Chapter 6

Sean stood in line, waiting to order his morning coffee and snack. Jupiter Moon Coffee and Café shops had been popping up all over the county. He preferred this one, the original one in Tustin, right off the 55 Freeway. A quick scan took in all the people in the coffee shop as he searched for threats—and unusual creatures.

He rubbed his temples, trying to soothe his headache. The last few days had been brutal. The riot at The Block had been the first in a long string of bizarre incidents. Stories of similar cases from all over Orange County floated through the station. Upstanding citizens were committing random acts of violence, many ending in death. The suspects all claimed to see something peculiar, lost time, then woke up in handcuffs with blood on their hands and loved one’s dead.

This morning, two traffic cops were killed during a routine traffic stop in Cypress, a normally quiet, peaceful city. It made all the police officers jumpy, even those like himself, who worked in plain clothes.

If he didn’t know any better, he’d swear the county was under supernatural attack. But he’d die before he’d say that out loud. It would cost him his career.

He noticed the pretty, petite, curvy woman behind him. She looked familiar, but he couldn’t place where he’d seen her. She had thick, medium reddish-brown hair that curled in waves to her shoulders. Her clear green eyes gleamed with intelligence. Freckles dusted the pale, creamy skin of her nose and cheeks. She wore a long dress, and a bright-colored shawl draped over her shoulders. An amethyst pendant encased in decorative wire hung from a purple and white beaded chain. Matching amethyst earrings dangled from her ears. She reminded him of a gypsy.

His Granny Eileen loved amethysts. He’d thought about his grandmother yesterday, and now someone reminded him of her. He snorted softly. When his granny wanted to talk to him, he’d get little messages similar to this. She’d never just pick up the phone and call him. She always said it was more fun this way.

The woman noticed him smile at her, and she gave him a shy grin. It lit up her heart-shaped face.

“Hi,” he said. “That’s a lovely necklace. My grandmother would love something like that. Where did you get it?”

She smiled wider, and her hand fluttered to touch the necklace. “Oh, it’s one of my designs. I make jewelry.”

“Do you have a website?” They shuffled a few steps closer to the register.

“Yes, I do.” She dug into her purse and handed him a card.

He read: Moonstones and Moonbeams, crystal jewelry by Catlyn Hennessey.

“I do special orders besides what’s listed on the site. If your grandmother has some favorite stones, or if you want something that fits her astrology sign, I can design a piece for you.”

Her gaze shifted behind him, her eyes widened, and she inhaled sharply. Her already pale skin lost even more color. He twisted around and glimpsed one of Michael’s—his lead suspect in the Iron Maiden Killer case—buddies standing near the door. Sean surveyed the shop, but he couldn’t see Michael Drogger.

“Are you okay—” he glanced down at the card for her name “—Catlyn?”

She gave a shaky laugh. “Fine. Just seeing ghosts. Thanks for asking …”

“Detective McLarkin. Sean.” He held out his hand. Her firm handshake pleased him, and he like how warm her skin was against his own. Small electrical pulses buzzed between their palms. Her eyes widened as she dropped her hand.

He reached the register and gave his order. “And the lady will have …”

“Oh, you don’t need to buy my drink.”

“Please, let me.” He wanted to spend more time with her.

“A hot chai latte, please.”

He paid, and they moved to a table to wait for their drinks. “How did you get into making crystal jewelry?”

One side of her mouth slid into a smile. “I love working with crystals. They help me in my healing work too.”

He raised his eyebrows.

“I’m an energy healer. I use crystal singing bowls, essential oils, and, of course, stones in my practice. Making jewelry is a natural extension of that work. I like to think my jewelry is more than just pretty, but that it also helps people in their spiritual journey.” She glanced away and pulled her shawl tighter around her shoulders.

“That’s cool.”

She looked back at him sharply, as if she hadn’t expected him to still want to talk to her. He smiled at her. “My grandmother loves crystals, too. She’d probably dig getting a healing using them. Where’s your office?”

“The Mystical Enchantments metaphysical store. Ah, there are our drinks.” She took her cup and smiled shyly at him. “Thanks for the tea. I need to go, or I’ll be late.”

She plopped a big, floppy hat on her head, and he walked out of the shop with her. She stopped and stared at an empty parking space before grimacing, then hurried to her little Honda Civic.

It finally clicked why she looked familiar. She’d been at the incident by the tourist attraction. He narrowed his eyes as he studied the spot. It wavered, like the shimmer of heat rising off the blacktop. He glimpsed a black sedan before it disappeared. He shook his head to clear it, wishing he could blame a heat wave on the recent craziness. But he doubted it had anything to do with the rash of evil.

Sean sipped his coffee as he watched her leave, frowning at her fearful gaze into her rearview mirror. He’d rather see her smile shyly at him than have that terrified expression on her face. A slow smile lifted his lips. It would be easy to convince his grandmother she wanted to have one of Catlyn’s healing sessions. He was sure his granny would love it. Driving his grandmother from Temecula to Costa Mesa would give him a good excuse to talk to Catlyn again.

He climbed into his car and turned it on; the engine purring to life. He eased through traffic and drove to the station. His thoughts kept straying to images of green eyes and a heart-shaped face. Others might consider Catlyn odd, but Sean had grown up around his Granny Eileen. Compared to her, Catlyn was downright normal.

He’d been close to his granny while growing up, but then his grandfather had been killed. For some reason, his dad blamed Eileen for his father’s death and forbidden Sean and his sister Rachel to see her. But when he turned sixteen a few years later, he’d rebelled and secretly drove to his grandmother’s place to visit with her. Now, he made a point of visiting her every couple of months.

Granny Eileen had changed since her husband’s death. She’d refused to tell Sean stories of strange people and fearsome monsters and demons. As a child, he’d loved the thrill of fear those stories had sent up his spine. He hadn’t lied to Catlyn. Crystals still decorated his grandmother’s house, and she wore jewelry similar to what Catlyn made. He smiled at the thought of those two meeting. If they did, he’d better brush up on the metaphysical meaning of crystals.

At the office, he pulled open the file on the amusement park incident, and sure enough, Catlyn Hennessey’s name was on the report. She claimed the tourist had attempted to save the businessman and hadn’t pushed him into the truck. Sean considered if an interview with Catlyn would help the tourist. It might sway the District Attorney’s office into not charging the tourist, especially with so many other strange incidents lately. But before he could pick up the phone, the captain sent Sean and Jerry to investigate another violent murder by a loved one.

Maybe he’d see her at the Jupiter Moon the next morning.

Sean swiped a hand through his hair. He needed a haircut, but he hadn’t had time to even call for an appointment. He’d been slammed all week with case after case of strange, violent events. The Anaheim department wasn’t alone. The same weird calls swamped every police force in Orange County.

Sean sat in the office on Saturday afternoon rather than watching football on television, clearing the piled up paperwork. His heart flip-flopped as he worked on the Holcomb case. He gazed at the picture of the baby’s bite wound. The lab hadn’t sent over the results yet, but Sean bet the teeth marks wouldn’t be human. The poor mother and child were still hospitalized. Each file he examined added to his growing certainty something supernatural was behind the attacks.

Sean leaned back in his chair and stretched. He winced at the loud popping in his neck. Darkness had fallen while he’d worked on the reports. He stood with a groan, dropped the stack of folders on Jerry’s desk for his review, and grabbed his jacket. He needed to unwind. Sitting in his car, he called his buddy and childhood friend Charlie MacNamara.

“Hey, you in town?”

“Yeah, I arrived back this afternoon.”

“I need a drink. It’s been a hell of a week. Meet me at the Red Orchid?”

“Ugh!” Charlie’s voice dripped with distaste. “You always want to go to that place. I hate it there. Why not someplace else?”

“You know why.”

“Fine.” Charlie hung up on Sean.

Forty-five minutes later, Sean pulled into the packed parking lot of the Red Orchid. The club was one of the hot spots in the county, boasting elaborate cocktails, trendy micro brews, and great food. Too bad Michael Drogger owned it.

Sean threaded his way through the crowded bar area, homing in on an empty table where he had a good view of his target. He plopped onto the high stool and sipped on his scotch while gazing around the room. After several minutes, he spotted Charlie meandering toward him. He wore his black hair slicked-back and a dark green button-down shirt highlighted his green eyes. Charlie slid onto the chair opposite him and took a deep draught from his foamy mug of beer before greeting his friend.

“Gods, I hate this place,” Charlie grumbled, then wiped the foam from his upper lip. “The only saving grace is they have great micro brews. You mentioned it’s been a rough week. What’s going on?”

Sean filled him in on the odd cases he’d investigated. “The worst one by far is where a wife and mother shot her husband because he tried eating their baby. You wouldn’t believe the bite mark on the baby’s arm. I’ve never seen anything like it. The baby is still in critical condition.” Sean leaned in and lowered his voice. “Something with a claw raked the wife’s back. The doctors can’t determine what’s causing her strange, life-threatening infection.”

Charlie’s eyes widened. “That’s awful!”

A bray of loud laughter rang through the crowd, and Sean swiveled in his chair toward the sound. Michael Drogger stood at a nearby table, his head thrown back as he laughed. He shuffled the deck of cards he held with a flourish before tucking them in his trouser’s pocket. Still laughing, he slid his arm around a pretty blond and ran his hand down her back to squeeze her buttocks. The woman’s cheeks flushed pink. Michael bent down and kissed her, causing her blush to deepen.

Sean rolled his eyes at Michael’s unbuttoned silk shirt, revealing a tanned chest that the girl couldn’t keep her eyes—or hands—off. Michael laughed again as he brushed his longish hair back from his face. He turned and caught Sean staring at him. Michael’s lips thinned. A predatory gleam filled his blue eyes as he stalked toward Sean and Charlie.

“Detective McLarkin,” Michael sneered, “you can’t seem to stay away. What is it this time?”

Sean held up his glass of scotch. “I’m only grabbing a drink with my buddy. But if you want to confess, I’ll gladly be your confessor.”

“I have my own priest. Besides, I’ve done nothing wrong.”

“Just because I can’t pin anything on you, doesn’t mean squat. Who’s the girl?” Sean indicated the blond with his chin.

Michael twisted around and leered at her. “A nice piece of ass. You should get one of your own. It might loosen you up a bit. How long has it been? A year?”

Under the table, Sean’s hand fisted, and he itched to slam his fist into Michael’s face. Instead, he gripped his glass, letting the cold smoothness cool his anger.

“Let it go, Sean,” Charlie warned in a low voice.

“Yeah, let it go, Sean,” Michael drawled. “Ginny was a spectacular piece of ass. Too bad you couldn’t keep her satisfied, and she turned to me. We had such fun.”

“Where is she now?”

Michael rolled his eyes. “Don’t know. Don’t care. She served her purpose.”

“You’re such a bastard,” Sean hissed.

“Tut, tut.” Michael made a negating gesture with his finger. “My parents were married. But yes, I can get what I want, when I want. Money and good-looks will do that. Too bad you don’t have either.”

Sean glared at his adversary. “I do just fine. Money can’t buy class, which you’ll never have.”

Michael snorted. “Is that the best you can do?”

“For now, I haven’t had enough to drink yet. I know you’re involved in the killings, if not the murderer. You’ll make a mistake someday, and I’ll be there when you do.”

“It will be a cold day in hell, Detective, when you can get the better of me.” Michael sauntered to the blond woman, bent over her and kissed her deeply, running his hands over her body.

Sean growled at the display, tossed back his scotch, and motioned to a server for another one. He and Ginny had been together for six years, and he’d even bought her an engagement ring. Before he could give it to her, he’d come home early from work to a nasty surprise. He’d caught her with another man—his nemesis, Michael Drogger, no less—in their bed.

They’d laid there and laughed at him as he stood sputtering, trying to push the words from his mouth. He’d packed her things the next day. The bed, he burned. Afterward, he’d sworn off relationships. Her betrayal had thrown him into a nine-month funk. Even after nearly a year, it still hurt that she threw away their relationship for a roll with the rich playboy.

While waiting for his drink, Sean scanned the crowd. His eyes stopping on several groups that made the hairs on the back of his neck rise in warning. When he turned around, Charlie was peering at his phone, busily texting.

The server slid a fresh glass filled with dark amber liquid in front of him, the ice cubes clinking. For a moment, he thought her long red nails were tips of claws. He blinked, and her hands returned to normal.

“I don’t know why you put yourself through this.” Charlie drained his mug and ordered another beer. “We go through this at least once a month.”

“Yeah, but it gives me an excuse to watch the bastard. I tell you there’s something off about that man. He’s as slimy and vile as they come.”

“So you say. But if you haven’t linked him to the murders yet, what makes you think he’s involved?”

Sean tapped the side of his head. “Granny vibes. You remember when we were kids and Granny Eileen would give us games to test our intuition? Well, every warning bell she ever instilled in me goes off around Michael.”

“Some of those were gnarly.” Charlie grinned. “Although, I’ve been mighty grateful for them more times than I can count. My Granny vibes have saved my life and my client’s. Have you talked to her recently?”

“Not as much as I’d like. It’s hard to drive out to Temecula with my busy schedule.” Sean ran his finger around the rim of his glass. “Hey, Charlie, do you remember the old stories Granny would tell us?”

“Which ones? She loved to tell stories.”

“The ones about demons and other evil creatures.”

A guarded expression crossed Charlie’s face before he quirked an eyebrow. “Yeah, those used to scare the piss out of you. Why are you bringing it up now?”

“Do you think there might have been some truth in them?” Sean pinched the bridge of his nose. “We’re being inundated with strange calls lately. People with no previous history of violence are killing their loved ones and claiming to have seen evil creatures immediately before it happened.”

“That is weird. But then, this is Orange County, it’s known for being a bit odd.”

“This goes beyond the odd. If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear we’re under some sort of supernatural attack.”

Charlie coughed, then took a long swig of his beer. “You’ve been watching ‘Supernatural’ too much, Sean. Nothing like that is real.”

“Are you sure, Charlie? Something weird is happening.”

Sean peered over Charlie’s shoulder. Two of Michael’s goons stood at either side of his table, arms crossed in front of them, identical shaved heads of dark hair, square jaws, and cold blue eyes. As the man on the left blinked, the pupils of his eyes changed to the oblong orbs of a reptile, then back to human-round. Sean shuddered as a feeling of evil crept up his spine.