The Phantom Queen Read online

  The words dread alliance did nothing to comfort me, but before I could say anything, the world shifted as the snow picked up and swirled in a vortex. I closed my eyes to avoid the sudden flurry, and the next thing I knew, I was standing back in my yard as the snow began to come down in earnest.

  I realized I had been standing still for at least five minutes, given the buildup of snow on my jacket. The flakes were heavier and larger now, thick and wet and piling up fast. I shook my head, brushing the snow off my hair and face, and looked around. There was a crow in the nearby huckleberry bush, staring at me intently.

  “I heard,” I said to it. “I’ll listen.”

  It let out a loud caw, then flew off. I looked back at the herbs and decided that I really didn’t need to work in the garden now, especially with the snow falling, so I put away the trowel and spade I had grabbed off the garden table and headed back indoors.

  Peggin was curled on the sofa with her tablet, reading. Her shoes were on the floor beside her and a bag of chips was on the coffee table. Agent H was sprawled out on the back of the sofa behind her, while Daphne was standing on the arm, pawing at her as she tried to get her attention. Peggin absently petted her while reading. Gabby was curled in front of the gas fireplace, basking in the warmth of the flames.

  “Hey, that was quick,” she said, looking up as I entered the living room. “Anything wrong?”

  “I didn’t actually get anything done. For one, it’s snowing like crazy out there, and it’s sticking. For another, I ended up hanging out with the Crow Man. I just love how he drags me off into his realm whenever he wants.”

  “What did he have to say?” She set aside her tablet and made room for me on the sofa.

  I shrugged out of my coat and pulled off my boots, tossing them to the side, then sat beside her, crossing my legs. Daphne ran across the back of the sofa toward me. As the cat curled up on my lap, a twenty-pound meatloaf, I petted her, scratching her behind the ears. “He warned me about a new darkness in the forest, about not assuming anything, and that I would form a ‘dread alliance’ that was necessary.”

  Peggin gave me a confused look. “What does it all mean, or is that a silly question?”

  “I don’t know whether it’s a silly question, but you’re getting a noncommittal answer, which is: I have no clue. There was more, but it was the usual Crow Man gibberish that will most likely mean something after the fact. I like him, though. He feels a lot like Deev on steroids. Without the goggles. Though Deev’s a lot more comprehensible.”

  “D-D is blunt, and I like that. I know where I stand with him.”

  I grinned at her, a thought suddenly popping into my head. “So, do you ever play doctor and nurse?”

  She snorted. “No, but now and then, I do call him Doctor…he’s far less vanilla than most of the men I’ve gone out with, which is a good thing for me. He knows how to wield a paddle, that I’ll give him.”

  I laughed, leaning back against the sofa.

  Peggin was into kink, I’d always known that, but most of the men she met either ran the other way, or they couldn’t pull it off right. They were too timid, or too goofy, or they were too heavy handed and serious. Peggin would never live the lifestyle full time but she was a talented switch, though I was one of the few people who knew that about her. She could have been the perfect bordello madam, though she never saw herself that way, and she preferred to use her brains to get ahead in life rather than her body.

  “You two are perfect for each other. I swear, I’m surprised you didn’t cross paths years ago.” I leaned forward and grabbed the potato chips. “So, you ready for tonight?”

  “You mean for our visit to see Penelope? I don’t think I’ll ever be ready for that little jaunt, but I’ll go. Midnight trips through the graveyard aren’t my forte, but you know me, Kerris. I’ll follow you through hell and high water, because I know you’d do the same for me.” She sobered. “What do you think the Crow Man wanted? Any inkling on what he’s foretelling?”

  I shook my head. “No. I guess I’ll just have to wait and see.” I paused as my phone jangled. Pulling it out of my pocket, I read the caller ID. It was Sophia.

  “Hello?” I answered, frowning. While we were friends of a sort, the chief of police wouldn’t be calling me without reason. I wondered if the Lady had already claimed another victim, or had the Johnson house ghosts followed Mandy?

  But it was none of the above. Sophia sounded as though she was under a terrible strain. “Kerris, I know you don’t routinely do things like this, but…can you hold a séance?”

  I blinked, wondering if I had heard her right. “A séance? Why?”

  She sighed. “I don’t want this getting around—I’ve kept it under wraps since yesterday, but I’m not getting anywhere and the public is going to find out soon. There was a double murder night before last, and I have absolutely no clue as to who did it.”

  Boom. Like a bomb hitting, the words exploded in my ears.

  “Crap. Peggin’s here, can I talk in front of her? You know she won’t talk if I ask her.” I glanced over at Peggin, who stiffened at her name.

  “Fine. And she’ll tell Dr. Divine and you’ll tell Bryan, but let’s leave it at that for now? Please? I’ll ask Frank to talk to the Matriarchs.” She hesitated for a moment, then continued. “Rosemary Leeland and her boyfriend Emmet O’Malley were parked over on Snowstar Avenue East when they were attacked.”

  There was a turnoff on Snowstar Avenue East that acted as a lover’s lane for the younger set. It was higher up a hill, overlooking Lake Crescent, and was usually pretty heavily trafficked. Except we were still in winter, which meant not as many people were looking for a place for nookie.

  “This is bad. How old were they?”

  “Rosemary is…was…seventeen and Emmet was eighteen. They were good kids. Both were seniors in high school and neither have ever been in trouble before. They didn’t come home, so their parents called us around one a.m. We sent out patrol cars to look for Emmet’s car. We found them in the turnout. Nobody else was there, probably because it’s so freaking cold.”

  “How were they killed?” The thought that two teens had lost their lives so needlessly made me cringe. And we couldn’t blame the Lady for this one. All of her victims she dragged into her lair.

  “That’s the thing. This is messy, Kerris. Was messy. Emmet was practically eviscerated. Rosemary was stabbed twenty-four times. We’re talking violent overkill.” Sophia’s voice shook. “We found evidence that Rosemary had been sexually assaulted after she was dead.”

  My stomach lurched and I tried not to picture it in my mind. “When did you find them?”

  “Around five thirty yesterday morning. We spent all day yesterday combing the area for evidence, but we’ve turned up very little. The ME’s determined that Emmet was killed second, and rope burns on his hands and feet tell us he was tied up. He probably was forced to watch the killer…”

  “After he killed Rosemary, right?” I really didn’t want to think about this. I was a very visual person, and the image of two kids, out on a date, ending up at the mercy of a ruthless monster filled my thoughts. “You want me to try to contact Rosemary and Emmet for any information they might be able to give you about their killer?”

  “That’s the idea. This is off the record. I can’t ask you officially, but I can’t stop you if you want to help out.” Sophia let out a huff. “I hate tiptoeing around like this, but I don’t want this getting out. If you agree, though, you’ll have to keep this quiet and it was all your idea. I don’t want the town panicking.”

  I frowned, trying to run through the potential ramifications. “What have you told the parents?”

  Her answer sounded evasive. “Officially? They know their children were killed, but they also know that it’s vital we keep things under wraps. We begged them to stay quiet for the moment.”

  I thought for a moment. “I can try. I can at least come out to the scene where you found them and see if they’re han
ging around. With brutal crimes like this, there are a number of ways this can play out, speaking of the spiritual realm.” I paused. “You don’t have a clue of who did it?”

  “No, except that the killer is male, and he’s likely a burly guy. Emmet was a varsity football player, and we found no evidence that he even tried to put up a fight. There were no drugs in their systems except a little THC. But pot’s legal, and we found a couple joints in the car, so we know they were stoned. But the half-smoked joint we found was mostly intact, and the amount of THC in their bodies was fairly minute. They should have been able to put up a fight if they saw him coming.” Sophia sounded frustrated.

  “I’m supposed to meet with Penelope at eight, so I can’t come over until after I talk to her. But I’ll drop over to the scene after that. I want you there, though, along with a couple of cops. I have no intention of meeting their killer in person. I’m bringing Peggin with me, by the way.” I wasn’t about to go hang out at a murder scene if there was any chance the killer might return.

  “Call me when you’re on the way. I’ll drop everything, and Frank and I will meet you there.” After saying good-bye, Sophia hung up.

  I turned to Peggin. “Oh boy…”

  “What’s up?”

  “This has to remain hush-hush.”

  “I promise,” she said, straightening her shoulders and setting the bag of chips back on the table. “What happened? I caught the gist of some of it but…”

  I told her about Rosemary and Emmet, and her eyes widened. She looked stricken.

  “I knew Rosemary. She was one of Corbin’s patients. She came into the office just a few weeks ago because she had a cold. She was a sweetheart. Damn it.”

  “It’s always harder when we’re talking about kids, isn’t it?” I was grateful they hadn’t been any younger, but it was still difficult. I dealt with younger spirits as a matter of course, and seeing life snuffed out so quickly, before the person really had the chance to grow up and live their life, always hurt. It brought home how uncertain our lives really were, and how, in the great scheme of things, there were never any guarantees.

  Neither Peggin nor I wanted to talk about the murder, so until Bryan got there for dinner, we went into the kitchen and made clam chowder and biscuits, and tried to focus on anything and everything that would take us away from the reality of death.

  Chapter Five

  “I don’t want you going out there without me,” Bryan said. “Either of you. It’s too dangerous.” He was on his second bowl of chowder, his third biscuit, and he sounded anxious and irritated. “I’m your guardian, Kerris. I’m going with you.”

  I let out a long sigh. “You have business to attend to. You don’t have time for this tonight. I know how tangled that mess back in Ireland was—you explained it to me. You need to focus on your work.” I didn’t want him to feel like he always had to be at my side, though I had to admit I’d be more comfortable with him along for the ride.

  He leaned back in his chair, frowning at the table. He folded his napkin and placed it beside his plate. “You know, this is just going to become worse as time goes on.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked, ladling another serving of chowder into my bowl. I was hungry and I needed to fortify myself, given everything coming up that evening. Food helped to ground and center me when I approached any sort of spiritual activity.

  Peggin focused on her meal, staying out of the argument.

  “What I mean is this: my sacred duty, my prime reason for being here, is to guard the spirit shaman. Several times now, I’ve had to take a pass because of my business. And that has to stop. I have a trust fund that my mother set up just for this reason. I’ve left it alone all these years, investing the funds, and I’ve put aside a lot of money on my own. I have more than enough to last the rest of…” He paused, then let out a sigh. “The rest of your life.”

  That was a sticky issue that we had skirted around. The fact was, even though spirit shamans were incredibly long-lived—as far as humans went—our life spans were far shorter than those of shifters. It was hard knowing that Bryan would probably long out-live me, but it was the truth and I had to face it some time.

  “And after…?” I asked.

  “I have no worry over that. I’m a savvy businessman. But I think it’s time I retired and fully invest myself into the post I was born to hold…that of your guardian. I can’t very well protect you when I’m not there.” He raised his eyes to meet mine. There was no resentment in them, only a soft glow in those chill blue orbs.

  “What about all your business holdings?” I asked.

  “I’ll make sure they’re in good hands. I’ll sell some of them and net quite a sum of money to add to what I already have. I can invest the profits. Put it to use as passive income rather than active. I’m coming with you and Peggin tonight. I don’t want you two out there alone.” Then, as though a weight had lifted from his shoulders, he straightened, a cheerful smile replacing the frown. “I’m glad that’s settled, actually. It’s been on my thoughts for quite some time.”

  I wasn’t sure what to say. To hear him blithely give up everything he’d been working on for years to protect me left me stunned. Logically, I knew that yes, he was my guardian. But I hadn’t really thought about what that might entail as the years went on.

  After a moment, I asked, “Are you sure you want to do this?”

  “It’s my duty and privilege, Kerris. My family is one of the great shapeshifter families bound to the Morrígan. As was your grandfather’s line. Aidan would have given up everything for your grandmother, if she would have allowed it. If things hadn’t gone so terribly awry.” He set down his spoon and leaned across the table, taking my hands. “I want to do this. I’m honor-bound to serve you and, with all my heart, this is what I choose to do.”

  Speechless, I could only nod. My heart was racing. The thought of someone giving up his life to watch over me, and to do so without resentment, terrified me. And yet…and yet…it was the most sweeping romantic gesture I could ever think of.

  Peggin cleared her throat. “If you’ve got this settled, can you please slide the chowder my way?”

  At that, we went back to eating dinner as though nothing had happened, though everything in the world had shifted.

  A short walk from my home, the Whisper Hollow cemetery was divided into two sections. The newer section had been established around 1950. Until then, most of the dead had been buried in the Pest House Cemetery—which was a shadowy, scary place.

  Around the turn of the century—1900 or so—those afflicted with tuberculosis, cholera, or whatever diseases that happened to be contagious and deadly, were often locked away in what were known as Pest Houses.

  Though more common in Europe, those houses could be found around the United States. The patients were usually malnourished, often left with only rags for blankets, and unplowed. They were thrown into the Pest Houses to die, and the stronger ones preyed on the weak. Since men, women, and children were housed together, the rape, abuse, and assault that went on was horrifying.

  The Pest House Cemetery in Whisper Hollow was built up around the remains of what was left of a Pest House, which was also common. The inmates were forced to bury the bodies of those who died out back of the house, so a gruesome cemetery was inadvertently created. The dead in these chaotic graveyards were angry and often entrenched into the land. In Whisper Hollow, even the teenagers wouldn’t hang out in the cemetery, and they left the ruins of the Pest House alone, given the amount of hauntings and volatile dead that inhabited the area.

  In the mid-1950s, though, the Heart of Whisper Hollow demanded a new section be added to the graveyard, and her demands were obeyed. So a new part of the cemetery was built. Spreading out from the edge of Penelope’s tomb, a wide grassy area that received more light, where the dead could rest more easily, became the new graveyard.

  Penelope’s mausoleum delineated the old and the new. Veronica’s lair, on the other hand, was located dee
p behind the Pest House Cemetery, and few ever made their way through to the Queen of the Unliving’s abode.

  The graveyard had a wide parking lot, along with access roads that wound through the cemetery, allowing people to drive to the different sections to visit their loved ones.

  The snow fell steadily, piling up. We had about three inches on the ground. When we got out of the car—I always drove when I came to the cemetery, just in case I’d need to get out of there fast—the world looked like an icy wonderland. Most people had taken down their holiday decorations, and the silvery tinge to the sky blanketed the world in a hushed, breathtaking chill. The bare branches of the trees against the pale light made everything feel stark and barren and clear.

  I caught my breath, wrapping my scarf around my face to warm my nose. It was barely thirty-three degrees, and the snow would freeze tonight as the temperature plunged into the high twenties.

  Peggin shivered. I had lent her a cape that I had kept from my grandma’s belongings—it swept down to Peggin’s calves, covering her velvet jacket and dress, but it was still no match against the cold. She had borrowed a pair of boots from me so she wouldn’t ruin her pumps.

  “I’m not dressed for this, you know.”

  “You can wait in the car, if you want,” I said. With Bryan here, I wouldn’t be alone.

  “Wait in the car alone, in the graveyard? No thank you,” she said. “I’m coming with you. I just had to register a protest.”

  “Of course you did,” Bryan said, but he was grinning. “Let’s get this show on the road. You don’t want to keep Penelope waiting.”

  “Oh, hell no. She’s more patient than I ever expected, but when she sets up a meeting, she expects me to be there promptly.”

  I started along one of the cobblestone paths, winding my way through the headstones. The path led to the center of the graveyard proper—which included the entrance to the Pest Cemetery. There, built into a knoll at the edge of the gate that separated the two graveyards, was a mausoleum built of cinder blocks. Half of the tomb was hidden by the dirt mounded around it, and double doors led into the crypt.