The Phantom's Vow

The walk to the northern bluff was a sacred pilgrimage that had once been steeped in bitter, agonizing solitude. For ten years, Julian had climbed the steep gravel switchbacks in howling winter gales and driving autumn rains, carrying a bottle of scotch and a heart poisoned by guilt. The private cemetery had been an open wound on the landscape, an agonizing reminder of the night he had failed to pull…