Whispers at Moonrise

sound. No one breathed inside these walls but the three of them, and Kylie still wished she didn’t have to breathe. The smell crawled down her throat. She focused on the door. Where had the man gone that she’d spotted rushing inside? Noting that the backdoor stood slightly ajar, she tuned her ears to listen for anything outside. If he’d left out the backdoor, he was gone now.
    “Uh…” Kylie pushed words around her gag reflex, but before the words spilled out, she noted the hand-painted sign hanging over the register.
    NO SHOES, NO SHIRT, NO SERVICE. AND UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, NO COLD-HEARTED VAMPIRES.
    She glanced at Burnett and back at the sign.
    He frowned.
    “You need a reading?” the woman asked.
    “No.” Kylie ignored her desire to heave. “A man just walked in. I thought I knew him.”
    “Yeah. The bell rang, but I was in the back; when I got here the person had vanished. Probably a spirit. I get them all the time.”
    Kylie put out her feelers for ghosts. No deadly cold filled the space. And who could blame them? The stench of garlic probably scared them off, too. She eyed the woman again, who Kylie now had down as a complete nutcase. A stupid nutcase if she thought a sign and some garlic would actually keep vampires away.
    The woman noticed Kylie’s attention to the sign. “Don’t be too quick to judge. I see them around here all the time. They have a different smell about them.”
    “Seriously?” Burnett asked in mock disbelief. “You believe in vampires?”
    “You aren’t the only non-believers,” she said. “But I have proof. The Native Americans drew pictures of them on the cave walls on my grandmother’s property.”
    “Interesting stuff for fairy tales.” Burnett glanced at Kylie. “You ready?”
    As soon as they walked out, he bit out, “Who the hell did you think you saw?”
    She didn’t consider keeping it from him. She’d been going to tell him, she just hadn’t had the time. “What do you know about Hayden Yates?”
    “The new teacher?”
    She nodded.
    “I personally did an extensive check on all the new employees. Why? Do you think I missed something?”
    “I think he gives me bad vibes.”
    “Bad vibes?” Burnett asked.
    Kylie nodded. “And this morning before the sun came up, Della walked me to Holiday’s office and we caught him following us.” She stopped talking, realizing that wasn’t altogether true. “Maybe not exactly following us, but he was walking around. And Hannah insists whoever killed her is close to the camp.”
    “And that’s who you think you saw?”
    She nodded.
    He frowned. “But Blake, Holiday’s ex, has been in the area, too. Hannah could have meant him.”
    Burnett wanted Blake to be guilty, and Kylie wasn’t sure he wasn’t, but … “I know, but I’m just … Maybe I’m making more out of it than I should.”
    “Or not.” Burnett snatched his phone from his pocket and dialed. “Della,” he said into his phone. “Find Hayden Yates at the camp.”
    “Can I whup his ass, too?” Della’s voice echoed from the phone.
    “No, don’t let him know you’re checking on him. I just want to know if he’s there. And do it now!”
    “I’m already on my way,” she smarted back.
    The line went silent for a second. “Okay … I’m at his place, peering though his window. He’s reading the paper, sitting on the sofa. You sure you don’t want me to kick his ass? Did Kylie tell you we think he was following us?”
    “Yes.”
    “Is that an affirmative on whupping his ass?” Della chuckled.
    “No,” Burnett said, missing the humor. “Thanks.” He hung up and met Kylie’s gaze.
    “I don’t think he could have made it back to the camp in that time,” Burnett said.
    “I know,” Kylie said. “So maybe it wasn’t him.”
    Burnett frowned. “But to be safe, I’ll do another rundown on him.”
    Kylie appreciated that.
    “Where the hell did you guys go?” Derek stopped beside them.
    “I thought I saw someone.” Kylie spotted Holiday moving across the street.
    “What happened?” she asked.
    “Kylie thought she recognized someone.” Burnett motioned for them to cross the street. “We should get back to the camp before the parents start showing up.”
    Oh, great! Now Kylie had the whole parent issue to deal with.
    Holiday looked at her watch. “We’d better hurry.”
    They moved across the street to get in the car. All five of them.
    Yes, five.
    Burnett hit the clicker to unlock the doors. Holiday