Dead Chance Read online

  Roth swept up the glass from the shattered windows and talked to the person he had rented from about the shooting on his cell. His body was stiff, and he turned away as I entered.

  I went to the room to pack.

  I could hear him, ”…was probably a lost hunter.” A pause before he said, “No. We are fine.”

  My hands trembled as I put away the clothes from the night before. It hurt so much.

  As I shoved my phone charger into my bag, I could feel his glare on my back.

  How could I explain without sounding either like a freak or insane? Best case scenario, he believed me and realized I was a freak. Worst case, back at work some nice men would escort me to a facility. No win-win. Only lose-lose.

  Why had I tried? I knew better! Whisper had warned me away from Roth. I, like a dumbass, had ignored her. The pain hit my chest again.

  "Roth," I said it quietly. I fought the tightening in my chest and throat. "I really like you. If I could tell you why I'm here, why I ran outside, and why I'm helping Chance, I would."

  "No, Dianna." His voice was thick with his accent. "You haven't told me. And you can." He put his hands on my shoulders, "I'm right here. I have secrets to tell you too. Please, just stay here. With me." He said the last as his mouth lowered. He brushed my ponytail to the side and kissed my neck.

  A thrill went through me, but passion didn't stop the facts. I couldn't tell him. "I'm probably heading out tonight or early morning back to Fort Augustine."

  The hand still on my shoulder tightened. "Stay."

  "I'm sorry, Roth." I turned around to face him.

  His face was so handsome. His red streaks had faded even more, and his black hair was a mess. My heart skipped a beat.

  I closed my eyes to gather myself. Lewis had targeted me. I had put Roth in danger. I had to say goodbye.

  "I don't want to be a princess. I'm happy working. And you should head back to the cities."

  His eyes widened in shock, and then his face went blank. "Are you saying it’s over? Just as we started?"

  "Goodbye, Roth. If it's too weird at work, I'll find a new job. Or transfer."

  "What the hell, Dianna!" He turned around, his back to me. "We have something. And you'd throw it away rather than take a risk. Fuck you, Dianna." Moving faster than I expected he held me to him, "I'll head back. And when you are in bed, alone, and aching, wishing for me, call. Maybe I'll come."

  He pushed me away hard enough I stumbled.

  Stopping from hitting him, I went out the door.

  Chance waited. "I found a possible lead."

  We got in his truck, and I could hear Roth throwing things around in the cabin.

  Chance didn't look at me but said, "You know, men who throw things are typically the abusive ones. You probably dodged a bullet."

  "Chance, get the fuck off my side."

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chance took us to the city clerk's office, which was inside the courthouse. According to a historical marker, the courthouse had been rebuilt in the 1980s after a fire. Very little of the original remained. Whoever had remodeled it had made what had once looked very stately into something lacking any character. The building looked sterile, with clean, modern lines. My head pounded with a bad headache as we entered the building.

  We headed to the basement. A records clerk waited for us. She smiled wide and waved seeing Chance.

  Chance said, "Hey Ginger! What you got for me?"

  Ginger nodded at me.

  He said, "It’s okay. This is my consultant, Miss Grant."

  Smiling brightly, Ginger said, "Well, when you told me you wanted a list of all the abandoned buildings I did the usual. But then yesterday, Gloria's boy came home late. Really late. And I could hear her cussing that boy up one side and down another!"

  Chance chuckled softly.

  "So, I opened the window and said, 'Gloria, you best leave some skin on those bones.'" Ginger laughed a bit and Chance did too. "Then Gloria opened her window and said, 'Now Ginger, you mind yourself! My boy just came back after a dare to visit the old crazy house!'" Ginger clapped her hands. "That's when it hit me. I hadn't included Spring Peaks in the list because of the fire."

  "You did great, Ginger." He gave her a slow smile.

  She preened, fluffing her fading red hair. "Thanks, Chance. I've got all the blueprints here for you, as well as the Fire Marshall's details about the fire."

  He opened the tube and put the blueprints on the table. "Right. That was back in 1978?"

  "76." Ginger said, "The Fire Marshall for the county at the time was Wallace Cooper. Officially, he chalked it up to faulty wiring."

  The pictures were of the mostly destroyed building. Chance asked, "But?"

  "Well, one of the patients at the time was Earnest Jonak, a World War II survivor from Poland. He had been put away at Spring Peaks due to his love affair with setting fires. Town theory is that Jonak found some matches, and did what he had done to his own house. Only this time, people died." Ginger shook her head, "Heavens knows what he had suffered, but it was all so tragic. No one wanted to blame him. The poor man had suffered so."

  "This helps us out, Ginger." He looked shy and said with his head partially lowered, "You wouldn't happen to have made the coffee today, would you?"

  Ginger stood up straighter. "I'll get you a cup, honey. You want some, Miss Grant?"

  "Sure, thank you."

  As Ginger left Chance said, "I think this is it. Spring Peaks had been an asylum for the mentally ill. It had been used by the county as a place to send those who had violent tendencies. It had two floors and an underground level. Lewis could hide in the remains of the basement, and no one would be the wiser. We need to talk to Gloria's boy, Simon. He might have seen something out of place."

  "Why the hell is there an asylum in the mountains by a small town?"

  He shrugged, "Probably used to be more all over before the eighties."

  "I suppose." I looked at the photos of the building. "So you think Lewis is hiding out there?"

  "Seems likely. So how do we do this? Should we call the feds and let them handle it?"

  I shook my head. "Not unless you want a lot of dead agents. No, we have to kill him. He is not human. If the government got a hold of him, he'd be in for a nightmare of tests." I shuddered.

  Being taken and studied happened to be one of my own personal nightmares.

  "I'm not even certain you should come with me, Chance."

  "Well, miracles do happen."

  Ginger came back with two travel cups of coffee. It actually smelled good.

  My stomach growled, and Ginger chuckled. "You should stop by George's place, Chance. Before you starve your consultant."

  Chance smiled at Ginger, "Ah, if only you were ten years younger, Ginger."

  She said, "More like twenty."

  Picking up the blueprints, he said, "Thanks, Ginger. I owe you one."

  As we walked to leave the courthouse, Chance said, "This feels right. Let's check it out."

  "Did you happen to research any vampire lore?" Stabbing pains from hunger made me hold my abdomen as it made a large gurgle.

  "Let's grab some breakfast. I'll tell you what I didn't find."

  With that cryptic statement, Casteele walked towards the door we came in. Holding my stomach, I followed.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chance stayed quiet while we ate at George's cafe. I ate a rare steak while he ate his usual.

  Thoughts of Roth filled the silence. When it came to him, I felt like I couldn't win for losing. No matter what I said or what I did, it later turned out to be the wrong choice. Perhaps we should have fought the chemistry and never have opened that genie's bottle.

  Chance remained silent until we got in his pickup. Headed towards what had been Springs Peak.

  Tell Roth. He'll think you're a monster, Max's voice taunted me. You didn't save any of them. You left them to die.

  As I steeled myself against a flashback, Brad sat down
in the tiny backseat area of the large truck. He wasn't blue or white. It was like looking at a slightly transparent Brad. But now he looked a bit gray. "Dianna, I found you." He tried to catch his breath. Who knew ghosts had to breathe? "Give me." He panted. "A sec."

  Brad took a few moments to gather himself. Finally, no longer out of breath, he said, "Dianna. Lewis is a real vampire!"

  I nodded.

  "Lewis is a real vampire!" Brad looked shocked.

  "He is a murderer," I said in a low tone.

  "Lewis is for certain a killer, Dianna," Chance said. "Lewis' entire information is sealed."

  "What? Why seal it?"

  "I'm not sure." He glanced over. "The feds took over. Some agent named Reid Gibson is in charge of the Connors’ case now."

  "Why would they seal Lewis' information?"

  "Seems very coincidental that the vampire's information is sealed when the bloodwork is likely finished. And that it is now a federal case?"

  "You think there are federal agents know about vampires? The monsters?"

  Chance shrugged. "Maybe."

  "Well shit," said Brad. "Dianna, last night. I tried to find you." He paused. "Generally, it's like this invisible thread that connects us. I follow it, and it leads to you."

  I pointed to Chance.

  Brad shrugged, "How many others have seen something supernatural and lived? He knows Jason Lewis is a vampire."

  I nodded.

  "You can tell him about me."

  "Chance, my friend Brad is a ghost. He is here in the backseat, behind you."

  Chance paled a bit. "Alright."

  "So did you walk from Ft. Augustine," I asked Brad.

  "No. When I follow you, the world fades to grays, and it doesn't look the same. Everything is covered in fog. Some buildings aren't there, or old ones are there instead of what is there now. The travel usually seems like walking a few blocks."

  "Weird, but cool. I didn't know you could find me like that."

  "It's convenient." Brad shook his head. "This time it led me to this house outside of town." He smiled. "It reminded me of..." his words faded off as he became lost in memories of the girl he'd loved. Sara.

  "Me too," I said.

  Brad looked up with tears in his eyes, "I miss her so much. But I know she'd want me to help you while I can."

  My throat felt tight.

  "Lewis attacked his sister. He moved so fast. Faster than even you! And he bit her wrist like a wild animal. He kept gnawing at them." Brad shook his head. "Definitely not sexy like in the movies. I tried to make him stop, but I couldn't move him. He doesn't see me. Or he completely ignored me." He shrugged.

  "Brad witnessed Lewis attack his sister." I relayed to Chance. "Did he have fangs?"

  "Yes. His canines were really long. They shrunk as he fed. After attacking Joan, he cried and took her somewhere. I tried to find you after that, but I kept walking in circles until suddenly I found the truck."

  "Sounds like Lewis cannot control himself." I wondered who would be next. Sure he regretted Connors and his sister. However, I doubt the regret Lewis felt would extend to strangers.

  "It was so fast Dianna. You can't let him hurt someone else." Brad cleared his throat. "Can he sense me?"

  Chance sat ram-rod straight, and I noticed his knuckles on the wheel were a bit white. "I don't intend to let Lewis hurt anyone. Chance, can you sense Brad?"

  "No. Just spooked."

  Glancing back at Brad I asked, "Are you staying?"

  He nodded. "A real, honest to god bloodsucker. I'm watching your back. Who knows what made him might be lurking around too."

  "That is one horrible idea. Although, it does make me wonder." Lewis didn't look like a monster. Neither had anyone in the vampire clubs I'd went to. Perhaps it wasn't all people role-playing out fantasies. Some might be like Lewis but better at hiding their victims or controlling their hunger.

  "What," asked Chance.

  "Brad suggested something might have made Lewis."

  "Tell Brad to stop borrowing trouble. We have more than enough at our doorstep."

  "True." I filled Brad on why we were headed to Spring Peaks.

  "I can sense him," Brad said. "Lewis makes me feel sick when I'm near him."

  "And you are certain he can't see you?"

  Shrugging his semi-transparent shoulders, Brad said, "It seemed like it."

  "Well, that is one for our side."

  "The ghost with the most!" Brad held up his arms.

  A thought crossed my mind, "Why did you come here anyway? Weren't you still trying to get things to move?"

  Chance asked, "Wait, so Brad can't move things?"

  I shook my head, "Not yet."

  "Not completely," Brad said. "Work in progress."

  "Ghosts are real." Chance let out a loud breath. "There is something we should discuss then, Dianna."

  "What?"

  "Spring Peaks is said to be haunted. The kids go up there to do tests of courage. A who can stay there the longest without running away kinds of thing."

  "Wasn't it a psych ward?"

  "Yeah. Since the fire people have reported seeing all sorts of spooks there. I discounted it. Now, I'm asking you, are we about to head into a haunted asylum for the criminally insane?"

  "Unlikely. I've only ever seen Brad."

  Casteele sighed in relief, "Odds are slim then." He said, "For a second there, I thought we were screwed."

  Chapter Thirty

  Spring Peaks rested atop a long winding one paved, now filled with potholes, road. The snow made it impassible in the truck, even with four-wheel drive. Chance parked in what looked like the spot the teenagers, Simon and his friends, had used. There were fresh car tracks in the snow.

  Trekking up the hill in the daylight towards the building had a calming effect on my nerves. With the bright light shining we would surely overcome a lone vampire.

  Chance held up three wooden stakes from a bag at his side. "Carved the ends of some wooden dowels," he explained. "I grabbed some blessed water from a baptism and a couple silver knives." He put the stakes away and showed me a mason jar filled with water and two steak knives. "I grabbed the last of the horse tranquilizer."

  "You dosed me with horse tranquilizer?"

  "And wolfsbane."

  Grinding my teeth, I fought the urge to punch him.

  Brad said, "You didn’t hit him! That anger management therapy is really working, Dianna."

  "Shut up, Brad," I mumbled.

  The building hadn't seemed that far away when we parked, but the walk up the hill in the deep snow was taking longer than expected.

  "Well, if you ever need to be knocked out, you'll know what works," Chance said.

  My leg flew out of its own accord, tripping him. He fell in the snow face first. Sitting up, he wiped the white powder off his face.

  "Had that coming."

  I made a noise and kept walking. I doubted any of the items would work on Jason Lewis except the tranquilizer.

  "How'd you get horse tranquilizer," Brad asked. I relayed his question to Chance.

  "Well, a few years back the local chemist got busted. The evidence locker ended up filled with a lot of things people in town could use. We have a few citizens on the outskirts to the west that are ranchers and farmers. Chemicals are expensive. The county decided to let folks take what they needed for a fraction of the retail price. But after the auction, a few items remained. Some of the horse tranquilizers were one of the items."

  "So you stole it from the evidence locker?"

  "No, I paid for it. At a fair price." He showed me the syringe full of fluid. "I had a horse, but sold it last year."

  "You really are a cowboy."

  "Guilty as charged. I was raised on a working farm. Not a big operation but my family made do." He walked a bit ahead of me, "After leaving the service, I didn't want to go back."

  Not wanting to return to the illusion of normal after witnessing unexplained horror? I could relate.


  Brad said, "I don't see any other ghosts around here."

  "Have you in the city?"

  "I've only ever seen a couple other ghosts," he said. His body seemed more translucent outside in the daylight.

  As we approached the remains of Spring Peaks, I asked, "Where?"

  He said, "Downtown. They both just relive their death at the same time every night. Neither talks."

  "That is one crappy afterlife."

  He shrugged, "Who knows if they are actually ghosts?“

  I nodded.

  Chance said, "What is?"

  "What is what," I asked.

  "One crappy afterlife?"

  "Oh." I forgot Chance couldn't hear Brad. "To be stuck on repeat. As a ghost. Constantly reliving your death."

  "That happens," he paled.

  "Brad says there are two in the city. However, he wondered if they could be something else."

  "I hope so." Chance shook his head. "All this time I thought the worst fate would be meeting that silver devil. Now, I am starting to think there are worse things out there."

  "Never look for worse. It has a way of finding you," said Brad. "One of my father's favorite sayings."

  I remembered the first time Brad had said that. Sara had fretted over a Calculus Analysis II final. She kept talking about it, even at lunch. Julie had told her to shut up countless times. Brad finally chimed in, and Sara stopped worrying. Ah, the good old days, when test grades were life or death. It seemed comical now. How naive we'd been.

  Max's voice taunted me, How foolish you still are. Dooming another soul.

  Brad never heard Max taunting me. I'd half been hoping the voice had been Max haunting me; instead of him being a voice in my head. I'd gotten used to ignoring it. Mostly.

  Chance looked grim as we approached the ruins.

  Spring Peaks had once been a two-story standard rectangular hospital, with few architectural frills. Less than half the first floor and none of the second floor remained. It looked clean though. The way that snow can make even a junkyard look pristine. The pines and aspen had encroached upon the building, making it feel more like a ruin.

  "Is there a lot of old stuff here from the hospital," I asked Chance. The snow by the building was only up to my knees.