Waking the Dead by Kerry Blaisdell

Author:Kerry Blaisdell [Blaisdell, Kerry]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: adventure, archaeology, death/rebirth, demons, exotic location, family, ghosts, mafia, magical realism, paranormal, quirky, romance, Science Fiction &
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Published: 2019-04-19T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fourteen

“God help those who do not help themselves.”

~Wilson Mizner (1876-1933)

The ride back to town was tense to say the least. Whatever Jason uncovered in the Burkes’ library, he wouldn’t discuss in front of Geordi. Ditto for Eric, and the Wewelsburg rock. And Geordi kept reading out bits of the Grimm’s Fairy Tales.

Naturally, the gorier ones.

I mean, I know the House of Mouse glossed over the violence of the original stories they co-opted, but I had no idea how bloodthirsty those German brothers were. Or rather, their peasant sources, from whom they’d done their own co-opting.

“Listen to this one, Tata!” Geordi exclaimed for the umpteenth time. “‘Take the child out into the forest. I never want to lay eyes on her again. You are to kill her and bring me back her lungs and liver as proof of your deed.’”

“Uh—wow. What fairytale is that, sweetie?”

“Snow White.”

I swallowed a bubble of hysteria. Maybe I should worry less about Geordi’s demon blood, and more about his reading habits.

Jason sat moodily beside me, as did Eric in the backseat. Neither of them had heard a thing Geordi’d said, which just made me wonder more what they were thinking. I cleared my throat, and Jason frowned at me. What I had to say didn’t need to be kept from Geordi, so I launched into it. “Where are you staying?”

The frown deepened. “It doesn’t matter. Go back to your hotel, and I can walk home.”

“No, see, that’s the problem. There’s no room at the inn.” He still didn’t get it, so I swallowed my discomfort and spelled it out. “We don’t have anywhere to stay. The hotel is overbooked, and we thought we were heading home today.”

“Oh. You can stay with me. Sure, no problem.”

“All of us?” I nodded toward the back seat, where Geordi was now reading aloud to Eric, who also wasn’t paying attention to him. Or to us. Still, I lowered my voice and said to Jason, “We’re kind of a package deal.”

“Meaning?”

I shook my head, keeping my gaze on the road. Jeez. I didn’t want to spell that out, but it seemed he’d make me.

“What exactly is your relationship with Eric now?” His tone was bland, and his expression was so neutral, it was six shades of off-off-off-white.

“It’s…complicated.”

“Never mind. I get it. I have a tiny bit of demon blood, which is a total turn-off. But a dead guy—a cop, for Chrissake—makes you hot.”

I didn’t know whether to laugh or hit him. The sad thing was, they both made me hot. But I couldn’t tell Jason that, and even if I could, it didn’t make what he’d said okay.

We were at the outskirts of town, so I pulled off the highway at a side road and parked. I said to Eric and Geordi, “Give us a sec.”

Then I got out and waited while Jason unfolded from the passenger seat and came around the car to meet me. We stepped a few feet away on the grass and I faced him.

“You left. You lied to me, kidnapped my nephew, accused me of working for Satan, then vanished.

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