Page 45 of Shattered Sanctuary

Steve nodded. “‘William Watcher slew his wife. Slit her throat with his butcher knife. Now she wanders Watcher Woods. A ghastly visage in a cloak and hood. If you should hear her mournful cries... you will be the next to die.’”

Although she’d heard the poem before, a chill ran through Kaely. She looked up to see Avery standing next to the table with a coffee cup and a pot. She put the cup down in front of Steve and poured coffee into it. Then she set the pot down on the table.

“Everyone in town has heard the story,” Avery said. “But no one I know has ever actually seen her. Even so, you wouldn’t catch me anywhere near that cabin.” She directed her attention to Steve. “Sorry, but I’m not big on ghostly apparitions haunting the scene of a gruesome murder.” She looked around the restaurant, which by this time was almost completely full. “This place is ghastly enough for me.” Avery looked at Erin and hesitated a moment. Then she said,“Look, I really don’t want to trouble you, but my copy ofDark Mattersis in my car. If I bring it in, could you sign it before you leave?”

“Sure, not a problem.”

“Thank you.” She winked at them and left, checking on a table not far from theirs.

“I really hate that poem,” Erin said. “I hated it when I heard it the first time. I hated it when I repeated it to you,” she said looking at Kaely then at Steve, “and I hate hearing it now.” She leaned forward. “Look, I’m not sure if ghosts exist or not, but the realistic side of me is pretty sure our so-called ghost is someone who doesn’t want the cabin to be turned into a rental. Which is weird since there are so many rental properties in this area.” She pointed at Kaely. “The next time we see her, I think we should leave the cabin and chase her down. I’d like to have a talk with our ghostly friend.”

“I’m in,” Kaely said. “And I’m sorry I doubted you the first time you told me about her.”

Erin shrugged. “I understand. Just don’t do it again.” She tried to hold back a smile but failed.

“I won’t,” Kaely said. “Trust me.”

Erin laughed. “Actually, I’m not sure you should trust everything I say.”

“Well, you can trust this one,” Steve said. “Look, I wouldn’t advise going after it. I mean... just in case.”

Kaely didn’t respond. What could she say? Did Steve actually believe the ghost of a woman murdered two hundred years ago was roaming the woods, trying to find someone to kill?

“Thanks, Steve,” Erin said. “We’ll be careful. But please, see if you can think of someone who might have some kindof grudge against you—or against the idea of you renting that cabin, okay?”

“I will.” Steve gulped down the rest of his coffee and got to his feet. “Nice to see you ladies. You have my number if you need anything. And don’t worry about the storm that’s coming. If it turns out to be anything more than a few inches of snow and you lose your electricity, like I said, the generator will come on. Also, there’s a large pile of wood behind the house, although you shouldn’t need it. There’s quite a bit already inside.”

“Thanks, Steve,” Kaely said. “We really appreciate it.”

“Sure. Tell Noah I said hello.” He turned and left.

“Wow,” Erin said. “Some great place you picked out for me to take it easy. Murders, ghosts. What else do you have lined up for me?”

“Seriously, this wasn’t the plan.” Kaely sighed. “I mean, look at the name, Sanctuary. It sounded like such a peaceful place to be.” She paused. “How are you doing, by the way? You seem relaxed.”

Erin’s eyes widened. “I... I feel fine. To be honest, I haven’t even thought once about being afraid to leave the cabin.”

Kaely smiled at her. “Well, that’s not surprising.” She waved her hand around. “Agoraphobia is neutralized by the color pink. You probably didn’t know that.”

Erin laughed. “Not sure that’s true, but so far, so good.” She blinked away tears. “Thanks, Kaely. I feel better now than I have for a long time.”

“I’m so glad. Look, after we eat and shop, let’s have a nice, comfortable evening indoors, just talking, okay?”

As she said it, Kaely wondered if there was such a thing as a peaceful evening in Sanctuary, Tennessee.

They were in town, snooping around. It didn’t matter. They wouldn’t find anything. They thought they were smart. But they’d never met anyone like him before. He had already prepared his next offering. If they really were smart, they’d figure it out before he came for them. Well, for one of them, anyway. The other one? She didn’t fit into his plan, but couldn’t he just excuse her death as collateral damage? He saw no other choice.

Time was ticking away for the famous author and her friend. Before long, they would both be dead.

After a remarkably tasty lunch, Erin and Kaely poked around the small, quaint town. Erin found that love for Dolly wasn’t limited to the diner. They stopped by a shop called Wildflowers. The owner, Kathy Flood, introduced herself and explained that she’d loved Dolly Parton ever since she was a child. The shop was named after one of Dolly’s songs, which played over and over through the store’s speakers. Erin enjoyed it until about the sixth or seventh time. Still, she found herself humming along after a while.

The store was filled with Dolly memorabilia and lots of bling. Most of it wasn’t Erin’s style, but she found a silver bracelet and a nice quilted throw that she could use on cold winter nights.

Kaely bought some postcards but didn’t see anything else she wanted.

By the time they left, they knew that Kathy was divorced and had a son who wouldn’t speak to her. Erin wondered if he simply couldn’t stand listening to “Wildflowers” one more time.Kathy only had one employee, a young woman who looked a little frantic. If Erin worked there, she’d be frantic too.

After they left Kathy’s shop, they found a couple of other places that were surprisingly Dolly free. A cute boutique named The Little Sparrow. It wasn’t until they left that Kaely informed her that “Little Sparrow” was another Dolly Parton tune.

---