Sue swiped at her eyes.
Demon?
She couldn’t ask the question.
Julia stared in her direction. Her form wavered like desert heat coming off a hot blacktop. Her voice sounded farther away. “Some things others can’t do for you. Remember that. Inner strength does not come from outside. It can’t be given.”
In a blink, Julia disappeared. The light stopped flickering and shone brightly on the stage.
Sue looked around the seating area. “Where did she go?”
“She’s said all she’s going to say,” Heather said. “The rest is up to us.”
“It’s late,” Lorna said. “We need sleep if we’re going to figure this all out.”
Vivien went to the boxes of candy and handed them out. “Eat. You’ll feel better after some sugar.”
Sue followed their example and put a piece of chewy candy in her mouth, even though she didn’t want to eat it. She was too shaken by what she’d seen.
“If it were me, I wouldn’t want to be alone,” Lorna said, picking the pillows up off the floor. “So, as long as Sue says yes, I’m voting slumber party.”
Sue nodded, relieved not to be alone for the night.
“Good, come on,” Heather took two of the pillows from Lorna and shuffled toward the stairs. “We’ll hit this problem with fresh brains in the morning.”
Chapter Nine
How Sue could fall asleep after such a night, she would never know for sure. Perhaps it was because she felt so drained after the séance and sharing of emotions. Hank, Julia, ghosts, séances, rings, magic, demons—what the hell was she supposed to do with all that? Have a mental breakdown?
The night had started so… strange, beautiful, hopeful? With Jameson, she was able to forget herself. Such a sweet and simple thing to forget and be in a moment.
Lorna, Heather, and Vivien had shared the bed while Sue took the couch. She was grateful for her new friends, her only friends really. Even though she was tired when she woke, she couldn’t fall back asleep and instead took a change of clothes down to the lobby to dress. She thought of Jameson and the store, wanting to see him and also wanting to do something nice for her friends. Lorna had brought her a few supplies the day before, but she didn’t have any real groceries to serve everyone breakfast.
Sue stared at the window where she’d seen Hank’s face, unable to force her hand to push the door open. She looked so hard her vision blurred the glass. Her heart beat a little too hard, thump-thump-thumping in her chest and throat and ears. She tried to breathe past the fear. Vivien had been right in her analogy. She was the scared horror movie teenager under the bed, watching the feet of her attacker in the moments before he grabbed her. It wasn’t a matter of if the attack would come, but when.
“Some things others can’t do for you. Remember that.”
Julia was right. She couldn’t ask the others to face Hank. He was her demon. They didn’t deserve to be dragged down with her.
“Okay, Hank,” she whispered, “I’m here but leave them—”
Movement in the glass proceeded a firm knock. Sue gasped and jumped back in fright. A uniformed officer waved at her from the sidewalk.
It took Sue a moment to react. The man motioned down to the door handle before giving it a small shake to show it was locked.
Sue forced herself to calm as she reached to open the door.
The officer stepped inside. “Morning, ma’am, I’m Officer Hill. I’m looking for Sue Jewel. She around?”
Sue nodded. “That’s me.”
Fucking Kathy.
“We had a call this morning from St. Louis asking us to do a wellness check on you,” Hill explained.
Sue forced a smile; it was an old habit to hide what she was feeling. “I’m well. Just here on a little vacation.”
“Glad to hear it. Would you mind if I take a look at your license so that we can tell St. Louis we definitely talked to the right woman?”
Sue nodded and drew her purse around to her front to dig inside. She pulled out her wallet.
“How are you enjoying our town?” Hill asked.
“It’s lovely,” Sue said. “I’m actually thinking of staying.”
Shit, why did I say that? What if Hill tells the St. Louis cop who then tells Kathy?
“Hm.” He nodded.
Sue handed him her license. “I’m sorry this ended up being a thing. I guess someone was worried about me. I texted her last night, and it should all be cleared up by now.”
“There seems to be some concern that you might do yourself harm,” Hill said as he wrote down her license number. “If you’re struggling, I can leave you the name of someone to talk to.”
“Thank you, but I promise I’m fine. My mother-in-law tends to fall on the dramatic side. She just lost her son, my husband, and…” Sue’s eyes went to the glass to search for Hank.
“I understand,” Hill said. “But I’m going to leave you that number just in case. Better to have it if you need it than not.”
“Thank you.” Sue forced her gaze back to the man.
“Glad to see you’re not in any danger, Mrs. Jewel. If that changes, be sure to give us a call. That’s why we’re here.” Hill handed her the license and a business card for a counseling center. He gave her a kind smile. “Welcome to Freewild Cove. I’m sure I’ll see you around.”
Sue doubted the police would appreciate a call to investigate a ghost attack.
“Thank you.”
The officer gave one last nod before pushing through the door. The cool morning breeze blew against her briefly as it shut. Her eyes followed the cop.
The door closed, and Hank’s sunken face reflected where the man had been. Sue made a weak noise and covered her mouth to keep from screaming. Hank grinned at her, his smile too large for his face and his dark eyes filled with a familiar sickness. He disappeared as quickly as he appeared.
“Who were you talking to?” Lorna suppressed a yawn as she moved to join her. She still wore her pajama pants. “Did someone try to show up early for their booking?”
“No, it’s nothing,” Sue dismissed.
Lorna went to the door and leaned into it, close to where Hank Had been. Sue gasped and started to reach out to stop her, but Lorna pulled away.
“Police?” Lorna asked in surprise. “What did they want?”
“My mother-in-law called them when she couldn’t find me,” Sue said. “I forgot to call and ask her permission before running out of my haunted house.”
Lorna frowned. “So she called the cops? That’s a little controlling, isn’t it?”
Sue shrugged. She kept an eye on the door to make sure Hank stayed out of the reflection. Maybe if she smashed the spirit glass she could get rid of him? How mad would Heather be? The twenty-thousand-dollar check in her purse would cover the damage.
“Sue?” Lorna touched her arm, jolting her out of her thoughts.
“The cop needed to make sure I wasn’t a danger to myself,” Sue said. “Kathy told them I was suicidal.”
“What?” Lorna frowned in annoyance. “You’re not suicidal.”