Grave Deceit Read online

  PROLOGUE

  The four of them stood in stunned silence staring at the empty grave. Lying next to the gaping hole in the earth was a wooden casket, pried open and revealing the luxe satin lining inside and a plush pillow but missing a crucial component — the body.

  Tyler gazed at the luscious padding, his eyes lingering on the depression in the pillow where his grandfather's head had been resting when he last saw him at the funeral. A strange thought crossed his mind — he wondered what his grandfather's corpse might have looked like after six months of being buried underground.

  Suddenly he was struck by an eerie notion that sent a chill down his body. The construction worker, whom he had hired to exhume his grandfather's body, had pulled open the casket, glanced at the vacant chamber, and grinned at Tyler. "Looks like your grandpa went for a walk."

  He had brushed off the comment as a farce initially. But now, with no reasonable explanation for the bizarre scene lying before him, he found himself entertaining ridiculous ideas about what might have happened.

  A gust of wind kicked up dead leaves lying in a pile nearby, sending them swirling in the air. Standing next to him, Alice checked his troubled expression. She’d found it odd when he received a phone call from his sister asking him to check up on his grandfather's grave. They knew something was amiss when they got to the graveside and found the earth uneven.

  "Do you have any idea who could have done this?" asked Naomi. She looked shaken by the discovery.

  Tyler shook his head. "I have no clue."

  Alice placed a hand on Tyler's shoulder. She was the only one who seemed unperturbed. "Let's go. We'll figure out what happened once we get back to Virginia."

  Tyler gazed at the rolling green field before him with the glittering white and gray tombstones jutting out. Wreaths, bouquets, and solitary flowers lay scattered in front of the marble and granite slabs bearing the names of the deceased. The wind rustled the hanging branches of the willow tree above them. The low murmur of the leaves swaying in the breeze sounded like a mournful dirge.

  He let out an exasperated sigh. His shoulders slumped and he stuck his hands in his pockets as he slinked away from his grandfather’s grave.

  Naomi glanced at Adrian who shrugged his shoulders and began plodding after Tyler. She followed him, trudging away from the hollow grave.

  Alice stayed by the graveside a moment longer. She cast a glance around the deserted cemetery. The soaring willow and oak trees, lush green fields, flowers scattered on the ground, and the scent of roses in the air made the place look like paradise.

  She was no stranger to death, having witnessed her mother's murder before her eyes at the tender age of thirteen. A career in the FBI's Critical Incident Response Group later on meant she had seen more than her fair share of bizarre deaths.

  She looked up at the sunlight filtering in through the leaves. The drooping branches of the willow tree rustled softly, swaying back and forth in the wind as if urging her to move on. She glanced at the empty casket one last time before turning and trudging behind the others.

  The trio was waiting for her inside the car by the time she got there. She pulled open the door to the passenger's seat in the front and jumped inside. Tyler turned the key in the ignition. The car rumbled to a start for a few seconds, shuddered, and went quiet.

  Tyler tried to start the engine once more. The car jolted forward and stopped with a jerk. They exchanged puzzled looks. Tyler let out a troubled breath, pushed open the door, and climbed out of the car. He went to the hood, yanking it open and sticking his head inside.

  Adrian turned around in his seat and peered at the road stretching behind them. “Looks like we’re never getting out of this city.” He shifted and turned to Naomi. “Seems like the universe is conspiring to keep us here.” He grinned.

  “It’d be nice to live in California,” said Naomi. She twirled a strand of her blonde hair while looking out the window. “The sun, the beach, the people — I think I’d quite like it here.” She looked at Adrian and smiled. He leaned in closer to kiss her.

  Alice took it as her cue to leave. She pushed open the door and jumped out, slamming it shut on her way as she strode toward the hood to check on Tyler.

  “How long are we going to be stuck here?” she asked.

  Tyler stood frowning at the engine. “It could take a while.” He tinkered with the car for another few minutes then pulled his head out. “You’re a tough girl. What do you say, you and I give this baby a push?” he asked, grinning while wiping his greasy hands with a rag cloth.

  Alice glanced at the backseat where Adrian and Naomi sat tangled up in each other, passionately kissing without a care in the world. “I’ll wait for you behind the car while you shake those two lovebirds awake,” she said with a half-smile and a nod at the two.

  Tyler rapped the car window as Alice strode to the back of the car. He joined her a few moments later. Adrian wriggled into the driver’s seat and turned the ignition key.

  Alice and Tyler placed their hands on the trunk of the car and began pushing the vehicle. The engine rumbled for a few seconds before dying down again. Alice and Tyler kept pushing the car and it slowly rolled down the road.

  "Remind me to never invite you to go on a vacation," said Tyler.

  Alice glanced up at him, noticed a cheeky grin on his face, and knew he was playing around.

  "Am I responsible for the car breaking down?"

  "No," he replied. "But you have a way of finding trouble."

  "I don't know about that." She shrugged. "I just like to find answers; can't help it if that inevitably leads to trouble."

  Tyler nodded his head back at the cemetery. "Any idea what happened there?"

  Alice craned her neck to look back at the wrought-iron archway marking the entrance to the graveyard. The thin metal rods molded into letters in the arch to spell out the name: Rosewood Cemetery.

  "Never seen anything like that before," she said, turning back toward him. "But I'll tell you this much — I don't believe in ghosts."

  The car hiccupped a few more times. Tyler wiped the sweat off his brow with the back of his hand. "Guess we'll have to push this piece of crap all the way to Virginia," he grumbled.

  The engine revved to a start just as he uttered those words. Tyler let out a sigh of relief. The car thrummed before them waiting for them to get in.

  Tyler glanced at Alice who stood still, staring at something in the distance. "Come on, let's get in," he said but she didn't seem to hear him.

  He followed her gaze and saw smoke rising from the shrubs on the side of the road. He narrowed his eyes and saw the broken branches of trees and the wide hole that had been carved into the place where the bushes had been flattened after collision with a vehicle.

  "Come on," said Alice, sprinting toward the smoke.

  Tyler glanced at the vibrating car waiting for him to get in and drive away, leaving behind the chaos and settling into the comforts of a mundane and mostly uneventful life. He looked up at Alice who had reached the bushes and was steadily climbing down the slope.

  Cursing under his breath and shaking his head, he knocked on the window and gestured at Adrian and Naomi about where he was heading off to, then ran after Alice.

  Why couldn't he just let her go? He thought to himself, agitated.

  Behind him, Adrian killed the engine and exchanged a confused look with Naomi. They leaned closer to the window to see what Tyler and Alice were up to.

  By the time Tyler got to the roadside, Alice had descended the steep hill, disappearing in a cloud of smoke. The thick black plumes rising from below stung his eyes and burned his throat and nostrils upon inhalation. He bent over, coughing convulsively.

  When he finally recovered, he saw a sooty-faced Alice cl
imb up the hill. Her jaw set and brows knitted. "Call 911. There's someone inside."

  Tyler stared at her wide-eyed, horrified by the revelation. She wiped the ash that had settled on her forehead and gazed at the vehicle down below, engulfed in flames. "It's too late. There's nothing we can do to save him."

  The blaring sirens of police cars filled the deserted highway moments later. The black and white cars skidded to a stop before Alice and Tyler. In the distance, Alice could see a bright red fire engine barreling toward them.

  The firemen hosed down the flames. Alice stared at the blackened carcass of the vehicle as the fire was put out. Whoever was inside was sure to have burned to a crisp. She knew someone was in the driver's seat when she lumbered down the hill a few moments ago and peered through the flickering flames.

  The heat from the fire enveloping the vehicle had singed her face and hands as she stepped closer. The unmistakable smell of burning flesh made her take a step back. She glimpsed a person sitting upright in the front seat, the skin and muscle gone and the bones turning black. The terrifying sight made her stagger backward and scramble up the hill where Tyler stood waiting for her.

  Adrian and Naomi had gotten out of the car and watched the rescue operations, shocked by the sudden turn of events.

  "Looks like our vacation got extended by a few more weeks," said Adrian as Tyler came trudging toward them.

  "You don't have to stay. You guys can go back to Virginia if you like while I stay with Alice to crack this case." He grimaced. His head reeled from the smoke and the sickening smell of burning meat made his stomach churn.

  "And miss out on all the fun." Adrian grinned. "No way."

  Beside him, Naomi wore a stoic expression. Tyler glanced at her. "I really don't want to pressure any of you to stay," he said, warily.

  Naomi locked eyes with him and offered a stiff smile. "It's fine. We'll stay."

  Alice stood at the edge of the road, transfixed by the charred skeleton of the car. As if in a daze, she began descending the hill again, inching close to the burnt vehicle. With the smoke cleared and the fire gone, she could see the destruction clearly.

  She knelt near the window and looked inside. The seat covers and padding were gone with only mangled metal left behind. She glimpsed something shiny in the rubble and reached out to pick it. She pulled out a long chain with a pendant from a pile of ash and examined it closely. The small hairs on her arms rose as she held the pendant and realized what it was: a silver coiled snake.

  A chill swept through her as memories flooded her mind. Cold gray eyes and a mocking grin. She could picture her stepfather standing before her as her scrawny thirteen-year-old self cowered in a corner of the room. From his neck dangled a chain with a silver snake pendant glinting in the light.

  "Alice!!"

  Startled, Alice spun around.

  Tyler stood behind her with a concerned look on his face. "Are you alright?" he asked. "You look like you've seen a ghost," he added with a chuckle.

  Tyler knew blood and gore did not unnerve her. She had kept her cool in many life-threatening situations. He studied her closely. The color had drained from her face and she looked troubled.

  She quickly shoved something in her pocket. "Let's go. Naomi and Adrian must be waiting," she said, walking past him.

  He found her behavior odd but chose not to say anything. There was something mysterious about her. Even after working alongside her for a year and a half, he felt like he didn't know her any better.

  As he got in the driver's seat and turned on the engine, he wondered about the strange connection he shared with Alice. One she had no idea about[KW1].

  The car jerked forward and rattled to a start. Adrian let out a sigh of relief in the back seat. "Thank God! I was afraid we'd have to get out and push start," he said.

  Sitting beside him in the backseat, Naomi gazed out of the window with a cold, hard expression.

  Tyler spun the car around and gunned the engine, heading back to the motel. His thoughts drifted to the photograph that Alice had shown him: a young man clad in an army uniform. His stomach churned as the man’s face floated before his eyes. Anxiety rose inside him and he glanced at Alice. She sat beside him, her head leaning against the window frame, lost in her thoughts as she gazed outside.

  No matter how hard he tried, he could never get her to open up to him. He was in her motel room a few days ago when she surprised him by talking about her past. At first, he didn’t know how to react. He was so used to her being secretive about herself that it shocked him. Her eyes flashed with hatred as she talked about her stepfather. She got up and marched to her suitcase, returning a few moments later clutching a photograph.

  The ground shifted beneath his feet as he laid eyes on the old, faded picture. The realization made his head pound. He rose to his feet in a state of trance and began walking to the door. It felt easier to breathe when he was outside in the open air.

  The photograph had knocked all the air from his lungs. He felt relieved to be out in the empty parking lot. He knew he should go back in and offer an explanation to Alice for his abrupt exit but he couldn't bring himself to go back inside.

  There was no denying that he had seen that man's face before. His body shuddered as he remembered lying in a dark, cold well when he was just eight years old. The only light came from above and when he craned his neck to look up, he saw him. Menacing, gray eyes and a chilling smile, the man had gleefully watched him tremble with fear.

  He could never have imagined that he and Alice would end up sharing such a connection. He looked at her sideways and wondered whether he should bring it up. Now was not the right time, he thought, deciding against it. The car wreck they had just witnessed had left her shaken and he didn't want to add to her troubles.

  He shook his head in disbelief. What were the odds of his attacker and the man who murdered Alice's mother turning out to be the same person?

  Adrian called out at him to stop the car, jolting him out of his reverie. He slammed the brakes and whirled his head, bewildered. He had driven past the motel and would have kept speeding down the road if Adrian hadn't snapped him out of his daydream.

  "I'm sorry guys," he said, massaging his forehead. His skin was flushed and sweaty and he could feel a headache coming on.

  Alice smiled at him sympathetically and touched his shoulder. "It's alright. It's been a tough day for all of us."

  He managed a weak smile.

  He started the engine and turned the car around. The motel’s signage was in plain view as he drove to the parking lot. The group jumped out as soon as he pulled up in the parking space.

  They heaved their suitcases out of the trunk and plodded toward the office to check into their rooms.

  Alice shut the door of her room once she was inside and sank to her knees. The fear that she had managed to keep bottled up ever since she discovered the necklace in the rubble consumed her. Tears spilled down her cheeks and she hugged her knees. Her body shuddered as she let out loud sobs.

  The moment felt eerily familiar and she was reminded of the time she sat crying in the dark closet as a child following her mother's murder.

  She remained in the same position for several minutes, tears streaming down her face and her body trembling. It took her a long moment to calm down.

  Now that her mind was no longer paralyzed with terror, she reached into her pocket and took out the necklace. A chill ran down her spine as she ran her thumb over the silver snake. Memories of stepping out of the closet and seeing the bodies flashed before her eyes.

  She remembered recoiling further into a dark corner as the closet door opened a crack. A woman peered inside. Slowly, she pushed the door open wide. She knelt before her so that they were on the same eye level and reached out a hand.

  Alice studied it, warily. She was like a frightened little mouse looking suspiciously at the towering human offering a piece of cheese, bewildered by the unexpected act of kindness.

  The reassuring look in he
r eyes, her gentle smile, and the FBI jacket told Alice that she could trust her. The woman helped her to her feet and steered her out of the closet.

  She glimpsed a large bloodstain on her mother's pristine white carpet and a body lying on the other side of the bed. Quickly, she looked away, marching alongside the FBI agent into the hallway.

  FBI agents flocked around another body lying near the stairs. She glanced in its direction. She had heard the second shot and had guessed what it meant but she needed to see to be sure.

  They had shoved the corpse in a black body bag. She caught a glimpse of a bloodied face before they zipped it to a close. A sense of relief washed over her as she descended the stairs. It wasn't how she wished he had died but at least he was gone.

  The FBI agent led her to her car. Alice climbed into the backseat. The agent told her to wait for her in the car. She shut the door, turned, and began striding back to the house.

  Alice gazed at the blue cape cod house with white trimmings. Her mother's prized hydrangeas were in full bloom in the front yard. She leaned back and closed her eyes. The nightmare was over.

  Her grip tightened around the snake necklace as she emerged from the ocean of memories. She examined the coiled snake; it was unmistakably the same one her stepfather always wore around his neck.

  She rubbed the tears from her face with the back of her hand. It could just be a coincidence. Maybe the victim in the car had the same necklace as her stepfather.

  She pulled herself to her feet and walked to the dresser and looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying. She felt a sliver of annoyance at herself for breaking down like that just then.

  She tossed the necklace on the dresser, disgusted with herself for being overdramatic, squared her shoulders and looked herself in the eye.

  Seeing herself in control made her feel better. A small smile appeared on her lips. She shook her head, almost embarrassed with her overreaction, and strode to the bathroom for a shower.

  There was nothing for her to feel worried about, she thought as she pulled her T-shirt over her head. After all, people could not rise from the dead.