Believing (Lily Dale #2)(8)

It’s happening again, and Calla’s skin tingles as she notes the mounting sensation of thickening in the icy air.

The girl turns her head abruptly to meet her gaze, and Calla recognizes her instantly.

Kaitlyn Riggs.





THREE

The first time Calla glimpsed her a few weeks ago, Kaitlyn Riggs was with her mother, Elaine, who had come to Odelia for a reading.

When she spotted Kaitlyn in Odelia’s kitchen, Calla had no idea the girl wasn’t alive—or that for some reason, Calla alone could see her.

Calla caught sight of her again just last week on a MISSING poster and immediately understood the reason behind Elaine Riggs’s repeated missions to Lily Dale.

Her daughter had been abducted from an Ohio shopping mall, and Elaine was desperate to find her.

New to the world of psychic mediums—and even newer to her own spiritual gifts—Calla didn’t immediately understand the clues Kaitlyn’s spirit was conveying to her. When she finally pieced it all together, she called Elaine Riggs and told her that the search should be focused on a specific area of a remote state park.

Monday night, the woman turned up on Odelia’s doorstep to tearfully thank Calla for bringing closure, even if it wasn’t the happy ending she had hoped for.

Her daughter’s strangled body had been found in the exact spot where Calla had redirected the search to.

Odelia was livid. The moment Elaine left, she laid into Calla.

Kaitlyn Riggs was murdered, Calla. And you were given information about her case. The way you chose to share it with her mother . . . well, I know your intentions were good, but I wish you’d come to me first. It takes years to learn how to deal sensitively with people who are grieving. Sometimes it’s still hard for me, and I’ve been at this forever. But what I’m most concerned about is that you could have gotten yourself hurt . . . Kaitlyn’s killer is still out there somewhere.

Remembering her grandmother’s ominous words—and seeing Kaitlyn again now—sends a shudder of dread through Calla.

Why is Kaitlyn back?

She’s gesturing with her hands. She seems to be trying to communicate something, and Calla senses that it isn’t mere gratitude.

Evangeline seems oblivious to the ghostly presence, the accompanying chill, and Calla’s distraction. She’s chattering on about the unpopular menu in the school cafeteria.

Frustrated, looking into Kaitlyn’s wide, troubled blue eyes, Calla asks, “What? What is it?”

“Sloppy Joe? You mean you’ve never heard of it? Lucky you!” Evangeline exclaims, obviously thinking Calla’s been following the conversation. “It’s ground beef—supposedly—all mixed up in some kind of sauce that’s sticky and red and hideous.”

Sticky.

Red.

Hideous.

Calla shakes her head to fight off the image those words are about to bring to mind.

Beside her, Kaitlyn Riggs is wide-eyed, nodding slowly, meaningfully.

What? What are you trying to tell me?

Upset, Calla closes her eyes to shut out both Kaitlyn and the rush of familiar bloody memory that’s sweeping over her.

Or is it familiar after all?

No. Not this time. Because that’s not her mother’s battered, facedown corpse Calla is seeing in her mind’s eye.

It’s a stranger’s.

And the body’s not lying on white ceramic tile. No, it’s outside somewhere. Dirt . . . pinecones . . . a few golden maple leaves. There’s a cluster of bowling-ball-sized rocks near one of the dead girl’s bare feet, laid out in a circle.

She’s got long blond hair, like Kaitlyn. It’s matted with twigs and leaves.

She’s slightly built, also like Kaitlyn. Her arms—thickly covered in strawberry-orange freckles—are bare and dirty and scratched. There’s a silver bracelet watch on one wrist, caked in mud. She’s wearing jeans and a pale pink shirt . . . and it’s spattered in blood.

Disturbed by the harsh image, Calla opens her eyes abruptly.

Evangeline is still talking about cafeteria food, still oblivious.

Yes, and Kaitlyn is still here.

As Calla looks at her, she gives a satisfied nod.

That’s her.

The two words drift into Calla’s head. They came from Kaitlyn. She’s certain of that, though she isn’t sure if she actually spoke to Calla or just planted the thought in her mind.

That’s her? Calla echoes silently. Who? The bloody girl in pink?

Again, Kaitlyn nods.

“What about her?” Calla blurts, frustrated.

Evangeline breaks off in midsentence and gestures. “You mean Willow?”

“Yes. No!” Following Evangeline’s gaze at a slender dark-haired girl walking up ahead, she realizes it’s Blue Slayton’s ex-girlfriend. “I didn’t even realize she was there.”

“But I just pointed her out to you.” Evangeline frowns . . . then the frown fades and the light seems to dawn. “You’re not talking about Willow. You’re not even talking to me . . . are you?”

Slowly, Calla shakes her head. Why deny it? Maybe it’ll be a relief to tell someone other than Odelia about her newfound gift. Or curse.

“No, I was talking to her,” she admits to Evangeline. She waves a hand in the air as she turns toward Kaitlyn again, daring to hope that Evangeline might be able to see her too. After all, she said herself that she has psychic medium abilities, just like her aunt Ramona and her late parents.