Page 45 of No Surrender
“I told the ghosts you and Vic were coming and that you were the good guys,”Dante offered. “And Simon—be careful. While I didn’t encounter him, the ghosts warned me that Thompson’s spirit also haunts the building. He’s just as much a madman dead as he was alive.”
“Thank you.”As glad as Simon felt to have a break in the cold case, his heart ached for the families of the victims and for the young women who came to the beach and found death.
Dante’s spirit blinked out. Simon had grown used to the ghost’s coming and going, and Vic had come to accept that sometimes the spirit of a Revolutionary War-era privateer showed up for movie night.
Simon’s thoughts spun as he walked back to the store, savoring his ice cream. Everything he’d learned in a very busy morning crowded his brain. He couldn’t wait to talk it out with Vic and put the pieces together from what they’d learned through various sources.
Thompson didn’t keep trophies at his house. Maybe the cops will find evidence in the old Vampire’s Castle tying him to the murders. That would help with closure—for the families and the cops.
Even better if we could find something that shows Judd knows about the old killings. Unfortunately, he’s probably too slick to leave that kind of evidence behind. But he’ll slip up sometime. They all do.
Simon picked up a pizza to take back to the shop since he and Pete would both need lunch. He couldn’t tell Pete much about an active police investigation, but he did assure him that the morning’s interviews had been useful.
“I thought I saw that Judd guy go by on the boardwalk,” Pete volunteered.
Simon glanced up, worried. “What did he do?”
“Just walked. I wouldn’t have thought much of it, except that you’d shown me his picture, and I’m sure he’s who I saw,” Pete replied before he took another bite of the melted cheese threatening to slip from his slice.
Simon had warned Pete about Judd. It seemed inevitable that Simon would draw the malicious fanboy’s attention. He’d given Pete dire warnings about handling the mail and told him what to look for based on the other cursed objects.
They’d realized that the curses had to be highly personalized, or else the envelopes could never have made it through the postal system without leaving a wake of injured people. That meant keeping an eye out for odd pieces specifically addressed to Simon or Pete.
“Did he try to come inside? Peer through the window?” Simon asked. It seemed in character for Judd to linger outside, casing the shop.
Pete shook his head. “No. He didn’t stay long, either. But for probably fifteen minutes, he just hung out near the fence and stared at the storefront across the boardwalk. He didn’t do anything—which was even creepier. I couldn’t figure out if he wanted me to see him to send a message or if he was sizing us up for something.”
“Great,” Simon said with a sigh. “You did the right thing not trying to engage him. Inside, you’ve got the wardings to protect you.”
“Is this another time where I need to stay in the apartment upstairs until the danger blows over? Because I don’t know how to explain that to Mikki.”
Simon managed a chuckle. “I don’t think we’re to that point—yet. Just keep your eyes open and that hex bag I gave you in your pocket.”
After Pete took his break, Simon went to the office. He sent emails to Travis Dominick and Teag Logan, two of the most knowledgeable people he knew when it came to lore.
Travis was an ex-priest and former member of a secret Vatican demon-hunting group called the Sinistram. He knew a lot about magic—forbidden and otherwise—as well as having a scarily encyclopedic knowledge of supernatural creatures. Teag was the best friend of Simon’s cousin Cassidy in Charleston. His magic made him a hell of a hacker, and he’d had plenty of first-hand experience fighting monsters of all kinds.
If anyone would know of a creature that fed off fear and how to kill it, it would be Travis and Teag. And Teag was also Simon’s best bet to find out about Judd. Both of them might know more about the strange sigils that Ed had found chalked near the long-ago disappearances.
Once Simon shot off the emails, he felt a weight lift from his shoulders. Dante had verified the existence of the bodies and the ghosts—as well as the personal items on the shrine. If something went awry with the search warrant or the building owner decided to cover up what happened, Simon didn’t doubt that Dante and the ghosts would find a way to preserve the scene until it could be properly documented.
Once that was done, Simon checked the time, slumped in his chair, and let his head fall back. He and Vic were supposed to leave work early to check out the Train Depot for its decor, see if they could imagine themselves holding their reception there, and review the contract and calendar.
Maybe if I just rest my eyes…
A featureless shadow man stalked him down darkened corridors. No matter where he turned or how fast he ran, the figure remained just a few strides behind him.
Simon startled awake from dark dreams. Disoriented, he looked wildly around before finally realizing where he was. “Fuck, that’s embarrassing.”
“You okay, boss?” Pete called. “I’ve got a bucket of cold water handy if you need it.”
“I’m good, thanks.” Simon shivered at the thought. “How’s everything out front?”
“Too quiet,” Pete called out. “We need more people to come in and browse. Maybe we should mix things up a bit. People think they know what we’ve got for sale, and they only see a fraction from the window.”
“I’m up for moving things around, changing the displays,” Simon replied, venturing out of the office. “If you’ve got ideas, go ahead.”
“Are you still going to that appointment you set up online?” Pete asked. “With Vic?”
