The Departed - J A Templeton Read online

  The Departed

  A MacKinnon Curse novel

  Book Three

  By

  J.A. Templeton

  The Departed – J A Templeton

  Copyright 2012 @ Julia Templeton

  ISBN: 978-0-9837367-5-2

  Cover photography by Korie Nicole Photography (male cover model: Blake Williams), and Amanda Johansen (female cover model and photographer).

  Cover illustration by Kim Killion of Hot Damn Designs.

  This book is a work of fiction. Characters and events portrayed in this book are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or actual events is entirely coincidental and not intended by the author.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author.

  Other books by J.A. Templeton

  The Deepest Cut (a MacKinnon Curse Novel: Book One)

  The Haunted (a MacKinnon Curse Novel: Book Two)

  To my wonderful readers—

  Thank you for your support…and for loving my characters as much as I do.

  I appreciate you SO much!

  Chapter 1

  The lights in my room were off, and the few candles gave off an eerie glow. For whatever reason, my friends thought it would be a good idea to bring a Ouija board to the slumber party.

  As Cait set up the board, warning bells went off in my head, but apparently I was the only one who was concerned. Both Cass and Megan were eating popcorn and laughing, while taking sips off a fifth of rum that Cass had stolen from her stepmother.

  Cait, wearing a wife-beater and pajama pants with skulls and crossbones, sat on her knees in front of the board. Hands resting on knees, she was all business. “Lightly touch your fingertips to this white plastic thing here.”

  “It’s called a planchette,” Cass blurted.

  Cait rolled her eyes. “Place your fingers on the planchette. We’ll ask spirits to contact us and they will communicate through the board.”

  This was all kinds of wrong; I felt it deep in my bones. Megan glanced at me. Was it my imagination, or was she a little hesitant? Cass obediently placed her fingers on the planchette.

  I followed their lead.

  We were quite the eclectic group with our pajama selection. Megan wore slightly thready flannel pajamas, Cass wore a silk and lace number that looked like something her stepmum would have worn, while I’d thrown on a white long-sleeved shirt and an old pair of faded sweats.

  “We invite any spirits to join us tonight,” Cait said in such a serious tone, Cass and Megan immediately cracked up.

  Cait scowled at them. “Be serious, you two.”

  Unable to shake my misgivings, I took my fingers off the planchette. “I don’t know about this. I just don’t think—”

  “You can watch if you’re uncomfortable,” Cait said, her tone made it seem like she was almost daring me to participate.

  I so wasn’t comfortable. “Are you sure you don’t mind if I sit this one out?”

  Cass did her typical eye roll. “Buzzkill,” she muttered playfully under her breath.

  Damn, I was tired of being considered a buzzkill because I didn’t drink or want to play with a Ouija board.

  Megan flashed a sympathetic smile my way.

  I put my hands in my lap and inched back away from the board.

  The seconds ticked away into a minute, and then another. The only thing that I could hear was the sound of my heart pounding in my ears.

  Cait shifted a little. “Anyone who wants to communicate with us, please do so now. Use the planchette that we’re all touching—to speak. Let us know that you can hear us.”

  It was obvious this wasn’t Cait’s first time with a Ouija board. She was totally into it, even focusing on her breathing, inhaling deeply, and then releasing in a steady rhythm. I was surprised, especially given the fact how sheltered her home life seemed to be. I couldn’t imagine Mrs. MacKinnon allowing her kids to summon spirits.

  Again, nothing happened. We all just sat bug-eyed staring at the board. Then, ever so slowly, the air around us turned freezing cold.

  Megan’s eyes widened in alarm and she brushed her hands up and down her arms. “Do you feel that?”

  “What?” Cass asked, frowning. Apparently she didn’t feel anything.

  “Are you female?” Cait asked, excitement in her voice.

  The planchette moved toward NO.

  I breathed a sigh of relief.

  “What is your name?” Cass said slowly. “Please spell it out letter by letter.”

  P-E-T-E-R.

  Cait stole a glance at me, reminding me I had told her about Peter that day at the football game when she’d asked me if I could see spirits.

  I sat up straighter and instantly relaxed. If Peter was here, then why didn’t he show himself to me? Aside from the school, he seemed to steer clear of homes and other buildings. Even when he’d walked with me to the castle one day, he had stayed at the property line.

  Realizing he might just be a little gun-shy, I took heart that we were dealing with a benevolent spirit and started to relax. Who knew, maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all…

  Abruptly, the planchette moved to the side of the board, and the arrow pointed directly at me.

  “I think he wants to communicate with you, Riley,” Megan said, brown eyes wide.

  I wondered if I should tell Cass and Megan that I knew of a boy spirit named Peter…or maybe I needed to just keep quiet for now.

  Since Cait didn’t bring the subject up, I decided to not say anything.

  Megan cleared her throat. “Peter, how old are you?”

  The planchette moved to the number one and then one again.

  “Eleven,” the three said in unison, and I smiled inwardly.

  Yep, we had my Peter all right.

  The planchette moved again. “R-I-L-E-Y,” everyone said together.

  Megan smiled. “Um, I think he likes you, Ri.”

  I grinned. I liked him, too.

  “How did you die, Peter?” Cass asked, her excitement obvious to everyone.

  M-U-R-D-E-R-E-D.

  I frowned. Okay, the spirit must not be my Peter. He wouldn’t have told me he’d died from tuberculosis if he’d been murdered, right? Unless I’d heard him wrong. Had I gotten the information messed up with someone else he’d been talking about, like a family member? I thought back over our conversation and I could swear he’d said he’d died of the illness.

  And what were the chances of there being two ghosts by the name of Peter that were eleven years old?

  Cait cleared her throat. “Peter, how were you murdered?”

  The planchette didn’t budge.

  I glanced up at Cait, whose brows furrowed together. “Maybe he’s afraid to tell us.”

  A putrid odor filled my nostrils, making bile rise in my throat. I looked around at my friends, wondering why they weren’t reacting to it. Unless…I was the only one who could smell it.

  “Who murdered you?” Cait asked. Our gazes met for a second. Had I told her how Peter had died?

  The planchette moved at lightning speed.

  M-A-C-K-I-N-N-O-N.

  M-A-C-K-I-N-N-O-N.

  M-A-C-K-I-N-N-O-N.

  Cait jerked her hands away from the planchette. She glanced at me. “Tell me this isn’t some kind of sick joke.”

  I shook my head. “I swear.”

  She turned to Cass and Megan. Their eyes were huge and they shook their heads adamantly, their hands now in their laps. “We swear.”

  “You’re the one who brought
the Ouija board here, Cait,” Cass said, stating the obvious, and looking pissed off that Cait would even accuse her of such a thing.

  Cait’s throat contracted as she swallowed hard.

  Obviously Peter hadn’t been killed by the MacKinnons, but I knew who had been…apparently the same ghost who was pretending to be a sweet, eleven-year-old boy that I had befriended. I thought back on all the things I had said to Peter, how I’d confided in him and how I’d truly believed he was a young boy who had died of an illness before he’d had a chance to grow to adulthood.

  What a heinous thing for Laria to do, but what did I expect? We were talking about the same ghost who had masqueraded as my dead mother, possessed my brother and my friend, and made Kade believe he was with me the night of Tom’s party instead of with Dana.

  Laria was ruthless. In fact, what else had she done that I wasn’t even aware of?

  “Is there a MacKinnon here now?” Cass asked.

  Cait’s mouth was wide open. “What are you doing?”

  The planchette moved by itself, toward Cait, then slowly spelled out M-A-C-K-I-N-N-O-N.

  “Oh shit,” Cass said under her breath.

  “What year did you die?” I asked, my heart pounding hard, but needing to know the answer.

  The planchette moved slowly toward the numbers. Stopping at the number one, then at the seven, then eight, then six.

  I felt the blood drain from my face.

  “1786.” Cait sat back, and I could see her grappling for an answer. “That’s over two hundred years ago.”

  “Your name isn’t Peter, is it?” I asked before I could stop myself. I needed to know the truth.

  All three of my friends’ heads whipped toward me, and I clearly saw the confusion on their faces.

  NO.

  It felt like someone had hit me in the gut. “Your name is Laria, isn’t it?”

  “Who the fuck is Laria?” Cass asked, her voice mirroring the fear on her face.

  I wasn’t surprised, especially since a similar fear consumed me.

  “She was a servant who practiced witchcraft and died at the castle a couple hundred years ago,” Cait said solemnly. “She poisoned a descendant of mine, Ian MacKinnon, and his family hung her and buried her on unhallowed ground.”

  “Bloody hell,” Cass said, looking horrified. “A witch? But that still doesn’t explain how Riley knew, though.”

  “Meg and Cass, do you remember the woman we saw on our way home from Aberdeen?”

  Cass and Megan glanced at each other and nodded.

  “That woman was Laria, a spirit who has been haunting me since I moved here.”

  Cass came slowly to her feet. “This is too twisted for me. I mean, if you came up with this to scare me, props to you, because it worked.”

  “I’m not making it up,” I said, sounding as tired as I felt. “I wish I was.”

  Megan reached for Cass’s hand and pulled her back down beside her.

  “You’re fucking serious, aren’t you?” Cass asked.

  Without a word, Megan reached for the fifth and took a long drink. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, her gaze settling on me. “I didn’t say anything to either of you. I was too afraid to, but she touched me that day…and her hands were like ice. Her face was so pale. Like an unearthly white. I felt so many weird thoughts and feelings race through me in that moment.”

  I remembered Megan acting a bit off after that encounter. Had Laria been possessing her from that point? I wondered. I wished I could bring up the ride home from the game tonight, the way Laria had taken over Megan and drove the car without even looking at the road…and the creepy way her head had twisted around toward the headrest. But I knew it would be too much for any of my friends to hear right now, especially Megan, so I kept the information to myself.

  “What does Peter have to do with Laria? I don’t get it,” Megan said, stealing a concerned glance at Cass, who looked ready to bolt for the door.

  “I think that Peter is actually Laria,” I blurted.

  “Wait?” Cait said, scrambling to her feet. “What?”

  Cass took a swig and handed the bottle to Cait, who didn’t mess around and took three large gulps before handing it to Megan.

  Megan took a swallow and handed it to me. I took a sip, and winced as the liquor burned its way down my throat. I handed the fifth to Cass.

  “What do we do now?” Megan asked.

  “What do you want, Laria?” I asked, and held my breath expectantly, waiting for the response.

  D-E-A-T-H.

  My heart dropped to my toes.

  “Whose death?” Cass asked, before anyone could stop her.

  A-L-L-O-F-Y-O-U.

  Chapter 2

  “Oh, hell no,” Cass said, taking the planchette and throwing it across the room where it hit the wall with a thud. “No fucking way.”

  She was looking at me, wanting answers where, unfortunately, I didn’t have any.

  Cait, who was the calmest of everyone, slid her hands down her face. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought the board. What a mistake.”

  “Ya think?” Cass said, shaking her head. “Tell me this is bullshit because I am ready to walk out the door.”

  “It’s not a joke, Cass. I wish it were.” I stood and walked over to the bed, moved the pillow out of the way where they could see the word ‘DIE’ carved into my headboard.

  “This ghost did that?” Megan asked, her voice skeptical.

  I nodded. “Yeah, she did.”

  “Why didn’t you tell us?” Cass asked.

  “Because you wouldn’t understand,” Cait replied, crossing her arms over her chest. “Would you tell anyone, especially people you’ve just met?”

  “Probably not,” Cass muttered.

  I was so relieved that at least Cait understood. I didn’t feel quite so alone.

  Megan had become pretty quiet, though.

  I was desperate to tell them everything—that Laria had possessed Shane and Megan, and that she was possibly behind the death of Anne Marie, my housekeeper’s best friend, who had summoned Laria when she had first started haunting me. But now that Laria had left her not-so-subtle threat to kill all of us, I needed to weigh my options to avoid their freaking out on me.

  “How do we know you didn’t carve ‘DIE’ into the headboard?” Megan asked, her voice calm, her stare cold.

  “That’s such a fucked up thing to say,” Cass said, frowning at Megan. “You always give me shit about saying the wrong thing, but seriously—that was low.”

  Megan stared blankly at her. “What? I mean…she cuts.”

  Cait gasped. “Jesus, Meg.”

  Megan would never say something so mean. I knew that. There was just no way. Heat raced to my cheeks because all three girls were staring at me, waiting for my response. It was all out on the table now. I had nothing else to hide.

  “You’re right, Megan, I do cut…but I’m trying to quit.” I cleared my throat. Despite the fact Megan was acting sketchy, these were my friends, my best friends, and I needed to be completely honest with them. “I started cutting over a year ago after my mom died. I didn’t know how to deal with my pain, and for whatever reason—even if it doesn’t make sense to you—it was one way for me to release my pain. I hate that I’ve done it. I hate that it eats at me.”

  Not one of them looked surprised by my admission, making me wonder who else, aside from Dana and her crew, had made it a point to harass me about cutting.

  “You don’t owe us an explanation,” Cait said, as she reached for my hand and squeezed it. “None of us can relate to what you’ve been through in your life. I can’t imagine losing my mum. Just know that we’re your friends and we’ll help you whenever you need us.”

  The sides of Megan’s mouth lifted the slightest bit, and though she had brown eyes, they were darker than I recalled. I wasn’t about to call Laria out in front of Cass and Cait. I didn’t want them freaking out even more than they already were.

 
; “I’m glad you were honest with us. That says a lot,” Cass said. The words filled me with relief.

  “Me, too,” Cait said, glancing at Megan.

  Megan picked a piece of lint off the rug, staring at me in that messed-up way. I felt like at any second she would leap across the room and jump me.

  “Thanks, guys.” I cleared my throat, needing to lay it all on the line. “I want to also warn you about something—that spirits can masquerade inside people who are living.”

  Cass set down on my bed. “Masquerade in the living? Like how?”

  “Like possession?” Cait asked.

  “Yes, like possession,” I said. “The person may not even know they are being taken over. There could be times where they just don’t feel like themselves, like being pissed off or PMSing for no reason. There could even be episodes where they black out and don’t remember anything…and we’re talking for a period of time.”

  Cass’s eyes narrowed. “Like how long a period of time?”

  “I don’t know for sure,” I replied, choosing my words carefully. “But it takes energy for a spirit to manifest and gain enough power to manipulate the living.”

  Cait gave a shudder. “Creepy.”

  “How do you know so much about possession?” Cass lifted her feet off the floor, as though she was terrified someone would reach out from under the bed and grab her.

  “Cait already knows this.” I turned to Cass and Megan. “I’m being haunted by Laria, but I see more spirits than just her. In fact, I’ve been able to see the dead since the accident that killed my mom.”

  Cass glanced at me. “So…what’s it like?”

  I shrugged. “It’s kind of like seeing you guys…sometimes ghosts are transparent, and sometimes they are as solid as any human being. Some ghosts are nice and just want to be noticed, while there are others—dark spirits—who can make life miserable.”

  “Like Laria?” Cait said.

  I nodded. “Like Laria.”

  Three quick knocks sounded at my door and we all jumped.

  I prayed my dad hadn’t been standing outside the door. I put a finger to my lips, walked to the door and, with a steadying breath, opened it.