1 Broken Hearted Ghoul

by Joyce Lavene; Jim Lavene

  I watched her close the office door behind her, and turned to Brandon.

  “It gives me the shivers thinking about it.” He shuddered. “Let’s talk on the way over to the mortuary.”

  No one noticed when we left the tattoo shop. Dex, and the rest of his crew, were too busy talking about what they were going to do to Mary Gable when they found her. They didn’t seem to believe what Abe said about her being too dangerous for them to handle.

  “Idiots,” Brandon exclaimed once we were outside. “Why do they think Abe told them to leave her alone? I’m not sure he can handle her.”

  “You know more about her? Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “It wasn’t my place until Abe was ready to talk.” He shrugged. “She’s shown up before, Skye. This isn’t the first time.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  “When was Mary here last?”

  “Not here. We were in Montgomery, Alabama when it happened. I think it was about twelve years ago—give or take a few years. She showed up one day, all willy-nilly, and attacked Abe. I was with him at the time.”

  “What did you do?”

  “We hid in a cellar until a witch told us it was all clear.”

  “So he could’ve killed her before.”

  “From what I understand, he could’ve killed her dozens of times through the years.”

  “Did he have other people he could delegate, like he seems to be now? Why this time?”

  “She’s more aggressive now. She only killed one zombie last time before she came for him. This time is different. He’s not worried about himself—he’s worried about losing all of us.”

  “Why did he start making zombies in the first place? Does he get some power from it?”

  “Only when you die.” He walked into the mortuary. “He takes his magic, and his life force, back each time. He told me once that he does it to make amends for something he did a long time ago.”

  “Killing the woman who made him a zombie?” I guessed. “He seems to have bad relationships with women.”

  “I don’t know. It’s possible.” He smiled at me. “He’s not evil, you know. He really means well when he brings back the dead. He thinks of us almost like his children.”

  That was interesting. “Why hasn’t Mary just come and killed Abe?”

  “Not so easy to do. I’ve seen people try. Mary gets stronger every year that she doesn’t come back to Abe. Abe’s warding seems like it’s gotten weaker too.”

  “Warding? Is that like magical barbed wire fence?”

  “Very good.” He grinned. “It’s just like that. You can’t see it, but it’s there.”

  “What about Jasper?”

  “Jasper is bad news, Skye. He’s not like Abe. He’s a necromancer from a long line of necromancers. Abe is a witch, self-taught in magic. He started out as a human. I don’t think Jasper really knows what that means.”

  “Thanks for the information.” It was a lot to digest. Witches, necromancers, and sorcerers. I wondered which one Lucas really was.

  Brandon turned on the lights in the cold room. “Ready for a roll in a luxury casket?”

  “I don’t think so. Thanks for the offer though.”

  “Suit yourself.”

  “I’ll see you later.”

  I went back to the tattoo shop to talk to Abe about rejoining the police force. All the arguments I’d considered were laid out in my brain. I thought I could make a good case for following up on Martin’s investigation.

  I realized that I’d have to take desk duty if I went back to work. Again, working on the street might be too risky with everything else going on. Still, I’d be glad to go back. I missed the routine, and a life that made sense to me. Martin had been right about it becoming part of you. I hadn’t been ready to leave the job when it was taken away.

  I considered mentioning Lucas to Abe. He had half an idea that something was going on anyway. Maybe Lucas could help fight the ghoul—help me anyway. I agreed with the other driver that waiting for Jasper to reach one of us after we’d spotted Mary seemed too risky.

  Was Lucas strong enough? I didn’t know. Maybe he could work out and get ready for it. What did witches and sorcerers do to get prepared for the big battle?

  I had a feeling Lucas would help, whether he was strong enough or not. I’d have to consider carefully if I should ask him, and possibly risk his life. Maybe Abe knew some kind of test I could use to gauge how strong Lucas was.

  I kind of felt like brown clothes driver from Knoxville—just give me a sword and let’s see what happened. But there was Kate to think about. I tried not to take unnecessary chances. But until we got rid of Mary, being out and around each day might be an unnecessary chance. This thing had to be settled.

  I looked for Debbie as I entered the tattoo shop. I didn’t see her. Dex told me she’d gone out to the van to wait for me.

  I wasn’t looking forward to that conversation. I knew Debbie wasn’t the type of woman to run around on her husband. Surely, Abe had enough instinct to know that too. I knew what her response to an overture from him would be. I hoped it wasn’t too awful for her.

  I liked her almost despite myself. She was the perfect little homemaker, but I couldn’t hold that against her. Maybe it was more that I was jealous of all that she was that I would never be. But she’d been there when I’d needed her. I imagined her cookies were pretty good too.

  Abe might give me some clue as to how she’d reacted when I talked to him. Was he the kind of man to hold a grudge? It was hard to say. If he had personal feelings for Debbie—that would be different than what happened at work—which was all I knew of him.

  “Abe? Got a minute?” I knocked on the door that was half closed, following through by pushing it open as I walked in.

  He wasn’t there. I glanced at the door, and then strolled to the side of his big desk.

  There were hundreds of talismans, charms—and whatever else those little pieces of string and fluff were. There were plenty of feathers too, some tied together.

  I touched some tiny pieces of charcoal that smeared my fingers. It reminded me of the greasy black film that I’d found at the ghoul’s two kills.

  “Skye?” Abe strode into the room, bigger than life—and death, I suppose. “Idle hands?”

  I moved quickly so he could sit down. “Yeah. I guess.” I smirked, and took a seat opposite him. “Sorry, zombie master. I really need to discuss something important with you.”

  “You know I don’t like it when you call me that. What do you need to discuss?”

  “And I appreciate that you’re busy, but I had this idea about rejoining the Nashville Police Department to pick up Martin’s notes on Mary. He was already looking into the killings in other places. We talked about it before he died.”

  Abe sat back in his chair. “You aren’t listening to me. This is no concern for the police.”

  “I know you think magic and swords will take care of the problem, and you’re probably right. The thing is, we have to find her first. That’s what good police work is for. The sooner we find her, the sooner we can stop the killings.”

  He pressed his fingers together, his face turned away from me. “I believe she’ll reveal herself. With so many out there searching for her, it won’t take long.”

  “You can’t really face the idea of her dying, can you?”

  “Skye.”

  It was a warning. He didn’t want to know what I had to say on the subject.

  Too bad. This involved me too. “You have to let her go. Remember you told me that about Jacob?”

  “I do.”

  “You couldn’t kill her the other times either, Abe. She’s getting worse. You’re not sure you can protect yourself anymore. You can’t protect us either.” I paused, and stared at him. “You promised me twenty years with my daughter. I’m not losing that to a broken-hearted ghoul.”

  Time passed. Minutes ticked away. He didn’t move, didn’t speak—just stared at a place above my head.
<
br />   I waited for an outburst of anger. I knew giving orders to kill Mary was like stabbing him in the heart. I knew how I’d feel. Would he be able to move forward with the plan, knowing it would end with Mary’s death?

  Trying not to look like I was doing it, I searched his dark face for any sign of what he was thinking. He didn’t give much away. His lips seemed a little thin and taut to me. His forehead was slightly puckered.

  He finally nodded. “I don’t want you to re-join the police force. But I have someone else who can help you continue what you and Martin began.”

  He jotted down a name on a piece of gray paper. “I’m sorry about Martin’s loss. He was a good man.”

  “Thanks.” I took the paper from him, trying not to feel let down about not rejoining the police department. “And I’m sorry it has to come to this with you and Mary. I know it has to be hard for you.”

  “You’ll never know how hard.” He smiled. “Loving someone for fifty years makes it difficult to part with them. Loving someone for more than two-hundred years is impossible. She knows me in ways no one will ever know me again. I would give anything if I could make this outcome different than it must be.”

  “Are you sure you don’t want someone to call you when it happens—when Mary dies?”

  “No one will have to call me. I will feel whatever happens to her.” He put his hand on his chest. “And I will be diminished by it.”

  “One more thing. The black greasy film at the kill sites. Do you know what it is?”

  “Yes. Ghouls secrete a powerful pheromone that sedates their prey.”

  “That was why Martin didn’t fight back.”

  “Most likely.”

  I started to leave him with his own hard choices, but he called me back.

  “Does Debbie speak of me when you’re working?”

  That kind of messed with my brain. I was so busy worrying about the ghoul that I’d forgotten about him and Debbie. “She does. She thinks you’re a wonderful man.”

  Was that too much?

  He sighed. “I approached her today for the first time. I wasn’t sure of her response.”

  “I’m sure she was . . . surprised . . . since she’s married.”

  “I’m sure you’re right.” He looked up suddenly into my face. “Will you tell me if she was—repulsed—by me? I would like to know.”

  “Sure.” I smiled a little. “If there’s nothing more, we’re headed home.”

  “Have a safe journey.”

  I left Abe’s office while I still could. Dex and Rocky were snickering as I walked by them to the door, like always.

  Debbie was in the van, crying. Great, heaving sobs shook her.

  I looked into her blotchy face, and couldn’t help myself. It was like watching Kate cry. I put my arms around her, and held her tight.

  Chapter Twenty-three

  “H-he n-never s-said,” she sobbed. “I-I never guessed. W-why would he think I would—?”

  “What did he do?”

  She shook her head. “He didn’t do anything. He told me he had a high regard for me, and that he would like to know me better. He asked me out to d-dinner . . . and a n-night at his cabin in the mountains.”

  “I didn’t even know he had a cabin in the mountains.”

  “Skye! He wants me to have an affair with him!”

  I re-focused. Truthfully, I had expected much worse. I guess he’d been a gentleman about it. I don’t know why I’d expected him to act any differently than he usually did. Most people didn’t.

  I thought about what Lucas had said about me accusing him of things he hadn’t done. I couldn’t help it. I had suspicious nature.

  “I’m sorry. You told him no?”

  “Of course!” From the look on her face, she was shocked that I’d even asked. “I’m married. I have two children. Why do men keep hitting on me?”

  A smile came over my face. “Have you looked in the mirror lately?”

  “Please don’t tell me that I’m so beautiful and sexy that men can’t help themselves. It’s not true.” She sniffed. “I must be putting out some kind of vibe that makes men think I’m looking for it.”

  I turned her to face me. “Don’t you dare blame yourself! You’re a nice person. You try to help everyone. You didn’t do anything wrong, Debbie. It was all them.”

  “You don’t think Abe would hurt Terry because I said no, do you?”

  “No.” At least I hoped he wouldn’t. How did I know?

  I thought again about Terry, and what I’d seen. Was any part of that Abe’s fault? Now that I knew that zombies became ghouls when they didn’t come back at the right time, I understood that situation better. What else was out there?

  “Well, maybe it’s for the best that we’ve gotten that out of the way then.” She straightened her shoulders, and wiped away her tears.

  “I have to head over to the police department. Want to come? It could take your mind off of things.”

  “Sure. Thanks. Why are you going there? I thought Abe didn’t want the police involved.”

  I started the engine, and pulled away from the tattoo shop as I explained to her that Abe didn’t mind using the police—as long as it was on his terms.

  I told myself that I didn’t care as long as there was a rational way to hunt for Mary. It wasn’t true. Disappointment about no going back to my old job was raw in my throat.

  Debbie was back to her usual, happy self as we drove into the heart of the city. She didn’t say another word about Abe, or his designs on her. We talked about Mary, and what could happen if she wasn’t found.

  “I’m glad you understand all of this police stuff.” She smiled. “I’d be lost working that kind of job.”

  “Yeah? What would you like to do, if you weren’t picking up zombies?”

  She shrugged. “I always wanted to be an artist. I try to find time for it whenever I can. If I could do anything, I’d go to art classes and paint portraits and landscapes.”

  “You could do that in your spare time—just like you told Brandon.”

  She waved her hand, dismissing the idea. “Maybe later. Right now, it’s all I can do to keep up with Terry and the kids, and this job. We’ll see.”

  We drove to the downtown office of the police department. I hoped Abe’s zombie cop was as good as Martin.

  I had to honor his command not to rejoin the police, but I chafed at it. I was ready to go back. It felt like it would make me feel sane again. I needed some normalcy in my life. Maybe not people shooting at me, but officers dedicated to the same purpose—keeping people safe.

  Debbie and I walked into the police station. It was like walking back in time. I knew the sergeant at the desk. He’d been a good friend of mine and Jacob’s. He had rookies flying around, getting us coffee and donuts in record time.

  “Coming back to work finally?” he asked with a broad grin.

  “I wish, but not yet.”

  “What’s stopping you?”

  I shrugged. “I just need a little more time.”

  He squeezed my shoulder. “Jacob was a good man. You’re entitled to a little grief. Come back soon, though, Skye. I’d like to see you on the job again.”

  “Thanks.” A lump rose in my throat at his words. Maudlin, I was getting maudlin.

  I missed this other family. Besides Addie, Kate, and Jacob, they were the only family I’d ever known. This place had been my home. It was the only place I really felt safe before Jacob and I were married.

  Detective Lee Kerns was a leathery-faced man whose collar was a little tight at his muscular throat. He wore his brown hair shaved down close to his scalp, and his warm blue eyes were sympathetic and friendly.

  “It’s good to finally meet you, Skye,” he said. “Abe talks about you all the time.”

  “Really.” That surprised me. He’d never mentioned Lee to me until today. “Don’t believe any of it. I’m better than he thinks.”

  “That might be hard since he talks about how good you are.”<
br />
  I sipped my coffee. “I appreciate that, Lee. What have you got for me about Mary Gable?”

  We went back to his desk. Debbie and I sat on opposite sides of the small, over-stacked space. He was surrounded by boxes of files. I remembered that feeling of being overwhelmed sometimes. I never thought I’d miss it.

  “There’s not a lot that the sheriff’s office could find for me. Deputy Cummings didn’t leave a lot behind.” He handed me a few files. “He was looking into this Mary Gable, building a profile on her. Do you know why?”

  Since he hadn’t been at the meeting earlier, I explained what I knew.

  “Wow. That’s bad. No wonder Abe wants this to have a high priority.”

  I searched through the files. He was right. There wasn’t much there. Someone named Mary Gable had worked a few temp jobs around the city. It was mostly manufacturing stuff—at night.

  Martin had done a remarkable job of tracing her to Nashville from New Orleans. His notes looked more like someone searching for their ancestors since he’d tracked her from the early 1900s.

  “I’m glad she has a human persona. If she’s working, and out there in the world, we can find her. Do you have an address for her?”

  He nodded. “We could go by and take a look. Maybe she’ll be there, and we could get this over with. I’m sure Abe would be really grateful.”

  Maybe I hadn’t emphasized the point about Mary being the love of Abe’s life strongly enough.

  “We aren’t supposed to engage,” I reminded him. “And we have to call Jasper.”

  “This ever bother you, Skye?” he whispered, leaning closer. “All this hocus pocus—I’ll take my Glock anytime over magic, and all that other junk.”

  “Yeah. Me too,” I agreed. “But I don’t want my heart ripped out either. I like the idea of going to pay her a visit, but we have to hang back if she’s there.”

  “You got it.” He glanced at Debbie. “Is she coming too?”

  “Yes. She’ll probably wait in the van.” I looked her way, and she nodded.

  We waited until Lee got his things together. Debbie wondered why we were taking it on ourselves to try to find Mary.