Specter of Death - Part 4

            “Well? Don’t leave me hanging. Where? What is it?” Kim demanded.

            “Believe it or not, I think I saw it in Seth’s last book,” Bill replied. “Hang on a sec and let me pull up the e-reader app on my phone. Okay, yeah … here it is. His most recent book, Specter of Death has it on the front cover.”

The entire group leaned in to look at the tiny screen and gasped. The mysterious symbol carved into Seth’s chest, right over his heart, looked almost identical to the images on the cover of his novel.

            “I feel like a jerk for admitting this but,” John paused and shifted in his seat before continuing his confession. “I’ve never read a single one of Seth’s books. I’m such a shitty friend. He would come to our gigs and post on all of his social media sites to promote my band and I never once reciprocated. I just, I wish I’d been a better friend to him … hell, to all of you.” Wringing his hands, John stood and looked each of his friends in the eye. “Starting right now, I am going to be a friend like Seth was. He was the guy who always had your back and who supported whatever you wanted to do because it was important to you. Seth, wherever you are, I just want you to know how much I miss you and how sorry I am that I wasn’t there for you when you needed me. I’ll never make that mistake again; I swear!”

     John wiped the tears from his eyes and accepted hugs all around as he struggled to regain his composure.

            “Look,” Angela chimed in. “You can’t beat yourself up, John. Sometimes life just gets in the way and we get busy. It doesn’t mean I don’t think about all of you and I am sure you do the same. If you really want to do right by Seth, let’s do what we can to help Kim figure out what happened to him.”

            “That’s good idea,” Gillian agreed. “Why don’t we all start with Seth’s book. If the symbol has anything to do with what happened then, maybe, there’s a hint in the book. I read it when it first came out but now that I know what happened to him maybe there’s something I missed, you know? I looked at it as my friend’s horror novel before but now, maybe, there's something that can help us puzzle out what happened to him." 

             “Good idea. I have to head back to the university tomorrow and teach but I’ll be back on Friday night. While I’m gone I’ll see what I can find out on campus. Between the library and students looking for extra credit, maybe I can unearth something that will help too. If any of you need anything or you find something useful, don’t hesitate to call me.” Billy added. “We should probably get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a busy day for all of us.”
***Be sure to return Tuesday, March 31st for the next installment of Specter of Death! Better yet, why not sing up for email alerts so you never miss a post?***