The Dead And Buried Part 24

My throat tightened so much it hurt to swallow. "What?"

"You are a carbon copy of your mother. When I look at you, I see her. And when you look at me with disdain in your eyes, I feel like it's her, looking through you, judging me for marrying her husband. And I know I can't compete. Not in your eyes, not in your father's. How can you compete with a dead woman?"

I rocked back in my chair, reeling. Those were the same thoughts I'd had about Kayla and Donovan. Meanwhile I never realized that Marie felt the same way. Like she was competing against the memory of my mother.

Marie and I had more in common than I'd thought.

I reached across the table and put my hand over hers. "My mother's gone," I said. "You're here. You, me, Dad, Colby ... we're the family now." And in that instant I realized our problem. We'd been looking at each other as intruders. She was an intruder on Dad and me, and I was an intruder to her, Dad, and Colby. Two separate families instead of one whole.

But, as we smiled at each other from across the table, I knew that would change. It was too bad it took something like this to help us understand each other, but things would be different between us from this point on. Not lovey-dovey. Not mother-daughter. But better than they'd been.

Marie's eyes were rimmed with red. "I should have believed you," she said.

"I don't blame you." I shrugged. "Most people would think I was crazy for saying Colby saw a ghost."

"No." She licked her lips and glanced around nervously. "I didn't want to believe you."

"What's the difference?"

She looked down at the coffee mug as she spoke. "You never knew my father. He pa.s.sed away before I came into your family's life. I loved him very much. He was a sweet and kind man, but ..."

"But what?" I pressed.

She looked up at me. "He claimed he could see ghosts. Not every day. Only a few times in his life. But he swore up and down that it was true. Some sort of gift he had. I never believed him. I actually thought he was a little bit crazy because of it."

Everything clicked into place. Why she'd shut me down so quickly. Why she stuck her head in the sand and refused to see the truth. "So when I told you about Colby and the ghost ..."

"I didn't want it to be true," she said. "Because that would mean this was some gift he got from my genes. My father had been telling the truth all those years and I hadn't believed him. And now my own son has inherited it? It was too much."

"We'll see this through together," I said. She let out a long, trembling sigh, but looked better. I was glad she'd shared the truth with me. This was something Colby had to know about, too. Kayla was the only ghost he'd ever seen but, then again, it was the only haunted house we'd ever lived in. Even after all this ended, he might see another one sometime and he had to be prepared. But that was a conversation for another day.

A yawn overtook Marie, and I quickly followed with one of my own.

"I'm going to head to bed," she said, standing. "Your father and I will sleep with Colby. You can have the second bedroom."

We exchanged a quick hug, and then I cleaned up the kitchen. Mostly because I was wide-awake and needed something to keep me busy. After I was done, I peeked in the bigger bedroom and all three were fast asleep. I felt grimy and chilled to the bone. A hot shower sounded like heaven so I steamed up the bathroom and stripped my clothes off. I stepped into the shower, the hot water rinsing the dried sweat and tears from my skin.

Things would be better now. Many truths were aired. My family was all on the same page. We would just never enter the house again and everything would be fine.

I heard the patter of little footsteps in the bathroom and saw the shadow of Colby through the shower curtain. He got up on a little step stool so he could reach the sink. After a moment he left, so I figured he'd gotten himself a drink from the tap like he did at home. The poor kid was so feverish he was probably half asleep.

After I was pretty sure I'd used up all the hot water for the entire property, I opened the shower curtain and reached around in the fog for a towel. It was one of those thick expensive towels and it felt so soft against my skin. I felt good. Like real good. For the first time in a while. I dried my face and wrapped the towel around my torso. Venturing out of the tub, one foot at a time, I squinted through the fog. Then froze. A p.r.i.c.kle ran down my spine as I realized what I was seeing.

Words were written in the steam on the mirror.

I'M STILL HERE.

In a fit of panic, I rubbed down the mirror, wiping out the letters. But I couldn't erase them from my mind. I couldn't deny what they meant.

Kayla wasn't haunting the house anymore. She was haunting Colby. Her ability to possess him at will didn't end at our property border. It came with him, wherever he went.

We couldn't run. We couldn't hide. Colby would never be safe.

Gripping the towel tightly, I raced into the other bedroom. Colby was sleeping again. Dad and Marie snored lightly on either side of him. I backed out of the room, my heart pounding loudly in my ears. I retreated to the bathroom, put my dirty clothes back on, and tied my wet hair up in a ponytail. I padded into the kitchen and quietly grabbed the keys and the diary from the counter. I got halfway to the door and stopped.

Mom's jewelry box was on the table. My fingers reached in and, almost as if it was calling to me, I pulled out the stone I had in mind. Peridot. The one I never wore. The pendant swung lightly as I held it up to the light. It was a perfect circle, a beautiful piece, but my mother had worn it the day she died and - other than stuffing it into the bottom of the box - I'd never touched it since. Which is ironic, since the stone's main use was to help the wearer let go of the past.

But I felt the need to hold it now. Maybe for its secondary use - to guard against evil spirits.

For a moment, I watched the light reflect off the crystal in shades of green. Then, without thinking, I clasped it behind my neck and let the pendant fall under my shirt, against my skin. It lay in the hollow of neck, just as it had in my mother's. Rose and fell with my breaths, as it had with hers.

I took a moment to close my eyes and focus. I imagined the gemstone filling me with strength and determination. Then I opened the door.

This had to end now.

I didn't even remember driving to the house. I'd been on autopilot, fueled by adrenaline. One minute I was sneaking away from Alexa's home and the next pulling into the driveway of the house I'd promised myself I'd never step foot in again.

I closed the car door quietly, not wanting to wake the neighborhood. Our outside light was on a timer so I thankfully didn't have to walk through complete darkness. I held the diary in my hand as I followed the stone path to the front of the house.

The tall outline of a person stood facing the door. At the sounds of my footsteps, the shadow turned around and morphed into a familiar face.

I gripped the keys tightly in the palm of my hand and steeled myself. "What are you doing here?"

"What are you doing here?" I repeated.

"I had to talk to you," Donovan said, holding his hands out palms up. "You wouldn't answer my calls or respond to my texts. I had to make sure you were all right." He aimed a thumb behind him. "No one's answering the door."

"That's because no one's home. We left. Kayla ..." The words caught in my throat.

He moved closer and reached out for me, concern etched on his face.

I stepped backward. Holding the diary up, I said, "You lied to me. Kayla cheated on you with Kane."

"I didn't lie," he insisted. "Nothing I said was untrue. I'd wanted to change her, to make her into a better person. Then I found that I couldn't and broke up with her. All that was true."

"But what about the cheating?"

"I never told anyone about that. Why bother? To ruin her reputation? She was dead. I would've rather let people think she was better than she really was. Faye agreed to keep it secret, to protect Kayla's memory. I never spoke to Kane about it. He doesn't even know Faye told me."

He does now, I thought. I looked up into Donovan's kind eyes, the blue shining in the reflection of the light. He should have told me, I still felt that. But at the same time I understood why he hadn't spread the truth around. Despite the terrible things Kayla had done, Donovan was a gentleman to her - even in death. His integrity wouldn't allow him to bad-mouth her. He wanted to let her rest in peace.

Unfortunately, she hadn't.

Donovan reached out for my hand and I let him grasp it. "What happened?" he asked. "What is that? What did Kayla do?"

"It's her diary. I found it and read it, hoping to figure out who killed her. I thought it was Kane, but I was wrong. Then she ... lost her patience with me." I shook my head at the awful memory. "She possessed Colby again. This time in front of my parents. They freaked and we all left. We're staying at Alexa's."

"Then why are you back here?"

"I found out she can possess Colby anywhere. I have to go in there. I have to - somehow - end this now."

Donovan glanced over his shoulder at the darkened house. "I'm coming with you."

My heart constricted at the idea of putting him in danger. "No, don't risk it. I'll do this myself."

He shook his head and gripped my hand tighter, protectively. "There is no way I'm letting you go in there alone."

I didn't argue any further, both because I knew he wouldn't change his mind and because I was less scared with him beside me. I found strength in being close to him as I used my key to unlock the door.

We stepped inside and I ran my hands along the wall until I found the light switch. It illuminated the staircase as Donovan closed the door behind us.

The air was unnaturally cold. Energy buzzed through the room with almost tangibly sharp shards. It nipped at my skin like thousands of microscopic teeth.

"Do you feel that?" Donovan asked, his eyes looking around wildly.

I nodded. My hair lifted up from my shoulders with static electricity. Kayla was all wound up. I'd never felt her energy this strongly before. I wished I could see her, communicate with her like Colby did. Just this once.

Why was she so mad? Because we left? Because I came back? Because Donovan was with me? I didn't know and without Colby I had no way to find out. But the unprecedented amount of energy both unnerved and motivated me. There was something different. Something added. And it made me feel like we were coming to the end. That Kayla was close to getting what she wanted.

"Come on," Donovan said, tugging at my arm. "Let's go upstairs."

I followed him up the stairs as the charged air swirled around us. It wasn't centered on me; it seemed to be everywhere. All through the house.

We stopped at the top and stood in the hallway. "What now?" Donovan said. "What's your plan?"

"I don't have one. I was just going to ... try to talk to her, I guess. I don't know."

I felt stupid now. Unprepared. I gripped the diary tightly in my hand and yelled, "Kayla! I'm here to tell you this has to stop now!"

A rush of air swooped by me, headed down the hall. I stumbled back. As my hand touched the wall, a blue spark flew from my fingers, and I gasped.

"The air is charged with electricity," Donovan said, feeling the open s.p.a.ce with an outstretched hand.

"This isn't going to work. I can't talk her down. She wants to know who killed her and she won't stop." Panic rose in my throat.

Donovan placed his hands on my shoulders. "Deep breath. Look at me. Jade, look at me."

I did and immediately my breathing slowed.

"Try to think," he said calmly. "Was there anyone else mentioned in the diary who would have a motive?"

"Well, yeah, but I'll never be able to figure it out. The whole diary is full of motives for murder."

"Wait." Donovan let me go and put his hands up to his temples. "But who knew it existed?"

I blinked. "What?"

Donovan spoke excitedly. "Whoever broke in here to steal the diary and erase their motive for murder ... they obviously knew the diary existed."

I felt the blood rush to my face. I was almost dizzy. Why didn't I think of that before? Rather than searching for who'd had the biggest reason to kill Kayla, all I had to do was figure out who knew about the diary. Her parents didn't know. But someone else did. Someone had asked her parents about it. I held my breath as a tingling of memory buzzed in the back of my head.

"There was a pa.s.sing mention," I said. "It meant nothing at the time. I was reading it for motives, nothing else. I read it all in one night."

"What is it?"

"Kayla did have an entry where she mentioned the diary to someone."

"Who? Who!"

I opened the diary, flipping through, searching for the entry. "Kayla used all these number codes for people. I figured out who was who, but it took a while ..." I found the entry. My finger followed the rounded handwriting: I already gave her some tips on handling boys and friends. Told her to trust no one. Keep her secrets to herself and her diary.

I looked up sharply as I gasped. "I was right all along."

"Kane?" Donovan said, confused.

"No. The motive. I was right about the motive. But the killer wasn't Kane."

A creak of hinges made us turn around. Colby's bedroom door was opening. Slowly.

The peridot pendant felt strangely warm against my skin.

"I see you found what I was looking for," a solemn voice called out from the black of the room.

Donovan moved in front of me, arms spread wide, in an attempt to shield me. But I wasn't scared. Several feelings tussled for dominance inside me. Anger won out. This was why Kayla was so wound up. She'd been watching her killer search for her diary.

"Come out!" I called. "It's time for the truth."

One small foot stepped out first into the light, a black ballet flat. Then the rest of her came into view.

Ellie Woodward. Kane's sister.

"You were so close this morning," she said, in a small, almost-apologetic voice. "And I heard you tell Kane you'd found the diary. I had to come back one last time to try to steal it. It was the only evidence."

"You?" Donovan gasped. "You killed Kayla?"

"I didn't want her dead," Ellie said, her eyes wide and wet. "I never planned for it."

"But ... why?"

I already knew, but I let her speak so Donovan could hear for the first time. Why Kayla had broken his heart and why she'd paid with her life.

"I started to wonder," Ellie said. "Why, after all this time, after all his years of trying, did Kayla finally give in to my brother? Why now? And why in this dirty, secretive way? I mean ... cheating? Really? If she truly wanted to be with Kane, she'd have dumped you for him. But it wasn't like that."

I should have realized Kane's motive for murder was also Ellie's. They were so close. They told each other everything. Of course she'd know. "Did Kane question why she was seeing him?" I asked.

"Kane was in denial. He told me to keep my mouth shut and mind my own business. He said Kayla only needed time. He'd loved her for so long, I think he was happy to take whatever he could get from her. But I didn't trust it. Every move Kayla made was meticulously planned out. I knew there had to be a reason."

"What happened the day Kayla died, Ellie?" Donovan asked.