CHAPTER FORTY FIVE

Ella sat on a tree stump and stared at the smoldering ruins of Vincent Marrow's farm-turned-wonderland. The firefighters had doused the blaze and paramedics had treated her burns – first-degree, by some miracle – and slathered her skin with a cooling cream that smelled faintly of menthol. But she wasn't about to complain, not when she'd walked through an inferno and lived to talk about it.

A shadow fell across her, and she looked up to see Luca looming. His pretty face was tarnished with bruises, cuts and a few bursts of inflamed skin. His forearms were glowing red and wrapped in something like Saran wrap. ‘How's the patient?' he asked.

Ella flexed her fingers, feeling the pull of tender skin. ‘Never mind me. What's the damage with you?'

‘Second-degree on my forearms. A couple of patches on my neck. Legs are fine, somehow.'

‘How's it feel?'

‘Numb. They creamed me up good. Got me wrapped up like a mummy too.' There was barely enough space for one, let alone two on the tree stump, but Luca wedged himself beside her like a determined cat. He winced as his arm rubbed against Ella's. ‘Luckily I like it rough.'

‘Three months and I'm still learning about you.'

‘Yeah, same. You're a real idiot for running back into that fire, you know?'

Ella couldn't disagree. Heroic or not, it was still a fool's move. ‘Yup. Speaking of idiocy, run into any bookstores without requesting backup recently?'

Luca grinned and put a hand on her knee. ‘Ya got me. Thought I was going to save the day, and hey, it was a bookstore, not exactly a war zone.'

‘I get it. I'd have done the same.'

‘Then I guess we're a pair of idiots,' Luca said. ‘How'd you find me, anyway? I only found Ghostlight Books because Amanda mentioned it in her diary, which I found in her car.'

The pieces were coming together. ‘I told you. Ghosts.'

‘Lies. You don't believe in ghosts.'

‘No, but other people do, and that's all that matters. If it wasn't for Carter Langley's stupid YouTube videos, I'd have no idea where you ended up.'

Luca's brow furrowed. ‘Come again?'

‘I'll explain later. Or you can read the report I'm gonna have to spend the next week writing.'

‘Paperwork. The real horror story.'

Sheriff Redmond chose that moment to amble over, looking like he'd gone ten rounds with a flamethrower. Half his beard was gone, singed down to stubble.

‘Sheriff, your face is missing something,' Luca drawled.

‘I know. Saves me shaving.' He stuck out a hand, first to Ella, then Luca. ‘Gotta say, I couldn't have cracked this without you two. The whole county owes you a debt.'

Ella took his hand, pumped it once. ‘We couldn't have done it without you either. If you hadn't remembered this place, I'd be combing every cornfield from here to California looking for Marrow.'

‘Guess that makes us even then, and speaking of our mystery man, I had one of my boys run his name through the system. Turns out Vincent Marrow or whatever the hell he's calling himself these days ain't just a bookshop owner. He was a part-time actor at half the haunts around here, at least until last year.'

Another puzzle piece snapped into place. ‘Explains how he got his hands on the teddy bear prop from the Screamatorium. The one he left on the first vic.'

‘And how he knew every haunt like the back of his hand,' Luca added. ‘Did you know him, Sheriff?'

‘I'd heard his name over the years, but I never knew the guy. Guess he stayed under the radar.'

‘How's he doing?' Ella asked.

Redmond rocked back on his heels and surveyed the damage. ‘Second-degree burns, but medics said he's gonna live. Might not be for long once he gets to county, but he'll have a few more nights to contemplate his sins.'

A strange kind of peace settled over Ella then. Justice, or the closest they were going to get. Given his injuries, she doubted he'd have much longer left in him, but she was a cop, not an executioner. Leave the fire and brimstone to the man upstairs.

With any luck, Vincent Marrow would have a long, quiet fade into ignominy. A ghost story with no ghosts left to tell it.

Redmond cleared his throat, dragging Ella back to the present. ‘You two need anything, you just say the word, alright? Hot food, cold drink, a lift to the nearest bed. Yamhill takes care of its own.'

Ella nodded, her throat suddenly pulled tight. It was funny, the bonds you forged in the trenches. A week ago, Redmond had been a stranger, just another small-town sheriff with a bug up his ass. Now, she felt like she'd trust the man with her life.

Funny old world.

‘Thank you, Sheriff. We appreciate it.'

Redmond saluted and made his exit, back towards a gaggle of officers, firefighters and paramedics. A perfect circle of emergency service workers.

‘Ready to go home?' asked Luca.

Home. Not so long ago, home had been a crappy apartment and a few succulents she somehow kept alive. Now, home was a pretty idiot who made bad jokes and worse coffee. Home was the passenger seat and the man sitting in it.

‘Absolutely. Unless you want to go find Bigfoot?'

Luca shoved himself upright. ‘Maybe next time. What I really want is a four-hour flight to D.C. Maybe sit in a cold bath until these burns heal up.'

‘Sounds like a plan.'

Marrow Farm lay in ruins behind her. The place was already held together by prayers, and that old wood was no match for the fires of hell. The place was still wreathed in smoke, but it was lighter now. Unburdened.

And wherever the ghosts that lived inside went, Ella hoped they'd finally found some measure of peace.