[Charlie Rhodes 06.0] The Incubus Impasse Read online

  He pulled back to give me a long look. “How can you possibly know that?”

  “I looked it up this afternoon when it became apparent we were going to have to take kayaks. I might come across as brash and stupid sometimes, but I most certainly don’t want to be eaten by a shark.”

  “Well, that’s at least something.” He rolled his neck and stared at the water. “Do you know what kind of sharks are in the waters off Folly Beach?”

  I didn’t want to answer that question, but had no choice. “Blacktips, hammerheads, bull sharks, tiger sharks and lemon sharks.”

  He waited, as if testing me.

  “And the occasional Great White,” I added, sighing. “The odds of getting bitten by a shark are astronomical. Besides, I’ve already escaped one shark frenzy. It’s not likely to happen again.”

  “Probably not,” he agreed. “Some might say the odds of finding a girlfriend who can move things with her mind while psychically invading people’s brains are slim, too.”

  He had a point. Son of a ... ! “I need to try, Jack.” I couldn’t back down. Not when we were so close. “It will haunt me — no pun intended — if I don’t at least try.”

  “I wasn’t suggesting we not try. I just thought there might be a better route.”

  “And what’s that?”

  “We’ll go out on the same kayak.”

  I was confused. “How will that help?”

  “I can keep us balanced and fight the current while you talk to the ghost. That way you don’t have to split your focus and I don’t have to worry. If something happens and I feel we’re in too much danger I’ll move us back to the island. Those are my conditions.”

  I wanted to argue, but he made sense. “Okay, but I don’t want to hear any grief when I try to talk to her.”

  “I guarantee I won’t give you a hard time about it.”

  IT TOOK US A MINUTE TO FIGURE OUT the logistics, but once we were on the water, my back pressed firmly to Jack’s chest and his legs on either side of mine, it wasn’t all that uncomfortable.

  “To the right up here just a bit,” I ordered as we closed in on the ghost. She didn’t as much as look at me, her gaze fixed on the beach. As far as I could tell, she wasn’t aware that I was even sharing the same world with her. “Excuse me?”

  She didn’t look down. Ah, well, it was probably time to go for it. There was nothing to lose.

  “Um ... hi. I’m Charlie Rhodes. I’m with the Legacy Foundation and we’re trying to figure out who killed you. I’m kind of curious about how you ended up stuck out here and I was hoping you would be able to explain it to me. You know ... help me help you.”

  Behind me, Jack shook with silent laughter and I had to tamp down my agitation.

  “We want to help,” I insisted. “There has to be a way for you to communicate with us.”

  The ghost continued staring at the beach. She was the paranormal entity and yet, to her it was as if I was the one who wasn’t there.

  “Anything?” Jack asked.

  “No. She doesn’t even look at me.”

  “Do you know which one she is?”

  “I ... .” Honestly, that hadn’t even occurred to me. “No. I can look her up when we get back.”

  He rested his chin on my shoulder and waited. “What do you want to do? We can wait here a bit longer if you want.”

  I didn’t see where that would make much difference. “No. We can go back and get my kayak. I don’t think this is going to work.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  I shrugged, doing my best to put on a brave face. “At least I tried. I ... .” Whatever I was going to say died on my lips as the sound of a boat engine — extremely loud and close — assailed my ears.

  Jack gripped me tighter as he looked to the east. There, a sleek speedboat had come to life from behind the lighthouse and was speeding in the opposite direction. It moved so fast I barely had a chance to register it before it was gone.

  “Do you think it was there the whole time?” I asked.

  “I don’t know.” Jack glanced over his shoulder to make sure we weren’t about to take on any other surprises and then shook his head. “Did you catch the name? It was Knot something. Like Knot Sure or Knot Pure.”

  “I didn’t. Sorry.”

  “It’s okay.” He rubbed his hand over my stomach. “We need to get you back to your kayak and then head to shore. I want to see if I can start a search for the boat name. I don’t feel safe out here.”

  “Whoever that was might have nothing to do with us,” I reminded him.

  “Then why take off like that?”

  “Maybe they were illegally fishing or something. They might not have seen us until just now and panicked.”

  “Maybe.” He didn’t look convinced. “We’re going back anyway. You can’t communicate with the ghosts and we need to think up a new plan.”

  I was a little shaky so I readily agreed. “Yeah. Let’s get out of here. I’m sorry to have dragged you out for nothing.”

  “It wasn’t nothing.” He flashed a smile. “We spent a few hours together and you’re going to teach me something fun tonight. How can I complain?”

  I frowned. “You’re not going to let that go, are you?”

  “Nope.”

  I was afraid of that.

  Fifteen

  We showered and changed our clothes upon returning to the villa. When we made our way downstairs, the rest of the group was already assembled. One look at Laura’s face, the smug smile tugging at the corners of her lips, and I knew I wasn’t going to like what was to come.

  “We thought we’d all eat together tonight,” Chris announced. “That will allow us to catch up and share information.”

  I slid my gaze to Millie and found her scowling. She obviously didn’t like the idea.

  “Fine,” Jack volunteered. “There’s a barbecue place about two blocks away. We were thinking of that for dinner.”

  That was news to me, but I wasn’t about to argue. The way my stomach growled I could’ve eaten just about anything.

  “That sounds good.” Chris nodded, obviously relieved. He must’ve assumed that Jack was going to argue. When it didn’t happen, Chris was ready to agree with anything.

  We walked to the restaurant because it was easier than navigating Folly Beach traffic. Once the sun started to set, the streets came alive with revelers.

  “This must be a party town,” I noted as I walked with Millie. “Everyone is out drinking every night as if it’s spring break or something.”

  She laughed. “It’s a beach town. The bulk of the money coming in is from tourists. When they’re on vacation, they want to cut loose and have a good time. That bar right there, it has a rooftop spot and serves alcohol in fish bowls. I mean ... what’s not to like about that?”

  She had a point. “Fish bowls?” I glanced over my shoulder, to where Jack and Bernard were walking and talking. He’d obviously overheard because he nodded. That meant there was a fish bowl in my future and I was looking forward to it.

  “They’re good drinks,” Millie enthused. “Bernard and I had several last night.”

  THE BARBECUE PLACE WAS one of those wooden tables, open windows, wonderful smells places that beckoned me from the street. My stomach gave an appreciative growl and I practically skipped through the door.

  It wasn’t difficult to find a table because it was mid-week and I had a menu in my hand within two minutes. There was a moment of potential static when Laura tried to wedge herself between Jack and me to sit, but he edged her out with his hip and then pretended nothing had happened.

  “I want ribs,” he said without hesitation. “There’s nothing better than southern ribs. I swear I dream about them sometimes.”

  I snickered in genuine amusement. “I don’t know what to get.”

  “Ribs,” Jack and Bernard said at the same time.

  “It’s considered rude if you don’t get ribs at a barbecue place,” Jack added.

  I furrowed my
brow. “Is that true?”

  Mille snorted. “They’re messing with you. Men like meat on bones. They can’t help it. That’s the caveman in them.”

  Jack growled, as if he was a caveman and grinned. He was in a surprisingly good mood. Of course, that was probably because he was about to eat barbecue.

  “There’s a sampler plate,” I noted. “I think I might try that so I can get a little of everything.”

  From across the table, Laura wrinkled her nose. “They only have corn and beans for side items. That’s not very healthy.”

  “No, but it will be fragrant,” Bernard offered.

  I couldn’t stop from laughing as Laura made a face. “Who doesn’t love beans?” I asked no one in particular.

  “I don’t,” Laura snapped. “I hate all this food. I don’t see why we couldn’t have gone to the hotel restaurant. They had a bunch of good stuff.”

  “I saw what they were offering,” Millie countered. “It was all tiny portions and expensive prices. I don’t care about the cost, but I like bigger portions.”

  “Anyone who has ever seen your hips could attest to that,” Laura muttered loudly enough that no one could miss the overdose of derision.

  Millie shot her a dirty look as Chris cleared his throat in an attempt to rein in the conversation.

  “Why doesn’t everyone tell me about their day?” he suggested. “Let’s start with Hannah.”

  It didn’t surprise me that he went to her first. She really was the level-headed sort. She rarely participated in group meltdowns and she was the professional in the group.

  “I got to go over the autopsy results for each of our victims,” she announced. “There was a lot of interesting stuff in there, but I had to dig. They probably thought I wouldn’t notice, but once I picked up on it I searched each file and it was definitely there.”

  “What are we talking about?” Jack asked, leaning back and stretching his legs out in front of him. “Were they poisoned? I thought there was no discernible cause of death.”

  “There isn’t. That hasn’t changed. It’s not that organs failed as much as these women simply stopped breathing. It happened fairly quickly. The lungs didn’t look taxed. The skin under the fingernails didn’t turn blue. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

  “And yet you found something,” I prodded. “What?”

  “There’s an unidentifiable compound in the blood of each woman,” Hannah replied, leaning closer and talking in a conspiratorial whisper. “I’m not sure what it is, but I’ve sent samples to the lab in Boston. An extra set of eyes can’t hurt.”

  “You must have an idea what we’re dealing with,” Jack pressed. “You wouldn’t be this excited if you didn’t have a hypothesis.”

  “I do,” she confirmed. “From what I’ve been able to see under a microscope, it seems to have the same properties as a sleep aid ... not the ones you can buy over the counter. We’re talking the narcotic type.”

  “They had narcotics in their blood?” I was beyond confused.

  “As I said, I can’t identify it ... at least not yet. I just know it has a lot in common with a narcotic sleep aid. That’s all I can say with any certainty right now.”

  I ATE TO THE POINT I hated myself. Again. I didn’t have much control over my hunger when faced with something delicious. Jack and Bernard had been right. The ribs were delightful. As was the brisket ... the steak ... the corn ... the beans ... and the slice of chocolate cake that was as big as my head.

  We split up after dinner even though Laura had her full pout on. She suggested we go to the bar as a group but nobody was keen on the idea. Chris and Hannah went straight back to the villa. They weren’t much for drinking. Bernard and Millie went to the Irish pub because they were having karaoke and Millie liked to get her sing on. Jack and I went to the rooftop bar so I could drink out of a fish bowl. And Laura? Well, she took off on her own. She didn’t look happy when she disappeared.

  “I kind of feel sorry for her,” I admitted as I sipped my drink. It was huge and I didn’t have the best tolerance. I couldn’t even remember what I ordered. I just knew it was blue and tasted delicious. “She’s cut out of the action and nobody wants to spend time with her.”

  Jack, who opted for a beer rather than a fish bowl, grinned as I stuck out my tongue and tried to catch my reflection in the mirror on the wall. “That’s because she’s not any fun.”

  “Lots of people aren’t fun. Maybe she can’t help herself.”

  “It’s not just that she’s no fun,” Jack countered. “She’s also mean and vindictive. She goes out of her way to hurt people in our group ... especially you. I won’t put up with it.”

  “Yeah. She’s a butthead sometimes.” I pursed my lips, which were also blue, and regarded him. “I liked the barbecue. That was a good choice. I don’t remember talking about it before you suggested it.”

  “That’s because it didn’t happen. I suggested it because I knew Laura wouldn’t like it. She’s the reason we all ate together in the first place. She demanded it and Chris felt caught.”

  I’d picked up on that myself. “You don’t feel even a little bit sorry for her?”

  “If she were a nicer person, maybe. She’s brought all this on herself, and there’s absolutely no way I’m going to sit around and let her torture you. I won’t have it.”

  “Aw. That’s kind of sweet.”

  His smile widened as I sipped again. “Are you drunk?”

  I scoffed at the notion. “I haven’t even finished one.”

  “But it’s huge and you rarely drink. The few times I’ve been around you when you’re drinking have involved some raging hangovers if you over-imbibe. I’m just looking out for you.”

  And because he was telling the truth it gave me pause. “I should probably only drink the one.”

  “It’s up to you.”

  “You’ll have to carry me back if I drink two.”

  “You’re light.”

  “I need my wits about me tomorrow if we’re going to figure out how to communicate with the ghosts.”

  His smile slipped. “Yeah, well ... I’m searching for boat names. I’m hopeful that will point us in the right direction. We need a break here because we’re spinning our wheels trying to force the information we already have.”

  I leaned back so I could move my feet to Jack’s lap under the table, causing him to arch an eyebrow. “I’m feeling pretty good. I’m thinking we should take advantage of the magical blue drink and head back to the villa.”

  His smile was impish. “Are you ready to teach me something?”

  “Are you ready to learn?”

  “Bring it on.”

  I WOKE IN A DREAM THAT somehow managed to be dark and sparkly at the same time.

  I was self-aware. When I looked over I found Jack sleeping in bed, his arms wrapped around me, and I was dead to the world in his embrace.

  I didn’t know what to think as I stood next to the bed and watched us sleep. It felt somehow invasive even though that was ridiculous, at least on the surface. An uneasy wave washed over me as I tried to come to grips with what was happening ... and failed.

  “You guys are kind of cute,” Harley announced, appearing at the end of the bed. Her blond hair was a bright splash against the darkened room. “I was wondering if you were going to take the invitation I kept shoving into your mind. I was about to give up when you finally walked through the door I opened.”

  “You opened a door?” I was beyond confused. “Where are we?”

  “We’re one plane over from your world. That’s why you can see yourself. This is the death plane. Souls often move on to this plane before dispersing. Your souls are still on your plane even though their minds are elsewhere.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “I’ll show you.” She gestured toward the sliding glass doors. “Come on. I promise you’ll be safe.”

  I glanced back at Jack, an irrational bolt of fear coursing through me. “He’ll be okay, won’t h
e?”

  “He’ll be fine,” she reassured. “So will you. There’s absolutely nothing to worry about. Everything is under control. I promise.”

  I decided to take her word for it and followed her through the doors. She vaulted over the railing, causing me to race behind her and peer over the edge. She waved from the ground and prodded me forward. “Come on. You can’t be hurt here because your body is back there. Just your consciousness is here. Trust me.”

  Because I did — I could see the truth written on her features whenever we crossed paths — I sucked in a breath and jumped over the railing. I didn’t fall as much as float, landing on the ground without as much as disturbing the sand under my feet.

  “That was weird,” I noted, looking down. It was only then that I noticed I was wearing nothing other than one of Jack’s shirts. “Oh, geez.” I tugged on the bottom to make sure it was covering my rear end. “You could’ve let me get dressed.”

  Harley snorted. “Nobody cares what you’re wearing. There’s no reason to get worked up.”

  “Just show me what you want to show me. If Jack wakes up and I’m not there ... .”

  “He’ll freak out,” Harley finished for me. “You are there. You’re sleeping in his arms. He won’t wake.”

  I watched as she kept striding toward the water, her feet moving on top of the waves as she trudged out to sea. She was walking on water. That was ... impossible. And yet I was intrigued enough to attempt the feat myself. It wasn’t difficult in the least and the water felt solid under my feet.

  “Well, this is ... neat.”

  Harley’s laugh was light but loud enough to retain form over the breeze. “This way, please. We don’t have much time.”

  It took us a full ten minutes to hike across the water. We didn’t stop until we were in front of one of the ghosts. I recognized this one as Freya Debney. I’d looked at the photos when I got back to the villa. Just like the other woman close to the lighthouse, the one I later identified as Jenny Fields, she stared at the beach without acknowledging our presence.

  “I need you to understand what’s happening here,” Harley started. “Even I wasn’t sure until it was explained to me. This is a spell of some sort, dark magic from a different time. Somehow a creature managed to bring back magic that we all thought was dead.”