The 5th Witch (29 page)

“I could have killed you,” said Dan.

“It wasn’t your fault. Rebecca Greensmith had enormous magical influence. After you had strangled me, she probably would have persuaded you to kill yourself, too.”

Dan looked down at her. “It’s over, isn’t it? We’ve gotten rid of her—all five of her.”

Annie nodded. He kissed her hair, then her forehead, then her lips.

Outside, it was gradually beginning to grow light.

He came back home that evening and rang her door bell. She came out, smiling and wiping her hands on a cloth. “Sorry, I’ve been mixing up some dried cicadas and black pepper. It’s a wonderful cure for indigestion.”

“Think I’ll stick to Pepto-Bismol, thanks.”

“How about a brewski?” she asked him.

“Sure. I have some very excellent news. It won’t be announced officially until tomorrow morning, but the Zombie and the White Ghost and Vasili Krylov have all been arrested, along with twenty or thirty of their accountants and lawyers and other assorted goons.”

He followed her into the kitchen, and she took two cans of Coors out of the fridge. “Another update that’s going to come out tomorrow—Chief O’Malley has retired for health reasons, and Deputy Chief Days is taking over until they can find a replacement.”

“And what about all those men who were killed? Are they going to say how that happened?”

Dan shook his head. “I think they’re going to stick to the freak tornado story. The Quintex came to town, but now she’s gone, so I don’t think there’s any need to frighten Joe Public more than we have to.”

“Would you like some supper? I have a chicken-and-thyme pie in the oven.”

“Great. Love some.”

He took off his coat and hung it over the back of one of the kitchen chairs. As he did so, a jet-black kitten came into the room, looked up at him, and mewed.

“Hey—” he said. “Who’s
this
little feller?”

Annie had started to peel potatoes. She turned and looked at him, and her eyes were curiously dark, as if she had no eyes at all. “That’s Malkin, of course.”

“
Malkin?
But Malkin’s—”

HIGH PRAISE FOR
GRAHAM MASTERTON!

“A mesmerizing storyteller!”

—
Publishers Weekly

“One of the most consistently entertaining writers in the field.”

—
Gauntlet

“Graham Masterton is the living inheritor to the realm of Edgar Allan Poe.”

—
San Francisco Chronicle

“Graham Masterton is a first rate horror writer.”

—
Midwest Book Review

“Graham Masterton is always a lot of fun and he rarely lets the reader down.…Horror’s most consistent provider of chills.”

—
Masters of Terror

“Masterton is a crowd-pleaser, filling his pages with sparky, appealing dialogue and visceral grue.”

—
Time Out
(UK)

“Masterton is one of those writers who can truly unnerve the reader with everyday events.”

—Steve Gerlach, Author of
Rage

“Masterton has always been in the premier league of horror scribes.”

—
Publishing News

Other
Leisure
books by Graham Masterton:

EDGEWISE
NIGHT WARS
MANITOU BLOOD
THE DEVIL IN GRAY
THE DOORKEEPERS
SPIRIT
THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT
PREY