Free The Visitor by Amanda Stevens

could find it in local feed stores.” A grim note crept into Devlin’s voice. “Death would have been quick but not quick enough.”
    I glanced toward the window, trying to distract myself from the gruesome imagery. “Dr. Shaw said Ezra Kroll was shot to death in the woods. Apparently, there’s always been a question of whether or not it was suicide.”
    â€œNathan’s grandfather was still a cop when it happened. He had a theory that none of the deaths was suicide. He believed it was mass murder perpetrated to cover up a single homicide.”
    I stared at Devlin in horror. “What could motivate a person to do such a thing?”
    â€œSame motives I see every day. Jealousy, passion, greed.” Devlin’s expression hardened and I wondered if he was thinking about another crime of passion and greed, one that hit a little too close to home. “Ezra Kroll came back from the war a damaged man. He’d inherited the family fortune, but had no use for earthly possessions beyond what he needed to survive. He started giving all the money away to the needy while his relatives had to stand by helplessly and watch the coffers dwindle.”
    â€œSo one of them took matters into their own hands?” I could hardly imagine such a thing. Three dozen innocent people, including children, had lived in Kroll Colony.
    â€œThe colonists ate every meal together,” Devlin said. “It was a ritual. But on that day, Kroll missed the communal lunch. The police believed he left to meet someone who lived nearby. A woman.”
    My thoughts raced suddenly. If the woman in the stereogram—my look-alike—had been involved with Ezra Kroll, maybe that explained why she’d followed me back from the other side. She couldn’t rest until justice was done. Like Robert Fremont, another ghost from my past, she needed a conduit to tie up her earthly loose ends.
    A nurse came in just then to monitor my vitals. She shooed Devlin into the hallway, giving me a minute to reflect upon everything he’d told me as she pumped the blood-pressure cuff.
    â€œYour heart rate is still a little elevated,” she said. “Try to relax. Best thing you can do right now is rest.”
    â€œI’ll try.”
    â€œAre you in pain? I can get you something to take the edge off if you need it.”
    â€œNo, I’m fine.”
    â€œPress the call button if you need me,” she said. “I’ll send your friend back in, but remember what I said. Rest.”
    â€œI will. Thanks.”
    She exited silently on rubber-soled shoes and Devlin returned a moment later. “I’ve been given my orders,” he said.
    â€œNot to leave, I hope.”
    He came back over to the bed. “No, but I think we should table our discussion about Kroll Colony. It’s a gruesome story and you don’t need more nightmares. When you’re released in the morning, you can show me everything you found in the cellar.”
    â€œAbout that stereogram—”
    â€œIn the morning,” he insisted.
    â€œYou’re right. It’s better if you see it for yourself.” I took his hand to pull him down beside me on the bed. “But just one last thing. When you go see Owen Dowling, be discreet, okay? He’s probably done nothing wrong and I don’t want to worry or embarrass him because my imagination ran away with me in the emergency room.”
    â€œAren’t I always discreet?”
    An innocent question, but the subtle shift in Devlin’s drawl made my blood surge. “Yes...I suppose you are...”
    He leaned in, eyes as dark and sultry as a Charleston midnight. “What if I were to discreetly kiss you right now?”
    â€œIf I didn’t know better, I’d think you’re trying to distract me.”
    â€œIs it working?”
    I sighed. “You know that it is.”
    â€œGood.” He leaned in, feathering his lips over mine in a