Deadly Vows

by Kate Allenton

  DEADLY VOWS

  A Cree Blue Psychic Eye Mystery

  Book 2

  Kate Allenton

  Copyright © 2017 Kate Allenton

  All rights reserved.

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  This book is a work of fiction. Names, character, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or use fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locals or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

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  Published by Coastal Escape Publishing

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  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 1

  “T ell me you’re going to put a hex on him or send a poltergeist to his new apartment,” Freddie demanded as I ended my call.

  He was leaning against the old doorframe of my ancestral home. The bald opinionated Italian was my self-appointed bodyguard, so I gave him latitude. It was that or have to deal with the rest of the Italian mob knocking some sense into my poor delicate head. I already had enough loose screws; I couldn't afford many more.

  The Lady Blue Plantation served as more than my serenity. Its vast open yards and ancient trees calmed me in a way no other place came close to doing. It was one reason I believe people were drawn to it. Freddie was one of those people I let live under my roof. Most people would be scared to have an Italian ex-mobster sleeping down the hall. Not me. It helped me sleep.

  “I’m not a witch.” Not that I couldn’t pay $19.95 for someone on the internet to do the deed. Bad karma wasn’t juju to be toyed with, ever. “He’s just busy.”

  Freddie's observant well-trained laser focus pinned me in my spot. I guess his time dealing with double-crossing bad guys who could kill kind of made him paranoid that way. Regardless, he had a point. Two months and my almost relationship with FBI Agent Mason Spencer had disappeared like last night’s pitcher of margaritas. His new job with the FBI kept him MIA and emotionally off the radar.

  “He’s busy all right; busy avoiding you.”

  Deep down in the pit of my stomach, somewhere between last night’s burrito and this morning’s piece of chocolate cake, I knew Freddie was right, and that thought irked me even more than my nonexistent boyfriend.

  “Fine, he’s avoiding me.” I frowned. “He isn’t the only one.”

  West Archer was doing the same thing. The British agent had shown up two months ago seeking help with the case of the century; a dead actress, a royal affair, and a missing diamond worth a small fortune. He dangled that case like a freakin’ dessert in front of a woman on a diet before he disappeared. The men in my life had a problem keeping their word.

  “Screw them, Cree. It’s their loss. You’re the rock star. You talk to dead people and help solve cold cases that people like them can’t figure out. Mason is probably just sitting behind some desk talking about the merits of which shoulder holster doesn’t chafe, and Archer, God only knows where he went, but one thing is for sure. You’re the one doing all the work.”

  “Work,” I sighed. “I guess they’re ready and waiting for us?”

  “You could say that.”

  “I almost forgot we planned to work a case.” I shoved to my feet.

  “Pity parties tend to do that.” Freddie chuckled and rested his arm on my shoulder, steering me back inside where the others waited.

  My pity party wasn’t over. I'd simply pressed pause until I could be alone with a glass of wine and a pint of my favorite chocolate ice cream.

  I walked into the ballroom, shoving all thoughts of Mason and his excuses out of my head. The large room was empty other than the tools we'd need. Several desks with computers lined the walls. The big Jumbotron-sized screens hanging on the walls sat idle in standby mode, ready to flash the images from my mind. A hospital bed sat in the middle of the room with Doc Stone hovering nearby to monitor the machines and ready to check my vitals. Everything was ready, except me.

  “Sorry to keep you guys waiting.”

  “Did Freddie talk you off the ledge?” Charlotte, my best friend and partner in crime, asked from her perch behind one of the computers where she was playing a game of solitaire.

  “It wasn’t a ledge, just a minor speed bump,” I said, entering the room. I slid out of my heels, leaving them by the door. “I’m ready to focus.”

  “It’s about damn time,” Faraday said from across the room. He folded his arms over his chest. His naturally grumpy annoyance was even more exaggerated today.

  He was my personal liaison with the local PD, not to mention my godfather. The way he told it, he was the one that picked my dad up off the floor during my birth, and he’s been picking up the pieces ever since.

  Insight was my daddy’s dream. A computer program that gives everyone in the room a view of the visions going on in my head when trying to tune in to these lost souls who needed to be found. We were all witnesses to the ghastly deeds of the crimes. Whatever I saw in my head, they’d see on the screens. I was the conduit for these dark, deadly deeds.

  Only the people in this room knew I used this secret machine to prevent me from missing a clue. They worked like the logical side of my brain while I was using the program.

  Jitters was in charge of monitoring and recording everything. He was a computer genius. Charlotte was there for more than moral support. She was wired kind of different, too, which was probably why we’re such besties. She could see the connections the rest of us would miss. The twins…well, I think they were just happy to be around like-minded nutty people, and we were a salty bunch.

  “Which case are we working on?” Faraday asked. His thinning patience reminded me of rain on a day I wanted to swim; neither warmed my soul. I blew a kiss to the agitated cranky man.

  I unlocked the cold case locker of stored evidence the police provided for me to use when trying to connect. Brown bags stacked the shelves, and the case names and file numbers sat out of view. I wouldn’t need them. Closing my eyes, I felt around at the energy each package gave off. When my soul was calm, in tune, I was strong, and I’d work on one of the less energetic pieces. When I was feeling puny, I’d pick the ones with the most active energy. Today, I needed all the help I could get with so much clutter in my brain.

  I was immediately drawn to one package on the top shelf. I had no idea what was inside, only that a woman was involved. I jumped to grab it and pull it, catching it in my arms. “Looks like the winner is Davina Richards, Billson Police cold case file 37658.”

  “That one’s more recent. I remember about a month ago the poor girl went missing the day before her wedding. That would be my luck,” Charlot
te said.

  “I’d never let that happen.” I grinned and tapped into her energy. “Your Prince Charming is on the way.”

  “I think he lost his map.”

  “Ladies, can we focus and leave the girl talk for later?” Faraday said.

  “Did you drink too much prune juice today?” I asked and pointed to the kitchen. “We can wait while you go relieve yourself of that bad attitude.”

  “Funny, Cree.”

  I shrugged. I had my moments. I glanced again at the name on the bag. I had a vague recollection of seeing something about Davina in the papers. People thought she’d gotten cold feet and taken off, only the police and her fiancé suspected something more devious at work. Call it my intuition or gut feeling, I knew this one wasn't a runaway bride because this chick was already dead. Her apparition was floating just outside the French doors of the ballroom. My Grammy’s overbearing ghostly presence kept all of the unrelated dead people out of my house. She was good like that.

  I walked across the renovated hardwood floors over to the hospital bed and climbed on top, letting Doc Stone cover me with a blanket. It was a wonder I didn’t get many colds. I always start out sweating beneath the fabric until the good Doc pulls out the cold goo. It was all downhill from there. By the time we finish playing with Insight I’d end up needing three more blankets and sometimes even that wouldn’t get rid of the chill.

  He slipped a rubber cap over my head. To the untrained eye, it looked like something that was used by hairdressers intent on giving highlights, but we used it for something way more interesting.

  “This is going to be cold.” Doc Stone looked a little hesitant as he approached with the caulking gun filled with cold gel. I hated this part.

  “It always is.” I tensed as he filled each hole in the cap with the goop, sending a wintry chill crawling down my spine and extending throughout my body. He filled every tiny hole in the cap before attaching the probes the machine needed to transmit the images. Thank God no one ever saw me like this. I looked on the verge of getting a head transplant.

  “Whenever you’re ready, Cree.”

  I inhaled a deep, calming breath as I tore open the package, dumping the contents on my lap. I don’t know what I’d been expecting, maybe a bloody wedding dress or veil. Instead, it was something much more innocent. A stuffed bear. I held it up for Faraday to see. “Really?”

  “The fiancé said she took it with her everywhere. It’s the only personal item the Billson PD would give us.”

  You’d think they’d be a little more accommodating. I was, after all, providing clues they’d yet to find.

  “Jitters, are we rolling?” I glanced at the camera he’d just walked away from. The little red flashing dot confirmed my answer before he did.

  “Rolling on you, and we’re recording the feed. We’re a go.”

  “Okay then, Faraday, if you’ll dim the lights.” I cleared my throat and leaned back in the bed, nodding to Doc Stone. He flipped the switch. “Davina Richards, Cree Blue Case 55. Billson PD cold case 37658. Let’s hunt.”

  Chapter 2

  I mages flicked across the screen. First, that of Grammy’s wilted rose garden in the backyard I’d been staring at earlier. Then my Grammy’s face. Her old wise wrinkles looked amplified on the Jumbotron, calming my rattled nerves. “Let’s begin.”

  I picked up the teddy bear and let the energy cocoon my body, wrap around every bit of my essence, and entwine with mine. It was a weird feeling being so acutely aware of someone else besides myself. Sometimes it was like dropping oil into a bucket of water. Some energy just didn’t want to mesh and mix. That wasn’t the case with Davina’s energy. I gripped the bear tight and let the vibrations whip out of my mind to her last memory, finally focusing on the front of a church.

  Davina was holding hands with a man talking to a preacher. Her eyes were unfocused, as if she were in school staring out the window while the teacher lectured on about a subject she hated.

  We’ll see you at the rehearsal. The guy held out his hand and shook the preacher’s hand before the preacher walked away.

  You okay? he asked, refocusing Davina’s attention as he steered her toward the cars parked near the curb. He pulled her into his arms and pressed a sweet kiss to her lips before smiling down at her. You were a little distant back there. You haven't changed your mind, have you?

  Absolutely not. Davina kissed him back. I love you, and I can’t wait to be your wife. You promised me a do-over. Three boys and a house on the hill across the country from your parents. I have to run and pick up your surprise and get my ring cleaned.

  He released her and opened her car door. Go run your errands. I’ll see you tonight.

  I promise I won’t be long. She smiled up at him and slid behind the wheel, pulling my energy into the passenger seat.

  A picture of my father’s serious face flashed on the screen.

  “Stay in the moment with Davina,” Doc Stone whispered in my ear, championing my directions.

  I refocused my energy back inside the car. We were traveling now down dirt roads through the forest on the outskirts of town. The surrounding trees all looked the same. I had no idea where we were or which way we’d come. Panicking, I turned in the seat to look out the back window and all around, knowing the brief reprieve of my father’s image might have made me miss something important. The beeping of the heart rate monitor sped up.

  “You’re doing great, Cree. She’s on Old Mill Road. Just keep watching,” Doc Stone prodded, calming my anxiety.

  The car stopped, but Davina didn’t get out. Tears slid down her red blotchy face as her grip on the steering wheel turned white. I can’t do this.

  A cell phone rang, and she bypassed the one sticking out of her purse and opened the middle console. She pulled out what I assumed was a burner phone and answered the call. Hello.

  I hated when they used phones and I couldn’t hear the rest of the conversation. It skewed things unless the police could track the person who called. They might not even know about this phone.

  I’m almost there. I’m five minutes from the cabin, just wait for me.

  I know what to do. Five minutes, that’s all I need.

  A few head nods and a quick goodbye and she held the phone while putting the car back into gear. Her foot accelerated on the gas. Her body bobbed up and down as she hit every hole in the road.

  She stopped again, only this time it was in the middle of a rickety bridge that didn’t even look safe enough to walk over, much less drive. She got out of the car, and I appeared by her side. I’m stronger than this. I should have just told him the truth. God, why didn’t I tell him? she whispered through her tears.

  What could have gone so wrong that this woman would be standing on a bridge crying the day before her wedding?

  Davina tossed the burner phone into the water. Her entire body shook with her sobs as she climbed up the rotted wooden railing. My hand flew to cover my mouth.

  “Don’t do it.” My heart raced. I wanted to grab her and tell her that everything would be okay.

  I have to tell him the truth. Davina stood at the top of the railing. Her entire body trembled barely supported by shaky legs. What seemed like an eternity passed as she stared at the gushing flow. She shook her head and swiped at the tears. No.

  She squatted, grabbed the railing, and started to climb back down. I let out the breath I’d been holding.

  Gunfire rang out through the trees. The force of the impact was quick, striking Davina in the back and sending her over the railing into the rock-strewn water below.

  “I have to pull you, Cree. Your vitals are dropping.”

  “Not yet, I haven’t seen who pulled the trigger,” I whispered and watched as Davina went under the water with her arms flailing. She never came back up. I spun around, my gaze scanning the trees, waiting for the shooter to step out. Nothing, not even the sound of a broken branch.

  Seconds later, my eyes flew open. The icy frost of my breath escaped my lips
as Doc Stone and Charlotte hurried to add blankets to my freezing body. My entire body shivered uncontrollably as I curled up into a ball. It was one of the only side effects from using Insight we couldn’t figure out how to control. The longer I used the machine, the more dangerous it became.

  “That was too close, Cree,” Doc Stone complained. “You can’t stay under that long next time.”

  He was right. I knew he was. I’d just hoped to catch a glimpse of the killer's face.

  “She didn’t want to die.” I tried to nod but couldn’t control my shivers.

  It was the last thing I remembered before I fell into my familiar deep sleep.

  I awoke to sunlight coming in through the ballroom windows. Davina was staring at me. The image of her sad eyes would haunt me if I didn’t help solve her case. She was a woman in love, a woman with secrets; much like me. I might not get the answers I needed, but I could damn sure help figure out who took away her choice to live.

  I turned toward the ballroom doors. The entire room was empty now. The machines sat dark and turned off. Every one of Davina’s witnesses were gone or lurking somewhere else in the house.

  Tossing the covers off of me, I climbed out of my bed and followed the sound of voices to the kitchen.

  “She should be up by now,” Freddie grumbled.

  “She’s fine. For a guy who ran with the mob, you’re acting like a mother hen,” Faraday said.

  “Someone has to, old man.”

  These two would bicker the rest of their lives while living under the same roof. Faraday on the side of the law, and Freddie not afraid to break a few if it meant getting stuff done.

  “I just checked on her, but feel free to go look again.” Faraday’s annoyance returned. “I have to go into town and pull Davina’s police file. So it looks like you get babysitting detail.”

  “I can assure you both that I don’t need a babysitter.”