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Halloween arrived on a bright and crisp day. Callie looked around the neighborhood, and her grin widened. Shadow Valley did the holiday up right. Jack-o’-lanterns smiled toothily from doorsteps, ghosts hung from trees, and orange and black lights twinkled in the downtown area. She even heard the song “Monster Mash” blaring from a stereo somewhere.
She looked at the freshly painted columns of her front porch, now strung with spider webs for effect. A stuffed woman sat on the swing she and David had hung on the porch. It had taken more time than she’d expected to stuff leaves into old clothes, but she’d achieved the effect she’d wanted. She just hoped the scarecrow wouldn’t frighten her trick-or-treaters too much.
A random thought occurred to her, and her eyebrows lifted. Maybe that was what had happened to Nancy’s load of laundry. Oh well, it was up to Bill to figure that one out. That was, if Carter had taken her advice.
Carter.
A sizzle went down Callie’s spine, and she shook it off. She still didn’t know how things had spiraled so far out of control down at the station. She’d been mulling it over in her mind, but all that mulling had turned her brain to mush. She was just as confused now as she’d been then.
David came out of his house across the street, and her thoughts cleared. Of him, she was still certain. “Happy Halloween!” she called.
“Hey,” he said. “What are you doing?”
“Waiting for the trick-or-treaters.” She’d thought she’d have had more by now. Actually, she’d hoped to have at least one. The official time for trick-or-treating had started half an hour ago, but nobody had dropped by. The children she’d seen coming up the street had turned around before they’d gotten to her house.
David’s footsteps slowed. “You might not get any.”
Callie felt a pang of disappointment. “Why?”
He shrugged. “Because.”
She rolled her eyes. “Could you be a little more specific?”
“Because they don’t normally come out here.” He reached into his pocket for his keys. “You might have better luck if you brought your candy out to the sidewalk.”
“Really? That’s not a half-bad idea.” Her house had been big and scary for a long time. She grabbed the big plastic pumpkin she’d filled with treats and carefully navigated the porch steps. The long black skirt she was wearing made walking interesting. The long slit seemed to catch even the slightest puff of wind. Between it and her high heels, it made the walk to the front sidewalk take twice as long.
She looked down the street. She had the good stuff—strictly chocolate. There weren’t any cheap knockoffs in the bunch. She wasn’t about to be labeled as the lady with bad treats, not on her first Halloween in town.
“Nice costume,” David said as he opened his car door.
Callie adjusted the cape that was tied around her neck. The thing was going to strangle her before the night was over, but Alice had already told her that she wouldn’t be let into the party if she wasn’t wearing a costume. Looking down, she decided she’d just have to suffer. There was no way she was taking the cape off.
“I was hoping they’d have a bunny rabbit or something more mundane,” she admitted.
“It wouldn’t matter. You could make a bunny look hot.”
Callie felt her cheeks flush. Ever since Carter had insinuated that David had a crush on her, she’d been self-conscious around him. Poor kid. He hadn’t done anything wrong.
“Where are you going?” she asked.
“Out.”
Of course, “out.” Where else did teenagers go?
“Do you want a Hershey bar or something? I have a feeling I’m going to be eating this stuff for weeks.”
“Sure, I’ll take one.”
She pulled a candy bar out of her pumpkin and tossed it to him. “Have fun.”
“Thanks. See ya.” The Thunderbird rumbled when he turned the key in the ignition. He nodded at her one last time and revved the engine before pulling away.
Once he was gone, the street felt lonely... and kind of eerie. It was starting to get dark, but Callie couldn’t see any pirates or dinosaurs as she peered down the street. She rubbed the goosebumps on her arm to fight the chill in the air. She hoped that David was wrong. She’d gain ten pounds if she had to eat all this candy alone.
“Come on, kiddies.”
“Trick—”
She spun around.
Carter stopped dead in his tracks. “—or treat,” he said slowly.
Callie’s gaze darted down, and she gasped. Her cape had flown open. She hurriedly pulled it back into place. “Don’t sneak up on me like that!”
His gaze didn’t move, and she looked down to make sure the cape was in place. It was, but he was looking at her like he had X-ray vision.
“Elvira?” he asked, his voice raspy.
Her face flared with heat. “It was all they had left at the costume shop in Pittsfield. It was either this or a Teletubby.”
“Good choice.”
His gaze finally slid up to her face, and the heat in her cheeks spread. She folded her arms around her waist. The dress was way more revealing than she’d thought when she’d rented it. “What are you doing here, Carter? Where did you come from?”
“I’m parked a block over. I’ve been doing some foot patrol to make sure we don’t have any pranksters going too far.”
She glanced at the walking path along the tree line where many of her neighbors liked to hike.
“You’ve been avoiding me, Miz Callie.”
Her chin came up. Well, why didn’t he just dive right in? “I haven’t been avoiding you. I’ve been busy.”
“I noticed. I haven’t seen your car speeding through town for days.”
Her fingers curled around the handle of the pumpkin. She shouldn’t have to explain herself to him, but she felt compelled to say something. She didn’t want him thinking that one little kiss had sent her hiding.
Okay. One major, toe-curling kiss.
“I’ve started working on my column again.”
“Your column? That’s the excuse you’re going with?” A corner of his mouth twitched. “Okay, here’s one for you, Quick Kate. How can a dress defy the laws of physics?”
The dress was formfitting, with a neckline cut way too low. Apparently, he’d gotten an eyeful. “None of your business,” she mumbled.
“I don’t seem to remember Elvira wearing a cape.”
Why had she chosen the Mistress of the Dark? What was wrong with a purple Teletubby? It was a perfectly acceptable children’s show. Family friendly. “It’s the cape or no dress at all.”
“Now that would be illegal.”
She flushed. “I meant—”
“I know what you meant.” His eyes sparked, but he turned to look at the house. He was standing so close that his shoulder brushed against hers. It made her even more aware of him. She could smell the pine trees he’d passed on the trail and feel the heat his body generated.
Callie hated how flustered she was, but she didn’t know how to act around him anymore. Things had been so much simpler when they’d been rivals. Or uncertain friends. This attraction that had forced its way to the forefront ignored all the rules they’d agreed to follow.
“The place looks good,” he said.
She softened. He might as well have complimented her newborn baby. She looked at the house in satisfaction. The change in the place was really something, she had to admit. The new paint job was like a facelift, and the blue trim around the windows added some pizzazz. The porch had taken a while to repair, but it was her favorite part of the house. Her swing was there, and once spring rolled around, she’d hang planters full of flowers. The house was almost as she’d pictured it when she’d pulled into the driveway her first day here.
“David helped.” She pretended not to notice the way Carter’s jaw flexed. “We just reattached the last of the shutters yesterday.”
And one had squeaked throughout the night. At least, that was what she’d told herself the sound was.
“Any trouble?” he asked.
Callie stiffened. There it was, the real reason why he was here. It was Halloween, and he was checking up on David. “Why must you always assume there’s going to be trouble?”
“Because with the two of you, there usually is.” He planted his hands on his hips. “I see that his car is gone. Do you know where he went?”
“Out.”
Carter shrugged. “I’m sure he’ll be called in by someone before the night is done. Knowing him, he’ll be blowing up jack-o’-lanterns somewhere.”
“Oh, stop it. He will not.”
“Want to bet that cape on it?”
Callie bit her lip. She wasn’t that sure. Her fingers curled in to the heavy cloak. “I’m going to Alice’s party,” she said, by way of explanation.
His eyebrows lifted. “Make sure I don’t have to come get you, too.”
Callie could feel his gaze like a touch, but she couldn’t tell if he was making fun of her or not. He was adjusting to the change in their dynamics better than she was. “Are you going?” she asked.
“I’m on duty until late tonight.”
“That’s too bad.”
“Tell me about it.”
She looked down into her pumpkin and began organizing the candy. She needed something to do. “How’s the search for Morton going?”
“Don’t ask.” She caught her breath when he reached into the pumpkin and pulled out a bite-sized 3 Musketeers bar. The wrapper crinkled as he opened it. “It’s not a good subject.”
“You don’t have anything new?”
“The task force has had a few leads, but none of them have panned out.”
He looked even more tired than he had the last time she’d seen him. There were shadows underneath his eyes, his hair was rumpled, and he was rolling his shoulder in that uncomfortable way that told her it was tight again. Her hold on her candy tightened. The need to take care of him was strong. “You should take a vacation. You need to get away from that case.”
“I’ll take a vacation once he’s behind bars again.”
They needed to find the man first. It unnerved her to think Morton could be anywhere, with his soulless eyes and ruthless mouth.
The sound of laughter and excited chatter suddenly filled the air. Callie perked up and spun around. A group of candy seekers was running down the street toward her.
“Trick or treat!”
She couldn’t help it; the expressions on the kids’ faces made her laugh. They stampeded toward her with their eyes big on the house. They stuck together in a tight group, and she realized that they were in on some kind of a dare.
“That’s more like it,” Carter said only a few inches from her ear.
She could feel his body heat warming her back. “Like what?” she said as she handed candy to a hairy blue monster.
“You’re smiling.”
His breath stirred her hair, and her stomach flipped. It was hard to smile around him. Whenever he got close to her, she felt uptight. Wound up. It had been that way from the very beginning.
The trick-or-treaters moved on, and she turned uncertainly to face him. Without warning, a gust of wind caught her cape and threw it over her shoulder. She grabbed for it, but he caught it first. Her heart jumped against her ribcage when he slowly pulled it back into place. His fingers trailed over her skin as he smoothed it over her chest.
“I’ve got to get going,” he said quietly. A muscle ticked in his temple as he looked at her, but he took a step back. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a pad of paper and pencil. He scribbled a note, ripped off a page, and handed it to her. “Sooner or later, you’re going to have to face up to that kiss.”
Her heart rate zoomed into the red zone.
“What’s this?” Her fingers brushed his as she took the note.
Only it wasn’t a note.
“Another ticket? Are you kidding me?”
A slow, heated grin spread across his face. “If that isn’t indecent exposure, I don’t know what is.”
Callie looked down at herself. Not only was her cape wide open, her skirt was flapping around like bat wings, displaying a good amount of thigh. Her face flamed, and she whipped her cape closed.
Carter smiled as he backed away from her. It was the first true smile he’d given her, and her belly dropped.
“Is this real?” she asked, waving the ticket in the air.
“It is if those are.”
Callie lowered her arm and threw him a glare. “You... You...”
“Feed your trick-or-treaters,” he said, laughing as he turned. “And don’t take that cape off for anyone but me.”
* * *
IT WAS LATE WHEN CALLIE pulled her car into the driveway. The wind had picked up over the hours, and she fought with her cape as she got out of her car. It was flapping around like it wanted to take flight. The air felt so good, she finally gave up and let it go.
“Ah,” she said with relief. Sensing her presence, the motion detector light she’d had installed on the garage came on.
She’d had fun at Alice’s house but hadn’t found the guts to take off the cape. Having Carter see her was one thing. Strutting around wearing half a dress in front of the whole town was another.
She tugged at the long black wig she’d added to complete the ensemble. It had been a mistake. She shook her hair free and closed her eyes as the wind cooled her scalp. It was a wonder she hadn’t passed out from heat exhaustion.
Other than nearly sweating to death, she’d had a blast at the party. Everyone was celebrating, from the toddlers to the octogenarians. She’d even met the elusive Sherman. It was hard to tell if she’d ever be able to identify Alice’s husband again, though, because he’d been dressed as a Hell’s Angel, complete with dark sunglasses, a bandana, and leather chaps.
The wind started to bring cold drops of rain with it as she hurried up the steps. She’d just let herself inside when the sky opened up and it began to rain in earnest. She hit the light switch, but jumped when the wind caught the front door and slammed it shut.
Her heart gave a start, but she turned the lock. She pulled back the curtain and watched the rain smack against the window. She was glad she’d decided to come home when she did. She hated to think what the Elvira dress might look like soaking wet.
“Like a wet seal,” she muttered.
With a relieved sigh, she untied the noose from around her neck and let the cape drop onto a chair. She ruffled her hair as she walked into the living room. Her reflection in the mirror caught her eye, and she paused to look at herself.
Her breasts warmed when she remembered how Carter had stared—and his question about how the dress stayed in place.
Suddenly, she couldn’t stand the thing one minute longer.
Reaching under the material, she pulled at the double-sided tape. It had been tickling ever since he’d drawn her attention to it. Kicking off her heels, she walked to her bedroom. She worked the dress down over her hips and let it drop to her feet. It looked harmless when she laid it on the bed, but looks could be deceiving. That dress had a mind of its own, and a one-track mind at that.
All it said was sex, sex, sex, sex, sex...
She headed down the hall to the shower and sighed when the spray hit her. She let the water sluice down her body until goosebumps popped up on her skin. It was only then that she turned up the heat and reached for the soap. Ten minutes later, she stepped out of the shower feeling warm and sleepy... and still a bit turned-on. She heard the wind whipping outside. It was a good night to curl up under the covers.
Nobody needed to know what she did there.
She was reaching for her towel when the room went black.
She experienced a full-body flinch before she heard the wind again. “Damn,” she whispered.
Was the power out everywhere or had she blown a fuse? Her fingers brushed against terrycloth. She yanked the towel from its rack and wrapped it around herself. The pitch darkness in the tiny bathroom made it impossible to see anything. Groping around, she finally found the door handle. More darkness greeted her as she opened the door to the hallway. “Great,” she said as she began to shiver. “Just great.”
Uneasiness prickled the back of her neck. Where had she put that flashlight? She remembered unpacking it. The nightstand. It was in the nightstand by the bed.
Her eyes were having trouble adjusting. With the rain falling outside, clouds covered the moon. There wasn’t much natural light to guide her. Her heart beat fast as she shuffled along, inch by inch.
She made it into her bedroom okay but grunted when her shin bumped into the footboard of her bed. She felt her way along its side until she encountered the nightstand. She prayed for decent batteries as she pulled the flashlight from the drawer. A stream of light hit the wall when she pushed the button, and she sighed with relief.
She’d been trying to fight it, but the darkness had unnerved her. Water dripped from her wet hair onto her shoulders, and goosebumps ran down her back. She wasn’t certain, but she’d bet money that the fuse box was in the basement.
“Of course it is.”
Once a week, she forced herself to do laundry, but outside of that, she avoided going down those steps. There was just something about the cellar that made her nervous.
And it wasn’t the mice she’d hopefully exterminated.
Quickly, she toweled off and blotted the wetness from her hair. She used her flashlight to find her robe. She belted it tightly around her waist before squaring her shoulders and heading for the hall.
Was the whole neighborhood out? She moved in the direction of the living room, hoping she could see through the front window to the Hughes house, but she moved too quickly.
“Ow!” Her toe mashed against the baseboard hard. The flashlight dropped from her hand as she doubled over in pain. She grabbed her toe, but it throbbed so badly that it brought tears to her eyes. After an interminable time, she set her foot on the floor and gingerly let it take her weight.
When she was sure she could walk, she looked for the flashlight. It had rolled several feet away. She bent to pick it up, but another light at the end of the hallway caught her eye.
She looked up at it and froze.
Something was moving.
Toward her.
She stumbled backward, but heavy footsteps in the kitchen suddenly split her attention. Her head snapped to the side, but she couldn’t see through the wall. Her gaze darted back to the blob of light. It was halfway down the hallway when it began to take form.
A woman. It was an old woman.
Callie opened her mouth to scream, but nothing came out.
The hazy apparition lifted a withered hand and pointed at her.
“Run, Calina. Run!”
This time, the scream ripped from Callie’s lips. She scrambled backward and collided with a table. The sharp corner dug into her back, but she pushed it out of the way. It tumbled over with a bang. She spun toward the entryway, but her feet slipped on the hardwood floor.
A floorboard in the kitchen creaked. She risked a glance over her shoulder. The old woman hovered a foot above the ground.
“Run!” she yelled.
Callie’s mouth dropped open when the woman, or apparition, or whatever it was just melted through the wall.
“God. Oh, God!” She fell against the door, and her fingers were clumsy as she fought with the lock. It gave way, and she lurched down the front steps.
Rain pelted her, but she didn’t even notice it. All she knew was she had to get away. Air rasped harshly in her lungs as she ran. She didn’t know where she was going, but she spotted David getting out of his car across the street.
“David!”
The teenager spun around.
“Help me,” she said, sobbing as her feet pounded against the cement. She launched herself at him, and he caught her.
“Callie! What’s wrong?”
“The house! I saw something in my house!”
His gaze landed like a laser on her front door. She could feel the muscles in his body clench.
“It was... a woman.” She clenched handfuls of his T-shirt in both fists. “But... You’ve got to believe me. I could see right through her.”
He finally understood. She knew the precise moment, because his face went pale. He swallowed hard. “What should I do?”
He wanted her to tell him?
“Carter,” she said without even thinking. She bit her lower lip and risked a glance at the house. It chilled her to the bone. “Call Carter.”
* * *
ADRENALINE PUMPED THROUGH Carter’s veins as he drove across town with the siren blaring and lights flashing. His foot dropped a little harder on the pedal, and he had to force himself to slow down as he came to the town square. The streets were wet, but, as it was, he took the turn on nearly two wheels.
Something had happened at the Calhoun house. Callie’s house. He didn’t know quite what, but it must have been bad. David Hughes had called him.
Tires skidded as he braked to a stop in front of the Hughes place. He jammed the transmission into park and hopped out of the cruiser. David answered before he could knock on the door, and Carter spotted Callie in the front room. She was sitting in an easy chair, dressed in her robe. Her hair was wet, and her feet were bare.
At least she didn’t look as if she were hurt.
Some of the tension left his shoulders, but it all came back with a punch when she turned those chocolate eyes of hers on him. He walked to her. The paleness of her skin made him uneasy. She looked like she’d had the life scared out of her. Again.
“What happened?” He crouched on his haunches in front of her.
She looked at him with wide eyes and pressed her lips together. He looked at David.
“She saw something in the house.”
Carter took a second to evaluate the kid. He looked as if he were ready to jump out of his skin. “What do you mean, ‘something’? Did the intruder come back?”
David shook his head. “She’ll have to tell you. You won’t believe me.”
There was a knock on the door. When David pulled it open, Bill was standing there, his expression stern.
“I’m just trying to find out what we’re up against,” Carter said. He looked back at Callie. She looked as if she were trying to pull herself together, and he reached out to catch her hand. “What happened? You’ve got to tell me so I can do something about it.”
She took a ragged breath, and he got a bad feeling in his gut.
“Come on, honey.”
She clutched at his hand. “I was taking a shower. The lights went out, so I grabbed a flashlight. I was going to find the fuse box.”
Bill looked over his shoulder. “It’s the only place on the block without power.”
“I never made it there,” she said, her voice hitching.
“Take it slow,” Carter said. He wove his fingers through hers and their palms sealed together.
Her teeth worried her lower lip. “When I came out into the hallway, it was so dark. I stubbed my toe and dropped the flashlight. When I reached to pick it up, I noticed...”
Carter felt his hackles go up. “Go on.”
“I noticed another light.” Her grip tightened. “When I looked down the hallway, I saw someone. It was a woman.”
“Could you describe her?”
A nervous laugh came out of her lips, and she clapped a hand over her mouth. “I don’t think I’ll ever forget her.”
Bill shifted his weight in the doorway. “Female burglars are rare.”
“It wasn’t a burglar,” David said quietly.
Carter’s jaw clenched. If the kid said what he thought he was going to say, he was going to drag him out of here by his ears.
“It was Adelaide,” the teen said, plunging in headfirst. “She saw Adelaide Calhoun.”