Cara really didnt know what hit her. At first, there was nothing, and then there was an incredible burst of pain. The kind of pain that brought brilliant stars bursting before her eyes, that brought a sea of darkness, black sweeping away the tiny bursts of light...
She gasped.
She felt something trickling on her.
Felt herself falling...
She heard Marnie scream, felt Marnies arms go around her.
Theater, it was all theater, all show...
But it wasnt.
Blood-bone was gone, swooping his way back into the crowd.
Cara was bleeding; her grasp on Marnie was weakening.
No, no, no, stay with me, Cara. I love you, my friend, stay with me, Marnie ordered.
But Cara knew that she could not.
Comic Con. It was a comic convention.
And Cara had just never imagined thatfor her, at leastshe could be so very right.
That it could be, quite literally, where old stars came to die!
1
Bryan McFadden could always feel her, of course. As soon as she decided to grace him with her presence.
Yes.
She was there again.
Watching him, his every move.
He pretended that he didnt see her. He also did his best to hide a smile.
She wanted something, of course. Or he was due for a lecture, a long litany on how to live his life.
Hed been splitting logs outside his cabin when hed first become aware that she was there; he continued to chop firewood. If she was going to haunt him because she wanted something, she was bloody well going to have to do so with more than a bunch of her dramatic sighs.
He paused for a moment; the sun was riding in the sky on a beautiful day. The mountains and valleys of Virginia were, in Bryans mind, the most beautiful places in the world to be. Here, right at the base of the Shenandoah Mountain, he could enjoy both.
This place had beenas long as he could remembera haven. He and his brothers, Bruce and Brodie, had always been able to go a little wild out here. Theyd never been bad kids, but they had been full of energy and ready to run, climb, fish, swim and love the rugged beauty of the land.
The family cabin was just a weekend retreat.
Home was DC, near the National Theatre, a half-dozen other theaters and easy access to the casting agents who were closer to their parentsHamish and Maeve McFaddenthan any blood relative might expect to be.
Though he and his brothers had long ago left their boyhoods behind, they had managed to stay in the same basic area. And, mainly because each of them had joined a branch of the serviceBryan, the navy; Bruce, the marines; and Brodie, the armythey had maintained the manor house close to a river in Northern Virginia where they had actually grown up.
He was heading back there in the morning. His time hereused to reflect on his choices regarding the futurewas at an end. He wasnt sure he was feeling more certain any one course was right above the others. Bruce and Brodie were coming in the following week; it was time for them to really decide what they were going to do.
As kids, they had quarreled and squabbled. Tumbled on the ground and tussled now and thenand stood ferociously against anyone who insulted one of them or dared to speak ill of their parents.
But life had gotten hardand made them close.
They were all pretty sure they could work together; theyd talk it out for the final decision in the weeks to come.
Of course, she was still watching him. Still waiting for a response.
She sighed again. Maeve McFadden was certainly an example of the word diva. Not so much in a bad wayshe had an ego, but not the kind with which to hurt others. She was passionate, she was demonstrative; she didnt just talk with her hands, she talked with her arms, with her whole body.
But if she wanted something now, she was going to have to talk to him.
With words.
Finally, she did. She rather wafted over and leaned against the wood rail fence that surrounded the little cabin and the area with the chopping block where he was working.
Bryan McFadden, youre ignoring me! She pouted.
And its not working, eh? he asked, but he smiled at hershe was his mom, and he did love her.
She smiled back and then plunged right in.
Her name is Marnie, and she really needs help. My friend CaraCara Barton, I know you must remember her. She was one of the stars of that yummy vampire show, Dark Harbor, and before that, we were both way younger and in a Christmas romantic comedy together. That doesnt matter. What does matter is thisCara was tragically cut down. And now Marnie needs your help. Im not sure she knows it yet, but Cara has told me. And poor Cara! Shes dead. Most horrifically and dreadfully dead.
Mother
Dont you dare tell me that dead is deaddreadful or otherwise. She was murdered. Viciously murdered by a sword-wielding villain. Well, someone in a costume. But... Oh, Bryan. It was horrid, quite horridyou must have heard about it on TV or in the news online!
Nope, he told his mother.
How could you have missed the news? Maeve demanded. Oh, I do hate to say it, but Cara is far more famous now in death than she was in life.
I come out here to enjoy the mountains and scenery, Mom. Not watch TV.
The news would be on your phone.
News is on anywhere, Mother, if you look for it.
All right then, Ill tell you about it. Comic ConWest Hollywood.
I thought the big comic cons were in San Diego. Maybe New York.
Comic cons are all the ragethey are cropping up everywhere, Maeve informed him. And thisOh, son... Horrible, horrible, horrible. Cara was my good friend. Okay, so imagine this. The cast of Dark Harbor is lined up at a booth. People are flocking over to them for signed pictures. Theres a Blood-bone character whipping his sword aroundat first, all to the delight of the crowd. Then he walks up to the Dark Harbor cast booth and starts off as if hes performing with themand then he brought his sword down, slashing poor Cara to death, right across her throat!
In the middle of a crowd of people, some costumed character slashes a woman to death and walks away? Bryan demanded, incredulous.
Well, thats just it. People thought it was a performance. Cara fell dead, the others began to realize itpeople were clapping, thinking it was just an impromptu show done very well. Blood-bone walked off... The cast began to scream. Cops came, but by then, the killer was gone. From what I understand, it was a zoo.
But no one noticed a masked man in costume?
Well, of course, they did. They gathered up at least twenty Blood-bonesyou know, conference attendees in Blood-bone costumesbut they dont believe that the killer was any of the men, or the one woman, with whom they spoke. They couldnt find a Blood-bone with actual blood on him or a lighted sword that was really a sword. Dont you understand? Someone is going to get away with this. Bryan, you have to do something.
Mom, at the moment, Im not a cop.
Dont be silly, darling, I know that. And if you had stayed on the force, youd be a Virginia cop, anyway. However, you did get your PI license.
Yes, I did.
So you need to get out to California and help Marnie Davante. Please.
Mom, you know that Im supposed to be meeting with your other sons next week. Theyll be back by then.
I know where they are, Maeve said indignantly. Brodie took a temp job as a bodyguard for that chain store CEO, and hes still in China somewhere. Bruce was helping out a friend who is with the Texas Rangers.
Right. But were due to get together and decide if we do want to form an investigation company.
That would be in the near future. You need to help Marnie now.
Mom, I have no ins with the West Hollywood Police or even the California State Police. Im sure they would resent
Please.
Mom, again, Im not in Hollywood. Im sure there are very capable police out there. Your friend isnt being threatenedshes already dead. Im not sure
Its Marnie! Cara is terribly worried about Marnie.
Bryan stopped pretending that he could continue chopping wood. He leaned on the ax and looked at the ghost of his mother.
Does Marnie know that she needs my help?
How could she?
Come on then, what do you want out of me?
Someone who is invested in the horrible thing that happenedand in Marniebelieves that a dead woman is out there trying to help solve her own murder. Please, Bryan. Its youyou need to help. You were just working with that FBI friend of yours, helping track down that missing child. And you said that he knows Adammy friend Adam Harrison? Well, my friend and dads friend. I think your father knew Adam first.
Yes, I was working with a friend named Jackson Crow, and we were luckywe found the missing child. He didnt mention that his old friend was with a special unit of the FBI, or that hed suggested that Bryan might be just right for that unit.
He could only hope that she didnt know that her old friend Adam Harrison had actually created the unit.
How is Adam? Such a dear man.
Hopefully, she hadnt seen Adam since shed...
He could never think the word died.
Maybe because she was his mother, and he did love her.
And maybe because she had never really gone anywhere.
And youall three of my boysstill at odds and ends, taking on various odd jobs.
Good jobs, Mom. We help people. You should be a happy camper. All three of us served our time in the military and went through college. And yes, in the last year or so we have taken on some strange jobs, but theyve been good ones, jobs that help people.
And heres someone who needs help. Yes, I hope, eventually, you and your brothers are going to get together. Youre looking to form a company. I do like that idea. You want to know what to do with your life? Youre doing quite nicely at the helping people thing, and thisthis!would be an important part of that. I mean, you broke my heart when you completely ignored the fact that your father and I were known for our extreme talents and absolute love of live theater. And you didnt even want to head in the direction of film. I must say, I createdI created!three of the most handsome men one could ever want to imagine, and youve no interest in using that beauty to a goodto a payingend.
Mother, Bryan said, I believe you and Dad did emphasize that in life, looks mean nothing, that the heart and soul of a man or a woman matter most.
Here she was, giving him a pitch about helping someone.
And she was still brokenhearted she hadnt produced a single actor among them.
Yes, well, of course, Maeve said, sweeping back a long, curling strand of her dark hair. Looks do not matter. Heart and soul and kindness and compassion. Things like that matter most with everyone you meet. Seriously, of course, decencyits a total given. But I have these three strapping lads! Strapping, I saytall, dark and absolutely, stunningly handsomeand not one of you chose to use such wondrous good looks.
Mother, you dont think you might be a little prejudiced on that?
He moved past her to fetch another piece of wood.
She waved a hand in the air. One can only be so prejudiced! she said. But thats so far beside the point. I am afraid that I must have done something terribly wrong if not one of you felt the lure of the stage. The military! Well, I do understand. Your father and I were gone and... The military. Noble. What an honorable and lofty idealto serve ones country. Yes, that was all quite fine, and thankfully you all came home in one piece. But that was then, and this is now. You went out and got a PI license. Youve been working with the FBI and cops. You do realize that if you were to just choose to be an actor, I might not be so determined to haunt you?
Bryan had the strange feeling that, one way or another, his mother was going to haunt him. And Bruce and Brodie. At least he had two brothers to share the burden. Of course, mothers were known to torment their sons.
Not usually, though, mothers who had passed away.
Bryan was the eldest; he had been twenty-four on the day that Hamish and Maeve had been leads in a DC run of Murder by Gaslight; they had both been killedhand in handwhen the famous chandelier had fallen onto them both, killing them instantly.
It might have been fittingthey were known for having achieved the rarest of the rare, an amazing marriage and a true love affair; they were always together, beautiful people, blessed to have a wonderful family with their love and their three strapping sons.
It had been an incredible tragedyfor their sons more than anyone else.
Bryan had been the first to pull himself together. Hed been the first to see his mother. She had tiptoed behind him at her own funeral, bringing a finger to her lips and whispering, Shh!
Hed assumed he was suffering from PTSDtheyd lost both parents in a single blow.
And then hed heard his fathers voice.
Stop that, Maeve. I believe the boy can hear you. Dont be a tease.
Dont be silly. Were dead. The living cant hear us. Im simply being a diva, darling, Maeve had assured Hamish. Im making sure that the funeral is appropriately massive and...well, that people are properly emoting for us.
Theyre emoting all over, including our sons, the ghost of his father had said sternly.
Oh, dear, yesour precious boys!
Then they had been gone. And that nightafter an appropriate amount of Jameson whiskeyBryan had convinced himself that they hadnt really been there. That it was the shocking loss affecting him. Because hed known it was what they would have wanted: a massive funeral with all kinds of press coverage.
Even if he and his brothers wanted to believe that they were strong and capable of managing the tragedy, they had loved their out-there, talented and ever so slightly crazy parents. It was natural that the grief might be intense.
Then...
They had moved back in.
It had been quite the night when each one of the brothers had tried to pretend that he wasnt seeing the ghosts of his parents. But Maeve had heckled and teasedshe was really quite as good at being a ghost as she had been at acting. She had quickly learned how to make the fire snap, how to press a glass just hard enough so that it appeared to move across the table and how to touch them...with a gentle stroke on the cheek, the way she had touched them in life.