Pray for Dawn Read Online Free Page B

wind sweeping up from the river was cold, cutting through my leather jacket, which sported a few new tears following last night’s encounter. In fact, by the way the tourists were looking at me, I realized that I looked little better than a semi-crazed homeless person. My hair was wild and unkempt, and my clothes were dirty and wrinkled. I hadn’t bothered to shave in more than three days and I hadn’t slept in two nights. My flight from Spain to Savannah had been plagued with turbulence.
    I walked down the street, taking in the handful of tourists popping in and out of the gift shops and hopping on the trolley that trundled around the historic district of the city. All seemed quiet enough. Of course, at this moment, all the nightwalkers were safely ensconced in their secret lairs, the lycanthropes were their day jobs, and any other creatures would be acting like normal human beings. I wouldn’t be able to find out much until the sun actually set once again.
    Pausing at one corner, I contemplated walking back and catching a few hours of sleep. However, a bit of yellow police tape flapping in the wind caught my attention. I turned the corner and headed up the hill toward a wide alleyway known as Factors Walk. James had not mentioned where the girl had been murdered, but the one place it would make the biggest stink would be near River Walk, where most of the tourists flocked during the day.
    “You don’t want to go up there,” called a young voice at my back.
    I twisted around to find a young girl of no more than fourteen years sitting against the side of a building. Her hands were tucked under her arms against the bitter wind and her arms and chin rested on her bent knees. She was staring straight ahead at the building across from her as if some part of her was still trying to ignore my presence, but for some reason she had spoken up.
    “Why not?” I asked.
    “The Dark Walk ain’t safe anymore,” she said, still refusing to look up at me. “Stay down by the river.”
    I turned and took a couple steps closer to the young girl so that I was now standing directly in front of her. “What’s changed? I’ve been on Factors Walk before.”
    The girl shrugged one shoulder. A quick glance over the young woman revealed that she honestly didn’t look much better than me. Her clothes were dirty and worn, just a motley collection that worked to keep her warm against the cold. Her brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail and a smudge of dirt covered some of her freckles.
    “Is it just at night that the Walk is dangerous?” I pressed.
    “Night. Day. It really doesn’t matter. It hangs out there, waiting.”
    “Is that where the girl was killed?”
    The girl seemed to shrink in on herself, as if trying to protect herself. “Yes,” she whispered.
    “And the killer is still around here somewhere?”
    “He’s always around somewhere,” she replied.
    “Then that’s exactly what I want to hear.”
    Turning, I started up the hill again only to feel a sharp tug on the right sleeve of my jacket. I looked down to find the girl tightly holding onto my arm with both hands. Her head remained down, her eyes locked on the ground.
    “You can’t go up there,” she commanded, raising her voice for the first time.
    “I’ll be fine,” I said, trying to use my most reassuring voice. “I’ve faced all kinds of dark things and survived. I can handle this.”
    “There’s been nothing like this in Savannah before,” she replied, finally looking up at me. Her brown eyes went wide and she released me so fast that she nearly fell backward. I reached for her, but she quickly darted away from my reaching hand. She ran back down the hill, pausing only long enough to grab a worn backpack before disappearing out of sight.
    Something about my appearance had scared her, but I couldn’t begin to guess at what. I wasn’t exactly looking my best, but she’d been talking to me before running in terror.
    With a sigh, I resumed my trek up