leaped.
“Everything all right?” he asked her.
“Yes, yes, I’m fine. But I’d like to see you.”
She hesitated, and he realized that she was whispering even though she was in her own house and the only person who might hear her was...
“I know you saw...what you saw. And Auntie Mina saw a woman in the window. That night, I mean. You asked me how I knew to go into the woods. I heard someone crying. But Auntie Mina saw her. And it wasn’t the woman I found. She didn’t tell me before because she didn’t realize they were different people, but now that she’s seen so many images...anyway. It was someone else. And I think she was murdered, too.”
* * *
Devin was on edge. Maybe it was something she should have accepted all her life.
That sometimes she could see the dead.
But she hadn’t accepted it. She’d gone into journalism, for God’s sake. Facts and figures.
But now an FBI agent as cool and stoic as the GQ man she’d initially compared him to was sitting in her parlor—along with her dead aunt. And they were all talking as if this were a perfectly normal conversation. Rocky was interviewing Auntie Mina with sober consideration, listening to her words as if she were a living witness.
“The victim’s picture is in the paper, you see—and of course, on the television,” Auntie Mina said. “I do love television,” she told him. “Why, when I was a girl, it didn’t even exist.”
Rocky grinned. “I love TV myself. Especially The Big Bang Theory and reruns of Frasier. ”
Auntie Mina was delighted. “Excellent shows.”
“So you saw pictures of the victim and realized she wasn’t the woman you’d seen in the window. Do you know who she is? Or recognize the woman you did see?”
Aunt Mina shook her head sadly. “No. I’d never seen her before. Except that I feel certain that she was a reenactor of some kind. I’m sure you’ve seen some of our local Wiccans. I’ll admit, most of my clothing was black, and if you were to go into my closet now, you’d see that I had several gorgeous cloaks for our circles and Sabbats. But she was dressed differently. Like a Puritan. Perhaps she really was a Puritan, a woman from...some other time.”
“Thank you, Mina,” Rocky said. “I’m not sure what it means, but it’s definitely a new avenue to explore.”
“You mean, we have another dead woman somewhere?” Devin asked him.
He looked over at her. There was something gentle in his eyes. “Maybe not. Maybe she died a long time ago and stayed to try to save others.”
“Oh,” Aunt Mina said.
“I have to get back,” he told them. “The members of my team are coming in later.”
“You have a team?”
“I do.”
She nodded. “Good,” she told him. “A whole team to help out will be very good.”
He rose and thanked Aunt Mina. Devin walked with him to the door.
“Lock it,” she said. “That’s what you’re going to say to me, right? I would do it, anyway, you know, without you telling me.”
He nodded and hesitated. “I think I’d like to take a tour with that friend of yours I met last night—Brent Corbin.”
“Okay. I can set it up, if you like.”
“Sure. Want to come with me?”
It was her turn to hesitate.
Sure, let’s see a friend of mine. Let’s pretend we’ve known each other before now, that you’re here because I live here, that you’re here to be with me....
You could just ask me to dinner.
Great. Three women were dead, two of them in the past couple of weeks, and she...
She couldn’t stop thinking about Rocky.
Each time she saw him, she was more fascinated by him.
“Of course. Except...” she said.
“Except?” he asked.
“I’m not sure why you’re so focused on my friends.”
“I’m not. You’re friends are just up to speed on what’s going on locally, and I need to catch up.”
“ I’m up to speed on what’s happening locally. And don’t you have your own friends?”
He laughed. “I do. And maybe I’ll drag you to
“Everything all right?” he asked her.
“Yes, yes, I’m fine. But I’d like to see you.”
She hesitated, and he realized that she was whispering even though she was in her own house and the only person who might hear her was...
“I know you saw...what you saw. And Auntie Mina saw a woman in the window. That night, I mean. You asked me how I knew to go into the woods. I heard someone crying. But Auntie Mina saw her. And it wasn’t the woman I found. She didn’t tell me before because she didn’t realize they were different people, but now that she’s seen so many images...anyway. It was someone else. And I think she was murdered, too.”
* * *
Devin was on edge. Maybe it was something she should have accepted all her life.
That sometimes she could see the dead.
But she hadn’t accepted it. She’d gone into journalism, for God’s sake. Facts and figures.
But now an FBI agent as cool and stoic as the GQ man she’d initially compared him to was sitting in her parlor—along with her dead aunt. And they were all talking as if this were a perfectly normal conversation. Rocky was interviewing Auntie Mina with sober consideration, listening to her words as if she were a living witness.
“The victim’s picture is in the paper, you see—and of course, on the television,” Auntie Mina said. “I do love television,” she told him. “Why, when I was a girl, it didn’t even exist.”
Rocky grinned. “I love TV myself. Especially The Big Bang Theory and reruns of Frasier. ”
Auntie Mina was delighted. “Excellent shows.”
“So you saw pictures of the victim and realized she wasn’t the woman you’d seen in the window. Do you know who she is? Or recognize the woman you did see?”
Aunt Mina shook her head sadly. “No. I’d never seen her before. Except that I feel certain that she was a reenactor of some kind. I’m sure you’ve seen some of our local Wiccans. I’ll admit, most of my clothing was black, and if you were to go into my closet now, you’d see that I had several gorgeous cloaks for our circles and Sabbats. But she was dressed differently. Like a Puritan. Perhaps she really was a Puritan, a woman from...some other time.”
“Thank you, Mina,” Rocky said. “I’m not sure what it means, but it’s definitely a new avenue to explore.”
“You mean, we have another dead woman somewhere?” Devin asked him.
He looked over at her. There was something gentle in his eyes. “Maybe not. Maybe she died a long time ago and stayed to try to save others.”
“Oh,” Aunt Mina said.
“I have to get back,” he told them. “The members of my team are coming in later.”
“You have a team?”
“I do.”
She nodded. “Good,” she told him. “A whole team to help out will be very good.”
He rose and thanked Aunt Mina. Devin walked with him to the door.
“Lock it,” she said. “That’s what you’re going to say to me, right? I would do it, anyway, you know, without you telling me.”
He nodded and hesitated. “I think I’d like to take a tour with that friend of yours I met last night—Brent Corbin.”
“Okay. I can set it up, if you like.”
“Sure. Want to come with me?”
It was her turn to hesitate.
Sure, let’s see a friend of mine. Let’s pretend we’ve known each other before now, that you’re here because I live here, that you’re here to be with me....
You could just ask me to dinner.
Great. Three women were dead, two of them in the past couple of weeks, and she...
She couldn’t stop thinking about Rocky.
Each time she saw him, she was more fascinated by him.
“Of course. Except...” she said.
“Except?” he asked.
“I’m not sure why you’re so focused on my friends.”
“I’m not. You’re friends are just up to speed on what’s going on locally, and I need to catch up.”
“ I’m up to speed on what’s happening locally. And don’t you have your own friends?”
He laughed. “I do. And maybe I’ll drag you to
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