“He only helped in Aihika because he had an ulterior motive to find his old girlfriend,” Desmond had said. “Everything he does is for his own personal gratification and benefit. Don’t think there was any other reason.”
Kelsey had tried to appeal to him. She’d come to a sort of peace with Ari and she’d hoped Desmond could do the same. “He’s really sorry for what he did, Des. He’d been tricked and thought he was protecting me. And he did free those kids.”
Desmond had scoffed. “Free them? No, he didn’t free anyone. He tossed a set of keys to a beat-up, kidnapped little boy and then left to save his girlfriend without even thinking of stopping to help the other children get to safety. You saw their condition. Half of them couldn’t even get themselves out of the building on their own if they tried, so stop defending him.”
Desmond had taken her hands, willing her to understand why he was so upset. “Kelsey, do you understand what your brother did to us? By lying to me in the diner, he set up a chain of events that changed your future. It changed our future together, and nearly got you killed. A life of “what could have beens,” has been shoved down the toilet. Had I known the truth, maybe I could have gotten to you sooner and saved you from getting stabbed, rather than spending all my time on that wild goose hunt in the market looking for a damned bow and arrow that did nothing. Our child died because of him! You nearly died. Because of his lies. I can’t forgive him for that, so please don’t ask me to. Maybe you’re more evolved then me, but I have not gotten to the place in my own journey where I can just let something like this go. I can’t forgive him and I doubt I ever will.”
The baby… That emotional pain she kept hidden deep in her core re-surfaced as she remembered the exchange. When Kelsey had been stabbed in Egypt, the trauma had caused her to miscarry their child. The pregnancy had been a surprise, and it was very early on, but still. A life of what could have beens…
She pulled herself away from her maudlin thoughts and returned to her friend on the phone. She spoke softly so Desmond wouldn’t hear her. “Sure, tell me what’s up with him. I haven’t spoken to him a lot since we returned.”
Julia snickered. “Yeah, it’s not like you two can exactly double date. But, he’s busy anyway so don’t worry about it. Basically, he’s splitting his time between Bianca’s bedside and his recent “secret” mission that he still won’t even tell me about. At least he’s stopped asking me to find geological surveys across the Middle East.”
What exactly was he doing over there? He’d never told her. “How is Bianca?”
“Not good. Seven years of torture at the hands of the Asuras has left her with a case of PTSD so bad she still flinches whenever anyone comes near her. Supposedly night times are the worst and she wakes up screaming every evening. They’re still medicating her heavily, and she’s on a suicide watch night and day.”
“Suicide watch? What happened? She tried to kill herself?”
Julia was grim. “About two weeks ago she slit her wrists with her steak knife one night after Ari left. He’s hired the best doctors to take care of her, but it’s going to take a long time for her to heal. Not to mention that no one believed her story of where she’d been for the past seven years, even though that kid Bobby Witherall was on the news telling everyone about it. The authorities are all over both of them since their stories synced, but then Bianca went and suddenly clammed up. I think Ari’s coaching her on what to say. The sooner she lets it go and pretends that what she imagined didn’t really happen, the sooner he thinks he can get her released to his care, though that is going to be hard to do now.”
“How come?”
“Because Bianca’s grandfather on her mother’s side suddenly came back into the picture and he has more money than God, apparently. He’s trying to get her released into his care. He’s told Ari, in no uncertain terms, to back off. You can imagine how that is going.”
Her grandfather? Kelsey only had a spotty understanding of Bianca’s family, gleaned through information that Finley had revealed to Desmond and information they’d found sifting through Rajiv Sitaula’s old records. It involved a secret society, which took care of Finley when she first came to Earth from Aihika. The society tracked a group of people that were helping the Asuras by handing over children to them and being offered a drink of Amrita in return. Amrita was a potion to extend their lifetime. To give them time enough to keep bringing children through the portals so the Asuras could use the innocent souls of children to help them win a Devic war at the top of Mount Sumeru. The family that supposedly helped them were Sitaula’s wife and in-laws, and Kelsey had discovered Rajiv Sitaula doing the exact same thing.
Of course, Sitaula’s excuse was that he was trying to save his daughter. Was he to be considered as despicable as his wife had been? Or was the love of his daughter a good enough of a motivation to absolve him from blame for the heinous crimes he had committed for her sake? Kelsey didn’t think fatherly love was going to help his karma one way or the other. When he died, he certainly had not reincarnated as a human. Kelsey wasn’t sure exactly what had happened to him after she left, and had no intention of going back to Aihika anytime soon to find out.
For a moment she let herself remember what it was like in Aihika, one of the three human realms of existence. The one closest to the sky. The way my feet lifted off the ground there. The power I felt coursing through my veins. The way the energy surged throughout my body like an electrical charge. The sheer freedom to act anyway she wished, with no recriminations. Kelsey had been almighty in Aihika. She could have ruled that realm and tapped into her spiritual being to be a Godlike leader, but instead of staying there, she’d left. She knew that she could get lost in all that power. The same way the Devas were drunk on their own inflated might. She was a demon goddess there. She realized it was best she remain on Earth. Or Prithvi, if she could ever figure out a way to get there. She wondered occasionally what life on that realm of nearly pure perfection would be like. No religion, no disharmony. No illness or war. She couldn’t imagine. Kelsey wondered if she’d have any powers there at all. It seemed like a land where she would be the most human she could ever be, and she wondered why the Emperor and Empress had not ever let her visit. In fact, they had closed all the portals to that world and remained completely mum on the subject. It was as secret a realm as any she’d ever studied. Even Desmond never met one kid who returned from Prithvi to Aihika. Any child that left Aihika during the Devic war, and had gone through a portal to that land, was gone.
Kelsey paused before her next question to Julia. This was a topic she was dreading to discuss. “So, what’s going on with Josh? Is he still steamed at me? He’s hardly spoken to me at all since I returned.”
“You know exactly what’s going on with him, and can you blame him? Come on, Kelsey. You know very well the guy is in love with you and has been lusting after you for years. When Desmond finally disappeared, Josh shadowed you like a puppy for months thinking he’d finally win your heart. Obviously there’s no chance of that happening anymore and now he’s sulking and doing the same thing he’s been doing since you returned with your boyfriend in tow. He’s partying every night, and stumbling back into the office reeking of booze and perfume. He needs a pot of coffee every morning to get those baby blues open now. I think he was banking on you not finding Desmond and Ari bringing you home and delivering you right into his waiting arms. I throw sanitizer on him these days whenever he gets too close to me. He’s like a walking petri dish.”
Kelsey sighed. She hadn’t wanted to hurt Josh. She knew how much he desired her, but she just hadn’t wanted to give up on finding Desmond.
That kiss… Kelsey remembered Josh taking her in his arms. How he’d felt pressed up against her. She also remembered stopping him cold.
But intuition told her that Josh was doing more than just sulking. He’d basically stopped speaking to her, stopped calling and heard he even stopped going to the gym in the mornings. That was the most telling thing. He’d h
ad a thing for her since high school, so lovesickness couldn’t be all that was happening. Something else had to be preying on his mind. Something he didn’t want her to know about because he knew she could read him so well.
You’re hiding something, buddy. I think I’m going to have to give you some attention when I return from this little getaway, whether you like it or not.
“So Julia, I called because I wanted to know if you could look up something for me.”
Julia bellyached. “You know, there is something called the internet where you can do this yourself. I’m not just everyone’s stinkin’ lackey.”
Stinkin’ lackey. She really should have been an actress the way she feigned being put-upon. She’d win an Oscar in no time. Everyone knew Julia loved researching more than anything, and was fantastic at it, which is why Ari hired her to do investigative jobs for him all the time. But with her love of drama, she had no choice but to act like the martyr. She played the part very well.
Kelsey poured on the sugar. If there was one thing that worked on her fiery, red-headed best friend, it was adulation and praise. Julia craved nothing more than the compliments and admiration of how important, beautiful and talented she was. It was how Ari got her to forgive him for every single one of his transgressions. A little sweet-talking and some expensive gifts, and she was putty. “We both know you’ll do it much faster than I would and will find every single angle I need.”
Her friend, though, was smart and knew exactly what Kelsey was doing. Still, Julia she ate it up. She simply couldn’t help it.
“Yes, tell me more about how awesome I am. But we both know, I am that good.” She giggled.
Kelsey made herself sound petulant. “Besides, I’m having a romantic weekend and how romantic can I be if I spend all my time on my phone researching?”
Julia snorted. “Fine, blame all your romantic problems on me. What do you need?”
Kelsey told her about the hotel and about the working staff families all coming from the Fore tribe of Papua New Guinea. She asked if Julia could check on any genetic conditions that would cause any one of them to lose limbs or body parts.
“Lose limbs? Wait a second. That doesn’t sound entirely romantic to me at all. I’m assuming we’re not just talking about hair, nails, and teeth, right?”
“Right. I’m talking about fingers and chunks of flesh.”
“Ewww, Kelsey. Come on! Now you just went from totally weird to plain creepy. Is the staff a bunch of lepers or something?”
“No, not lepers. It just seems a lot of them have been injured more than the normal amount of times.” Kelsey could hear Julia typing. She always took copious notes.
Julia piped up. “Wait a second. This is interesting. Kelsey, you know the Fore tribe practiced cannibalism, right?”
“I know.” Her suspicion that what was in that pot was not a deer, was now nearly confirmed. She knew, too, that she had definitely connected with the woman they had sacrificed. So, was it Micella haunting the hotel? Was she attaching herself to Pago and Roselyn and creating the double image she was feeling and seeing? Was she simply feeling Micella’s soul? Or maybe it wasn’t the hotel staff at all behind all her odd sensations and she and Desmond had stumbled onto something entirely different.
She was about to tell Julia about the temple in the woods, and then the crazy thing that happened the night before, but the line startled to crackle. “Hey, you still there? I need to ask you something about the Fore tribe. We found something else today.”
“I am, but I can barely hear you. What’s going on?”
The line crackled again. “Forget it. Body parts, Jules. Look that up first!” That was all Kelsey could get out, and she was shouting the words when the line finally disconnected. Damn. She’d wanted to tell Julia about the dagger.
Kelsey glanced up, and found Desmond smiling that lopsided grin at her. “Everything okay? I’m sure the rest of the hotel staff now knows how completely obsessed you are with their disabilities.”
Kelsey crawled over to Desmond until she was literally sitting in his lap. “You know my mind doesn’t rest if something is bothering me. Did you know the Fore tribe practiced cannibalism back in Papua New Guinea? That’s what Julia just confirmed for me. What if they weren’t only sacrificing animals back in the shack, Desmond? What if it really was a person in there like I’ve been saying? Do you think I’m still just processing now?”
“The Fore tribe were definitely cannibals?” he asked, crinkling his brows.
She nodded, and she could tell he was finally considering this line of thought more seriously. But then as he stared at her, his expression changed.
Oh, Desmond, will you just focus? But of course, he couldn’t. She knew her effect on him.
He leaned in and nuzzled her neck. “You know, we’re all alone in this wing of the hotel.” Had he been a cat, it would have come out like a purr.
“I am keenly aware of that fact.” She moved into his arms. “You’re insatiable, you know that?” And for the next half hour she let her mind drift away from cannibals, spirits, brothers, and jealous friends, and just let Desmond take her away.
Chapter 5
The Craggs held a fancy cocktail reception in the lounge during the hour before dinner. Kelsey and Desmond would have a chance to finally meet the other guests. Kelsey wore the single fancy outfit she’d brought, a black wrap dress and her favorite pair of Christian Louboutin Crystal Leather Pumps. Even with the four inch heel she had to look up to Desmond. Still, it made it easier to reach his lips when she went in for a kiss.
She felt better than she had earlier. They moved down the stairway, Kelsey tottering because the rugs were so thick her heels sunk into the carpeting. Desmond literally supported her until they hit the hardwood floors. Maybe it was the amazing smells coming from the kitchen and dining room, or the soothing piano music playing, but she was finally feeling at ease. At the bottom of the stairs, before they moved into the reception room, Desmond stayed her with a grip of her hand. He nodded towards a side room she hadn’t seen before. The room was dimly lit, but she could make out bookcases inside. The reading room had a narrow entranceway, made of wood so dark it was nearly black. They ducked inside and Kelsey’s feeling of comfort instantly shattered.
Desmond’s townhouse in New York City had a quaint, cozy library where she’d fall into the plush couches and relax for hours reading. This room was the exact opposite of the comfort she felt there. Though decorated with high end furniture, and stocked with what appeared to be an extensive collection of books, this room filled Kelsey with a heavy dread that she couldn’t pin down. I have to find out what is making me feel this way.
Maybe it was the lead glass windows, each with the design of the Milong Longsal in their center. Maybe it was the wood-paneled ceiling, stained so dark it reminded her of blood. Maybe it was the morbid display of porcelain dolls that sat as ornamentation on their own little rocking chairs, as if they were real little people staring at her with their beady black eyes. Even the Tiffany lamps scattered about did nothing to lighten the mood.
Kelsey flexed her shoulders and walked over to one of the intricately carved wooden bookcases, peering at the spines within. They seemed to be a mix of the typical classics. As she moved about the room, nothing seemed out of the ordinary until she stood on a small stepstool and discovered a selection of manuals on a top shelf, hidden from site until now. She perused these spines. All were medical texts, and all centered on the medical developments of the 1800s. She took out one book, glanced through it, put it back and took out another. Her unease did not decrease.
“See anything you like, Ms. Porter?”
Kelsey flinched at the sudden voice, which boomed and echoed hollowly in the room. Dooley’s massive bulk framed the doorway. For the evening festivities, he’d changed into an elegant black cutaway coat with a gold silk vest. His puffed tie and ascot completed his look and even with that ponytail she could imagine him strolling through Queen Victoria’s court.
She held out a book towards him with an illustrated drawing of a bloody arm on its cover. “It seems strange to have books on blood transfusions in a hotel library.”
He strolled over and glanced at the book in question, and grinned. “Ah, Blood Letting to Cure Maladies. A fine tome.” He brought over another stepstool, stood on it, and then reached up to another shelf. “Having these books here is actually not strange at all. My ancestor, Ezeral, was fascinated with medicine. If he’d been born today, he would have made a fine doctor.
“Unfortunately,” Dooley explained, “his fascination with it was one of the reasons he was kicked out of his mission. He believed there were ways to save the human race from disease with spells, potions, and holistic treatments, but he was ridiculed for his ideas. That’s one of the reasons he moved to America.”
She stared at him pointedly. “Moved to a place no one would bother him?”
Dooley paused, then smirked and clicked his fingers. “Exactly. Ezeral was, how shall we say it? A bit eccentric.” He placed his finger on the spines and read. “Ah yes, here is the one I wanted to show you.” Dooley pulled the book off the shelf and handed it to Kelsey. The work was very old and the leather-bound cover was oily and faded as if many hands had touched it over the years. “Go ahead. Open it,” Dooley coaxed.
She turned the pages carefully and realized it was a horticulture book. Inside, it was filled with pictures of plants and herbs from the South Oceanic islands. Recipes and measurements were handwritten throughout the text. “Was he making drugs?” she asked.
Dooley coughed lightly. “We’d prefer to call them cures, if you don’t mind. You see, Ezerel had a bit of a pharmacological problem himself, before it became trendy. He apparently had a case of the shakes and founded a special brew that kept them at bay. He tried to tell people about it, but they called him a quack, so he kept his concoctions to himself. Every family has its secrets, Ms. Porter. Ours is no different. Better to display them than hide them, in my opinion.” He took the book from her and gently replaced it.
The Haunting of Cragg Hill House Page 7
