Chapter 17
“That’s ridiculous!” Norman snapped, his tone biting id harsh. “Juliet came back once. She can do it again. There’s probably a glitch in the Immortal System she’s tied to. It’s probably being sorted out as we speak.”
“Fine, I go get it,” Seth answered, his voice gravelly
Norman didn’t hold back, commissioning a crystal casket worth millions, complete with refrigeration, to be custom–made for Juliet. Hundreds of pots of phalaenopsis orchids
circled the casket, their scent permeating the room.
He brought in a world–famous pianist to play Juliet’s own compositions every day. He even had hundreds of high–end outfits tailored specifically for her. He searched the world over for the most exquisite emerald bracelets, laying them out in front of her.
This went on for three years. Yet, Juliet lay still in the crystal casket, showing no sign of awakening.
Iris came to plead with Norman, begging him to face the truth and lay Juliet to rest so she could find peace.
But he snapped, “Get out Jullet couldn’t stand having you around!
“You need to stop this, Norman,” Iris insisted, her voice filled with desperation.“She’s gone. She’s not coming back! You need to pull yourself together and return to Walsh Group. The competitors are ripping the business empire you built apart. The Walsh family will fall if this continues!”
Norman paid no attention to her words.
Clutching a bowl, he said in a voice thick with sorrow, “Julliet, I finally learned how to make that butternut squash soup you always loved. Won’t you wake up and try it? It’s been three years since you’ve opened your eyes and spoken to me.
Iris walked away, her heart sinking with disappointment, only to run into Seth, his race as unreadable as stone.
He brushed past her without a glance, making a beeline for Norman Mr. Walsh, I’ve brought the most well–known priest from Southeast Aurendis to perform a ritud for Juller.” “Good Send him in rightaway,” Norman answered
The priest performed the ritual for seven days before delivering his judgment. “A dark and powerful curse has bound Mrs. Walsh’s soul. She can neither be reborn not move on to the afterlife. Instead, she’s confined to a particular place. You need to find that location to free her!”
“What kind of place are we talking about Norman asked, his voice urgent,
The priest took a moment to consider before answering, “It’s hard to say for certain, but I have a feeling it could be something like a dark well, or maybe even an urn. Norman sought out Thomes to ask about the spot where Juliet’s body had been discovered.
“We found Mrs. Walsh in the basement of the concert hall. She’d been cut into pieces and stored inside an un,” Thomas replied.
Norman rushed to the forensic room, where a black un rested on the shell. His chest tightened with grief as he gazed at it.
The um stood about half as tall as a person, its inside pitch black and seemingly bottomless, emitting a stench so overpowering it made h
his eyes sting.
So this was where Juliet had spent those 18 days of her disappearance. She’d been trapped inside this dark, suffocating un!
For someone who was even afraid of thunder, Julle must have been filled with sheer terror and helplessness when that deranged serial killer had cut her apart.
What made it even worse was that the killer had used some kind of dark curse tp trap her soul, keeping her from moving on and sealing her tate in tragedy.
Norman clenched his jaw, his voice low and bitter. “Officer Lombard, it’s been three years, and this serial killer’s still on the loose? What kind of grudge did he have against Juliet to do something so monstrous?”
