Darkest Journey (Krewe of Hunters #20)(83)

Jennie looked toward the church again, and Ethan followed her gaze. Jonathan and his group were gone. Damn. He’d wanted to observe the man more closely while they were so near where Hickory’s body had been buried.

Ethan and Charlie waited until the others were trekking back to their cars. Then he turned to Captain Derue, who had been waiting quietly, and said, “Let’s head over to the church.”

“So many lives...” Derue said quietly, looking off toward the graveyard.

Ethan took Charlie’s hand. He squeezed it as they followed Derue toward the church.

They were almost there when they saw Anson. He materialized right in front of them, but he didn’t even seem to notice Ethan and Charlie, only the ghost who was with them.

“Ells,” he said in shock.

“Anson.”

The two ghosts embraced warmly, and then they walked away and sat on an aboveground tomb, where they rested and talked.

Ethan knew he had to get Charlie back to the Journey, but there was no reason not to leave the two cousins there to catch up. Derue had plenty of time to find his own way back.

“Charlie and I are going to head back to the ship!” he called.

Anson McKee looked toward them for a moment, then lifted a hand and waved goodbye. Ellsworth smiled and did the same.

Ethan and Charlie turned and headed toward their rental car.

“That was beautiful,” Charlie said.

“I always figured ghosts could find each other if they wanted to, but apparently I was wrong. I guess we’ll never know all the answers, even if we do have the ‘sight.’ Not until we die ourselves, anyway.”

“In that case, I hope I stay ignorant for a long time,” Charlie said with a smile.

At the car, Ethan glanced at his watch. He was barely going to get Charlie back in time for her first performance.

“Don’t forget I still have to change,” she said, checking the time herself.

“I’ll get you there.”

He drove to the dock, aware of the time the whole way. When he reached the dock and the spot where he was supposed to leave the car, Charlie asked, “Do you really think a ninety-pound woman could be our killer?”

“What?”

“Jennie. I saw you talking to her, and from the look on her face, you weren’t making casual conversation. You were questioning her, weren’t you?”

“I was asking her about Sane Energy.”

“Oh?”

“She admitted she knew Albion and Farrell better than she’d admitted before, said she was a member of Sane Energy, too. She did know that they wanted to set up a meeting with Gideon Oil.”

That was the end of the conversation, because they had to produce their ship ID cards so they could board. Charlie was ready to run ahead without him, but he insisted on going with her.

“I’m going to check on the others, but I’ll be back over to walk you up to the dining room.”

“Just hurry, ’cause I’m running late.”

“Okay, okay, just be sure to lock the door.”

“Locking!” she called.

Ethan walked the two steps to Jude and Alexi’s cabin, though he suspected they’d already gone up to the Eagle View. He had just raised his fist to knock on their door when he heard a startled scream from his own cabin.

Charlie!





15

Charlie stood still, staring in horror at the mirror above the sink.

You’re next.

The words seemed to drip down the glass, and they looked like they were written in blood, but they couldn’t have been. Could they?

Charlie backed away from the mirror.

She didn’t even realize she had screamed until Ethan burst into the cabin and raced up behind her.

It was lipstick, just lipstick, she thought, and tried to reassure herself that this was a sick prank.

She felt Ethan’s hands on her shoulders, firm and reassuring.

“Lipstick,” he said. “Don’t touch it. I’ll get hold of Randy and have him send a forensics team. We may find something, fingerprints or...something.”

“Is this...a joke? The printing looks like a kid’s, and the message...it’s like something from half the cheesy horror movies out there. But...how did someone get into our cabin?”

“We’ll worry about that later,” Ethan said. “Maybe someone ‘borrowed’ a master key from one of the maids. But joke or not, people are dead, and this isn’t funny. Find your things, and we’ll get you into one of the other cabins. You can change there while I wait for forensics to show up. The Journey doesn’t leave St. Francisville until tomorrow morning, so we have plenty of time to get a handle on this.”

“Okay,” Charlie said. She turned and hurried to the closet, collecting her dress, shoes, corset and petticoat. She felt cold, and as if she was moving like a robot. But she was calm. No, she realized, she was too calm. She was almost numb.

Paradoxically, she was also angry. How dare some sicko sneak into her cabin and try to scare her this way?

She didn’t think she would be able to sleep in here again. Yet where could she go? She was pretty sure the ship was at capacity.

Once she was ready to leave, she noticed that Ethan was just hanging up the phone, and when he took her arm and led her out, Jude was already out in the hallway and waiting for them next door.