Last Vote by Stone Mary

Author:Stone, Mary [Stone, Mary]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Suspense, American Suspense, Police Procedural, Crime Thriller, Murder Investigation, FBI, Paranormal Suspense
Amazon: B0CYMZ6C81
Goodreads: 210205263
Publisher: Mary Stone Publishing
Published: 2024-07-25T04:00:00+00:00

19

On the rooftop, with flecks of cushion stuffing dotting his suit jacket, Rodney Carlson led them over to the locked door.

“Dog was a holy terror. I’ll be hearing about that one for months.” He swiped at his shoulder, knocking aside a small wad of stuffing.

“What do you know about this door?” Emma moved up to it and bent, eyeing the lock. Despite the rust along some of the door’s edges, the lock looked serviceable enough.

“Nothing.” Rodney shrugged, frowning at it. “I’ve only been up on this roof once.”

“When was that?”

“Two years ago. The parent corporation hosted a party for new hires at all four of their Boston hotels. I don’t even remember seeing this door, but they had the lounge area behind us screened off with all those ferns.” He pointed to the edge of the roof where Jimmy Conrad had been killed.

The ferns stood sentinel around the same three lounge chairs. Emma could still pick out the dark patch of gravel where Conrad’s blood had been spilled.

She was about to ask Rodney if he had a master key when the air grew tight around her and filled with cold. Emma shivered as she looked at Leo, whose expression went slack on seeing hers. She mouthed, Gimme a minute, and he nodded.

“Hey, Rodney, you know Boston better than me.” Leo gestured out at the skyline, eyes still on Emma. “Mind walking me over to the chair we think Jimmy was hanging out in? Maybe you’ll see something in the city he should’ve been focused on. Anything that stands out to you.”

Rodney walked away, Leo following. Emma’s lungs went lighter with relief. Goose bumps rose on her skin with the deepening cold of the Other, but they didn’t touch the rush of emotion warming her heart.

Leo believed her. One-hundred-and-ten percent, he believed her and just covered for her.

Don’t bask in it now, Emma girl. Figure out what you’re feeling first.

Emma focused on the door, crouching before the lock. The cold of the Other was as numbing as the worst D.C. winter mornings she’d experienced, but she forced herself to remain steady and still. The cold thickened as she rested a hand on the gravel. One way or another, they were going to have to get into this⁠—

A hand slid through the door, an inch from her foot, and Emma yelped and fell back on her ass.

Hurriedly, she scurried backward as a ghost began crawling through the door, inch by inch. She came to her senses as the full arm came into view, and Leo’s voice echoed out across the roof.

“You okay? Emma! You okay?”

“Yeah!” She breathed deep, fighting for calm, and looked toward the men to wave them off. “Just lost my balance! Must be shaky after all the caffeine I had today!”

Even from across the roof, Emma could see Rodney’s frown, but Leo had his attention back on the skyline an instant later.

She turned back to the ghost.

The girl’s whole front half was through the door now, crawling slowly with her head to the ground.

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