Freaky Rites (A Mystic Caravan Mystery Book 6)

by Amanda M. Lee

  “What was town life like?” I asked, my mind drifting to the dream. “I’m guessing it wasn’t easy.”

  “Oh, not in the least.” Remy turned grim. “The men worked twelve-hour days, six days a week. The lumber had to be loaded on a train, which made stops in Eureka, so transporting the lumber was difficult.

  “As for the women, they were in charge of the gardens and livestock,” she explained. “That was difficult work because the women were often watching children while all this was going on. Everyone was expected to pull their own weight.”

  “What about schools and other activities?” I asked. “I mean … it couldn’t have been all work.”

  “No, but times were different,” Remy pointed out. “People didn’t live as long, and life was simply harder. Now survival is a given if you stay out of trouble and avoid certain illnesses. That wasn’t the case back then.”

  “There must have been town meetings or something,” I pressed. “Maybe they had town fairs or something.”

  “My understanding is that they had dances every Saturday night. A band would travel from Eureka to entertain everyone. That was the limit of the excitement.”

  “A band, huh?” I wasn’t sure exactly what I was digging for, but I was eager to bend Remy’s ear as long as she wasn’t inundated with questions from other library visitors. “What about alcohol? I think I read Falk was a dry town. Do you think that’s true?”

  Remy’s smile was mischievous. “I see you’ve done a little research of your own.”

  “A bare minimum.”

  “Local legend says that while Falk was supposed to be dry there were quite a few stills hidden across the acreage,” Remy supplied, her eyes sparkling. “Despite that, the residents didn’t have much time to drink.”

  “I guess not.” I shook my head. “The town closed in 1936, right?”

  “The mill closed in 1936,” Remy corrected. “The town lasted another year. Residents thought the mill would re-open, but it wasn’t just the Great Depression that took it down.”

  Oh, well, now we were getting somewhere. “What happened?”

  “The mill blade warped.” Remy was clearly enjoying her moment as the center of attention. She rubbed her hands together and leaned closer. “No one could figure out how it happened. There were whispers the town had a witch hiding in plain sight because only a witch could be powerful enough to warp the blade.”

  I wasn’t sure that was true – I mean, what sort of witch gets her jollies warping mill blades? – but the tale was still interesting. “So, the mill closed permanently in 1936. What happened after that?”

  “After the initial closing, people remained behind and subsisted off their gardens and hunting game,” Remy replied. “The hope that the mill would reopen fueled them.”

  “Did the mill ever reopen?”

  “Yes, but only briefly.”

  “So, when it became apparent that the mill was done, what happened to the workers and their families?”

  “They left, and quickly,” Remy answered. “Almost everyone was gone from the town within a few weeks. Because the workers fled so quickly, many items were left behind … like beds, dishes and even clothes.”

  “Did most of the workers flee to Eureka?”

  “I think some of them did. I don’t know if I would say it was most of them.”

  “Hmm.” I ran the story through my head. “Did anyone stay behind?”

  “Yes, from the 1940s to the 1970s, Loleta and Charles Webb stayed behind as the caretakers and only residents,” Remy said. “There are hilarious stories about Charles carrying around a rock salt-loaded shotgun and scaring off anybody who tried to stop by the town. They’ve become local legends.”

  “Was he was worried about looters?”

  Remy shrugged. “I think he just liked shooting at people. I can’t say. After that, though, government officials were too worried about people going into the town and trying to live there – it was a lawsuit waiting to happen, frankly – so they destroyed all the buildings except for the railroad depot and the Webb house, and called it a day.”

  “What do you know about the Webbs?” I asked, my mind drifting to Caroline. “Did they have any children?”

  “I don’t know. Is that important?”

  “Probably not.” I tapped my fingers on the microfiche dial as I tried to wrap my head around the story. It seemed simple enough – the witch warping the saw blade notwithstanding – but it didn’t feel like a complete tale. “What about ghost sightings?” I asked finally. “The town got its reputation for being visited by spirits. Do you have any idea who these ghosts are supposed to be?”

  “I can’t say I’ve ever heard names,” Remy replied. “I think the ghost stories come with the territory when an entire town is abandoned. If you think about it, the men who worked there lived hard lives. A lot of them died on the job. I guess their ghosts could be running around.”

  “Right. And what about Caroline Olsen?” I decided to go for it. The worst I could do was offend Remy by being an unapologetic gossip. I could live with that. “What can you tell me about her?”

  Something flitted through Remy’s eyes and I instinctively knew she was about to lie. She shuttered her emotions quickly, but not fast enough for me to miss the furtive quality of her expression. “I have no idea who that is.”

  I decided to press further. “She’s the woman who lives out in the middle of nowhere,” I offered. “She’s essentially got a rundown house between the fairgrounds and Falk. There’s a path that runs right past her house.”

  “Oh, well, I can’t say that I know who that is.” Remy’s tone was dismissive, but I didn’t believe her. She was hiding something.

  “She told me some stories about this area,” I volunteered. “About shadow hunters and possibly a wendigo for good measure.” I added that last part because I wanted to see how Remy would react. I wasn’t disappointed. She jolted hard as she immediately started shaking her head.

  “I don’t know what that is.”

  “I think you might. In fact … .” I broke off when I heard a whisper in the back of my head, furrowing my brow when I realized it sounded like chanting. I was alarmed enough to raise my eyes and snag Remy’s gaze. She was watching me intently, as if she expected something to happen. Her expression set off the alarm bells in my head.

  “What are you doing?” Remy moved to stand as I struggled out of my chair, purposely pushing the piece of furniture between us to cut off Remy’s avenue of approach.

  “I’m leaving.” I managed to keep my thoughts together, but just barely. “Stay there.”

  “You don’t look so good.” Remy’s words were laced with concern, but her eyes flooded with mayhem. “You should let me help you.” She reached out a second time, but I hopped away to avoid contact. For some reason – and I’m still not sure how – I recognized that might signify real trouble for me. “I think you need to lie down.”

  “I’m good.” My tongue felt thick and it was hard to form words. The chanting continued, louder, and the threat seemed to be shrinking rather than growing. “I don’t need your help.”

  “I think you do.” Remy made a tsking sound with her tongue. “I would feel awful if I didn’t help you. I’m a giver by nature. That’s why I work in a library.”

  “You’re … something.” I increased the distance between us, focusing on the exit door rather than Remy as I worked overtime to escape the building. I had no idea if that would solve the problem, but if I could make it to Kade’s truck – lock the door and regroup – I knew things would be okay. “Don’t follow me.”

  Remy’s voice was a soft hiss, although she didn’t sound as if she was close on my heels. “You should come back. I have more to tell you.”

  “I don’t want to hear it. In fact … .” Whatever I was going to say died on my lips when I risked a glance at the mirror next to the door and almost tripped over my own feet at the sight of the two reflections staring back. One was me. I was ashen and swe
aty and looked ready to pass out. It wasn’t a pretty picture. The other was Remy, although she looked nothing like when I was sitting beside her.

  Instead of the young woman with the pretty skin and bright smile, I found an old woman watching me from the spot Remy stood in only moments before. Her hair was bottle blond and brittle, shorn close to her head, and she wore the outfit Remy was clad in only seconds before.

  “What are you?” I gritted out.

  Remy barked out a laugh. “More than you can handle. If you want answers, you have to come back.”

  “Oh, I don’t think that’s a good idea.” I felt stronger the second my fingers wrapped around the door handle. “I’ll figure out what you are on my own.”

  Remy’s smile – the one in the mirror and the one I double-checked when glancing over my shoulder – was evil enough that my blood ran cold. “Good luck with that.” She offered a taunting wave. “I’ll see you soon.”

  “Not if I can help it.”

  “You won’t have a choice in the matter.”

  I was feeling braver than before now that my head was starting to clear so, of course, I stuck my foot in my mouth and offered a ridiculous challenge. “I guess we’ll have to see about that.”

  “I guess we will.”

  “By the way, the orthopedic shoes were a dead giveaway.”

  Remy sneered. “Thanks for the tip.”

  I didn’t waste time sharing barbs with her, instead stalking out of the building. I didn’t stop until I was in Kade’s truck, the doors locked, the windows up, and could catch my breath.

  “What the heck was that?”

  12

  Twelve

  Kade practically ripped the door off his truck when I hit the parking lot at the fairgrounds. He was waiting for me – pacing really – and he had his arms around my waist before my feet hit the ground.

  “Are you okay?”

  I awkwardly patted his back while accepting the hug and looked over his shoulder to where Luke and Raven stood. They didn’t look as worried, but it was obvious they were also on edge. “I’m fine. What’s going on? Did something happen in Falk?”

  “Something happened to you,” Kade fired back, pulling away so he could study my face. “Raven sensed something going on with you, and I couldn’t get you on your phone. I was about to have a meltdown.”

  “About to?” Luke cocked a dubious eyebrow. “You passed ‘about to’ thirty minutes ago.”

  Kade held up his hand to silence my best friend. “Don’t make me hurt you.”

  “Like you could.”

  “Just … don’t.” Kade ran his hands over my hair and forced a tight-lipped smile that didn’t make it to his eyes. “Are you okay?”

  “You already asked that. I’m fine.” In truth, once I took a single step outside the library my mind cleared and I could breathe again. I drove Kade’s truck to the nearest fast-food restaurant and spent ten minutes there getting my head together, running the afternoon’s events through my mind. It was surreal. I was fine, so I saw no reason to freak out. Apparently Kade felt differently.

  “What happened?” Raven asked. She was calm yet curious.

  “It’s a long story.” I grabbed Kade’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “Let’s head over to the table. I could use some lunch. And then I want to hear about your trip to Falk.”

  “I think our trip was fairly boring compared to what happened to you,” Kade pointed out.

  “Yes, well, we’ll talk about all of it.” I flicked my eyes to Luke and grinned. “Wait until I tell you about the orthopedic shoes. You’ll want to track down my new friend just so you can torch her fashion choices.”

  Luke smiled as he slung an arm over my shoulders. “I’m hooked already. You know how much I like complaining about fashion.”

  “Yes, that’s one of my favorite things about you.”

  “WAIT, BACK UP … she turned into an old woman but only in the mirror?”

  Nellie, a hot dog loaded with onions and ketchup in each hand, was enthralled with the story.

  “Basically,” I confirmed, bobbing my head. “I thought I might’ve been seeing things at first – I did the looking back and forth thing a couple of times – but that’s definitely what happened.”

  “That explains that horrible outfit.” Luke involuntarily shuddered. “Polyester and orthopedic shoes? Someone shoot me if I ever wear an outfit like that in public.”

  Raven raised her hand. “I volunteer for that task.”

  Luke stuck out his tongue. “Ha, ha. I’m just saying, why wasn’t the outfit a dead giveaway, Poet? I would’ve run screaming from the building the second I saw that.”

  I shrugged. In hindsight I did feel a bit stupid about my lack of suspicion where Remy was concerned. “I thought maybe she was poor and had no choice but to dress in hand-me-downs or something.”

  “There’s always a better choice than orthopedic shoes.”

  “Crocs?”

  “Oh, are you trying to give me nightmares?”

  Luke’s feigned outrage had the desired effect on me and I smiled as I briefly rested my head against his shoulder. Luke found the story entertaining – mostly because I escaped without something terrible happening to me – and I enjoyed his jocularity given the heavy atmosphere.

  Kade, on the other hand, was a moody mess. I had no idea how to cajole him into calming down. As it stood, I was afraid he was going to utilize handcuffs (and not in a fun way) to keep me at his side.

  I cleared my throat to get his attention, resting my hand on his thigh under the table to offer him contact and a momentary reprieve from whatever seemed to be worrying him. “I’m okay,” I repeated, lowering my voice and shifting closer to him. “I know you’re upset – maybe even blaming yourself – but I really am okay. There’s no way we could’ve anticipated that was going to happen, so stop blaming yourself.”

  “I should’ve gone with you.”

  “I wouldn’t have allowed that,” I countered. “I need a little time to myself. I know you mean well with the hovering – and I know what happened last night terrified you, because it did the same to me – but I don’t need constant supervision.”

  “That’s not what this is about.” Kade’s eyes flashed hot. “I knew you were in a vulnerable position. I should’ve made you stay in bed all day.”

  “That would just serve to wear her out in a different way,” Luke interjected, earning a scowl for his efforts. “What? I’m trying to be helpful.”

  “And you’re doing a marvelous job,” I teased. “But stay out of this conversation. It doesn’t involve you.”

  “Oh, whatever.” Luke rolled his eyes. “I don’t know why I take this abuse.”

  “I’m sure Kade wonders that about you occasionally, too.”

  “You’ve got that right,” Kade muttered.

  I gave his leg a squeeze and forced his eyes to me. “I know you can’t help worrying, but I can take care of myself. I thought you understood and agreed with that.”

  “I do. It’s just … you couldn’t save yourself from that dream. Raven had to practically break through the front door to do the heavy lifting. If she hadn’t reacted, I think you would’ve died right there. Next to me. And I wouldn’t have been able to do anything to stop it.”

  Oh, that’s what was bothering him. I should’ve figured that out. “Well, you’re not all-powerful and can’t stave off death, so I don’t see why you’re so down on yourself. We didn’t know it was going to happen. I’m fine. We’ve strengthened the dreamcatcher. I doubt very much it will happen again.”

  “You can’t guarantee it won’t happen again.”

  “That’s true.”

  “Then I reserve the right to worry until we’re sure you’re safe.” Kade grabbed the hot dog from my plate and waved it in front of my face. “Now eat and build up your strength while we discuss the fact that you keep stumbling across crazy old ladies.”

  I accepted the hot dog, but only because I was hungry. “It’s not my faul
t crazy people are attracted to me.”

  “It is a rare and valuable gift,” Luke teased. “Screw that thing you do where you crawl inside people’s brains and make them do what you want, this is the gift you should list on your résumé.”

  I didn’t bother to hide my glare. “Mmph … mmph … mmph.”

  “Don’t talk with your mouth full. It’s unattractive, and you’re far too good for that.” Luke amiably patted the top of my head. “I know what you were going to say anyway. You love me more than life itself and think I’m wiser than any man you’ve ever met.”

  That was so not what I was going to say.

  “Let’s focus on the problem at hand,” Kade insisted, his temper flaring. “How did that woman know Poet was going to be at the library?”

  That was a very good question.

  “Maybe she didn’t,” Nellie suggested, his mouth full of food. I couldn’t help but notice Luke didn’t admonish him. “Maybe it was just coincidence.”

  “How could that be?” Raven challenged. “I doubt very much that there are magical people planted all over Eureka just waiting for Poet to venture out on her own.”

  “What did it seem like to you?” Naida asked, her expression thoughtful as she tapped her fingers on the tabletop. “Do you think she was waiting for you?”

  “I … don’t … know.” I thought hard about the events and how they transpired. “The library was empty when I first entered. I didn’t see anyone. I was focused on the fact that it was old, rather than anything else.”

  “You said the technology was outdated,” Percival noted. “Did you get the feeling that people were often in the building?”

  “No, but that’s not unusual. It seems we visit libraries every other stop for research purposes. There are very rarely people in them … or at least not many people.”

  “I shudder at what’s to come for our society.” Percival said it with a straight face, his pomposity on full display.

  “Me, too,” Nellie drawled, grabbing a handful of chopped onions from the central bowl and popping them into his mouth. He didn’t so much as grimace as he chewed. “Society is ready to go down the toilet with the rest of life’s crap.”