A Fright to the Death by Dawn Eastman Read Free Book Online Page B

winding and reminded me of the previous November, when I had climbed a different twisting staircase while investigating a murder, not knowing what I would find at the top. That remembered sense of dread sobered any Vi-like excitement I had been feeling.
    We reached a small landing at the top of the stairs. Mrs. Garrett pushed the door open and a white streak tore out of the opening. I flashed onto Vi’s ghost story just as the streak let out a very feline yowl. I watched it race down the staircase and out of sight.
    “Oh! That cat is always jumping out when you least expect it,” Linda said, her hand clutching her chest.
    We stepped into the room. Weak light from the lantern cast flickering shadows on the furniture. My shoulders felt tight and my ears strained for any sound. Mac clicked on the large flashlight he’d taken from Wally and the spooky feeling began to dissipate.
    When we got to the bathroom door, Jessica hesitated, took a deep breath, and then nodded to us to proceed.
    Inside, it was just as Mrs. Garrett had described. The claw-foot tub stood in the middle of a partly circular room that would have been lovely on a sunny day. The old-fashioned cabinet and pedestal sink lined up along the wall, and a toilet hid behind a half wall in the corner.
    Clarissa lay on the floor between the tub and the sink. Her right leg was bent at an awkward angle and her eyes were closed. In the weak light from the flashlight and lamp, a dark glistening stain spread from underneath her head. She was completely still. I knelt down next to her and shone the flashlight on her face. Mrs. Garrett gasped and I heard her move into the other room. Jessica followed.
    “Mac,” I said quietly, “look.” I pointed to Clarissa’s neck. The faint bruises barely showed in the flashlight’s glow, but they were there. I put a thumb on her eyelid and lifted. The whites of her eyes were pink.
    “I don’t think this was an accident,” I said.
    Mac let out a gust of air.
    “Strangled,” he said. “Whoever hit her in the head made sure they finished the job.”
    I cleared my mind, as Neila had instructed, reached out, and touched Clarissa’s shoulder. I hoped I would get a sense of who might have harmed her, but all I felt was a surge of rage and fear. A wave of nausea spread and I felt dizzy. I pulled my hand away and took a deep breath.
    Mac knelt down next to me, his arm over my shoulders. “Are you okay?”
    I didn’t want to tell him I was experimenting with psychic solutions. “I’m fine . . . it’s just . . . she looks like she’s sleeping.”
    I put a finger under Clarissa’s jaw along her neck to check for a pulse, but we both knew I wouldn’t find one.

8

    We regrouped in the bedroom. Mac asked Jessica when she thought the power would be back on.
    “It should have come on by now.” Jessica held her hands out and shrugged. “The generator works very well and can usually supply power for a couple of days. I don’t know why it hasn’t kicked in.” She put a shaky hand to her lips. “I had planned to go find our maintenance man after I dropped off the candles in the lounge.”
    Mac paced in front of the bathroom door. “Okay, we’ll need to call the local police and see what they want us to do.”
    “I thought
you
were a police officer,” Linda said.
    Mac stopped moving.
    “Yes, we both are,” he said, and gestured toward me. “But Clyde is on leave and I’m out of my jurisdiction. If the local police can get here, they’ll be in charge.”
    “I doubt anyone can get through tonight,” Jessica said.“The snow is still coming down and when René arrived this afternoon just before dinner, he said he almost didn’t make it.”
    “Surely we don’t need to call in more police,” Linda said. “We can make arrangements with a funeral home. . . .”
    Mac held up his hand. “I’m afraid it’s more complicated than that.”
    “Because it was an accidental death?” Jessica said.
    Mac and I exchanged a