Page 12 of Cold Sacrifice

“Maybe, but I do like seeing things happen that should be impossible. Don’t forget to take that picture out and set it on fire. He won’t be truly free until you do. See you soon, Kait.”

“Joe,” I said. “Would you take the painting out of the frame? I’m going to go inform Vanessa that her ghost is gone, and I’ll need to burn the painting.”

“Hopefully it’s not something she has grown attached to,” he said, getting to work.

“I’m sure she’ll think it’s worth it to get rid of the ghost,” I replied, and went to find Vanessa.

I didn’t have to go far. She lingered in the hallway, holding a cup of what smelled like Earl Grey tea in one hand and a cookie in the other.

“Carbs help me with my energy,” she said, almost apologetically. “How did it go in there?”

“He’s gone,” I told her. “He…” I hesitated, wondering how much truth she’d want to accept. Finally, I told her all of it.

She didn’t seem shocked. She barely seemed relieved. More than likely she was just too tired. And it’d take a while before she really believed he was gone. “I’m sorry to see the painting go,” she said, “but in a couple days, I will be so glad it’s over.”

She dunked her cookie into her tea and began to eat through her tears. Joe followed us into the living room, where Vanessa hurried to get her checkbook.

I stopped her. “The deposit is enough.”

“But…it was just a few dollars.”

“We’re destroying your painting, and also, I learned a lot tonight.” I patted her arm. “Get some sleep, Vanessa.”

She stared at me, uncertain. “I…thank you, Kait. Thank you, Joe.”

“You’re welcome,” we told her, then walked out into the night.

I’d get Joe home before dawn, and honestly, I was ready for my bed. First, I’d burn the painting in the fire pit Zach had built in my backyard. I needed to sleep, because tomorrow night, I would visit my detective.

It was time.

Chapter Three

I did not want anything to delay us, so I didn’t pause for long in the parking lot before climbing into my car. I took only a moment to scan the parked cars, the mostly full lot, and the nearby buildings and their lots.

Only a moment, but the feeling of whatever had been creeping through the shadows hit me hard enough to make me wonder if it had returned.

A light rain had fallen while we’d been inside Vanessa’s apartment, and the pavement was wet and shiny beneath the dim lights, the air misty and cool. I shivered, then got into the car and turned the heater on. It didn’t matter that it was springtime or that I was a wolf. I was cold.

“I need to eat,” I told Joe as I waited for the warm air. “I shouldn’t be cold.”

“Maybe it’s not the weather,” he said. “There’s something coming for Jakeston.”

I looked at him, surprised. “Did Lucy have a dream she didn’t tell me about?”

“Not that I know of.” He gave me a sheepish smile. “But isn’t something always coming for Jakeston?”

I laughed, but I felt uneasy. “We do get more than our share of monsters. And whatever we felt in the parking lot has us spooked.”

He nodded and caressed the hilt of his machete. “What do you think it was?”

“I don’t know.”

“We could track it.”

“Dammit,” I said, and shut off the car. “Half an hour, tops. We have to get to Huntersburg.”

“We have time before dawn,” he said, then reached between his feet to pull a bag into his lap. “But first…” He handed me an enormous candy bar. “It’s got protein and carbs. That’ll fuel you until we get home if you don’t end up fighting someone tonight.”