How are you feeling after yesterday? I was a little worried that you might not bounce back, but you seem okay.”

  I could feel Renee’s eyes crawling over me, but I refused to look in her direction, remaining calm as I warmed my fingers on my mug. “I’m fine. I slept hard, so hard that someone could’ve broken into my room and I wouldn’t have heard them, but I feel pretty good, all things considered.”

  “Your body temperature is back to normal?”

  “Our excursion outside notwithstanding,” I confirmed. “Don’t worry, you won’t have to cuddle me on the couch to keep me warm again.”

  Renee’s gasp told me I’d said the exact wrong thing. That was pretty much a normal occurrence. I struggled to keep my expression neutral as my cheeks heated and I cursed my stupidity. “What I meant was ... um ... .”

  “Oh, look how cute she is when she gets flustered,” Braden teased. He didn’t look embarrassed in the least, which made me want to throttle him. “I didn’t know cheeks could get that red.”

  I pretended I didn’t hear the taunting. “So, what’s our next move with the body?”

  “We wait for Griffin,” Braden replied without hesitation. “We need information from him before we can move forward.”

  “What information?”

  “I’m guessing he means cause of death,” Griffin replied as he appeared in the doorway, his cheeks ruddy with color thanks to the cold. He calmly tugged off his gloves before moving toward our table. “Are you guys eating? If so, I want in. I’m starving.”

  “You’re staying at the manor,” Braden noted as he made room for Griffin to sit. “My father keeps that place flush with food.”

  “Yes, but your sister has decided I can only eat when she does. I try not to eat after ten, so when she raids the refrigerator at midnight that means she’s not hungry for breakfast and I’m usually asleep so I miss out on a meal. I’m always hungry for breakfast.”

  “She’s always been a late-night snacker,” Braden offered. “That will never change. Besides, you’re close now. She’ll be popping that kid out within the next few days and then you’ll be too tired to eat.”

  “Don’t remind me.” Griffin smiled. “I’m looking forward to it.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I have six weeks off.”

  “If you think a newborn isn’t work, you’re kidding yourself,” Braden countered. “You’ll be crying to go back to the job by the end of that six weeks.”

  “I don’t believe so.”

  “You’re deluding yourself.”

  As delight
ful as I’m sure they believed their conversation to be, I’d had enough of the baby chit-chat. “Um ... we have legitimate business to talk about. Can you guys stop talking about your family issues long enough for Griffin to give us the scoop on the body?”

  I recognized the interruption was rude but refused to acknowledge it under Braden’s weighted stare. Instead, I pretended as if we were having a normal lunch and I hadn’t just channeled the whiniest Bruja on Dauphine Street.

  “Oh, she reminds me of Aisling before all the complaints revolved around swollen feet,” Griffin lamented, his smile wide.

  “Hey, you’re lucky to have her,” I shot back, my temper getting the better of me. “Do you have any idea how much pain she was in? How uncomfortable she is? How worried she is that she’s going to be a terrible mother because her mother was apparently awful?”

  I wanted to haul back the words the second I uttered them, but it was far too late.

  “Well, crap.”

  “I think I’m really going to like you,” Renee offered as a way to fill the silence as Braden and Griffin stared. “You have a mouth like a freight train. There’s no stopping it. Who doesn’t love that?”

  I could think of a few people, and two of them were sharing space with me around a small table.

  “Our mother wasn’t awful,” Braden said finally, finding his voice. “Did Aisling tell you she was awful?”

  “Braden.” Griffin kept his voice low and soothing, but there was an edge to his demeanor that was impossible to miss. “Aisling doesn’t think your mother was awful and you know it. She thinks that other woman was awful. You can’t blame her for that.”

  Son of a troll! I’d really stepped into it this time. “I’m so sorry.” The words rushed out. “I shouldn’t have said that. It’s just ... you were frustrating me. I think we need to talk about the dead guy and you guys are too busy playing ‘mine is bigger than yours’ and it makes me want to scream.”

  “Uh-huh.” Griffin rubbed his cheek as he held some internal debate I wasn’t privy to. He was better at shuttering than I imagined possible for a normal human. “Did Aisling tell you she was afraid of being a bad mother?”

  “No.” I felt disloyal for even talking about the youngest Grimlock sibling. She’d been nothing but nice to me, and here I was spilling her private business. “Her thoughts are all surface-y. I told you that last night. She can’t close them off, and because I was in a weakened state, I couldn’t help picking up on a few stray worries. It wasn’t purposeful.”

  “I’m not angry.” Griffin looked as if he was speaking the truth. “She’s my wife. If she’s upset, I want to do what I can to fix things for her.”

  “You can’t fix things. Every mother worries she’s going to be a bad mother. Sure, Aisling’s fears seem a bit more intense than most, but she’ll forget about them once the baby arrives. She has nothing to focus on now other than that she’s been relieved of her work duties.”

  “I didn’t even think about that.” Obviously troubled, Griffin rubbed his chin as he glanced at Braden. “Maybe your father can find something for her to do at the main office. If she needs to work ... .”

  “Oh, let it go.” Braden’s expression turned petulant. “She can’t go to the main office because she’ll make everyone want to kill her. She hates busywork. She’s better off staying at the manor with my father. He’ll indulge her the best he can. She’ll be fine.”

  Braden’s expression was hard to read as he focused on me. “My mother wasn’t awful. I don’t want you telling people that.”

  “I have no intention of telling anyone anything,” I supplied, flexing my fingers to calm myself. “That wasn’t my intention. Sometimes I think before I speak.”

  “I know all about that,” Braden said. “Trust me. I suffer from that affliction, too.”

  “He definitely does,” Griffin agreed.

  “I simply don’t want you to say anything negative about my mother.” Braden was firm. “I’m not trying to be difficult or anything. It’s just ... if you could leave her out of future conversations that would be great.”

  I sensed the turmoil swirling under his pleasant veneer and nodded. “I promise. I won’t bring her up again.”

  “Thank you.” He dragged a hand through his black hair as he forced himself to focus on something other than the incredibly uncomfortable conversation we were mired in. “As for the body, I think the most important thing is to figure out who he is. Someone must be searching for this guy.”

  “I’m not sure anyone is missing him,” Griffin countered. “His clothing is fairly worn. He was layered, making me think he spent a lot of time outside. I don’t necessarily think anyone is looking for him.”

  “He was homeless,” I surmised quickly. “That’s what you’re saying, right?”

  “I can’t be certain, but that would be my guess,” Griffin confirmed. “There’s always a chance he lived in one of those group homes across the bridge, but it doesn’t make much sense for him to head this way if that’s the case. I mean, most of those guys spend their days panhandling. This is the worst possible place to panhandle at this time of year. There are no tourists out here.”

  “That’s a good point.” Braden furrowed his brow. “If he was homeless, he must have found a place on the island to serve as shelter. There are quite a few buildings out here, although most of them are secured. He’s clearly not staying in the aquarium.”

  “There are pavilions, though,” Griffin pointed out. “Maybe he broke into one of the bathrooms and has been using that as home base. We’re going to have to search the island.”

  “Do you know how he died?” I asked, dreading the answer. I could only hope it wasn’t some horrible passing that would give me nightmares.

  “Not yet. He had no marks on his body. The medical examiner noted that he probably died of natural causes, but we all know that’s unlikely given what happened here yesterday. I’ll keep you updated when I know more, but right now, the cause of death is a mystery.”

  “And we don’t have anywhere to look for more information,” I mused distractedly. “I don’t know where to look to find this thing.”

  “I’ll keep my ear to the ground for reports,” Griffin offered. “You’re not necessarily looking for death reports. You’re looking for unusual activity in abandoned buildings. We have a lot of homeless people taking over any decent space, but there are groups holding raves in dilapidated warehouses. It seems to me that would be a target-rich environment.”

  “And the people attending those parties would be less likely to report a suspicious death because they don’t want to be arrested,” Braden surmised. “That’s what you’re saying, right?”

  Griffin nodded. “I’m at as much of a loss as you guys. I’ll do what I can, but I don’t even know how much longer I’ll be on the job. As soon as Aisling goes into labor, I’m done.”

  “Which is exactly how it should be,” I offered as something occurred to me. “I do have one question. I’m not sure if it’s stupid, but I’ll ask it anyway.”

  “Go for it,” Braden prodded.

  “What about the guy’s soul? I mean ... you guys get lists, right? You’re supposed to know when someone passes. This guy obviously didn’t show up on your list.”

  Braden stirred, his interest piqued. “Huh. I didn’t even consider that. You’re absolutely right. We should’ve gotten notice.”

  “There was no soul out there, right?” Griffin queried.

  Braden shook his head. “No soul. It could’ve wandered, I guess, but I’m almost certain that’s not what happened.”

  “You think the wraith ate it, don’t you?” I made a face as I shifted on my chair. “You think the wraith took time for a snack when it should’ve been escaping.”

  “Maybe it needed a snack to bolster its energy levels,” Braden said. “I don’t know. It’s an interesting question, and definitely something we need to follow up on.”

  “There’s a lot we need to follow up on,” Griffi
n said. “We need to share information moving forward.”

  “Agreed.”

  Griffin turned his head to the kitchen. “I need lunch first. Don’t tell your sister I was eating without her either. She’ll get grumpy.”

  “She was born grumpy,” Braden argued. “How bad could she be?”

  “You’ll jinx us if you’re not careful. Don’t say things like that.”

  “Since when did you turn into a wuss?”

  “I prefer ‘concerned husband.’”

  “You say tomato.”

  “Yeah, yeah. What’s good here? I’m totally in the mood for grease.”

  “I think Collin will be able to help you,” Renee offered. “He’s an expert at grease ... and other things.”

  I had a feeling that was an understatement. “We all want grease. Let’s order and then get to work. We need to put an end to this before things really get out of control.”

  Twelve

  Griffin left after lunch, stopping at the bakery display long enough to buy five slices of pie. He claimed they were all for Aisling — something Braden scoffed at — but I knew better. He was trying to make his wife smile, calm her, and he honestly thought pie was the best way to accomplish that.

  “Is your sister a food-oriented person?” I asked Braden as we made our way through the dark hallway that led to the gate room.

  “Definitely. We all are. Why do you ask?”

  “I’m simply hoping Griffin gets what he wants with the pie delivery this evening.”

  His face unreadable, Braden cast me a sidelong look. “How deep can you go into people’s minds?”

  The question made me uncomfortable. “I don’t read people’s minds.”

  “Technically, you do. You’ve said enough things for me to be reasonably assured that you’re pretty good at reading minds.”

  Since Renee had excused herself to return to her duties right after lunch, I was alone with the curious Grimlock ... and it wasn’t a happy occurrence. “I don’t read minds.”

  “You read my sister’s mind.”

  “I picked up on some stray thoughts,” I corrected. “She’s a bundle of nerves and emotions. She basically shoved those thoughts into my mind. I don’t purposely set out to invade people’s privacy and try to pick through their thoughts. I’m respectful when it comes to things like that.”