The Death of Mercy Willow

Copyright 2023 Blackwych Books All Rights Reserved This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, events, entities and places are either products of the author's imagination or are used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual people, businesses, entities or events is entirely coincidental. Kindle edition First published in January 2023 by Blackwych Books, London When Mercy Willow arrived in Cornwall, she was running from her past. Now that past is ready to exact its revenge, but first Mercy has to deal with one last haunted house. At first, this house seems strangely unremarkable. As she starts to explore, however, Mercy starts to realize that the ghosts are strangely familiar. This is no ordinary house, and its darkest secrets mirror something that Mercy has been trying to hide for a very long time. Since before she was Mercy Willow at all... Soon, the past and present collide in a terrifying fight for survival. Mercy must find some way to tame her inner demons, or they'll consume her entirely. There are other dangers lurking in the shadows, however, and Mercy's about to learn that sometimes the tiniest threat can be the one that kills you. The Death of Mercy Willow is the sixth and final book in the six-part first Mercy Willow series, about an estate agent in deepest Cornwall who develops the unusual ability to communicate with ghosts. Readers are advised to start at the beginning of the series. This book ends on a cliffhanger, which will be resolved in the second series of books. Contents Prologue Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve Chapter Thirteen Chapter Fourteen Chapter Fifteen Chapter Sixteen Chapter Seventeen Chapter Eighteen Chapter Nineteen Chapter Twenty Chapter Twenty-One Chapter Twenty-Two Chapter Twenty-Three Chapter Twenty-Four Chapter Twenty-Five Chapter Twenty-Six Chapter Twenty-Seven Chapter Twenty-Eight Chapter Twenty-Nine Chapter Thirty Epilogue The Death of Mercy Willow (Mercy Willow book 6) Prologue 30 years ago... “No!” I scream, as I'm pulled kicking and screaming out of the office. “Let go of me!” Voices are shouting all around the room, screaming for help, begging someone – anyone – to call an ambulance. I reach out and grab the edge of the door, and for a moment I'm able to look back into the office and see Doctor Connor's body crumpled on the floor. He looks very dead, but his secretary Valerie is still leaning over him and trying desperately to bring him back to life. I'm fairly sure that I've finished him off already, but I'd still like to get back there and make sure. “Someone hold her down,” a man says nearby, and a moment later I'm shoved to the floor. I try to break free, but someone kneels firmly on my back, holding me in place. No matter how hard I struggle, I can't make him budge at all, and I'm starting to worry that these people have got me pinned. I look around, hoping to spot something I can use to fight back, and then I freeze as I see a familiar figure towering over me. Great. I knew she was going to show up soon, and she's probably angry that I managed to slip past her defenses. “I warned you,” Mercy says, her eyes filled with tears. “Why did you have to do this?” “It's got nothing to do with you!” I spit back at her. “He wasn't a bad man,” she continues. “I know he had his faults, but he didn't deserve to die. Why couldn't you control your anger better? That's what I'm here to help you with! That's the whole point of my existence!” “I don't care!” I tell her. “Why are you always trying to tell me what to do? Why do you care?” “I've failed you,” she says sadly. “I trusted you too much, and now look at what you've done. I don't know how, but I'm going to have to think of some other way to help you. For now, you just have to accept my apology. I'm so very sorry that I let you down.” “This is nothing to do with you!” I sneer. “Stop trying to take the credit for my actions!” “He's dead!” Valerie screams in the office. “Call the police! She murdered him! That little monster murdered poor Doctor Connor!” I start laughing, not only because Valerie's so upset, but also because Mercy's clearly still blaming herself. She has no right to do that, of course, but I have to admit that I like seeing the tears running down her face. When I first imagined her as my new friend, I liked having someone who could help me think, but over time I've come to find her increasingly annoying. She thinks she's perfect, but in truth she's just this smug idiot who doesn't understand how the world really works. Now that I've killed Doctor Connor, I should find a way to hurt her next. Hearing footsteps hurrying into the waiting room, I look up just in time to see Daddy rushing through the doorway. “Daddy!” I scream, trying desperately to reach out to him. “Help me!” “What the -” For a moment he seems frozen in place, as if he can't comprehend what's actually happening here. He looks absolutely shocked, and although after a moment I manage to slip a hand free and reach out to him, he doesn't respond in any way. Instead he steps past me and looks through into the office, where Valerie's still weeping and moaning like an idiot. Meanwhile, in the distance, police sirens are heading this way. I need to make Daddy understand, before the police arrive and make everything worse. “Daddy, make them let me go!” I sob. “I only hurt him because he was annoying me! Daddy, you understand, don't you?” “He's dead!” Valeria howls. “Poor Doctor Connor, she killed him!” “There's only one way to fix this,” Mercy says,