Free Black-Eyed Moon (A Guinan Jones Paranormal Mystery #1) by Callista Foley

but it has black eyes. Like those in a painted portrait, they follow me across the field and peek at me through the trees, even when I run. I dive and bury myself under weeds and broken sticks. Like a child, I think that if I cover my eyes, it won't see me. When I remove my hands, I'm still blind. Then the moon, a big white ball, sinks lower into the sky. I peer into its eyes. Yes, I will read the moon. Seems like the most logical thing in the world. I focus so intensely, my head begins to ache. The brick wall blocks me from reading. It's not my red-brick wall. This one is gray, slimy, and warped. It bulges outward on one side and caves in on the other.
    A voice appeared in my head, echoing as if it came from the end of a long tunnel.
    "He won't get away with this."
    My eyes were closed, and I squeezed them tighter to blot out the gray slime.
    "Son, the last thing I need is for you to take the law into your own hands. He's been arrested. Just calm down, okay?"
    Easy. Watch her head. Guinan? Guinan?
    "Calm down? Mr. Jepson, he tried to kill her."
    "We don't know that yet."
    My head felt like it weighed fifty pounds, and something was wrapped around my neck. I reached to touch it, and a sharp pain vibrated through my right arm. I gasped and felt a warm hand on my forehead.
    We're going to have to cut him out of there.
    "Skeeter?" A voice croaked. Was it mine?
    "It's Zeke. You're in the hospital, Guinan."
    As soon as he said it, the awareness hit me. The antiseptic smell of the hospital I hadn't noticed before now surrounded me like a vapor cloud. Even before I opened them, I knew the lights would be bright. Too bright.
    "Granddad?"
    "I'm here, hon. Can you open your eyes?"
    My lids fluttered. I didn't want to open them. My mind was trying to pull me back into unconsciousness. But they opened, and the blurry forms of Zeke and my grandfather hovered over me.
    "That's my girl," he said. "Do you remember what happened?"
    Screeching tires. Breaking glass. A moving tree. "Someone ran us off the road?"
    Granddad nodded. "It was Eric Rodman."
    My eyes slid to Zeke. As I watched him, his features sharpened until I could see the flecks of gold in his brown eyes. I missed those eyes. I must have spoken out loud, because his cheeks blazed pink.
    My grandfather cleared his throat.
    "W hy did Eric do it?"
    "That's what we're tying to find out. He's locked up right now. He's not talking."
    " His daddy's lawyer," Zeke said. Contempt dripped from his voice. "What were you doing with Skeeter Watson?"
    "Is he okay?"
    He exhaled an impatient sigh. "He'll live. Did he force you into his truck or something?"
    I shook my head and immediately regretted it. It felt like m y brain rattled in my skull. "He was supposed to show me something at Jepson's Point."
    My grandfather's eyes widened. He and Zeke had the same exasperated expression. "You need to stay away from those woods. Why in the world would you go there alone with him, anyway?"
    "It's no longer a crime scene, and Skeeter's not dangerous." As soon as I said it, I felt foolish. I'm in the hospital.
    Granddad took a deep breath. "He is a drug dealer and a user. I don't want you anywhere near him."
    "He had something to show me."
    "We've been over every inch of that crime scene," he said. "We've gathered what we need to gather, and—"
    "But Skeeter's out there all the time," I said. "Maybe he wanted to show me something that wasn't part of the crime scene."
    " That would crack the case open?" he said. "Your mother was right, and I don't say that lightly. You need to leave Ridge Grove. If I had my way, you'd be on a plane tonight. But the doctor wants to keep you here at least overnight."
    My reached up and touched a large, square bandage on the right side of my forehead. "How bad is it?"
    "Luckily, just a mild concussion and whiplash. A nasty cut on your head. A few scratches on your face." His voice was pinched. He dealt with injuries all the time on the job, but seeing his granddaughter's was