Deadly Kisses (13 page)

Bee zipped her coat. “This way.”

“I guess we’re not taking a car. Are we going camping? Because the thought of us cramped in a small space alone would be putting your life at risk.”

“Now who’s being annoying trying to pry information from me?” She looked out of the corner of her eye and could see me smiling. I thought of how it could be if I were still alive. I missed her every day, but I bottled my emotions not to upset her.

“I could never be as annoying as you. I bet you could sell a penny for a dollar.”

She smacked me on the arm. “That’s just an exaggeration. Please!”

“I don’t know,” I teased.

“I need to know why you met with the decayed Ancient Reapers, Aiden.”

“Not now.” I reached out and clasped her hand in mine. “I’ll tell you what. Relax and enjoy the night. I promise to tell you when Jaleb wakes up. I promise the Ancients are not near here.”

“How do you know?” She arched her eyebrow.

“Believe me, I would know.” Technically, I had two bosses now. Since Ivar sucked out part of my soul, we were bonded. The cold pricks of ice from him were subtle and not piercing pain, which meant he was far away.

Bee put her hand out in front of me. Dangling from a silver chain was a shiny silver key—it should have been my future.

I took it from her. “How did you get this?” I always had this on and had been wearing it the night I died.

“I inherited some of your stuff. Your lovely mother gave it to Sabrina’s mother. I kind of asked for it. I hope that was okay?”

Bee was the only person I wanted to have my things. “At least someone remembered I was dead. Can’t believe she got rid of my stuff like a stranger’s trash. Bet she was out of it.” I looked at the necklace and tilted my head when the dim moonlight shined off it. “It’s missing something. Here, kiss it for good luck.”

Bee took it and kissed the silver key and handed it back to me. “Consider it now lucky. Maybe you’ll win the lottery.”

“I wouldn’t want to win money.” I turned and slowed down. Bee stumbled but I caught her. It took will power to let her go.

“What would you want to win?”

“I have to have some secrets that you won’t haggle out of me.” Actually, it wasn’t a big secret. I wanted her and my life back before I gave it to the Ancients.

“It’s not your fault about Sabrina. You know you can’t bargain with death. I knew it was a matter of time when I first saw the Grim Reaper that they would take her anyway.”

“Let me have my skeletons in the closet.” I slipped the necklace over my head.

“Fine. I won’t pry.”

“Finally, she’s making sense.” I swung my hands in the air.

“For now,” she added.

Crows cawed from a tree then filled the night sky and flew in the opposite direction. Bee jumped and backed up, bumping into me. I held her two arms, afraid she would make sudden noises to alert the crows of my presence.

“Shh. It’s okay. Scavenger animals like crows and ravens sense us. They smell death, seek it out, and eat it. Be careful when they are around. They are used as spies for other Grim Reapers.”

“They have always creeped me out. I’m glad we’re almost there.”

We walked further down the path that led east away from her house. She led me down a dusty stone path to the front of the lush, vine-ridden stones.

“This was the Kells Haven church, right?”

“Yeah, isn’t it amazing? The upper part of the building is in rubble, but parts of the church bell from the tower lay mostly in the ground, or in thick brush. Sabrina and I would pretend to be explorers and found a way in when we were eight. The walls below are solid.”

“Below?”

She walked along the building with her hand outstretched, brushing the vines along the stone. When her hand dipped into a moon crevice, she stopped.

“Yup, that’s where I’m taking you. I love old stuff. It intrigues me.” She went down to her knees and brushed off the heavy wooden door, feeling for the metal ring.

“Here let me.” I pulled up the door. “Now what?” I wasn’t keen on the decaying place.

“We’re going down.”

“Are you crazy? This place could cave in.”

She sat down, her feet dangling over the edge into the dark hole.

“It won’t cave in. I have it memorized. The top crumpled to nothing but underground was sophisticated for its time. Stone and heavy beams hold it up, and I swear the rooms are bulletproof. Don’t look at me like that, because we’re going down there. I trusted you, now you trust me.”

Bee took off the backpack and unzipped it, pulling out a flashlight and handing it to me. “Be careful. Once you jump down, stand still and turn the flashlight on before you move. There is a solid wall on three sides.”

Bee inched forward more, but I grasped her shoulder. “Wait! Let me go first.”

“If you insist, Superman.” She waved her hand in an invitation.

“Bottoms up.” I didn’t hesitate to jump. Bee gasped and looked over to see me dusting off my jeans and pushing my hair out of my face. I smiled up to her and held out my arms, waiting. “I’m going to catch you because there are spiders everywhere.”

“I used to do this all the time, and I happen to like spiders. They eat all the nasty bugs. Just move so I don’t flatten you.”

“You girls complain chivalry is dead, and here I am trying to bring it back to life. Girls are so confusing. One minute they tell you they can do everything themselves, the next smacking you for not helping them, then complaining they can’t open a jar. Just jump.”

“Fine. If I squash you, remind me to laugh.” Bee moved until she sat on the edge, her feet dangling into the hole.

“Let me be your Reaper in shining armor, my lady. Just think, you can’t kill me because I’m already dead as can be.”

“That’s such a pathetic joke. All right, count and I’ll jump on three.”

“One . . . two . . . three.”

Bee jumped and I caught her. Her chest was practically in my face and my hands under her backside. She slid down, our bodies rubbing together. I only smiled.

“Kudos for not dropping me. I will spread the word that chivalry is in fact alive.”

“Lead the way, my lady.” As I walked down the short hall, the dampness and cold of the wet earth seeped into my skin and deeper into my bones.

“This room on the left was for storage and the one on the right is empty. See that door straight ahead? That’s the jackpot room.”

“Does anyone else know of this place?” I swatted my hair, pulled a cobweb off, and flung it to the ground. This place looked older than Abe.

“I doubt it. Gosh, I haven’t been here in two years. When Sabrina died, I came here to be alone and escape the Grim Reapers who were sniffing around town.” Her nose scrunched at the damp smell of must in the hallway.

She stopped in front of the door and held her hand on the handle.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“I’m afraid to know the truth about why I can see Grim Reapers.”

“Those Ancients are freaky.” Bee pulled a stack of brittle papers off the shelf and blew dust off them. She shined the flashlight at the papers and skimmed through a stack of documents.

“They are more than freaky. I wonder why no higher power is keeping tabs on them.” I flipped through papers, wondering where I should begin.

Bee went right for a stack of papers, scanning each page. “Hey, here’s a reference to my family. It’s an old newspaper with a picture of my relative. It says that Hunter Flynt was selectmen for the tenth year in a row. There is a picture of his wife and kids below. He was convicted of stealing from the town funds and using money to build their house. That’s my house!” She pointed to the picture. “See, that’s my door. It was the original living area, but in the 1930s the addition was built to it, adding on to the back; and the second story was added during this summer. Let’s see what else we can dig up.”

“Abe would love you.” I walked to a different shelf, careful to be gentle with the paper. I scanned for any reference to Bee’s family. “This isn’t exactly my idea of a first date. I would have brought you to a movie and slipped my arm around your neck.” I laughed when I shined the flashlight on her and she made a face.

“A movie is not my idea of a first date. Totally cliché.”

“Here’s another reference.” I pointed the light to the paper. “Hunter Flynt’s brother Jaleb Sr. house burns down during a hot debate to move the center of town. The folks are convinced the town of Kells Haven is cursed and their children are dying because of it. Jaleb’s vote stopped the move to a spot in the valley near the river and the town rebelled. There is a picture of the cemetery in the back of your house and this church. Hmm, your family were troublemakers.”

“The only thing my grandparents told me about our family history was that we settled here to escape religious persecution, which is funny because my parents are far from religious. Who knew they were so influential though. By the way, my idea of a first date would consist of riding on the back of a Harley and having lunch at a museum near a water fountain.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. At least your family has a history. I don’t even know my grandparent’s names.”

I chuckled to myself with low snorts reading an article.

“What?” Bee asked, moving to the next shelf.

“There are juicy tidbits about my Reaper Abe. I bet he would get a kick out of reading what Granite Staters thought about him.”

“Aiden, look at this.” She pointed to a picture of boys dressed in military uniform holding guns. “In April 1812, Congress passed an act and President Madison made a requisition to New Hampshire for militia. Then on May 29, Governor Langdon issued troops to organize for immediate action. Some of my family went to Portsmouth. Every one of them died of suspicious causes while waiting for further orders.”

“It was a war, Bee. I wouldn’t read too much into that.”

She held up another paper and shined the light on the date. “But it was exactly one week after the town relocated, abandoning the original town location. See this paper. The town’s people rebelled against my family and half the town burned, sparing only a couple of buildings. They lived at the Actead church, which was being built in a secret location, until their new houses were finished. Look at the houses that remained from the old location; not even damaged, and the house next door was ash. It could be connected.”

“It could be totally coincidental. Keep digging.”

I watched her periodically, so intent at finding the truth. She blended into the room with her dark hair and dark clothes. We weren’t finding any concrete evidence to link her family to something being wrong with their land, and I prayed that we would find something soon. I’ve never been the prayer type, but I figured it never hurt to try. Maybe the big guy would forgive someone like me.

“These fell apart when I picked them up.” She sneezed with little chirps from the dust.

“I’m not finding much more, just vague mentions about the old town, the obituaries of some of your family, and articles on the war. All these records are of the old town, but there is no in depth mention, or any history, of the relocation.”

There was no response from Bee. When I turned around, she stood in the doorway. Fear and excitement surged through her. “Hey, you okay?”

She was statue still. “Do you see her?” She pointed.

“See what? There’s nothing there except cobwebs and dirt.” I squinted.

“Sabrina. She’s standing right there.”

I inched forward but still saw nothing. “Are you feeling good? You warm or tired? If she was there then I would see her because we’re both dead.”

“Seriously, she is standing right there, Aiden. I think she wants us to follow her. Come on.”

If Sabrina really showed herself to Bee, who knew what she would say to her. I was amazed my prayers were answered. Sabrina would show us the way.

“The door, Aiden. If you leave it open, these records will be ruined.” I shut the door. It was dark and she didn’t wait for me. I followed her trail of vitality.

“Hurry up! Sabrina’s waiting and is more impatient than usual. You think she can hear us?”

“I sure hope not,” I mumbled, but Bee didn’t hear. She already had the ladder propped up and was crawling through the hole.

“Make sure you place the ladder to the side so we can jump down again without landing on it.”

“I know, I know. Go follow her. I’ll be right behind you.” I watched her run into the woods and I placed the ladder back carefully. I unlocked my scythe from a tree and pulled it out of a tangle of dry grass where I had hidden it.

I jogged along the path. At least I was free of the long cloak. A coyote howled in the distance, raising goose bumps on my already icy skin. Coolness raced through my veins the further Bee went from me. It urged me to run full force to be with her again. The thought of the warmth diminished the pain of burning in my muscles.

Bee was in the clearing ahead, like a dark angel standing in front of a corroded gravestone. Dead weeds enwrapped it. She peeled each layer away. I went behind her, wondering where Sabrina was.

“Aiden, Sabrina’s standing behind the stone.”