“I just worry about you taking on too much.”
“And I appreciate that, but it’s okay. If I need to, I’ll back off something, but right now, I don’t have a PIB case since I’m on vacation, so I’m not overwhelmed.”
Mason nodded. “You know I have your back if something goes crazy, right?”
“Always, Mason.”
“Good, because I have a feeling Nick is up to something.”
I snorted. “You and me both.”
We pulled into the ghost town slowly, my eyes studying each decrepit building made of decaying wood. Many of their roofs were caved in. Weeds and plants had taken over the front yards. It had the look of an old mining town where the veins had run dry.
“A literal ghost town,” Mason muttered. “Do you think there are actually any ghosts here?”
“I hope not. I’ve had my fair share of ghosts, and I don’t want anymore.”
Something peeking around the corner caught my eye. A young child with long black hair. Her eyes blinked at me and then disappeared. “Stop the car.”
“We’re not quite to the location yet,” Mason said.
“I know, but I saw something.”
He stopped the car right in the middle of the road, and I jumped out.
Approaching the house, I kept my motions slow so I wouldn’t startle the child. “Hey, little one.”
The little girl peeked out and paused for a moment.
I held my hand out. “I’m Abby, can you tell me your name?”
She shook her head. “No name.” She came closer, and now that she wasn’t obscured by the building and the shadows, I could see the dirt and minor cuts on her.
The shirt and pants she wore were too big for the small frame of her body.
“Where are your parents?”
They tilted their head to one side. “Gone.”
“Is there anyone else here?”
“Dead.”
My heart skipped a beat. “Who’s dead?”
“They are.” Suddenly she ran to me and threw her arms around my neck and started sobbing. “All gone.”
I picked her up and looked at Mason. “She needs to be checked out, and we need to figure out what happened here.”
Mason nodded and held his hands out. “Come here, kiddo.”
The little girl shook her head and clung to my neck. “No. Stay with Abby.”
I pressed my lips together. “Do you know how long you’ve been here?”
“Forever.” Her eyes seemed to glaze over, and she shook her head. “They’re gone now. You can take me from here.”
I shifted her, so she sat on my hip, and I could carry her with one arm. “Can you tell me where they were?”
“Show you.” She nodded and pointed down the road. “Big house.”
I walked toward the car. “Okay, we’re going to drive there. I have to put you down.”
She bit her lip and shook her head. “I stay with you. She said stay with you.”
“Who did?”
She tapped her chest. “Lady with shiny thing.” She looked around and pointed to Mason. “Shiny thing,” she said again.
Mason pointed to his badge. “This?”
She nodded. “Lady had one.”
My breath caught. Could it have been Liz?
“We’re going to sit in the back of the car together.” I opened the door of the cruiser and slid in with her. I didn’t have a seat to put her in, but we’d be going down a deserted road.
Mason got in the car. “I called an ambulance for her. The closest hospital equipped to deal with this is in the Springs, so we’ll make sure we get the case.”
I buckled her up, but she kept a tight hold on the hem of my shirt.
Mason drove until the little girl yelled. “Stop! Big house! Big house!” She pointed at a large white house. The house was kept up and seemed to have been updated with white paneling, a painted wrap-around porch, and the glass windows were still intact.
Mason got out and opened my door. “Want me to take point?”
“I want to go. You stay here with her. I can take care of anything supernatural. You can’t.” I scooted out, and the girl clung to my arm. I knelt just outside of the car, so I could meet her eyes.
Her eyes darted away from me. “Stay.”
“You need to stay here with Detective Mason. He’s going to keep you safe, and I’m going to see inside the big house.”
She started shaking. “They in the big house,” she gasped. “All of them.” She let go of my arm.
I kissed her head and stood. I stepped away from the car and looked at Mason. “I’ll be back.”
I pulled my gun and started toward the house. I took a moment to listen, but there was nothing in the air. No magic that surrounded the area. Something was off. It was almost too quiet.
Of course, we were in a ghost town.
Maybe the house was inhabited by ghosts.
I hesitated at the steps of the porch. Last time I dealt with ghosts, they tried to kill me.
Another familiarity with another case?
The wind swept by, and the unmistakable smell of rotting corpses crossed my nose. I quickened my steps up the porch and to the door. The door frame was splintered from what looked like a gunshot. So whoever had been here before must not have been worried about being subtle.
I pushed the door open with my foot and found where the rotting smell was coming from. There was a body at the bottom of the stairs, half lying over the last steps.
I covered my mouth and
