The Cursed. Heather Graham
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A haunted house in Key West
Hannah O’Brien, who grew up in the house and now runs it as a B and B, has always had a special ability to see a pair of resident ghosts. But when a man is murdered in the alley behind her place, she’s dismayed when his spirit appears, too, asking for help.
FBI agent Dallas Samson has a passionate interest in the murder, since the victim’s a colleague whose death is connected to the smuggling ring known as Los Lobos—the wolves. Now Dallas is even more committed to chasing them down.…
Unaware that Dallas has certain abilities of his own, Hannah calls her cousin Kelsey O’Brien, a member of the FBI’s Krewe of Hunters, an elite unit of paranormal investigators. The present-day case is linked to a historical mystery involving salvagers, a curse and a sunken ship. Danger and desire bring Hannah and Dallas together, but to survive, they have to solve the mysteries of the past—and stay alive long enough to solve the crimes of the present!
Praise for the novels of
New York Times bestselling author Heather Graham
“Graham does an amazing job of bringing real-life elements into her fiction worlds….[The] messages are subtle, expertly woven through a story that focuses on solving mysterious crimes using the Krewe members’ unique talents. Graham also brings the surrounding areas of Nashville alive, with vivid details and lush descriptions.”
—RT Book Reviews on The Night is Forever (Top Pick)
“Bestseller Graham launches the third arc in her paranormal romantic suspense Krewe of Hunters series (The Unseen, etc.) with a rousing tale of the intriguing haunted town of Lily, Arizona….Readers will enjoy Sloan and Jane’s interactions as romantic partners and competent professionals, aided by Lily’s ghosts.”
—Publishers Weekly on The Night is Watching
“Graham deftly weaves elements of mystery, the paranormal and romance into a tight plot that will keep the reader guessing at the true nature of the killer’s evil.”
—Publishers Weekly on The Unseen
“I’ve long admired Heather Graham’s storytelling ability and this book hit the mark. I couldn’t put The Unholy down.”
—Fresh Fiction
“The main characters are a great team, both professionally and romantically.”
—RT Book Reviews on The Unspoken
“The Uninvited is a saucy romantic murder mystery with ghosts taking center stage.”
—Joyfully Reviewed
“If you like mixing a bit of the creepy with a dash of sinister and spine-chilling reading with your romance, be sure to read Heather Graham’s latest….Graham does a great job of blending just a bit of paranormal with real, human evil.”
—Miami Herald on Unhallowed Ground
“Great writing and excellent characters make Wicked a terrific read….The undercurrent of mystery and suspense will keep readers riveted.”
—Romance Reviews Today
The Cursed
Heather Graham
To Key West—
one of the very special and unique places
that make my home state of Florida so special.
And for Stuart and Teresa Davant and days at the Banyan; Shayne, Chynna, Bryee, Jason and Derek for many trips to the island; Kathleen Pickering, Mary Stella, Connie Perry, Debbie Richardson, Aleka Nakis, Frazier Nivens, Clint Bullard, and so many more friends who make every trip down to Mile Marker 1 a little more amazing.
Contents
Prologue
Ghost Stories
“The children screamed in the night as they felt the fire surround them, as they felt the ash...as they breathed in a smell like bad fried chicken that drifted on the air—a smell that must have been the victims’ burning flesh!”
As he emerged from the bathroom, Stuart Bell waved his arms over his head in a ridiculously—he hoped—spooky way. He was trying to be funny. Not that the event had been funny. A dozen children and adults had once been killed in a fire here at their bed-and-breakfast. But that had been a long time ago.
Still, he was apparently not funny at all.
He could see that Shelly was genuinely scared—she had been since they’d embarked on the Key West ghost tour earlier that night.
The friends who’d taken the tour with them had all shaken off anything even remotely scary at their last stop, the haunted Hard Rock Cafe, where they’d imbibed a few island specialties and discussed some of the stories their guide had been telling them—despite having been told that a member of the Curry family had committed suicide in the ladies’ room. Everyone was having a great time—except for Shelly. Judy and Pete Atkinson, married grad students, were living it up away from kids, school and responsibilities. Mark Riordan and Yerby Catalano had kept up, matching them drink for drink. Shelly, however, had sipped at one blue, flowery beverage all night but left most of it behind.
The others had talked about the past and even laughed at the spooky melodramas their guide had recounted.
But Shelly took such stories to heart. She was still nervous.
He