Page 39 of Half Dead

My eyes stung as I stumbled outside, carrying the older woman in my arms. Once we were a safe distance away, I lowered her to the ground. I tore the sweatshirt from my head and made a desperate attempt to administer CPR.

“Birdie!” I pumped her chest again, but my efforts were in vain.

Her lifeless eyes stared at the sky, as though waiting for one last glimpse of her beloved birds.

My shoulders shook violently as I wept. I was still hunched over her when I heard the sirens in the distance. They were too late.

I was too late.

Sooty tears streaked my face. When I finally looked up, I noticed dozens of crows had formed a protective circle around us, a ring of polished obsidian gleaming in the darkness. They ruffled their wings, agitated.

“I’m sorry,” I croaked. “There’s nothing I can do.” I closed my eyes and tried to sense whether her spirit had lingered.

A sharp cry pierced the stillness. “Please.”

Birdie’s voice.

My head snapped up. “Please,” I heard again, but there was no sign of her spirit.

The word repeated, in stereo this time.

Not Birdie.

Birds.

The crows were mimicking her voice. Whether it had been her last word, I wasn’t sure, but the pleading note suggested it might have been. My chest felt hollow.

All at once, the cries stopped, as though an unseen conductor had closed their palm. I dragged a sleeve across my cheek to wipe away a fresh crop of tears. “If you know who is responsible for this, I want you to find them and bring them to me.” The steely command was undermined by the crack in my voice.

The crows cawed in unison and took off. Without their protective circle, I suddenly felt exposed.

“Lorelei?” Chief Garcia cut through the shadows, followed by a crew of firefighters.

I opened my mouth to speak, but I couldn’t get my voice to work.

The chief crouched beside me and placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. “Hey, you’re okay.”

Still mute, I gave an adamant shake of my head.

“I’ll take care of Kristabel.” She whistled. “Somebody bring me a blanket.”

“I don’t need a blanket.”

“Oh, I see you find your voice when it’s time to be contrary. There’s an ambulance out front. We should get you checked out.”

I gave her a pointed look. “Not necessary.”

“Right. Any idea what happened?”

I described the scene inside the house.

The chief observed me. “Which part are you leaving out?”

A lump formed in my throat. I wasn’t sure if I could repeat the experience with the crows without bursting into tears again.

“I think she was murdered,” was all I managed to say.

“And the fire was meant to cover up the crime.”

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