Artie nodded. “I couldn’t remember much until tonight. It was seeing her.” He pointed to Fannie. “It brought back my travels, the murder, the money—all of it.”
He stared into the light. “Now I can rest.”
I waved. “Go rest.”
He floated up until he vanished out of sight. Molly Menzel appeared. “Thank you,” she said.
I smiled. “Please go in peace.”
Molly vanished into the light, and the starry slice of heaven on earth zipped shut.
A collective sigh escaped the room. I turned to Roan. He dropped to his knees.
I reached for him. “Are you okay?”
Sweat beaded his brow, and his hands trembled. “I’m fine. Just…tired.”
Axel helped get Roan to his feet. “What he summoned took a lot out of him. It drained his energy.”
“Summoned?” My brow pinched together in confusion. “He summoned the other side?”
“Just like you summon the light,” Roan murmured. “I can summon the dark.”
I glanced at Roan. A secret flickered in his eyes. A flash of sadness welled in his glance.
“What is it?” I curled a hand around his arm.
“Nothing,” he said darkly. “Not a thing.”
But it was something. It as like a cold hand had grabbed Roan’s heart and smothered it, keeping it from me.
“Let’s get him some fresh air.” Axel towed him toward the stairs. “It’ll help.”
Pepper pointed to Fannie. “We can’t just leave her here all alone. She’ll escape.”
Kency Blount appeared in the stairwell. “You’re not alone. The police are here.”
“The police?” I couldn’t hide the surprise in my voice.
Kency thumbed behind her to Ruth and Alice. “Thanks to these two we received a call that there was a disturbance at the house.”
Alice twisted her fingers. “Once the house shook, Blissful, I couldn’t help it. I called the police.”
“Glad you did.” I pointed to Fannie Sullivan. “Kency Blount, meet Deborah Hudson.” I then acknowledged the literal skeleton in the room. “And that’s Mr. Jinkins Hudson. Mrs. Hudson murdered and then preserved him.”
Kency pulled handcuffs from her waist and clipped them on Fannie. “I can’t wait to hear this story.”
I smiled. “I’ll bet it’s a doozy.”
Kency nodded toward us. “I need y’all to clear out so we can do our work.”
I reached Alice and Ruth. I wrapped my arms around them and squeezed so hard I nearly sucked the life from them.
“Kency,” I said gratefully, “I thought you’d never ask.”
TWENTY-FIVE
The next day, Pepper and Axel readied to leave Haunted Hollow. I had to admit, it had been fun working with folks from out of town on a case. The fact that Axel was a certified wizard and Pepper a witch made it all the more interesting.
