The Curse Breakers Read online

“We always have.” I hugged her again and stood up. “I’ll be able to help out more at the inn until the restaurant reopens.”

  “You don’t have to.”

  “I know, but I want to. The inn’s part mine too.”

  The reminder looked like it pained her. Not because she didn’t want to share the ownership, but because it made her think about all the money I’d scraped together over the last couple of years to keep the bed and breakfast afloat.

  “How have you been doing without working these past couple of weeks?” She looked worried. “Any word on when the New Moon is going to reopen?”

  I sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly. The restaurant I worked at had been closed for two weeks because the manager had been found dead. “No. But Tom Helmsworth thinks all these mysterious deaths have something to do with me.”

  Her eyes widened in alarm. “Are you in trouble?”

  I gave a quick shake of my head. “No. If anything, he’s worried about me.”

  Fear flickered in her eyes. “Is everything okay?”

  My mouth lifted into a tight smile. “Of course.”

  Myra had never believed in the curse. It had been pretty much the one and only long-standing argument between her and Daddy, especially when he tried to goad me into relearning everything I’d forgotten after my mother’s death. But on the night of Daddy’s death, Myra had seen Okeus’s messenger spirit—the one who had come to try to take Daddy’s soul. She had seen enough to make her a believer.

  “They’re going to have to replace Marlena with a new manager.” My voice broke and I forced the hurt back down. Marlena was dead because of me. Just like Dwight, a guy I’d dated a few times, and Lila, one of the waitresses who’d worked with me. When I let the truth of their deaths sink deep down, I nearly collapsed with the guilt. But I reminded myself that I was just as much a victim as they were. I had never asked for this. Collin had just thrust it upon me. Their deaths weren’t on my head. They were on his. “I don’t know when they’ll reopen. But I can pick up hours on the lunch shift at Darrell’s Restaurant if I need money. They get all that courthouse business, and they’re busier than ever with the reappearance of the Lost Colony. They told me I had a job there if I want it.”

  “You can always move back home, Ellie.”

  “I know.” But I’d probably live on the street before I did that.

  “I should be home in time to relieve the caregiver . . .” Her voice became tight and then trailed off.

  I squeezed her shoulder. I knew what she’d been about to say: she should be home in time to relieve Daddy’s caregiver. It had been her routine for two years. It was hard to forget something so deeply ingrained.

  Myra’s gaze turned to the picture window along the back wall of her office, following the neighbor’s dog, a big golden retriever that was chasing a squirrel in the yard. At least one dog was still running around on the island. “I tell myself that he’s happier now. He hated losing his mind piece by piece. He was one of the most intelligent men I’ve ever met.” She smiled as tears slid down her cheeks. “On my first day as a part-time park ranger, I was so nervous to meet him. He was the head ranger and renowned for his knowledge of the colony. I thought he’d be intimidating. But he was so nice, and there was something about him . . .” She laughed softly. “You probably don’t want to hear this.”

  “I do.” I forced down the lump in my throat. “I like to remember what he was like before his memories began to fade.”

  “Your mother had been gone a couple of years, but I could still see the pain in his eyes. It was like he’d lost part of himself.” She paused for several seconds. “I never once thought I could replace your mother . . . I was just grateful to be part of his life.” She looked up at me with a shaky smile. “And yours. I don’t want to lose you too, Ellie.”

  I hugged her again, my tears breaking through the dam. “I love you, Myra. Like I said, I’m not going anywhere.”

  Myra’s friend Becky appeared in the doorway. “I’m sorry to bother you, Myra, but there’s a police officer here who wants to talk to you.”

  Her eyes widened in concern as she pulled away from me. “Do you think this is about you?”

  I squeezed her arms. “It’s probably Tom. I promise he doesn’t think I killed anyone. This is his way of looking out for me. We went to school together, remember? Claire’s sister dated him when Claire and I were freshman. I think it makes him feel kind of responsible for me since Daddy’s gone.”

  She nodded, wiping her tears. “What should I tell him?”

  “Tell him the truth, except for the part about the curse, of course. You didn’t believe the curse until a couple of weeks ago anyway. Just tell him what happened and how you saw things before you learned the truth.”

  “What about Collin?”

  My back stiffened. “Tell Tom the truth about that too.”

  “But it might look bad for him.”

  I shrugged, pretending not to care. “Then he brought it on himself.”

  I walked into the small kitchen, passing Becky, and poured a cup of coffee and then took it out into the great room. As I’d suspected, Tom was sitting there waiting. Dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, he was perched on the arm of a leather sofa, staring at an old family portrait on the wall. It was of Daddy, Myra, and me and was taken when I was in the eighth grade.

  “Long time no see, Tom.”

  He turned toward me. “You look tired, Ellie.”

  Lifting my shoulders in a half shrug, I gave him a wry smile. “Busy night.” I held the cup out to him. “When did you become a plainclothes policeman?”

  Laughing, he stood and took the coffee. “I’m here unofficially. Your keys were in the ignition of your car, so I drove it to the parking lot of your apartment. When you didn’t answer the door, I decided to bring the keys here. I figured I might as well ask Myra a few questions while I was at it.”

  “You might have mentioned that to Becky. You just about gave Myra a coronary.”

  Cringing, he took a sip of the coffee. “Sorry about that.” Tom walked toward the photo. “I used to envy you, you know.”

  “Me? Why?”

  “Your dad was awesome. Mine was never around, but the summer when I dated Melanie, your dad always made a point of talking to me. Like he was really interested in me as a person.”

  I reached out and stroked Daddy’s smiling face with the tip of my index finger. “I’m sure he was. That’s who he was . . . at least until he got sick.”

  “I bet you didn’t know I got in trouble that summer. I was caught vandalizing the school.”

  I whipped my head around in surprise. “You?”

  He hung his head, a sheepish grin on his face. “Yeah. I went through a rebellious patch. Got in with those Morris boys; they were nothing but trouble. I was about to get kicked off the football team, but your dad was on the school board and he spoke up on my behalf. I got that football scholarship to UNC because of him. Without him I never would have gotten my criminal justice degree.”

  I turned back to look at Daddy’s smiling face again. “I didn’t know.”

  “He never made a big deal out of it. That’s just the kind of guy he was.” He shifted his weight. “So now I feel like I owe it to him to make sure you’re okay.”

  “I’m fine, Tom. You won’t find me in the gardens again.”

  “It’s not just that, Ellie. I can tell that you’re in some kind of danger.”

  “I’m not. I assure you.” I hated lying, but I saw no other way around it. “Questioning Myra is only going to upset her more.”

  Tom didn’t look convinced.

  “Fine,” I lowered my voice. “Talk to her, but promise that you’ll be gentle. She looks like she’s handling all of this well, but I suspect she’s hiding most of her pain from me.”

  “I wouldn’t dream of hurting her.”

  “I know.” I dropped my hold on him. “I’ve got work to do. Thanks for sharing that story about Daddy with me.”


  “You’re welcome. I suspect there’s a lot more stories about your dad that you’ve never heard before.”

  I suspected he was right. If only some of them could help me now.

  CHAPTER THREE

  After Myra left, I went outside and called the phone number listed on the university’s web page and confirmed with a departmental assistant that Dr. Preston would have office hours from one until three. Which meant that if Claire and I left between nine thirty and ten, we’d have at least an hour to spare. I called her and arranged to pick her up at ten.

  After changing the linens and starting the laundry, I told Becky that I needed to leave for the day. She was used to my sporadic schedule and didn’t say a word, but I had to wonder if she was getting tired of all my slacking lately.

  Claire and I were on the road by ten, crossing the Virginia Dare Bridge to the mainland.

  “This marsh gives me the creeps,” Claire mumbled, hunched down in the passenger seat.

  “What are you talking about? We have marshes all over Manteo.” I was just grateful I wasn’t feeling the usual anxiety that troubled me when I left the island.

  “I know, but something about this stuff doesn’t feel right.”

  The reeds growing along the side of the highway looked exactly like the marshland on our island, but I had to admit that Claire was right. Something about it set my nerves on edge. I couldn’t help wondering if some of the spirits had hidden here, lying in wait as they preyed on squirrels and salamanders, growing stronger.

  I shuddered. This is what my life had become—a constant battle with enemies, real and imagined.

  We stopped a couple hours later and grabbed some deli sandwiches to eat on the way. The closer we got to the university, the more nervous I became.

  “Do you know what you’re going to say?” Claire asked.

  “I don’t know. I can’t tell him the truth, obviously.”

  “I agree. You can’t be in my wedding in a couple of weeks if you’re locked up in the psychiatric ward at the Outer Banks Hospital. Then I’d have to move Melanie up as maid of honor, and all that fighting will have been for nothing.”

  “I still feel bad that you and Melanie fought over me being your maid of honor.”

  “Hey, it’s my wedding. That’s something I get to choose. You and I are much closer than she and I will ever be.”

  “Hmm . . .” I twisted my lips together as I thought about it. “Do you remember when Melanie dated Tom Helmsworth?”

  She rolled her eyes. “I think he’s spent the past nine years trying to forget it. She treated him like crap.”

  “He came by the B&B to talk to Myra today.”

  Claire sat up and grabbed the dashboard. “About you? He’s really making the rounds, huh?”

  “Yeah. He drove my car back to my apartment from the Elizabethan Gardens, and he was bringing her the keys since I wasn’t home. He was actually off duty . . . He told me he felt a responsibility to watch over me.”

  Her eyebrows shot up. “You think Tom has a thing for you?”

  I shook my head. “No, it’s not like that. He said Daddy helped him when he was in high school. He got into trouble and was almost kicked off the football team, but Daddy spoke up for him. He said he wouldn’t have gone to college and gotten his criminal justice degree without his football scholarship. He feels like he owes it to Daddy to make sure I’m okay.”

  “Wow. I had no idea.”

  “Me neither.” I sighed. “But that means he feels a personal connection to this whole thing, so he might not back down. I’m going to have to convince him I’m okay . . . I don’t want him to get hurt.”

  “You have to admit that you could use some help since Collin’s hiding from you.”

  “Tom wouldn’t be of much help, Claire. It takes two Keepers to send a spirit or god to Popogusso.”

  “But you said Collin thought you could probably send the minor ones back on your own.”

  “But I don’t even know how to do that. I don’t know anything.”

  “We can look through your dad’s things again. See if we can find the notes he says he wrote down. Maybe there’s something in there about what to do in the case of an absentee Keeper.”

  “Yeah . . .” Daddy had recognized Okeus’s mark. Maybe he had Ahone’s mark written down somewhere. Still, we’d been through his office and his old bedroom three times without turning up anything. If there were notes somewhere, they had been hidden well. My current hopes were pinned on the professor at UNC. He couldn’t know about the curse, but I hoped he’d know Ahone’s symbol. And maybe he had enough knowledge about the gods and spirits to at least help me understand the nightmare I was facing.

  It was after two when we arrived at the UNC campus and found a place on the street to park.

  “Are you sure he’s here?” Claire asked as we walked through the campus bookstore toward Greenlaw Hall. “This place looks like a ghost town.”

  “I called this morning and his secretary told me he had office hours from one to three. He’s in office 232.”

  “Did you get an appointment?”

  “No, she said it was first come, first serve.” My stomach knotted.

  “Do you have a plan?”

  “I was just going to wing it.”

  “Excuse me, Dr. Preston,” Claire mimicked. “My name is Ellie Lancaster and I need you to help me send Okeus back to hell before he tortures me for four hundred years.”

  “Not helping.” But she was right. I should have come up with something better than that. “He’s the head of his department. He’s bound to be an old guy. I’m sure he’s dealt with all kinds of crazy questions.”

  “Yeah, which is bound to make him cranky.”

  Crap. I hadn’t considered that. We were already inside the small lobby of Greenlaw. I stopped and took a deep breath.

  Claire stopped too and looked me up and down. “Well, you’ve got a damsel-in-distress look about you. When all else fails, go for the pretty, helpless girl act. How can he resist? You’ll have the old fart eating out of your hand.”

  “Shut up, Claire.” I tugged up the neckline of my T-shirt to show less cleavage, then tugged down my above-the-knee cotton skirt. “I want this to be a professional conversation.”

  “Then you should have tried to look frumpier, not that I’ve ever seen you look frumpy.”

  “You think I look slutty?”

  “God, no. I’ve never seen you look slutty either. You’re a pretty girl, Ellie. Guys notice, even if you ignore them most of the time.”

  “I’m not here to get a date. I’m here to hopefully save my life . . . and the rest of humanity.” That made me think of Collin, and a wave of pain flowed through my body, anger fast on its heels. I had thought we were saving humanity then, when in fact we’d been condemning it. I didn’t have time to think about Collin right now. Fucking asshole.

  We climbed the stairs to the second floor, still without seeing anyone. I wiped my sweaty palms on my skirt and sucked in a deep breath.

  “Two thirty-two.” Claire pointed toward a door several feet away. It stood ajar and voices were coming from inside the office. “Do you want me to come inside with you?”

  “No. I need to do this myself.” I tried to slow my racing heart. Why had I not come up with a better plan—or any plan at all?

  “Okay, I’m going to look up ideas for the centerpieces for my reception on Pinterest while I’m waiting down there pretending I don’t know you.” She pointed toward the end of the hall, raising her phone. “Hallelujah for smartphones.”

  “I’ll find you when I’m done.”

  She walked past the door and peeked inside before glancing over her shoulder at me with an amused grin.

  What did that mean?

  Just as I was about to knock on the door, a girl shot out of the room, tears streaming down her face. My heart kick-started as I watched her rush toward the stairs.

  “Are you going to just bloody stand there or are you coming
in?” a gruff voice asked from inside the office. The door was now gaping open.

  My head whipped around to face the speaker, and I tried to hide my surprise. Dr. David Preston didn’t even begin to resemble the fusty old professor I’d imagined. The man standing at his desk had to be in his thirties, with dark brown hair and a handsome face. He was tall and even though he had on a long-sleeve dress shirt, it was obvious he didn’t have a beer belly. And his accent suggested he was British.

  “Well . . . ?” he asked, looking exasperated as he stuffed several overflowing folders into a messenger bag.

  Why couldn’t he be a freaking old fart?

  “I need to ask you a few questions.”

  He kept his eyes on his bag as he closed the flap. “Sorry, but my Introduction to Native American Cultures classes for the fall are full, and I’m not approving any additional students. You’ll just have to get on the waiting list like all the others, although last I heard, the list is quite lengthy.”

  The English accent was throwing me. Talk about a contradiction. An Englishman who specialized in Native American history.

  He was staring at me, waiting for an answer. “That’s not why I’m here.” But I understood why there was a waiting list. Dr. David Preston was like a real-life Indiana Jones. Only hotter. And British.

  His eyebrows rose. “You don’t look familiar. Are you a history major?”

  “No, actually, I’m not a student here at all.”

  His shoulders relaxed. “Oh, then my apologies. Over the last two weeks, I’ve been barraged with requests from female undergrads begging to get into my classes. I’ve heard every excuse under the sun, so forgive me for assuming you were in the same position.” He slung his bag over his shoulder and moved around the side of his desk.

  “That’s okay. Are you leaving? Your secretary said you had office hours until three.”

  “Usually I do, but I’m going on a research trip tomorrow, and I’m leaving early today to take care of some personal business.”

  Panic ate at my resolve. “I just drove four hours to see you, Dr. Preston. I really need to ask you a few questions about the Croatan Indians.”

  He looked surprised. “I’m honored that you drove all that way, but I don’t have much time to spare at the moment. Perhaps you could make an appointment for when I return to the school in August.” Walking to the door, he waited for me to follow him into the hall so that he could lock his office.