Oleander House: Bay City Paranormal Investigations, Book 1

were gathered around Andre, who sat clutching Amy’s body in his arms, rocking and whispering against her blood-clotted hair. Guilt settled like a stone in Sam’s guts.
It didn’t surprise Sam to find that he couldn’t stand, or speak. Having that cold alien intelligence in his mind had left him exhausted and weak as a new kitten. He felt himself toppling to the floor and couldn’t stop it. He barely felt it when his head connected with the bare wood.
He closed his eyes for a second. When he opened them, Bo’s worried, tear-stained face hovered over him. Bo didn’t even seem to realize he was crying. “The ambulance and police are coming,” Bo said, laying a hand on Sam’s cheek. “Cecile called.”
Sam had to try twice before he could speak. His voice was a hoarse croak. “Amy… Christ, I’m sorry.”
Sorrow welled in Bo’s eyes. “It’s not your fault.”
Sam didn’t say anything else. He turned his head, pressing his cheek to Bo’s palm. He knew he shouldn’t, knew he didn’t deserve it, but he couldn’t find the strength to resist that gentle touch.
Within minutes, sirens wailed outside, followed by a loud pounding at the front door and a voice saying it was the police. Someone must have gone to let them in, Sam thought, because the room was suddenly full of people and frantic activity. A woman in a paramedic’s uniform nudged Bo gently out of the way and bent over Sam.
“I’m Sherry,” she said with a bland, practiced smile. “I’m going to look you over, okay?”
He nodded. Her voice, brisk and soothing, calmed him.
“What’s your name?” Sherry asked, wrapping a blood pressure cuff around his arm.
“Sam,” he croaked. Raised voices sounded from the other side of the room. He turned his head, but couldn’t see anything past Sherry. “What…?”
He couldn’t make anything else come out, but Sherry evidently understood what he was asking. “The police are questioning your friends,” she told him. She pushed a button on a machine sitting on the floor beside her, and the cuff around Sam’s arm tightened. “Can you tell me what year this is, Sam?”
Sam creased his brow, confused. “T-two thousand and four,” he whispered.
“And where are we right now?” Sherry scribbled numbers on a clipboard as the blood pressure cuff deflated.
“Oleander House,” Sam answered. “In Mississippi. Why are you asking me these things?”
“I know it seems strange,” she said, shining a penlight into his eyes. “I just need to make sure that you’re not confused. Your friend over there said you fell and hit your head pretty hard, and that you were unconscious for a little while. Assessing your mental status is standard procedure after a blow to the head.”
Sam blinked up at the ceiling, surprised. He hadn’t even realized he’d passed out. He lay as quietly as he could while Sherry carefully examined his neck and listened to his chest and belly with a stethoscope.
Dread settled in his chest at the sound of Bo’s increasingly agitated voice. He was clearly arguing with the police, David and Cecile jumping in every few seconds. Andre’s noticeable silence tore at Sam’s heart.
He wasn’t surprised when a burly policeman came to stand beside him. “He fit to answer questions?” the officer asked when Sherry looked up at him.
“Most likely,” Sherry said, obviously put out. “But he’s gonna have to go to the ER and be seen by the doctor before you can talk to him at any length.”
The cop frowned. “Fine. But I gotta ask him a couple of questions right now.”
Sherry stood and crossed her arms. “Go ahead.”
The policeman glared at Sherry. When it became clear that she wasn’t going away, he sighed and crouched down beside Sam.
“I’m Officer Titus,” the man said. He took a small notebook and pen out of his shirt pocket, then jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “What the hell happened here?”
Sam stared up at Officer Titus, resignation making him calm. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”
Titus smiled. “Try me.”
Sam didn’t return the smile. “I accidentally called up a monster from another dimension. It killed her.”
If Titus was at all fazed by this declaration, he didn’t show it. His steely gaze bored unflinchingly into Sam. “You saw this, did you?”
“Yes,” Sam whispered. “It cut her leg off, then it ripped out her throat.”
“He’s telling the truth. We all saw it kill her.” Sam glanced toward the sound of David’s