Title: The Trouble with Ghosts
Author: AL Kessler
Series: Here Witchy Witchy #3
Genre: New Adult Urban Fantasy
Release Date: November 7, 2016
Summary:Poltergeists, severed thumbs, and lies…
PIB agents Abigail Collins and Nick Averin are rattled when a handful of severed thumbs are found at an abandoned house, but neither of them expected it to link to a decades old murder with strange ties to the paranormal world. When Abby’s greatest enemy seems to be helping her from afar, it’s clear that there’s more to this case than the duo first believed.
Past cases come back to life…
Levi is avoiding questions and being even more vague than normal when a new vampire comes to town claiming to be on the case involving blood starved vampires. It’s a fight against time and lies for the two agents.
“I don’t want another witch near this.” Mario spoke up. “There’s a possibility I know who it was that did this.”
“The man in the picture. The one you both lied to me about and said you didn’t know.” I crossed my arms and glared at them. “If you are withholding information that can help me with my case, I need to know it. And if you don’t want to give it to me, I’ll have Nick bring you in for questioning by him.”
“You wouldn’t dare have Levi arrested.” Mario chuckled.
Levi held a hand up. “Don’t test her. It could be him, but he wasn’t supposed to be in the territory. My guards had said they killed him.”
“Guards?”
“My people, the ones I send out to take care of the dirty jobs, as you refer to them.”
Ah, his killers. “What makes you think this could be him?”
“Other than the picture you found from the first victim?” Levi questioned and I held my tongue. “He’d been caught in several territories for setting up…experiments with humans. Prisons to keep them in and test…I don’t even know on them.”
The blood transfusions. Mario stood. “It’s thought that they were trying to create vampires without draining all the blood, but by mixing blood. This should be vampire business now, I’ll talk to the detective in charge to take the case and get a vampire PIB agent on it.”
“Like hell you’re taking my case.” My fingers found their way to the butt of my gun. “Mason isn’t very trusting of vampires. He’s not likely to give the case over.”
Levi nodded. “She’s right. He’ll feel like something suspicious was up.”
I already felt that way, but I wasn’t going to mention it. Mario shook his head. “If they get away—“
“You keep saying they. He’s not working alone then? Can I at least have a name?” I put my hands on my hips.
“No.” Mario said.
“Yes,” Levi said at the same time.
This was going to be interesting when I had one willing to work with me, but not the other. Mario turned to Levi, his jaw locked. “If he gets away and she screws this up it jeopardizes everything.”
“Seems to me that everything is in jeopardy.” Levi snapped back. “Abigail knows what she is doing. She won’t screw it up.”
The vote of confidence lacked the tone needed. I let it be for the moment. I really didn’t know what I was doing in this case, but I at least had more to go on now, and at least one vampire willing to work with me.
“Are you sure you want her that close to the starving vampires?” Mario looked at me and then Levi. “Are you willing to risk that?”
I had a feeling there was something I was missing in this conversation. I cleared my throat. “The day I turned eighteen Levi left me in charge of my own life. It’s how I ended up working with PIB.”
Levi nodded towards me as if agreeing. “I will give Abby the info she needs to solve this case. With the understanding that she lets you and I handle the starving vampires.”
“If the cases connect, I can’t make that promise.”
“I meant that part of the case. I’ll go in and talk to the vampires, you’ll stay away from them.”
“Mason wanted to contact you about them anyways. You can handle them with the understanding that you share all information with me.”
“Understood.” Levi leaned back on the couch.
“Are we done here then?” Mario didn’t sit, his body didn’t relax an inch, if anything, I think he scooted closer to Levi.
I kept any sharp comments I had to myself. “Yes, thanks for your input, Levi.” I purposely left Mario out of the gratefulness.
He opened his mouth to say something, but Levi held a hand up. “Let it go. Abigail, I’ll go speak with Mason tonight and see what I can do about the vampires. Is there anything else that you’re not telling me?”
“I visited Tomes, he said that there were others out there, but he didn’t give me names. I also have a human that worked with a vampire, but he has nothing to do with the humans that were found.”
“How are you so sure of that?” Mario spoke over Levi’s outrage of me visiting Tomes.
“Agent Grace was with me, so I wasn’t alone. And Mario, I’m a witch, magic.”
Levi cleared his throat. “Abigail, attitude, please.”
“When he starts being nicer to me, I’ll consider curbing my attitude.”
Mario’s jaw dropped and he took a step towards me. I put my hand on my gun. “I’d think carefully about your next movements.”
“You wouldn’t dare.”
“That’s the second time you’ve said something like that tonight. I really don’t think you understand what I’ll do and what I won’t.” I wouldn’t shoot to kill him, probably because he’d move too fast, but it’d at least hurt him.
“The man in the picture. The one you both lied to me about and said you didn’t know.” I crossed my arms and glared at them. “If you are withholding information that can help me with my case, I need to know it. And if you don’t want to give it to me, I’ll have Nick bring you in for questioning by him.”
“You wouldn’t dare have Levi arrested.” Mario chuckled.
Levi held a hand up. “Don’t test her. It could be him, but he wasn’t supposed to be in the territory. My guards had said they killed him.”
“Guards?”
“My people, the ones I send out to take care of the dirty jobs, as you refer to them.”
Ah, his killers. “What makes you think this could be him?”
“Other than the picture you found from the first victim?” Levi questioned and I held my tongue. “He’d been caught in several territories for setting up…experiments with humans. Prisons to keep them in and test…I don’t even know on them.”
The blood transfusions. Mario stood. “It’s thought that they were trying to create vampires without draining all the blood, but by mixing blood. This should be vampire business now, I’ll talk to the detective in charge to take the case and get a vampire PIB agent on it.”
“Like hell you’re taking my case.” My fingers found their way to the butt of my gun. “Mason isn’t very trusting of vampires. He’s not likely to give the case over.”
Levi nodded. “She’s right. He’ll feel like something suspicious was up.”
I already felt that way, but I wasn’t going to mention it. Mario shook his head. “If they get away—“
“You keep saying they. He’s not working alone then? Can I at least have a name?” I put my hands on my hips.
“No.” Mario said.
“Yes,” Levi said at the same time.
This was going to be interesting when I had one willing to work with me, but not the other. Mario turned to Levi, his jaw locked. “If he gets away and she screws this up it jeopardizes everything.”
“Seems to me that everything is in jeopardy.” Levi snapped back. “Abigail knows what she is doing. She won’t screw it up.”
The vote of confidence lacked the tone needed. I let it be for the moment. I really didn’t know what I was doing in this case, but I at least had more to go on now, and at least one vampire willing to work with me.
“Are you sure you want her that close to the starving vampires?” Mario looked at me and then Levi. “Are you willing to risk that?”
I had a feeling there was something I was missing in this conversation. I cleared my throat. “The day I turned eighteen Levi left me in charge of my own life. It’s how I ended up working with PIB.”
Levi nodded towards me as if agreeing. “I will give Abby the info she needs to solve this case. With the understanding that she lets you and I handle the starving vampires.”
“If the cases connect, I can’t make that promise.”
“I meant that part of the case. I’ll go in and talk to the vampires, you’ll stay away from them.”
“Mason wanted to contact you about them anyways. You can handle them with the understanding that you share all information with me.”
“Understood.” Levi leaned back on the couch.
“Are we done here then?” Mario didn’t sit, his body didn’t relax an inch, if anything, I think he scooted closer to Levi.
I kept any sharp comments I had to myself. “Yes, thanks for your input, Levi.” I purposely left Mario out of the gratefulness.
He opened his mouth to say something, but Levi held a hand up. “Let it go. Abigail, I’ll go speak with Mason tonight and see what I can do about the vampires. Is there anything else that you’re not telling me?”
“I visited Tomes, he said that there were others out there, but he didn’t give me names. I also have a human that worked with a vampire, but he has nothing to do with the humans that were found.”
“How are you so sure of that?” Mario spoke over Levi’s outrage of me visiting Tomes.
“Agent Grace was with me, so I wasn’t alone. And Mario, I’m a witch, magic.”
Levi cleared his throat. “Abigail, attitude, please.”
“When he starts being nicer to me, I’ll consider curbing my attitude.”
Mario’s jaw dropped and he took a step towards me. I put my hand on my gun. “I’d think carefully about your next movements.”
“You wouldn’t dare.”
“That’s the second time you’ve said something like that tonight. I really don’t think you understand what I’ll do and what I won’t.” I wouldn’t shoot to kill him, probably because he’d move too fast, but it’d at least hurt him.
A.L. Kessler is a paranormal romance author residing in beautiful Colorado Springs, Co. Since she was a teenager she has loved spinning tales. She can easily be won over with gifts of coffee or chocolate.
The Trouble with Ghosts #3
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