Dark Secrets: A Paranormal Romance Anthology

by Colleen Gleason

  “This isn’t like any magic I’ve seen or even read about. Sarah’s soul was trapped, unable to move on. This charm bound her in that decaying body. If you knew about this, why didn't you warn me?”

  Rick chose that moment to speak up. “So, Samuel. Why don’t you tell us why are you actually here? What is the FPD really after?” His tone was cutting, and I could feel hot sparks of irritation radiating from him. This was not going well.

  “Don’t start, Bishop. You’re lucky I haven’t removed you from this house myself. Stay out of this case.” His voice was steady, each word stressed. He turned back to me. “Listen, Ms. Harmon, I understand if Rick has persuaded you into helping him with the missing girls, but I can’t stop at a moment’s notice and run down every snot-nosed brat that falls in with a bad element. This case is more important.”

  “It’s nice to know some things never change,” Rick said, voice flat. “Always looking out for your case, instead of doing what’s right.”

  Within several long strides, Agent King stood face to face with Rick. “You have no idea what you’re messing with here. You need to stand down.”

  Heat rose in Rick’s eyes, and he leaned in to the other man with a total disregard to his personal space. In a voice just above a whisper, he said, “You can take your case and shove it. I don’t work with the FPD anymore.”

  His revelation put a whole new spin on the tension between the men. This wasn’t just a jurisdictional pissing match. It was personal.

  “You don’t get it. This isn’t your problem.” King’s even tone carried an obvious threat with it.

  The men were mere inches apart now, and the amount of emotional energy they were giving off was starting to overwhelm my shield. I crossed the room, realizing I might need to intervene before they came to blows.

  But before I could get there, King jabbed his finger into Rick’s chest. “I’m giving you the opportunity to walk away before this becomes a problem.”

  “Back the fuck off!” Rick barked.

  In less than a heartbeat, the large man flew backward ten feet and slammed against the wall. Agent King blinked at Rick and shook his head. Echoes of Rick’s power resonated throughout the room. Not quite sure what had just happened, I instinctively took a step back.

  “Bishop,” King tried again, straightening his jacket, “this is bigger than those two girls. You have no idea what’s going on.”

  “Let me guess. This is another case where it’s acceptable to sacrifice people, kids for fuck’s sake, to save face for the FPD.”

  King chuckled harshly and ran a hand over his smooth head. A deep crease marred his brow, causing him to look years older, an Atlas weighed down by his burden.

  “Leave it to you to miss the bigger picture,” King said. “This isn’t just about saving face. You’ve never truly appreciated what a fine line we all have to walk since coming out. Magic is just magic to you. You have no clue how the plebs would react if they knew what you could do, what she could do.” He pointed an accusatory finger in my direction. “If the public got wind that witches could enslave them, there’d be panic in the streets. We could be looking at another Burning Time.”

  Bringing them together had been a terrible mistake. There was more between these men than I realized. It was as if I’d walked into the middle of the movie and couldn’t follow the plot. If I could just get a handle on the source of all this anger, the emotional drive, I might be able to guide the conversation to safer ground before they came to actual blows.

  Quietly, I slid the silver band from my finger and pocketed it. I took a deep breath to calm my nerves. I didn’t dare try to manipulate either of them, but I did reach out with my senses.

  A wave of anger struck me immediately, as if someone had opened the door to a raging furnace. The men had gone back to arguing, although King was keeping a healthy distance this time. The emotions here were strong and deep-running. I had to be careful not to let the intensity overwhelm me, so I closed my eyes, focusing all my attention on the inferno.

  After a few seconds of separating the tangled threads of emotions, a cool, sharp note passed over me. It was different from the rest. Lying beneath all that anger was a bedrock of understanding and regard. It would have been easy to overlook, but I knew that was my key. Despite the harsh words and accusations, these men still respected each other.

  Screwing up my courage, I whistled—that piercing whistle one uses to call attention. “Enough! As coroner, I’m in charge of this death investigation.” I walked between them and faced Agent King. “If you want me to release the bodies, I need to find this missing girl. She was involved in the accident. At the very least she’s a witness, but she’s also a possible murder suspect, and either way I need to interview her. You can either help us find her or wait.” I conveniently left out the fact that my report was ready to be filed, so technically I’d finished my part. But I was counting on the fact that, while he might not do this for Rick, he wanted his evidence and would be willing to help.

  A long silence followed. I could almost see him mentally weighing the pros and cons, and then I felt it: a slight shift in his attitude. An acquiescing.

  “Fine. If she was held with one of the charms, I’ll need to interview her too.”

  “Great, so everyone’s on board now.” I wasn’t giving him a second to reconsider.

  Rick chuckled behind me. I turned on him, pissed. I wasn’t about to let him ruin this by being a smart ass. But he wasn’t looking at King. His eyes were on me: more specifically, on my hand. He had guessed what I had done.

  “Oh, I haven’t forgotten about you. Agent King is right; you’re not officially part of this investigation. I’m working with King, so if you want to stay and help, you two will need to bury the hatchet, hug it out, or whatever the hell you need to do. I’m not a referee.”

  His smile only widened. The feelings I picked up were more like pride or delight, as though things were going exactly as he expected. I would have to ponder that later. Right now I needed to make sure I didn’t lose any ground.

  “The girl was in the car when it went off the road. Do you think you could track her if I took you to the accident scene, Rick? If she’s lost in those woods, I’m not sure she’ll last another night with below-freezing temperatures.”

  “I’m decent at tracking, but Samuel is much better.” Rick looked at him directly. “I’d kill to have an inspector with your tracking skills. The offer is always open.” As apologies went that wasn’t great, but it was enough.

  King nodded his answer, and that one look conveyed an entire conversation. “Do you have something personal that belonged to the missing girl? With an aura signature, I can track where she went after the accident.”

  “Her mother gave me a locket. It’s in the car,” Rick said and headed outside.

  Just like that, the mood shifted. All past grievances were put aside, and I felt like we were all on the same page now. Maybe we could even wrap this up tonight and I could get back to my life.

  Rick returned with a simple heart-shaped locket and handed it to Samuel, who examined the trinket in detail.

  “There’s enough residual energy here. I should be able to track her without a problem.” Samuel pocketed the necklace and turned to me, waiting. It seemed as though I was now in charge.

  “Okay then. I’ll drive us to the crash site. It’s already dark, so we need to hurry.” I grabbed my jacket and pulled on my snow boots, pausing only to rummage through the closet for a flashlight. I wasn’t about to wait another second, fearing things could still fall apart. “Let’s go, gentlemen!” I walked out the door, leaving them no option but to follow.

  The drive to the accident scene was torture. I concentrated on the road, ignoring the thick silence that tainted the air. Even Dan’s chatter would’ve been better. When I saw the turn-off ahead, I almost wept. This was it. We’d find the missing girl, and I could have my normal life back.

  The snow had erased any sign of the accident, creating a
blank canvas. Only the occasional deer track marred the fresh snow, and it took a few moments to get my bearings. King and I followed the ruts in the ground where the tow truck had pulled out the wreck. Whether Rick was trying to give him space or still pissed I couldn’t tell, but he waited by the car.

  “This is it,” I said, amazed at how unremarkable it all looked. Just yesterday two people had lost their lives here, but other than an ugly scar on a tree, you’d never know.

  King pointed to a spot in the distance. “I need a little room to work. Once I get an impression, you can follow me.” He fished the necklace from his pocket and wrapped it around his hand. He began speaking quietly. The words were breathy and too soft for me to understand. A spoken spell wasn’t visible to the naked eye, but a strong working was tangible. The hair on my arms stood up and a prickling raced down my spine as he gathered more power.

  I closed my eyes, looking with my inner sight. A swirling vortex of blue energy coiled around him. It expanded, reaching out misty tendrils that licked and brushed, like some Lovecraftian nightmare. The outline of a compass rose glowed in brilliant blues through his heavy leather jacket, and pulsed as he pulled power through it.

  I opened my eye and watched as he walked in a slow, exacting circle. He pressed his fist against his head while he continued his chant. On his second circuit he stopped, facing a patch of trees. He mumbled something under his breath and opened his eyes, searching the horizon.

  “Over there,” he said and stalked toward the tree line like a predator on the hunt. He took patient steps, pausing to listen to sounds only he could hear and then moving forward again.

  I realized he wasn’t going to wait for us, so I called back to Rick as I followed after him. Together, we followed a fair distance behind King, giving him a wide berth. We had walked for quite a while before a solid form took shape in the distance. In the dark, it was hard to make out exactly what it was, but it looked like a building of some type. I stopped and tried to orient myself. We had hiked about two miles, but the road was only a few hundred yards to the right. This was the Millers’ old property. The house had burned to the ground about twelve years ago, but there were still some outbuildings on the abandoned farm.

  “The pull is coming from inside,” King said as we approached what looked to be an old barn. With only a miniature key-chain light to guide him, Agent King slipped through a large gap between the boards and disappeared inside.

  The building didn’t look safe. The whole barn listed to one side and looked as if a stiff breeze could topple it. The weathered paint was worn and flaking off, and in several areas, the rotting studs poked through the siding, like ribs on a desiccated animal.

  I had never worked a search and rescue. Generally I was called in when the rescue part was no longer an option, so I was unsure if I should go along or wait outside. I looked to Rick for guidance. He nodded before passing through the gap himself, so I followed.

  Inside the barn it was pitch black. The narrow band of light coming from my flashlight couldn’t cut through the oppressive gloom. A large metal sign lay on the ground in front of me, and I directed the beam toward the broad surface, letting the light diffuse off it to illuminate the room. It was a useful trick Brad had taught me on a camping trip we took last spring.

  He was always showing me little tricks he thought would be crucial in an emergency, like how to start a fire or put up a makeshift shelter. He’d even helped me pick out a generator for the house since the power in the country went out regularly in bad weather. Thoughts of our last conversation crept in, making me feel guilty. This wasn’t the time or place, so I pushed him out of my mind and started my search.

  The flashlight trick flooded the barn with light, and I was able to see. Rick and King had moved in opposite directions, sweeping back and forth across the area in a way that spoke of their training. Not wanting to get in their way, I decided to check the perimeter, looking for something, anything. Out of the corner of my eye I caught slight movement.

  “Over there,” I said, keeping my voice low. I wasn’t sure what I had seen, but I didn’t want to spook it.

  There in the corner was a white mass. It moved again and a flash of red curls peeked out from under the mound. It was Molly. I crept toward the girl, my movements slow and patient.

  “Molly?” I called. “Molly, you’re safe now.” I tried to sound comforting, but the girl refused to turn around. I slowly walked closer, focusing the flashlight on her back. I looked back toward Rick, my eyes pleading for his help.

  “Molly, we’re not here to hurt you. Sarah’s parents sent me,” Rick said, his voice warm and smooth, but the mention of Sarah seemed to make things worse.

  I didn’t think it was possible, but she drew herself into a smaller ball, hiding under the hood of her jacket, as though she were trying to disappear. I held my hand up to stop the guys and shook my head, warning them away. I moved up right behind her and could see her breath in the cold, coming out in short, panicked bursts. I couldn’t imagine what she’d been through, hiding away in this decrepit barn, waiting for her captor to track her down, but I hoped she’d respond better to me, another woman. No such luck. When I touched her shoulder, she shrank from me. I hadn’t replaced the ring from earlier, so I pushed out with my mind. Safe. Calm.

  “Molly, My name is Olivia.” Calm. Safe. “I’m here to help. Can you tell me if you’re hurt?”

  Molly looked up then, and immediately I noticed the blood. A large gash above her eye was crusted over with dried blood and dirt. The blood had run down the side of her face and stained the top of her white jacket. Her skin had an unnatural hue that I usually saw only in dead bodies. It was like a macabre sketch, the purple tinge of her lips and flame red hair the only coloring against the sheet white skin.

  I reached out to touch her shoulder and the panic returned. She tried to crawl away through a gap in the wall. When she couldn’t fit through the hole, she tried to claw her way through the rotting boards like a cornered animal.

  “I need help before she hurts herself!”

  Desprate, I turned to look for Rick, but it was Agent King that came to my aid and scooped the girl up in his hulking grasp. She fought his hold, pounding her fist against his broad chest, but he held tight. Despite her frantic struggles, she still hadn’t said a word. A steady stream of tears tracing paths down her pale cheeks was her only communication with us. I reached out and tried to soothe her.

  “Don’t! I’ll handle it,” King said, his tone dismissive. He wrapped a meaty arm around her, pressing her body close to his chest. His lips moved in a silent chant, and her body went limp. “She’ll wake in about an hour.”

  Despite his objections, I stepped closer, and I put a hand on her limp head to cast the caduceus spell. It wasn’t good. Fractured wrist, head trauma, and hypothermia.

  “If we don’t get her some help, I’m not sure she’ll last that long,” I said. “My place is close, and I can have Charlie meet us there. She’ll be able to stabilize her.”

  “No offense, Ms. Harmon, but I don’t think so.” Funny, when people start off with “no offense” it usually means they are about to say something to thoroughly piss me off. And Agent King didn’t disappoint. “I’m sure your friend is fine for working in a clinic, but this girl needs a real healer. The FPD has staff healers on call. I’ll have someone come to your house to assess her injuries.”

  “Um, no offense, but that’s the best way to ensure this girl dies. It will take hours for someone from the FPD to get here. Are you willing to risk her life?” I asked coolly. When he didn’t reply right away, I knew the answer.

  “Damn it! Call your friend,” Rick said, scowling at King. “Can she be there by the time we get back?”

  “I’ll give her a call. If Charlie’s in town, she’ll beat us there.”

  I fished out my cell and walked out of the barn trying to get a signal. King followed me, holding the unconscious girl. He had taken his jacket off and wrapped it around her limp body,
and now he headed toward the car without waiting for us. A few paces from the barn, I finally had enough bars to place the call. Charlie answered on the second ring.

  “Charlie, I need your help. Can you meet me at the house?” There was a hesitation on the other end of the line, and I thought she might say no.

  “Who’s hurt?” she asked not waiting for an explanation.

  “We found the missing girl, but she’s in bad shape.”

  “I’m already headed toward the car.”

  Rick had been waiting patiently for me to finish.

  “Is she going to be all right?” he asked, coming up behind me.

  “Charlie’s good. She’ll be able to help.”

  “I hope so,” he said.

  “Me, too,” I replied and followed him back to the car.

  TEN

  January sixteenth.

  Charlie was at the house by the time we arrived. I got out of the car and opened the back door. Agent King cradled an unconscious Molly in his arms.

  Charlie reached out and touched the girl’s neck, gaining all the information she needed in an instant. “We need to get her inside.”

  King had just made it through the front door when Molly stirred. She cracked open her eyelids and shielded herself against the light before going completely still. A small mewling sound, like from a wounded animal, escaped her lips as she suddenly tried to free herself from his iron grasp.

  “Bring her to my bedroom,” I called, running ahead of him to the back of the house.

  Molly had stopped struggling by the time he reached my room. I couldn’t tell if he had put her back to sleep or she had simply lost consciousness. Either way, he laid her pliable form on the bed. Charlie sat and placed both her hands on Molly’s limp body.

  “I could use your help warming her,” she said, looking to me. I’d never picked up anything but the basics in healing, but I could lend some magical energy. I shoved my way in front of King and sat on the opposite side of the bed. No sooner had I laid both my hands atop Charlie’s than I had to fight the urge to pull away. The oily power that had infected Sarah also pulsed throughout Molly’s aura. Suppressing the sick feeling settling in my gut, I gathered energy and pushed it down into Charlie’s working.