AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Oh, I’m afraid you are. I can’t have you running around telling everyone who I am, can I? And in case you’re wondering, it was potassium that I gave Susan and Abby. Too much isn’t good for the heart, I’m afraid.” She lifts the syringe up to the light to admire its contents. “Thi
s isn’t potassium, though. You’re much too young to stage a heart attack. Don’t worry, Lucy, I’m not going to let you suffer. I’m not a cruel person. Just the opposite. I made sure there’s enough morphine here to put you to sleep. Once you’re out, I’ll knock you on the head hard enough to do the trick this time. It’s really shocking how Whispering Bay has become so dangerous. Someone broke into the kitchen intending to rob the place. You came down and caught them… Use your imagination. Everyone will be terribly sad, but believe it or not, life will go on without you.”
The casual way she describes my murder makes my skin crawl.
“How do you get it? The morphine and the potassium? I mean, you just can’t walk into a drugstore and get those.”
“Didn’t I tell you I was in the military? I guess what I didn’t tell you was that I was a medic. I stayed in the reserves for almost a decade after getting out. Yes, ma’am, every other weekend I marched myself off to do my civic duty.”
“Gee, thank you for your service.”
“Your sarcasm isn’t very patriotic.” She shrugs. “Oh well. Where was I? The potassium was easy, but the morphine? That was a little harder to pilfer. I’ve had the vials for almost five years. In case I needed them, which I did. I’m pretty sure this stuff stays potent long after the expiration date. At least I hope so. For your sake.” Gloria glances toward the door that leads up to my apartment. “Now, before I put you to sleep, where’s Cornelius?”
A chill runs down my spine. She’s not going to stop with killing me. She’s going to kill Paco too. “He’s not here. He’s still at the veterinary clinic.
“Bull.”
“It’s true. You did a good job almost killing him the other night. He’s still on IV fluids and medications.”
She studies my face like she’s trying to figure out if I’m lying or not. Good thing she doesn’t have my special gift. Of all the lies I’ve told in the past week, this one is the most important.
“You don’t have to hurt him, Gloria. He’s not a threat to you.” Please, Paco. Please stay upstairs and keep quiet. I chant this over and over in my head. I don’t for one minute believe that he’s any kind of ghost whisperer, but he does have a strong intuitive nature, and for some reason, he’s bonded to me. Stay upstairs, baby. Save yourself. Hide under the couch.
“Don’t look at me that way. I never meant to hurt Cornelius. He’s an exceptional dog. So talented. Unfortunately, that was his downfall. The little minx saw me inject Susan with the potassium and he bit me.” She raises her pants leg to show me a red bite mark about an inch above her ankle. “Thank God I didn’t need to get a rabies shot. I’m afraid of needles.” She laughs like this is funny.
I discreetly try to wiggle my wrists to try and loosen the slack on the rope. I have to keep her distracted so she doesn’t notice what I’m doing. The large heavy frying pan staring at me from the counter is a hell of a motivation.
“You’re not just a murderer, you’re a crazy murderer and a faker. But then I’ve always known that. You’re about as much of a medium as I am.”
“I have to admit, you surprised me the other night at the séance. I had no idea you were going to pretend to be Abby. You’re clever, just not clever enough. You should have stuck with trying to perfect your mango coconut muffin recipe. As for being crazy? Is it crazy to want to help people? Then guilty as charged. And I don’t plan to stop either.”
“What? You’re going to go around killing more people?”
Her voice hardens. “Don’t be so dramatic. I’m not going to kill anyone else, well, besides you. The Angel of Death retired fifteen years ago when she moved here to Whispering Bay. These days I help others by communicating with their deceased loved ones. It’s been wonderfully therapeutic for me.”
“What about Susan Van Dyke?”
“Susan was an anomaly. She needed my particular kind of help, and I had to give it to her.
“Just like you had to help your mother?”
“Yes. Just like that.”
“So Susan asked you to kill her?”
“Kill is such a nasty word. I eased her into the next world. She has no idea the pain and suffering I saved her.”
“And Abby? You think you helped her too?”
She sighs heavily. “Abby was an unfortunate incident. Just like you. She knew too much, and she had to go. Like I said, you’re too clever. You should have let it go, Lucy. Even the police were willing to write off Abby’s death. But no. You had to keep pressing, didn’t you?”
My head is starting to feel better. Maybe if I keep her talking long enough, it’ll stop spinning, and I can make a run for the door.
“So, Abby knew you killed Susan? Or did she figure it out after the dog bit you? That’s what happened, right? Abby might not have known what you did to Susan, but she knew that Cornelius had an irrational hate for you. It was only a matter of time before someone else saw it and put two and two together.”
“I know what you’re doing. I watch T.V. too. This is the part of the plot where the murderer has the too-smart-to-let-live busybody tied up and confesses everything while the busybody tries to escape. Sorry, Lucy, but that only happens in really bad James Bond movies.” She comes at me with the syringe.
“Wait!” I plead. “Will Cunningham is on his way over. He should be here any minute. Any second now. You’ll never get away with this. And…you’re right, Gloria. You were only trying to help people. I see that now.”
