The Lost: Book Two, The Eddie McCloskey Series (The Unearthed 2) Read Free Page A

be tail lights and find another little town, maybe head down south.
    Eddie sat back down.
    “There’s money in it, Eddie,” Kindler said. “A man should be paid for his work.”
    With this, Whitmore rose and went to the bar, apparently disgusted that he wouldn’t be making an arrest.
    Eddie knew what Kindler wanted from him. He had heard the rumors. Ana had mentioned to him that she and her friends were already investigating the strange goings-on.
    “This town is haunted,” Kindler said.

Five
     
    “Cal l the Ghostbusters,” Eddie said.
    Kindler guffawed. Ordered two more beers, which Eddie did not object to.
    “I’m serious, Eddie, something big is going down and this town is the epicenter.”
    Epicenter ? Eddie looked over at Whitmore. “Why are you here, Lieutenant? Don’t tell me you’re buying into this bullshit.”
    Whitmore faced Eddie. “Just for the record, hot shot, I’m here to warn you.”
    “About Casper the friendly ghost and his buddies?”
    Whitmore smiled in spite of himself. Then he went for the kill. “We all know how your last investigation turned out. One child butchered, your brother gutted, almost two more dead.”
    Eddie almost burst out of the booth and strangled Whitmore. But that was exactly what the cop wanted. He was seeing red but forced himself to stay seated.
    “What’s your stake in this, Whitmore? Police Chief, the next go around?”
    Once again, Eddie had gone too far. Whitmore approached him, violence in his eyes.
    “I don’t care if you take or leave this job. I’m not going to force you to do anything. But your criminal history is a matter of record. You’re on parole. A drug charge right now would throw your sorry ass right back in the hoosegow where you’ll have to worry about dropping the soap. I’d also be in my rights to let your employer know about your checkered past. It’s your choice.”
    The timing couldn’t have been worse. Eddie had yet to receive his first check from the store. Victor, his boss, seemed a good egg but you never knew about people. Once they knew you were an ex-con they looked at you differently, like they couldn’t trust you and more often than not they were right.
    He’d split the life insurance proceeds with his dead brother’s fiancee. At the time, it had seemed liked a lot of money. He’d thought he’d invest some, maybe buy some real estate. His investing skills proved to be less than exceptional and … then there were the lawyer’s costs. He’d racked up legal fees like they were bar tabs. The best laid plans ...
    “Now, now Lieutenant, let’s all calm down,” Kindler said.
    Whitmore’s mouth twitched and he gave Kindler a look that could freeze the sun. “Marty, you want this vagrant to help you, that’s your deal. I don’t have to like it though.” Whitmore returned to the bar and gave them his back.
    Kindler watched the cop for a moment before facing Eddie again. He lowered his voice. “Listen, Eddie, I know what happened all those years ago wasn’t your fault. If anything, I’d say you saved two lives out there on that terrible day.”
    Eddie grimaced. One of those he’d saved was Sean McKenna, but McKenna didn’t see things that way. He blamed Eddie for the death of his son and wanted Eddie dead. In fact, Eddie was reasonably certain McKenna had already tried to have him killed once.
    Kindler’s voice rose to full volume again. “Eddie, what’s happening here is far past exciting, it’s life-changing. You can be a big part of this, with your experience and knowledge. It’s why you came here of all the places you could have gone. You were drawn here.”
    “I picked the name of this town off Wikipedia. It was the third name on the list. I like the number three.”
    “Don’t you see, Eddie? Three, the number three, the trinity. All things holy. I’m telling you Eddie it’s as plain as the nose on your face.”
    “What about Ana? What has she done?” Eddie asked.
    Kindler leaned in