Starlight Web (Moonshadow Bay #1) - Yasmine Galenorn Page 0,33

a thriving downtown, and there were shoppers everywhere, getting ready for the Solstice. The massive tree in the town square was sparkling as if Tinkerbell herself had decorated it. The twenty-four foot tall blue spruce was still young, but it was lovely and fluffed out, and each year they trimmed it so it would remain the right size and shape.

I gazed up at the twinkling multicolored lights as I passed by, feeling grateful that I had moved back to the town. I felt like I could breathe again.

I drove along Main Street, then took a right on Hawthorn. As I passed through the suburbs and then into a rural area, I made a left on Alabaster Way, which led to the northern exit out of town. My GPS warned me that the turnoff to Stellarview would be one-tenth of a mile ahead, to the left. I kept my eyes open and there it was. The road was paved, with tire tracks scattered through the snow. Probably the cops, come to investigate Arabella’s death.

I pulled into the turnoff to wait for Killian, trying to tell myself that it made sense for us to go in together. But in my heart, I knew that I was afraid. Big spooky abandoned building. Psycho killer ghost. A trail of eighteen dead bodies over the years. Yeah, I had reason to worry.

After another ten minutes, I was about ready to bite the bullet and head in alone when I saw a navy blue SUV pull in, Killian behind the wheel. He waved for me to go ahead of him, so I started the engine and eased on down the road. There had been a security gate blocking the road that led down the wooded drive, but the gate had been broken long ago, and I could see the remains of it on the side of the road.

The wooded driveway was level, wide enough for two cars to pass, but even through the snow, I could see that plants had broken through the asphalt over the years, cracking and buckling it.

The road was about a quarter-mile long, and opened into a wide, deserted parking lot. The asylum was there in the background, stark and imposing. Made of cinderblock and brick, it had once been white but now was a dirty gray, eclipsed by mildew, moss, and time.

I shook my head, frowning. An air of foreboding shrouded the building. The entire grounds, actually. My alarm bells went off, and the hair on my arms saluted. I glanced around. What the hell was out here? Was it Schooner’s ghost, or something else? Either way, the energy set my stomach to churning and I wanted nothing more than to turn tail.

I pushed the impulse away. This was my job. I couldn’t just run away.

I parked near the entrance, and Killian parked next to me. I stepped out of my car, staring up at the two-story structure. There were windows all along the bottom floor, wide bay windows, but up top, the windows were small and barred. They looked forlorn and stark. A face was staring out of one of them at me. I stiffened, but the face vanished as soon as I focused my attention on it.

“Good grief,” Killian said, joining me. “What the hell is this place?”

“It used to be an asylum for the criminally insane,” I said. “Somehow, I think several inmates never left when it was shut down, if you know what I mean.”

“Ghosts?”

I nodded. “I’m looking for…well, I’m not sure what, but there’s one ghost in particular I’m out to find.” I paused, then told him about my new job and the case I was investigating. “I think I’m going to really like the job, but this is a doozy for them to start me on.”

“I’ll say.” Killian held out his arm and pushed up his sleeve. “The hairs on my arm are standing up.” And they were.

I snuck a closer look at him. He was wearing a black, double-breasted military coat, which fell to his calves. The two rows of buttons were gold, and he looked mighty snazzy in it. His hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and he had on a pair of black earmuffs. All in all, he looked good.

“Do you mind if I ask how old you are?” I blurted out.

He blinked, tilting his head. “Why?”

I couldn’t very well say that I wanted to know if he fit in my dating window. Granted, I had already asked him to the

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