Page 65 of Ghost Walk
“I know, but it’s not going to matter. You just need to lay low until I solve everything, alright? I have a plan.”
“Which is?”
“To start with, we’re going to find out if Edward Hunnicutt has any bad intentions towards Anabel Maxwell.” She headed for The Raven, trying to recall the eighteenth century’s social mores. “Am I allowed in the tavern or is there some chauvinistic ‘boys’ club’ rule in place?”
“Ladies donea go into drinking establishments.”
“Is that like alawor just some policy I can choose to ignore?”
“If you ignore it, I’ll be put in the stocks for savagely beating the men who haul you out the door.”
She rolled her eyes. “Wonderful. You’re going to have to get Edward Hunnicutt out here, then. I need to question him.”
Jamie wasn’t thrilled with that idea. “I donea understand your sudden fascination with that man.” He muttered. “He treats his serving girls terribly, you know.”
“Oh for God’s sake, Jamie. I’m not planning to seduce the guy or…” She paused, a new thought occurring to her. “Hang on. When you say he mistreats his wait staff, whatexactlyare you referring to?”
Jamie hesitated, as if trying to find phrasing that wouldn’t offend her. “He makes them do things for their wagesthat no honorable employer would be making them do.”
“Hunnicutt has sex with the girls before he’ll pay them?” Grace translated. “Jesus, I’m rethinking the part where you stab him to death. What a total and complete scumbag.”
“Indeed. It’s why I would prefer you stay far away from him.”
Grace shook his head. “No, this is actually a useful clue. Disgusting, but useful. Serial killers are often motivated by power and sexual control. He’s definitely our top suspect.” She gave Jamie a nudge towards The Raven. “Get him out here and let’s see if he has any deviant thoughts about Anabel.”
Jamie didn’t rush off to do her bidding. “I’m not exactly on friendly terms with the man. How do you suggest I lure him from behind the bar?”
“I don’t care. Use your imagination.” She made a shooing gesture with her hand. “Go on.”
“Grace…”
“Please?”
Jamie swore under his breath. “Are you going to be here when I get back?” He challenged, still not happy. “I donea like letting you out of my sight. You’ve a tendency to vanish on me.”
“I’ll be standing right here.”
“You promise?”
“I promise.” Grace went up on tiptoe to kiss him lightly. “Don’t worry. Even when I vanish, I’m only going back to you.”
The edges of his lips quirked and his hand touched her cheek. “Maybe so, but I am in no mood to wait two hundred and thirty more years to see you out of that strange dress, lass.” He loped off towards The Raven, before she could swat him.
Grace shook her head in exasperation. The man was incorrigible. She leaned against a tree, her eyes on The Raven’s door. If Jamie took this a bit more seriously, they’d…
Oh God!
Grace gave a sudden gasp and jerked away from theoak, realizing where she was. Her eyes went up to the gnarled branches swaying over her head. This is where Jamie died. The spot where they planned to hang him in four short days. The tree was still alive in this time period, ominously looming over the street. She scrambled away from the trunk, her heart pounding. Maybe she should set the blasted thing on fire. Or chop it down. Or do something --anything-- to ensure that no one could kill him under its menacing limbs.
His death had never seemed so real to her.
So inescapably, terrifyingly real.
What if she couldn’t do this? What if she wasn’t smart enough to solve the case? Wasn’t fast enough to stop the killer? What if she let Jamie down and never saw him again? She could burn out again at any moment and leave him completely unprotected. She could actually feel it happening.
Peaceful green cornfields. Peaceful green cornfields. Peaceful…
No.
