Audrina shrieked, and Kimmy cackled with laughter. Shane watched on with a frown.

  “I’ll be back,” I said to the girls.

  Kimmy shrugged. “No problem.”

  Audrina, speechless, sat with her jaw wide open, staring at Smokey. I left her to her disbelief. Kimmy could calm her down, so I followed Shane away from the café, with Smokey in tow. He led me down a quiet alley littered with overflowing bins.

  I folded my hands across my chest. “Is this where you bring all your dates?”

  He tutted. “You don’t think I have better things to do with my time?”

  I frowned. Who did he think he was? He was the one who had interrupted my breakfast with my friends, yet he was here acting like I was using up his precious time.

  I rolled my eyes. “You were the one who came to see me. So, what did you want to talk to me about?”

  His demeanour changed, body going rigid as our gazes met. His deep, blue eyes were intense, and I felt my face flush, despite myself.

  “I came to warn you. You’re in danger, Cassie.”

  23

  Danger? Of course, I was in danger. I was on the trail of a cold-blooded killer.

  “Yeah, no shit,” I said. “I’m helping the police catch a serial killer.”

  He groaned and shook his head. “You don’t understand. This thing, it isn’t human or physical. Not yet anyway.”

  I looked at Smokey as if to say, “this guy is nuts”, but he wore a look of concern, too.

  He padded forward, and asked, “What exactly do you mean? If there are otherworldly powers at play here, I need to know.”

  “There’s been an influx of malevolent spirits lately,” said Shane. “Agi has been tracking them. But the one constant has been their location.” He pointed at me. “They keep turning up around you. I’ve dealt with five in the last week.”

  Smokey stamped an indignant paw. “Impossible! I would have sensed something and had Cassie help them pass.”

  Shane, visibly frustrated, placed a hand to his forehead. “You don’t understand. These aren’t normal spirits that need a little guidance. These are vicious demons.”

  He stretched out an arm and rolled up his sleeve to reveal three large scratches.

  I gasped. “A spirit did this to you?”

  “No,” said Smokey. His eyes transfixed on Shane’s injuries. “Not a spirit. Not exactly. You’ve never seen what they can become if left unguided Cassie, but this is what they can do.”

  I reached out, without thinking, and took a hold of Shane’s arm. His skin felt smooth and cold to the touch.

  I ran a finger down the scar. “Does it hurt?”

  He flinched and pulled his arm back. “It does when you touch it!”

  Smokey paced around in circles. “This is all our fault. You’ve been so focused on solving one murder that the dead have become restless around us.”

  “Hey!” I protested. “Solving the murder of Amber, Lori and Mel will settle three spirits. I’m doing my job.”

  Smokey hissed, his hair standing on end. “But not efficiently enough!”

  Shane shrugged. “I handled it. For now.”

  “You don’t understand.” Smokey sat back on his haunches and sighed. “What you are doing is effectively placing a bandage over the wound. Those spirits still exist, in limbo, tortured forever. It is a hellish existence, and their malice only grows stronger. They’ll be back.”

  Shane rolled his sleeve back down. “So, then I’ll send them back again. I wasn’t coming here to ask for your help or permission. I just wanted to tell you to watch your back. They seem to be getting stronger and I don’t want you getting hurt.” For a moment I was sure his pale face had turned red. He seemed to realise what he said and added, “Or get in my way.”

  Before I could respond, he turned on his heel and left. Smokey stood still where he was, his eyes distant.

  “You ok?” I asked.

  He remained still. “This is a bad sign. I can’t help but sense something is afoot here. Spirits that have been contorted like that are a rare occurrence. They can physically manifest and interact with the world.”

  “Right,” I said, “Like a poltergeist.”

  “Poltergeists, demons…They have many monikers. But the fact that so many have been passing through to this side… I have a bad feeling about this, Cassie.” He looked almost sad.

  I scooped him up in my arms. “Well, whatever it is, we’ll deal with it together. Once Josh is behind bars, we don’t need to add his victims to the list of malevolent spirits trying to hurt us. Now come on, we should get back. I have a lot of studying to catch up on.”

  I was nose deep in an English textbook, taking notes later that day, when I was interrupted by Vanessa calling me. Smokey, curled up at Kimmy’s feet as she hammered away on her laptop, raised a sleepy head as I answered.

  “Vanessa, Hi! Any news?”

  She cleared her throat, her tone anxious. “Not a lot, I'm afraid. That was actually why I was calling.”

  My heart sank. “Oh.”

  She sighed, before continuing, “Cassie, I wouldn’t normally approach an investigation in such an unorthodox way, but I’ve already gone down the psychic route. I figure why not try something even more… Crazy.”

  I waved at Kimmy to get her attention and put my phone on loudspeaker. “What do you mean?”

  Kimmy pulled off her headphones and listened intently.

  “Well, I don’t have enough evidence to get a warrant to search the suspect's apartment. I know you’re in contact with the lead singer of the band, right? Miles Holloway?”

  I frowned at the phone, forgetting she couldn’t see me. “I am, sort of. We’ve just been communicating about the online petition.”

  “Ok,” she said. “I think you could be our in. Miles and Josh are both registered as staying at the same address. Do you think you could arrange to meet up with Miles, get in there and do some snooping?”

  I almost choked. “You want me to invite myself into the home of a chart-topping band, one of whom may be a serial killer, and look for evidence?”

  Kimmy screwed up her nose and spun her finger around her temple in an “is she insane?” gesture. Smokey stood tall, hair on end.

  Vanessa sighed, again. “You’re right. It’s crazy, what was I thinking?”

  I licked my lips and took a deep breath. “I’ll do it.”

  Kimmy leapt out of bed. “You’ll what?”

  I turned away from her, but she reached over and snatched my phone out of my hand. “Listen lady, it was just the other day Cassie got assaulted by the other guys she decided to go all “undercover agent” on. And when she told you about the date we set up with Audrina, you totally admonished her. Now you’re asking her to use these methods in an official police investigation?”

  “Exactly,” Vanessa retorted. “Official police investigation, i.e., she will have protection. We will know where she is and monitor the building. I have it on good authority that Josh is out of town, so she will be safe.”

  Kimmy slowly outstretched her hand and handed my phone back to me. “It’s your call. You don’t have to do anything you aren’t comfortable with.”

  Smokey leered at me from Kimmy’s bed. “You have to do this. For Mel and the other girls.”

  I pushed everyone out of mind… Vanessa’s assertive claims that it was safe, Kimmy’s concern, and Smokey’s demands. I thought of Mel, Lori, and Amber. Of their pleading eyes and the pain their spirits were in. I thought of Jay, rotting in his jail cell and Noel, doing the same thing at home without his son. Shane’s words, telling me I was in danger, rang in my ears the whole time I was questioning my options.

  Finally, I took the phone. “It’s ok. I’ll do it.”

  24

  Unfortunately, the plan to get close to Miles relied on something I could not control. He had to be interested in meeting with me. This was proving to be more difficult than I had thought. After getting off the phone to Vanessa that night, I had immediately tried striking up a conversation with him via text.

  Hi, Miles. How are you? Just wondered if we could talk about the petition sometime?

  I spent the entire night waiting for my phone to go off, checking every hour I woke, but he didn’t reply. I felt like a lovesick high schooler, waiting for her crush to call. It was during my English test the next morning that I finally felt my phone vibrate in the bag by my feet. Phones were, of course, banned during tests and I spent the rest of the exam trying to focus on the questions in front of me. Instead, I obsessed over the message I may or may not have received, and by the time the tutor announced that we were to put down our pens, I realised I hadn’t even read the last few questions.

  I chewed at the end of my pen until he had taken in everyone’s answers and then practically dived to pull my phone out of my bag. I crouched by the feet of my desk, like a squirrel relishing a nut as I read the message.

  It was short and sweet.

  Hi, Cassie. Sure – it seems to be going well, lots of interest. Hope it helps x

  I sank back, almost hitting my head against the desk behind me. Could this guy be any more uninterested in speaking to me? He had seemed flirty backstage that night – or so I had thought – but maybe it was all just part of his popstar persona. In any case, it was time to throw away all my pride and pull out the big guns.

  Audrina.

  I found her at lunchtime, sitting under a tree in the courtyard, tapping her manicured nails against her phone screen.

  She shielded her vision from the sun as I approached. “If it isn’t Sherlock!”

  I sniffed. “Kimmy told you the plan then, huh?”

  She patted the grass next to her, indicating to me to sit. “She did indeed. She’s worried about you.”

  I sat down. “I know. She’ll be ok. I’m actually here because I need your help with something.”

  She laughed. “That seems to be a common theme these days.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry. I guess the last few times we’ve spoken have been because.” I shook my head. “I’m sorry.”

  She shook her head. “Don’t be. That’s what friends are for, right?”

  I smiled. “Thanks, Audrina. It’s not a big deal, it's just… I’m struggling to get Miles to engage with me. How am I supposed to get into his home if I can’t even get him to text me back?”

  She leaned back against the tree, smirking. “Ah, so you came to the master for some tips?”

  I blushed. “Yeah. I’m not pretty or interesting enough to do it alone.”

  She slapped a gentle hand against my shoulder. “Don’t be so self-deprecating, it’s unattractive and frankly, irritating. You’re a pretty girl, Cassie. And you’re sure as hell not boring – the last few weeks have shown me that. It’s just that guys like Miles like a certain… Fierceness.”

  My cheeks continued to flush, right up to my ears. “I – umm – thanks, that’s probably the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me.”

  She groaned but wore a smile as she did so. “This is what I’m talking about. Don’t be surprised that I complimented you. Drop the self-pity and own it. Now, let me see your conversation with Miles.”

  I put in my password and handed over my phone. “Not much to see.”

  She shook her head. “It can still be saved. First – “She turned to me and eye me up and down. “Lose the cardigan.”

  I did as I was told. “How does this help?”

  She plucked the headband from my head and ruffled my hair. “Trust me. Now stand against the tree.”

  Again, I did as instructed, brows arched in confusion.

  She pulled at the strap of my top until it was hanging off my shoulder. “Ok, we can work with this. Pout. Look moody.”

  “What? I don’t- “

  She glared at me from behind my phone. “Just do it.”

  Suddenly conscious of the groups of people chatting and having lunch around us, I did my best to emulate the moody, sultry look I assumed Audrina wanted as quickly as possible. I was certain I heard someone giggle and snapped back to normal in an instant.

  Audrina beamed like a proud mother. “Got one! OK, now I’ll just update this profile picture and…” She continued to mumble away to herself as I pulled my cardigan back on and combed out my hair with my fingers.

  She tapped away for a few more minutes, then flashed my phone screen at me. “Look, he liked it already!”

  I started at my phone. “Seriously?”

  I couldn’t help but feel a little out of touch. Was the picture I had up already of me sitting in my mum’s garden cuddling Smokey really so bad?

  I sank down into the grass. “Now what?”

  Audrina plonked herself down beside me. “Now, I’ll just send him a message. Hmm. How about… You should let me thank you for your help sometime. Winky face.”

  She sent the message and almost instantly the phone told us he was typing. We waited in silence, until his reply came through.

  What did you have in mind? 😉

  Instantly, Audrina typed out a reply.

  How about dinner and drinks, then back to your place for a proper thank you?

  I lunged forward and tried to wrestle my phone from her fingers. She squealed, laughing, and held it up above her head and hit send.

  “Audrina!” I shouted. “I know we want him to be interested but I’m not gonna sleep with the guy!”

  She continued to hold my phone away, as if teasing a dog with a bone. “We know that. He doesn’t need to know that. He needs to think he’s going to get some if you want him to take you back to his place.”

  I sighed, defeated. “You’re right.” My phone pinged above our heads and we both stared at each other for a second, too nervous to read the reply.

  Audrina lowered her hand and glanced at the screen. “Mission successful! How does tonight sound? Come on, we need to get to your place and give you a serious makeover.”

  I opened my mouth to protest, but she had already scrambled to her feet, scooped up her bag and was making a beeline toward the dorms.

  A couple of hours and a few inches of makeup later and I was standing squeezed into a little black dress that belonged to Audrina, about to leave for my date with Miles. Audrina tousled and tugged at my hair, while Kimmy stood with her hands crossed, leaned against the dorm room door like an over aggressive bouncer.

  “I still don’t like this,” she grumbled.

  Smokey sat by her side, peering up at me. “I think I should come with you.”

  Audrina flinched, before composing herself and retorting, “Yeah, because turning up to a date with your cat isn’t an instant turn off…”

  He flicked his tail. “None of you have had a problem carting me around in a bag with you before now.”

  I splayed my hands, indicating my dress. “The gym bag doesn’t really go with my attire. Stop worrying. Josh is out of town. I’m just going for a look around.”

  Audrina took a step back to appraise her work. “Hey, you look hot, girl.”

  I flicked my head over my shoulder. “Don’t act so surprised.”

  Audrina high fived me. “You’re a quick learner. Go get ‘em.”

  I wobbled toward the door, trying to steady myself on the heels I’d promised myself would never grace my feet again. Kimmy didn’t budge. Before I could say anything, the door rattled with three sharp, strong knocks. Kimmy was unfazed, despite the door shaking against her back. She smirked and turned to open the door. A dishevelled looking Noel stood in the doorway, his hands twisting with nerves.

  I threw my hands up. “What are you doing here?”

  Kimmy sidestepped to let him enter. “Kimmy invited me . She told me what Vanessa has you doing and I came to ask you to reconsider.”

  I groaned and looked up at the ceiling. “We did it before with a lot less police protection, or have you both forgotten?”

  He almost looked as if he was about to bow, his eyes full of pleading. “Yes, we did, and you nearly got hurt. Let the police do their job themselves. It’s too risky.”

  Audrina moved to my side. “The police know she’s going, they’re going to have plain clothes outside the house, the suspects out of town – She’ll be fine! Stop worrying you two.”

  I couldn’t help but smirk. “See? I’m fine. I promised you, Noel, and Jay that I would do anything in my power to catch the real culprit, and if this is what I have to do, then so be it.”

  Noel ran a hand over his head, shaking. “Fine. Just promise me you’ll be careful.” He began rummaging in his pocket and pulled out a chain and handed it to me. “Take this with you. It’s a St. Christopher, for protection.” I took the chain and ran my finger over the pendant. “I can’t take this.”

  He clasped my hand into a fist. The chain was cold against my skin. “I insist.”

  I smiled and squeezed his hand with my free one. “Thank you so much.”

  I placed the necklace on and clipped it shut. Kimmy stood by the door the whole time, glowering.

  “I better go. I’ll keep you all updated through text.” I met Kimmy’s gaze. “Don’t worry.”

  “Good luck,” she finally said, “See you when you get home.”

  The nerves of Noel and Kimmy had somehow passed on to me, like a disease, and I found my stomach lurching and twisting as I approached the restaurant Miles, and I were meeting at. The place was conveniently close to his home – so we could make a quick return for dessert – as he had so arrogantly put it.

  My anxiety only intensified as I stared at him, my pulse racing. He winked as I approached the table. His arms were spread across the headrest, one foot balanced on his other knee. He splayed his hand in a pathetic excuse for a wave. I fought the urge to beam and flush like a schoolgirl, hearing Audrina’s voice in my head saying, “play it cool.”

  I sat down opposite him, slightly irked that he hadn’t even stood up to greet me.

  He gestured to a bottle of wine in an icebox. “I ordered a bottle. It’s nice to see you again, Cassie.”

 

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