Zee Town Paranormal Cozy Mystery - Complete Series Omnibus: Books 1 - 6

by K E O'Connor

  The sand beneath my boots stuck in the cleats as I moved slowly inside the cave, the edges rough from where the sea had hewn the rock, leaving deep pools of salty water behind.

  I kept to the edge of the cave, stepping on rocky outcrops and edging forwards.

  The light dimmed as I continued to walk. Shuffling sounds came from the back of the cave. “Is anybody in here?”

  The sounds stopped. After a few seconds, they started again, followed by a small groan.

  I moved forward again and spotted the edge of a boat. It an old-style basic wooden craft, the paint worn off the hull.

  As I drew nearer, my eyes widened. Inside the boat were the missing zombies!

  Chapter 18

  I hurried toward the zombies and grabbed hold of the edge of the boat. “What are you doing in here?”

  Lucy, Marissa’s missing zombie, turned her dark gray eyes toward me. She was having trouble keeping them open. “Have to stay.”

  I shook my head. “No you don’t. Not if you don’t want to.” The boat was tied to a metal pole with a long length of rope. The pole was rammed in between two rocks.

  Chris from Bill’s store slumped forward and made a strangled gurgling sound in the back of his throat.

  I took a moment to look at the zombies. They seemed weak, their skin a blanched gray and dark stains under their eyes. Their movements were sluggish and several of them smelled musty.

  All the missing zombies were there; Lucy, Chris, Audrey, Beatrice, and although I didn’t recognize him, the final male zombie must be Digger, the zombie who’d gone missing from The Flounder’s boat.

  What chilled my blood the most, though, was that they were tied up. Their ankles were bound and their wrists tied with rope. They were also linked to each other, as if in some perverse slave chain gang.

  “Who did this to you?” The sick feeling in my gut told me I already knew the answer, but I clung to the vague hope I might be wrong.

  “New man,” Lucy said. “Brought us here and made us stay together.”

  “But why? What did he tell you to do?”

  Lucy gave a small shrug. “Stay here. Not safe to leave.”

  “None of you have to stay here.” I yanked off my gloves. “You’re all leaving with me right now.” I took hold of Lucy’s wrists and loosened the tight knots in the rope. My anger rose when I saw her skin had been damaged by the rough handling she’d received. Whatever Grant was doing with the zombies, we’d be having words. Amazing kisser or not, he couldn’t abduct our zombies and expect to get away with it.

  “Cassie! What are you doing here?”

  I spun around at the sound of Grant’s voice and my heart thudded with alarm. “What have you been doing to our zombies?”

  “Nothing bad.” Grant looked at the ground. “I can explain everything.”

  “Chris is here! You lied to me. You said you had no idea where he was. Why bring the zombies here? Did you hurt them?” My questions tumbled out before my brain had a chance to catch up.

  Grant ran a hand through his hair. “I was going to tell you. I needed to make sure you understood before I revealed everything.”

  “Understood what? Why are the zombies tied up in this boat?”

  “To keep them safe from the rising tide,” Grant said. “This place is perfect for keeping them out of the way, but I didn’t realize how high the tide came into the cave. The first night I was here, I checked out the caves and realized they were ideal for what I needed. When I brought the first zombie here and left him, he got sucked under the water. I found him the next day. I tried to feed him and make him better, but it didn’t work. So, I had to start again.”

  “You’re talking about Phil.” Dread grabbed hold of me and my mouth went dry. “You dumped Phil on the beach. You killed him.”

  “No! It was an accident,” Grant said. “Like I said, I didn’t know about the tide. Phil was still talking when I found him after he’d taken a swim. He seemed weak but was still moving. I fed him and he seemed fine. When I came back with the boat, he’d passed away.”

  My fingers flexed as anger trickled through me. “So, you just dumped him like he was a piece of trash?”

  “I panicked! I had to get rid of the body. I didn’t want to leave it here when I came back with the others. So, I left him on the beach. I figured people would assume he’d faded away.” Grant dragged a foot through the damp sand.

  I shook my head, disbelief coursing through me. “Why are they here?”

  “To study them. You have the same interest in zombies, just like me.” Grant rubbed a hand across his face.

  “I’m interested in keeping them safe from harm. Safe from people like you.” I jabbed a finger at Grant.

  “No, you don’t understand,” Grant said. “When I told you about my online businesses, I left something out. I run websites that collate information about zombies and their special abilities.”

  I shook my head again. “You were talking about zombies having super powers or something crazy like that. They don’t have special abilities.”

  “They do,” Grant said. “I uncovered a theory that states if you bring together a certain number of zombies, get them to join together and make contact with you, you absorb their energy. You become strong and fast as if you’re a real life superhero.”

  I took a couple of steps back, unable to disguise the horror on my face. “You brought them here to do a weird experiment on them?”

  “It’s not a weird experiment.” Grant frowned. “Other people do it all over the world. I have friends in Mexico and China who do the same thing. They’ve said it works. They used six zombies, got them together, and when they touched them, it was as if they got this boost of power.”

  I looked at the boat. “You only have five zombies. Who else were you going to abduct?”

  “Well, originally, I had six, but with Phil dying, I need a replacement.” Grant’s eyes took on a hopeful gleam. “Do you think Zara will be interested in joining?”

  “Absolutely not! You’re not getting your hands on Zara or any of the zombies in town. You set them free.”

  “Not a chance,” Grant said. “I’m so close to getting this done. I need one more zombie and a full moon.”

  My mouth fell open. “What’s a full moon got to do with it?”

  Grant shrugged. “I’m not entirely sure. That’s what the people online said to do. That’s when the zombies’ abilities are strongest.”

  “This is ridiculous.” And more than a little insane. “Let the zombies go.”

  “No! You can’t take them.” Grant strode toward me and stood in front of the boat, his hands held out. “I’ve worked so hard to get them together. When Uncle Bill gave me this opportunity, I saw it as a sign, a sign to test the theory. I’m so near to success.”

  “You’re so near to getting yourself arrested,” I snapped. “You have to let them go.”

  “Why don’t you join me?” Grant asked. “The experiment will work for both of us. You can get strong and fast as well.”

  “I don’t need to be any stronger and faster than I already am,” I said. “And your experiment is impossible. It won’t work.”

  “I’ll only know that once I’ve tried.” Grant’s green eyes narrowed. “And it’s not impossible. This is cutting edge research.”

  My gaze moved to the zombies, who sat quietly in the boat. Chris, in particular, worried me. Since he’d slumped over, he hadn’t moved. “What have you been feeding them?”

  “Whatever I can get my hands on,” Grant said. “If you join me, you can feed them properly and make them strong. It’s not easy to bulk buy meat without people noticing. I’ve been using what was in Uncle Bill’s freezer and getting them whatever else I can.”

  “No wonder they look so sick,” I said, my attention still on the zombies. “You’ve been starving them! I doubt they’ll even be able to walk to the harbor in the condition they’re in.”

  “I’ll look after them,” Grant said. “One or two
may become permanently drained once I’ve completed my mission. It will be worth it to see if this works.”

  Fear darted down my spine as I noticed the manic expression in Grant’s eyes. “No, this isn’t fair on them. You can’t do this.”

  “I can. You’re going to help me.”

  “I’m not helping you. We look out for our zombies. We don’t treat them like lab rats.”

  “You help me or I’m keeping you here with the zombies,” Grant said. “You can’t tell anybody about this until I’m sure it works. It’s going to be such a scoop for my blog.”

  I shook my head. “The zombies are leaving and so am I.”

  Grant held up a hand. “Cassie, hear me out. There are lots of zombies in the world. These will be easy to replace. What I’m doing is in the name of scientific exploration. Sacrifices have to be made.”

  My eyes narrowed as my anger flared. “No, they don’t.” I pushed past Grant and grabbed hold of Lucy’s hand. “Let’s get you out of here.”

  Grant gripped my shoulders and pulled me away from the boat. “You can’t have them. They’re mine.”

  They weren’t his. They were Zee Town zombies. I dug my fingernails into the back of Grant’s hands.

  He yelped and let go. “What did you do that for?” Grant rubbed his hands and examined the wounds.

  “To stop your insane plan.” I let out a shuddering breath. “If you stop now and help me set them free, I’ll put in a good word for you with the police.”

  “You can’t tell anybody about this.” Grant’s tone was pleading.

  “I have to. What’s to stop you from doing this again somewhere else?”

  “I won’t,” Grant said. “I’m doing useful research. Maybe I went too far. I made a mistake.”

  “You shouldn’t trust everything you read on the Internet.”

  “But my friends—”

  “Sound like they’ve been messing you around.” At least, I hoped they were. What if these experiments were going on elsewhere? I shuddered at the grim possibility.

  Grant stuffed his hands in his jacket pockets. “I thought the placid zombies were disposable. I didn’t realize you’d have such a freaky attachment to them. I was surprised when people even noticed they were going missing.”

  “No zombie is disposable.”

  Grant shook his head. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for anyone to get hurt. I didn’t mean to make you mad. I like you, Cassie. I thought we could have a future together.”

  I sighed. “I’m glad you realize you got things so wrong. You still have to accept that kidnapping our zombies wasn’t the right thing to do.”

  Grant’s shoulders slumped. “I got carried away. I do that sometimes. I didn’t stop to think it through. I was so convinced they’d give me extra strength. I wanted to make a name for myself online. Can you imagine how many hits my site would have gotten if I’d made this work?”

  I couldn’t care less about Grant’s attempt at fame. “If you return the zombies now, and we get them looked after, treated, and fed properly, they’ll most likely be fine. Apart from Phil, I don’t think you’ve done too much harm.”

  “And you won’t tell anybody if I help you set them free?” Grant asked.

  I hesitated, looking at the distressed expression on Grant’s face. He did seem sorry. “Let’s get the zombies safe. Then we can talk more.”

  Grant nodded and moved toward the boat. “I didn’t mean to get you involved in this, Cassie. I was supposed to keep to myself while I was in Zee Town. When I saw the zombies and how placid they were, I couldn’t help myself. Then I met you, and you’re so lovely and sweet and interesting. I can never resist temptation.”

  I tried hard not to feel pleased by the compliment I’d just received from someone who was quite possibly unhinged. “You can make most of this right if you help me now.”

  “I will. I’m going to make things right.” Grant grabbed me around the waist and threw me off the edge of the rocky outcrop into the salt water pool.

  I hit the freezing water with a painful slap. The air from my lungs burst out of me. As I went under, I realized it was deep. My feet didn’t touch the bottom. I struggled to work out which way was up, my lungs burning as I ran out of oxygen.

  Twisting in the water, I tried to hold down the panic that coursed through me as I figured out which way to swim. I couldn’t help myself. I opened my mouth to get a lungful of air and swallowed freezing salty water. I tried to cough it out, but that made things worse. My head pounded as my lungs filled with water.

  I did another spin in the murky pool. The swirling sand I kicked up made it hard to see. I attempted another desperate swim forward, hoping I was going in the right direction.

  My head hurt and my lungs throbbed as my legs stopped kicking. I lifted my hands in an attempt to break the surface of the water.

  Black dots shimmied in my vision. The overwhelming stench of rotting fish filled my nose, and everything went dark.

  Chapter 19

  I gave a hacking cough, and salty water leaked out of my mouth. A pair of beady dark eyes swam into sight. It was The Flounder, his black cap twisting in his gnarled fingers as he peered at me.

  “Finally! You’re awake.” He stood, still looking down at me. “You were lucky I was here.”

  I gave another cough and eased myself off the sand into a sitting position. “What do you mean?” The words came out croaky.

  “I saw you snooping around the boats and then heading into the caves,” The Founder said. “I had no clue what you were up to, but figured you’d only get yourself in trouble, especially with the tide as close as it is.”

  “You pulled me out of the water?” I rubbed damp sand off my cheek.

  “I reckon I did,” The Founder said with a grin. “I walked into the cave, saw a boat full of zombies, saw that new guy from Bill’s store looking into the water, and saw the bubbles rising. It didn’t take a genius to figure out where you were.”

  “Thank you,” I gasped out. “You saved my life.”

  “Yes, you owe me one,” The Founder said. “How about we do a deal?”

  “What kind of deal?” I felt in no position to negotiate.

  “If you don’t accuse me of doing anything wrong to my deck hands in the future, I reckon we might be even.”

  I coughed again, my eyes watering. “I’ll think about it. Just make sure you’re kinder to them.”

  The Flounder grunted, his gaze shifting from me as the sound of running footsteps grew nearer. “It looks like the cavalry has arrived.” He took a few steps back, shoved his wet cap on, and pulled the peak low over his eyes.

  A pair of strong, warm hands gripped my arms. I looked up into the concerned gaze of Nick.

  “What happened?” he asked.

  “She got herself a bit out of her depth this time.” The Flounder barked a laugh at his own joke.

  “Cassie, tell me what happened,” Nick insisted, ignoring The Flounder.

  I found his warm grip reassuring and relaxed a little as the words tumbled out of me. “It was Grant. He’s been taking the zombies. You need to check on them.” I raised a trembling finger to the cave entrance.

  Nick looked behind him. “Alex, see what’s happening inside that cave.” His attention flicked back to me. “Go on.”

  I watched as Alex sped across the sand toward the caves, shuddering as the icy wind from the sea whipped through my sodden clothes. “Grant’s convinced the zombies can make him a superhero.”

  Nick’s eyebrows raised. “A superhero?”

  “He has some crazy theory about getting a group of zombies together and having them transfer their abilities to him to make him powerful. I don’t really understand it.”

  “How did you know they were in the cave?” Nick asked.

  “I followed Grant from the store. The zombies are tied up in a boat. He’s been leaving them there the whole time, including at high tide. It must have been so frightening.”

  “We’ve got them now,�
�� Nick said. “And I’ve got you. You’re safe.” His fingers tightened on my arms. For a second, I tensed. Was Nick about to hug me?

  Pounding feet raced toward me. I turned to see Jen flinging herself across the sand, her coat only half on and her expression frantic.

  She launched herself at me, and Nick stepped out of the way as she engulfed me in a hug. “I heard you drowned.”

  “I had a good go. Someone saved me.” I looked at The Flounder, who stood several feet away, inspecting the sand. “How did you know I was here?”

  “Alex texted me. He knew how worried I’d be. What happened?” Jen pushed my freezing cold hair from my face.

  “Grant shoved me into a rock pool in the cave. I swallowed a load of seawater as I tried to get out. I was about to pass out when The Flounder arrived and got me to safety.”

  I looked at The Flounder again and realized he was also dripping wet, tiny drops of water falling from his cap. He must be freezing, too. I’d have to thank him properly when my teeth stopped chattering and I could make sense of my own thoughts.

  “We should get you to the hospital,” Nick said, his expression dark as he looked to the caves.

  “No, I’ll be okay,” I said. “I want to make sure the zombies are safe.”

  “They’ll be fine now,” Nick said. “We’ll get them home.”

  “I need to see them, just to make sure.” I spotted movement at the cave entrance and Alex emerged, the five zombies behind him. Lucy and Beatrice held onto Chris as they shambled across the sand toward me. Digger and Audrey held a struggling Grant between them, with Alex supervising.

  I exhaled an enormous sigh of relief as Alex stopped in front of Nick. “Cassie was right. They were tied up in a boat.”

  Nick’s focus was on Grant, his expression grim as he read him his rights and handcuffed him. “Where was this joker hiding?” he asked Alex.

  “In the back of the cave, behind some rocks,” Alex said. “He kept apologizing and saying something about it being in the name of science. The zombies didn’t think much of his apology, though. As soon as they were free, they went looking for him.”