Page 29 of Death Raiser

The pressed gravel trail with the gentle slope ran through a dense evergreen forest with a few twists and turns. The stones crunched under our feet and the birds chirped merrily in the branches overhead. This section of park boasted a thick canopy, and despite the summer and lack of recent rain, pockets of dampness clung to the air along with the smell of moss heavy with dew.

My phone vibrated in my pocket. Peter’s name flashed on the screen. I cursed and hit accept.

“Hey,” I said. “I’m sorry. I meant to call you back.”

“It’s okay,” Peter said. “You gave us quite a scare. I just wanted to follow up and make sure you were alive, and it wasn’t some spectre texting back.”

“I’m alive and well.” I winced. That last part was a lie. My mental state was close to cracking.

“Glad to hear it. I have another case that’s unlikely to resolve amicably, so I’ll probably see you soon…”

“Sounds good,” I said. He probably also wanted to ensure I wouldn’t pull another disappearing act on the next raising I did for him. The client had likely asked a lot of questions he didn’t have answers to. I couldn’t promise that I wouldn’t get sucked back into the veil again, so I didn’t. Hopefully, Leviathan wouldn’t pull the same trick twice. “Thanks for checking up on me.”

“Any time.”

We said goodbye and I hung up, still following the marked path to the crime scene while the detectives quietly followed.

“Who was that?” Kang asked.

I’d wondered if he’d break his silence first.

“Peter Schmidt.”

Kang grumbled.

“It’s not like that, Kang. He’s a lawyer I often work with.”

“I know who Peter is,” Kang snapped.

Of course, he did. He probably ran a background check on him, too.

“I’m not upset about some guy calling you, Morgan,” Kang continued while Jacobs remained suspiciously quiet. “I want to know what happened.”

“Nothing.”

“Lark.” His tone had me turning around.

Jacobs flashed me a sympathetic smile and passed me, walking toward the crime scene to leave me alone with an angry Kang.

Traitor.

Kang had stopped walking and squeezed his eyes shut to take a deep breath. The sounds of the forest surrounded us, the whisper of a breeze through the leaves and the birds chattering away on the branches. Farther away, the babble of a fast-flowing river provided soothing background noise while crime scene analysts spoke in low voices and processed the scene.

“He said you scared him.” Kang finally opened his eyes and broke the silence.

“Eavesdropping on my calls now?”

“Stop deflecting. You have the volume cranked and it was impossible not to hear.”

I raised my eyebrows.

“What happened, Lark?” His expression softened.

“A spirit grabbed me after a routine raising and hauled me to the veil. Apparently, Leviathan wanted to have a word with me and felt that was the way to accomplish the task.”

“Leviathan?”

“Yeah.”

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