She continued to smile back at him, unperturbed.
It was nothing but a picture. A picture that had somehow haunted his sleep. Just his subconscious, he told himself. And yet he couldn’t escape the thought that the house—or at least the ghosts of the past that haunted it—was urging him to solve the mystery.
He began to study the paintings of the long-ago Flynns, pausing at one of a beautiful woman in a white gown with tiny roses embroidered on it. The little plaque at the bottom identified her as Fiona MacFarlane Flynn but “Flynn” had been etched on in a different and more primitive hand. Curious.
He remembered seeing the woman’s elaborate tomb in the graveyard, but the inscription there said only Fiona MacFarlane. He recalled that she was the one who had died jumping off the balcony. For some reason, he touched the painting, and as he stared at it, he had the odd sense that someone was standing behind him.
As he swung around swiftly, his peripheral vision seemed to catch a shadow just disappearing into the kitchen.
He followed, determined to find out if someone else was in the house.
The kitchen was empty.
It must have been a workman.
But the back door was locked, and the remaining workmen were all outside, packing up their tools for the night.
Obviously, he told himself, he hadn’t actually seen anyone, and no one had been standing behind him.
And if there were shadows in this house and they were human—and those voodoo dolls had definitely been left by human hands—they were in trouble. Because he was going to be wearing the Colt on his person at all times from now on.
17
The aquarium was done up in black and orange, since it was October and Halloween was coming, but none of the decorations were scary. The pumpkins all wore happy grins, and the only witches present were good witches, dressed in bright colors with cute hats. They were played by volunteers from the local colleges, and they were serving punch and special snacks for the kids. Since children were welcome guests tonight, there were many in attendance.
The city was represented by employees from every department. The band the radio station had brought in was good, though, in Kendall’s opinion, not nearly as good as the Stakes, and Vinnie agreed.
They were standing by a tank displaying hundreds of tiny octopi. Vinnie was mournfully watching the band, while Mason was watching a pretty young blonde. Kendall was watching Aidan, who was deep in conversation with a man with slicked-back dark hair and his Kewpie-doll companion. Frowning, she tried to place the man, who looked naggingly familiar.
As she stood there, Kendall felt a nudge and heard someone say, “Hey there, girl.”
She turned. It was Rebecca. “Hey, yourself.”
“We dress up pretty good, huh?” Rebecca said.
“I didn’t know you were coming,” Kendall said with pleasure.
“Honey, I’m not sure all these people would be thrilled to know that half the morgue is here,” Rebecca told her, grinning.
“Is Miss Ady here, too?” Kendall asked.
“No, this is too much bash—and too many young children running around—for my mama these days. No, I’m here as a supportive civil servant. And what are you three doing, moping around here like a trio of logs? Let’s get on that floor and dance.”
“Why, Rebecca, what an idea,” Mason said approvingly. “Think you can dance me over to that blonde?”
“I’ll do my best,” she promised.
“I guess that leaves you and me,” Vinnie said to Kendall.
“Oh, cheer up, we’re good together,” Kendall said, and laughed. “Remember Miss Louisa’s Cotillion for Young Southern Citizens?”
“I do,” he said, groaning.
They headed for the floor, and she realized she enjoyed dancing with Vinnie. Before the number ended, though, Aidan cut in.
“Having fun?” he asked her.
“Yes. Well, except for when Vinnie is whining about the band.”
Aidan laughed. “The Stakes are better.”
“It seems like a huge success.”
“It is. Jeremy is thrilled.”
“That’s who it is!” Kendall said suddenly, noticing the dark-haired man over Aidan’s shoulder and finally placing him.
“Who who is?” Aidan asked her.
“Dr. Abel. He looks terrific in a tux. I’ve only ever seen him with his hair wild, his glasses halfway down his nose and wearing a lab coat. I’ve met him a few times, but I’ve never seen him cleaned up. He’s not half so creepy like this.”
Aidan grinned. “Maybe not so creepy, but he’s still a jerk. Doesn’t matter. Thanks to Rebecca, I’ve got Jonas stepping in to tell him that the Feds are taking over. The bones are going to some experts up in the D.C. area. I’m going to pick them up on Monday and oversee the transfer myself, along with a dried blood scraping and a dress that I hope will produce some skin flakes.”
Before she could reply, Rebecca was cutting in on her. “Excuse me, there’s a fox-trot coming up, and this man looks like a fox to me.”