The Curse Defiers (3 page)

“Your apartment isn’t going anywhere,” she said, but she didn’t sound happy. “I seriously think you should reconsider.”

“It’s too late, Claire. My landlord has already rented it out.”

We were quiet again, the silence more heavy this time. “Tell me more about your honeymoon,” I finally said. “You’ve been home for two weeks and every time I ask you about it, you change the subject.”

She shot me a grin, but she looked somehow nervous, a first considering that she was a chronic oversharer. “Now who’s trying to get sexual exploit details?”

“
Please
. You’re the queen of TMI. But that’s not what I’m asking and you know it. Tell me about Charleston. You’ve been dying to go there your entire life and you finally got to go. What was it like? Were the ghost tours fun?”

She took another sip from her bottle. “We need to take care of your apartment.”

“Claire. You and Myra have something in common: you’re both acting strange. Her since she moved and you since you came back from your honeymoon. If I wasn’t full of so much self-confidence, I might start getting paranoid,” I teased.

She was silent for several seconds, her face turning pale.

Oh, shit
. Something was wrong. “Did you and Drew have a fight?”

She shook her head with a wry smile. “No. Drew is perfect.”

“Then what happened?”

She leaned forward, fear in her eyes. “Promise me that you won’t think I’m crazy.”

“Are you serious? You’re one of the sanest people I know. You keep
me
sane. How could I think you’re crazy?”

She nodded, pressing her lips together in concentration.

“So tell me what happened.”

“Drew and I went on a ghost tour the second night we were there. The tour guide was lame. In fact, I was kind of bored. I kept thinking how I would have done it differently.” I didn’t find that surprising since Claire ran ghost tours in downtown Manteo. Hers were always quite entertaining.

“And which part of that is crazy?”

She took a long pull on her beer. “The Unitarian Cemetery was part of the tour, but we didn’t even get to go in. The tour was at night and the cemetery was closed. When we were about ten feet away from the gate, something happened.” She paused and chewed on her thumbnail. “One minute I was in the hot, muggy evening air, and the next a cold chill hit me, like I’d walked into a freezer.”

Fear crawled up my spine.

“The closer I got, the colder it became. The tour guide’s voice faded and a figure appeared. A woman. But she wasn’t really there.”

Oh, God. Were the demons going after Claire now? Had they actually followed my friend on her honeymoon? “Did she try to hurt you?”

“No.” She swallowed, refusing to look at me. “She was wearing an old-fashioned dress, long and flowing, and her hair was pulled back. She was pretty, but she looked sad. She was watching me from the other side of the locked gate. As the guide started to lead the tour away, I approached the gate, and . . . that was when she spoke to me.”

“What did she say?”

“She said, ‘It’s time to wake up.’ Then she vanished into thin air.”

“What does that mean? Wake up?”

She didn’t answer my question. “I was pretty shaken up, but we were still on that stupid tour. Drew knew immediately that something was wrong. He even stood at the gate next to me, but he didn’t see her—the ghost.”

“You think you saw a
ghost
?”

She stiffened. “You don’t believe me.”

My eyes flew open in astonishment. “How can you say that? After everything that I’ve seen, that you’ve seen with me. Of course I believe you. I’m just scared for you. They’re coming after you now.” My worst nightmare was coming true. I should have made Claire leave Manteo like Myra. Everyone close to me was in danger.

“No, Ellie,” she said, shaking her head. “She didn’t want to hurt me. She was trying to help me.”

That didn’t make sense. “Why do you think it was a ghost? And what did she mean about it being time to wake up?”

She sucked in her top lip between her teeth. “When I was little . . . I used to hear things. Voices.”

Something stirred deep inside my head. The flutter of a memory trying to break free. Then it dove below the surface, out of reach.

“I heard them when I was little, but soon after we moved to Manteo, they went away.”

“Around the time Momma was killed.”

Claire’s face paled. “How did you know that?”

I shook my head, feeling light-headed. “I don’t know.” But I knew it was true.

“I told you about the voices when we were little,” she whispered. “The day you told me about the curse after school. Your mother got a phone call that made her upset. She was crying. You’d told me the truth about the curse before she came home, and I felt like I should share something with you too. I hated to see you so upset. So I told you, scared to death you’d think I was crazy or lying, but you didn’t. At least not that day.”

I closed my eyes and leaned back against the chair. “The memory is there. I can feel it, but when I try to remember, it’s like I’m reaching for water that’s running through my fingers.”

“After your mom died, I mentioned something about the voices I heard, and you looked at me like I was crazy. I figured you didn’t want to talk about it.”

“No, Claire. I don’t remember it at all. It disappeared with all memories of the curse. I don’t even remember Momma taking a phone call or getting upset. Before my dreams and everything started to come back, the only thing I remember about that day is that I told you about the curse while we were sitting under the oak tree at the side of the house.”

“So you really
didn’t
remember me telling you about the voices?”

I shook my head.

Her eyes widened. “I can see you forgetting everything about the curse, but why would you forget the other things? Was it trauma, or something else?”

“I don’t know.”

“Ellie, she said something else before she disappeared.”

Oh, lord. After seeing the old woman last night and finding out that Claire could see ghosts, I wasn’t sure how much more I could take. “What?”

“She said, ‘You have to help her.
’
 ”

“What does that mean?” My voice rose. I was starting to panic and I didn’t even know why.

“You
know
what it means.” She leaned forward. “And why are you freaking out?”

“I don’t know.” I stood up and reached for the doorknob. “Let’s get started. I need to finish up here soon so I can get home to David.”

Claire followed me inside, where the emptiness of the apartment was still a shock to my system. “Ellie, why are you running away from this?”

I spun around and glared at her. “Why did you wait almost two weeks to tell me?”

“I was worried about how you would react.”

“Why?”

She waved her hand at me. “Maybe this is why.”

My anger faded and my shoulders slumped.

“Ellie, talk to me. Why are you freaking out?”

“I’m scared, Claire. I’m scared for you. If something happens to you—”

“Nothing’s going to happen to me.”

I shook my head, my anger resurfacing. “You don’t know that! The more involved you are, the more at risk you are.”

Claire closed the distance between us and grabbed my arms. “Ellie, I’m not going anywhere.” Her eyebrows rose in mock surprise when I gasped. “What? You don’t think I can see what you’re doing? First sending Myra to Durham—”

“Myra wanted to go to Durham!”

“Don’t tell me that you weren’t happy to send her off.”

Tears stung my eyes. “How can you say that? I love Myra.”

“I know you do! And the way I said it came out wrong. I know you were trying to protect her, but I also know you’ve been trying to figure out how to distance yourself from me too.”

“I love you, Claire. I have to protect you.”

She shook her head. “Maybe I’m supposed to protect
you
. Just like David’s trying to do. We’re not Curse Keepers, but we have other ways of helping. And don’t get it into your head that we’re not meant to be involved. What do you think, that the professor whose help you were seeking just
happened
to show up in Manteo to work at the colony site? That I just
happened
to hear ghosts who know about you and your role as Curse Keeper?”

My mouth moved like a fish trying to breathe as I struggled with what to say.

“Things happen for a reason, Ellie. Yeah, Collin-fucking-Dailey won’t help you, but that doesn’t mean you have to be alone. Maybe
we’re
meant to help you.”

I shook my head, trying to make sense of her words. “How?”

“You need to listen to me. I’m telling you that you shouldn’t be living in that house. There’s a darkness there.”

Sweat prickled the back of my neck. “I thought you just heard voices?”

Her face softened. “That was when I was little . . . now I can see things too. Like that ghost. Something changed after we got home from Charleston. Whenever I look at the house, it’s covered in a hazy darkness.”

“You’re scaring me, Claire.”

“
Good.
You should be scared. There’s something dark in that house. Maybe that’s why you’ve felt uncomfortable there since the curse broke. It’s because you shouldn’t be there at all.”

I knew there was some truth to what she said. Ever since the curse broke, I’d felt something bad in the house, mostly in my bedroom. But over the last week, I had felt something ominous in
both
houses. As long as David or someone else was with me, I could handle it. But I couldn’t bear to be there alone. “What am I supposed to do? I gave up my apartment. I have nowhere else to go.”

“Ellie, you’re about to lose the house anyway. Find somewhere else to live. And whatever you do, don’t stay there without David.” Claire hesitated. “She says you need him.”

“
Who
says I need him?”

She sucked in her top lip. “I see ghosts all the time now. When you asked me what I saw outside that other apartment just now, it was a ghost. An old guy wandering around in his bathrobe, holding a newspaper and a cup of coffee.”

My eyes widened. “Mr. Murphy. He liked to walk around in his robe. He died about two weeks after I moved in here. That was four years ago.” I took a deep breath. Why was this freaking me out? After everything else I’d seen, ghosts should have been nothing.

“He’s pissed that someone is living in his apartment. He says she doesn’t keep it clean enough.”

I stared at Claire, wide-eyed. “How many do you see?”

“Some days one or two. Yesterday I saw ten.”

“And you’re not scared?”

“No. Unlike your demons, the ghosts seem harmless. But not all of them are fully formed. Some are blobs—kind of like when we saw Kanim. From what I can tell, the longer they’ve been dead, the more I can see of them.”

“And the ghost that thinks I need David? Can you see her?”

“No. She’s a blur, not even a blob yet. She started making sounds a few days ago, and yesterday was the first time I could string the words together. But I’ve figured out enough to know that she’s worried about you and wants you to leave.”

“How do you even know you can trust the voices, Claire? What if this person is somehow working with Okeus?”

“I just know that we can. Call it instinct.”

I headed for the kitchen and started opening cabinets to make sure they were empty. “Well, then you must be happy that David and I are heading to Chapel Hill for the weekend.”

“Relieved.” She leaned her hands on the bar. “Then you can find somewhere else to live when you get back.”

A movement in the open front door caught my attention.

“Why are we looking for somewhere else to live?” David asked.

I bugged my eyes at Claire in warning, then turned to face David. “What are you doing here?”

“I missed you.” He moved toward me with a mischievous grin. “I wondered what was taking you so long, and then I saw the empty bottles on the porch.”

“Busted,” Claire said with a laugh.

David pulled me into a hug. “I figured I’d come and help, and then we can grab something to eat before heading back.” He looked over my head at Claire. “And why do we need to find somewhere else to live? And no, I’m not so easily veered off topic.”

I’d discovered that firsthand when David started asking questions about the marks on my door a month ago.

She glanced from my pleading face to David’s. “Oh, you know. It has to be difficult for Ellie to live in the house where she grew up.”

“You mean the house where she suffered a horrible trauma?” David was quiet for several seconds when Claire didn’t give him an answer. “We’ll definitely keep that in mind. Now what do we need to do to finish up here?”

We spent the next half hour cleaning. When we were done, I stood in the doorway and spent a moment surveying the only place that had ever been completely mine. I had to wonder if Claire was right. I knew I should tell David the whole story—that she
wanted
me to tell him—but there was someone I needed to talk to first. I hadn’t seen him in weeks, and just the thought of it made me nervous.

Before I left for Chapel Hill, I needed to talk to Collin.

C
HAPTER
T
HREE

The next morning I texted Collin. It felt wrong and underhanded, but I knew it was the right thing to do. Although I had a hard time convincing myself of that fact since I was hiding my plan from David. We had promised not to keep secrets from each other. I justified my decision by telling myself that I’d tell David everything after I talked to Collin. For some reason, I felt the need to get his take on the situation before putting it out in the open. If Claire really could see ghosts, if they really did want her to help me, it might be a game changer.

Of course, I ran the very real risk of Collin refusing to tell me anything at all. But he knew much more than I did about demons and spirits, and his expertise in the supernatural might extend to ghosts. It was worth asking.

I composed the text after I put two breakfast casseroles in the oven and quickly sent it before I could change my mind.

Something’s come up. I need to talk to you as soon as possible.

I wasn’t sure the last part of the second sentence was necessary, but I wanted answers before we left for Chapel Hill later in the afternoon.

David walked into the kitchen and poured himself a cup of coffee. “Is Becky okay with running the inn this weekend?”

I shoved my phone into my jeans pocket. “Yeah. She’s happy to do it. She really likes the added responsibility.”

He kissed me and then looked around the kitchen. “Anything I can do to help?”

“Nope. Got it under control. It’s not so humid this morning. If you want, you can take your coffee out to the front porch before you leave for work.”

His forehead wrinkled. “And leave you in here working? Not likely. Besides, I’ll have plenty of time outside today.” He sat on a stool in the corner and studied me for a moment. “I’ve been thinking about what Claire said. Have you called Myra yet to arrange a time to meet her?”

“No,” I murmured, not looking at him. “I haven’t had a chance.” But that wasn’t why I hadn’t called. Considering the way she’d been brushing me off lately, I was worried how she would react to a suggested visit. What if she’d decided she preferred her new life without me? I wasn’t sure I could bear it.

“And Claire said a lot of things,” I said, wiping a counter and avoiding eye contact. My guilt over texting Collin was already eating at me. “Especially after Drew joined us for dinner and she and I split a bottle of wine.”

“I really like Drew. He seems like a good bloke.”

“Yeah, I like him too. We’ve been friends for even longer than Claire and me. Did you know that Drew’s had a crush on Claire since she first moved to town in the third grade?”

“You’ve mentioned that about ten times, and I’m talking about when Claire said we should find somewhere else to live.” He quirked an eyebrow before taking a sip of his coffee. “I’m on to you, love. I know when you’re trying to steer the conversation in a different direction.”

I rested my butt against the counter to watch him. “She’s just being a protective best friend.”

“I know. But I can’t help wondering if she’s right.”

I released a heavy sigh. “David.”

“No, hear me out. I know you hate your bedroom, but we’re staying in there anyway since you refuse to invade Myra’s room. Let’s give the boarders notice, search the house from top to bottom again, then put the property up for sale.”

My muscles tensed. “You want me to give up on it just like that?”

He cringed. “I didn’t mean to put it so flippantly.”

“This house has belonged to my family for over one hundred years. My father did everything he could to save it. What would he think of me if I just left?”

“Ellie, the way I see it, you have two choices: you can either be an innkeeper or you can be the Curse Keeper. The inn is a distraction for you. You constantly worry about money and making sure the guests are happy. It’s draining you. You can’t deny it.”

I stayed silent.

“If your father were here right now, you
know
which one he’d choose.”

I pushed away from the counter and moved to the sink. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

David got off his stool and pressed his chest against my back. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to push you. You don’t have to make any decisions now. In fact, let’s use this weekend to try to distance ourselves from all of this as much as possible.”

“While we go to Chapel Hill to talk to your colleague about a sword that kills demons,” I said dryly as I spun around to face him.

“Point taken.” He kissed my forehead but then drew back. “There’s something I need to tell you.”

My gaze lifted to study his face, my stomach knotting. “Conversations that start with ‘there’s something I need to tell you’ never lead to anything good. Should I be worried?”

A soft smile spread across his face. “Ellie, how can you doubt that I love you? I know I haven’t said it since—”

Since he had told me several times without any reciprocation. “Stop.” I put my fingers on his lips. “You don’t have to say it. It’s just that I’m not the easiest person to live with. If you decided—”

“Ellie, I love you. I promised you that I’m not going anywhere, and I meant it. Please rid yourself of any worry to the contrary.”

“Okay.” I gave him a gentle kiss. “So what did you want to tell me?”

“About some research I’ve dug up. As I mentioned last week, I expanded my search to include possible fringe group interest in recent supernatural activity.”

“You mean the crazy conspiracy theory people?” I asked skeptically.

“Yeah, the people who aren’t afraid to think outside the box.”

“And I take it you found something?”

“Maybe.” He paused. “There’s a group called the Guardians. They say they’ve been around for hundreds of years. They’ve been preparing for a surge of demons to be released upon the earth.”

“You mean the apocalypse.”

“Think about it—the breaking of the curse could be seen as the apocalypse by a lot of people.”

“If you ignore the fact that half the people on the earth didn’t disappear in the rapture.”

“Many fundamentalist Christians estimate that only a quarter of the population would be raptured.”

My eyes narrowed. “The fact that you can spout that without blinking an eye scares me more than a little bit.”

“It’s on their website. And this group doesn’t believe in the rapture anyway. Not all Christians do, you know.”

I’d spent a fair amount of time in church growing up, and we’d never been told anything about the rapture, but demon attacks hadn’t come up either. “You must think there’s something there if you’re mentioning this group.”

“I had to do a lot of digging, but I finally found out where they’re from.” His eyes turned serious. “Ellie, they’re based in Charlotte.” Just like the stash of antiquities that might be the Ricardo Estate.

I felt like I’d been kicked in the gut as I backed into the counter behind me. “That can’t be a coincidence.”

“I agree. There’s been an upsurge in online activity for the group. As well as mention of new interesting developments in the last month or so.” He paused. “I’d like to stay for a couple extra days. I want to go to Charlotte on Monday to look into this some more. Do you think Becky will be okay with taking point at the inn while we’re gone?”

I nodded, my stomach churning. “Yeah.”

“Are you okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

His words reminded me of Claire, which in turn made me think of my text to Collin. Guilt quickly replaced my shock. “This is good. It’s our first solid lead on who’s in possession of the Ricardo Estate.” I shook my head. “I don’t know why I’m so upset.”

“It’s understandable. After all, we think there’s a tie between the people behind the Ricardo Estate and your mother’s death.” He gripped my shoulders and lowered his gaze to my eyes. “Word of warning, love: the closer we get to the truth, the more difficult this is going to get, emotionally and otherwise.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” I smiled up at him. “I’m fine. I promise.”

“How about you let Becky do the rest of the work today? You could use some time to relax. I’ll be back by three. If you’re ready to go when I get back, we’ll have plenty of time to get to my house before dark so you can mark the doors.”

“Oh.” I hadn’t considered that. Sloppy on my part.

He gently kissed my lips, his tenderness catching me by surprise. “I think I’ll take off for work now and get an early start. Come out to the site if you’d like. Text me first and I’ll meet you at the entrance.”

“Thanks. I’ll think about it.”

“And don’t forget to call Myra. I know her behavior has been upsetting, but she’s probably just distracted by all the changes in her life. I’m sure she’ll be thrilled to see you.” My eyebrows lifted in surprise and he shot me a grin. “Like I told you, I know you by now.
Call her
.”

As I watched him go, I thought about his parting words. He was right about Myra. I decided to give her a call and leave her a message if she didn’t answer. A small part of me hoped she wouldn’t. It would hurt too much if she rejected me.

Myra answered on the third ring. “Ellie, what a surprise.” While she didn’t sound like herself, she didn’t sound as cold as she had recently.

“Hey, Myra. How’s the new job going?”

“Oh, you know . . . keeping me busy.”

I waited for her to ask about my life, but she stayed silent. Trying to keep the disappointment out of my voice, I said, “David and I are coming to Chapel Hill this weekend. He’s meeting with a colleague to discuss some things. I thought maybe we could come see you. I’d love to see your new apartment.”

“Well, I’m fairly busy this weekend.”

Tears burned my eyes. Myra might have been my stepmother, but she’d spent more years with me than my biological mother. Myra had been the one to help me navigate the minefields of middle school and high school. She’d always sworn that while I may not have been born from her body, I was part of her heart. And now she wanted nothing to do with me. “Myra, have I done something to upset you?” My voice broke. I couldn’t help it.

She paused for several seconds before her voice lowered. “No, Ellie. I’m sorry. I’ve been insensitive. I just have a lot going on.” Her words were gentle and soft. “Of course I’ll make time for you. Why don’t you call me when you get to Chapel Hill and we’ll figure out a time.”

“Okay.”

“I have to go. We’ll have a nice chat this weekend. Bye.” She hung up and I stared at the dead phone. Why hadn’t she told me that she loved me? I shook my head. She was probably on her way to a class or something. I was making too much of this.

To get my mind off Myra, I decided to figure out my day. One, I needed to talk to Collin, and two, I needed to reexamine my treasure chest of trinkets—which included Daddy’s pocket watches and the gold engraved ring I wore, which I’d found buried under the oak tree in the yard. It couldn’t be a coincidence that my mother had been murdered a week after being asked to examine the contents of a collection called the Ricardo Estate. Especially when I took into account that a thug in Buxton thought I was part of something he called “the Ricardo deal.” His goon had cornered me after finding my father’s pocket watch collection and showed me a photo of an almost identical watch from the Ricardo Estate. Now David’s colleague had recently seen a watch similar to Daddy’s.

Coincidence?

My mother’s death had happened years ago, so figuring out the circumstances seemed less important than wrestling actual demons, but as David had pointed out soon after agreeing to help me, there weren’t any coincidences in this thing. And while her murder was a long time ago, she was my
mother
, and it was difficult to let go with so many unanswered questions. I needed closure. Nevertheless, I was clueless about how it all wove together. I hoped we’d get more answers this weekend.

My cell phone dinged. I picked up the phone and nearly choked when I read the text message.

I’m always here for you, Ellie. When?

What a fucking lie. He knew so much about the curse and its background, yet he refused to share any of that information with me. Instead, he used it as bargaining material, parceling out little bits at a time. But I had to admit that he seemed to have experienced a change of attitude the last time we saw each other, at Claire’s wedding reception. He’d given me the map and he’d given me his blessing to be with David. Maybe he’d changed.