And he pictured Adrian Hall where she, too, had lain dead in a pool of her own blood.
He pulled out his wallet to produce a credit card.
Dont be ridiculous, she said. Youre staying here for one night to make sure I dont get killed. Im not going to charge you.
Dont be silly. Ill put it on an expense report.
You want to stay herestay here. If not, leave. I wont charge an officer of the law for doing what he sees as his duty.
Fine. Keys, please.
She slammed a set of keys down on the desk. I give a ghost tour at eight. I never take more than sixteen people out. They start arriving around 7:30 p.m. Were here for about thirty minutes, starting from eight. Im back at about 10:30.
Great. Sign me up.
Im fully booked for tonight.
Consider me a special guest.
I only take sixteen.
Then think of me as an annoying fly following you wherever you go.
She looked at him, her face giving everything away this time. She was tense and exasperated.
Dont you have some investigating to do? Youre not going to find Joses murderer by following me around.
Jose? he asked. Youre talking as if you knew him. As if you two were on a first-name basis.
Why shouldnt I use his name? It was Jose, right? she demanded, her voice as tight as her jaw.
Yes. His name was Jose, Dallas said. He pointed at the desk. Are those my keys?
She nodded, still staring at him.
He took the keys. Keep the doors locked at all times, at least until this guy is caught.
What about people coming for the tour, or, eventually, guests, who arrive at all times during the day?
Let them ring the bell. Unwilling to argue anymore, he started upstairs before he remembered he didnt know where he was going.
He started back down.
Turn left at the landing. Ian Chandlers room is the first one on the left. Youll find it easily enough. All the rooms have plaques by the doors that identify them.
Thanks, he said gruffly, but he didnt move. He didnt know why he was hesitating.
Hey, she said.
Yeah?
Why did you want Melody Chandlers room?
I heard the legend growing up. Shes still supposed to haunt the room.
And you want to see a ghost? she asked.
You never know. Maybe her ghost could be helpful. Maybe she saw something no one else did. He turned then and hurried up to his room. When he reached it, he found that the door was open. He walked in and looked around. The decor was masculine and nautical. A heavy wooden cabinet complemented the antique captains bed. A ships wheel decorated one wall, along with various flags and paintings of sailing ships at sea.
He checked out the bathroom. It was small but had been updated in the not too distant past. Returning to the bedroom, he sat on the bed.
He wasnt really sure what he was doing. He hadnt intended to take a room here when he had headed with her to visit her next-door neighbor.
But watching her...
She knew too much. He didnt know how, but she did. And that meant she might put everything together and come up with answers that were too close to home.
And someone elselike a killerjust might realize that.
* * *
Machete hid in the hedges and carefully watched the Siren of the Sea.
The house was quiet. Hed seen the man and the woman enter the house. He knew them, of course. Well, knew that the tall sandy-haired man was an agent. And Hannah was a local; everyone knew her. So pretty and blonde. So full of lifeat least for now.
He felt his phone vibrate and answered it. Hed been expecting the call. It was the Wolf.
So? came a single sharp word.
The Fed went inside with her. He didnt come back out.
When he leaves, make your move.
Machete said, Her tour customers will start arriving in a few hours.
Get in there when theyre gone. Find the key.
Find the key? Search an entire house in a few hours and find something as small as a key?
Its not going to be easy.
Of course it wont. Someone would have found it by now if it were obvious. Check the attic. Its probably up there somewhere.
I cant promise
Oh, yes, you can. The place is empty. No guests. Stay in there until you get me that key.
But she could catch me!
I doubt she wanders around her attic at night, but if she does catch you, the Wolf said softly, you know what to do.
Machete had never argued with the Wolf before. Never questioned him. Until now.
I think going in now is a mistake. The key will still be there, and shes not a threat to us. She knows nothing. She saw nothing. She came out when it was over. But if something happens to this woman now, when the police are already looking for a killer, they will rip the city apartand well never get in there to find the key.
There was silence at the other end of the line. Machete didnt dare breathe. The Wolf had eyes everywhere, and he had assassins everywhere, too. Machete didnt know who the Wolf wasno one did. And no one who didnt need to know had any idea of Machetes real name, either. Everything in Los Lobos was on a need-to-know basis.
Most of all, no one argued with the Wolf.
But the thought of killing her...
For a moment, Machete thought his infatuation with Hannah OBrien might have been his undoing. He wished he could take back his words. The silence from the other end of the line stretched for what seemed like hours.
I just dont want to lose this opportunity, he finally said quicklydesperately. It could take time for me to find the key, and if something happens to her before I do, it would draw attention to the house. The Siren of the Sea could be closed down, and it would certainly be swarming with police. I would never be able to get inside then. I need to be able to go in and out safely until I find what were looking for.
Again his words were met with silence. He felt sweat bead his brow and drench his shirt.
At last the Wolf spoke.
Get in and get out, then. But remember, youre on your own. And remember, too, if that woman finds you and you dont do whats necessary, I will.
The phone went dead.
Machete stood there shaking and hot with sweat.
Finally the breeze began to cool his skin as he waited for the Fed to leave.
Except...
He didnt leave.
The sweat on Machetes skin began to turn to ice. He didnt want to make another call.
What the hell was he going to do if the agent never left?
Or, worse, if Hannah OBrien didnt leave, either?
A haunted house in Key West
Hannah OBrien, who grew up in the house and now runs it as a B and B, has always had a special ability to see a pair of resident ghosts. But when a man is murdered in the alley behind her place, shes dismayed when his spirit appears, too, asking for help.
FBI agent Dallas Samson has a passionate interest in the murder, since the victims a colleague whose death is connected to the smuggling ring known as Los Lobosthe wolves. Now Dallas is even more committed to chasing them down.
Unaware that Dallas has certain abilities of his own, Hannah calls her cousin Kelsey OBrien, a member of the FBIs Krewe of Hunters, an elite unit of paranormal investigators. The present-day case is linked to a historical mystery involving salvagers, a curse and a sunken ship. Danger and desire bring Hannah and Dallas together, but to survive, they have to solve the mysteries of the pastand stay alive long enough to solve the crimes of the present!
Praise for the novels of
New York Times bestselling author Heather Graham
Graham does an amazing job of bringing real-life elements into her fiction worlds.[The] messages are subtle, expertly woven through a story that focuses on solving mysterious crimes using the Krewe members unique talents. Graham also brings the surrounding areas of Nashville alive, with vivid details and lush descriptions.
RT Book Reviews on The Night is Forever (Top Pick)
Bestseller Graham launches the third arc in her paranormal romantic suspense Krewe of Hunters series (The Unseen, etc.) with a rousing tale of the intriguing haunted town of Lily, Arizona.Readers will enjoy Sloan and Janes interactions as romantic partners and competent professionals, aided by Lilys ghosts.
Publishers Weekly on The Night is Watching
Graham deftly weaves elements of mystery, the paranormal and romance into a tight plot that will keep the reader guessing at the true nature of the killers evil.
Publishers Weekly on The Unseen
Ive long admired Heather Grahams storytelling ability and this book hit the mark. I couldnt put The Unholy down.
Fresh Fiction
The main characters are a great team, both professionally and romantically.
RT Book Reviews on The Unspoken
The Uninvited is a saucy romantic murder mystery with ghosts taking center stage.
Joyfully Reviewed
If you like mixing a bit of the creepy with a dash of sinister and spine-chilling reading with your romance, be sure to read Heather Grahams latest.Graham does a great job of blending just a bit of paranormal with real, human evil.
Miami Herald on Unhallowed Ground
Great writing and excellent characters make Wicked a terrific read.The undercurrent of mystery and suspense will keep readers riveted.
Romance Reviews Today
The Cursed
Heather Graham
www.mirabooks.co.uk
To Key West
one of the very special and unique places
that make my home state of Florida so special.
And for Stuart and Teresa Davant and days at the Banyan; Shayne, Chynna, Bryee, Jason and Derek for many trips to the island; Kathleen Pickering, Mary Stella, Connie Perry, Debbie Richardson, Aleka Nakis, Frazier Nivens, Clint Bullard, and so many more friends who make every trip down to Mile Marker 1 a little more amazing.
Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Epilogue
Prologue
Ghost Stories
The children screamed in the night as they felt the fire surround them, as they felt the ash...as they breathed in a smell like bad fried chicken that drifted on the aira smell that must have been the victims burning flesh!
As he emerged from the bathroom, Stuart Bell waved his arms over his head in a ridiculouslyhe hopedspooky way. He was trying to be funny. Not that the event had been funny. A dozen children and adults had once been killed in a fire here at their bed-and-breakfast. But that had been a long time ago.
Still, he was apparently not funny at all.
He could see that Shelly was genuinely scaredshe had been since theyd embarked on the Key West ghost tour earlier that night.
The friends whod taken the tour with them had all shaken off anything even remotely scary at their last stop, the haunted Hard Rock Cafe, where theyd imbibed a few island specialties and discussed some of the stories their guide had been telling themdespite having been told that a member of the Curry family had committed suicide in the ladies room. Everyone was having a great timeexcept for Shelly. Judy and Pete Atkinson, married grad students, were living it up away from kids, school and responsibilities. Mark Riordan and Yerby Catalano had kept up, matching them drink for drink. Shelly, however, had sipped at one blue, flowery beverage all night but left most of it behind.
The others had talked about the past and even laughed at the spooky melodramas their guide had recounted.
But Shelly took such stories to heart. She was still nervous.
He and Shelly Nicholson had been a couple since their junior year at the University of Miami, and they both believed they would stay together once they graduated; she was even looking for a graphic art job in the same city, Plantation, where he already had something lined up.
Stuart loved Shelly. He didnt like to see her genuinely frightened.
She offered him a weak smile. Shed already changed into a pair of Disney pajamaspretty obvious he wasnt getting through those cute characters tonight. He didnt care; he just wanted her to feel better. I know youre trying to help, she said.