One Grave at a Time

“Um . . .” I hedged.

Actually, I had, thinking that Tyler would do better with my mom here to protect him if by chance Kramer showed up. Hell, if the ghost attacked during the climactic scene with Snape, Harry, and Dumbledore, Ian might not even stop watching the movie to heal any mortal injuries the medium received.

“Tyler would feel safer with both of you,” I began.

“The hell I would,” Tyler cut me off, glaring. Cock-blocker! rang across my mind.

If I’d still been human, my cheeks would’ve been flaming. I’d been called a lot of names in my day, but never that one before.

“Fine,” I gritted out, hoping Tyler’s horniness wouldn’t end up being the death of him. “Mom, you’re coming. Here’s some sage.”

She took it almost in surprise, like she’d been expecting me to argue. I wanted to, but between Tyler’s mental berating and the fact that I didn’t want to leave my mother with only Ian to protect her if Kramer showed up, kept me quiet.

Next I passed out lighters until everyone had several. Then I went to get the final protection against a possible spectral attack: Helsing, who gave me a baleful look when I hustled him into his carrier.

Sage, lighters, and a pissed-off kitty might not look like the most conventional ghost-busting arsenal, but so far, they’d proven to be the most effective.

Elisabeth and Fabian flew into our car even before Bones had it in park.

“You must hurry, he just left!” she said, her accent even thicker with her agitation.

“Which apartment?” I asked.

She pointed at the left-hand corner of the building. “One of the top ones.”

Bones’s brows went up. “You don’t know the number?”

“It’s difficult to get such details while trying to remain unseen,” Fabian replied, rallying to Elisabeth’s defense.

“How many can there be?” I asked Bones, with a philosophical shrug.

He got out of the car. “Appears we’re going to find out. Charles,” he said, as Spade pulled up alongside us, “stay here and keep some sage burning. With luck, we’ll be right back. Fabian, Elisabeth, keep a lookout for Kramer in case the sod returns while we’re here.”

“What about me?” my mother asked from the backseat.

“You’re staying with the car,” I told her as I got out, hefting the pet carrier along with me. “No offense, Mom, but your people skills suck.”

She huffed in indignation. Bones flashed me an appreciative grin that she couldn’t see.

“Keep it running, Justina. We may need you to fetch us in a hurry,” he said, his tone very bland.

That explanation mollified her until she thought it through, which didn’t happen until we were already up the second flight of stairs of the apartment building.

“You can run faster than that!” I heard her shout from across the parking lot.

Spade’s reply was swallowed up by sounds from the occupants in the building, but I caught the hint of his laughter, which meant he’d belted it out without restraint.

“She’s got to be steaming,” I noted in amusement.

Bones’s smile was shameless. “How regrettable.”

We climbed the last flight of stairs to the third floor. Several apartments were clustered in the general area Elisabeth had indicated. Because it was right around dinnertime, it sounded like all of them were occupied, too. No narrowing it down that way.

“Well, how do you want to do this?” I asked. “Pretend to be Neighborhood Watch members reporting a rash of car vandalisms, or a sweepstakes clearinghouse with a big check?” That would at least get fewer doors slammed in our faces. Maybe.

“Give me a moment,” Bones murmured. He closed his eyes and his aura flared, filling the air with invisible currents. After several seconds, he pointed at the two doors in the far corner without opening his eyes.

“She’s in one of those units.”

“And you know that because you can somehow use the Force now?” I asked, trying to limit the dubiousness in my tone.

He opened his eyes, tapping the side of his head. “By listening. You’re probably tuning everyone’s thoughts out, but I’m focusing in on them. A very traumatized woman is behind one of those doors, and I’ll wager it’s because Kramer just left.”

That was what I got for doubting him. Bones was right that I’d pulled my mental shields up high and tight against the barrage of thoughts coming from the apartments, but in doing so, I’d neglected an important tool in finding our target.

“Good thing you’re here. That’s far too practical to have occurred to me,” I added wryly.

He stilled my hand as I was about to knock on the door labeled “B.”

“Don’t berate yourself. I did the same thing when I first acquired this power, but I’ve had it much longer, so my response to it has changed. You’re not used to it yet, but you will be, then accessing it will be second nature to you also.”

Maybe, but it wasn’t even my power to begin with. If I stopped drinking from him, that mind-reading ability, like every other borrowed power, would soon be gone. Bleakness briefly threaded through me. In many ways, I was an imposter, my significant strength and skills just the product of a supernatural dietary quirk. Without the capacity to siphon powers through feeding, I probably wouldn’t be any more bad-ass than my mother. Would the real Red Reaper please stand up?

Then I pushed those thoughts aside and rapped on the door. I could have my personal identity crisis later, when someone else’s life wasn’t on the line. If anyone deserved a pity party, it was the woman we were here to collect, and from the muffled sob on the other side of this door, it seemed I was about to meet her.

“Who is it?” a strained voice called out. Can’t handle dealing with anyone right now followed on the heels of that, discernible even through my mental barrier.

“We just moved in,” I said, trying to sound friendly. “I found this cat wandering around, and I was wondering if you’d recognize who his owner is.”

Seemed more plausible than my other ideas considering I was standing here with a cat carrier. The door cracked open, security chain still engaged. Cautious, good for her, but no dead bolt or chain could keep out what was after her. I caught a glimpse of matted blond hair framing a tear-stained face before I held up the carrier, showing her a glimpse of my kitty.

“Wait a second,” she mumbled. The door’s closing coincided with the slide of the chain being removed. She opened it more fully this time, peering at Helsing.

“Haven’t seen him here before,” she began.

Emerald blazed forth from Bones’s eyes, bright as a traffic light. As quick as she could gasp, she was caught in their depths, mutely stepping back when Bones told her to let us inside.

I closed the door behind us, wincing when I saw the destruction in her apartment. Her couch was overturned, lamps and tables smashed, kitchen cabinets half-torn from their hinges, and multiple pieces of broken dishes littered the floor. Either this was Kramer’s work, or she had real issues with her temper.

“Who did this?” Bones asked, still holding her gaze.

Anguish skipped across her expression. “I don’t know his name. I can’t even see him unless he wants me to.”

That was enough confirmation for me, but Bones asked her one more question. “How long has he been coming to you?”

“Over three weeks,” she whispered.

I exchanged a grim glance with Bones. That was earlier than we’d expected. If Kramer had started terrorizing his intended victims at the end of September, it made sense that he’d already picked out his accomplice. It only stood to benefit Kramer if his dirty little helper was familiar with where he’d be kidnapping the women from, after all. And if Kramer was covering his tracks well enough that it had taken Elisabeth over five weeks to find the first of the three women, would she be able to find the other two in just seventeen days?

“Don’t be afraid, but you need to come with us,” I told her.