Satan's Mirror Read Online Free PDF

nowadays.”
    She leaned forward. “What we’d really like is information. The secrets of Saint Augustine.”
    “Oh.” He brightened. “You want the St. John’s County Visitor Center, sure as can be. Head east on State Road Sixteen to Ponce De Leon Boulevard then turn right and go to Castillo Drive, the second traffic light—”
    “Thank you, but we’re not tourists. We’re investigators. We’re here about the recent disappearances.”
    “That senator’s kid and his girlfriend.” He sniffed, taking the five-dollar bill from the counter and putting it in an old-fashioned cash register. “Probably took his party down to Key West is all, lapping up them margaritas. People disappear around here all the time, only to show themselves elsewhere. It’s a tourist town, after all.” He stared at her as if to say the subject was closed. “Pump three is ready.”
    “One last question. I heard Saint Augustine has a haunted house.”
    “Ghosts. You can’t spit but hit one. Half the residents hereabouts will swear to one sighting or another.”
    “You ever see anything?”
    He shrugged. “Never tried to.”
    “Thanks.” Emily stepped outside into the stagnant humidity. She could almost feel her hair curl and frizz. “Strange he didn’t recognize me,” she said when they were away from the building.
    Dan laughed. “Do you expect everyone to know who you are?”
    “I just mean—”
    “When you think about it, our show might not be popular around here. A lot of these people make their living exploiting the paranormal. They wouldn’t be quick to support a program that debunks their bread and butter.” Dan circled to the back of the van.
    “What are you doing?” she asked.
    “You paid for gas.” He took the hose from the pump.
    Emily climbed behind the wheel. If he was right, the locals might make their job that much more difficult. She gazed out the windshield and noticed the gas station attendant watching them from the window. He dialed the phone and spoke, still watching. Emily was no longer certain she hadn’t been recognized.
    “Where to now?” Dan slid into his seat.
    Emily started the van. “We have a couple of suites at the Please and Plenty Inn. It’s the bed and breakfast where Mickey Raynes and his girlfriend were staying. Might as well check in.”
    “ Please and Plenty. I have something on that.” He pulled a packet of brochures from his pocket. “It’s on Cedar Street. Supposed to be one-hundred and ten years old.”
    She laughed. “What are you doing with all those? I don’t think we’ll find what we need in tourist propaganda.”
    “Don’t be so sure.” He slapped pamphlets on the dashboard. “We’ve got sightseeing trains, trolley tours, and horse drawn carriage walkabouts.” He raised his voice over Emily’s scoffs. “We’ve also got Ghost Tours of Saint Augustine , voted the number one tour in Florida, horse drawn Ghost Rides , the Trolley of the Doomed —”
    “I see what you mean about people making a living out of this sort of thing. Any haunted houses?”
    “Everywhere. There’s a haunted bed and breakfast, a haunted lighthouse, the Old Drug Store, and the Old Jail complete with gallows. And look at this, the Spanish Military Hospital was certified as actively haunted by the Northeast Paranormal Association.”
    “Sounds like we’re not the first myth busters in town.”
    She merged into traffic and continued driving along the Intracoastal. Ahead, she recognized the Bridge of Lions. Emily had studied a map on the plane. When they reached the bridge, she knew to turn the opposite way.
    Dan tossed the pamphlets into the glove compartment. “What I don’t understand is, with all the ghostly sightings, why weren’t we sent here before now?”
    “I never knew Saint Augustine was haunted. But I did a piece on Cassadaga once. That’s a spiritualists’ camp not far from here. I think that’s what landed me this job.” She turned onto Cathedral Place. “What a