Risen (Haunted Series Book 22)

he said that I drop everything when Michael calls and that I don’t take his requests seriously.”
“You’re bonded to Michael.  Angelo is just jealous.  Remember, he wants you to adore him, like you do me.”
Mia’s mouth dropped open.  She saw the twinkle in Murphy’s eyes and she shook her head.  “One of these days, Murph, I’m going to…”
“To what?” Murphy asked.
“Nevermind,” Mia said.  “Phew, let’s get these planted.  I’m sensing I’m going to need a nap.  That was some tantrum I threw.”
“I haven’t seen anything like it,” Murphy admitted.
“You’re lucky.”
“You’re a lot stronger now.  I don’t need to tell you to be careful,” Murphy said seriously.
“That’s good advice.  Now let’s get these bushes relocated.  Any ideas?”
“The south wall of the aerie may be a good place.  Three stories of nothing, no windows to interfere with.”
“That’s an excellent idea.  Come on, give me a hand.  I can’t carry this up the hill by myself.”
“Why not fly it up?”
Mia’s face brightened.  She looked around her to determine if anyone other than a PEEP was around before she unleashed her mighty wings, picked up the plant, and flew up the hill.
Cid, who was coming back from his property, stopped to watch Mia and Murphy.  It looked like they were having fun.  He wasn’t sure if the bushes would recover from Mia’s previous shaking.  He had heard the phone call and really didn’t blame her for her reaction.  He was, however, worried about how quickly Angelo could upset her.
Ted was staring out the window when Cid walked inside the office.
“I think my wife is having a bad day,” Ted said.
“Looks like it.  But she’s fine now.”
“Do you know what set this off?” Ted asked.
“From what I could hear, she was asked to call Angelo and he was being a jerk on the phone.  I think if he were here in person, Mia would have cut his wings off.”
“Good,” Ted said.  “I thought maybe it was me that set her off.”
“Well, if it was you, be glad those shrubs were handy,” Cid said, patting him on the back.  “Hey, why not take the Mrs. out for drinks and a dinner?”
“Excellent idea.  Taco Bell it is,” Ted said with a sly look on his face.

Chapter Three
The sound of a launch approaching the yacht forced Sabine from her sickbed.  She walked up the stairs and out onto the deck to watch as the crew helped bring the Zodiac and its passengers safely aboard.  It took everything she had to resist moving into the comfort of Patrick’s arms.  He and Mason looked a bit defeated, but she wasn’t having any of that.
“I’m sure it’s out there somewhere.  We’ve just started looking,” she said, hoping that they would set sail tonight.
Patrick looked at his brother and smiled.  He reached in his pack and pulled out the scrap of French navy uniform they had found and offered it to Sabine.
“What’s that?” she asked.
“Proof that the America or another French ship landed on the island.  Well, not the ship exactly, but maybe a longboat full of treasure.”
“Where did you find it?”
“At the entrance to a cave not a hundred yards from the place where we landed,” Patrick answered.  “We weren’t prepared for the steepness of the cliffs, so it took us a while to make our way to the waterfalls that we saw from the water.  We found two caves not fifty feet from the other.  Mason and I concentrated on the shallow cave behind the falls while Kevin and Fergus made their way into the second cave.  Kevin found this near the entrance to the short deeper cave.”
Sabine looked at the cloth.  She knew she had to touch it and tell them whether they were right.
“I don’t know what horrors this could hold,” Patrick began.  “But we could save ourselves a lot of time if we knew for sure the treasure made it off the boat.”
She held out her hand, and Patrick handed it to her.
Sabine closed her eyes and held the cloth.
 
Her hands disappeared and were replaced by a windburned, callused set of man’s hands as he smoothed down the front of his uniform.  A man in an elaborate uniform was walking the deck.  He was speaking French, a language in which Sabine didn’t know more than a few phrases.  She took in the emotions of the event and realized that the strip of cloth had taken her back to the day the ship set sail for the first time.
She opened her eyes and handed it back to Patrick.  “All I can tell you is, this came from a sailor who stood on the deck of the America the day it set sail.  I’m sorry, I’m out of practice.  Mia could tell you more.”
Patrick smiled.  “You told us it was from the America.  That’s what we were looking for.”
“But Mia could…”
“I don’t need to know the sailor’s life story,” Patrick said, cutting her short.
“I wouldn’t mind knowing how he lost his shirt,” Mason said dryly.  “I sense he lost his life with his shirt.”
“Unless he took it off because he was trying to keep it nice,” Patrick offered.
“Honestly, do you hear yourself?” Mason asked.
“Where are Kevin and Fergus?” Sabine asked.
“They wanted to stay on the island and keep searching.”
“That’s not a good place.  How could you leave them there?” Sabine asked, her voice tingeing on hysterical.
“They’re dead,” Patrick said.  “What harm could befall them?”
“I don’t know.  All I know is that Mia wouldn’t leave Stephen behind.”
“Um, not like she could, that guy is stuck to her,” Mason said.
“He’s smitten, but she doesn’t take him for granted,” Sabine said lamely.
“Darling, what’s really going on here?” Patrick asked.
“The island is evil.  It’s called Lucifer’s Lip.  Nice places don’t get