A Deep and Dark December (33 page)

Graham halted and spun on Pax. “I’ll tell you what. Why don’t you get Mabel to write up that flower shop accident back there? Then you could take over for her as the biggest gossipmonger in town.”

“Hey.”

“I don’t know who started this stupid rumor, but it’s going to end right here, got it?”

“Sure, Sheriff. Whatever you say.”

Graham left Pax standing where he was and continued on to the station. What in the hell was wrong with this town? He didn’t know what Erin would do when she found out about this latest development. Stupid, goddamned small town. He couldn’t wait to…shit. Who was he kidding? He was never leaving this town. Not with his parents the way they were and now his relationship with Erin. Plus it was clear this town needed a sheriff and for some reason it had been decided decades ago that the sheriff had to be a Doran.

He reached the top of the stairs of the front porch of the station and turned back to look up Main Street. Folks stood around, watching the tow truck operator and police do their jobs. Off to the side, the mayor huddled with his cronies, no doubt plotting their next move to get rid of him. They’d ratcheted up their recall campaign and now a few of the businesses in town sported flyers damning Graham as the worst thing to happen to San Rey since the storm that wiped out the original 1910 pier.

He turned his gaze away from Mayor Behre and his henchmen and scanned the other faces. He knew them all… Well, most of them anyway. He watched while Mr. Pasarelli passed out samples of cake from his bakery, trying to drum up business in the slow economy. He watched the Bercher boy swipe a second sample when Mr. Pasarelli’s back was turned. The ladies from the Clippity-Do-Da talked to each other from behind their hands, no doubt passing more gossip and innuendo. A girl he’d gone to high school with passed her crying baby over to old Mrs. Gladstone who was known for her touch with fussy infants.

Just a normal town full of normal people in the middle of the most extraordinary and horrifying events of their lives. Between their neighborly smiles and nods of recognition, their brows knit in anxiety and confusion. What was happening to their town, their home? When would it end? Who would make it stop?

He would.

Graham pulled in a slow breath and squared his shoulders. He would. He would make it stop. He’d catch the asshole who was manipulating these good people to do strange and terrible things. And life in San Rey would go back to normal. A nice, boring normal where the worst thing that could happen would be that they’d run out of shortcake at the Strawberry Festival.

This was his town, his home. There was no way in hell he was going to let them down.

Word was definitely out if the glances and stares Erin was getting while shopping the aisles of Goldman’s Drug Store were any indication. Mabel had done her job. Erin hoped her plan would work or else she’d exposed herself for nothing.

“…disgusting little weirdo, just like the rest of them.”

Erin turned from perusing toothpaste to find Emily Talbot and Morgan Davies glaring at her.

“What are you looking at?” Emily sneered.

“She thinks she’s so much better than us,” Morgan said. “You use your woo-woo power to get the sheriff to screw you?”

“She’d have to. No other explanation for why he’d touch a freak like her.”

Erin grabbed a box of toothpaste, threw it in her basket and bolted. The women’s laughter reached out after her, scratching at old wounds. Her mother had used that word.

Freak.

She stumbled two rows over and grabbed onto an end-cap shelf. She’d expected curiosity, maybe even standoffishness, but aggression? No. None of that.

Hurrying toward the cash registers at the front of the store, she kept her head down, hoping to evade Emily and Morgan. She put her basket on the conveyor belt and waited for the man in front of her to finish paying. Mr. Felix, her third grade teacher, the man who had encouraged her in the months after her mother had left, now turned to look at her with a mixture of suspicion and revulsion.

She backed out of line right into Candy. “Oh. Sorry.”

“Sorry? You’re
sorry
? Watch where you’re going!”

Erin sucked in a breath at the hatred coming off her friend and hairstylist. Suddenly the whispers were everywhere, the stares fixed and accusatory.
Weirdo. Freak. Monster.
Erin brushed past Candy, bumping into a display and scattering it. Then she ran, passing face after face twisted in hatred. Their loathing followed her like a rabid dog.

She dove into her car and slammed the door, her breath harsh in the quiet. Her worst nightmare had come true. They were all against her. The whole town. She’d never fit in now. All her life she’d only wanted to fit into the town she belonged to and now…now that wish would never come true. What had she done? It wasn’t supposed to be like this.

Her phone rang, startling her. She fumbled around in her purse until she finally located it.

“Hello?”

“What did you do?”

Graham. Oh, God. Not him too.

“Why did you tell Mabel about your ability?” he demanded.

“What?”

“Why, Erin? You had to know she’d tell everybody.” He let out a heavy breath. “That was the point, wasn’t it?”

She dropped her head back against the headrest. “We have to catch him.”

“
We
don’t have to do anything. You work for a property management company, not the sheriff’s office. Goddammit. What if he came after you physically like he did Deidre?”

She wasn’t an idiot. She’d considered the probability that the killer could come after her the way he’d come after Deidre. He’d already attacked her and her family mentally and it was clear he wouldn’t stop. She didn’t like hearing the fear in Graham’s voice, but what choice was there? How else were they going to stop him?

“He might,” she said, closing her eyes against that thought.

“And what? You don’t care?”

“He’s already come at me, into my head.”

“That’s not the same as coming at you with a gun. You can’t fight off a bullet with a little mental gymnastics.”

“I just want my dad and aunt back.”

He gentled his tone. “I know you do, Babe. Where are you?”

She glanced around at the parking lot of the strip mall. People came and went, going about their day as though nothing was wrong. “Shopping.”

“Come to the station.”

“Why? So you can yell at me some more?”

“Erin, just come. Please.”

“No more yelling at me.”

“I can’t promise that, but I’ll try.”

“All right.” She clicked her phone closed with a sigh and tossed it into her purse. At least Graham hadn’t turned against her. She had one person on her side. The most important person.

It was a short drive to the station and in no time, she parked and went inside. Jessica had the phone pressed between her ear and shoulder while she filed her nails. Mabel had called in to stay with Erin’s father, which was where Erin had found her that morning when she’d spilled her secret about her ability. If only she could go back in time. But then what was the alternative?

Jessica hung up the phone. “Well, if it isn’t Witchy Woman. Now I know how you managed to land Graham.”

“I don’t have that kind of ability.”

Jessica rose from her chair and came around the desk. “He’s not going to want you when he finds out what you are, you know.”

“He already knows.”

“Yeah, right.”

“Is he here?”

“He’s busy.” Jessica planted her hands on her hips. “Why don’t you go practice your voodoo on someone else?”

“Knock it off, Jessica,” Graham said.

Erin jumped at the sound of his voice. “Jeez. You scared me.”

Graham put a hand on Erin’s low back. “Sorry.”

“How can you touch her?” Jessica asked, disgust evident in her expression and words. “Don’t you know what she is?”

“I said to knock it off.”

“How clever of you,” Jessica taunted, edging toward them. “You put a hex on him so he can’t see what you are. But I see. I know.”

Jessica’s reaction was more than unexpected. It was extreme, over the top. Could this too be the killer’s doing?

Erin drew closer to Graham. “Stop it.”

“Murderer,” Jessica sneered, her lip curling as she stalked closer.

Graham wrapped his arm around Erin. “No more, Jessica. Not another word.”

“She was at the house,” Jessica continued. “I bet she’s the one who killed Deidre and Greg. And how convenient.” Jessica stood just inches away now. “Using your powers to mess with the sheriff’s head. I bet you made Keith kill himself. Got rid of the obstacle in your path to Graham.” Jessica leaned in and Erin could see the fever in her eyes just like the one that burned behind her father’s gaze. “You’re not going to get rid of me. He’s mine!”

She lunged for Erin. Graham put a hand out to stop her, but Jessica got in one good swipe before he hauled Erin back. Erin gripped her cheek where Jessica had dug her nails in. The gashes burned. Erin backed away, shaking. Jessica was shrieking now, struggling against Graham’s hold to get to Erin.

“Go,” Graham told her. “I’ll take care of Jessica. Go home. I’ll call you.”

Erin snatched her purse up from where it had fallen when Jessica had attacked her. Her head ached from fighting back the tears, but she managed to stumble down the steps to her car.

“Monster!” someone shouted, drawing her attention to the crowd gathering.

“Witch!”

“Freak!”

Someone grabbed her elbow. She spun, ready to strike.

“You’d better get,” Graham’s father said, his fingers biting into her flesh. “Go someplace else. Move to another town, another state. Stay away from my son.”

She jerked her arm free and ran to her car. As she pulled away she thought she saw Ham smile, all teeth, his stare flat and penetrating right into the center of her chest. She hit the gas, leaving behind the town she’d once loved, the town she’d tried so hard to fit into.

~*~

Graham wrestled Jessica into her chair and leaned over her, bracketing her with his hands on the arms of the chair. “You’re lucky I don’t lock you up for assault.”

“She deserved it.”

“What in the hell is wrong with everybody in this town?”

“We’re finally seeing her and her family for what they are. You don’t want her, Graham.” She ran her hands up Graham’s arms and locked them behind his neck, trying to draw him down to her. “You want me.” She licked her lips. “I know how to make a man feel good. Real good.”

Graham pulled his head back and tried to move away, but she hung on, yanking him toward her. He had no choice but to grab onto her to keep them both from going down.

“What’s going on here?” Ham shouted.

Jessica wriggled closer, pulling Graham’s head down, aiming for a kiss.

Graham clamped a hand over her mouth and pushed her head back just before she connected. “I have no idea. This whole town has gone completely insane.”

“You’d better not be using your position as sheriff to cut a swath through the women in this town.” Ham shook his finger at his son, his face flushed and sweaty. “I raised you to respect the union between a man and a woman.”

Jessica licked Graham’s palm, drawing his attention away from his father. “Stop that!”

Jessica grinned at him from behind his hand and ground her pelvis into Graham’s.

“Graham Doran! You stop that cavorting right now!”

“I’m not cavorting. She is.” Graham grabbed Jessica’s wandering hands and pulled them behind her back. “I said stop it!” he told her. She was like a goddamned octopus. Every time he thought he had her under control, she seemed to grow another arm to go after him again.

“But Graham, baby, I want you so bad.” She rubbed her breasts against his chest. “You want me too. I know it.”

“No, actually, I don’t. What I want is for you to sit back down at your desk and do your job.”

Jessica tried to rub up on him again, but this time he managed to move out of the way. “That’s it.” He spun her around, pushed her down on the desk, and clamped handcuffs on her wrists. He held her down by the back of the neck. “There.”