I could pretty much figure the rest of it out. “You died, but your soul didn’t pass over. You were too angry to allow that to happen.”
“I drank myself to death,” she confirmed. “My liver gave out and I died in a puddle of my own vomit. I never did have that all-important moment of clarity when I was alive. I managed it when I emerged for my second life, though.”
“And then what? Did you try to reclaim Willa?”
“Reclaim her? No. But I did go to see her. Your great-grandmother saw me ... and Tillie. They banished me from the land. The spell was strong enough that I couldn’t overcome it.”
“But you kept coming back to test it.”
“Yes.” She nodded. “Even after Willa left, I returned. I owed your great-grandmother a debt that I never managed to repay.”
“Wait ... .” I was confused.
“I didn’t want to reward her with anything good. Don’t think that. The debt I owed her was death. She died on her own before I could make it a reality.”
“Well ... I guess that’s a bummer for you.”
“I still wanted to pay back her offspring.”
The realization of her true motivations was a kick in the ego. “This was never about me. It was always about Aunt Tillie.”
“Oh, look, you finally figured it out.” She rolled her eyes. “You’re the new power in this town. I have to take you out if I want a clear path to Tillie.”
“And Rosemary? Why take over your own great-granddaughter’s body? Don’t you have any shame at all?”
She snorted. “I don’t know this girl. I don’t care about her. A blood tie makes it easier for a soul to take up permanent residence. Rosemary isn’t strong enough to fight me off. She’s already given up and retreated to a corner of her brain where I can’t communicate with her. It’s best for everybody concerned.”
“Except Rosemary.”
“Give me a break. You’ve never cared about Rosemary.”
“She’s not my favorite person, but I don’t want her to suffer.”
“She’s not suffering. She’s been removed from this world.”
“And will you return her body when you’ve seen your revenge scheme through to the end? Will Rosemary have another shot at life?”
“This is my body now. I’m not giving it up.”
I was fairly certain I understood everything. “Your dark soul connected with his dark soul.” I pointed to the lobby, to where Brian paced. “He gave in to your friend first and brought Rosemary along for the ride. Then, along the way, you collected other souls.
“You’ve been killing people for the blood,” I continued. “You need to feed. Even though you’re not truly alive, the blood sustains you.”
“So smart,” she sneered.
“I just want to understand.”
“To what end?” She looked legitimately curious. “What do you think this will do for you?”
“Probably nothing, but I can’t rest without answers.”
“Fine. Finish it. What else do you need to know?”
“Brian was messing around with Paisley. He wanted to use her because she managed to tap into our magic once before. She turned out to be a disappointment, though.”
“She did.”
“What about her parents? Where are they?”
She shrugged. “Who can say?”
“You can. You’re responsible for whatever happened to them.”
“They’re in the woods, not far from where their daughter died. They followed her to the clearing and saw what happened. As Brian handled her, I took care of the parents. We buried them and returned their vehicle to the driveway so it would look as if they were taken from the house. They’re in the woods, if anybody ever bothers to look.”
“Why leave Paisley in the open and hide the bodies of her parents?” I asked.
“I can’t believe you’re this slow.” She heaved out a sigh. “We wanted to draw you in. We wanted you focused on Paisley rather than us. I needed to keep you off your game.”
“And then what?”
“This.” She gestured to the hallway. “We’re here to end you.”
“What makes you think you have the power? It’s just you and me. If I’m the new power as you say, you don’t have the strength to take me out.”
She leaned over and rested her hands on her knees, her round face splitting with a wide grin. “What makes you think I’m alone?”
Alarm bells went off in my head and I snapped my eyes to the hallway, where Brian had been pacing. He was gone, which meant he was on his way to the door Rosemary had used to enter the building. He was on his way to me.
“Crap.” I scrambled to my feet, prepared to fight, but nobody walked through the door. “Where is he?” I asked.
“He’s coming.” Rosemary didn’t look particularly bothered. “He should be here any second.”
After another sixty seconds, I glanced at her again. “Are you sure?”
“Of course I’m sure.” Despite the words, irritation radiated off Rosemary, and in a moment of fury she started toward the door. “What is he doing out there? How long does it take to walk between two doors?” She disappeared through the opening, leaving me with a choice.
I could drop the barrier and try to escape through the front door of the newspaper or follow her and try to best her. There really was no choice. I had to end this now. I raised my hand as I stepped through the opening.
I was focused, determined, and when I looked along the paver stones that made up the back walkway, I almost missed what I should’ve seen days before. There, in the corners of the stones, were the runes from the trees left near Paisley’s body.
There were four of them littering the stones. I only had a moment to wonder why. The stones had been there since long before I took over the business. William had built that walkway. Was he somehow involved in this? Did he know what was to come?
I would have to ponder that later, I reminded myself.
Rosemary, her back to me, scanned the area surrounding the door. “Where did he go?” Bewilderment was wild on her face as
