Dark Secrets: A Paranormal Romance Anthology

by Colleen Gleason

  He rubbed his neck and looked over at me sheepishly. “I thought it might be stupid kids, out thrill-seeking. You know, trying to get a peek at a dead body. I’ve been inside, and it looks like they just rifled through some drawers and cabinets. I didn’t think about the chemicals.”

  I headed to the front door but stopped before going in. “I’ll take a look around, but why don’t you go home and go back to bed. You look exhausted.”

  “I am, but I’m not leaving you here alone, just in case anyone comes back. You know, I always thought this was a safe town, but I guess even small towns aren’t immune to crime,” he said, shaking his head. At that moment, he looked more weary than tired, with his shoulders slumped and a distant look in his eyes. “I can’t believe someone would break into a funeral home. People don’t respect anything anymore.”

  Dan was a good man. He still believed in small-town values, and took pride in the work we did. That’s why I liked him so much. I patted him on the arm and commiserated in his disgust. He was right: people didn’t respect the dead any more than they did the living.

  “I’ll wait for you here,” he said and parked himself on the sofa in the hallway. “Just let me know when you’re ready to lock up.”

  I went straight to the chemical supply. After the second break-in I had taken some steps to protect the business. I’d ordered an industrial storage cabinet and had a security specialist enchant it. I also installed a steel door to Charlie’s apartment and had that warded as well. Everything looked secure. The embalming chemicals were still on the shelves, and despite the fact all the drawers had been tossed, nothing was missing from the offices either. This was the first break-in since I’d installed the extra security. It was possible they couldn’t get into the chemical locker and just left, but I still had a bad feeling about the whole thing.

  I’d left Charlie’s apartment for last since the door was locked. It seemed undisturbed, which made me feel better, but when I reached the top of the stairs, I noticed her overnight bag sitting on the sofa. She must have come home sometime last night, but her purse and keys were gone.

  That uneasy feeling was still with me, and I knew wouldn’t reach her, but I had to try. I called her phone and got her voicemail again.

  “Charlie, call me right away. I don’t care about the time.”

  Next I tried Zoe and left the same message. Charlie was supposed to be out at my place by nine for breakfast. It was just a little after five now. I decided if I didn’t hear from her by nine, I had a legitimate reason to panic, and just for good measure, I would drive past Zoe’s house to check for her car.

  “I’m all set,” I said, startling Dan out of a sound sleep.

  He wasn’t much of a lookout, but I couldn’t blame him. He was still getting used to the late-night shifts. Dan yawned and shuffled outside. He waited on the porch while I locked the front door. But as we turned to go to our cars, I couldn’t shake the feeling something wasn’t right. “You don’t think something could have happened to Charlie?”

  He laughed. “I think you’ve been reading too many crime novels. Maybe it’s all the time you’ve been spending with that inspector.” He made his way to the steps and said, “Next thing you know you’re going to start solving crimes on the side.”

  His joke was a little too close for comfort. I tried to laugh with him. But now that I had given voice to my concerns, I couldn’t just let it go. “With the two unsolved murders and the FPD showing up, you can’t blame me for worrying. Charlie lives here all alone.” My voice cracked, holding back the agitation and strain I’d been feeling for weeks. “I think there’s reason to worry.”

  “I’m sure she’s fine.” His expression softened and he patted me on the back. The kind gesture just made me want to hit him. “Besides,” he continued, “I know Charlie. If someone tried to take her, she would have put up a fight. There weren’t any signs of a struggle.”

  “You’re probably right,” I said, heading toward my car. “But just in case, could you keep your eyes open and call me if you hear from her?”

  He reached out and stopped me. “Olivia, if you’re that concerned, we should call the station and report Charlie missing.”

  I caught myself chewing on my bottom lip and shook my head. There was no reason to think something nefarious had happened to Charlie. Nothing was out of place in her apartment, and the door was even locked. I tried to push my uneasy feelings aside and put on a confident smile.

  “We don’t need to do that. I bet she’s with Zoe. I just hate that her home was violated like this.”

  “Are you okay to drive?” Dan eyed the damage to the front of the SUV. “It’s late, and you look exhausted. Why don’t you stay over at my place.” He smiled, and when I didn’t answer immediately a deep red blush crept over his face. “I mean in my guest bedroom. I have a guest bedroom. You didn’t think I meant… Um. I didn’t mean to imply—”

  “Please, just stop.” I waved frantically. He stood there gaping at me as I held my side and laughed out loud. When my fit of hilarity finally wound down, I leaned in and kissed his cheek. “Thanks, I needed that. And thank you for the offer, but I’m just going home.”

  “Glad to help?” Dan’s brows knit together in utter confusion.

  This started another round of giggles, and I was sure at this point he thought I’d lost my mind. “Go home, Dan. I’m fine.”

  I slipped into the battered SUV and waved to him as I drove down the street. But as soon as I turned the corner, worry started to seep back in, and I made my way to Zoe’s house.

  The old four-square was located on the outskirts of town, and as I approached I checked the vehicles parked along the street, looking for Charlie’s car. When I pulled up in front of the house, I searched the darkened windows. I wasn’t sure what I was expecting to see. The dashboard clock read just past five-thirty; everyone would be asleep. The engine idled while I debated what to do next. The sane person would wait until a decent hour, but I wasn’t feeling very rational at the moment. I put the car in park and called Zoe one more time, hoping she’d pick up. Still nothing.

  A car honked behind me. I looked like a stalker, sitting in my car, watching her house. With one last look up and down the street, I decided not to knock on the door. But there was one thing I was going to do. I dialed the station.

  Jenny answered the phone, and I inwardly cringed. “Hi, Jenny. It’s Olivia.”

  “Oh” was all she managed.

  “We had that break-in at Armstrong’s this morning, and I think something happened to Charlie.”

  “Brad already called in. He said that everything was settled at Armstrong’s,” she said in a short, annoyed tone, a clear departure from her usual happy demeanor. “Your guy, Dan, reported the place was empty.”

  I wasn’t going to let her cool attitude derail my intentions. “I know. Dan didn’t realize that Charlie had returned from her trip a day early. Her bags were in the apartment, but I can’t reach her.”

  I heard paper shuffling on the other end of the phone, and then Jenny said, “There’s no mention of any signs of violence or a struggle in the report. Brad even noted that the apartment door was locked.”

  “That’s true, but she’s not answering her phone.” I was tired of dealing with Jenny. If I wanted something done, I would need to speak to Brad. “Can you just radio Brad and ask him to call me? I didn’t get a chance to talk to him about the break-in. He was gone by the time I arrived. And for the record, he didn’t even bother to notify me. My employee was the one who called. It’s my business. I should have been called.”

  “He’s out, but I’ll leave him a message. As far as Charlie goes, this doesn’t qualify as a missing person, but I’ll note your concern. Now, if you don’t have anything else, I have to go. Goodbye, Olivia.” She hung up the phone before I could respond.

  Pissed, I gripped the phone, fighting the urge to call Jenny back and read her the riot act. This was just great. In the past few days, everything in my life seem
ed to be falling apart. I was now an outsider in my own community. There were fewer and fewer people I could turn to for help. My business was failing. And now, Charlie was missing.

  A surge of fear and isolation overwhelmed me, but I fought back the onslaught of tears. I refused to let myself fall into a hole of self pity. Screw this. I had other resources. I could handle this problem even without their help. I dialed Rick.

  He answered right away in a sleep-slurred voice. “What’s wrong?”

  “Rick, I think something’s happened to Charlie, and I need your help.”

  “What can I do?” he asked without hesitating.

  After telling him about her call yesterday and the break-in, I was on the verge of panic again.. “When I went to her apartment, her luggage was sitting right by the door. I kept calling, but she didn’t answer. I know you don’t know her well, but she would have answered. She’s listed as the backup with the answering service. I wouldn’t be surprised if she showered with her phone. I can’t count on any help from the local police. Rick, I don’t know what to do, so I’ve been driving the streets looking for her car.”

  “I made it home late last night. I’m on my way. I should be there in three hours. Maybe two and a half if I push it. Have you gone back home? Maybe she decided to come over early. You know she’s been worried about you.”

  “Maybe,” I said reluctantly. “But when we talked earlier, she said she was coming over for breakfast. I don’t expect her for hours”

  “Just go home, Olivia. Go home and check. And give me a call when you get there. The best thing you can do right now is to eliminate all the other possibilities. I’ll get in touch with Samuel. He might be able to pull some resources from the FPD if it comes to that. Besides, I think he wants to talk with you. I cc’d him on the emails. I’m sure he’ll want to compare notes. There’s enough evidence there to link these two cases and get you off the suspect list.”

  “I haven’t had a chance to look at the stuff you emailed. After this thing with Charlie is sorted out we can go through it together. Right now I can’t concentrate.” I could feel a weight lift off my shoulders like a physical presence. For the first time in a week I felt like I had a solid plan in place. “I really appreciate everything you’re doing for me. I’ll call you when I get home.”

  I took the next right and headed out of town, all the while making a list of people I needed to call. Before I instituted an all-out search for Charlie, I should make sure she wasn’t just visiting friends.

  Planning and making lists usually helped keep me focused, but not this morning. My imagination was beating out the logical part of my brain, and by the time I pulled into my driveway, I’d convinced myself that Charlie was in serious trouble. Maybe she interrupted the tweekers that broke in. Maybe she’d been involved in a car accident and was unconscious in a ditch. Or, gods, even dead. I quickly added the hospitals to my mental list of places to call.

  As the house came into view, I scanned the drive looking for Charlie’s beat-up red Volkswagen. When I didn’t see it out front, I pulled around back to the clinic parking and almost burst into tears when I saw the little Jetta sitting by the back door.

  I parked alongside it and closed my eyes, saying a silent thank-you to the universe. I stayed in the car for several minutes trying to compose myself. With the night I’d had—honestly, it was the whole damn week—I was teetering on the edge. It wasn’t Charlie’s fault I couldn’t keep it together. My hands gripped the steering wheel, and I focused on the lotus, centering myself. Starting today, I was going back to daily meditations.

  Once I’d found some measure of calm, I grabbed my purse and tried to forget the panic I’d created. Before I went in, I pulled out my phone to call Rick. Charlie would never let me live it down if Rick showed up with the cavalry in tow. Better to give him the all-clear sign without an audience. I really hoped that he hadn’t called Samuel yet. But before I could dial, the phone rang in my hand, nearly causing my heart to stop.

  It was Brad.

  “Hi, Brad. Thanks for calling me back right away,” I said curtly.

  “Where are you?” he asked, glossing over the niceties.

  “I’m at home,” I said. “But I think the better question is, why didn’t you call me about the break-in?”

  “I’m sorry Dan woke you. I was going to call you when I got to the station. Are you going to Armstrong’s? Jenny said you were worried about Charlie.”

  “I just got back home from Armstrong’s. If you had waited for me, you’d know that. I overreacted about Charlie. Her car is here at the house. But that still doesn’t excuse you not calling me.”

  “Why don’t you come back to town?” he said, his nonchalance belied by an urgency in his voice. “I need to talk to you right now. It’s about the break-in.”

  “I just got home. Can’t it wait until later?” The stress had won out, and all I could think about now was crawling into bed and getting a few more hours of sleep.

  “The alarm went off again. You need to come back now.” Brad sounded panicked now. “Just turn around and go back into town.”

  “No one from the alarm company called, and anyway you know the code. Just turn the damn thing off. I’m exhausted, irritated, and just don’t feel like driving all the way back this morning.”

  “Christ, Olivia, why do you always have to be so difficult?” He sighed in exasperation, and I could almost hear him think over the phone. After what seemed like ages, he finally said, “If Charlie’s there, is Armstrong’s empty right now?”

  “Yes. Dan and I both went home, and like I said, Charlie’s at my house.”

  “Then that’s why you need to come back into town. When I got the report about the alarm I drove past. Every light in the place is on, and the front door is standing wide open.”

  “Fine, I’ll just stop in and let Charlie know what’s going on, then I’ll come back in. Are you going to wait for me this time?”

  “You need to turn around and come back now. I’m not at your beck and call. Just come back to town, Olivia, and stop arguing with me.”

  My stomach soured. Something wasn’t right. Brad was too insistent I leave without seeing Charlie. “Why is it so important I come right away?”

  “Nothing can ever be easy, can it? Fuck it. Do whatever you want. You always do. I’m trying to help, but if you’re going to get all bitchy about it, forget it. You only have twenty-five minutes to get back to Armstrong’s. If you don’t show up, you’ll just have to deal with the trouble yourself. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

  Before I could respond, the line went dead. Damn Brad, he knew full well it took me at least thirty minutes to drive into town. I weighed my options, and decided it would be best to do as he said. After the drive from Chicago, Charlie was probably asleep. And now that I knew she was safe, I could deal with Brad and the break-in.

  I started the engine and was about to pull away when I spotted something out of place. The headlights lit up the rear door like a spotlight, and I could see it standing ajar. I had been so relieved that Charlie’s car was in the driveway, I hadn’t noticed it before.

  I stared at the door. Even when she was in a hurry, Charlie was obsessive about shutting and locking the door behind her. There was no way she’d left it open. Something was very, very wrong inside. Charlie was in trouble, and she needed me. Brad wasn’t even an afterthought.

  I turned off the car, and this time I pulled a lock box from under the seat. I punched the combination and retrieved my revolver. I had started traveling with a gun after taking the coroner’s job. In the last six months, there’d never been an occasion to use it, but tonight that might change. After checking the chamber and pocketing a handful of rounds, I headed toward the back door.

  TWENTY-FOUR

  January twenty-first

  I approached the house with all the stealth of a herd of water buffalo. My foot caught on the step; I fell into the door, causing it to crash into the stopper with a deafening bang. So muc
h for the element of surprise. In for a penny, I thought, and cupped my hands around my mouth to call out.

  “Charlie?”

  The house was completely dark, save for a dim glow at the end of the hall. I flipped the overhead switch, bathing the hall in light, and looked around. Nothing seemed out of place.

  “Charlie,” I called again before moving. “Please say something. You’re scaring me.”

  I’d seen this movie. This was the part where the well-meaning friend gets attacked and slaughtered by the crazy killer. Well, I loved surprise twists. Gripping my gun I inched down the hall one step after another, keeping my back pressed against the wall. I reached the first doorway and tried one more time.

  “Damn it! Charlie, answer me!” I yelled, still hoping she’d answer. After several long, silent seconds, I knew that if Charlie was here, she was in trouble. “If there’s someone else here, now’s the time to speak up. I have a gun, and I will shoot.”

  I waited, holding my breath, as I listened for an answer. After a heartbeat I toed open the door to the first clinic room. With my gun held at the ready, I snaked a hand around the corner and flipped on the light. The heightened danger had transformed the normally peaceful room into something sinister. The privacy curtain, closet, and even the bathroom were all potential hiding places. I searched, careful to check every nook and hidey-hole.

  My fear was making me too cautious, and I was wasting too much time. This was only one of two dozen rooms that needed to be checked, not to mention closets; if Charlie was in trouble I had to move faster.

  “This is your last warning. I’ve called the police, so if I were you, I’d leave while you still have a chance,” I said, trying to instill confidence in my words. I kicked myself for not calling the sheriff. Fuck, I didn’t even have my phone.

  My stomach was in knots, and I swore I could actually hear my heart pounding in my chest as I looked around the corner. I didn’t have the nerve for this shit, but I couldn’t wait until I grew a backbone. The hall was empty, so I continued moving toward the light coming from the front of the house. Five more doors lay between me and my destination.