Page 19 of The Grave Robber

She sank back in a stupor. “Dogs really do go to heaven?”

“I like to think there’s a special one just for them.”

“Why did it possess you? Was it awrong-place-at-the-wrong-time kind of scenario?”

Back to the honesty thing. I’d come this far. May as welllay it all out on the table. I mustered all the courage my depleted stores hadto offer and charged forward. “It took a while, but my friends figured out thedemons from that particular dimension only possessed people… with a mentaldisorder.” I circled an index finger around my ear to make light of that fact.“You know, the crazies.”

I expected her complete and total withdrawal from the conversation.Instead, she tilted her head and studied me. “What kind of mental disorder?”

I checked the GPS. “Is it this turn or the next one?”

“Oh,” she said as though suddenly realizing how close wewere. She pointed. “This one.”

With a nod of understanding, I turned left and then pulledinto Cruisers about half a block later. I threw her truck into park and thenturned to face her. “Thank you, Halle. Zachary wouldn’t be alive right now ifnot for you.”

“Yeah, well, you’re the one who went head-to-head with a deliverytruck.”

She pressed her hands together in her lap as we sat, neitherof us sure what to say. I was so bad with small talk. And since we were justsitting there with nothing to do, I took another look. Just a quick one.Justto make sure I didn’t miss anything.

Since her impending death wasn’t detrimentally close athand, I had to actually concentrate to see her last moment. The closer thedeath was, the less I had to focus until it became overpowering. Like todaywith Zachary. The moment had shone brightly in my mind the second my gazedrifted anywhere near him. Times like those, I couldn’t stop the visions if Iwanted to, thus my obsession with the kid’s inevitable demise.

But this time, I didn’t stop the vision of Halle’s lastmoment. Even though watching it was like a knife twisting painfully in myheart. I took my time and studied her surroundings. The red bathwater. The limphands. The slit wrists. The image paralyzed my lungs, and I wanted to leave,but something from my first glimpse had been nagging me, niggling at the backof my mind. I needed to know what.

Then I saw it. A reflection in a mirror…

“Halle,” I said, my voice barely more than a whisper. Butbefore I could say anything else, a raucous cheer hit us, and patrons startedstreaming out of the bar, clapping, hooting, and hollering. They surrounded thetruck and started banging on the hood in enthusiasm.

I rolled my eyes. I was going to kill him.

“Do you think they know?” Halle asked with a giggle.

I spotted Jason, his shit-eating grin full of pride. Did hetell the whole fucking town? “He is so dead.”

Halle giggled again and got out of the truck as those aroundher offered to buy her a drink. An older gentleman pulled her into his arms andhugged her tightly. Had to be her father, Jason’s partner.

Jason opened the driver’s side door and hauled me out, butcelebrating was about the last thing on my mind. All I could think about wasHalle’s last moment and the reflection in the mirror of a man’s hand holding astraight razor.

Chapter Four

Don’t judge.

I clean up real nice.

—T-shirt

I took small, leisurely sips of the beer I’d been given. Thetenth one in two hours. I could only pass my glass to the person next to me somany times before someone noticed. The patrons were taking turns buying medrink after drink for saving Zachary’s life.

According to Jason, I just happened to see Zachary crossingthe busy intersection and noticed the truck bearing down on him. Mylightning-quick reflexes took over, and I whisked him out of harm’s way.

It was a complete coincidence we were in the same place atthe same time, so Jason’s ability to lie with a straight face saved him fromthe torment of my wrath yet again. Lucky bastard. So here I sat as person afterperson asked me to tell the story.

Halle was smart. She’d ducked out with her father tenminutes into the celebration when I went to change. She was probably on herhouseboat right now, sleeping soundly. The mental image of her in a slinkynightgown, blond hair spilling over a pillow, long legs tangled in silk sheets,caused every blood cell in my body to rush to the more sensitive regions of myanatomy.

The redhead put yet another beer in front of me, her smileas sweet and inviting as a tangerine. Three hours ago, I would’ve jumped at thechance for some alone time with the stunner, but even then, it would have onlybeen to get the blonde out of my head.

Jason came up behind me and slapped me on the back. BecauseI hadn’t just been hit by a fucking truck. He laughed when I glared at him.“Looks like you robbed another grave today.”

I took a pretend sip and questioned him. “What are youtalking about?”

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