Dark Homecoming Read Online Free PDF Page B

back on his stool, chin on his chest. “I just felt she had a right to know.”
    â€œMaybe so, but it wasn’t your place . . .”
    His eyes darted back up to her. “I ask myself every day: What would Jesus do? And I believe Jesus would have told her.”
    â€œYeah, but Jesus doesn’t work for Mr. Huntington.”
    Jamison took another sip of his beer. “I don’t care. I did what I did and I’m glad. He can stuff his stupid job up his stupid ass.”
    â€œThat kind of talk is hardly Christlike,” Rita gently scolded, unable to suppress a smile.
    â€œPardon my language,” Jamison said, slumping back on his stool again.
    â€œBut are you sure Audra’s body was found in that room?” Rita leaned in toward him. “I’ve heard so many crazy stories since her death. I heard she was found outside on the grounds and it was some old boyfriend of hers who surprised her and slashed her—”
    â€œShe died in that room! I know! I saw her! I helped Mrs. Hoffman move the body!”
    Rita was even more dumbfounded upon hearing this news than she had been before. “You—did— what ?”
    â€œI’ve kept it a secret all this time, but what the heck, I no longer work there.” Jamison chugged down a long gulp of beer. “I was working late, when all of a sudden Mrs. Hoffman came running in to find me, all out of breath. She begged me to help her. She was really freaking out!”
    â€œI can’t imagine that plastic mannequin ever getting that worked up,” Rita said.
    â€œWell, she was this night. She told me to follow her upstairs, to Mrs. Huntington’s room—the late Mrs. Huntington—and there, right in the middle of the floor, I saw Audra’s body in a pool of bright red blood.”
    â€œOh my God, Jamison. What did you do?”
    â€œMrs. Hoffman was terrified. I thought she was going to start screaming. I asked her who had done this.” Jamison shuddered. “I’ll never forget what she said.”
    â€œWhat? Tell me!”
    â€œShe just said, ‘Her.’”
    â€œHer?”
    â€œYes. Her . She was looking around the room, as if she was scared to death.”
    â€œBut what did she mean by her ?”
    â€œShe meant Mrs. Huntington.” Jamison looked directly into Rita’s eyes. “The late Mrs. Huntington.”
    â€œDominique Huntington.”
    The young man nodded.
    â€œOh, come on, Jamison,” Rita said. “You don’t believe in ghosts, so you? A good Christian boy like you?”
    â€œI believe in the devil. And I remember the things Mrs. Huntington used to do . . . the things she and Variola used to talk about . . . those secret meetings and the chanting . . .”
    â€œOh, but they were just fooling around,” Rita said. “Variola always talks about that black magic stuff from the islands. I’ve never taken her seriously.”
    â€œYou should. Because that night, I saw the work of the devil.” Jamison finished his beer, then looked hard at Rita. “Bloody footsteps . . . leading away from Audra’s body, then disappearing at the wall.”
    Rita frowned. “Are you saying . . . Dominique’s ghost slashed Audra to death, then walked away through the wall?”
    â€œThe evidence was right there.” He smirked. “Ghosts can walk through walls. It’s one of the perks of being dead, I guess.”
    â€œThis is crazy.”
    â€œI’m telling you the God’s honest truth. But Mrs. Hoffman—she said it would never do to find the body in that room. It would cause a panic. It would be too much of a scandal for poor Mr. Huntington.”
    â€œSo you moved the body?”
    Jamison nodded. “I’m not proud of the fact. But I did. I was so scared. And I didn’t want to lose my job.” He frowned, then gestured toward the bartender for a refill of his glass. “Lot of good my