The Suicide Forest (The River Book 5) Read Online Free Page B

of years of sun exposure, and the
lower half of her body was under a blanket. From her daybed, she had a view out
a large window that overlooked the front yard.
    “I saw you come up from my nest here,” she said, pointing to
the window. “Forgive me for not getting up, but these old bones can’t manage it
today.”
    Roy and Steven approached the daybed and shook her hand,
which was frail and delicate. Steven could feel each bone in her hand as he
touched her. “Nice to meet you,” he said as he released her hand.
    “Likewise,” she said, glancing up at him for a moment, and
then returning her eyes to the window. “You came in Dixon’s boat. I watched you
arrive.”
    “We did indeed,” said Roy. “We left from Ballard.”
    “Dixon is a wonderful man,” she said, letting her head tilt
slightly to one side as she said it. Given what Steven knew about Dixon’s
reputation for exploits, he wondered if Judith Duke was one of the many ladies
he’d romanced over the years.
    “I don’t normally see people these days,” she said, “but if
Dixon says I need to see you both, then I don’t doubt there’s a good reason.”
    “We’ve encountered something troubling,” Roy said, “and we
need the advice of someone who has expertise. I’ve encountered something like
it before, but this is different.”
    “Ah,” she said. “That old game. There are many people out
there who consider me an expert on many things — it’s true. But if you don’t
come to the point, you might exhaust me before I can do anything to help you.”
    Roy seemed a little taken back, so Steven jumped in. “There
is a woman we were trying to help, in Seattle,” Steven said. “There was
something threatening her, upset at our presence in her home. We were only
trying to figure out if her home was haunted, but whatever it was threatened to
kill her if we remained there. My father felt it was out of our depth.”
    “Really?” She asked, turning her head from the window to face
them. “How do you know that?”
    “He felt it was demonic,” Steven said. “And I felt something
evil when I was there. Neither of us know much about that side of things.”
    “Roy, would you bring me that glass cruet on the table over
there?” she said, waving to the opposite wall. “And three glasses?”
    Roy retrieved the items, and placed them on the table next to
the daybed, where Judith began to pour, filling each glass.
    “None for me, thank you,” Steven said.
    “It’s not spirits, my dear, if that’s what you’re thinking,”
Judith said, replacing the stopper on the cruet and handing a glass to Roy.
“It’s something we’re going to need if we’re to keep discussing this.” Roy took
the glass from her hand, and she passed another glass to Steven. Once they all
had a glass, she raised hers with a small salute, and they all shot the drink.
Steven and Roy placed their empty glasses on the table next to the cruet.
    “I’m guessing that was some kind of protection?” Roy said.
    “Incredibly astute,” she said with a tone that made it hard
to detect if it was sarcasm. “I’m looking forward to your next observation.”
    Steven stepped in again, afraid Roy might take things off
rails. “I’ve taken protection before,” Steven said, “but only just before
something dangerous was about to happen. I hope nothing dangerous is imminent.”
    “It is,” Judith said, motioning for them to sit in nearby
chairs, “if we are going to discuss whatever you felt in your client’s house. You’ve
come to me for my experience, and this is the first bit of it I’ll share with
you: half the battle with these things is not opening yourself up to them. Talking
about them can, in some cases, invite them in. Once they’re in, they can be very
difficult to get rid of. I find it’s a lot simpler to protect one’s self so
they don’t get in in the first place, then you don’t have to worry about
getting them out. What we just imbibed will allow us to