[Charlie Rhodes 06.0] The Incubus Impasse Read online

  “Except witches are usually female,” I argued. Even though it wasn’t a weighty discussion, it felt relatively normal to debate a topic like this with him. I liked it. “I’m not being sexist and saying that there are no male witches — New Orleans is filled with male brujos, for example — but most witches are female.”

  “What does that have to do with anything?”

  “There was sexual contact with all our victims,” I reminded him. “We have to be dealing with a male.”

  “Huh. I hadn’t considered that.” He leaned back in his chair and stroked his chin. “Still, it could be a male witch.”

  “It could,” I acknowledged. “The thing is, everything I’ve read about witches — and it’s a lot — seems to suggest their magic is rooted in the four elements: earth, air, water, fire. There’s rarely a sexual component to it.”

  “Your ghosts are anchored in the water,” he pointed out. “That’s water magic, right?”

  I tilted my head, considering. “Maybe, but ... no.” I shook my head. “I don’t think that’s what we’re dealing with. Obviously I can’t know with absolute certainty, but I don’t believe that’s the sort of magic we’re dealing with.

  “Those souls aren’t anchored to the water,” I continued. “They anchored to the creature that killed them. He clearly has an affinity for water. That’s the tie.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “No, but it’s what I feel.”

  “That’s good enough for me.” He planted his feet on either side of mine and grinned at me over the table. “It was a minor fight, but that should make you happy, huh?”

  I returned the smile. “It was a start.”

  “We’ll get back to where we were,” he promised, earnest. “I just don’t want to push things too fast and too hard right now. It feels wrong.”

  He didn’t have magic at his disposal, but his instincts weren’t something to be ignored. “That’s good enough for me,” I supplied. “Even though I know I’m stepping on your line, I truly believe we’re going to be okay.”

  “That we are.” He was silent for a beat and then changed the subject. “So ... what’s the deal with you and fish tacos? They’re awesome. I think you should give them a try.”

  “I don’t like fish unless it’s cod.”

  He made a face. “That’s not real fish ... and I’ve seen you eat a pile of crab legs bigger than your head.”

  “Ah, but that’s different.” I wagged my finger in a chiding manner. “I love seafood. I like all kinds of seafood, in fact. Lobster, mussels, clams, scallops, shrimp and crab. I could eat those every day for the rest of my life and be happy. But fish is gross.”

  “Fish is brain food.”

  “Well, you said I was smart, so I obviously don’t need brain food. I’ll leave that to you.”

  He scowled. “I won’t forget you said that.”

  I shrugged.

  We held each other’s gazes and grinned like idiots. Slowly but surely we were getting back to where we were. It was a relief.

  AFTER A FILLING LUNCH, JACK led me down to the water’s edge, to a small bar where the locals kicked back and enjoyed beers while watching television and commenting on the state of commercial fishing.

  Jack pointed me toward a table and I obediently sat. He seemed determined to find someone with a boat even though I believed kayaks were the perfect solution. He’d vetoed that idea relatively quickly, and I was still saucy about it.

  He ordered iced teas at the bar and carried them to the table, relaxing in a chair across from me so he could survey the crowd.

  “See anyone you want to hit on?” I asked dryly.

  He shot me a look. “You’re so funny.” He poked my side and then turned back to the crowd. “Those guys.” He inclined his head toward two men who were whooping it up near the bar as they drank and enjoyed a basket of fries. “They’re the ones we want.”

  “How do you know that?” I was genuinely curious. “I mean ... how do you know they even have a boat?”

  “Because they’re wearing boat shoes and the one closest to us has an anchor tattoo.”

  “I’ve always wanted a raven tattoo,” I argued. “That doesn’t make me an ornithologist.”

  The look he shot me was withering. “That right there was the most pain-in-the-ass thing you’ve said since New Orleans. Under normal circumstances I would give you grief for it. I’m happy to see it today.”

  “That’s all well and good, but it doesn’t change the fact that you can’t possibly know they have a boat just by looking at them.”

  He rolled his eyes and then cleared his throat to get the men’s attention. “Excuse me, my girlfriend and I were just talking about hiring a boat to take us around for a bit. I don’t suppose you’re for hire.”

  I had to give him credit. He didn’t even ask if they had a boat. He simply pushed forward as if it was a foregone conclusion.

  “We might be,” one of the men replied, turning serious as he glanced between us. “What did you have in mind?”

  “Just a trip around Folly Beach,” Jack replied. “In fact, if you’re busy here, I wouldn’t mind renting your boat and taking her out myself. I’m willing to pay whatever you’re asking.”

  That’s when I realized what he was doing. He wanted to come to a bar because he thought he could bamboozle drunken guys — the sort of guys who got plowed in the middle of the day — and convince them to hand over the keys to their boat. It was a bold move, but it wasn’t going to work.

  “We’re not just going to let you take our boat,” the second man said on a snort. “We’re not idiots.”

  Jack faltered. “I’m willing to pay whatever you’re asking.”

  “Perhaps you should buy your own boat then. Ours isn’t for sale. If you want a ride tomorrow morning when we’re sober, we’ll take you. We don’t go out while we’re drunk. And we certainly don’t hand over our boats to people we just met.”

  I tried to keep my smugness in check as I slid Jack a look. “So ... how do you feel about kayaks again?”

  His expression was dour. “We’ll go down to the beach and ask. The thing is ... I’m a little nervous about the kayaks. What if you fall in?”

  “I’m good on a kayak.”

  “Yeah, but you’re a trouble magnet. If something bad is going to happen on a kayak, it’s going to happen to you.”

  Sadly, he wasn’t wrong. “It will be fine.” I was almost positive that was true. “Or, well, it might be fine. Let’s give it a shot anyway.”

  Fourteen

  We ended up renting kayaks after all. I was excited, but Jack was a nervous pile of goo after we changed and prepared to head out.

  “Don’t fall in,” he warned as he gave me a light shove to get going.

  I cast him an amused look over my shoulder. “I’ve kayaked before. I’ll be fine.”

  “In the ocean?”

  “No, but ... I’ll still be fine.” Something occurred to me. “Have you never kayaked before?”

  Annoyance, quick and fast, colored his features. “I’m good.”

  “That wasn’t really an answer.” I struggled to keep my kayak in place as he settled into his. “If you don’t want to do this because you’re afraid ... .”

  “I’m not afraid,” he practically barked. “I’m athletic. How hard can this be?”

  I pressed my lips together and faced forward. “Let me know if you need help.”

  He grumbled something under his breath that I couldn’t make out, but within a few minutes we were well on our way. True to his word, his athletic ability helped him catch on fast. There was just one thing.

  “I don’t want to nitpick,” I said when he drew even. “I really don’t. I’m not one of those women who feels that’s ever the way to approach things.”

  “But?”

  “But you’re using the paddle wrong.” I felt like a jerk for pointing it out. “Flip it around. You’ll get blisters on your hands if you keep using it that way.”
/>   Jack studied the paddle for a bit and then flipped it over, testing it. Instead of being angry about the shift in the effort he had to expend, he was subdued. “This is better.”

  “I’m glad.”

  “I’m also sorry for giving you grief. I just ... I’m not used to being the one who has to be taught something.”

  That was probably hard for him to admit. That didn’t mean I was going to let him off the hook. “I bet there are loads of things I can teach you.”

  I didn’t realize the statement could be construed as dirty until his lips curved and he shot me a flirty wink. “I’m looking forward to those lessons.”

  I was mortified. “I didn’t mean ... um ... .”

  “Oh, no.” He shook his head, firm. “You can’t take it back now. You said it. I expect a proper lesson this evening. I hope you have a good lesson plan ready.”

  My cheeks were on fire and it wasn’t because of the sun. I forced my attention on the water and tried to pretend I hadn’t said something so embarrassing. “The ghosts are this way.”

  Jack caught on quickly and within a few minutes, he was taking the lead. He definitely had athleticism on his side and I tried not to be bitter about the fact that he was suddenly better than me despite this being his first outing.

  The brilliant sunshine made it difficult for me to find the ghosts. There were few landmarks — a few buoys here and there and the pier — but they weren’t much help. After thirty minutes of fruitless searching, my frustration erupted.

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Calm down,” Jack ordered as we took a moment to rest. He reclined in his kayak, his feet resting on top of the vessel, and closed his eyes. “This is nice. I love the smell of the ocean. I know that probably sounds weird, but I totally do. I think I would want to settle close to the ocean eventually.”

  The conversational shift threw me. “Are you planning to leave the Legacy Foundation?”

  “No. I’m happy where I am right now. I don’t foresee this being a forever job, though. I mean ... I like the travel for now. I especially like it now that you’re with me, but I wouldn’t mind a house of my own instead of a condo or apartment one day.”

  I hadn’t given it much thought. I worked as hard as humanly possible while in school because I knew I had only one shot at getting everything I’d ever wanted. The Rhodes were hardly poor, and when they died they left enough money for me to attend school, but if I screwed up there would be no second chance. That meant my education was the most important thing. Once I found out about the Legacy Foundation that became my primary focus. I wanted to enjoy my accomplishment. But now Jack was making me think about other things.

  “What would you do?” I asked finally, my eyes focused on the water as I tried to make out an ethereal form to direct us toward. “You probably have a lot of options. I’m not trained for much else than this.”

  When he didn’t immediately respond I turned my head and found him watching me in such a way that I felt self-conscious. “What?”

  “We’ll figure it out,” he said finally. “If you want to stay with the Legacy Foundation forever, we’ll make it work. But don’t sell yourself short. You’re the most talented person I know. You can do whatever you want.”

  The sentiment in his eyes made me go warm all over. “That’s a nice thing to say.”

  “I’m a nice guy.”

  His delivery made me laugh. “You are, even though when we first met you went out of your way to hide that fact. You put on a big show about being mean and brusque, but you’re really a big marshmallow.”

  “I think I’m only a marshmallow for you. Everyone else who is terrified of me has earned it. Like Laura, for example. I don’t think she believes I’m a big marshmallow.”

  That brought up another interesting topic. “Do you think she’s trying to bring in a specific person to make our lives miserable? I mean ... she was pretty adamant when she made the request for another team member.”

  “Since it’s Laura, I doubt she has good intentions. That said, if we had another team member we wouldn’t ever have to deal with her. I’ve been trying to get Chris to fire her, but he won’t consider it because of the number of complaints she’s filed with Human Resources. He says it could lead to a lawsuit ... and nobody wants that.”

  “It’s too bad she won’t quit,” I mused, something on the water catching my attention. I had to shade my eyes to get a better look.

  “That would be the ideal outcome,” Jack agreed. “She’s smart, though. She knows how to play the game. She won’t quit because then she won’t get unemployment. In addition to that, she can’t make our lives miserable if she willingly walks away and her whole reason for being these days seems to be to torture us.”

  He wasn’t wrong. “I think I see something that way, over by the lighthouse. Can we check it out?”

  He nodded. “We have the kayaks for another two hours. If this doesn’t work, we’ll have to arrange something on a boat even if it puts us in a precarious position. I don’t see a way around that.”

  “You have the business card from those two guys,” I pointed out as I started paddling. “They said they would take us out once they were sober.”

  “Yeah, but explaining what we’re looking for — and why you’re going to talk to thin air — is bound to make them suspicious. It would be better if we could just rent a boat.”

  “And why is that a problem again?”

  “Because I need to use the Legacy Foundation insurance to cover us, and to get access to it I have to tell Chris what we’re doing. That’s not exactly high on my to-do list.”

  I could agree with him on that. “Well, maybe we’ll luck out here.”

  We navigated the kayaks to the small island surrounding the lighthouse because it was too hard to keep them even in the current. When we beached on what was essentially a large square full of rocks, I immediately turned in the direction of where I thought I saw the ghosts ... and wasn’t disappointed. “There.” I pointed. “She’s right there.”

  Jack moved to my side, his eyes alert as he scanned the area for signs of other people. “I think we’re alone out here. Try talking to her.”

  “She’s, like, thirty feet from the shore.”

  He shrugged, noncommittal. “She’s a ghost, right?”

  “Um ... yeah.”

  “Then she should have superhuman hearing.”

  “How do you figure that?”

  “It’s a fact ... that I just made up.” He grinned as he prodded me forward. “Try. I don’t know how we’re going to get the kayaks to the spot they need to be and I’m not keen about swimming out there.”

  “The current is too much,” I agreed. “We might get battered in the process. Unless ... maybe the water isn’t that deep.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Does your phone work out here? Can you look up the history of the lighthouse? Maybe we’ll get lucky and the water isn’t that deep. We might be able to walk right out there.”

  Jack didn’t look convinced, but he was game to try. He retrieved his phone, which he’d wisely wrapped in a plastic bag for the trip in case we tipped, and started searching.

  “Sit down for a few minutes,” he suggested, motioning toward the uncomfortable looking ground. “We can at least be comfortable while we look this stuff up.”

  I dropped next to him, pressing close to his side so I could see the phone screen. It wasn’t cold, but the wind was strong enough it felt a good ten degrees cooler than it had when we set out. “Anything?”

  “Hold your horses, baby.” He grinned when I made a face and kissed my cheek. “Just let me look. I have service, but it’s only one bar so it’s taking a while.”

  That was to be expected, so I forced myself to feign patience.

  “It’s called the Morris Island Lighthouse,” he started. “This base is timber piling and concrete, which could explain why it’s so uncomfortable.”

  Ugh. That was such a man thing. “I�
�m more interested in the history of the lighthouse,” I prodded. “Building supplies don’t exactly blow up my skirt.”

  “Oh, is skirt blowing going to be part of the lesson you teach me later?”

  And I was back to being embarrassed. I had no doubt he said it to shut me up so he could read. Frankly, I had it coming, so I kept quiet ... just barely.

  “This was originally a much larger island,” he said, suddenly all business. “It was constructed in 1876 and was approximately twelve-hundred feet from the water’s edge. Further construction to protect the shipping lanes changed the current, though, which resulted in rapid erosion.

  “It hasn’t been manned since 1938 and was replaced in 1962,” he continued. “Hurricane Hugo took out all the surrounding buildings in 1989, leaving just the tower.” He glanced up. “That’s kind of sad. I hate it when old buildings are basically abandoned.”

  And that was also a guy thing. “How shallow is the water?” I felt as if I was asking the question into a void.

  He laughed at my response. “You are the most impatient woman.” He playfully pinched my flank. “It says there’s shallow water surrounding the island but it doesn’t say how deep it gets or how fast. The only mention of the water depth I can find is from kayak enthusiasts.”

  “That means it’s worth a shot.” I was already on my feet and moving toward the edge of the structure. “I’ll check it out. You wait here.”

  “Absolutely not.” He caught me around the waist before I could plunge into the water. “Look around, Charlie,” he chided, his lips directly next to my ear. “There’s a bunch of marine life around here.”

  I followed his finger as he pointed. “Those are dolphins.” My heart stuttered at the sight of the fins but I settled quickly. “They won’t give us grief.”

  “No, but if dolphins are here, other marine animals probably are, too. I know you’re not a fan of sharks. After what happened in Florida, neither am I.”

  My heart gave a small heave, but I held it together. “South Carolina hasn’t had a fatal shark attack in a hundred and seventy years.”