Free The Diablo Horror (The River Book 7) by Michael Richan Page A

down. “It’s not like an autopsy was done on Jason, to know what he died
from. Steven had this dream of killing him, and he wakes up next to him. You
didn’t see him kill Jason, did you?”
    “No,” Roy said.
    They sat in silence for a few minutes. Eliza considered a
couple of other things to say, but she decided against saying them. One of the
reasons she rushed up to visit them was to offer comfort and support, but
sometimes it was best to just let things sit.
    “That’s not all of it, though,” Roy said. “There’s more
that’s bothering me.”
    “Like?”
    “Like, why didn’t the demon go get the Agimat himself? Why
did he force Steven to go get it? Presumably the demon can hunt down and
recover lost or stolen objects on his own; the only reason he roped Steven into
this deal was to get at objects hidden away here, in Eximere, that he couldn’t
find but he knew Steven had access to.”
    “True,” Eliza said.
    “And if he really was the original owner of the Agimat, he
would have known that it would revert to its previous owner the second it came
out of Eximere. Maybe he already knew all about what happened at Diablo.”
    “Then you’d think he’d be able to figure out about the pit,”
Eliza said. “He could have observed the same ghost cycle you watched up there.
He wouldn’t have needed Steven to tell him the bodies were buried there.”
    “As much as I hate to say it,” Roy said, rising to pour
himself a warmer, “I think we need to go back to that old biddy in Gig Harbor.
She might be able to shed some light on all of this, especially now that the
terms of the deal are out in the open.”
    “What was her name?”
    “Judith,” Roy answered. “Judith Duke. I don’t relish visiting
her, believe me. She seems crazier than a shit house rat. But she might have
some answers.”
    “Should we go today?”
    “No. Let’s spend the day here. Maybe stay tonight, too. We’d
both benefit from just taking a day off. I don’t think he wants to leave Jason
just yet, and honestly, neither do I. But when we leave, I’m going to suggest a
detour on the way home, to see her.”
    “Sounds like a plan.”
    “What will you do with your day?”
    “Oh, explore around a bit. I’ve not had as much time here as
you two. Do you suppose Kent Percival is still upstairs, keeping guard on the
house?”
    “I would think so. Haven’t heard a word from him since we set
the whole thing up.”
    “And what are you going to do today?” Eliza asked.
    “I guess what I always do,” Roy answered. “Go through books
in the library, see if I can figure out who they belong to. It’ll take my mind
off Jason, at least.”
    Roy paused. He didn’t like what he’d just said.
    “That came out wrong,” he said. “I don’t really want to take
my mind off Jason.”
    “Just let today be whatever it is,” Eliza said. “Don’t force
it.”
    “I’m glad you’re here,” Roy said, smiling at her. “I think
the day we met you was a rare day.”
    She reached across the kitchen counter, extending her hand.
Roy took it. “I feel the same way. Both you and Steven mean a lot to me.”
    Roy held her hand for a moment, then let it go. He walked out
of the kitchen and to the library, where he settled into a large padded chair.
He sat his coffee down on the small table next to him, and opened a book from
the stack he selected earlier. Then he promptly fell asleep.
     
    ◊
     
    Many hours later, Eliza wandered into the library. Roy was
gone, but the entrance to the stairway that led to the lower level was exposed.
She walked down the stairs and through the door at the bottom, emerging into
the large workspace of James Unser. She saw Steven walking among the work
tables, inspecting the projects. She walked over to him.
    “You know,” Steven said as she approached, “I didn’t even
think to check down here for objects for Aka Manah. But this room is full of
them.”
    “They’re all in use, though,” Eliza said. “You