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Movement on her left made Cassie turn her head in time to see a figure blink away. Most people would have said it was a trick of the light, but Cassie had been doing this too long to not know what she just saw.
The creak of a tree forced Cassie’s attention forward and she saw the figure again, this time brighter than she was a few seconds ago. Cassie recognized her from the folder of victims. It was Hannah Williams, the woman whose body had been dumped here in the dead of night. She was wearing a long, flowing red dress that fluttered in a wind that didn’t exist.
The spirit looked at Cassie for the span of two heartbeats and stepped forward. Another branch cracked from behind Cassie. She didn’t bother checking. She didn’t want to risk losing the connection she had with Hannah.
The apparition was unflinching as she strode toward Cassie. She looked stronger than Elizabeth had
. She had been here longer, so it made sense. Like Elizabeth, her hair was still stringy and wet, but Hannah’s was platinum colored. And like Elizabeth, she had a gruesome gash across her neck, and her heart was missing from her chest.
Instead of the fear Elizabeth had displayed, there was angry determination.
“I’m trying to help you.” Cassie’s voice came out in a croak and the woman stopped advancing. “But I need you to point me in the right direction. I need you to tell me something, anything. If there’s the tiniest piece of fabric, skin, or even blood out here, show me.”
Hannah took a couple more steps forward. She opened her mouth but seemed unsure that anything would come out. When it did, she looked relieved.
“It’ll be over soon.”
The words were encased in static, as though coming from a distant radio station. Hannah’s voice was deeper than Cassie expected. With every glitch in her words, Hannah faded in and out of existence. Cassie hoped the spirit could maintain the connection long enough to reveal her truth.
Emboldened after making contact, Hannah took a step forward and opened her mouth again. “It’ll be over soon,” she repeated in the same deep tone, but this time the sound had been amplified by a factor of ten.
Cassie planted her feet as she bowed back. Every cell in her body was telling her to run in the opposite direction, but that instinct hadn’t served her well when she was on a case. Ghosts didn’t care about distance or speed or walls. If they formed a connection to a person, place, or thing, they would find you one day. No matter where you tried to hide.
But had Hannah formed a connection to Cassie because Cassie had decided to investigate this case? Or was Hannah only linked to this dumping ground? Cassie had no way of knowing unless Hannah told her.
“It’ll be over soon.”
Softer. More passionate.
“I don’t know what that means.” Cassie tried to keep her voice steady and neutral. Heightened emotions didn’t mix well with the spirit world and Cassie had only been around Hannah for a minute or two. She didn’t know what kind of spirit she was. “Who are you talking about?”
“It’ll be over—”
Hannah’s gaze shifted to behind Cassie. Her eyes widened. The sentence died on her lips and she blinked out of existence between one breath and the next.
And when a hand fell on Cassie’s shoulder, she couldn’t stop the scream that ripped from her throat.
Fifteen
“It’s me! It’s just me.”
Cassie twisted around to find herself face-to-face with Detective Harris. Her throat burned and her heart drummed against her chest. She put her hand out to steady herself. The rush of adrenaline made her dizzy, and for a second, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to stay upright without help.
“Oh, God! You scared the ever-living shit out of me!”
Harris’s concerned gaze turned into one of disapproval. “What are you doing out here?”
Cassie’s senses came back to her and soon enough, her heart rate was back to normal. She looked over her shoulder, but Hannah was gone. When she met Harris’s eyes again, they had cooled further.
“Looking for answers” Cassie said. “How did you know I was here?”
Harris had the wherewithal to keep direct eye contact with Cassie. “I went to the museum, but you had just pulled out of the parking lot, so I decided to follow you.”
“So, you’re stalking me?” Cassie tried to smile but was sure it looked like a sarcastic smirk.
Ignoring Cassie’s comment, Harris asked, “How did you know to come here?” When Cassie’s cheeks colored, Harris’s lips thinned as she shook her head while crossing her arms over her chest. “Klein. What else did he tell you?”
“He might have mentioned the victims’ blood had been drained.” Cassie caught the anger on the detective’s face and rushed on. “Don’t be mad at him. He was trying to help me. And the victims. And I’m trying to help you.”
