Chapter 10 #2
“I’m going to invite her over for wine once she gets settled in,” St. James said as they parted ways at Santiago’s home. “If you promise to be on your best behavior, I’ll invite you too.”
“I’ll be working…or sick…or…yeah just don’t invite me.”
After he cleaned his house, showered, and dressed, Santiago cooked a quick meal and called his aunt.
“Did you know about this?” he demanded as he walked onto his back porch and sat down with his third cup of coffee.
“This? What is the ‘this’ I should know about, mijo? And why does it take the place of being respectful to your elders?”
“Good morning aunty. Now, did you, or did you not, conspire with the hellion to keep it secret from me that she was moving into old Mrs. Willoby’s house?”
The shriek that pierced his ear made him distance his phone from his head.
“That little imp! To put Audrey through all that grief for nothing.”
“Audrey...really?” Because he distinctly remembered her crying in his arms when she’d believed Lauren had left.
“Ciate, you know nothing! I’m on my way.”
She hung up before he could discourage her.
And just like that, he’d contributed to the further ruination of his off day.
Placing the phone down on the table, his gaze drifted over to the Moor house.
The place was a hive of activity. Men he didn’t know carried paint buckets and construction equipment; there was a plumbing crew from town; and Sam Ferriday was over there installing security cameras on the second story roof line.
Before learning that someone had tampered with the previous owner’s life, he’d wondered why the devil incarnate needed protection, now he preferred her caution.
The whole town needed to be cautious. He felt it, the discordant chaotic energy cloaking the mountain, felt the threat of something dangerous lurking, watching.
He wanted to discount the feelings, but they were coming from his gut, and he knew better than to ignore the feelings that churned there.
He frowned at the Moor house. The Willobys had cleaned out their mother’s belongings and Ms. Green’s renovations had certainly destroyed any possibility that he’d find any additional evidence, but he felt compelled to confirm it before he moved on.
“Shit.” He never should’ve touched her again. Never should’ve threatened her again. He just couldn’t seem to maintain his control around her.
And he couldn’t understand why.
If he was going to be able to access the house again, he would need Ms. Green’s cooperation. A warrant was possible, but it was more time and paperwork, and he wasn’t likely to turn up anything new outside of Ms. Green’s portal to hell.
He grinned, then resolved to do better.
Making his way back over to the Moor house, he bypassed the back porch and walked along the side to get a better view of the work inside.
R they left it so full I couldn’t put anything in there if I wanted.”
He followed her to the second floor, stepping around her to release the stair ladder to the attic.
Resting his hip on the side, he smiled at her.
“You’re here for vengeance aren’t you? To get back at me?”
“That would be insane,” she said dryly.
He grinned. “It would be insane; glad we both agree.”
“You’re wearing out your welcome, Sheriff.”
“I’ll be outta your hair in a few, Ms. Green.” He smiled, heading up the rickety stairs.
“Everything okay up here, Lauren?”
Santiago paused, ducking down to see the man who’d addressed his neighbor with the protectiveness of a lover.
“Everything’s, fine Sam. The sheriff’s just making sure I don’t have any bats in the belfry.”
“Oh, you’ve got bats, you got a damn Dracula coffin full of them,” he muttered. She tried to cause him grave bodily injury by grabbing his ankle and pulling, but he shook her off and continued to climb.
“Sam, amigo,” he called back. “If you value your life, you will leave this place as soon as your work is done. The hellion will eat you alive and no one would ever find your bones.”
“No need to try and scare me off, Sheriff. I was just coming to tell Lauren the security system is up and running.”
Santiago tried to tune out Sam asking Ms. Green…Lauren, to follow him downstairs so he could show her how to operate the system.
Stepping into the shadowy room, Santiago pulled out his pen light and scanned the cluttered dimly lit space, then found the metal chain to turn on the naked bulb.
Outside, a horn blared in triplet, followed by two doors slamming and the voices of Ms. Audrey and Aunt Lina.
Santiago smothered a groan. He’d rather stay up here for the rest of the day than deal with the two of them fawning over that train wreck of a woman.
He didn’t get it. Why were folks so willingly drawn into her web of chaos? Normal people. People who should’ve known better. Walked right into it, got wrapped up, and devoured as she pleased.
“Won’t be me,” he muttered, sitting on a crate in the center of the room as he scanned it. There were two windows on opposite sides of the room. One facing the lake and one facing the front yard.
He rose and moved around a few items to get to the window overlooking the lake. He pulled back the doily-like curtain and saw child-sized handprints in the dust on the window and on the sill beneath it.
A cool breeze swept behind him, floorboards creaked. The fine hairs all over his body rose to attention.
“Be at ease,” Santiago said without turning, while stepping away from the window.
He’d been around the dead enough to know when a spirit wasn’t far. Though he wasn’t certain if it was the spirit of the Moor child, Deborah, or one of the many others who’d died in this house. He knew what that energy felt like.