Of Ash and Spirit: Piper Lancaster Series

by D. G. Swank

  “I really don’t like that a random stranger lied to the police for you,” Hudson said. “You need to be careful.”

  “He’s right,” Rhys said. “You can sleep at my house tonight.”

  “That’s not necessary,” Hudson said, keeping his gaze on his plate. “I’ll be staying with her indefinitely.”

  I gave him a sympathetic frown. “So it’s really over with Charlotte this time?”

  He hung his head over his plate. “Yep.”

  “Sorry, Huddy.”

  He sighed. “Some things aren’t meant to be.”

  I’d learned that lesson firsthand.

  Chapter Nine

  It was nearly six when we finished breakfast. Since Hudson was the most gainfully employed out of the three of us, he picked up the check. He paid at the cashier’s station while Rhys and I headed out to the still-dark parking lot. The sun wouldn’t rise for nearly an hour.

  “You have two clients today,” Rhys said as we walked into the parking lot. “The McNamaras and Mrs. Briar. Are you going to cancel them? I finished the research last night.”

  I glanced at the door, making sure Hudson was still inside. I didn’t need another lecture about my “hobby.” “No, send me the info. I’ll just be extra careful until we figure out what’s going on.” I turned back to face her and saw a man standing behind her. Startled, I gasped. There were only a few cars in the parking lot and none had pulled in while we were standing there.

  “You okay?” she asked, raising her eyebrows. “You look like you did that one time when you got a C on that paper in Islam in Historical Perspectives.”

  I leaned closer and whispered, “That guy. I didn’t see him walk up. I guess I’m just a little on edge right now.”

  He was still standing there, watching us as though he wanted to say something but wasn’t sure he wanted to interrupt.

  She glanced over her shoulder. “What guy?”

  “Not funny, Rhys, not after everything I just told you.”

  “I’m serious, Piper. I don’t see anyone.”

  I closed my eyes and opened them. The guy was still there. He had a scruffy light brown beard and was wearing jeans and a T-shirt that revealed the tattoo of a bird on his right arm. He looked to be in his early thirties. And if he was who I suspected he was—or rather what—he’d recently died and had a message to deliver.

  I took a step toward him. “Hi, I’m Piper.”

  “You’re in danger,” he said.

  “Yeah,” I said softly. “The other two also said that. I take it you’re supposed to give me a message?”

  He nodded.

  Rhys grabbed my arm. “Who are you talking to?”

  I kept my attention focused on the guy. The other two ghosts had disappeared pretty quickly after showing up. I needed answers. “Who told you to tell me?”

  He looked confused.

  “How did you know to tell me that I’m in danger?”

  He shook his head, looking confused. “I don’t know.”

  “How did you know it was me you needed to tell?”

  His confusion increased and he started to look upset. “I don’t know, but you glow. The other girl doesn’t.”

  “I glow?”

  Rhys tugged my arm. “You’re freaking me out, Piper.”

  I kept my eyes on the guy, terrified he’d vanish. “Do you know what happened to you?” I asked him.

  “Uh . . . the last thing I remember is driving home from my late shift. I was tired and my eyelids were getting heavy.”

  He must have fallen asleep behind the wheel, then crashed and died. I hated this. His whole life had just been extinguished, and I wasn’t sure he even fully understood it.

  “I’m supposed to tell you more.” His eyes widened in fright. “How do I know that?”

  “I don’t know, but don’t tell me yet, okay? What’s your name?”

  “Austin. Austin Whitehead.”

  “Austin, I think you were in an accident.” When he didn’t freak out at that news, I told him the rest. “I think you died.”

  “What?” he shrieked, looking around.

  “I think you fell asleep while you were driving and you died.”

  He shook his head. “No. No way. How could I be standing here if I’m dead?” He rubbed his face, then dropped his hands. “But how come I don’t remember getting here?”

  Rhys was getting ticked. “Piper, this isn’t funny. Stop it right now.”

  “I have to tell you more,” he said, acting panicked. “I’m almost out of time.”

  “How do you know you’re almost out of time?” I asked, moving closer.

  “There’s a light,” he said, pointing into the parking lot. “And I can feel it pulling me like a magnet.” A look of resignation washed over his face. “I really am dead, aren’t I?”

  “Yeah,” I said, my voice breaking. “I think you are.”

  He looked devastated. “I was going to propose to Brianna tonight. I pulled a double shift to get the night off.”

  A lump filled my throat. “I’m sorry.”

  “I hid the ring. She’ll never find it. She’ll never know.”

  “I’ll tell her,” I said. “Just tell me where it is, and I’ll tell her.”

  He looked uncertain. “There’s a loose floorboard in the hall closet. It’s hidden under it.”

  “I’ll find her. What’s her last name?”

  He glanced toward the parking lot, in the direction he’d pointed earlier, before shifting his gaze back to me, panicked. “Brianna Krill.”

  I nodded. “Brianna Krill. Got it. You can finish your message.”

  “The demon knows you escaped, but it doesn’t know—” Suddenly he turned into a pile of ash and a wisp of black smoke.

  “What the hell just happened?” Rhys asked in blank shock. “How did that get there?” She pointed to the pile of ash.

  I turned to her, excited. “You can see that?”

  “That ash just appeared out of nowhere.”

  “Because the ghost left. He went toward the light.” Or at least I hoped so. He didn’t get to finish his message. Was his entrance into the light dependent on finishing the message? I wasn’t sure I could deal with the guilt if I’d taken that from him.

  “You ready to go?” Hudson asked as he walked out the door.

  I spun to face him, still in shock.

  “What?” he asked. “Why do you two look so freaked out?”

  “I think Piper just saw a ghost,” Rhys said. “Like, literally.”

  Hudson groaned. “I’ve heard enough of this nonsense.”

  “Hudson!” Rhys said. “Listen! Piper said she saw a man behind me. She started talking to him, but I couldn’t see anything.”

  Hudson looked worried; then he grabbed my upper arm and squeezed. “Pippy, this is serious. I’ll get you an appointment with Dr. Eubanks this afternoon.”

  “Hudson!” Rhys said, moving closer to him. “Listen! I couldn’t see him, but then I saw a bunch of ash fill the air and fall into a pile.” She swung her arm around and pointed to it. “That pile! It wasn’t there a minute ago!”

  Hudson looked dubious, to say the least.

  “What did he say, Piper?” Rhys asked.

  “Uh . . .” I was still in shock. “He pulled a double shift last night and fell asleep driving. He was going to propose to his girlfriend tonight.”

  Tears filled Rhys’s eyes. “That’s so sad.”

  “She didn’t know he was going to propose, and he hid the ring under a loose floorboard. I told him I’d tell her.”

  Hudson’s hand tightened on my arm. “Piper, you can’t be serious!”

  I pulled free from his hold, still in a daze. “Well, obviously not today. She’ll still be too upset. But in a day or two.”

  “Pippy. You’ve lost it. Or you’re still drunk. Let me take you home, and you can get more sleep.”

  “You mentioned a message,” Rhys said. “The other two ghosts had messages. Did this guy say
anything?”

  “Yeah, he started off by telling me I was in danger, but the other two did too, and then they immediately disappeared. I made this guy wait to tell me so I could get some answers from him. He didn’t know how he knew to tell me, but he knew it was me because I had a glow, whatever that means. Then he saw a—”

  “Don’t tell me,” Hudson said in a condescending tone, holding up his hands. “Let me guess. He saw a light.”

  “Did he?” Rhys asked.

  “He did,” I reluctantly admitted. “And he said he felt it pulling at him. He was finishing his message when he disappeared. He said the demon knows I escaped, but it doesn’t know . . . and then he stopped. I don’t know what the demon doesn’t know.”

  “Piper,” Hudson barked, making me jump. “Enough!”

  Tears filled my eyes. “I know you think I’m crazy.”

  His face softened. “Not crazy. Just majorly stressed and maybe a bit delusional, but that’s nothing an antipsychotic cocktail can’t fix.”

  “I can prove this guy died.”

  His eyes narrowed. “How?”

  “He was driving a truck and it has to be close. The other two were close. I’ll show you the accident. And if we can see the body, you’ll see that he’s wearing jeans and a blue T-shirt.”

  “Piper, listen to yourself!” Hudson said.

  “What can it hurt?” Rhys asked. “If we don’t find an accident, Piper will go to the doctor with you.” She gave me a stare-down until I nodded. “But if we find it, you’ll consider believing her.”

  He crossed his arms and studied me for several seconds. “Fine. But you promise to go to the doctor today if there’s no sign of an accident?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then let’s go. I’ll drive.”

  I climbed into the passenger seat, and Rhys sat in the back. Hudson didn’t look happy as he drove out of the parking lot and headed toward the street.

  “Which way?” he asked.

  “I don’t know. He didn’t say. Maybe left. Go about a mile.”

  He turned left, remaining silent until he’d driven a couple of minutes. “We’re at a mile and a half, Piper. Nothing.”

  “Go back the other way.”

  He did a U-turn, then headed back, driving past the Waffle House and down the road.

  “Another mile and a half,” he said. “Now what?”

  Crap. There were side streets, but surely we would have seen the emergency personnel. It was still dark—we’d see the flashing lights. It didn’t make sense. The accident had to be close. But where? Then it hit me.

  What if no one had found him yet?

  My eyes flew wide. “Think of a side road that wouldn’t see much traffic at this hour.”

  “Uh . . . Pike’s Ridge Drive,” Rhys said. “There’s a lot of vegetation, and it’s about a half mile from here.”

  Hudson groaned. “I’m trying to be understanding, but this is a wild goose chase.”

  “Just do it. Please.” I hated to admit it, but I needed the proof too.

  “Okay,” he relented, turning the car around. Rhys gave him directions to the road she had in mind. I recognized it once we got to the base. It snaked up a big hill to a residential area and had lots of curves with a few steep areas. As we climbed, my stomach was a mess of nerves. What if I was wrong? What if I’d imagined all of it?

  Hudson slowed down, then shook his head. “Nothing’s there.” At least he sounded sympathetic.

  “Wait,” Rhys said, grabbing his seat. “Stop! I see something!”

  Hudson stopped in the middle of the road. “What?”

  Rhys opened the door and stepped into the road.

  Hudson rolled down his window and shouted, “Rhys, get back in the car!”

  She ran over to the narrow shoulder on the other side of the road. “There!”

  I started to open my car door, but Hudson grabbed my wrist. “Wait. Let me pull over to the shoulder. We’ll cross the street together.”

  Hudson parked the car as far off the road as he could, but part of his car remained on the pavement, so he turned his hazard lights on. I got out and met him at the back of the car, my hands shaking. Rhys looked just as shaken when we reached her.

  “There,” she said, pointing down the hill.

  I could see the beam of a headlight and the outline of the back of a pickup truck.

  “Call 911!” Hudson shouted as he started scrambling down the hill.

  Rhys lifted her phone to make the call while we both followed him.

  As my eyes adjusted to the dark of the woods, I saw that the truck had hit a tree in a head-on collision. The truck listed slightly to the driver’s side due to the incline.

  Hudson reached the driver’s side. It took him several attempts to get the door open, and when he did, a hand fell out, hanging from the truck. As Rhys explained the situation to the 911 operator, I watched Hudson lean inside the cab. He emerged several seconds later, his voice sounding strained. “He’s dead. He’s alone.”

  Rhys and I had stopped several feet from the back of the truck. I couldn’t bring myself to move any closer.

  “Wait,” Rhys said into the phone. “My friend says the driver is dead and that he’s alone in the truck.” A few seconds later, she said, “Our car is parked on the side of the road.” She hung up and lowered her hand. “They’re sending someone out. I told her we’d wait here.”

  “Okay,” I said, staring at that dangling hand and feeling completely overwhelmed. This was all so surreal. I felt like I was going to throw up.

  “Is he wearing a blue T-shirt?” Rhys asked.

  Hudson stared back at her in disbelief. “This man is dead, Rhys. Show a little respect.”

  “This is why we’re here, Hudson,” she said. “To prove that Piper is really seeing ghosts.”

  While this had seemed like a good idea in the beginning, now it felt morbid and disrespectful. Austin had been a real person, with real ambitions and friends and family, and now he was gone. “Hudson is right.”

  Rhys spun to face me, losing her balance and readjusting her feet to keep from falling. “The hell he is! We’re here because you knew this guy died in a car accident before anyone else did, Piper. Who knows how long he would have been down there if we hadn’t found him? You did a good thing, so there’s nothing wrong with getting verification.” She gazed at me. “You need this too, and you know it.”

  Maybe it made me a terrible person, but I couldn’t deny she was right.

  I crossed my arms. “I need you to look, Hudson.”

  “I don’t have to look,” he said in disgust. “It’s blue, but that’s not exactly definitive. It could be a coincidence.”

  “He had a scruffy beard. And a tattoo of a bird on the inside of his right arm.”

  Hudson reluctantly made his way back to the open door and looked inside. After several seconds, he walked back up the hill, not even pausing when he passed us.

  “Where’s he going?” Rhys asked.

  I walked over to the open truck door. There was still a chance it could be someone else, not that I believed that for a minute, but I had to see him for myself. I peered inside the truck cab, sucking in a breath when I saw Austin’s face. The steering wheel was pressed into his chest, and the lower half of his body was covered in blood.

  “I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I hope you didn’t die because of me.”

  “Hudson!” Rhys shouted up the hill. “Where are you going?”

  “Don’t worry,” I said, starting to hike up behind him and fighting my tears. “He’s not leaving us, if that’s what you’re worried about. That’s how he acts when he’s been proven wrong. He needs a few minutes to adjust, and then he’ll apologize.”

  “It’s the guy you saw, isn’t it?” she asked, falling in step beside me.

  “Yeah.” But I didn’t feel good about it. I had no idea how any of this worked, but I still felt responsible. Someone was using the ghosts to send me messages, and if they were killing
them to do it, it made me some sort of accessory to murder. Or at least it made me feel that way.

  The police showed up minutes later. We told them that we’d slowed down after spotting a headlight in the woods. The officer took our contact information and let us go.

  We all climbed into Hudson’s car, none of us talking as Hudson took Rhys back to her car in the Waffle House parking lot.

  She started to get out, then put her hand on my seat and leaned closer. “Are you going to the McNamara place?”

  Was I? It seemed crazy to pretend to see ghosts now that I knew I could actually see them, assuming their haunting was fake, yet I didn’t want to back out either. Maybe it would be a good test of what I could do. “Yeah.” I rubbed my forehead. “I have to now.”

  “Be careful,” she said. “Wear the necklace. He said you glowed; maybe it makes you less identifiable.”

  The necklace was in its pouch in my purse, and I nearly reached for it then and there. “Okay.”

  She still gripped the seat, hesitating. “You know what this means, Piper, don’t you? A demon is after you. You need to do what your mystery man said. You need to find those daggers.”

  “Yeah. I know,” I mumbled, but I was too tired to give it much consideration. I was still in shock. This all felt like a very bad dream.

  She got out, and Hudson waited until she got inside her car and pulled out of the space before he took off. He still hadn’t said a word.

  “Are you okay?” I finally asked.

  “Am I okay? I just found out that my best friend, who has been pretending to talk to ghosts for the past year, can suddenly actually see them. Oh! And a bloodthirsty demon is after her too.”

  “You’ve had a really rough morning.”

  “This isn’t funny, Pippy!”

  “No, it’s not. That man died an hour ago. He had his whole life ahead of him, and for all I know, he was killed so he could give me some half-finished warning.”

  His head swung around to face me. “What are you talking about?”

  “I . . . I think that little girl was deliberately killed last night.”

  His face paled. “What makes you say that?”