“How did you get together?”

  “Two months later I ran into her at a bar. She had given up stripping and was working as a bartender instead. We started talking. A few months after that, we went out. In November 1967, we got married. She was actually a sweetheart. She insisted on keeping Janet’s picture on the mantel over the fireplace. It helped me heal some of my guilt that I wasn’t there for Janet when the chips were down. I’ve never forgiven myself for not being able to protect her.”

  I cleared my throat. “How did Candy die? You said you think she killed herself?”

  “She was hit by a car. But there was no way she could have missed seeing it coming, and yet she darted out in front of it. I found out later she had been diagnosed with a brain tumor that morning. So either the tumor was affecting her behavior, or she couldn’t face the future and deliberately killed herself. I couldn’t take it. Everything felt so bleak, I left. I moved to France for a while, went to the Cordon Bleu. I dated but never let myself fall in love. Eventually, I realized I was homesick and I returned twenty years to the day after I left.”

  I nodded. “And you met Violet…”

  “She’s a gentle soul, but she’s resilient. She and I worked like hell to open this tea shop. It’s our child, you might say.” He ducked his head. “Violet’s a puma shifter, too. Candy and Janet were human. I guess I felt like humans are too fragile to be around me. I felt like a jinx.”

  “I think we’ve heard enough,” Millie said into my ear. I could hear in her voice that she was feeling the same thing I was.

  “Thank you for talking to me, Sirus. Do you want me to tell Janet hello for you? Or…” Sometimes it was easier to let things remain in the past. But I wanted to let him make the decision.

  He thought it over. “If she asks about me, go ahead and tell her that I had nothing but wonderful things to say about her. Don’t tell her about Candy, please, but if you want, you can mention Violet.” He stood. “I take it this interview is over?”

  I stood, giving him a sheepish grin. “I’m sorry about the wire, but…”

  “You never know, right? You never know who might be behind those eyes and that smile.” He shrugged. “I understand.”

  “About the cake… I’d like to set up a cake tasting with my fiancé, if you’re available.” I reached for another one of the tea cakes. “Do you mind if I take one of these home for him?”

  “One moment.” Sirus called to the waitress and asked her to make up a sample box of tea cakes. “No charge. Take them home. If he likes them, call me and we’ll set up a time for a cake tasting.” When the girl returned with the tea cakes, I shook his hand.

  “Bye, and…I’m sorry about Janet. And Candy.” The man had been through hell and yet, he seemed to have hope, and that made him special among people.

  “Well, it’s better to know what love is like, and lose it, than to never have tasted it at all. I loved Janet and I loved Candy. And I love my Violet. The heart can always expand, if you allow it.” He escorted me to the door and waved as I headed to my car.

  On the way back to the police station, I thought about the meeting. Sometimes, the oddest things brought people together. I liked Sirus—actually liked the man. And he was a damned good baker. But I was still no closer to knowing how to free Janet from the wedding dress, and that was my primary goal. Sighing, feeling oddly melancholy after Millie’s people took the wires off me, I headed home, grateful that Killian would be there waiting for me.

  The next morning, the phone rang at six a.m. Killian groaned. “Who the hell is calling at this time?” he muttered.

  I glanced at my caller ID. “Millie,” I said, struggling to sit up. I answered. “Yeah? I mean, morning.”

  “Sorry to call so early, but I know you start work early. Listen, can you come down to the station? There’s something odd I want to run past you. It’s from the tape last night.”

  I glanced at the clock. “I need to be at work by eight—but I can leave now if you don’t mind me looking like something the cat dragged in.” I was already throwing back the covers.

  “I don’t care if you come in your PJs. Thanks. This is important, or I’d wait until a decent hour.”

  I trudged over to my closet, glancing through my clothes. I decided on a lilac sundress, and a pair of wedge sandals. I applied some eyeliner and mascara, and woke Killian long enough to ask him to feed the cats when he got up.

  “I’ll call you when I get to work,” I added.

  He looked too sleepy to ask what I was doing. I quietly exited the room.

  In the kitchen, I grabbed my keys and purse, then headed out. The morning was already warm, with the sun glinting down. July in Moonshadow Bay was usually one of the warmest months, along with August. June had been pleasant, but our real heatwaves—what there were of them—usually showed up in late July through August. Western Washington wasn’t generally known for being the sunshine coast.

  As I fastened my seat belt, I slid on a pair of sunglasses, then found my Starbucks card. It was easier to pay for my coffee addiction by loading the card with money once a month, rather than constantly searching for cash or my credit card.

  I pulled into one of the drive-thrus, asking for a triple grande iced peppermint mocha and a sausage cheese muffin. With breakfast and caffeine in hand, I headed down toward the police station.

  Moonshadow Bay was built on two levels, surrounded by the Mystic Wood on three sides and the bay on one. The upper level of town was mostly residential with a few shops, and then—on either side—curving roads led down a steep grade into the main downtown area, which ran along the bay. The view on a clear day was breathtaking, with the waters of the bay stretching out into the Salish Sea, which fed into the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

  I rolled down my window so the slightly chilled air could flow through the car. It smelled like seaweed and the pungent scent of the bay. Most people thought it was an acrid scent at first, but to those of us who lived here, it smelled like home.

  By the time I reached the police station, I was finally waking up. I took a long drink of my coffee, then bit into my muffin as I hurried toward the building. The police station was in the City Central building, along with the jail, the town hall, the Garrison Library, the central fire station, the public works department, and the courthouse. It was located across from Bayside Park, next to the town square. The park was adjacent to the marina, and so everything was within easy walking distance, although you could still drive through the area.

  At one point, the town council had debated whether to make the town square pedestrian-only, but with respect to those with disabilities and the elderly, the plan was nixed and people could still find parking near all of the buildings and the park.

  I parked in back of the City Central building, darting up the steps to the back entrance. There were ramps for easy access by wheelchairs and mothers with strollers. Built of red brick, the building spanned a full city block.

  Inside, the lighting was muted to a soft white, and the walls had recently been painted, their former gray now sage green. I liked the green better and thought it was more welcoming than the gray. As I darted along the corridors, my footsteps landed softly. The floors were sound-absorbing, so the building was quiet, even during peak usage.

  As I passed the library, I thought that at some point, I should stop in to say hello to Charles Crichton, a member of the historical society whose wealth of knowledge branched far and wide regarding Moonshadow Bay history and lore.

  I pushed through the bulletproof glass doors to the police station. The dispatcher recognized me and waved me back toward Millie’s office, though I still had to pass through the metal detector. Of course, I set it off, but after a quick glance in my bag, the guard watching over the entrance motioned me through.

  Millie was in her office, staring at a report as I tapped on the doorframe.

  “Come on in,” she said, looking up as she pushed the report away. “Sit down. Do you want—oh, I see you have coffee.”

  I held up my cup. “Yep. Let me finish my breakfast, if you would.”

  “Fine, I’ll get this set up for you to hear.”

  While Millie fiddled with what looked like a digital recorder, I finished the last couple bites of my sandwich, swallowing it with a swig of my iced mocha. Finally, I wiped my hands on a napkin and then pulled my chair up to Millie’s desk.

  “What have you got here?”

  “A puzzle,” she said. “I’m not sure what to make of this. But maybe you’ll know when you hear it. Remember, we taped last night’s interaction of you with Sirus Barker?”

  “Yeah, and I have to tell you, I don’t think he did anything to Janet. And I don’t think Candy did, either.”

  “I concur, actually. This isn’t about what he had to say—we’re still checking on timelines and so forth, but I think he’s being honest with us. No, I want you to listen to this. Not him, but the sounds between when you and he are talking. You’ll see what I mean.” She turned up the volume and I leaned in to listen. My voice came spilling out of the recorder.

  “How did Candy die? You said you think she killed herself?”

  No, I killed her, you fool. I killed them all. And I’ll keep killing them.

  Startled, I pulled back. “What the hell? I didn’t hear that last night.”

  “Neither did we,” Millie said. “Not when we listened to you through the wire. But when I was listening to the replay this morning, I heard it loud and clear. Was there anybody else there?”

  “Only the waitress, but that’s not her voice.” Frowning, I asked, “Is there any more?”

  “Yes, actually. Let me find the next recording.” She fiddled for a moment, then turned it on again. Sure enough, the same raspy, masculine voice echoed out.

  “So either it was affecting her behavior, or she couldn’t face the future and deliberately killed herself. I couldn’t take it. Everything felt so bleak so I left. I moved to France for a while, went to the Cordon Bleu. I dated but never let myself fall in love. Eventually, I realized I was homesick and I returned twenty years to the day after I left.”

  “And you met Violet…”

  And she’s next. You wait, loverboy. You’re going to lose everyone you’ve ever loved in life. They’re all going to die, die, die…

  “What the hell? Are there any more recordings on there like that?” I stared at the recorder. “It must be acting like an EVP machine, like we use at the office.”

  “There are a few, pretty much saying the same sort of thing. What do you think it is?” Millie was pale, a look of concern filling her eyes.

  “I think…I’m not sure. I didn’t sense any ghosts while I was down there, but seriously, this sounds like a ghost. Or…I wonder…” I thought about the curse I was fighting. “I wonder if Sirus is under a hex? Maybe that everyone he loves, dies?” I caught my breath. “That would mean that his current wife is in danger!”

  “If something did do away with Janet, and then his first wife Candy, then whoever’s behind it is a murderer,” Millie said. “We need to find out if there’s anybody out to harm Sirus. All this time, I’ve been thinking that someone had it out for Janet, and while they did, since she’s the one who’s dead, my guess is it was a way to get to Sirus.”

  “Old girlfriends, anybody who was jealous of him…it could be so many people.”

  “No, because we need to narrow it down to someone he met when he knew Janet, which cuts out a lot of his modern-day acquaintances.” Millie motioned to me. “Can you call him and ask him to come in?”

  “Of course.” I paused, then said, “Do you want me to stay? I can ask the staff at my office to come in. This is right up our alley. We might be able to help.”

  “I’d appreciate it. You have a lot more experience with things like this than I do. I have no idea if whoever said those things is a ghost or a…whatever.” Millie frowned. “I did not need this today, but if it closes a cold case and wraps up another death, then all the better.”

  I glanced at the clock. It was barely seven-twenty, so I put in a call to Hank at home and explained the situation. He volunteered Caitlin and himself to meet me at the tea shop. Wren would watch the desk while the rest of us checked out the recordings. Hank could tell if somehow they had been rigged, or if we’d managed to pick up something from outside the building.

  While waiting for them, I ordered breakfast for all of us, including Millie.

  She had one of the officers set us up in one of the conference rooms, along with the digital recorder, so Hank and Caitlin had room to work. By the time they arrived, I’d gotten over my shock, but I was still unnerved. Why hadn’t I sensed whatever was behind that voice? Wasn’t it my job to notice when there were entities around?

  By the time everyone had helped themselves to the continental breakfast—a fancy name for pastries, coffee, fruit, and I’d also ordered a cheese plate to give us some protein—I had forced myself to calm down. I didn’t know why I hadn’t noticed it, but we knew about it now.

  Millie and I explained to Hank and Caitlin what we had heard, and Hank set up our own equipment, feeding Millie’s recording through our analyzer. Then we sat, silent, as Millie turned on the recorder.

  When the first instance of the voice rang out, I immediately reacted. The first time, I’d been so surprised that I hadn’t noticed how tense I got. But now, I could feel it. The hairs on my arms stood up, and a shiver raced down my back. There were four instances of the voice during our conversation, and each time, the threats felt palpable.

  When Millie turned off the recording, Hank—who had been monitoring the readings on his laptop—looked up.

  “That’s no ghost,” he said.

  Even as he spoke, I knew what he was about to say. I knew what the verdict was.

  “Demon.”

  “It’s demonic, yes,” he said. “At least that’s my take on it. I’m familiar with the astral realm and there are a lot of nasty creatures out there.”

  “My guess is that it’s been dogging Sirus’s heels for years, and it’s out to make him miserable.” I shook my head. “Why would it do that, though?”

  “It’s a pain-eater. Some demons feed off pain and guilt. My guess is that he’s still carrying around guilt over cheating on his fiancée with the stripper.” Hank leaned back. “Somehow, it found a host through which it killed Janet. It bound her to the wedding dress, because that caused her pain.”

  “Do you think it still feeds off her feelings of being trapped?” Millie asked.

  “I don’t think so,” I said. “I think it chose the route that would give it the best food source, and that’s the raw emotion of loss and grief. Janet’s accepted her fate. She’s not thrilled, but she’s reached a level of resignation that sort of negates her grief.”

  “Why didn’t January pick up on it when she was at the tea shop?” Caitlin asked.

  Hank played the sections with the voice back again. “I don’t think it can fully manifest in that shop. If January’s right about how calm the energy is, my guess is that negates the demon’s ability to affect people while they’re at the shop. But once Sirus leaves, it can stir up a tempest in a teapot. And when he and Violet go out together—”

  “It can get to her through him.” A thought struck me. “He said that Candy ran in front of a car and he was there to see it. Chances are it forced her into traffic. She was already upset so she was primed for it. But…can it force Sirus to hurt Violet?”

  “Possibly, which would give the demon that much more energy. Sirus would be weighed down with guilt for the rest of his life.” Hank jotted down a few notes on his tablet.

  My phone rang and I glanced at the caller ID. Sirus.

  “Hey, what’s up?” I tried to keep my voice light, but the truth was, I wondered if the demon could overhear our conversation. Was it eavesdropping on every word Sirus said?

  “I want your professional opinion,” he said, sounding breathless. “After our talk last night, I began having gruesome dreams. I dreamed about Janet, and I think…I saw someone strangling her. Maybe it’s because we talked, or maybe a memory surfaced, I don’t know. I just feel odd.”

  “We’ll come over,” I said.

  “Can you make it this evening? Violet and I are set for a trip to the country this afternoon to look at a rummage sale—there are a couple nice cabinets that might work for our shop. I thought maybe you could drop by later tonight.” He paused, then added, “In my dream, I saw Janet’s father killing her.” He sounded desperate, and more than a little afraid.

  I hesitated, but then what he said hit me. “No, you can’t go out this afternoon. Not alone, not with Violet. Tell her to go shopping or something, but do not get in the same car with her. I guarantee you’ll regret it if you do.”

  At that moment, I heard a laugh coming in on the line, so vicious that I wanted to throw my phone across the room to get away from it.

  Too late. You’re too late, bitch. She’s mine.

  “I can’t do that,” Sirus said, his voice going flat. He hung up before I could say another word.

  I whirled. “We have to stop Sirus! I heard the demon on the line. He’s going to try to kill Violet through Sirus. They’re headed to a rummage sale in the country this afternoon, but I’ll bet you anything the demon tries to influence Sirus to go early.”

  “Where?” Mille jumped up, grabbing out her phone.

  “I don’t know. He didn’t say, but he’s at the tea shop right now. I could hear the clatter of dishes behind him. I don’t know what kind of car he drives, either.” I felt frantic. “He said he had a dream in which he saw Janet’s dad strangling her. But her father found her body, didn’t he?”

  “Yes, but never mind that—not at the moment. We need to get over there. Go. We’ll catch up.” Millie whirled, turning to John, one of the officers who was helping with the setup. “Find out what kind of car that Sirus Barker drives. His wife, Violet, too. Put out an APB on both vehicles. Stop and apprehend if they’re spotted on the road. Do not shoot, but get Violet away from Sirus. He’s a danger to her and he doesn’t even know it.”