1 Broken Hearted Ghoul Read online

  There were some scratching noises in the dark that I attributed to mice. At least I hoped it was mice. Still no sound of conversation or any movement that I could imagine as human or zombie.

  I stopped at the first door. Someone, or something, was behind it. I couldn’t see in the dark except to know that the door was closed. It sounded like someone was crying in that room. I nodded to Lucas, and he surprised me by kicking in the door.

  Hmm. Not exactly what I’d had in mind, but whoever was in there was bound to be surprised too.

  A flashlight beam caught me in the eye. “Who’s there?” Brandon whispered. “Is that you, Abe?”

  “No. It’s me,” I told him. “Are you okay?”

  “She ripped me up pretty bad, Skye. She killed Dex and Rocky, and some poor dude who was having a tattoo put on. She dumped us all in here. I think she thought I was dead.”

  “Stay here,” I advised. “Play dead. As soon as we find Abe, I’ll get back to you.”

  He sobbed. “Get me out of here, huh? I’ve got three dead men on top of me. Don’t leave me here like this.”

  I took a deep breath, and then Lucas and I pulled Brandon out from under the bodies that had covered him. I could only see what the flashlight bounced on, but it looked like he was right. Mary had left her mark on him. I knew what that felt like.

  “Are you okay on your own?” I asked him. “Debbie is in front looking for a sword. Maybe you should find her. The two of you hide until we clear this place.”

  “A sword didn’t mean anything to her,” Brandon said in a quiet voice. “Without the magic, we couldn’t stop her. Abe might be dead.”

  Lucas put his hand on Brandon’s shoulder. “Go to the front with Debbie. Find some salt and rub it into your wounds. Stay down. Let us see if we can locate Abe. Can you do this?”

  “Rub salt—are you joking?”

  “No. He’s not,” I told him. “Do it. Her claws are poisonous.”

  Brandon finally agreed. “I tried to stop her. I had no idea she’d be so strong.” He began walking down the hall toward the front, his gait unsteady. He held his wounded arm against his chest.

  “We should find a sword,” Lucas whispered. “We dare not face Mary without one.”

  “Maybe there’s one in that storage room with the bodies. You look. I’ll keep going until I find Abe.”

  He hesitated, but nodded. “Be wary, lady.”

  “I will. You too.”

  I left him there, though I missed that feeling that he was standing right behind me. If he could find a sword—and his magic—we might still stand a chance.

  I hugged the wall. There was another door that was closed before I reached Abe’s office. I listened at it for a moment, but there was no sound behind it. I didn’t bother opening it.

  Continuing on—Abe’s office was next.

  I shuddered to think what I’d find inside of it. At this point, I held the Beretta in one hand, and the stun gun in the other. If one didn’t work, I could try the other. She was too fast to use the tranquilizer gun.

  I hoped Lucas could find a sword, and catch up with me before I met her again. If not, this might be it for all of us—and I went through all of that pain with the salt in my leg for nothing.

  The door to Abe’s office was closed. I listened again—no sound. I had to go in anyway to make sure he wasn’t in there. It was still possible he was alive. He might have been able to summon enough fear for his own survival to act against her. If not, I’d probably find what was left of him.

  What would happen to me, and the rest of the zombies, if he died? What would happen to Mary? Would our lives end with his? Or would we go on without him?

  I didn’t know, not knowing how his magic worked. I didn’t want to find out, but it seemed likely that I was going to.

  “Skye!” Debbie’s whispered voice behind me made me jump.

  “You scared the crap out of me! I thought you were staying up front with Brandon.”

  “You said find a sword.” She held up the large sword she’d found. “Here it is. Where’s Lucas?”

  “Behind you.” He held up another sword. “It looks as though we have enough weapons. All we need is magic, or something else to keep her down long enough to use them. Did you see any salt?”

  “I gave it to Brandon,” she said.

  “All right.” I took a deep breath. “We’re going in.”

  I pushed open the door—no need for the drama of kicking it in. Abe’s office was a mess behind it. His desk was turned over, papers and magic talismans everywhere.

  “I don’t see him,” Debbie said. “I could get Brandon’s flashlight, but I think we could see Abe if he was in here.”

  “He appears to be gone,” Lucas said. “She might have taken him with her.”

  “Or he might be dead in the next room.” I glanced around where the hall ended. “We have to check the other rooms.”

  We walked through the remaining areas in the tattoo shop, but there was no sign of Abe anywhere in the building. Brandon managed to get the power back on. The carnage Mary had left behind was devastating, but there was nothing of Abe with the other dead men.

  “Now what?” Brandon asked as Debbie attempted to do a field dressing on his arm and mangled shoulder. “Where do we look for him?”

  “No need to fear that he is dead,” Lucas said. “If he was, both of you would be as well. His magic will not live on after him. It is more likely the ghoul took him to feast on later— probably in a place she feels safe, where she won’t be interrupted.”

  “Does anyone have any idea where that could be?” Debbie asked.

  “I don’t.” I sat down on one of the chairs in front. “They could be anywhere in Nashville by now.”

  “With some magic, we could locate them.” Brandon stared meaningfully at Lucas.

  “Not if you are unable to use it.” Lucas bowed his head. My apologies, but my loss is profound. I am not fit for battle.”

  “Useless,” Brandon breathed heavily and then yelped. “Hey! Be careful, Debbie. It hurts enough.”

  “Sorry.” She smirked. “There’s no reason to call anyone useless. That won’t help us save Abe, if we can save him.”

  “This tattoo on my foot is the extent of my knowledge of magic.” I looked at their faces. “Any suggestions that don’t include magic?”

  There was none.

  An idea suddenly hit me. Again, police procedure might be what would save us.

  “You know, Abe always has his phone with him. If he has it now, we could locate him.”

  “I’ll go check,” Debbie said.

  “Not necessary.” I stopped her.

  “What have you got in mind?” Brandon asked.

  “You work on Abe’s electronics. You’re always looking for his phone. Do you have that app that helps you find it?”

  He thought about it. “Sure. I can find his phone.”

  “That’s all we need. Let’s go to the mortuary.”

  “What about the bodies?” Debbie asked.

  “They’ll have to wait until we find out what happened to Abe. He may still be alive.” I closed all the doors to the rooms. “Let’s not forget to lock the door on the way out. We don’t want to explain this to the police.”

  * * *

  We went back to the mortuary, and I tried to wait patiently as Brandon searched his laptop for the information that would show us where Abe’s phone was. Debbie tried calling Abe again. Still no response.

  “He must be dead.” Brandon kept looking for the location of the phone on the screen. “He always answers his phone.”

  “He didn’t answer it yesterday,” Debbie said. “I think he’s been distracted.”

  “Mayhap Abe cannot locate the device you seek,” Lucas suggested. “I truly believe we would not be having this discussion if Abe were dead.”

  “Yeah. The magic. Gotcha.” Brandon nodded at him, but didn’t take his eyes from the laptop screen.

  There was a knock on the fro
nt door. “I’ll get it. Are you expecting someone?” I asked.

  “You know we don’t do business that way,” Brandon answered. “Probably some looky-loos. We get them all the time. They want to set up a funeral, or buy a coffin. Just say no.”

  He was right. It was an older man and woman. They were both zombies who were looking for Abe.

  “We’re supposed to report back today,” the old man said. “We went to the tattoo place. No one was there.”

  “Just consider this a freebie, and have a nice day,” I said. “Someone will come for you soon enough.”

  The old man wasn’t sure, but the woman was. She thanked me, and pulled at his sleeve until he started walking away.

  That was a surprise. They had to be in their eighties at least. Why had Abe made them both zombies?

  I went back to Brandon’s office just as he yelled, “Ha!”

  “Did you find the app?” Debbie asked.

  “Yes. And I already found Abe’s phone. He’s bound to be close by it.”

  Debbie took out her cell phone. “Quick. I have GPS. Tell me the address.”

  Brandon read from the screen. “825 Dogwood Lane. It’s outside the city. Wandering Lake.”

  My heart had already zoomed up into my throat. “Are you sure? Check again.”

  “I don’t need to.” He showed me the screen. “This is where Abe’s cell phone is right now. The ghoul might be there too.”

  “Something wrong, lady?” Lucas frowned as he looked at me.

  “That’s my house. That’s the inn where we live.”

  “Mary knows you live there.” He squeezed my shoulder. “She knew where to hurt you.”

  I was numb, but ready to take on the ghoul again with a new vengeance. “Get the swords. Let’s go.”

  Chapter Thirty-one

  We took the van and parked a few doors down from the inn at an old produce stand that was only open a few months in the summer. Every moment that I knew the ghoul was at my house with Kate was agony.

  She could have already been dead. I braced myself for that possibility.

  No. I’d feel it. She’s not dead. Not yet.

  I had to trust that inner voice. Thinking she was alive was the only thing that was going to get me through this.

  Lucas was instructing Brandon and Debbie in the use of a sword. I could see by the looks on their faces that they were scared and unsure of what they could do to help the situation. Both of them had seen the power and ferocity of the ghoul. We’d all been lucky to survive the attack.

  “What about the magic?” Brandon asked Lucas. “Are you up to speed on that yet?”

  He shook his head. “I swear I shall do what I can. I hope that we can distract her long enough to accomplish her demise. If not, we may all be lost.”

  “I brought this little beauty with me too.” Brandon held up a small revolver. “It could be a distraction.”

  “But not much of one,” I cautioned. “I don’t know if anyone at the shop tried to shoot her. I did. It was like the bullets barely grazed her. She shrugged it off, and came after me.”

  “Yes, but with two guns, and I have the stun gun,” Debbie said, “Surely we can make a difference. We have to, right?”

  “That’s right.” Everything inside of me felt like sawdust. The taste of it was dry in my mouth. There wouldn’t be anything left of me if something happened to Kate.

  “We shall retrieve her.” Lucas put his arms around me. “There is a way, though I know not what that might be as yet.”

  I nodded, and moved away from him. It wasn’t that I didn’t appreciate the gesture. I couldn’t handle feeling any emotions at this point. I was afraid I might break down from it.

  “Let’s stay focused.” I looked at my three-man assault team. “Follow me to the house. We’ll be going in from a side entrance that hasn’t been used in a while. Stay close together, and keep it quiet. Once we get inside, we’ll have to take stock of the situation.”

  “What do you want me to do?” Debbie asked.

  “I want you to get Kate out of the house.” I looked into her eyes. “That’s the only thing you have to do.”

  “You need me to fight, Skye. There must be something else I could do, and you could get Kate to safety. You’re her mother. She’ll trust you.”

  “Give me your word that you won’t try and do anything else, Debbie. Focus on Kate, and getting her out. Okay?”

  She nodded. “All right. If you think that’s best, that’s what I’ll do. You can count on me.”

  “Brandon, you stay with me. Don’t be afraid to use the sword and the gun if you have to,” I said.

  “You don’t have to worry about me.” He grinned. “I know how to kill things.”

  I looked at Lucas. “This may be it. We need your magic.”

  “I can only promise to do what I can. I, too, know how to kill things.”

  “Then let’s go.”

  The four of us climbed out of the van. We’d had the light on inside as we’d been talking and planning our attack. Outside it was dark, no moon in the sky.

  There were a few outside lights on the houses around the inn. It was enough to give us an idea of where we had to go. There was a large streetlight in the parking area behind the inn. It was there to help late visitors find their way inside.

  It was quiet too. No wind disturbed the tall pines or blew the smoke coming from chimneys around us. I wished I’d done some research on ghouls earlier. Maybe I’d know if they had extra-sharp hearing or night vision.

  The only person who might know that was Abe. He was probably somewhere in the house too. I couldn’t worry about him—not until Kate was safe. He’d brought this on himself, and the rest of us. I understood why he’d done it. I might have done the same thing with Jacob.

  But he wasn’t the innocent in this venture. I had to keep Kate alive at all costs. I couldn’t even consider that something could happen to her.

  I was partly to blame for this too, I reminded myself. I’d known the job could be dangerous, and I hadn’t planned for it. That wouldn’t happen again.

  My cell phone rang as we were crossing the road. I had it on silent mode, but I felt the vibration. I knew what it was without looking.

  “Mommy?” Kate’s voice calm and unaffected by whatever was going on around her. “There’s a woman here who wants to talk to you. She says you know her.”

  “Put her on.” I gritted my teeth as I felt Lucas’s eyes on me. “What do you want?”

  “Same thing I wanted this morning—your head with some dumplings.” Mary’s voice was slurred.

  “Where are you?” I didn’t want to give her a head’s up on what was going on. Let her think I was back at the mortuary.

  “At your house. Interesting babysitter, by the way. I hope it won’t take you long to get here.”

  “Where’s Abe?”

  The connection went dead in my hand. I wanted to smash the phone on the street. I was going to kill that crazy ghoul. She couldn’t mess with my family and get away with it.

  “Your daughter?” Lucas whispered.

  “Yes. And Mary. She doesn’t know we’re here, not yet anyway.”

  “Then we have at least some advantage.”

  “Yes.”

  Lucas took my hand. “I cannot promise what I do not know that I have, but I shall give my life to help you.”

  “Thanks.” I could barely think or talk. I wanted to race into the house like a crazy person, and keep shooting Mary until she was dead. I fought to find some measure of calm. I reminded myself of our strategy, focusing on that instead of my fear.

  I wished I could shake Lucas until magic came out of him. I knew he wasn’t holding back on purpose. I knew he wanted to help. We needed him so desperately. I wasn’t even sure what I expected him to do. Abe’s explanation of a sorcerer paralyzing the ghoul was nebulous.

  I had a kind of ‘why me’ moment as I approached the house. Why didn’t Mary go after one of the other zombies? Why pick me ou
t of the group?

  There was an old storm cellar with an outside entrance at the inn. It hadn’t been used since I’d known Jacob and his family. My plan was to sneak in that way. If I could get into the house before Mary knew we were there, Debbie might be able to get Kate out.

  Debbie was the best one for that job, I considered, as we approached the house. She wasn’t a great fighter, but she was a good mother. I knew I could count on her.

  Ironically, it was the turret room on the third story—the one where Lucas was staying—that blocked the light from the backyard to the storm cellar. There was barely enough light to see where we were going.

  I could hear Brandon panting, and smell the fear coming from us all. I hoped the ghoul would be too surprised to notice.

  There was some overgrowth covering the old wood door to the storm cellar. Dead shapes of fall flowers that hadn’t survived the first frost lined the foundation. I had to get through that first.

  This mass of dead foliage had never been here when Addie was alive. She had loved her yard. It was always perfect.

  I wasn’t good with rose bushes and cherry trees. Anyone could see that by the hopeless state of the property. Everything was overgrown, or dead. If it could survive by itself, it flourished. If not, it was gone.

  The door squeaked a little when I finally got it open. I climbed down into the darkness, the sword in my hand, gun tucked in my waistband. If Mary heard us, and we could have it out down here, that would be okay too.

  The old stairs were wobbly, barely held together. Webs of long-dead spiders festooned the area. I used the sword to push them out of the way. The smell of old apples and dirt assailed my senses.

  A whisper of sound, and a quick breeze swirled past me. I looked back, and Lucas pushed me to the dirt floor.

  “She knows we are here.” His voice was close to my ear.

  Brandon yelled, and Debbie cried out a warning that was strangled in her throat.

  “Debbie?” I called.

  “She’s gone.” Lucas helped me to my feet. “Brandon too. She took them both.”