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“That’s no ghost,” he said.
Even as he spoke, I knew what he was about to say. I knew what the verdict was.
“Demon.”
“It’s demonic, yes,” he said. “At least that’s my take on it. I’m familiar with the astral realm and there are a lot of nasty creatures out there.”
“My guess is that it’s been dogging Sirus’s heels for years, and it’s out to make him miserable.” I shook my head. “Why would it do that, though?”
“It’s a pain-eater. Some demons feed off pain and guilt. My guess is that he’s still carrying around guilt over cheating on his fiancée with the stripper.” Hank leaned back. “Somehow, it found a host through which it killed Janet. It bound her to the wedding dress, because that caused her pain.”
“Do you think it still feeds off her feelings of being trapped?” Millie asked.
“I don’t think so,” I said. “I think it chose the route that would give it the best food source, and that’s the raw emotion of loss and grief. Janet’s accepted her fate. She’s not thrilled, but she’s reached a level of resignation that sort of negates her grief.”
“Why didn’t January pick up on it when she was at the tea shop?” Caitlin asked.
Hank played the sections with the voice back again. “I don’t think it can fully manifest in that shop. If January’s right about how calm the energy is, my guess is that negates the demon’s ability to affect people while they’re at the shop. But once Sirus leaves, it can stir up a tempest in a teapot. And when he and Violet go out together—”
“It can get to her through him.” A thought struck me. “He said that Candy ran in front of a car and he was there to see it. Chances are it forced her into traffic. She was already upset so she was primed for it. But…can it force Sirus to hurt Violet?”
“Possibly, which would give the demon that much more energy. Sirus would be weighed down with guilt for the rest of his life.” Hank jotted down a few notes on his tablet.
My phone rang and I glanced at the caller ID.Sirus.
“Hey, what’s up?” I tried to keep my voice light, but the truth was, I wondered if the demon could overhear our conversation. Was it eavesdropping on every word Sirus said?
“I want your professional opinion,” he said, sounding breathless. “After our talk last night, I began having gruesome dreams. I dreamed about Janet, and I think…I saw someone strangling her. Maybe it’s because we talked, or maybe a memory surfaced, I don’t know. I just feel odd.”
“We’ll come over,” I said.
“Can you make it this evening? Violet and I are set for a trip to the country this afternoon to look at a rummage sale—there are a couple nice cabinets that might work for our shop. I thought maybe you could drop by later tonight.” He paused, then added, “In my dream, I saw Janet’s father killing her.” He sounded desperate, and more than a little afraid.
I hesitated, but then what he said hit me. “No, you can’t go out this afternoon. Not alone, not with Violet. Tell her to go shopping or something, but do not get in the same car with her. I guarantee you’ll regret it if you do.”
At that moment, I heard a laugh coming in on the line, so vicious that I wanted to throw my phone across the room to get away from it.
Too late. You’re too late, bitch. She’s mine.
“I can’t do that,” Sirus said, his voice going flat. He hung up before I could say another word.
I whirled. “We have to stop Sirus! I heard the demon on the line. He’s going to try to kill Violet through Sirus. They’re headed to a rummage sale in the country this afternoon, but I’ll bet you anything the demon tries to influence Sirus to go early.”
“Where?” Mille jumped up, grabbing out her phone.
“I don’t know. He didn’t say, but he’s at the tea shop right now. I could hear the clatter of dishes behind him. I don’t know what kind of car he drives, either.” I felt frantic. “He said he had a dream in which he saw Janet’s dad strangling her. But her father found her body, didn’t he?”
“Yes, but never mind that—not at the moment. We need to get over there. Go. We’ll catch up.” Millie whirled, turning to John, one of the officers who was helping with the setup. “Find out what kind of car that Sirus Barker drives. His wife, Violet, too. Put out an APB on both vehicles. Stop and apprehend if they’re spotted on the road. Do not shoot, but get Violet away from Sirus. He’s a danger to her and he doesn’t even know it.”
John darted out of the room.
“I need my magical tools.” I wanted a shot at that demon.
“Have you ever exorcised anything?” Millie asked.
“More or less, yes.”
“Then stop at your house to grab your tools. Hank, Caitlin, do you want to come with us?” Millie headed toward the door.
