Iron and Salt

by Calinda B

  Paul and the others glanced nervously at one another.

  Auntie Lassi cleared her throat. “A philanderer always gets justice in Ballynagaul. Apparently, Pete had a girlfriend in Dublin whom he kept as a steady side-piece.”

  William snorted, then, smirked. “How do you know what a side-piece is, mom?”

  Lassi flashed him a non-nonsense glare. “I help the young people of this town deliver babies, don’t forget. It’s an intimate practice. They talk freely with me.”

  “Well, what’s the connection to you, then, William? It makes no sense why he would stalk you.” Paul shook his head.

  Inspector Brown said, “Some people are born sick. Or, he might have grown up with abuse. It’s not really known how one’s character is created. He might have been jealous of your good looks or you could have represented evil to him or maybe he even had some sort of vendetta against you father. We’ll never know.”

  “I’ve been looking into some old records. I think there’s more to Gillespie that meets the eye,” Uncle Cillian said, cautiously. “But it will take me some time to sort it all out. I do know that he was seen at the beach near Roberta’s cottage several times. He, uh, frequented that area in recent weeks.”

  “Why?” Paul said. Then, he remembered the disturbed grave. Perhaps the priest knew about the vampire. Maybe he wanted to create a red herring to take any suspicion off him. “Never mind. I can guess,” he quickly amended.

  A hush fell over the room.

  “And I think you all know more than you let on,” she said, letting her gaze rest on each person. “And, yes, I resented the lot of you for withholding the truth from me.” A huge sigh left her lips. “But time has passed, and I only want to know that the killer was brought to justice, so I can retire in peace…and feel a measure of tranquil acceptance for his or her victims.”

  Once more, Auntie Lassi and Uncle Cillian exchanged anxious glances.

  Ryan tapped his chest, indicating he would handle it. “You did your best, Moira. We know who killed Paul’s dad and Pete, and we did withhold it from you. By now, surely you must know that the only reason we would have done that is that there were greater issues at stake, affecting the entire community.”

  Moira studied him with her hard-edged Garda glare. “Care to explain, Conway?”

  “I’m afraid I can’t, Inspector.” Ryan fixed a somber gaze in her direction. “Things went far beyond mere mortal law and order.”

  Moira shook her head. “Are you telling me there’s a supernatural explanation? You know I don’t go for the supernatural.”

  “I know you don’t,” Ryan said, calmly. “Neither do I. I’m as much of an evidence hound as you are. But there are secrets that I can’t share. I ask you to accept that. The killings have come to an end, I assure you. We’ve all been the guardians of strange and terrible things these past twenty-five years. You should know you did everything right, and everything you could, and now there is justice for those who live, as well as for those who died. We’ve all shouldered horrific burdens and paid the price. For now, let’s let it come to a rest.”

  A smothering silence filled the room as everyone waited for Moira to say something, anything, to let them know she was willing to let it go.

  Paul’s ma broke the silence by rising, striding to where Moira stood and throwing her arms around the woman. When she pulled away, tears streamed down her face.

  Thank you, she signed. Thank you for caring. For burning with the need to find justice for Dylan…for carrying his memory all these years. Just to know that gives me tremendous peace and closure I didn’t know I needed.

  Paul sniffled, his eyes wet, along with most everyone else in the room.

  Then the implacable Inspector burst into tears and hugged his ma back.

  Paul blinked, stunned.

  Moira stepped back, wiping the tears from her face with her palms. She nodded at each person. “I can accept your secrets. That’s good enough for me. You don’t want to shake an old woman’s certainty in the ways of the world.” She cleared her throat and said, “And, now I’d best be off lest I turn into a weeping baby and spoil my reputation.” She strode toward the front door, then paused and turned. “And don’t you be a stranger. All of you, but especially you, Conway. You’re still a ‘wet behind the ears’ rookie in my eye and will always be the same. I’ll always be your mentor.”

  She disappeared through the door, closing it firmly behind her, marking the closure to a strange story in all their personal histories.

  Chapter 27

  Thursday afternoon — Paul

  Paul stood staring at the closed front door of the Ward house, dumbfounded by what just happened. His gaze slid toward the front-room window, where Inspector Brown’s official Garda vehicle sped from the driveway in a spray of gravel.

  Anne excused herself to use the bathroom.

  “Do you think she really bought your story, Ryan?” Auntie Lassi said, after Anne had disappeared down the hall.

  “Oh, ai, I do. Moira’s always been true to her word,” Ryan said from his perch on the sofa next to Marie. “You could sense her acceptance of our secret. I think she won’t let the unsolved mystery trouble her any longer.”

  Auntie Lassi nodded and turned toward Bres. “How are Sixpack and Sarah? Can you give us an update?”

  She stood and began gathering teacups.

  Paul’s Ma retrieved a tray from the kitchen and set it down on the coffee table.

  Bres shook his head. “Sixpack will recover, but I doubt he’ll be the same. When I left him, he muttered something about readying himself to greet the angels of the deep and take Billy and Sean out to fish in Heaven’s ocean. And Sarah…” He shook his head. “Poor thing’s in shock. She has a long road to recovery, but you know how hearty the people of Ballynagaul are.” He reached to take Ma’s hand. He signed to her. Maybe you can be of good counsel to Sarah in her coming to peace with what happened to her husband.

  I’ll certainly be of whatever service I can, Ma signed.

  Uncle Cillian turned to Ryan. “Ryan, we’re going to have to have a chat about you and my daughter.”

  “So, now she’s your daughter, is she?” Auntie Lassi said with a huff. She picked up the last teacup and slammed it down on the tray.

  Paul chuckled. It never took much to get Auntie Lassi’s ire up.

  “Give it a rest, Mum. Ryan and I are happy. Can’t we leave it at that?” Marie glared at her mother.

  “I wish we could,” Uncle Cillian said. “But we don’t know if we’ll stay immortal now that the vampire is dead. Are you prepared to become a Leviathan if we stay in this state for the rest of our days?”

  “Without a doubt. I’ll do it,” Ryan said, as if signing up for the military. He spoke the words with true conviction.

  Paul knew he’d do Marie right; whatever circumstances came their way.

  Anne emerged from the bathroom.

  Uncle Cillian shook his head, indicating they should stop talking about supernatural topics.

  Anne made her way toward Paul.

  Uncle Cillian pushed to standing and crossed the room to where Anne stood by Paul’s side. “I’d like to chat with you about helping you find your way free from the path you’d chosen. Would you care to step into my study?”

  Anne flashed a clear-eyed gaze at Paul. “Oh, we have some plans in the works.” Her attention then tracked to Uncle Cillian. “But, yes, I’d love to hear your counsel. I still want to honor my former chosen profession by following the proper channels to exit.”

  Uncle Cillian nodded, placed his hand behind her back, and guided her down the hall.

  Paul glanced at William.

  He still sat on the arm of the sofa, glancing nervously toward the staircase. He kept picking at the cuticles of his fingernails.

  “What’s got you into such a twitch, William?” Paul asked.

  William’s gaze snapped toward Paul.

  “What the fuck do you mean?” he barked, back to his usual s
nark.

  “Give it a rest, brother mine,” Marie said, moving away from Ryan. “Let’s show him your secret, shall we?” She fluttered her lashes at him in sisterly sarcasm.

  He heaved a sigh. “We might as well. Come.”

  He stood and crossed the room to the staircase.

  The teacups clattered on Auntie Lassi’s tray as she marched toward the kitchen. “You stay down here and help me, Ryan. I’ve got a few things to say to you. My beloved husband can make things nice for you at another time.”

  “Oh, boy,” Ryan said.

  “Sorry, man.” Paul clapped him on the back before following Marie and William up the stairs. “Be nice to him, Auntie Lassi.”

  “Oh, I’ll be nice,” Auntie Lassi said. “Why would you think any different?”

  “Because we all know you,” he called over his shoulder.

  He tromped up the stairs behind Marie and William. For a moment, Paul experienced déjà vu, recalling all the times he and the twins had sneaked up the stairs to get into mischief in William’s bedroom. A surge of affection for them welled in his heart.

  At the door to his old room, William paused.

  A nervous tic began to twitch beneath his eye. His hands shook. He reached in his shirt pocket for his smokes, paused, and dropped his hand. Then, he pulled the pack free, retrieved one cigarette and stuck it behind his ear. The act seemed to calm him down, as his shoulders fell away from his ears. “Don’t judge, all right?” he said to Paul.

  Paul frowned, unable to think of a reason he would have to judge. “I don’t know what I’m about to see, so I’ll make no promises.”

  William pressed his lips together and glared at Paul before easing open his door.

  Paul’s eyes bulged as he stared into the room at the very real, extremely live figure of Maggie Strongbow laying on William’s bed. The sun streamed through the window, casting a slice of light over her body.

  She wore clean clothes and looked like she’d been given a good bath. She no longer looked like the haunted wraith who had plagued the city of Ballynagaul. Her radiant silvery hair splayed across the pillow. Her eyes were closed, but her chest rose and fell, in a soft regular rhythm as if deeply asleep.

  “What the fuck, Ward?” Paul said, frowning. “How is this possible?”

  He shrugged, then crossed the room to sit next to her.

  Maggie’s eyes fluttered open. For a second, she regarded William with such exquisite tenderness and lucid recognition, Paul sucked in a breath.

  “She’s beautiful, isn’t she?” Marie said, standing beside Paul.

  Maggie’s head swiveled to look at Marie, then Paul.

  A shiver launched up his spine at the clarity with which she regarded him. He blinked like an idiot, his mind a-swirl with all the mayhem she’d caused, the grief she’d given his mother and others. He shook his head.

  Her eyelids fluttered shut.

  “I told you not to judge,” William hissed. He stroked her hair.

  She let out a sigh and burrowed her face into his hand.

  “She’s like my rescued kitten, Mothball. She doesn’t remember a thing. And, she’s mine to protect and figure out,” William said. “All mine.”

  “How is this possible?” Paul whispered, wondering if his legs would give way.

  “We’re not sure,” Marie said. “Dad feels certain that through actually dying by Father Gillespie’s hand, the Dearg-Due curse was lifted. He thinks she awoke at the age she died and gets to finish her life. She’s pretty disoriented. Last time she was conscious, she lived in the 1700s. Dad’s been helping catch her up to speed with our time.”

  “I don’t know. I watched her eat out the neck of Father Gillespie,” Paul whispered. “And, don’t forget—she killed my father.”

  “I know,” William said. “It’s a lot to take in. But me and sis here will help you deal if you’re willing.”

  “I’m not sure what to say. I still haven’t recovered from the other night.” He kept on shaking his head.

  “Oh, you looked pretty recovered when you strode in the door with a hot chick on your arm,” William said, smirking.

  Marie placed her hand on Paul’s forearm. “William’s happier than I’ve seen him in a long time. Let’s just see what happens. Time will tell.”

  The frown on Paul’s face deepened. “We might not have time. If she’s alive, what if your Leviathan abilities are no longer needed and they disappear? And you and your family turn out to not be immortal?”

  Marie shrugged. “Who knows? We’ll just have to see. In the meantime…let’s all be happy having someone to love, shall we?” Still standing next to Paul in the hallway, she reached for the doorknob and closed the door, leaving William with Maggie. “Let’s go downstairs and leave my brother to his mysteries. I’ve got a man to go home with. You’ve got Anne. Don’t you have better things to do than sort out this complexity?”

  “I suppose so,” Paul said. He placed his hand on Marie’s shoulder. “Does this mean you’ll stop bossing me around?”

  “Not on your life,” she said, smirking. “It’s too much fun to torture you.”

  He kissed her on the cheek. “Good, because I can only take so much upheaval, and that’s something I wouldn’t change for the world.”

  He stepped down the hallway, heading for the stairs, Marie by his side. As he strode down the stairs, he caught sight of Anne emerging from the study.

  She gazed at him, fierce love shining from her eyes.

  Who am I to judge when I have this beautiful woman to explore life with?

  Smiling, eager to embrace her and take her back to the hotel and make love to her again and again, he guessed that everything might very well be all right. They were sturdy Irish, after all. His people had endured eight-hundred long years of oppression under British rule and retained their culture. They’d suffered massive ethnic cleansing, famine, and worse. They’d fought for freedom and won. So, what was the harm in setting one Irish myth to rest and coming out the other side stronger for it?

  Besides that, he reasoned, forgiveness is a powerful thing, or so says my mother. Don’t underestimate its power.

  With joy in his heart, he wrapped Anne in his arms and whispered, “Let’s go home.”

  “We don’t have a home,” she whispered.

  “Yes, love, we do. It’s wherever we are together,” he said, and guided her toward the front door, eager to make good on his promise to be a loving tutor.

  The End.

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  About the Author

  A New York Times and USA Today bestselling, award-winning author, Calinda B writes kick-ass heroines who don't know their own strength. When she's not writing, she's been known to fall off ice cliffs; fire walk with Russian fire officials; or wake up from a six weeks coma, wondering how she got there in the first place. She’s been stuck in deadly currents at Deception Pass in her kayak, and loves to swim with sharks. She greets every day with a smile and an openness to what might be around the next corner.

  SERIES:

  The Bloodstone Trilogy:

  Grave Stones: Book 1

  Heart’s Blood: Book 2

  Iron and Salt: Book 3

  The Charming Shifter Mysteries:

  Storm Shift: Book 1

  Power Shift: Book 2 (a NY Times bestselling book)

  Blood Shift: Book 3

  Boxed Set, Books 1 - 3

  Soul Shift: Book 4

  Star Shift: Book 5 - the epic conclusion, coming in 2019

  Bad Boys Need Love, Too:

  Looks Like Trouble to Me UNCUT

  Trouble Times Two UNCUT

  Tracked by Trouble

  Point of Contact:

  Blurred Lines – a 3 Part Military Romance

  Sassy Aphrodite and her Sweet Dirty Mouth

  Riding the Edge of Darkness

  The Adrenaline Series:

  Crazy
Love: Book 1

  A Twist of Love: Book 2

  Sugar Baby: Book 3

  Standalones:

  Night Whispers (Also in Audible)

  Red Rex: Blood Echoes (Also in Audible)

  Headspace

  Meeting with My Maker (Also in Audible)

  Fire from the Diamond Club World (Also in Audible)

  All books can be viewed on this page: http://calindab.com/books.aspx

  With umpteen books roaming the universe and more in her head, you can find her at www.calindab.com. Or, if you want to stay connected, join the exclusive mailing list! http://www.calindab.com/newslettersignup.html