Charmed to death: an Ophelia and Abby mystery Read Online Free PDF Page A

catch the monster before he killed again. I chased him down the street and into an open field.
    Turn around so I can see your face , I thought, but he kept up his pace. Air wheezed from my burning lungs as I ran faster. He came to a hedge and barreled through it. I followed, but before I could clear it, brambles reached out and snagged my clothes. Prickly branches wrapped around my legs and held me fast.
    "Damn you. Turn around," I cried while the figure disappeared in the darkness.
    My eyes popped open at the sound of my own voice. I scanned the room in panic while I struggled to sit up. Familiar shadows surrounded me: my dresser on the far wall and my reading chair by the window.
    Okay, I'm in my own bed with all the covers kicked off and my body's drenched in sweat, not running through a park in Iowa City, chasing a murderer . I let out a shaky breath.
    Placing my hand over my heart, I felt it pounding. Near my bed, I saw two eyes staring at me from out of the darkness. My dog, Lady. A mixed breed—half German shepherd, half wolf—her head easily reached the top of the mattress. She whimpered and pressed her cold nose against my bare arm.
    "It's okay, girl," I said, patting her head.
    I felt the bed suddenly dip at my feet and I watched a large black shape slink toward me, almond eyes glowing orange in the night. The shape crept up the mattress until it reached my lap, and with a pounce, settled on my legs. A loud purr rumbled in the silence of the room as my cat, Queenie, began to give herself a thorough cleaning.
    I tried to wipe the image of Brian lying in the Dumpster from my mind, but the scene danced in the shadows of my bedroom. The blood, the terror in Brian's sightless eyes, his blue lips. My hand stroking Queenie's soft black fur trembled.
    That dream, that vision of horror, was the one that haunted me five years ago. It started the night of Brian's murder, the night I wasn't able to save him with my magick, my powers. The guilt caused a breakdown and changed my life. It had been a long time since I'd dreamed of Brian's murder. Why tonight?
    I reached over and flicked on the lamp and the soft light chased the remaining shadows away. Looking at the nightstand, I saw the journal. Did reading about brambles, demons, torture, trigger the dream? Was it only random firings of the subconscious brought on by the words I'd read? Or was it more? Was it a manifestation of my so-called gift?
    Frustrated, I threw myself back against my pillow, I disturbing Queenie. With an indignant look at me, she jumped off the bed and marched over to where Lady had settled. Plopping down, she resumed her bath.
    I rubbed my temples while thoughts of Brian's murder bounced through my brain. What good is my gift if it doesn't answer my questions? Wait a second. The dream was different tonight. I'd never dreamed of chasing the killer before. And something else was different tonight. What was it? I forced myself to close my eyes and think, relive what I'd seen.
    Oh my God. I jerked away from my pillow. Brian's mouth had moved and I remembered, remembered what his soundless words were.
    "Help me."

Chapter Four

    My lack of sleep the night before had made for a long day at the library and the last thing I wanted to do was attend a community meeting about hogs. But I had promised Abby.
    The parking lot of the FirstMethodistChurch was full by the time I arrived. Every car in town was there—the sedate sedans driven by the senior element, SUVs purchased to hold growing families, and four-wheel drive trucks looking like something from a monster truck competition, with tires so large and so far from the ground that it would take a stepladder to climb into the cab.
    I watched from my car as people walked to the door, stopping along the way to talk to neighbors in hushed tones. Everyone's face wore a serious look: no laughter, no jokes. These people were fighting for their homes, especially people like Abby who would be living near the hog