Haunted Destiny. Heather Graham

      

      Between the evil and the deep blue sea…

      A historic cruise ship, a haunted ship, the Celtic American Line’s Destiny, sets sail from the Port of New Orleans—with a killer on board. He’s known as the Archangel Killer because of the way he displays his victims in churches. And how he places a different saint’s medallion on each body. No one knows exactly who he is or why he’s doing this.

      Jackson Crow—head of the FBI’s Krewe of Hunters, a special unit of paranormal investigators—is assigned to the case, along with local agent Jude McCoy. Then Alexi Cromwell, who works in the ship’s piano bar, is drawn into the situation when a victim’s ghost appears to her—and to Jude. She and Jude share an attraction, and not just because of their mutual talent.

      There are many suspects, but one by one they’re ruled out… Or are they? In the end, Jude and Alexi have to rely on each other to catch the killer and escape his evil plans for Alexi.

       Praise for New York Times bestselling author Heather Graham

      “With an astonishing ease and facility, this talented and hard-working writer can cast her stories in any genre.”

      —Charlaine Harris, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Sookie Stackhouse novels

      “Once again, Heather Graham has outdone herself. The Betrayed took me on a fantastic trip to Sleepy Hollow and I’d travel with Graham anywhere… This chilling novel has everything: suspense, romance, intrigue and an ending that takes your breath away.”

      —Suspense Magazine

      “[Waking the Dead] is not to be missed.”

      —BookTalk

      “Dark, dangerous and deadly! Graham has the uncanny ability to bring her books to life, using exceptionally vivid details to add depth to all the people and places.”

      —RT Book Reviews on Waking the Dead, Top Pick

      “Murder, intrigue…a fast-paced read. You may never know in advance what harrowing situations Graham will place her characters in, but…rest assured that the end result will be satisfying.”

      —Suspense Magazine on Let the Dead Sleep

      “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

      “Suspenseful and dark.… The transitions between past and present flow seamlessly, and the main characters are interesting and their connection to one another is believable.”

      —RT Book Reviews on The Unseen

      Haunted Destiny

      Heather Graham

       www.mirabooks.co.uk

      For David Curtis Mutter, the best piano man out there. (Sorry, David! Yes, I turned you into a young woman—quite beautiful, though—for the purposes of this story!)

      And for FRW, surely one of the best writing groups out there!

       CAST OF CHARACTERS

      FBI Agents:

      Jackson Crow (Head of the Krewe of Hunters)

      Angela Hawkins (Special Agent and Jackson’s wife)

      Jude McCoy (Special Agent in the New Orleans field office)

      Celtic American Cruise Line (on the Destiny)

      In the Entertainment Division:

      Alexi Cromwell, piano bar hostess

      Bradley Wilcox, head of entertainment

      Clara Avery, soprano, in the ship’s presentation of Les Miz

      Ralph Martini, mature actor

      Simon Green, chorus

      Larry Hepburn, young heartthrob actor

      Key Personnel on the Ship:

      Xavier Thorne, Captain of the Destiny

      Larry Beach, Head of Security

      Johnny Morgan, Security Guard

      Jensen Hardy, Cruise Director

      Nolan Perkins, Crew Steward

      Among the Passengers:

      Hank Osprey, brilliant young computer magnate

      Roger Antrim, retired executive, and Lorna, his wife

      Flora Winters, widow

      Ginny Monk, dating Hank Osprey

      Contents

       Cover

       Back Cover Text

      Praise

       Title Page

       Dedication

      CAST OF CHARACTERS

      Chapter 1

      Chapter 2

      Chapter 3

      Chapter 4

       Chapter 5

       Chapter 6

       Chapter 7

       Chapter 8

       Chapter 9

       Chapter 10

       Chapter 11

       Chapter 12

       Chapter 13

       Chapter 14

       Chapter 15

       Chapter 16

       Epilogue

       Extract

       Copyright

       1

      They’d started out on foot that morning—not long after the murder was reported.

      The murder that would soon bring the Big Easy to its knees; the eleventh attributed to the man the media had dubbed the “Archangel.”

      And who had now, apparently, moved into New Orleans.

      The perpetrator had already left his mark on other cities. The first two killings had taken place in Charleston, South Carolina, where two women were murdered, their bodies found in churches; the actual crime scenes had never been discovered. That was eight months ago.

      After that there’d been a lull. At that time the Archangel hadn’t been given his moniker yet and he hadn’t been on the nation’s radar as a serial killer.

      Some people wanted to believe that the killer himself was dead, or that he’d been incarcerated on other charges, the true