Dead Is Just a Dream - [Dead Is - 08] by Marlene Perez Read Free Book Online Page A

have to wait for the right opportunity. Mr. Platsky didn’t seem like he’d give us an open invitation to snoop around his farm anytime soon.
    “Try to get some rest,” Daisy said. But Sean wasn’t listening. He clung tight to his girlfriend’s hand and begged her to come back to him.
    Daisy and I left the hospital but my thoughts stayed there. Was Samantha the victim of a Mara? Or was there something else sinister going on in Nightshade?

Chapter Nine
    Since her Vegas elopement, Flo had mellowed out a bit about the nonstop training. But now that there had been a few murders in Nightshade, she expected us to patrol.
    The doctor, and more importantly, Mom, decided my ankle had healed enough that I could return to moderate exercise—which meant that my Saturday night was going to involve a hot date patrolling the streets with my fellow viragoes instead of a hot date with my boyfriend.
    Andy picked me up and we headed for Main Street. She parked in front of Slim’s. The other v-girls were already there, but there was a surprise visitor.
    “Dominic’s mom is joining us on patrol?” I asked, dismayed.
    “I know,” Andy said. “Isn’t it great?”
    “Yeah, great.”
    We got out of the car and joined them.
    I took the opportunity to catch everyone up on the latest news. “Samantha Devereaux is in a coma,” I explained. “And I think it has something to do with the nightmare murders.”
    “Who do you think is behind it?” Flo asked.
    I shrugged.
    “Spit it out,” Andy demanded. “We don’t have all day.”
    “Andy!” Raven said.
    “No, she’s right,” I said. “I don’t know. I don’t know how long Samantha can hold on. We need to figure something out.”
    “We’ll help however we can,” Raven said softly.
    “Thanks, Raven,” I said. I hugged her.
    “Jessica, Mom’s going to lead the patrol tonight,” Raven said.
    I looked at Flo. “Is that true?” As our virago leader, she’d never given up control before. She loved bossing us around.
    “You follow Lydia’s orders,” Flo confirmed. “No questions.”
    I had questions. Major questions, but I knew Flo would give me her death stare if I dared to open my mouth. So I didn’t.
    “We’ll break into teams,” Mrs. Gray said. “Raven, you go with Andy. Jessica, you’re with me.”
    “With you? What about Flo?” I dreaded the idea of spending time alone with Dominic’s mom, and Raven looked disappointed that her mother hadn’t partnered with her.
    “Flo’s staying here,” Mrs. Gray said. “Any more questions? Or can we get started?”
    “We can get started,” I said.
    We divided the town into four quadrants and then went our separate ways. Mrs. Gray didn’t say anything until we reached the park.
    “How’s your ankle?” she asked.
    “The doctor gave me the all-clear.” I was touched by her concern, but the feeling was short-lived.
    “Then stop babying it and get a move on,” she snapped.
    “Yes, Mrs. Gray,” I replied.
    “Call me Lydia. We’ll be spending a lot of time together.”
    “We will?” I asked, but her attention was drawn to something on the path up ahead of us.
    “Did you see that?”
    “What?”
    Mrs. Gray had already sprinted ahead.
    I followed her but she was fast. I saw a flash of white as she ran through a copse of trees.
    I caught up to her in the middle of the park. She was watching a ghostly white horse drinking water from the fountain.
    “It’s here again,” I whispered.
    Raven’s mom put a finger to her lips. We watched the horse in silence until its ears went back, as if it heard something. The horse galloped off, but this time Mrs. Gray didn’t chase after it.
    “You’ve seen this horse before?” she asked.
    “On the beach, right before school started.”
    “And you didn’t bother to tell anyone that a Mara was in town?” She made her contempt for me obvious.
    “I didn’t know it was a Mara then, but I did tell Flo what we’d seen.”
    “We?”
    “It was the night Tashya came