by Flynn, Mac
I glanced out the window at the darkening night sky. "I think we're about to get into deep enough shit."
Bertha sat in the front passenger seat and glanced over her shoulder at me. "What is Bill telling you?"
I shook my aching head. "I can't tell. His voice sounds far away, but the tone doesn't sound good."
"If this fiend is as destructive to this spirit's body as he was to the tomb of my ancestress than there is a great deal to worry about," Mirela spoke up.
I glanced at her and arched an eyebrow. "I'm not too familiar with spirit lore. Can you bring me up to speed?"
She pursed her lips. "A spirit can be violated physically or spiritually. Only those with the second sight can touch their spirit form."
My eyes widened. "Which means someone like Leto would need to touch a ghost physically. Like with his body."
Mirela nodded. "Yes, and the complete, violent destruction of the corpse would be like a second death. It is a very painful ordeal for spirits and has been known to permanently destroy the soul, confining them to Purgatory forever."
Bertha whipped her head to Orion. "Hurry, Orion!"
Orion drove down the deserted country road and bumped onto the old ruts of the cemetery way. We approached the massive metal gate and Orion shut off the car ten yards short of the entrance.
He turned in his seat to face the three of us. "Now don't do anything stupid-" Bertha opened her door and flung herself out. "Like that!"
We rushed out of the car and hurried after Bertha. She led us on a merry chase to the old willow tree, but stopped twenty feet short of the wizened old trunk.
A dozen lit pumpkin-spice candles circled the ground around the trunk. A half dozen small bungee cords were wrapped around the tree, and pinned between cord and trunk was the skeleton of William Mallory.
Bertha covered her mouth with her hands and shook her head. "Bill!"
A figure stepped around one side of the tree. In their hand was a blow gun. I frowned as I recognized the parted hair.
Leto stepped from the shadows of the tree and glared at us. "I never wanted to get any of you involved. You brought this on yourself."
"Mike!" Bertha shouted. She took a step forward and gestured to the skeleton. "How could you do this? How could you do any of this?"
Leto's face softened as his eyes fell on Bertha. He closed his eyes and shook his head. "All I ever wanted was you, Bertha. I loved everything about you." His face hardened and his hand that held the gun shook. "Then that interloper from the outside came. He was something new, something that dazzled you." His eyes flew open and fell on me. A sneer slid onto his lips. "Like you. Outsiders ruin everything. Even the Halloween costumes."
I glared back at him. "That's a little below-the-belt, even for a murderer."
He scoffed. "Isn't everything fair in love and war? Doesn't anything go in the battle for love?"
"But he was your friend!" Bertha shouted. She pressed her hand against her chest. "I was your friend!"
Leto shook his head. "No, you were something more than that. You were my life, and when he took your affection he took my life, so I took his."
Mirela folded her arms across her chest and sneered at him. "This is all because you were too pathetic to win the woman you loved?"
Leto frowned. "I was then, but I'm not now." He turned to face the tree and raised the blow gun to his lips. A dart flew from the barrel and stuck in the forehead of the skull.
It felt like somebody drilled a screw into my head. I cried out and clutched my palm against my forehead. Orion held me up as Bertha looked from me to Leto. "Can't you see you're hurting more than just Bill!"
Leto scoffed. "He can come out of her, he's just too much of a coward."
"Because he knows there is no other body he can possess except his own," Mirela spoke up. "All the others here would reject him in time."
A sly, cruel grin slid onto Leto's lips. "That's just what I'm counting on."
Leto shot another dart into the head. My legs buckled and Orion lowered me to the ground. He whipped his head up and snarled at Leto. "Stop it!"
Leto glared at him. "Do you hear that, Bill? It's time for me to finally be rid of you. Leave her and we'll end this."
The cold inside of me shifted. My eyes widened as a blue fog exited my chest and hovered in front of me like a small, thin cloud. The cloud shaped itself into Bill's human form. He scowled at Leto. "All right, Mike, you win. I'll go."
"I won't let you die again!"
Bertha threw herself at Bill and wrapped her arms around his incorporeal form. He half-turned to her before his wispy body disappeared into her solid one. Bertha stumbled forward and clutched her chest. Bill was gone, but I saw a faint blue glow against Bertha's chest.
She smiled down at her arms. "You're so warm, Bill, just like when you hugged me."
"No!" Leto screamed. He strode toward them and raised his heavy blow gun above his head. "Let him go, Bertha!"
Bertha closed her eyes. I saw tears stream down her cheeks, but a smile slid onto her lips and she nodded. Leto was nearly at her when she spun around and opened her arms. The blue light flew forward and crashed into Leto. It lifted him off his feet and across the twenty feet to the willow tree. Leto slammed into the skeleton and was pinned there by the spirit.
The candles at the base of the tree blazed three feet into the air like orange-colored roman candles. The brilliant blue of Bill's spirit grew brighter and brighter until it enveloped Leto's entire body. The old man let out a shrill scream before a blast of wind blew outward from the light. It swept over the candles, blowing them out, before it blew over us. Orion slipped in front of me and covered me with his body until it passed.
He stepped aside and we all got a view of the tree. Two skeletons hung from the bungee cords. The one on the left was taller and fresher than the other. The skeleton on the right had a wide, toothy grin on his face.
I looked to Orion's stunned face. "Um, mind cluing me in on what just happened?"
He shook his head. "I. . .I don't know."
Bertha fell to her knees and burst into tears. "Bill. Oh, Bill, why?"
Mirela walked up to the tree and knelt beside the trunk. She picked up a candle and arched an eyebrow. "Was this candle important to the spirit?"
Bertha sniffled, but managed a nod. "Yes. Pumpkin was his favorite scent."
Mirela stood and tossed the candle onto the pile of others. "Then there is nothing more to worry about."
Bertha lifted her head and blinked at our companion. "There isn't?"
Mirela turned to her and smiled. "No. The spirit focused the energies of his favored candles into his soul and created an explosion powerful enough to kill his enemy." He nodded at the grinning skeleton. "You can see how pleased he is with himself, as am I. I will accept this punishment on behalf of my people." She strode between us and out of the cemetery.
Bertha stood and stumbled over to the tree. She reached up and brushed her fingers against Bill's skeletal cheek. "Goodbye, Bill, and God bless you."
A faint blue light flickered on the end of her fingers before it faded. Bertha smiled and a single tears slid down her cheek. She wiped her cheek with the back of her hand and turned to us.
"I'm ready to go home now."
CHAPTER 23
The sound of sirens interrupted our chance at escape. Two cop cars and Ambigo's unmarked vehicle careened up to the entrance to the cemetery. Chief Orso and two of his men jumped out along with Ambigo and Aude. They rushed over to us just as Orion and I climbed to our feet.
Chief Orso looked from us to the tree. "Well? What's happened?"
Orion smiled and shook his head. "You're too late, Bill. Another Bill just dealt with the problem."
"Bertha!" Aude shouted as he hurried up to his wife. He wrapped his arms around her and she returned his hug. "I was so worried." He pulled them to arm's length and looked her over. "Are you hurt?"
She smiled and shook her head. "Nothing a little of your green tea won
't fix."
Ambigo joined us. His eyes flickered from the bodies to us. "If one of those skeletons belongs to William Mallory, who's the other one?"
"Mike Leto, William Mallory's murderer," I spoke up.
Chief Orso started back, but shelved his gun. "Murderer?"
Orion nodded. "Yeah. Mallory came back as a ghost and Leto tried to finish the job permanently this time. It ended up finishing him."
Orso pursed his lips. "I'm going to need the whole story in detail."
I tugged on Orion's sleeve. "Could we do that after I've had time to get out of this costume?"
Orso smiled at me. "It's quite a good candy costume. I'm fond of Peppermint bubblegum myself."
Orion set his hands on my shaking shoulders and smiled at the pair of men. "We'll get those statements to you tomorrow morning."
He turned me so I faced the car and pushed me through the leaves. "You should have let me kill him," I growled.
"He's armed," he reminded me.
"I could've taken him."
"You wanted out of the costume, remember?"
"If you're trying to get me to forget all the insults tonight, it's not working."
"You can't kill half the prominent people in town."
"There's one guy down already."
We reached the car and Orion stopped us in front of the car. He turned so we faced each other and smiled. "If it's any consolation, I love your sexy justice."
I shrugged. "It's a little consolation."
"And I'll like it even better when you take it off."
I rolled my eyes and tried to shove him away. He averted my hand and slipped around behind me to wrap his arms around me. I was glad for the feel of his warm body against mine. Though Bill was gone, there was still a chill over my heart. I wondered if it would ever leave, or if it would be just another reminder of how weird my life was now.
Orion leaned down and studied my face. "Why so quiet?"
I shook myself and smiled at him. "Just thinking that I never got to see your Halloween costume."
He grinned. "I planned on having a single showing of my costume."
I arched an eyebrow. "Showing it to who?"
He leaned down and pecked a light kiss on my cheek. "To you of my one-of-a-kind costume."
I sighed. "All right, I'll bite. What is it?"
"My birthday suit."
I smiled. "Then isn't it about time you had that showing?"
He nodded. "Definitely."
We climbed into the car and Orion backed out. I leaned forward and watched the metal archway of the old graveyard disappear into the distance.
My first Halloween in Apple Hollow was over, but it would never be forgotten.
For all books by Mac Flynn visit her author's page or visit Mac Flynn's website.
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