Page 19 of Dead Evil (Cold Case Psychic #37)

Who knew how many people would be hurt in the crush to evacuate the arena.

Ronan’s focus at the moment was Levi Shackleton, who lay on his side.

Ronan rolled him over and checked his carotid artery for a pulse.

There was none. He set his hand in front of the fallen preacher’s mouth and didn’t detect air moving in or out of his lungs.

He cleared the airway and started chest compressions.

Movement to his right caught Ronan’s attention. He saw Agatha Louise looking as if she were trying to get up. He didn’t want to think what would happen if she managed to make it to her feet. Beyond the doll, Jude was giving CPR to Barrymore.

“No pulse, no breathing!” Jude shouted.

“Same! I texted Fitz to call out the cavalry.” Ronan stopped the compressions to feel for a pulse.

There was none. He gave Shackleton two rescue breaths and resumed compressions.

He almost giggled over the fact that his lips had been pressed to the homophobic pastor.

He wanted Shackleton to live just to see the look on his face when Ronan told him what had been done to save his life.

More movement caught Ronan’s attention. He looked up from Shackleton to see Agatha Louise had managed to turn toward him. She was slowly inching her way across the stage, crawling like Everly had when she was little. Where the hell was Everly? And Tennyson?

“Agatha Louise!” Everly cried out from behind Ronan.

He felt pounding footsteps and seconds later, Everly ran past him stopping in front of the doll.

Before Ronan could shout out a warning, Everly had scooped the doll into her arms and was rocking her like a baby.

A wave of dizziness passed over Ronan. He would never forgive himself if something happened to Everly.

This was all his fault. He’d been the one to insist his daughter could come to the auditorium.

He was the one who voted for Everly to visit Agatha Louise an hour ago.

Christ, was it only an hour? It felt like three days had passed from the time he’d brought his six-year-old daughter to meet the monster.

“Agatha Louise, please stop hurting the awful men. Yes, they were mean to you, but let them live so they can pay for their mistakes. I promise you, I’ll make them pay.”

The doll’s hands came up. Everly took one with her hand. “It’s okay. You’re safe. I promise I won’t let anyone hurt you, but you have to promise not to hurt anyone else.”

Only Everly would try to reason with a demon-possessed doll. As she promised the doll it was safe, Shackleton took a gulping breath. From across the stage, Ronan could see Barrymore do the same thing.

“Ronan!” Cisco Jackson shouted as he ran into the auditorium. Fitzgibbon was right behind him.

“Freeze!” Ronan shouted, not wanting either man to come any closer. He’d seen with his own eyes what Agatha Louise was capable of and he didn’t want anyone else to feel her wrath.

Tennyson walked up to the stage. He was whiter than a sheet and looked like he was on the verge of having his own, non-Agatha Louise related heart attack. “Everly, take my hand.”

“Ten, no!” Ronan called out.

“Everyone needs to stop shouting,” Everly said. “You’re scaring Agatha Louise.” She reached for Ten’s hand. Ten set his free hand on the doll.

The room fell dead silent. All eyes were on Ten, Everly, and the doll.

“Abomination!” Shackleton shouted, struggling to sit up.

Without a second thought, Ronan hauled back and punched Shackleton in the face. The man fell back to the stage with a loud thump. “That felt good.”

“It’s okay, Agatha Louise, I’ve got you.

I’m right here,” Everly cooed to the doll.

As she finished speaking, the doll’s arms fell back to their sides.

Everly gasped and jerked backward like she’d gotten an electric shock.

She set the doll on the stage and took a step backward. Ten’s hands were over his mouth.

Ronan turned back to the doll and saw what had shocked Ten and Everly.

A little girl stood on the stage in singed pink pajamas.

He’d never seen a picture of the doll’s first victim, but he knew in an instant it was Poppy Richardson.

It struck Ronan that the little girl was the same age as Everly when she died.

“Poppy?” Everly asked, getting to her feet.

“Hi, Everly,” the little girl said.

“Are you okay?” Everly rushed to the girl and hugged her.

“I think so. Did I hurt the men?” Poppy asked.

“No, they’re gonna be fine, unfortunately,” Everly laughed.

Poppy giggled along with her. “What happens now? I want my Mommy and my Daddy!” She began to cry.

Everly wrapped her arms around the little girl, hugging her close.

Ronan could see her lips moving and assumed she was trying to calm the little spirit.

A flash of white light nearly blinded him.

It struck the stage beside Everly. Ronan could see people gathered together and crying. He assumed they were Poppy’s family.

“Mommy! Daddy! Patrick!” Poppy shouted, before turning back to Everly. “How did you do that?”

“I asked for a little help.” Everly hooked her thumb behind her, where Ronan saw Bertha Craig and his mother, Erin, standing together. “It’s time for you to go to heaven.”

“I miss my family, but I don’t want to leave you,” Poppy said.

“You’ll always be able to find me. Just call my name and you’ll come right to me.”

“Really?” Poppy asked, her eyes wide with wonder.

“Yup! Give it a try after you’ve had some time to hug your Mom and Dad.”

“Okay!” Poppy ran toward the light, but stopped suddenly. “Oh, one more thing, can you take care of Agatha Louise?”

“I promise I will.” Everly set a hand over her heart.

Poppy ran into the light which burned brighter for a few seconds and slowly faded.

Everly ran into her grandmother’s arms. “Thank you, Mimi Erin. I didn’t know if I could save Poppy by myself.”

“You’re welcome, little miss.” Erin knelt down in front of Everly. “You are just amazing. I am so proud of you and love you so much.” She hugged her granddaughter like she never wanted to let go.

“What about me?” Ronan asked, standing behind Everly.

“Always, Ro your boat.” Erin stood and pulled Ronan into her arms.

Ronan didn’t want this moment to end. He was hugging his mother and Everly and Ten were safe. Ronan couldn’t ask for more than this.

Bertha hugged Ten, then Everly. “You did good, honey.”

“I was so scared Poppy was gonna hurt Daddy or Uncle Jude. I didn’t even think about myself, I just ran to help.”

“That’s true courage,” Bertha said. “It’s one of the reasons the light appeared when you called it. Your pure heart was the other. Now, I’ve got to hug your handsome father before my time is up.”

Everly stepped back to Tennyson, her eyes on the doll.

“Was Poppy’s spirit inside the doll?” Ten asked. “Or was there something else in there too?”

“It was Poppy and something else. Whatever the other thing was vanished when I picked up Agatha Louise. It was the other thing who was killing people. Poppy tried to stop it, but the thing hurt her.”

“Did it go back to hell?” Ten asked Bertha, who was still hugging Ronan.

Bertha shook her head. “It flew off, I’m not sure where it went. Off to find another host, I assume.”

“Bertha Craig, you’re looking mighty fine for a woman who has been dead for a decade.”

“Well, thank you, Cisco. Can you do me a favor?” Bertha grinned at the chief of police.

Cisco grinned. “Name it.”

“Stop yelling at my boys! Ronan, Jude, and Fitzgibbon are sweet, sweet angles.” Bertha winked at Cisco.

“Sure they are, Bertha, and I’m the Queen of England.” Cisco rolled his eyes. “Shackleton, Barrymore, I’m Police Chief Cisco Jackson. Come with me and we’ll get you checked out by the medics who are waiting outside.”

Jude helped Barrymore to the side of the stage, while Ronan did the same for Shackleton. Both men were shouting about the white light. Cisco handed them off to two of his officers and walked back to Ronan and the others.

“Thanks, Cisco.” Ronan gave his boss a quick hug.

“Thank you. This could have been one hell of a shitshow and you two stopped that from happening.”

“Uh, excuse me, Uncle Cisco!” Everly crossed her arms over her chest. “I was the one who stopped the shitshow.”

“I’ll make sure you get a special medal and soap to wash that mouth out.” Cisco winked at Everly and followed his officers and the two stunned men out of the auditorium.

“Our time here is up,” Bertha said. “Sorry we can’t stay longer. Toodles!” Bertha disappeared.

Everly hugged Erin one last time. “I’ll see you soon.”

“You bet, Doodlebug!” Erin kissed her cheek and slowly vanished from sight.

“Uncle Fitz?” Everly called out.

“Yeah, honey.” Fitz headed for the front of the stage.

“You need to find Devin Forrest. Someone hit him and stole Agatha Louise. He should be in the ballroom.”

“I’ll go with you,” Ronan said, climbing down from the stage.

“Me too.” Everly picked up Agatha Louise. “Mr. Devin is gonna be really upset that she was kidnapped.”

Ronan scooped his daughter and the now harmless doll into his arms. “If anyone can make Devin feel better, it’s you.” Ronan pressed a kiss to Everly’s temple. “You and I are gonna have a long talk tomorrow about everything that happened here tonight.”

“Okay, Daddy. After that, we’re gonna go to the store and get me a new doll. I’m gonna name her Agatha Louise, junior.”

Ronan burst out laughing. If he lived to be a hundred, Ronan would never forget his daughter running toward the cursed doll who had nearly added two more victims to her kill list. His daughter was brave, no doubt about it, but if she kept throwing caution to the wind, Ronan was going to end up on high blood pressure meds, sooner rather than later.

For now, Everly was safe. Ten was too. Ronan might still be shaken from everything that had just happened in the auditorium, but he even still, he was the luckiest man alive.

EPILOGUE Tennyson

One week later…