Pay Dirt Read online

  “Isidora,” I said after a few seconds.

  Her eyes snapped to mine. “What?”

  “Last night I gave you a name. Holden Grey. You said your sister had mentioned him. He was…is a friend of mine. That’s who I’m looking for. I think he’s in trouble.”

  “You really don’t have a clue, do you?” She grunted and shook her head. “Yeah, your friend’s in trouble. And if the ghoul’s dead, chances are he is as well.”

  “He’s not dead,” I said.

  She shrugged. “Yeah, sure he—”

  “He’s not dead!” The words came out louder and harsher than I’d intended them to. “And if he is, I’ll fucking find him anyway.” I fought to get myself under control. I could feel Isidora’s eyes on me, but I didn’t meet her gaze. “Give me what I need. Tell me what the hell is going on.”

  She stared at me a second, then shrugged. “All right. But this isn’t a one-way street. I invited you here because I thought you might know something. Whatever you know, I want to know it too.”

  Seemed like a bad idea, giving information to a witch. One I barely knew at that. This missing sister sob story could be a ploy. I’d been played like that before. I still had no evidence she wasn’t the one who’d killed Habi.

  But I needed to get her talking. And if the price of that was a little information, then so be it.

  “Okay,” I said. “Deal.”

  She nodded, then fell silent for a few seconds. When she spoke her voice was still hard, but it had lost its edge.

  “Something is hunting them,” she said.

  It was a suspicion I’d been nursing myself. But hearing her say it made it real. Cold fingers dragged down my spine.

  “What is it?” I said.

  She shook her head. “I don’t know exactly.”

  “It’s not some wild Stranger on the loose.”

  “No.” She tightened her hands into fists, and I heard knuckles popping. “Whatever it is, I’m pretty sure it’s after them specifically. Tracking them. Hunting them down. It’s relentless. I’ve found no evidence that it has a lair or a nest or anywhere it goes to rest. It doesn’t seem to feed. It doesn’t leave footprints or claw marks behind. It doesn’t piss or shit. The only trace it seems to leave—”

  “The blue streak,” I said.

  Isidora narrowed her eyes at me and nodded. “It only seems to appear on certain surfaces.”

  “Metal,” I said. “Iron. Steel.” A thought occurred to me. “Maybe it’s not really something the creature leaves behind. Maybe it’s a reaction in the metal when it comes into contact with the creature.”

  “You’re the cunning man. You know any kind of Stranger that leaves a trace like that?”

  I racked my brains. There were a few Strangers that weren’t fond of iron, but this was something different.

  “Something not fully corporeal, maybe? Could explain why it doesn’t leave any other trace.”

  “Like what?”

  “Maybe a particularly malevolent sprite. Or something manufactured. Some kind of familiar? A wraith?”

  She raised an eyebrow. “You get a lot of wraiths around these parts?”

  We didn’t, and she knew that. But I didn’t have many other explanations. Plenty of Strangers were capable of moving around nearly undetected —they had to, to survive in a world that didn’t believe in them. And some of those creatures were dangerous. Take lesser vampires, for example. Every now and then a nest of the bastards took root in the forests around Lost Falls, and they had to be driven out at stake-point. But they hunted to feed, not to murder. Their sentient cousins, the greater vampires, were even more skilled in remaining undetected among the human populace. They possessed sorcery that could mask their comings and goings.

  But even they couldn’t move without a trace. They couldn’t hunt endlessly. Which meant we were dealing with something else. Something relentless. Perhaps something that wasn’t even truly alive.

  “How do you know all this?” I asked.

  “How do you think? I investigated.” She paused. “And my sister. A little while ago she sent me a message. First time I’d heard from her in more than a year. Ever since the coven became her new family.”

  She nearly spat the word coven. She glared into the distance and twisted her mouth in distaste.

  “The family squabbling can wait. What was the message?”

  She turned her glare on me, but I was pretty used to it by now. “She said she was getting married.”

  “What?”

  “Yeah. That was my reaction. My sister had found herself a fiancé.” She put on a mocking tone. “ ‘Just the sweetest, funniest guy I’ve ever met.’ ” Isidora shook her head. “It was sickening.”

  “I don’t know. Sounds kinda heartwarming to me.”

  She made a face like she was going to hurl. “Anyway, that’s not the point. Ursula always fell into the laps of men who were more trouble than they were worth. This time was no exception. Her message said he’d found a score. Something that would let them live out the rest of their lives in marital bliss. She was going to help him recover it.”

  “I think I’ve seen this movie,” I said. “What was the score?”

  “Her message didn’t say. But she wanted me to come to town. She was going to cut me in on the deal. She said it was in the interest of mending fences, but I think she just needed my skills.”

  “Could’ve been both,” I suggested.

  “What are you, my family counselor? Just shut up and let me finish.” She exhaled. “I ignored her, of course. Like hell I was going to waste my time in a town like this chasing imaginary riches. I’ve done it too many times before. Ursula’s get-rich-quick schemes always fall apart. The guy dumps her over the phone while he’s hauling ass out of town, and then for the next three days I’m stuck dealing with her while she sobs and drowns herself in tequila.”

  “Only this time something worse happened.”

  She paused, then nodded slowly. “A few days ago I got another message. I wasn’t surprised when it came. I’d started having bad dreams. Thinking I should’ve gone when she asked, tried to get her out of trouble. But then it was too late.” She licked her lips. “The second message was short. Harried. Something had gone wrong while they were working their score. She said she needed my help. That was the last I heard from her.”

  I thought of the message Holden had sent me. The more I listened to Isidora, the more similar our situations seemed. “This message, can I see it? Or hear it?”

  “It wasn’t that kind of message.”

  That was what I’d figured, but it was worth a try. “What about the guy? Your sister’s fiancé. Who…” I frowned. “No.”

  “Afraid so.”

  “Holden?”

  “Took you long enough.”

  “Holden.” I ran my hand through my hair. “Well, shit. Your sister and Holden… Hell. I thought your sister was a witch. What the hell is she doing messing around with an Unaware?”

  “What are you talking about? He’s not Unaware. He isn’t even human.”

  I just stared at her for a moment. “What?”

  “I thought you said this guy was your friend.”

  “Yeah, but…I mean I haven’t seen him in years. But he’s…he’s not…”

  I shifted the pieces about in my head, trying to re-frame all my interactions with Holden. He had sent that message to me via a goddamn magpie, of course, but I’d assumed he’d had someone do that for him. Isidora’s sister, maybe. If they were running for their lives together, that made sense.

  But if Holden really wasn’t human, maybe he had skills I had no idea about. Maybe he’d sent the message himself. And now that I thought about it, there had been other clues as well. Holden’s knack for getting others to do what he wanted. His uncanny ability to dig up secrets that he had no right to know.

  When I’d known him, I’d been Unaware. I’d heard the rumors about the things that lurked in Lost Falls, but I’d never believed them. I�
�d had no reason to suspect that Holden was any different from anybody else.

  If he wasn’t human, did that change things? He was still my friend.

  Wasn’t he?

  I shook my head, putting the thoughts aside. Holden was who he was. And I was who I was.

  “All right,” I said. “That’s not important right now. What’s important is tracking down Holden and your sister before the thing that’s hunting them finds them. How did Habi fit into the picture, anyway?”

  “I’m not sure exactly.” Isidora frowned. “I think he was somehow involved with finding the score. Ursula’s message implied there were others involved as well. Sounded like your friend was putting together a team.”

  “Great. So maybe there’s a bunch more people running and hiding from whatever the hell is hunting them.”

  I began to pace, thinking it all through. Some parts of the picture were starting to come into focus, but the rest was still blurry. I couldn’t be sure Isidora was on the level. Maybe this was all a trick. Maybe she’d killed Habi and was trying to use me to get to Holden.

  But my gut told me she was telling the truth. Most of it, anyway. Whatever Holden truly was, I knew one thing about him: he was always up for a good scam. If there was a score to be had, Holden would be after it. And, as always, he’d gotten himself into a jam and needed me to bail him out.

  “All right,” I said, stopping in place and turning back to Isidora. “If Holden or your sister or anyone else in their crew is still alive, they’re probably hiding from this thing.”

  “Or running,” the witch said.

  “Maybe. But I get the feeling anyone that runs isn’t going to stay alive long.” I thought of Habi again, my chest heavy with regret. I forced the feeling aside. Wallowing in guilt wouldn’t help anyone. “Habi came to me thinking someone had cast a curse on him. Begging me to break it.”

  “Was he cursed?”

  “No. But something made him think he was. Maybe their plan had been compromised. Maybe they were trying to steal from someone, and that someone unleashed something to hunt them down. Or maybe they disturbed some nasty Stranger they weren’t prepared for. The point is they knew they’d fucked up. So maybe they had enough time to go to ground. Some of them, at least.”

  “So we find them.”

  “Maybe,” I said. “But I’m not sure that’s the right move. If they’re hiding, the last thing they need is the two of us bumbling around and beating the bushes. If we dig them out of their hole, we’ll expose them.”

  “You keep saying ‘we.’ This is an exchange of information, not a superhero team-up.”

  “You’re an ornery one, aren’t you? Listen, I’m no happier about this than you are. But we have to coordinate. We’re after the same quarry. If we’re not careful we’ll stumble into each other and blow each other’s heads off.”

  Isidora pushed herself up off the floor. The pain had left her face entirely now, the effects of the mind-burn almost gone. She pushed her hair off her face and dragged a sleeve across her brow, wiping away her sweat.

  “So be careful where you put your feet,” she said. “Or better yet, go back to wherever you cunning folk hang out and leave this to me. If I find your friend alive, I’ll tell him to let you know.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “Are you serious? I saw what happened to Habi. If that thing comes after you, do you really think you can take it alone?”

  She narrowed her eyes and opened her mouth, but she was interrupted by a creaking, groaning sound coming from somewhere behind me. Her eyes widened and I spun around, searching for the source of the sound. It took me a moment to realize it was coming from the stag head mounted to the wall.

  “The hell?” I muttered.

  Isidora pushed past me and went up to the mounted trophy. Closing her eyes, she reached up and laid a hand on the stag’s nose. The sound changed pitch, became a chattering sound, like a roomful of typewriters.

  I stood in place, gripping my truncheon. “What the hell are you doing?”

  She hissed me to silence. For another couple of seconds she stood there, stroking the nose of a long dead stag. Then she withdrew her hand and spun back toward me. Without a word, she stomped over and reached for her bandolier.

  “Whoa, whoa.” I got between her and the bandolier, pushing her back. “What do you think you’re doing?”

  “Get out of my way. Something just hit the wards.”

  “Something?”

  “Whatever killed the ghoul probably followed you down here.” She scowled at me and made another grab for her bandolier. “Get out of the way!”

  “I wasn’t followed,” I said. “We need to know what this is before we go off half-cocked.”

  “There you go with the ‘we’ again.”

  I heard a squeak and the sound of something scrabbling along the wooden floor. Isidora gave up on her bandolier for a moment and crouched down. From out of the shadows a rat came scurrying across the floor toward Isidora. It weaved around tables and chairs and then practically leaped into the witch’s waiting hand. It looked like the same rat from last night, but then again I doubted I could pick it out of a lineup.

  Isidora brought the rat to her ear and it started squeaking softly. I just stood and watched, too stunned to say anything. Witches.

  Isidora grunted, lowered the rat, and stared at the creature for a moment. Then she dropped it back into its cage and closed the door.

  “You going to tell me what that was about?” I asked.

  “Ghouls.”

  “What?”

  “A group of ghouls are hitting the wards again.”

  “Again? The ghouls know you’re here?” I raised my hands. “Of course they know you’re here. You’re on the edge of their damn territory.”

  She darted past me and grabbed her bandolier before I could stop her. She slung it over her shoulder and started checking pouches. “A couple of them came roaming around yesterday. One of them nearly blew his brain out trying to get past the wards. I thought that would’ve taught them to stay away. Apparently they’re slow learners.”

  “Why didn’t you mention this before?”

  “Because it’s none of your fucking business, cunning man. What does it matter?”

  “It matters,” I said through gritted teeth, “because they think you killed Habi.”

  Slowly, she raised her head and narrowed her eyes at me. “And why do they think that?”

  “Some of them spotted you at the train yard last night. Just before Habi went missing. You were careless.”

  She scowled. “Well, I won’t be this time.”

  I got between her and the door. “Wait. What are you going to do?”

  “I’m going to make sure they don’t bother me again.”

  “You’re going to start a war, is what you’re going to do.”

  She stepped in close, jabbed me in the chest with her finger. Her eyes burned. “Does it look like I care, cunning man? I don’t care about this town, I don’t care about a few ghouls. I care about getting my sister back. And I won’t let anything stand in my way.”

  “Well, I live in this town.” I closed my fist around her outstretched finger and loomed over her. “And if feeding you to the ghouls keeps Lost Fall safe, I’ll serve you to them myself.”

  Isidora bared her teeth. “Let go of me.”

  I tightened my grip and lowered my voice. “I’m going to talk to the ghouls. I’ll make them leave. And you’re going to stay right here. Do you understand me?”

  She glared at me. I glared right back. I knew I was hurting her finger, but she didn’t flinch.

  “You’ll sully your reputation if you reveal you were here talking to the wicked witch,” she said.

  “Luckily for me I don’t have much of a reputation to begin with.” I paused. “You’ll stay here?”

  She stared at me a moment longer, then shrugged. “Until they tear you apart, I suppose.”

  I released her finger and threw open the door. “Don’t wait up.
”

  11

  It started raining as I left Isidora’s cabin. It was just a drizzle at first, a light patter of rain on the forest canopy overhead. But within a minute it had become a downpour, falling in heavy sheets that turned the already damp ground into mud. I pulled my coat closed and moved carefully. If I fell and broke a leg out here, I doubted anyone would come looking for me. The light of my cell phone cut a dim beam through the dark and the rain.

  I heard the ghouls before I saw them, even over the hammering of the rain. They weren’t exactly being sneaky. Shouting, screeching, even howling. I heard thudding sounds as well, and the groaning and snapping of wood breaking. It sounded like there were an awful lot of them.

  Licking my lips, I switched off my phone light and headed in the direction of the sounds.

  I admit it: the thought of just leaving did cross my mind. I’d already had one bad encounter with a pack of ghouls today. Another didn’t sound like fun. I was tired, I was hungry. All I wanted was a hot shower and a cold beer. Possibly at the same time. Hell, it wasn’t like I was even getting paid for any of this. And what did I care if Isidora got torn to pieces by a few angry ghouls?

  But that wouldn’t be justice. And ever since I’d sat in that car next to Habi’s headless body, I’d been thinking a lot about justice.

  Once, a long time ago, I’d mistaken revenge for justice. Early had tried to teach me my error. But it had taken an encounter with another witch for the lesson to sink in. An encounter that had nearly killed me.

  Hopefully this time I’d get through with fewer broken bones.

  Flashlight beams sliced through the rain ahead of me. Silhouetted in the light I saw a gnarled, skeletal tree, branches extending out like grasping fingers. Dozens of Isidora’s warding fetishes dangled from the branches, swaying in the wind and rain.

  And then there were the ghouls. Looked to be about ten of them. Some were carrying flashlights that they waved about wildly. Others carried hammers, crowbars, axes, and twisted lengths of rebar. I couldn’t be sure, but I’d put good money on them being the same pack of ghouls I’d come across at the abandoned car. Led, of course, by Sal’s prick of a friend, Daud. That kid was getting to be a real pain in my ass.