Haunted Hearts

Old Flames Die Hard

Audra stepped into the four-room mobile home converted into a sheriff’s station and looked around trying not to let her disappointment show. She let the briefcase in her hand rest on the edge of the sheriff’s desk that was no more than six feet from the front door. There were two other desks in the room marked for a secretary and a deputy, but no one else was there. The walls were decorated with various maps of the town and an ancient filing cabinet took up nearly half of the wall behind the sheriff’s desk.

She pointed to the empty desks questioningly. “Lunch break?”

“Actually we recently lost our deputy to the police academy,” he said. “I haven’t gotten around to finding a replacement just yet. Things are usually too slow to justify a secretary.”

Audra nodded, taking in the small space and its proximity to the front door. “Is there a more secure area we can talk and eat?” she asked, lifting her Bishop’s to-go plate.

He smiled and pointed her to the hallway. She followed it to the back meeting room, a square table with eight seats nearly filling it, and took a seat opposite of the door. Ethan sat across from her as she opened the briefcase and pulled out four separate files, lining them up in order from the first murder to the last.

She took a small breath as she set the briefcase aside and opened the first victim’s file.

“Amanda Price of Boston, Massachusetts,” she said and looked at the girl’s postmortem mug shot. Laid out on the medical examiner’s slab, her skin was grayish pale and her dark hair was pulled back off of her lean face. The bruising from her own fingernail scratching as well as the strange burn marks around her neck stood out in the photograph like a gruesome necklace.

Ethan took the file and flipped through the first few pages of the report. He put it down and picked up the next, opening it.

“Jenifer Martin of Newark, New Jersey,” she cited as he took in an almost identical image of a dark haired girl with graying skin, fingernail scars and burns around her neck.

Audra opened her lunch and began to eat. She could not remember the last time she’d allowed herself to indulge in barbecue with a side of macaroni and cheese and cornbread.

Ethan flipped the remaining files open and looked at the pictures of Linda Parker of Charlotte, North Carolina and Regina Fowler of Savannah, Georgia.

“All were alone and in bed at the time of their murders, most likely asleep,” Audra said.

“They all look alike,” Ethan said in a low voice.

“A serial killer with a type,” Audra agreed. “A type that looks a lot like my sister.”

Ethan sat back as if a light bulb had gone off in his head. “Your sister was attacked like this, right?”

Audra nodded.

“You think these are connected to your sister?” he asked, as if he had already suspected as much.

“I do,” she finally said aloud for the first time.

“Okay, tell me again about your sister’s case.” Ethan turned stone cold serious. His face was set in an intense yet calm pose that said he was listening to her words, reading between the lines, and watching her body language as she recited the details of her sister’s case.

“I ran to my sister’s room after hearing a crash. She was up in the air grabbing for her throat. When I flipped on the light she fell back onto the bed. No one else was there. I called 9-1-1 and tried my best at CPR. She was almost nine months pregnant at the time.”

“How is she now?” he asked.

“She’s still in a coma,” Audra said. “Nothing has changed in the past thirteen years.”

“It wasn’t declared to be specter related was it?” Ethan asked.

“No, specters weren’t known about then. It was labeled an unexplained phenomena.”

“Where is she now?”

“My mother moved from New York back to Boston when dad died about a year ago. She had Kendra transferred to a long-term care hospital,” Audra said.

“My condolences,” Ethan said quietly.

“Thank you.”

“Boston. The same city as the first victim,” Ethan observed. “Was your sister ever in Newark or these other places?”

“For a time we lived in Newark and Boston when we were kids, before my father was transferred to New York,” Audra said, unconsciously licking the barbecue from her fingers.

“Where are your sister’s husband and your niece now?” Ethan asked.

“They are in Boston with his new wife. I still see Kendra on occasion, especially her birthday. But it’s painful,” Audra concluded.

“Oh, Rook,” Ethan whispered. It was the nickname he’d given her their first day together as partners. “As far as you know there is no connection between your sister and this town?”

“The only thing that has any meaning to me here is you,” Audra said and she could not hide the emotion in her eyes from him. “And once again, I have to say that I do not believe in coincidence.”

“Me neither,” he assured her. “Maybe we should get you checked into the B&B,” Ethan said, standing and closing the files. He stacked them neatly and handed them to her. Audra took the time to wipe her hands with the single wet-nap supplied by Bishop’s takeout service and put the files back in the briefcase. She was relieved to finally have someone she trusted know what she was facing.

She packed up the remainder of her lunch and they left the station. She followed Ethan’s truck to the B&B and checked into a room. He followed her to her room and closed the door behind him. He didn’t ask and he didn’t wait for her to ask, just pulled her into a hungry kiss and she felt herself melt against him. He pulled away looking deeply into her eyes. He smiled and she appreciated the kindness and emotion he showed. It matched how she felt. He backed away from her, taking off his shirt and sitting on the edge of the bed.

His dark skin was pulled tight and rippled over his chest, arms, and abs. His low key t-shirt had hidden all of the fine-tuning and strength of his upper body. Audra stayed close to the wall. Now that he was there, in the flesh, she felt nervous. Sitting on her bed with his shirt off, she knew exactly where this was headed.

He smiled and reached a hand out to her. She walked closer to him, kicking her shoes off, and took his hand. It was as smooth and warm as she remembered. He pulled her to him and seated her on the bed as he looked into her eyes.

“I missed you Rook,” he said.

He reached a hand up and touched her cheek. She placed a hand over his and brought it to her mouth, kissing the palm of it. He reached out with his other hand to bring her head down to kiss her lips.

“Ethan,” she whispered, her voice swallowed by the deep and electric kiss that they shared.

She pulled off her suit jacket and he tugged her silk shirt over her head, dropping it to the floor. She felt goose bumps travel up her spine as his hands roamed over her back then folded her into an embrace. His skin felt like magic against her. Audra wrapped her arms around him and kissed him deeply as he unfastened her bra and let both hands travel to cup her breasts. She worked to unfasten her gun belt, setting it gently on the floor, then took off her specter shield and tossed it on top of her jacket, unbuttoning her pants and pushing them to the floor.

Ethan smiled as she straddled his lap. She felt his hands trace her body and her mind let go of everything. It was easy to be with him. Even though it had been such a long time, being in his arms again made it feel like only yesterday. He took his time and went slow, both of them savoring every moment together. She took note of a new scar on his right side, just above his hipbone. Touching it she looked him quizzically in the eye. He smiled and shrugged, pulling her into another kiss that led to a much-needed release for both of them.

They lay together afterwards for several minutes looking at each other. Audra saw him drifting off to sleep and let him. Rising from the bed, she was very careful not to wake him as she stepped into the bathroom and turned on the shower. She washed up slowly, recounting every moment of what had just happened, smiling as she blushed with the memories. Stepping from the shower to dry off, the reality of how bad it was that they slept together again began to sink in.

When she emerged from the bathroom she looked at the bedside clock. It was a quarter past five and Ethan slept as if dead to the world. She didn’t want to wake him and didn’t know if she would be able to cover up her raw feelings with the same nonsense of it not having to mean anything, because it did mean something to her. It always had.

She dressed quickly and left a note with the address to the Daylight Candle Shop. Strapping the specter shield onto her wrist, she thought that he might be pissed when he woke up, but she would cross that bridge when she came to it.

CHAPTER FOUR

Audra hopped in her car and noted that the air had begun to cool as a breeze whipped around her. She drove back across town to the square and parked in front of the Daylight Candle Shop. Stepping out of the car, she once again encountered the stares of locals. She quickly opened the shop door and was greeted by soft music and the scent of lavender. The shop was small but well-lit and Audra walked through the narrow aisles, perusing the shelves for a moment before the owner, Mackenzie Knox, stepped from the back.

“Oh... hello,” Mackenzie smiled brightly, warm and welcoming. “I didn’t hear the door. I apologize. Were you looking for anything in particular?” Mackenzie’s rich dark skin had a glow and if Audra had believed in auras, she would have associated that glow to the purity of the woman’s spirit. Instead, she waved those thoughts away and shook her hand.

“Yes, I’m Special Agent Audra Wheeler of the FBI special unit charged with bringing criminal specters to justice. I’m investigating the death of Gwyneth Miller and need to ask you a few questions,” Audra said, flashing her badge.

Mackenzie’s body tensed and she nodded. “Yes, she was in here two days before they found her. She came in, asked for what she wanted, paid, and then left. You think a specter killed her?” she asked doubtfully.

“I do,” Audra said.

Mackenzie pointed to a small reading table and took a seat, Audra following.

“Specters do not kill, Agent Wheeler,” Mackenzie said flatly. “They may cause trouble, they may be mischievous, they may even be a little scary at times, but they do not kill.”

“If they are insane they do,” Audra said.

Mackenzie looked at Audra intently. “Specters are not like us. Once the body is dead the spirit is always at peace, one with the universe. A specter cannot kill any more than the wind or the rain.”

“Have you ever heard of hurricanes?” Audra countered.

“That is nature, not murder,” Mackenzie pointed out. “But, I can tell this has burdened you for a long time.”

Audra raised an annoyed eyebrow. “I just need to ask you a few questions about the day Gwyneth came into your shop.”

“Let me have your hands,” Mackenzie said, ignoring her.

“Why?”

“This case is personal to you.”

“Why do you say that?” Audra felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise.

“I know things,” Mackenzie answered.

“Like what?”

“Something about a sister,” Mackenzie said, closing her eyes. “But, it is not entirely clear.”

Audra took a deep breath and figured it was worth a shot. She gave her hands to Mackenzie who turned her palms upward. Audra watched the woman’s face go through several emotional changes before Mackenzie finally put her hands back down.

“It is not a specter,” she repeated.

“Okay,” Audra said, unconvinced. “What do you think it is?”

“A presence of some kind.”

“What’s the difference?”

Mackenzie walked to a bookshelf and pulled out a small booklet. “This presence is not a dead person’s spirit but an energy of someone living.”

“Right, energy killed them.” Audra was skeptical even as she thought about the unexplained burn-marks on the victims’ throats.

“What I sense is that the energy is being used as a weapon,” Mackenzie continued.

Audra wondered how she had gotten all of that from her hands but prompted the woman to continue her line of thought. “By who?”

Mackenzie returned to the table with the booklet and sat back down. “If you can figure out why, then you will know who.”

“Okay?” Audra was confused. “So, someone is killing these girls, with energy. Forgive me if that sounds impossible.”

“So did a small town full of specters not too long ago.” Mackenzie opened the booklet to a beautifully colored chart of the human body and the chakras. “This chart is a way to explain and understand the harmony and balance between the body and its energy.”

Mackenzie flipped the page and pointed to a darker side of the same chart. “However, everything can be corrupted. If you can use this knowledge for clarity and transcendence, you can use the same information for evil.” She pointed to the top chakra. “This is the crown chakra. It is what connects us to our spirituality. It is how we reach inner and outer beauty and peace. However, there are some who use it for external power and control. It can be linked to telepathy, hypnotism, and even telekinesis and mind control. Whoever this presence is, they have taken it even further. Their thoughts are elevated into their outer energy and give it physical form in this realm.”

“How do you know this?”

“It’s a gift.”

“Right. If it is a person, how do I find out why they are doing this?” Audra asked. “There are no obvious connections between the victims.”

“There is a connection,” Mackenzie assured her.

“What?” Audra asked.

“I don’t know,” Mackenzie said. “What is one thing that is the same about all of them?”

“They all look alike,” Audra said.

“A lot alike?” Mackenzie asked and stood again. “Nearly identical?”

“Yes,” Audra said.

“Like doppelgangers?”

“Maybe?”

“Your sister is connected to all of this. Am I right?” Mackenzie asked.

“Yes, my sister was attacked in much the same way.”

Mackenzie closed her eyes and breathed in deeply.

“But your sister has not passed on,” Mackenzie stated, nodding as if she finally put a finger on something that puzzled her.

“No. She’s in a coma.”

“Do you look like your sister?” Mackenzie opened her eyes and looked at Audra intently.

“No, we don’t look anything alike. My parents adopted her because they thought they couldn’t have children. Then they had me in their later years, completely by surprise. I’m half black and my sister is completely white so we are like night and day in appearance,” Audra sighed.

Mackenzie nodded. “May I ask how the victims were killed?” she probed.

“Crushed windpipes.”

Mackenzie turned back to the dark chakra chart. She pointed to the throat. “This is the throat chakra. It is linked to our ability to communicate, expressing our feelings, and telling the truth. I would guess that the killer is trying to silence them and keep something quiet or secret,” Mackenzie reasoned.

“Before she died, Gwyneth purchased a candle from you, the Dry Spell Reliever,” Audra began.

Mackenzie smiled. “Would you like to try it?”

“No, thank you. How does it work?”

Mackenzie exhaled. “The candle calls a romantic specter,” she said. “When it is purchased the specter knows where to go and makes love to the person who lights it.”

“They can do that?” Audra asked.

“It takes time for them to master it but, yes.”

“Do you know this particular specter?”

“I do. He’s my grandfather.” She smiled. “He has nothing for you, but I know someone who does.”

“Who?”

Mackenzie looked around and then nodded to an empty space. Audra watched as the air took shape and an opaque specter manifested right in front of her. She reached for her specter shield and activated it. When she saw that the specter coming forward was none other than Gwyneth Miller she felt her entire body turn cold.

“Hello.” Gwyneth’s other worldly voice was light, hollow, and seemed somewhat amused.

“Hello, Gwyneth.” Audra paused before asking how she was doing.

“Agent Wheeler,” Gwyneth said and came towards her.

Mackenzie pushed out a chair for her and she took a seat.

“How long have you been here?” Audra asked.

“Since yesterday, I think.” She turned to Mackenzie for confirmation.

“You’ve been in this shop the entire time?” Audra asked, unnerved.

“Yes, I have.” Her voice fluctuated in clarity and volume. “You want to solve my murder?”

Audra took note of the humor in her voice.

“Do you want me to solve your murder?” Audra asked.

Gwyneth shrugged. “It won’t do me any good now will it? But, I suppose you could save another young lady. I wasn’t going to speak to you at first, but then I heard you say that your sister was adopted.”

“That’s right,” Audra said.

“The Sheriff adopted me also.” Gwyneth took a deep breath out of habit, Audra was sure. “I didn’t find out until I graduated from college. That’s when I found out that my birth mother was murdered too. That case was never solved.”

“Oh?” Audra felt an icy chill race up her spine. “When was this?”

“The day that I was born. She was strangled to death in the hospital. Very few people really knew what happened to her and I’d never heard anything of it before or since.”

“Oh,” Audra breathed. “What was her name?”

The specter seemed to sigh again. “Abigail Stevens.”

“What can you tell me about your attack?” Audra asked.

“I was asleep. The most blissful sleep after the specter came and…” Gwyneth giggled. “Then I felt these fingers, but it wasn’t like fleshy fingers. They felt more like skeletal fingers, bones, and they burned. I remember gasping. The air was different.”

“Different how?” Audra pressed her.

“It was cooler than usual, but dryer as well, and hard to breathe,” Gwyn said. “I felt myself lose consciousness and then I was rising from my body. No one was there. I didn’t know where else to go, so I came here.”

Audra nodded. “I see.”