I shot Thomas a sympathetic look as I hustled after the sheriff. It wasn’t easy to run on sand, but I did my best to keep up with him.
He drove slowly down the long driveway that led to Rose Cottage. Other than the car’s headlights, the only visible light was from the twinkling stars above.
“I’m sorry if you thought I was hard on him,” Sheriff Nash said. “But I can’t go easy on a suspect just because you think he’s a perfectly nice vampire after spending ten minutes with him.”
I was torn. On the one hand, I understood. On the other hand, I wanted him to trust my judgment. I had good instincts, whether he wanted to acknowledge them or not.
“I get it, Sheriff,” I said. “Thanks for the drinks.” I left the car and headed up the stone walkway to the cottage. I was surprised when I heard hurried footsteps behind me.
“Rose,” he said.
I turned around so quickly, I walked straight into his chest. He caught me in his arms, but instead of pulling back, he pulled me closer. Before I knew it, his lips were locked on mine. He tasted like a mixture of salt and ale. I felt unexpectedly comfortable in his embrace. When our lips finally parted, I couldn’t hide my disappointment.
Sheriff Nash grinned when he saw my reaction. “Just one, Rose. You’ve got a busy day tomorrow, remember?”
Although I knew it was the cocktails talking, I didn’t care. I grabbed him by his shirt and pulled him toward me. “If there’s one thing you’ve learned about me, Sheriff, it’s that one is never enough.”
Marley smoothed the front of her blue dress. “This is so pretty. It was really nice of Miss Haverford to send this to me.” Artemis Haverford was an elderly witch and the town matchmaker. She lived in a beautiful old house with her familiar and her ghostly manservant, Jefferson. Marley and I had befriended her not long after we moved to town and had made it our mission to give Haverford House and its owner matching makeovers.
I laughed. “I think she was secretly worried you wouldn’t have an appropriate outfit to wear to tea. Whatever the reason, it was a nice gesture. The color matches your eyes.”
We loaded PP3’s pet carrier into the car and headed to Haverford House. This was the dog’s first visit and I wasn’t sure how he’d behave with the cat, but Artemis had insisted he come along. If the visit didn’t go well, we’d leave him home next time.
“Someone else is here,” Marley said, pointing to a car in the driveway.
At that moment, the front door opened and a genie floated out. “He must be a client,” I said.
Marley squinted. “How does he hit the brakes if he doesn’t have any legs?”
As if on cue, the genie floated closer to the ground and human legs appeared. With a friendly nod to us, he walked to the car and got behind the wheel.
Marley and I exchanged amazed looks. It was still so easy to be wowed by what we witnessed in Starry Hollow. I may have been jaded in New Jersey, but there was no such thing in this paranormal town.
I retrieved the carrier and Marley and I went to the front door, where it immediately opened.
“Thanks, Jefferson,” I said. Although I couldn’t see any sign of him, I knew the apparitional manservant was responsible for letting us in.
“Hi, Jefferson,” Marley said, waving to the empty space. “This is our dog, Prescott Peabody III.”
PP3 barked a greeting.
“Where’s Artemis?” I asked.
“In here,” an elderly voice croaked.
I opened the carrier and scooped PP3 into my arms. I decided to hold him until he became acclimated to the new environment.
“What are those?” Marley asked, as we entered the old-fashioned parlor room. I glanced at the coffee table where a bunch of tiles were scattered.
“They have runes on them,” I replied. “Hazel showed me some like that during our last lesson.”
Artemis’s lips drew back to reveal yellowed teeth. Clearly, it was going to take more than one round of whitening to brighten and lighten those chompers.
“That’s right,” Artemis said. “I was casting runes for my client. We ran a bit off schedule. I’m terribly sorry.”
I sat on the loveseat in front of the table and set PP3 beside me. “You were using magic for matchmaking?”
“Not really,” Artemis said. “Runes have many uses. For me, they were acting more as an oracle.”
I flipped over a few of the tiles and studied the markings. “So they’re like Magic 8 Balls. You ask a question and the runes answer?”
“I don’t know what an eight ball is, but I suppose that’s the gist of it,” Artemis said.
“What did the genie want to know?” Marley asked. “Did you tell him his future?”
Artemis tapped her long, curved fingernails on the table. That witch’s nails grew like weeds. I’d asked Jefferson to clip them only a week ago!
“I told him one possible future,” Artemis replied. “Nothing is set in stone.”
Marley kneeled in front of the coffee table and touched a rune. “You don’t believe in fate?”
“There’s nothing to believe,” Artemis said. “Fate is a fictional concept. The future is ever-changing, depending on the decisions you make.”
Marley frowned. “What’s the point in asking then? If you tell him the runes say he’ll meet the love of his life tonight, that could change between now and then, depending on the decisions he makes.”
Artemis cackled softly. “A fine mind, this one has.”
I rolled my eyes. “Tell me about it. Fine enough to induce a headache when the questions start pouring in.”
Artemis crooked a bony finger at Marley. “Your questions are always welcome here, young lady. Inquisitive minds are in short supply these days.”
Marley’s eyes shone with pride. “So is he going to meet the love of his life soon? Is that what the runes told you?”
“I can’t reveal confidential information,” Artemis said. “But I can demonstrate.” She cast a sidelong glance at me. “Why don’t you think of a question you’d like answered, Ember?”
I faltered. “About my future?” I waved her off. “That’s okay. I’m good, thanks.”
“Do I detect fear in your voice?” Artemis clucked her tongue. “And you pretend to be so tough.”
I straightened in my seat. “I am tough.”
Artemis gathered the tiles and placed them in a small brown bag. Then she handed the bag to me. “Gently shake the bag and, as you do, think of the question you’d like answered.”
Reluctantly, I took the bag and shook it.
“Be sure to stick to a single question or the universe will get confused,” Artemis cautioned.
“Have you seen the state of the world lately?” I said. “I’m pretty sure the universe is already confused.” I tried to decide on a question. “It has to be about my love life? Can’t I ask whether I’m going to have pizza for dinner?”
“The universe is not interested in such petty matters,” Artemis replied.
“I would think in the grand scheme of things, my love life is fairly petty, too,” I said.
“Love is a connective force in the universe,” Artemis said. “It should never be underestimated.”
I focused on my question. “Okay, I’m ready.”
“Choose nine tiles from the bag and hold them in your hand for a moment. Be sure to focus on your question,” Artemis instructed.
I chose nine tiles and rubbed them between my hands, keeping my eyes closed for good measure. “Now what?”
“Scatter them on the coffee table.”
I did as I was told and opened my eyes. Some of the tiles were facedown and I moved to turn them over.
“No, no,” Artemis interjected. “Leave them be. The ones facing up in the middle of the table reflect your current situation. Let’s consider those first.”
I examined the markings closely but had no idea how to interpret them. Unsurprisingly, Hazel would be very disappointed in me.
“Multiple suitors,” Art
emis said, tracing the runes with her finger. “Well done, Ember.”
My cheeks felt flushed. “I don’t have multiple suitors.”
“Sure you do,” Marley said. “Sheriff Nash obviously likes you. And so does Alec.”
“But they’re not suitors,” I objected. At least Alec wasn’t. He kept me at arm’s length. That was definitely not the behavior of a suitor.
“Now turn over the tiles facing down, but leave them in their positions,” Artemis said. “These will reflect possible outcomes.”
My hand shook slightly as I flipped over the tiles. I was more nervous than I realized. “What do they say? Twins and a white picket fence?”
“We already have the white picket fence,” Marley pointed out.
Artemis looked thoughtfully at the exposed runes. “Hmm.”
“Hmm? That’s your interpretation of my romantic future?” I demanded. “Did the genie get a more hopeful outcome?”
“He did not, as it happens,” Artemis said. “But that’s all I can say about that.”
“What do they mean?” Marley asked. “Mom, shouldn’t you be able to figure them out?”
Out of the mouths of overachieving babes. “Not yet, sweetheart. Hazel and I are taking it slowly.”
“I see conflicting information,” Artemis said. “This rune suggests that you will find happiness, but this rune”—She tapped the one to the far left of it—“suggests that someone will constrain you. Test your emotional balance.”
“I think everything tests my emotional balance,” I said.
“It’s true,” Marley added solemnly. “What was your exact question, Mom?”
“I’ll keep that to myself, thank you very much,” I replied. I didn’t need Marley getting involved in my love life. It was bad enough she knew as much as she did.
“But this isn’t a definite outcome, right?” Marley asked. “Nothing is predetermined?”
“Correct,” Artemis said. “Think of the future as a cobweb.” She glanced at the chandelier above her head, presumably looking for the giant cobweb that lived there.
“We cleaned, remember?” I said.
Artemis frowned. “In that case, picture a cobweb. The many strands. The interconnectedness of it all.”
“Is there a spider?” Marley asked.
“Yes,” Artemis said. “The spider is you. Once the spider chooses a thread of the web to climb, she has chosen a path and the resulting vibrations impact all the other parts of the web. She does not choose in isolation.”
“And if she doesn’t like that path, she can choose another one?” Marley inquired.
“Absolutely,” Artemis said. “In which case, the possible outcomes change again.”
“I like that version of fate,” I said. “That means you’re never stuck. There’s always a way to improve your situation.”
“Yes, it is rather comforting, isn’t it?” Artemis agreed.
Beside me, PP3 barked.
“Marley, would you take him outside?” I asked. “His leash is in the carrier.”
“Come on, Mr. Peabody,” Marley said, scooping the Yorkie into her arms. “Time to check out the possible outcomes of your future pee.”
“Jefferson, would you be so kind as to prepare the tea?” Artemis said.
I felt a slight chill as the manservant moved through the parlor room to the kitchen.
“And what was your question?” Artemis asked slyly.
I blinked my eyes innocently. “I can’t tell you or it won’t come true.”
“It’s not a wish, dearest. Telling me changes nothing.”
“Of course it does,” I said. “Telling you impacts the rest of the web somehow. You just explained about interconnectedness and decisions. If I tell you, it could change the outcome.”
A slow smile spread across the old witch’s face. “And you pretend not to know where Marley gets her sharp mind.” She wagged her finger at me. “A werewolf in sheep’s clothing, that’s what you are.”
I gathered the rune tiles and pushed them over the edge of the table, back into the bag. “Like you said, Artemis, it’s just one possible outcome and it can change again tomorrow.”
And I had no idea what Artemis’s information meant. My question was—will I find love again? No surprise that the results were complicated and conflicting. That was basically the story of my life—no casting of runes required.
Artemis patted my hand. “There is no joy without sorrow. No light without darkness.”
I snorted. “I thought you were casting runes, not fortune cookies.”
Artemis gave me a vague smile. “Just worth remembering. That’s all.”
Chapter 5
I breezed into the offices of Vox Populi with a death grip on my latte from the Caffeinated Cauldron. I’d had a restless night after a string of dreams about spiderwebs, thanks in no small part to Artemis and her rune-based oracle.
“Rough night?” Bentley asked, vaguely amused.
I tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear. “Only for the guy I was with.” I dropped into the seat at the desk next to his.
Bentley’s hands flew to cover his ears. “I don’t want to hear the sordid details of your personal life.”
“I do,” Tanya said eagerly. The office manager fluttered over and perched on the edge of my desk. “Tell me, dear. Was it the sheriff? I bet he’s an absolute animal.”
I removed my sunglasses. “The only animal in my bed last night was an aging Yorkshire terrier.”
“Kinky,” Tanya said.
I stared at the older fairy. “I’m talking about PP3, my dog. There was no guy. It was a joke.”
Tanya looked crestfallen. “No worries, dear. You’re still young. I’m sure things will pick up soon.”
“How about that autopsy report on Grover Maitland?” Bentley asked, clearly anxious to change the subject. “Imagine having all that in your system.”
I gave him a blank look. “All what?”
“Didn’t your boyfriend tell you?” Bentley asked.
I gritted my teeth. “Sheriff Nash is not my boyfriend.”
“But I heard you were kissing at The Wishing Well,” Tanya said.
“Patently false,” I said, failing to add that the kissing came afterward. “What was in Grover’s system?”
Bentley ticked the items off on his fingers. “Vampire blood, nightshade, and wolfsbane,” he said. “You’ll need that for the article.”
“Gee, thanks,” I said. “I wasn’t sure whether facts would be important.”
Tanya fluttered back to her own desk. “Why do you suppose the sheriff didn’t tell you himself? Lovers’ quarrel already?”
“We’re not…” I heaved a sigh. “He didn’t tell me because there was vampire blood.” And I knew what that meant. “Anybody know the address for Enders Funeral Home?”
“Is that where the elf’s family is having his service?” Tanya asked.
“No,” I replied. “That’s where the sheriff is probably trying to interview Thomas Enders without my interference.”
Tanya called out the address. “It’s next to the salon where I get my nails done. I think he uses Ruby, the same nail technician, for the bodies.”
I shuddered. “Thanks.” I looked around the office. “Where’s our fearless leader anyway?” I half expected Alec to appear out of nowhere, as he often did.
“He’s at an out-of-town meeting with his agent,” Tanya said. “He’ll be back tomorrow.”
Among his many talents, Alec was also a successful fantasy author. “Oh,” I said, a little disappointed that he hadn’t mentioned the trip.
“He heard about your night out with the sheriff, you know,” Bentley said.
My radar pinged. “Oh? Did he say anything about it?”
“He didn’t have to,” Tanya chimed in. “I could see the vein in his temple throbbing.”
“He has no reason to be upset,” I said, especially since he made it clear our relationship was to remain strictly professional.
<
br /> Tanya pressed her thin lips together. “I know he seems cool and collected, but there is a passionate heart beating in that firm chest of his.” She frowned. “Okay, technically there’s no heart beating because he’s dead, but you understand.”
“I understand that Alec Hale is my boss and nothing more,” I said. “And the sheriff is…” Truth be told, I didn’t know what the sheriff was. We flirted. We kissed, thanks to a mixture of sorrow and alcohol. I had no clue whether it would ever be anything more. I was lucky if I figured out what to make for breakfast without overextending my brain. “The sheriff is in hot water for trying to interview Thomas Enders without me. If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to head over there now before he does any permanent damage.”
Sure enough, I found Sheriff Nash parked outside Enders Funeral Home. When I tapped on the car window, his head jerked toward me. Nothing like taking the sheriff by surprise. He popped open the door and stepped onto the pavement.
“What are you doing here?” he asked, not entirely pleased to see me.
I crossed my arms. “What do you think?”
“There was vampire blood in his system, Rose,” Sheriff Nash said. “Can’t ignore the facts.”
“There were other substances, too,” I argued. “Wolfsbane. Maybe you should interview the entire pack as well.”
The sheriff shook his head. “I don’t think you understand what wolfsbane is.”
“I was just making a point. Besides, you already questioned Thomas.”
“Ready for another career change to law, are we?” the sheriff asked. “I barely asked him anything. I was only trying to catch him during an unguarded moment. Thanks to the report, now I have real questions.”
“He’s innocent,” I insisted. “You’re wasting your time.”
“Great. Then feel free to waste your time out here and I’ll waste mine in there. That’s probably best anyway. Unless you’re in the mood to break another pot, of course.”
I scowled. “I’m coming in, if only to make sure you respect his human rights…or his paranormal rights. Whatever they are.”
The sheriff held the front door open for me and I shot him a quizzical look.
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