Demons Live Here by Karen Ann Hopkins

Author:Karen Ann Hopkins [Hopkins, Karen Ann]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-06-11T00:00:00+00:00

15

Iwalked through the yard holding a half-full mug of coffee in one hand and rubbing my eyes with the other. I was dressed and the horses were fed and that’s about all I could say.

Pausing beside the empty fountain, I stared at the clumps of dirt around the drain. It was on the Rankin brothers’ to-do list, but I doubted we’d see or hear the trickling of water in the shallow round pool until the following spring. Repairing the fountain wasn’t a necessity and if the list kept growing from things like falling chandeliers, those boys might never get around to it.

I sighed, then sipped the now cool liquid. Caffeine in any form was better than nothing. My gaze rose to the mansion. In the sunshine, listening to birds chirping and the breeze rustling through the trees, it seemed like a happy enough place—but I wasn’t fooled by the old gal. She held secrets and the events of last night had kept me up most of the night, tossing and turning in bed. Once I’d finally fallen asleep, choppy nightmares involving bloody quilts, shards of glass, and culminating with the entire Helena House being sucked into a massive sinkhole had terrorized me.

Dreams were just gibberish. Before my head even hit the pillow, Russo managed to convince me that simple science was to blame for the door slamming in the cellar. He led me into the kitchen and through the back door, which he left wide open. A minute later, when he closed the parlor door, the back door had indeed blown shut. Like he’d promised, the rush of air through the old house was enough to displace a door in another room. The experiment made me feel a little better and when I’d wished Russo a goodnight, I was at peace. But my awful dreams proved that my subconscious didn’t feel confident at all.

Lifting my face to the warm sunshine, I gazed out at the rocky hills until I found Mt. Shannon. For the first time in a while, I wondered how Sheriff Crawford was fairing in Wilkins County with the hippies in Laurel Camp. If there were any developments in his triple homicide case, he would have called me.

Sun beams caught every nook and cranny of the rugged terrain. Inhaling deeply, I admitted to myself that it was breathtaking and one that future guests would love photographing. The panoramic view would be perfect for photo shoots and wedding ceremonies.

The thought almost made me smile.

My head jerked in the direction of the road when I heard a car’s engine. A boxy white car was approaching.

I set the mug down on the rim of the fountain and met the driver when she parked and exited the vehicle.

Darcy cleared her throat before she jogged around her car and gave me a quick hug. I inhaled the scent of whatever floral perfume she wore and quickly stepped back. Darcy was a few inches taller than me and her older sister. Slender boned, she could have made it as a model in a big city.

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