The Grey Girl, The Van Tassel Murders

“What the hell just happened?” Alex demanded. Chloe’s necklace, still tangled in his fingers, dangled from his palm. Pushing past his father’s outstretched hand, he grabbed Lewis by the lapels.

Arthur skillfully pried his son from the stranger then waited for Lewis to smooth his suit before ordering them to shake hands. He apologized for Alex’s reaction while ignoring his angry grumblings.

Waving off the apology, Lewis sighed as he pushed lightly past Arthur. Standing in front of a now-glaring Alex, Lewis spoke. “Please calm yourself. We should be able to save your friend.” He rested a hand on Alex’s shoulder.

Alex raised his eyes, silently begging Lewis to be telling the truth. The words came softly. “She was ripped from her body.” He held up the small cross. “This was all I could grab,” A tear welled up in the corner of his eye as Lewis observed the jewelry spinning slowly, the gold catching the fading sunlight.

“Is that what brought her back last time?” Lewis asked, his gaze intent. Alex pulled it back, holding it close to his heart and nodding slightly. “Keep it close.” Lewis smiled again, patting Alex’s shoulder before he addressed all three members of the family. “It seems no matter the warning, you still just had to come see for yourselves.” He shook his head at them, receiving angry glares in return.

A sudden cry of loss erupted from the house. Alex’s blood froze as his heart broke. Like a statue breaking, he turned from frozen in shock to a man possessed as he resumed his assault on the door. He screamed Chloe’s name.

At first Aaron tried smashing the windows, but to no avail. He next turned his attention to trying to calm his brother. “We were invited,” Aaron informed Lewis as he held an exhausted, crying Alex around the shoulders. Feebly, Alex kicked at the door.

A hint of surprise crossed Lewis’ face. “Really?” He turned to address Arthur. “By whom?”

“That would be me, Mr. Abernathy.” Mr. Fox replied from the drive.

“Ah, Curtis, I would say it is a pleasure to see you again, but I don’t like to lie.”

Curtis Fox did not return Lewis’ cold smile. “I have hired these fine people to restore my house,” he stated. He looked like he was about to take a step onto the porch then thought better of it.

“Did you know this could happen?” Alex demanded. “Did you?” He sprang from Aaron’s grip in an attempt to reach Curtis. Arms flailing, he found himself restrained by the deceptively strong Lewis.

“I think it might be best to stay on the porch and not get into any unpleasant, physical altercations. I dare say it would be most unfortunate.” Lewis again smiled but stared pointedly at Curtis.

Curtis returned the smile with a sneer. “I own this place now. Only those I want here will be allowed to remain.”

“Sadly, I believe you are actually mistaken as to the ownership of this house.” Lewis’ grin widened. “Whatever you promised that lawyer, I hope you did not pay him off. He really did not do his due diligence.”

Curtis growled, which only elicited a raised eyebrow from Lewis. “This would not be the best venue for that,” he warned. All traces of his smile were gone. The two stared daggers at each other.

Arthur pulled his boys back, feeling the power emanating from Lewis. Restrained, Alex could only glare down at Curtis. He could feel the hatred pass between Lewis and Curtis and he thought he saw electricity crackle in Curtis’ hands. Minutes seemed to pass. Finally, the tension broke.

Curtis shook out his hands, still glaring at Lewis and obviously seething with anger. “I will be looking into your story, and if there is an issue, I will resolve it. As for you,” he pointed to Alex and his family. “Research may do you some good, especially when it comes to your new friend.”

“If you knew Chloe was in danger, I will find out. And If I find out that was your plan, I will destroy you,” Alex shouted. “I’ve dealt with demons before.”

“You’ve never dealt with anything like me, boy.” Curtis’ wicked smile had returned. “In fact, I think we may just end this charade now.” He moved to take the step up.

A sudden crash against the door, immediately followed by a terrifying scream of anguish, tore through the air. Again Alex felt his blood chill. He knew the cry could only come from Chloe. In an instant the very air seemed to explode as the scene was thrown back into chaos. Alex lost all interest in Curtis as he resumed his pounding on the door. Aaron flew backward, pushed clear by Arthur. Flames shot from nowhere toward Curtis. Something shimmered in front of the house. Lightning crashed into an invisible barrier mere inches off the porch. Curtis dodged something black and heavy that flew by his head. He turned, ready to throw another bolt of energy, when the sound of smashing metal caused him to spin around. The front fender and driver’s side door of his SUV crumpled like they had been a hit by a heavy truck. “This is not over,” Curtis shouted. He glared at his car. “You will pay for this.”

Alex listened to Chloe’s cries grow farther away. “What the hell is going on?” he demanded of Lewis, his fists tight in the lapels of the man’s pinstriped jacket.

“Please calm yourself.” Lewis pushed Alex away with ease. “I think you would do well to investigate what Curtis Fox wants with this house. I can tell you what happened here, but I can’t tell you why he must have this place.” He looked deeply into Alex’s eyes. “Or why your friend must leave too.”