Randy White - Haunted

I said, “You don’t have to worry about me. I won’t-”

“Shut up. Theo’s very upset that you and the old man found the boat or whatever it is. So you’re going to give him the journal, explain the code or whatever bullshit he keeps babbling on about. You see, honey, all men are just boys and boys like to hunt for treasure. Do that-and a few other favors-and he’ll have no reason to argue when I tell him not to kill you.”

I wasn’t going to ask why a sunken canoe was important, yet she held up a hand to silence me anyway. When she did, I let my anger slip. “Sheriff’s deputies should be here any minute. Take your time.”

“No, dearie, they won’t. I have your phone. Twenty minutes ago, you called nine-one-one and canceled the emergency call you made. Then you sent a text to our little friend, Liberty Tupple-meyer. Want to guess what you wrote? Oh-and I happen to know that Liberty works in the morning. Between now and tomorrow night, all sorts of ugly things could happen to you. Carmelo, for instance. Or the monkeys. Theo says you saw what his big bastard-Ollie, for christ’s sakes-what he did to the girl. Was it bad?”

I felt my ears coloring.

“Yes,” Lucia said, “I can see that it was. Lucky for her it wasn’t that disgusting female chimp-females, we’re always tougher on our own sex. I read a study. First thing a chimp does is bite off a woman’s nose, then her lips. The genitals go next. You know-eliminate the competition.” The woman sweetened her threat with a knowing smile while her fingers massaged the bamboo tube.

Her superior tone was grating. It matched the expression on her face. I wanted to lunge from the chair and grab her. I might have done it, but then what? If she didn’t club me unconscious with the bamboo, I’d have to tie her before I searched for the key-or risk that the second door was unlocked.

That was my excuse. But the real reason was fear. So far, I believed Lucia’s claims: Theo and Carmelo were under her control. She alone could spare my life. I didn’t want to die. It was wiser to listen.

“What do you want me to do?”

“Work with me. You’ll make more money than you ever imagined and here’s how.” Lucia checked the security screens-Theo was still in the kitchen-then moved closer. “Liberty’s aunt, Bunny Tupplemeyer-the old lady’s worth two hundred million dollars. Possibly more. And she’s very fond of you both.”

My theory about Bunny’s astrologician had just been verified. Yet I had to ask an obvious question to appear confused. “Do you know her?”

“I link paranormally to special people,” she reminded me, “and Bunny’s money makes her very special. She’s a sad old woman dying of lung cancer. Did you know? No… of course not. Well, here’s the thing: Bunny believes you came into her life for a reason. That you might be her rescuing star. The zodiacal term is a transect connection . It offers the hope of soul migration, which I don’t expect you to understand. Think of it this way: the old lady is hoping your spirits have so much in common that she’ll hitch a ride into your future.”

“After she’s dead, you mean?” I asked the question well aware that Lucia, the witch, might also be Mrs. Tupplemeyer’s astrologician. “What happens to her soul isn’t up to me or our horoscopes. You believe what you want.”

Lucia’s reaction: How sweet. “Offend your Sunday school convictions, did I? A star chart is just number crunching and numbers don’t lie. The trans connection thing is true. Bunny knows it’s true. She’s a self-important old bitch, but she’s not stupid. That’s where you come in, Hannah-Hannah. You’re going to convince Bunny not to back out of the real estate deal. Instead of putting her million dollars in escrow, she’s going to sign a check. And keep right on signing them.” Lucia’s green eyes brightened, she stood a little taller and fluffed her robe, while her attitude dared me to refuse.

A lot of things went through my mind: Mrs. Tupplemeyer’s attorney saying, She took advice from the wrong people . At the very least, Lucia and others were skimming money from investors. More likely, the whole investment scheme was a fraud. I couldn’t put it all together now. But if playing along saved my life, I would do it. Giving in too easily, though, would be a mistake.

“I’m not in the habit of cheating people,” I replied. “If I do this-I’m not saying I will-how much are we talking?”

Lucia liked that. “Greed.” A nod of approval. “Any other vices you’re willing to share with me tonight? Don’t answer. If Bunny comes through with the million, let’s say… well, how does a hundred thousand sound?”

She was lying. I knew it but managed to appear interested. “That’s a lot of money.”

“Isn’t that what I said? But there’s something else you have to do before you get paid. Are you ready for this?” Her smile was that of a mean drunk. “What I want is all the dirt you can bring me on your buddy. That’s right, dear little Liberty, the deputy sheriff.” She paused, disappointed by my response. “You’re not shocked?”

“Liberty and I haven’t been friends that long. Even if I was willing, I don’t know much about her. Nothing bad anyway.”

“Put your mind to it, dearie, you will. There’s not a woman on this earth who doesn’t have a guilty conscience or some dirty little secret. Photos are good, but video is better. I’ll give you some microrecorders to plant here and there. Have duplicates made of her apartment keys, too. I want her hard drive copied, her texts and e-mails, everything. There’s not enough time to get my hands on all two hundred million before Bunny dies, but her niece is going to inherit a bundle. By then Liberty and I-you, too, of course-will have what’s called a special relationship.”

I tried to disguise my disgust but couldn’t. Lucia waved the bamboo as a warning and came closer. “You’ll drop all this holier-than-thou bullshit when I tell you the alternative. You’ll go to state prison on a murder charge-sound fun? A big attractive girl like you might actually enjoy herself.”

My hands, crossed behind my back, began to fidget. “Get away from me. You’re crazy.”

“No, I’m methodical . Guess who the last person was to see that little redneck girl alive? Honey… it was you. I’ve got audio of you both in the Cadence mansion. Her screaming at you, ‘Don’t touch me… Stay away from me.’ Heartbreaking, the way she pleaded. The girl called you evil, as I remember. Your voice records nicely, Hannah. I loved the part where you said, ‘Sometimes I have to fake being nice to people.’”

“I never said that.”

“Oh, but you did. In so many words anyway.”

My mouth was so dry, I couldn’t swallow. Pretending my hands were tied seemed a cowardly retreat from Lucia’s lies. Yet I sat there and tolerated them.

From a safe distance-or so she thought-the woman hiked her dress and knelt so we were eye to eye. “Why wouldn’t you leave that poor child alone? It was sickening the way you kept after her. Push, push, push. What are you, twenty-eight… thirty? Too old to invite a teenage girl into your car for a drink. But you did. Just the two of you alone. That’s how you lured her outside, isn’t it? It all came out quite clear on the audio. God only knows how drunk the little tramp was when you dumped her at the side of the road-or wherever you left her. I’ll flesh out the details after I’ve edited the tape.”

Lucia, with her smug certainty, smirked and attempted to stare me into submission. I stared back. She had liquid green eyes set deep into the hollows of a face that was stamped with crow’s-feet-smoky parties and whatever poisons that had scarred her from within. I don’t know what the woman saw in my eyes. Rage, no doubt. But something darker, too-or unfamiliar-because her expression gradually changed. I watched Lucia gulp and stand, her balance wobbly. Then she stepped back while her ego and her eyes sought a graceful excuse to look away.