Page 22 of Malice

“How do you know?”

He looks at me like I’m an idiot.

“Right. Okay. Would’ve been great to find that out before I showed up and made a fool of myself in front of those people.”

“Give it another day or two. You’ll forget them for the most part. You might have weird memories or déjà vu moments here and there, but you’ll adapt.”

“Thanks, Crash.”

In my rearview mirror, I notice two of the security guards walking in my direction, so I start the car and take off. I’m not a threat to them, but they don’t know that. For all they know, I have a bomb or a gun and I’m unhinged.

“If I have so much money, why do I live in the same dinky apartment?”

“Apparently, you’re a frugal one and worried about showing off your wealth too much.”

“That sounds like me.” I drag my hand through my hair. “Farnsworth showed up this morning. He scolded me for forgetting my status report, but he said Chester is getting stronger quickly.”

Crash scrunches his face up. “Ugh. That’s not good news. The faster they manifest the stronger they are. He must be filled with rage.”

“Super.”

“Yeah. Was Farnsworth mad about me attaching to you?”

“No. He said you’re helpful.”

Crash grins. “I like to be useful. Oh, a society member I know located the other Horror. Celine Bradley.”

“Where was she?”

“She was at the home of her attacker. It was a grisly scene, but she returned without incident to the Below.”

“She killed her attacker? How did she work so fast?”

“Celine had skills while she was living that enhanced her abilities. Lucky for you, Chester doesn’t.”

“What kind of skills?”

“She was sensitive to the world beyond the veil. She was able to tap into that and possess a victim her attacker was keeping chained in his basement.”

I nearly drive off the road. “Fuck. Are you serious?”

“Very. The woman, using Celine’s Afterlife abilities, broke her restraints, took the machete her captor was using to torture her, and… well, made a nice tartar from his body.”

A shudder moves through me. “Sounds like he deserved it?”

“Yes, and that’s nothing compared to what awaits him in the Below. Total win, really. He was a serial killer. Celine saved a woman’s life and who knows how many others.”

“How did she end up being a Horror if she was killed by a serial killer?”

“What I heard is that she swindled people with her gifts. She actually met the man who would become her murderer during one of her scams. Rumor has it she might get bumped up to a less repressive room in the Below for her efforts to save other people.”

“Happy ending, I guess.”

Crash chuckles. “Something like that. Have you heard from the handsome Mr. Davis?”

“No. He thinks I’m insane. Or a con artist. Not sure which is worse.”

“Don’t worry. He’ll come around soon enough. Humans always try to reason away the unreasonable. It’s much easier to believe in something more tangible than ghosts and spirits, even if it doesn’t make sense. Unfortunately, there will come a day very soon when he’ll have no choice but to believe.”

---