Iris Johansen - Blood Game

“So did I,” Joe said. “I’m not laughing now.”

“Neither am I,” Nancy Jo said. “I don’t care if she’s a ghost hunter or not. I wish she could see me. I’m so lonely.”

“Why are you still here? Isn’t there some light or something you should be walking toward?” Damn he sounded stupid. But how the hell did you talk to a ghost?

“I don’t know. They keep telling me I have to leave, that I’ll be fine once I go.”

“Who are ‘they’?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know. I can’t listen to them. I have to stay here. It shouldn’t have happened. I wanted to live. He had no right to take it from me.” She shuddered. “Do you know what he did? He drank my blood. My blood is in him, feeding him. I can’t stand the thought of that. It makes me angry. He shouldn’t be alive when I’m dead.”

“Look, if it will help, I’ll promise you that I’ll catch that bastard.”

“I don’t believe you. You just want me to go away. I won’t go away.”

“I’m a cop. It’s my job to find who killed you. It doesn’t matter if you go away or not. I’ll still get the job done.”

She studied his face. “I don’t think you’re lying to me. But I have to be sure that he doesn’t live. He stole my blood. He stole my life.”

“I can’t do more than give you my word. Go off and do what ‘they’ say and let me get to work.”

“You’re pissed at me.”

“Hell, yes. I feel sorry for you, I want to help you, but you’re making my life damn miserable. Yes, I’m pissed at you.”

“I guess that’s better than being afraid of me. People are supposed to be afraid of ghosts.”

“I had a few moments.”

“That’s too bad.” She added defiantly, “But since you seem to be the only one who can see or hear me, you’re stuck with me.”

“The hell I am.”

“You have to help me.” Her voice vibrated with intensity. “I can’t do it by myself. I would if I could.” She hesitated, then said, “My father is angry. If you don’t find this monster, Daddy is going to do it himself. How do I know that he won’t kill my father too?”

What could he say to that? Joe thought in frustration. He could argue that she should leave revenge to him, but what about protecting the one you love? He could understand that motivation with all his mind and heart. Shielding and caring for Eve had been the rule that had driven him all these years. He was becoming more involved with Nancy Jo with every word she spoke.

Involved with a ghost? What was he thinking? “ ‘If’? I will find him, and your father will stay out of the picture.”

“I hope so.”

“I’m going now.” He held up his hand as she started to speak. “I can’t stay here having s й ances with you. I have a job to do.”

“But I want to help you. I need to do it.”

“Then tell me who did this. Do you have a name?”

She shook her head. “He said he was my savior. He said I should be grateful. He kept saying ‘Gift to Gift.’ ”

“What did he look like?”

She didn’t answer.

“What did he-”

“I’m trying to remember. I was so scared… Gray eyes, short, close-cut dark hair. White at the temples. A Roman nose, sort of hooked.”

“Tall. Short?”

“Medium. But he was burly, strong, biceps like a weight lifter.”

“Car?”

“I only caught a glimpse of it after I woke up. It was parked at the edge of the woods.” She frowned, thinking. “It was a big car. Light-colored. I think it might have been a Lincoln Town Car.”

“New? Old?”

“Old. I don’t think the new Lincolns are that big.” She shook her head. “I only had a glimpse.” She closed her eyes. “And I was so scared.”

“I can see that you were. But you’re doing well.”

“Thank you.” Her lids opened, and she tried to smile. “After all, I have to please you. You appear to be the only game in town.”

Joe again felt that strong surge of sympathy. She wasn’t much younger than his Jane. He wanted to reach out and-Hell, he couldn’t even do that.

I’m so lonely, she had said.

“I’m going to leave now. I’ll come back if I have any more questions.”

She nodded. “I don’t know if I can come to you. I don’t know how it works. I’m going to have to experiment.” She looked at Megan. “She’s not afraid of me. You can bring her with you if you like.”

“That’s up to her. I thought she might help.” He started to turn away, then said, “The knife. Was there anything different about it?”

“The knife…” Her teeth sank into her lower lip. “I’m afraid to-”

“It’s okay. You don’t have to remember.”

“Yes, I do. My heart was beating so hard. I was trying to get out of the ropes. He held up the knife and showed it to me. He said ‘Gift to Gift.’ Then he sliced across-Blood. I’m bleeding. He has a cup, and he’s pressing it to my throat. What’s he-”

“Enough,” Joe said curtly. “You’ve said enough.”

“No, you want to know what it looked like. But it’s hard to get past the pain.” She was breathing hard. “It’s a dagger. It looks… black in the shadows. The handle has some kind of carving. A man with a knife. A man with a goblet. Or maybe I’m getting mixed up. My blood is… I’m getting weaker…”

“Stop it, Nancy Jo. Enough.”

She nodded jerkily. “Too much. Go away. I don’t want you to see me this way. I don’t want anyone to know how scared he made me. I think he liked it.”

“He probably did. Most serial killers enjoy a feeling of power.”

“So clinical. You’re going by the book. Generic-case types. Well, he wasn’t generic,” she said fiercely. “He was a monster who drank my blood. Go away and don’t come back until you’ve found him.”

“Right. Whatever you say.” He wheeled and strode toward the edge of the woods.

“CONVERSATI ON OVER?” MEGANwas hurrying to catch up with him. “Are you going to tell me what it was about? I only heard your side.”

“She’s lonely. She wants to keep her father from being a victim if he goes after her killer. She wants revenge against the bastard who slit her throat, and then drank her blood.” He was walking fast, carefully not looking back at the woods. “And for a dead girl, she seems very much alive and very human. She’s not tough like Jane, but I kept thinking that if Jane hadn’t grown up on the streets, she might have turned out like Nancy Jo. Same determination, same affectionate nature.”

Megan was silent until they reached the car. “Then you’re convinced that she’s not a figment of your imagination?”

“Hell, no. I don’t know if I’ll ever be certain. But I’m operating on that assumption since I can’t do anything else. I made my decision that I refuse to believe I’m crazy and that leaves only the option to accept and use this damn thing that’s happened to me.”

“You’re quite a man, Joe Quinn,” Megan said quietly. “I don’t believe many people would handle all that’s happened to you this well.” She paused. “I’m sorry, Joe. I tried my best not to hurt anyone.”

“Your best wasn’t good enough.” He opened the car door for her. “But I’m going to let you make amends. I don’t know a tinker’s damn about this spook business.” He shook his head. “Who the hell does know anything? Does our friend, Renata?”