Fatal Storm (21 page)

“Einstein’s mad. Won’t eat or even come out
of his tree.”

“It will do him good to stew awhile. You
spoil him rotten.” He sat down and waved a check at her. “Monroe
made good on the reward.” He tossed the check on the coffee table.
Outside the French doors he could see a flame burning in the fire
pit in the middle of the yard.

“What do you think will happen with the
property? Anyone could stumble into that portal. Skizzy says it
doesn’t have to be a wall. Just like ships and planes just sailed
right through the portal.”

“Chief Wozniak talked to Attorney Godfrey. He
didn’t tell him the truth as we know it. Just about the fire and
how the property should be demolished, condemned, whatever. He’s
getting a fat check from the insurance company so he could care
less if the entire forest grows over it.”

Dagger’s gaze drifted to the yard again.
“What are you burning out there?”

“Remember what we promised each other when I
returned from my two-month sabbatical after the Friday the
Thirteenth case?”

Dagger remembered all too well how angry he
was that Sara had left without word and returned without warning.
They had each promised to never leave. His eyes drifted to the
fire, and the thought of what was burning hit him. “You’re burning
my suitcase?”

Sara just shrugged. She figured the only
reason Dagger kept making threats of a new start and leaving town
was because he was waiting for someone to make up his mind for him.
She held up the bowl. “Popcorn?”

Dagger felt a strange weight lifted from his
shoulders. He should be angry, but he had to admit that Sheila was
right. Sara was the one person he could never walk away from.

He watched the images on the wide screen
television. Two figures were creeping through what looked like a
prison. There were long hallways of cell doors and metal cots. The
characters were illuminated by a weird camera light which made
their eyes appear to glow.

“What the hell are you watching?”

Sara slowly smiled as she grabbed a
handful of popcorn. “
Ghost
Hunters
.”

Puffs of smoke still drifted from the ruins
of the Sebold mansion. Charred beams broke and crumbled against
what was left of the brick fireplaces. Couches, chairs, and tables
were nothing more than burnt remnants of an era gone by. Walls were
no longer standing, leaving just a hint of the size of the
structure that had once been a part of history. The grandfather
clock was charred black, the face non-existent. The two terraces
now covered the dried and forgotten garden, crushing the bench
where Marian and Julia had sat to have their picture painted by
Charles.

The gargoyles stood watch but from a
distance, having tumbled from their perches and fallen into puddles
of water surrounding the house. A melted face and charred cloth
were all that remained of the doll that had been on Julia’s bed.
Birds had avoided this area, the heat had been so intense. Even now
they observed from the safety of the surrounding forest, waiting to
see if there was anything worth picking at once the embers died
down.

A beam cracked and settled spilling onto the
ground a square box that had been spared somehow from any damage.
The lid popped open and the music box started playing a waltz.

The tune carried on the breeze as dried
leaves scattered across the ground. They leaped and twirled to the
tune, tumbling toward the outskirts of the property. At the edge of
the forest hidden by brush was a small skeleton dressed in a
pinafore and wearing patent leather shoes. Her hair was long and
blonde. The earth was slowly accepting the delicate bones and the
fabric was disintegrating as though decades old. What wasn’t
affected by the era were the ten animal bands in various colors
that she wore around her wrist.

# # #

Author’s Note:

For more information on
books, essays, and short stories written by S.D. Tooley/Lee Driver,
visit her at
www.sdtooley.com. The below
can also be found in most eBook formats.

Written as Lee Driver

Chase Dagger Series

Fatal Storm

Chasing Ghosts

The Unseen

Full Moon-Bloody Moon

The Good Die Twice

Short Stories

Sara Morningsky, Mystery in Mind
Anthology

The Thirteenth Hole, Mystery in Mind
Anthology

Written as S.D. Tooley

Sam Casey Series

What Lies Within

Echoes from the Grave

Restless Spirit

Nothing Else Matters

When the Dead Speak

Short Stories

Solving Life’s Riddle, www.smashwords.com

Sara Morningsky (the prelude to the Chase
Dagger Series)

For Middle School/Young Adult Readers

Remy and Roadkill Series

The Skull