All right. So much for the swimming. She had walked in and out of town as a kid. There was nothing far or remote about the place.
It was hers, and she had to take care of the place.
She could wait until morning.
That would be ridiculous. She didnt need a hotel room. She owned a house. Even if she planned on selling it, she owned the house.
She pulled the rental car around the side of the house, where they had always parked the family car. There were no cars there; she wondered if Cutter had stopped driving as the years had gone by. There was a lot she had forgotten to ask Joe. But she had just arrived; shed spend time with him learning about the entire situation tomorrow.
If Cutter had employed a maid who had run away, he had stopped hiring a gardener as well, that was certain.
She exited the car, and was startled to feel an uneasy sense of being watched the second she did so. She looked around. She could see the lights across the tiny inlet, and the lights in the house itself. A porch light was on, and light glowed from the living room.
Parlor, she corrected herself. Cutter had always called it the parlor. Now it would be called a living room.
Maybe she was having a ridiculous argument with herself about semantics because she just wasnt sure she wanted to go in.
She had always loved the house. Her mothers death had been an accident. She had tripped and fallen down the stairs. She might have just broken a leg, or an arm. She might have tumbled down and been fine, just bruised and shaken. But the way she had fallen
She had broken her neck.
Kelsey dug in her over-the-shoulder bag for the new keys. On the porch, she discovered that there were two bolts, thus the chain of keys. She turned both, opened the door and walked on in.
She thought that memories would come flooding back, that she might feel weepy and nostalgic, but the house was actually different. Not the house per se but the appearance of the house. When she and her parents had lived here with her grandfather, the clutter had been at a minimum. There had still been strange objects everywhere: a hundred-year-old stuffed leopard on a dais, mounted heads on the wallnone of them killed by her family, and none less than a century oldnative American art, dream catchers, Indian statues of Kali and other gods and goddesses, Roman busts, wiccan wands and so on. The items had been displayed on the wall, or in etageres, or freestanding on mounts. Nowitems were everywhere, boxes were everywhere, and the objects on the walls were strewn with dust and spiderwebs. Cutters glass-encased six-foot bookstandwhich had held priceless first editions of many workswas open, and it seemed that the spiders and other crawling creatures had done their damage in there, as well. Sawdust and packing material was strewn haphazardly here and there, almost as if Cutteror someone elsehad been feverishly looking for something special among the endless supply of things in the house.
Standing there, looking around, she felt a sinking sensation. The work this place was going to require would be enormous. And yetthey had been her grandfathers treasures. Joe Richter had his will and his detailed papers on where things should go. Only Cutter would have known what had value, what belonged in a museum, and what had been sentimental to him.
A prickly sensation teased her spine, and she looked around quickly, having the eerie feeling once again of being watched. She didnt know how that was possible, except that
Well, actually, anyone could be hiding just about anywhere.
She walked forward and turned on more lights. She frowned as she surveyed all the boxes and crates. She had nearly reached the kitchen when she heard someone on the porch.
They would knockif they were legitimate.
They didnt knock. She heard a scratching sound, and something like metal against metal.
With her heart in her throat, she went flying across the room. She reached for the poker in the stand by the fireplace and grabbed the ash sweep instead. No matter; there was no time. She flew for the light switch, turned it off and dived behind one of the boxes.
A second later, she heard the knob twist; the door was unlocked.
Had she locked it again after she came in? She couldnt remember.
The door creaked open. She heard footsteps, and then nothing. Whoever was there was just standing, listening.
Seconds ticked by with nothing, nothing except the pounding of her heart.
Then, as if the intruder could hear that pounding, he zoned in on her exact location. The footsteps came closer and closer
And he was right in front of her. In a second, she would be pinned in place, trapped where she crouched in fear
She shot up, swinging the metal ash sweep. She heard a hoarse cry as the rod connected with flesh, but then it was pulled out of her hand and a body tackled her length, sending her, and him, crashing down between the boxes.
Bastard! she raged, struggling desperately.
Her attacker went still.
Kelsey?
She knew the voice. Years dissipated. She knew the voice well.
The boy had changed. The long, lean, muscled body bearing down on hers had definitely changed.
Liam? she breathed.
Good God, Kelsey! he said.
For another split second, he was on top of her, vital, tense, a mass of flesh and sinew like a brick prison wall that lived and breathedand then he was up, reaching for her hand, hauling her to her feet.
Kelsey! he said again, rubbing his arm, staring at her in the shadows.
Liam, she said.
Then he turned away from her and walked toward the light switch, and the eeriness of the night was filled with a glow of rationality once again.
Chapter Three
It was goodand strangeto see Kelsey after so many years. The promise of great beauty that shed always shown had come to full fruition, and the awkward, embarrassed smile she was giving Liam was nothing short of pure charm.
Kelsey had grown up. She was in a pair of rolled-up capri jeans, a soft cotton V-necked T-shirt and sneakersshe seemed as elegant as a swan. A little tremor ripped through him. Time could wash away so easily. Once, she had been the love of his young life, the seductress of an adolescents libido and the object of many a dream.
And she was home.
Liam! she said again, and laughed. Oh, Lord, I am so sorry.
Hey, its okay. Im sorryI tackled you, he told her. I heard you were coming. I just never expected you to arrive so quickly.
So, what were you doing here? she asked him.
He shrugged. Folks have been breaking in, he said.
Oh, yes, I heardJoe Richter, told me. He said the police suggested that the locks be changed andoh! She stared at him, her brows arching. Liamokay, I guess that you are the police officer who told him to get the locks changed?
He nodded. Guilty as charged. Im with the criminal investigation unit. Seems a lot of crime down here has to do with brawls on Duval and drugs but weve also had our share of serious crime lately.
Kelsey nodded in agreement. I read about your cousin being cleared in Tanya Barnards death and the awful things that happened. She grimaced sheepishly. I was happyDavid is a great guy. Just because I havent been here doesnt mean that I dont read. And I read a really bizarre story about murders that took place near hereout on the islands. Sean OHara was involved, right?
Sean and David were filming a documentary. They meant to go through our history of oddities and wound up following the minds of the mad. But its over. They finished up the filming a few weeks ago and are thinking about their next project. David has moved backhes living at our grandfathers place. He and Katie OHara are planning their wedding now.
Oh, thats wonderful! Katieso, what is Katie doing these days? Cutter told me that she went up north to college, but came home.
Shes home. She runs Katie-oke at OHaras.
I cant wait to see her, Kelsey said. Katie was younger, of course, but we took a sailing class together, and I knew Sean fairly well. She was such a cute little ragamuffin, running around with him all the time!
Actually, Liam said, glancing at his watch, you can see her right now, if youd like. Have you eaten? I can take you to OHaras for some dinner and old-home night.
She hesitated. Liam wondered if her current life involved a boyfriend, a lover or even a husband. She wasnt wearing a ring but still he wondered if there had been a husband who was gone now. Maybe he was pushing too far too fast. It just seemed so normal and right that she was here.
Sorry, no pressure, he told her.
She shook her head. No, noI was just looking aroundbefore I panicked when I heard you at the door. This house is going to takewow. A lot!
Were you really going to do much tonight? he asked.
Probably not. Um, why not? I had a sandwich, but Id love to see OHaras. She smiled again. There were the dimples he remembered.
Hey, by the way, how did you get here? he asked her.
I have a rental car. I drove down from Miami, she said. The car is around on the sidethats where we always parked. I guess Cutter hasnt had a car for a while?
Not in years. He never left the house.
How oddhe traveled the globe, and then he became a hermit, she said.
He was a fascinating old fellow, Liam said. Brilliant. A real-life Indiana Jones.
Hmm. I think most of my friends thought of him more as Uncle Fester, Im afraid. Or Dr. Frankenstein, creating monsters out of his collections of strange things, Kelsey said.
Well, you have friends here who cared about him. Shall we go?
She hesitated, frowning. Liamyou said you were in the criminal investigation unit. Why was Cutters death investigated as a crime?
It wasnt. I chose to come outold times, he said with a shrug.
I see. Thanks.
When they left the house, she turned one key in its lock. I think you ought to be locking both locks, he said. In fact, I dont think you should actually be staying here.
She looked at him with amusement. I grew up in the house. Im not afraid of the mummy or the coffinor even the shrunken head.
Kelsey, I came out here tonight because the house was broken into twice. The first time, a pack of kids came in. The second time, two local lowlifes were looking for something to steal. Thats why I told Joe Richter to get a locksmith out here and change the locks. The lowlifes said that the door was open when they got here, but I knew that it had been locked the night before. Im not sure I feel good about this place, Liam said carefully.
She offered him her dimpled smile once again. Well, obviously, there had been a key out there somewhere. The locks are brand-new. Honestly, most thieves wouldnt break into this place. Its supposed to house evil spirits, or something of the like. Theres so much to be done here. Its ridiculous to own a house and go rent a room. Trust me, Ill be fine. The house likes me, honest! she said teasingly. Actually, though, it was a long trip. Id love a good Guinnessand my dad always said that OHaras kept the cleanest taps in the state.
She was a grown woman, and maybe, Liam thought, his unease was unfounded. Okay, then. Lets go. Ill drive.
He saw that Bartholomew was standing at the edge of the porch and seemed thoughtful. He prayed the ghost wouldnt start talking to him, distract him and make him appear crazy.
No such luck.
As he walked to his car, slightly behind Kelsey, Bartholomew fell into step beside him.
I dont like it, he said.
You dont like what?
The words were on the tip of Liams tongue. Somehow, he refrained from saying them aloud.
Bartholomew followed them to the car. Hed known the ghost for some time now; it still unnerved Liam when he simply misted through doors. The physiology was intriguing. Maybe it was the fact that he didnt want to believe in ghosts. Bartholomew could sit on a chair, but he misted, blended, fadedwhatever!right through doors. He loved boats, hated the water. Hed been around nearly two hundred years, and he knew the answers to many questions, but he didnt know a great deal that Liam felt a ghost should know. It was a different existence, Bartholomew believed. He didnt know every ghostjust as Liam didnt know every living, breathing human. Ghosts were still the essence of people. They were good, bad, clever, dedicated, lostgreedy, generous, loyal, traitorous. Thats the way it was. But most of the time, they stayed behind because of a passion or a need. A passion for revenge, or justiceto save the life of a loved one or to right a terrible wrong.
Liam liked Bartholomew. But he wasnt sure he wanted him around right now.
As he pulled the car around the circular drive, he caught a glimpse of the ghost in the rearview mirror.
Bartholomew was staring solemnly at the house, his gaze intent. He was searching for something.
Liam paused and stared up at the house himself.
He thought of the other night. The house seemed to have a life of its own. Beneath the moonlight, constantly shadowed by clouds, it seemed to breathe, and to watch, and to wait.
What is it? Kelsey asked him.
Nothing. He paused, his foot on the brake. Youre sure you want to come back here, stay here alone? he asked.
Its my house now, she said quietly, staring at it. With all that it holds! she added, and smiled.
OHaras was charming, and it hadnt changed a bitat least, not in Kelseys memory.
They entered a large open area with high-top tables scattered toward the rear; the space allowed for dancing and was right in front of a stage area that could be set for karaoke or live music. Tonight, rock music was playing, but Kelsey saw a sign that advertised Katie-oke four nights a week. If Katie-oke was going on that night, it either hadnt started or Katie was taking a break.
There, Liam said.
I see.
She had wondered if she would recognize anyone; in the time she had been gone, many people must have come through Key Westand possibly moved on. It could be a city that was warm, like a true neighborhood, yet it was also a city of transients. And most of her friends had been young when she had seen them last, and surely they had changed.
It was easy to see that David Beckett was there, seated at a far booth on the restaurant side, to the left of the dance area. He resembled Liam, or Liam resembled him. He was a tall man with a face made of rugged angles, striking eyes. Katie had grown up beautifully, her red hair having darkened to a gorgeous hue. Sean was easy to recognize, as wellhe was a far more masculine version of Katie, and though Katie was definitely feminine, with fine features, they both resembled their uncle, Jamie OHara. Kelsey didnt recognize the young woman with Sean, but they were obviously together. She thought she recognized the woman with a tray standing by the table, and even the others who were there: another young couple who looked like flower children. His hair was as curly and long as hers was, and they both wore wire-rimmed glasses.